Chapter 134 The Price of Defiance

At the entrance to the night market, Lao You lay sprawled on the ground, covered in blood, but not completely unconscious. He propped himself up on his elbows, crawling two or three meters forward, his voice hoarse as he pleaded, "Help... help me... please, someone help me."

Lao You was a familiar face in Tianhong Port. Many of the people who collected management fees at the night market entrance recognized him and immediately rushed over to inquire about the situation, also sending someone to call Lao You's brothers from the gambling den.

Wei Xiangzuo stood in the center of a crowd of hundreds of onlookers, silently watching Lao You, whose legs and knees had been broken. The corners of his mouth twitched slightly.

"What happened?"

"The Ma Gang is fighting amongst themselves. It must have been Xu Hu's men who did it."

"Go help him up."

"Damn, why are you so nosy? Do you want to die? You want to offend Xu Hu?"

"......!"

The crowd whispered amongst themselves, watching but not offering to help Lao You.

After about six or seven minutes, Lao You's brothers ran out of the gambling den, pushed through the crowd, and came to the center.

"Brother You!"

"What happened to you?!"

"......!"

Five or six brothers helped Lao You up and, without a word, supported him toward a car.

The crowd followed to watch the spectacle, and a few familiar faces were gesturing and offering advice. Cheng Gang, however, stood on the third floor, squinting at the scene below. His voice was hoarse as he said, "He'll definitely contact Hua Bi Long (Tattooed Arm Dragon)."

"What if he still doesn't cooperate?" Xu Hu's brother asked.

"Then we'll go to the Third District and take care of Lao You's wife and children," Cheng Gang replied, his eyes devoid of emotion. He turned and walked away.

Xu Hu's brother watched his back, his brow furrowed, but he didn't say anything.

Eating from the martial world's bowl of rice meant glory in good times, but it also meant misery when things went wrong. You never knew who would stab you in the back or kick you when you were down.

Lao You didn't have many tricks up his sleeve, nor was he a man whose word was law. He just had a bit of wishful thinking when he went to see his woman and ended up in this state.

If Cheng Gang hadn't still wanted to take back the shop from Hua Bi Long, Lao You wouldn't have just lost his legs; he would have lost his life.

After Lao You was taken away by his brothers, the onlookers gradually dispersed, but they continued to whisper about the incident. Especially the lackeys following Wei Xiangzuo; they were even more uneasy, feeling that Xu Hu was too ruthless and that offending him meant certain death.

Wei Xiangzuo stared at the blood on the ground and the car carrying Lao You away for a long time before turning and leaving.

...

In the car heading to the hospital, Lao You was shivering, his right hand clutching the arm of one of his brothers, muttering in a daze, "Er Li... I... I don't want to die, save... me, save me...!"

"It's okay, Brother, we're going to the hospital now," his brother said softly. "We're almost there, almost there!"

"What about the others who were with you?" the driver asked.

"They... they all ran away. They caught my woman... I... I was set up," Lao You replied weakly. "It was... it was Cheng Gang, he secretly investigated me."

"Damn it, I'll kill that Cheng Gang sooner or later!" Er Li cursed fiercely.

"Call... call my boss... we're not fighting anymore... give the shop to them. We can't beat Xu Hu. They'll do anything for money," Lao You said, truly terrified. Even if he had a hundred men protecting him, he didn't want to oppose them anymore.

Half an hour later, Lao You arrived at the hospital and was rushed into the operating room.

In the stairwell, several brothers gathered, talking in hushed voices.

"I think Brother You is right. Lao Wei has already run away. What's the point of us holding on here?" Er Li said, his eyes red. "Cheng Gang was a dog, and now he's living better than us!"

"I really misjudged Lao Wei!" Another person frowned in agreement. "He started the trouble, he called for the fight, and now that things have gone wrong, he's run off, leaving us brothers to take the beating at home. That's not right!"

"Call his wife and have her contact Long Ge (Dragon Brother) and just give the shop to Xu Hu," Er Li said softly, smoking a cigarette. "Otherwise, they'll keep targeting us and make an example out of us. Who can withstand that?"

"Okay, I'll call his wife," another young man replied, nodding.

...

In the Third District, in an ordinary residential complex, a woman dialed Hua Bi Long's number. Hua Bi Long was recovering from his injuries outside Dragon City, and his condition was not good. He had a fever several times and had been unconscious.

"Brother, something happened to Lao You."

"......!" Hua Bi Long forced himself to wake up. "What... what happened?"

"Cheng Gang lured him to Fukuoka District, brought him back, and had his legs broken. Er Li and the others just sent Lao You to the hospital." The woman started to cry. "Brother! I just don't understand why you didn't let Lao You sell the shop before? That Wei Xiangzuo ran away. Why are we taking the fall for him?!"

Hua Bi Long gasped and asked, "Which hospital is Xiao You (Little You) in?"

"You're hiding outside. You don't have to worry about anything, but Lao You is still in the port! Have you thought about him? Have you thought about me and our child?!" The woman yelled in complaint. "His legs are gone. How are we going to live in the future?!"

Hua Bi Long was silenced by her accusations, unable to respond.

"I don't care! If you want to persist, you go back and persist. Lao You can't take the fall for nothing anymore." The woman said, "I'm going to call Xu Hu's people later and talk to him about the shop. We're not getting involved in anything anymore."

With that, the woman hung up the phone.

In a dimly lit bungalow, Hua Bi Long was wrapped in bandages, his left hand supporting himself as he sat up on the bed, his eyes blank.

Hua Bi Long lost his phone when he ran away. And during the days he had been recovering from his injuries, he had been running a high fever and sleeping, so the friend who took him in had only contacted Lao You and did not know Wei Xiangzuo.

Hua Bi Long lay in bed, frowning and thinking for a long time. He lowered his head and sent a text message to someone in the port based on his memory: "Help... help me contact Big Brother. Tell him... I've done what I could. I can't hold on anymore. I can only give up the shop."

...

Late at night.

Xu Hu summoned Cheng Gang and said simply, "Good job. Lao You's wife called me and is willing to talk about the shop."

"Heh," Cheng Gang smiled coldly. "Hua Bi Long must have contacted her."

"You and Gu Baishun will go to negotiate and sign the agreement," Xu Hu instructed.

"Okay."

Zha Nan District, in front of a street stall that mainly sold braised food.

A waiter was using a sharp boning knife to slice a braised pig's knuckle.

Wei Xiangzuo drank a shot of high-proof liquor and suddenly asked, "Is that knife for sale?"