229: Chapter 230 Gang Warfare

Lin Ye instinctively turned his head to look out the window.

From this position, he could just see the main street downstairs, which was already in complete chaos.

Two groups of people were standing on the street, confronting each other. With thirty or forty people on each side, they had blocked the not-so-spacious street completely.

The street vendors had long since hidden away, though a few bold ones were still standing in the distance, craning their necks to watch the excitement.

Pedestrians on the street, seeing this, quickly ducked into shops on either side to avoid getting caught in the crossfire.

"Interesting, is this a Gang clash?"

Lin Ye raised his wine cup, took a sip, and watched with great interest.

Back in Black Stone Town, because there was only the Black Stone Gang, such street brawls naturally didn't happen.

But Qingfeng County was different. Gangs were everywhere here. Besides the four major Gangs supported by influential families in the east, west, south, and north, each had various smaller Gangs beneath them.

It was practically a mess, and running into Gang members fighting was nothing out of the ordinary.

It was just unclear which two Gangs were fighting this time. If he remembered correctly, the East District should be the territory of the Green Snake Gang.

Lin Ye observed carefully. The people on the left were wearing uniform cyan martial outfits, with cuffs and trouser legs tightened, leaving no excess fabric on their bodies.

On the chest of their clothes, a green snake was embroidered with silver thread; the snake's body twisted and turned, its head held high, exuding a cold and ruthless air.

No need to ask; just by looking at their attire, he knew they were undoubtedly members of the Green Snake Gang.

The weapons they held were not the standard cleavers used in street fights, but daggers only as long as a palm.

They didn't look like street thugs; they looked more like professional assassins.

This couldn't help but make Lin Ye recall the assassin who tried to kill Zhou Yuanshan at the post station that night; he wondered if there was any connection between them.

As for the people on the right, they wore grey-brown martial outfits with thin iron plates embedded on their shoulders and chests, looking much sturdier than the members of the Green Snake Gang.

On each of their chests was an embroidered eagle with wings spread, its lines sharp and bold, completely different from the feminine and treacherous style of the Green Snake Gang.

Their weapons were also quite distinctive: the blade was about three feet long, with curved serrations on the back, and the hilt guard was cast in the shape of an eagle's claw.

The five claw tips were slightly curved, allowing them to be used for scratching or parrying an opponent's weapon.

"Strange, how did the Green Snake Gang end up fighting the Flying Eagle Gang?" Zhang He's voice suddenly rang out, his tone filled with a hint of confusion.

"Why? Have these two Gangs never had a conflict before?" Lin Ye asked curiously.

"Oh, that's not it, but the Chen and Sun families behind them are related by marriage in this generation, so they shouldn't be resorting to violence."

Zhang He threw a peanut into his mouth as he spoke.

"This group clearly consists of low-level Gang members. How would they know anything about the Gang's backers? Conflicts are normal," Old Man Shen suddenly interjected.

"That's true." Zhang He nodded in agreement.

It couldn't be helped; they stood at too high a position, and those they usually interacted with were basically the heads of the major influential families.

They never paid much attention to the squabbles of these low-level Gangs.

They took it for granted that since the higher-ups had formed an alliance, those below should also be getting along harmoniously.

But as the saying goes, the vassal of my vassal is not my vassal.

For the low-level members, who cares about this or that? If you're not convinced, then fight!

Meanwhile, as the people were cleared from the street, the main reason for this conflict was revealed.

On the ground between the two groups lay a person, a pool of dark red blood seeping out from beneath them; it was clear they were seriously injured.

Next to this person was an overturned carriage, with its cargo scattered all over the ground.

Immediately after, one person stepped out from the middle of each group; they were likely the leaders of the two sides.

However, judging by the aura they exuded, they were just at the entry level of cultivation.

This actually surprised Lin Ye a bit. Is this all the local Gangs have?

Being able to be a leader just by entering the ranks? This didn't seem any different from the Black Stone Gang.

In Lin Ye's view, since it was a Gang in the county seat, its members should be so numerous that ninth-rankers were like dogs and eighth-rankers were everywhere.

But given the current situation, the county's Gangs didn't seem as high-end as he had imagined.

In fact, Lin Ye was completely overthinking it.

The county and the small town only differed significantly in terms of high-end combat power, but the average strength of the common people at the bottom was actually about the same.

It didn't mean that people in big places were generally stronger.

The resources for Cultivate in big places were rich, but the key was that there were also many people.

In the end, what could actually be distributed to the bottom level was really not much at all.

Therefore, those who were truly capable could get by anywhere.

Those without ability would starve regardless; the situation wouldn't change just because you went to a developed area.

"Flying Eagle Gang, what is the meaning of this? This street is the territory of our Green Snake Gang. If you don't give us an explanation today, none of you are leaving!"

After the leader of the Green Snake Gang finished speaking, he backhandedly drew a refined iron dagger from his waist, the blade pressed close to the inside of his arm, looking ready to strike at any moment.

"A joke, and you want us to give you an explanation? Who doesn't know that this street is a junction connecting three markets? When did it become the territory of your Green Snake Gang?"

"Now, our people have been beaten by you, and our cargo has been robbed by you. The ones who should be giving an explanation are you, the Green Snake Gang!"

The leader of the Flying Eagle Gang was a burly man in his early forties. At this moment, his long blade was already unsheathed, looking every bit like he was ready to fight if the others wanted to.

"Hehe, who doesn't know that the East District is our Green Snake Gang's territory? If you want to transport goods in our territory, you have to pay us a toll. You should understand this principle, right?"

"You still want us to pay a toll? Pfft! Go take a piss and look at your own reflection; you aren't worthy!"

The two continued to trade insults back and forth, their voices growing louder and louder.

Although the members on both sides hadn't started fighting yet, they were already rubbing their fists, glaring fiercely at each other.

The members of the Green Snake Gang had all drawn their daggers, and some even stuck out their tongues to lick them.

It was fortunate that they didn't have the habit of coating their daggers in poison; otherwise, half of them would have collapsed before the fight even started.

Meanwhile, the three people upstairs were watching with great relish through the window.

Old Man Shen held his wine cup, took a slow sip, then picked up a piece of braised pork knuckle and shoved it into his mouth, chewing with gusto.

Zhang He was even more direct; he sat right on the windowsill, watching below with great interest, looking every bit like someone who loved to watch the excitement and didn't fear trouble.

Lin Ye withdrew his gaze from the street and looked at the two, his tone carrying a hint of curiosity: "Tell me, does the government not care about this kind of situation?"

Although it was normal for Gangs to have armed brawls, how could they fight in the middle of the street in broad daylight? This showed too little regard for the Yamen Runners who maintained order.

At the very least, they should find a time when it's late and quiet to fight.

Hearing Lin Ye's words, Old Man Shen smiled and explained: "They certainly have to care, but when to care and how to care—that is where the nuance lies."