Chapter 112 East Lake Gang
"Don't move! Otherwise I'll break his neck!"

Facing the Donghu Gang disciples who were eyeing him covetously from all sides, Lin Fang hurriedly grabbed the black-faced man by the neck and glared at him with his tiger eyes, yet he still maintained an air of dominance despite the danger.

"Boy, you've hit a wall today." The black-faced man's face turned red from holding back his anger, but he was still arrogant and sneered, "If you know what's good for you, let me go quickly, otherwise I won't let you leave the water and land dock!"

"Hurry up and surrender, or I'll make you pay!"

"If you dare to hurt the Second Master, you will be punished!"

"If you know what's best for you, please let him go..."

The black-faced man shouted, and the hundreds of East Lake Gang disciples around him immediately started shouting. They used their sticks, swords and knives to hit the ground in unison, shouting "release them!" In an instant, the dock was filled with deafening noises, and the momentum was extremely huge.

At the same time, the huge noise also attracted many curious people to gather here.

This place is the territory of Yingchuan. Although the Xianwang Mansion is powerful, it is far away in Luoyang after all. At this moment, there are only Liu Xunyi, Lin Fangda and Luo Ningyu. Facing the huge East Lake gang, it is inevitable that they seem a little weak in comparison.

This situation forced Lin Fangda to reconsider the situation of the three of them. Reason overcame recklessness, and a hint of hesitation appeared in his eyes. He looked at Liu Xunyi and Luo Ningyu with a serious face, as if asking them about their plans.

Luo Ningyu was the eldest daughter of the Xianwang Mansion. She was usually surrounded by people and guards, and rarely in danger. How could she have seen a scene like today? She knew that these ruffians were mostly desperate criminals who never followed the rules of the underworld and acted recklessly and unscrupulously. Therefore, even if she revealed her identity, she might not be able to escape unscathed, and there might be complications.

Thinking of this, Luo Ningyu couldn't help but feel a little timid. She subconsciously moved closer to Liu Xunyi and whispered, "We are new here. If we fight these people head-on, we will probably suffer. And looking at the current situation, the Pan Huai Chamber of Commerce doesn't seem to dare to provoke them. I'm afraid they can't support us. Why not... give them ten taels of silver?"

Liu Xunyi looked around at the ferocious Donghu Gang disciples and said with a wry smile, "I'm afraid that now it's not something that can be solved with ten taels of silver. These bandits and thieves are people who bully the weak with their numbers, are brave and aggressive, and are insatiable. Now that they have finally met the three of us, the "soft persimmons" from outside, how can they give up without giving us a good fight?"

"Then what should we do?" Lin Fang asked anxiously, "Do we really have to fight? You and I are fine, we can fight our way out, but Ningyu is... swords and knives have no eyes in a melee, what if she gets hurt by accident?"

"If you can fight, I can fight too!" Luo Ningyu argued unwillingly.

"That's not necessary." Liu Xunyi said, "I know these people's temperaments very well. Although they are brave and aggressive, they are also bullies. We only need to use thunder and lightning to eliminate one or two of them with ruthless means, and kill one to warn the rest. However, this move can only keep us safe for today, but we are afraid that we can't stay in Yingchuan any longer, and... it may cause unnecessary trouble for Mr. Pan. So unless it is absolutely necessary..."

Before Liu Xunyi could finish his words, Lin Fangda quickly interrupted and said, "Now we have no other choice. I think we should start with the one in our hand. What do you think?"

"Please be patient, everyone! As the saying goes, harmony brings wealth. Anything can be discussed slowly. Why bother with weapons? Haha..."

At some point, a man in his fifties, dressed in brocade clothes, walked out of the crowd. Accompanied by several Pan family guards, he came forward with a smile on his face, as if he wanted to act as a peacemaker.

"My name is Pan Wen, and I'm the owner of Pan Huai Ship Merchants. I came to the dock to supervise the work today, but unexpectedly encountered a misunderstanding."

Pan Wen is Pan Chuba's eldest son, who is extremely intelligent and shrewd. Pan Chuba is old and has long been indifferent to worldly affairs. Many years ago, Pan Chuba handed over the Pan Huai shipping business to him.

Therefore, the current owner of Pan Huai Shipping Merchants is Pan Wen.

While he was talking, Pan Wen had already come closer. He first bowed slightly to Liu Xunyi and the other two, then looked meaningfully at the black-faced man held hostage by Lin Fangda.

Not sure if it was intentional, but when the calm Pan Wen saw the black-faced man, his expression suddenly changed. He said hurriedly, "Oh! Isn't this Li Bao 'Second Master Li' from the Donghu Gang? How come..." Having said this, Pan Wen turned his gaze to Lin Fangda and asked in surprise, "Excuse me, little brother, why are you making things difficult for Second Master Li?"

"Boss Pan, this is your Pan family's dock. You can't escape responsibility for this matter!" Although Li Bao was held tightly in Lin Fangda's hand, he was still stubborn and spoke with arrogance.

"Uncle Pan, do you still recognize me?" When Luo Ningyu saw Pan Wen, her face suddenly brightened up and she walked towards him in three or two steps. However, Pan Wen was confused. After looking at him carefully for a long time, he still couldn't recognize Luo Ningyu's identity.

"That's no wonder. I was only in my teens back then. After so many years, it's not surprising that Uncle Pan doesn't recognize me." Luo Ningyu smiled, then changed the subject and asked, "Does Uncle Pan still remember Mr. Pan Ba's... old friend from Luoyang?"

"Luoyang? An old friend?" Pan Wen hesitated for a moment, looking up and down at Luo Ningyu, who was dressed as a man, and asked suspiciously, "Could it be that this young man knows my father?"

"Young Master?" Luo Ningyu was slightly startled, then she remembered her own attire and couldn't help but burst out laughing. Her shy look, like a little girl, immediately made Pan Wen's eyes fixed, and he suddenly realized, "Could it be Luoyang Xian..."

He stopped talking halfway, but when he saw Luo Ningyu nodding slowly with a smile, an indescribable excitement suddenly appeared on Pan Wen's face.

"Since he is one of us, how about asking this little brother to release Mr. Li first?" Pan Wen hinted that Luo Ningyu and Liu Xunyi did not need to say anything more. He quickly moved to Lin Fangda's side and whispered, "If you can trust me, why not let me handle this matter."

"Since Shopkeeper Pan has asked, I will not refuse." Lin Fang readily agreed, and then pushed Li Bao to the ground with one palm. The surrounding Donghu Clan disciples saw this and hurried forward to support him. "You are so good, Boss Pan..."

"Master Li, you misunderstood. These three are my friends of the Pan family." Before Li Bao could open his mouth to scold him, Pan Wen stepped forward to Li Bao, stretched out his hand, took out a few silver bills from his arms, and quickly stuffed them into Li Bao's hands. Each of these silver bills was worth one hundred taels.

Facing the still indignant Li Bao, Pan Wen said, "Master Li, take this money to buy tea for the brothers. Let's just regard today's incident as a misunderstanding. I hope Master Li can consider the long-term friendship between the Pan family and Gang Leader Li and make a big thing small, or a small thing nothing."

Li Bao, who had been unwilling to give up, changed his expression when he heard Pan Wen mention the word "gang leader". He stared at Lin Fangda fiercely, but hesitated in his heart and did not make any more trouble.

"Master Li? How about giving me a favor?" Seeing this, Pan Wen smiled again.

Li Bao glared at Lin Fangda, then looked at Pan Wen who was smiling, and finally cast his eyes on the banknotes, as if muttering to himself: "Boss Pan, you and my eldest brother have a good relationship, so I have to give you face. But today this kid embarrassed me in front of so many people. I have lost all my face, so what can I do? These banknotes of yours..."

"Understood! Understood!" Before Li Bao finished speaking, Pan Wen had already taken out another stack of banknotes, stuffed them into Li Bao's hand, and said with a low laugh, "Including the few just now, the total is one thousand taels. Master Li, why don't you just..."

"Humph!" Li Bao pretended to be nonchalant, but he quickly counted the banknotes with his hands. After confirming that they were correct, he stuffed the banknotes into his arms and said coldly, "Today I will give you, Boss Pan, face and let them go for now. Let the three of them be smarter next time. If there is a next time, even the king of heaven can't protect them!"

"That's it! That's it!"

"Let's go!" Li Bao ignored Pan Wen who was smiling apologetically. He just called out and led his men away from Pan's Wharf.

At the same time, the hundreds of Donghu Gang disciples who had gathered around also gradually dispersed.

"Damn it, I earned a thousand taels just by getting punched. Is there such a good deal in the world?" Looking at Li Bao who was getting farther and farther away, Lin Fangda still felt a breath of anger in his chest, so he kept grumbling and cursing.

Luo Ningyu smiled and said, "You fought well, the one thousand taels are worth it! If we can do it again, I'd pay you ten thousand taels and let you beat him half to death!"

"That's not necessary. To deal with that kind of guy who looks strong on the outside but is actually weak, if I give him two more punches, I guarantee he will die." Lin Fangda continued, his words showing his disdain for Li Bao.

Liu Xunyi smiled slightly, and bowed to Pan Wen, saying, "Manager Pan, I will return this one thousand taels of silver in full someday."

"No need, no need!" Pan Wen waved his hands repeatedly, "Let alone one thousand taels, even if it was ten million taels, it would be far from enough to equal the friendship between my father and Lord Luo! Haha..."

"Something happened in Luoyang, so my father couldn't come in person. So he sent the three of us here on his behalf to wish Uncle Pan the best of his life! But... I didn't expect that we would meet Uncle Pan in this way." Luo Ningyu stated her purpose, with a hint of guilt in her tone.

"My father received a letter from Palace Master Luo yesterday. I know that the three of you are Palace Master Luo's confidants and the backbone of the Xianwang Palace. You have taken the trouble to come here, and it is an honor for my humble residence!" Pan Wen said modestly, "Please come back with me as soon as possible. My father has been waiting for you and wants to welcome you personally. Haha..."

Luo Ningyu smiled and said, "Uncle Pan, there is no need to be so polite. We are the younger generation and we should go to see Master Pan Ba."

The few of them had a very pleasant conversation. Pan Wen ordered people to prepare the carriage and personally took them to the Pan Mansion.

On the way, Lin Fangda couldn't hold back his curiosity and repeatedly asked about the Donghu Gang.

Pan Wen couldn't evade the question, so he could only sigh and say, "Yingchuan has been a place where people rely on water since ancient times, so there have been many water bullies and bandits who make a living by blocking roads and robbing people. The bullies of the past formed gangs and each formed its own faction. Until more than ten years ago, a strong man suddenly appeared in Yingchuan, nicknamed "Li Lao Hu". This man was very capable and quite smart. In just a few years, he merged the various gangs in Yingchuan into one and established a new faction, which is today's Donghu Gang. Although the Donghu Gang is tyrannical, they never step out of the Yingchuan, because Li Laohu knows that there are always people who are better than you. If they leave Yingchuan, they, a group of rabble, can't make any waves. Therefore, they have been holding on to Yingchuan for many years. Although they can't achieve great things, they live a carefree life. After many years, the East Lake Gang has already established deep roots in this place. They are connected to the government and the market, and they are rich and powerful. Even our business companies have to curry favor with the East Lake Gang in order to find a safe place. "

"Who is that Li Bao just now?"

"He is Li Lao Hu's sworn brother. Li Bao's original surname was not Li, but Cao. I heard that he used to hang out with Li Lao Hu when he was a child, and he served him loyally for many years, and was highly valued by Li Lao Hu. Later, Li Lao Hu became successful and recognized him as his sworn brother. In order to get closer to Li Lao Hu, Cao Bao disobeyed his ancestors and secretly changed his surname to "Li". Since then, he has always called himself Li Bao. Now, his status in the East Lake Gang is second only to Li Lao Hu, so people call him 'Second Master Li'."

"How could there be such a scoundrel?" Luo Ningyu asked in surprise, "Since the East Lake Gang is just a mob, why don't you unite and get rid of them as soon as possible?"

"We are all honest businessmen. How can we have the energy to fight with them?" Pan Wen said with a wry smile. "What's more, even if we get rid of the East Lake Gang today, there will be another West Lake Gang or South Lake Gang tomorrow... There are bullies like these everywhere in the world. How can we eradicate them completely? Instead of doing this, it's better to give them some sweet benefits, so that we can live in peace and muddle through!"

"We can help you." Lin Fangda interrupted, "As long as the palace master gives the order, it will only take a cup of tea to wipe out the Donghu Gang. We guarantee that they will be wiped out."

Hearing this, Pan Wen could not help but remain silent for a moment, then he sighed heavily and said bitterly: "Why use a butcher knife to kill a chicken? What's more, the troubles that the Pan family is facing now are much more powerful and terrifying than a small East Lake Gang. The East Lake Gang is only seeking money, but now someone wants our Pan family's life... Alas!"

……

(End of this chapter)