Chapter 191 Undercurrent
In the painted boat, the three men gathered together again. The man in the blue scholar's robe said, "Brother Zhao has gone out of town. I heard he's on a secret visit!"
"Who does he think he is? Emperor Zhengde?" said the man in red.
"I think this is a good opportunity to get rid of these two people!" said the man in blue Confucian robe.
"At this time? It's not appropriate, right? The Northern Expedition hasn't started yet!" said the man in the white Confucian robe.
"If he really succeeds in the north, we may not be able to do anything to those two brothers. Now is the time!" said the man in red.
"Who should we send? There are too many cities along the Yangtze River!" said the man in white Confucian robe.
"Go west! I heard that you might go to find Fang Xinyu!" said the man in blue Confucian robe.
"How many people are needed?" asked the man in the white Confucian robe.
"Please ask someone from the martial arts world to solve it!" said the man in red.
"What's the price?" asked the man in the blue Confucian robe.
"Those merchants are willing to invest 200,000 taels! They only want the heads of the Zhao brothers!" said the man in the white Confucian robe.
"Okay! I'll leave this matter to you! Be sure to be careful of those henchmen of the Jinyiwei!" said the man in red.
At the headquarters of the Hongyun Gang, an old man sat in the middle. Behind him stood a man and a woman. The man was large and muscular, the woman beautiful and toned. Both were evidently martial artists who had practiced martial arts for years. The old man glanced at the gift list, his wrinkled face lit up with a smile. He said, "Young Master Hou, I accept this! But I must be frank: after this is accomplished, our Hongyun Gang must be recognized by the imperial court. This must be done."
"My father and uncles have already agreed when I came here, and I believe they will not go back on their word!" said Master Hou.
"Okay! I believe it! I will issue a killing order to the whole underworld! I'm sure those two will not return to Nanjing alive." said the old man.
"Thank you, Boss Hong! I'll go home and wait for good news!" Young Master Hou thanked him and turned to leave!
After the young master left, the girl behind the old man said, "Dad! Why does this marquis family want us to kill the Prince of Anqing? I heard he's a good prince who can fight! And he never bullies men or women!"
"What do you know, little girl? You can only judge a person by his appearance but not by his heart! Even if he is a good person, he has nothing to do with us! The right way is to get things done by paying for them! Don't listen to those half-baked characters out there talking about martial arts righteousness and patriotism! Can that stuff be eaten?" Gang leader Hong said.
"Yes, Dad! But if we kill Prince Anqing, can we really get away with it?" the girl asked.
"If you don't believe that Young Master Hou will not admit it, I have plenty of ways!" After saying that, he said to the man standing aside without saying anything: "Go! Find all your brothers and ask them to find more masters. We have a big business to do!" said Gang Leader Hong.
Three days later, at the Hongyun Gang's headquarters, it wasn't as desolate and deserted as last time; today it was exceptionally lively. Dozens of men, all of them sturdy and powerful, stood in the hall. They held various weapons: guns, knives, swords, and all looked imposing.
The middle seat was empty; it was clear the gang leader hadn't arrived yet. Then a young man shouted, "The gang leader is here! Kneel!"
"Disciple, disciple greets the master!" Suddenly, a large group of people knelt down to pay their respects.
Gang leader Hong smiled and said, "Alright! Now each of you has become a decent person! You are worthy of being my apprentice! Let's not talk about those polite words today, let's get down to business! There is a job that must be done! Once you finish it, I, as your master, will give you money, women, and status!"
When Gang Leader Hong said this, the crowd immediately began to chatter. An older, bearded man stepped forward and asked, "Master, what's your job? Tell me what you want!" This was Gang Leader Hong's eldest disciple, Qu Xuesheng.
"Kill two people! After that, bring back their heads! Give him 100,000 taels of silver, and let him be the leader of the gang. I will marry my daughter to him! It doesn't matter if you already have a wife. Divorce her and marry my daughter as your wife! How about it?" Gang leader Hong said.
This statement was like a bombshell dropped into the water, immediately sparking a flurry of discussion. Everyone let Qu Xuesheng continue asking for them. Qu Xuesheng asked, "Master! Who is he? I bet it won't be that easy, right?"
"No one in the world will give you food for free! The person we want to kill is certainly not a simple person. They are the Prince of Anqing and the Governor of Jiangnan!" Gang Leader Hong said with a smile.
"What?" Everyone below gasped.
Killing anyone was considered, but even the emperor wasn't as formidable as these two! A man's reputation is like a tree's shadow. These two men, over the past two years, have saved the Ming Dynasty from ruin. With just 100,000 men, they stabilized half of Jiangnan. They defeated the million-strong Left Army with just 100,000 men. They then allied with Qin Liangyu, forcing Zhang Xianzhong to retreat to a corner of Chengdu, daring not to advance. His three wives were also skilled warriors, leading troops to repel Zhu Guobi's hundreds of thousands of troops.
These feats are so remarkable that even the stories told by teahouse storytellers couldn't compare to the stories of these two brothers. Many teahouse storytellers now turn their stories into vernacular novels, recounting them in teahouses and taverns. These people, the sons of the underworld, are well aware of them. How could they not be shocked if they were asked to assassinate the protagonist of a legendary story?
Gang Leader Hong looked at his disciples and sneered, "What? Are you all scared? If you're scared, then get out! From now on, don't call yourself a member of the Hongyun Gang, let alone a disciple of mine, Hong Batian!"
At this time, a timid disciple said, "Grandmaster! I am only thinking about my wife and children. I am not able to handle such a big business! I'd better go home and do my own small business!"
Hong Batian sneered and said, "Okay! Don't say you're from the Hongyun Gang anymore! Don't even mention who I am, or your master. Do you understand?"
"I'm sorry, Grandmaster!" The disciple immediately knelt on the ground and kowtowed to Hong Batian, then turned and left. Before he even reached the door, Hong Batian raised his hand and threw a dart, hitting the timid disciple in the back. The disciple fell to the ground before he could even turn around.
"You don't have to leave. Who said I let you go? If such a big deal gets leaked, will our Hongyun Gang survive? Is there anyone among you who wants to quit? Sure! But you can't leave. Wait for news here! Go back when the matter is done!" Hong Batian looked at everyone with a pair of cold eyes.
Everyone felt a chill run down their spines at the sight of their master. That dart shot was arguably the Hongyun Gang leader's ultimate skill. He never missed a target, earning him the title of Jiangnan's best dart shooter! He hadn't missed a single one yet! Furthermore, the old man's other skills were quite impressive. For example, his lightness skills were practically on the level of floating on water, and his kicks were incredibly fast. He was only old now, and his legs weren't as swift as they once were. But his other skills were undiminished, and his broadsword was a formidable opponent in Jiangnan.
Hong Batian asked again at this time: "Tell me! Who else?"
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