67: Stop talking nonsense, let's go together
Sun Qianzhao's expression changed, and he looked at Kong Hai with some annoyance. Had this guy always been like this?
"What's wrong with Grandfather being the gang leader? In terms of seniority and strength, who can compare to Grandfather?" Sun Yian spoke from the side.
In his opinion, with his support, plus Grandfather's own strength and status, it was only natural for him to take the position of gang leader.
"Yi'an! Don't speak nonsense! He's only temporarily taking charge of the gang leader's duties. How can the position of gang leader be decided so easily? Only by becoming a Chief Elder can one be qualified to be the gang leader!" Sun Qianzhao reprimanded.
"Heh, you actually have that intention? Old man, you're almost in your grave, are you still so greedy for power?"
Kong Hai said impolitely. When they were dealing with traitors in the gang before, this old man was already meddling, and now he even wants to snatch his position as gang leader?
Sun Qianzhao flicked his sleeve, "Then, according to Second Master's opinion, how should we decide?"
"You're calling me Second Master, so naturally, it's a direct succession. In terms of seniority and strength, I'm not inferior. Since that's the case, what's wrong with me being the gang leader?" Kong Hai said, mimicking Sun Yian's words.
He had also achieved the third level of Red Tiger Fist. Even if Sun Qianzhao had truly achieved the fourth level, he was old after all, and Kong Hai was not afraid of a fight.
"You!" Sun Yian raised his hand to point at him, too angry to speak.
Sun Qianzhao couldn't help but sneer. A brute actually dares to challenge him? How infuriating!
"Please calm down, both of you. Since you can't agree, how about this: tomorrow, we gather all the stewards and major and minor leaders in the gang and vote to elect an acting gang leader?"
Elder Chen stepped forward and said, looking around at everyone.
Sun Qianzhao's eyes narrowed slightly, and he met Kong Hai's gaze. Kong Hai also showed no weakness, staring back with wide eyes.
"This Elder has no objections!"
Sun Qianzhao said. If he weren't unsure of his ability to suppress everyone present, why would he go to such trouble?
However, what surprised him most was that Qin Jiang showed no reaction.
He looked at Qin Jiang, only to see him leaning back on a bench in the corridor, eyes closed in meditation, as if none of this concerned him.
Does this young man truly have no thoughts about the position of gang leader?
Forget it, as long as he doesn't provoke me. However, tonight I must have a good discussion with him.
Otherwise, if he supports Kong Hai tomorrow, it would be troublesome.
"Heh! This Hall Master has no objections either!" Kong Hai said.
He wasn't truly after the position of gang leader; mainly, he just didn't want it to be Sun Qianzhao.
As the saying goes, an old man who doesn't die is a thief. This old man seemed to ignore gang matters.
But in reality, he had planted many of his own people in the gang, and even pushed his own grandson into a Hall Master's position. He clearly had ulterior motives long ago!
"Good, in that case, why don't you all go back and rest tonight, and return here tomorrow when your Divine Qi is fully restored?" Elder Chen said.
He didn't care about the position of gang leader; it wasn't his turn anyway. But these two days of constant tension were truly getting to him.
Normally, he would only be like this during fights with others, but even then, it would only last for half an hour at most.
Unlike now, not only did he have to stay up all night, but he also had to worry about these two fighting and affecting him.
Upon hearing this, everyone nodded and then left.
Qin Jiang also opened his eyes, stood up, and left without a word.
Outside the headquarters, Meng An had been waiting by the door. Seeing Qin Jiang emerge, he immediately brought over a bowl of steaming chicken soup.
"Boss, are you hungry? This is wild ginseng mountain chicken soup, very nourishing!"
Qin Jiang took the soup bowl and drank it in one gulp. A warmth spread from his throat down his esophagus.
He looked towards the end of the street ahead, a hint of confusion in his eyes. "What's going on there? How can there be demons in the city?"
Across the street, groups of demons were walking by: wolf demons, dog demons, and many strangely shaped demons whose species couldn't be identified from their appearance alone.
However, even from this distance, he could smell a faint, fishy, bloody scent. They were definitely demons.
"Oh, I heard it was arranged by the County Magistrate and Magistrate Long. I'm not sure about the specifics. But, in the past few days, at least thirty or fifty demons have entered the city," Meng An said.
"Has Magistrate Long returned?" Qin Jiang asked.
Meng An nodded. "He came back once, but he only went to the county yamen and then left the city again. He didn't return to Long Manor."
Qin Jiang nodded with some surprise, looking at the group of demons at the street corner. "Are there really so many demons near Black Mountain City?"
Meng An nodded. "It's alright. There have always been demons in the nearby mountains, but basically, anyone who saw them died, so not many people know."
He and Lao Tian sometimes went to remote areas and would always carry special notebooks to avoid entering the territories of powerful demons.
"After they entered the city, have they eaten people?" Qin Jiang asked.
Meng An's face showed difficulty. "This junior doesn't know, but, openly, no. Covertly, we can't really say, can we?"
Qin Jiang nodded. "How is the collection of antiques and old items in the Inner City progressing?"
"It's going well. We've collected from three districts so far. We should be finished before the Fishing Lantern Festival," Meng An said.
Fishing Lantern Festival?
Qin Jiang suddenly remembered that Xu Yanran seemed to have invited him to the Fishing Lantern Festival.
"What is the Xu Family doing recently?" he asked.
Meng An was startled, then realized. He had heard Lao Tian mention it and knew his boss was interested in the Xu Family's Young Miss.
"The Xu Family is still dealing with the withered crops outside the city. It seems they've revived them, and there might even be some harvest this year," he said.
Qin Jiang nodded. "Alright, go back and rest."
After returning to Anxin Villa, Qin Jiang touched all the antiques and old items Meng An had collected over the past few days. The total number of potential points also broke the three hundred mark, reaching 312 points.
That night, a black-clad figure quietly appeared, and then the silent night was broken by a piercing whistle.
Drip—drip—drip—! (The gang leader is dead!)
In Anxin Villa, Qin Jiang, who was lying in the pavilion, suddenly stood up, his eyes filled with shock.
How could this be?
During the day, he had clearly sensed that Lu Xuanwu's aura had stabilized, and he would wake up by tomorrow morning at the latest. How could he suddenly die?!
Could it be…
His eyes narrowed. "Lao Zhang!"
Whoosh—!
A black shadow rushed into the courtyard; it was Zhang Lin. "Boss! What are your orders?"
He had also heard the whistle and understood the current situation.
"You, take a few stewards and secure the important positions that originally belonged to Fourth Hall and Sixth Hall. Don't let anyone fish in troubled waters!
Stabilize the situation, and we'll talk about other things after I resolve everything!"
After speaking, Qin Jiang left directly, his figure leaping across the rooftops. In just a moment, he arrived at the headquarters.
At this moment, the headquarters was already in chaos. Sun Qianzhao was at the head, with Sun Yian and a steward who had achieved Red Tiger Fist standing together.
Opposite them was Kong Hai, along with the Third Hall Master Liu Sheng and several other stewards who had achieved Red Tiger Fist.
The two factions faced each other, neither daring to make the first move.
Boom—!
Qin Jiang landed forcefully, directly creating a deep pit.
The moment he landed, a surging, blood-red Evil Qi flowed, covering everyone's ankles in a breath.
"Fourth Master, what is the meaning of this?"
Sun Qianzhao spoke, his face showing some apprehension. He hadn't seen the gang leader make a move in a long time and hadn't recognized this as the pure blood Evil Qi that only appeared after Red Tiger Fist reached Major Achievement.
Qin Jiang's gaze swept over the two groups of people, and his figure suddenly swelled, transforming into a four-meter giant.
"Stop talking nonsense, come at me together."