Chapter 198: Don’t Blame Me For Being Rude

One sentence froze the smiles on everyone's faces. There’s an old saying that you don’t strike a smiling face, but Li Xiaofei seemingly had no regard for such rules.

Li Xiaofei looked at Chu Yuntian. "Old Chu, spread the word. In two hours, I want to see all the mid-to-high-ranking members of the four major gangs gathered in the Cloudy Sky Gang's main courtyard. We won’t be waiting for any latecomers."

"Yes, Boss," Chu Yuntian responded excitedly.

Today had been an incredibly satisfying day. The boss had won five battles in a row and thoroughly established his dominance. Even though they had offended the Ye family, they had the backing of the Inspector. It was a guaranteed win.

Li Xiaofei then turned to Ning Wuwo and the other leaders with a cold smile on his face. "Let me make this clear. The territories of the four major gangs are mine. The people of the four major gangs are also mine. I’m taking these four juicy pieces for myself. If any of you dare to entertain any ideas, if you so much as reach out for something that doesn’t belong to you, don’t blame me for being ruthless."

The gang leaders felt a chill run through them.

"Alright, boys, let’s go home," Li Xiaofei commanded with a wave of his hand.

The members of the Cloudy Sky Gang erupted into deafening cheers. They surrounded Li Xiaofei as they left the Gang Alliance Tower. Meanwhile, the faces of the other gang leaders were grim. Li Xiaofei had shown them no respect and humiliated them in front of everyone, but there was little they could do in retaliation.

A powerful and ruthless gang leader might not be so terrifying on his own. But it was a different story when that person had the backing of an Inspector. They could already see that the rise of the Cloudy Sky Gang was inevitable. The pressing question was how they would survive under the growing threat of the Cloudy Sky Gang's dominance.

Ning Wuwo, however, simply smiled. For someone like him, who was known for being a master at laying low in the gang world, nothing really mattered.

***

Countless impoverished people had gathered at the entrance of the slums as they anxiously awaited the results of the gang negotiation. Word had already spread. Even the children knew that today's gang negotiation would decide the fate of all the slum dwellers.

They prayed in silence. The enemy was overwhelmingly powerful and they had been suffocating under the pressure lately. Yet, despite the odds, everyone still hoped that President Li, who had created miracles time and time again, would continue his streak of extraordinary successes.

Time passed slowly. Men, women, and children alike maintained a tense silence. The air was heavy with anticipation. Some even knelt on the ground, hands clasped in prayer.

At the very front of the crowd stood Zhong Ling. The former president's daughter, dressed in a white gown, was delicate yet strikingly beautiful. The cold wind played with her long hair as it danced like black flames in the air.

Her bright eyes were fixed on the distance, filled with hope and expectation. Yet, her fingernails were almost painfully digging into her palms. Li Jie and Yang Cheng were beside her, the latter struggling to stay upright in his wheelchair. Suddenly, a glimmer of light flashed in Zhong Ling’s eyes. She had spotted the approaching convoy in the distance.

"They're back," Li Jie shouted loudly.

The crowd immediately erupted into noise. Excitement and anxiety filled the air. It was as if they were all waiting for the hammer of judgment to fall.

"Brother Xiaofei is alive," Zhong Ling exclaimed excitedly, "He's unharmed... We must have won."

Yes, we. Zhong Ling had fully embraced her identity as one of the slum's people. The crowd burst into cheers. As the convoy drew nearer, the news of their victory spread rapidly. The crowd erupted in frenzied joy. The impoverished people sang and danced, celebrating like never before. They had never felt such happiness.

They had won. Not only had they won, but they had also gained control of new territories. Better days were on the horizon.

Soon, the slum dwellers witnessed something beyond their wildest dreams. One luxury car after another arrived in the slums, competing to reach the Cloudy Sky Gang’s square. The rarely seen bigshots of the rule-of-law district gangs arrived, one by one, bowing and scraping. They were all mid-to-high-ranking members of the four major gangs.

Even Fan Tong, the youngest of the Fan brothers, was among them. There was also Wei Kun, the Hall Master of the Dragon Claw Gang—the highest-ranking survivor of the gang. Ironically, his life had been spared because he had been first captured by Li Xiaofei, turning his misfortune into a blessing.

"My brothers' deaths are not the president's fault," Fan Tong said, his voice filled with resentment. "It was the Ye family who drove them to their deaths. Life and death on the battlefield are determined by fate. They died at the president's hands, and I bear no grudge. I only hate that I didn’t see the Ye family's treachery sooner and allowed myself to become a disposable pawn in their game."

"Boss, I am willing to go through fire and water for you," Wei Kun said, bowing deeply.

The other mid-to-high-ranking members of the three major gangs were equally submissive. They had no choice. After all, they were facing the demon king who single-handedly wiped out the Dragon Claw Gang and killed five top masters.

Li Xiaofei had no interest in coddling them. He didn’t bother to distinguish between those who were genuinely loyal and those who were pretending. There simply wasn’t time for that. Instead, he handed each one a Life and Death Talisman. This way, he didn’t have to worry about betrayal. The remaining work of integrating the gangs was naturally handed over to Chu Yuntian and the others. They could depend on the control provided by the Life and Death Talisman to use the talents within the four major gangs without worry.

At the same time, he instructed Chu Yuntian to publish recruitment notices. After all, the Cloudy Sky Gang had officially become a registered company. They could no longer simply open their doors and recruit followers in the old-fashioned way; now, they had to hire legally.

After arranging all these matters, Li Xiaofei eagerly headed home. The gang had prepared a victory banquet with many delicacies, but to Li Xiaofei, it couldn't compare to the simple meal waiting for him in the dimly lit two-bedroom apartment—a few small dishes and a bowl of soup.

To his surprise, Zhong Ling was also at home. The delicate and striking girl was wearing an apron around her waist and was in the process of setting food on the table.

When she saw Li Xiaofei, Zhong Ling naturally greeted him, "You're back? Sit down, the food will be ready in a moment."

Li Xiaofei paused for a moment, then nodded without saying a word. What had once been a family of three had now become four. It was clear that Little Aunt and Little Jie had already accepted Zhong Ling as one of their own, since they were treating her with warmth and affection.

After dinner, the usual joyful moments continued. Bedtime. Undressing. Massage. After the intense battles of the day, only the final confrontation with Ye Liushuang had truly made Li Xiaofei feel pressure.

𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

He had unleashed his full strength and pushed his physical body to its limits. It had started showing signs of strain and damage. But fortunately, Little Aunt’s magical hands were there. She sat on his back, her fingers gently pressing and gliding over his acupoints as smoothly as flowing water. Li Xiaofei felt an overwhelming sense of comfort.

In a haze of relaxation, he drifted off to sleep. The stress he had been carrying during this period seemed to dissipate along with it. He felt renewed, as if his entire being had undergone a transformation.

He didn't know how much time had passed when he suddenly awoke. To his surprise, his aunt was still sitting on his back, massaging him. Beads of sweat glistened on her forehead, dripping steadily onto his back.

"The Qi Refining Realm has its limits. Once you've cultivated to the ninety-ninth stage of the Qi Refining Realm, it’s time to break through the barriers," his aunt whispered.

Li Xiaofei replied sleepily, "I had intended to cultivate to the hundredth stage of the Qi Refining Realm."

"One should never strive for perfection. When the moon is full, it begins to wane; when water overflows, it spills. The same principle applies to the path of martial arts," Little Aunt gently advised.

"Alright, I'll listen to you, Little Aunt," Li Xiaofei agreed.

The scarred face of the blind woman softened into a gentle smile in the moonlight. At that moment, his light core phone suddenly rang.

"So late, who could it be?" Li Xiaofei muttered as he reached for the light core and checked the caller ID.

It was Tan Qingying.