After finishing the call with Helian Shan, I had Han Jinlun drive the car to a secluded spot and stop. I decisively took the two of them and abandoned the car to make our escape.
After walking for about fifteen minutes, until the main road came into view, we managed to flag down a taxi and told the driver to head straight for Anhai. Only then did the series of events that had transpired in Jinling temporarily draw to a close.
Sitting in the taxi, my mind involuntarily began to recall everything that had happened before.
Including that Xiao Tianci, and the Xiao family behind him…
To be honest, I wasn't worried that the shooting today would escalate into something unmanageable.
The gun was brought by Cao Hongliang himself. If he dared to report it to the police, the issue of the gun's origin alone would be enough to land him in jail with me.
As for Cao Hongliang's revenge…
Heh! I believe that after today, Cao Hongliang will never again have the thought of seeking revenge on me!
He might be ruthless, but he's not as ruthless as I am.
Only when someone has a gun pointed at their head do they truly know if they're afraid of death.
The moment I moved to grab the gun, I had already cast my own life and death aside.
I think, at that moment, my image in Cao Hongliang's mind must have been that of a desperate, fearless tough guy.
Not only that, but after getting the gun, I even shot at him directly.
Based on these two points alone, Cao Hongliang couldn't compare to me.
And he himself must have been well aware of this.
The one I truly needed to be wary of was Xiao Tianci, behind Cao Hongliang, or rather… the Xiao family of Longxi!
This prominent family, which thrived in the Thousand Doors and Blue Path, was the most likely to bring about my demise.
In Longxi, whether it was the underworld, the legitimate world, or the various fringe groups and unorthodox paths of the eight martial arts, the Xiao family, and especially Xiao Tianci, were almost revered as deities.
Unlike the Yu family of Fengbei, the Xiao family wasn't particularly famous in the Thousand Doors and Blue Path in their early years, yet they now possessed such immense fame and prestige.
The reason for all of this was Xiao Tianci, who burst onto the scene ten years ago at the Thousand King Competition!
In the rapidly changing Thousand King Competition, Xiao Tianci, almost single-handedly, defeated numerous Thousand Doors experts from both the north and the south.
His fame was hard-won, earned through countless rounds in the most high-stakes, top-tier, and cunning gambling matches!
It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that among the Thousand Doors experts highly admired by many gamblers in the Thousand Doors and Blue Path today, almost half of them were once defeated by Xiao Tianci.
Although Xiao Tianci did not participate in the Thousand King Competition again afterward, and he himself seemed to have retreated behind the scenes to engage in the casino business.
But as the saying goes, a person's reputation casts a long shadow.
Even if Xiao Tianci showed no signs of returning, people in the martial world would generally show him, or any other member of the Xiao family, a degree of respect.
Over time, under the protection of the towering figure of Xiao Tianci, the Xiao family of Longxi gradually transformed into a prominent aristocratic family within the Thousand Doors and Blue Path.
It would not be an exaggeration to say that the current Xiao family not only holds immense influence in Longxi, but their network of connections also permeates the Thousand Doors and Blue Path across the north and south.
If this were the feudal era, members of the Xiao family would essentially be equivalent to local overlords, holding absolute power, capable of manipulating events at will, and standing above countless others!
Having inadvertently offended Xiao Tianci by trying to catch a cheat for Su Liuli's establishment, I had undoubtedly been labeled an enemy.
Earlier, I heard from Helian Shan that even Uncle Tuo, a former Thousand Doors expert, had suffered a significant loss at the hands of Xiao Tianci.
Although Helian Shan didn't explicitly tell me how Uncle Tuo suffered such a great loss at Xiao Tianci's hands, his mentioning it certainly meant it was true.
As someone with the combat power of a mere five-bar rank… how could I possibly be Xiao Tianci's opponent?
It was likely that he wouldn't even need to act personally; a simple wave of his hand would bring countless people flocking to do his bidding.
To put it bluntly, at that point, even if everyone spat on me… I would drown!
…
Snapping out of my reverie, I subconsciously turned to look behind the taxi.
What I was more concerned about now was whether we could successfully shake off the tails following us and safely reach Anhai.
Seeing that I had come back to my senses, Cheng Minglang, who had been sitting in the back seat, seemed to have been holding it in for a long time and uncharactercially spoke to me, praising, "You were very brave today… and very cool!"
"You have to be this ruthless to survive in the underworld!"
"If you dare to stab me, I'll dare to shoot you back!"
"From today onwards, your business… is my business, Cheng Minglang!"
Hearing this, Han Jinlun immediately chimed in, "Me too, me too!"
"Brother Xiang, you're amazing! You said you'd do it, and you did it… you shot…"
Swallowing the word "gun" that was about to escape his lips, Han Jinlun quickly added, "In short, Brother Xiang is awesome!"
"Believe me, Brother Xiang! After today, you'll surely be renowned throughout Longxi, and no one will dare to provoke you!"
Hearing the words of these two warlike individuals, I felt no elation, but rather a sense of bitterness.
With a sigh, I shook my head slightly and said with a wry smile, "Please, don't even mention it!"
"It's uncertain whether we can return to Anhai safely, and even if we do, those people likely won't let this go."
Seeing my low spirits, Cheng Minglang said somewhat dismissively, "Can you stop boosting the enemy's morale and then dampening your own spirit here?"
"With Brother Shan and me here, what are you afraid of?"
"There's a saying among the triads: 'A fierce dragon doesn't cross the river unless it has to!' Once we're back in Anhai, it won't be as easy for those people to seek revenge on us as it was today."
Waving his hand, I lit a red Nanjing cigarette and took a deep drag before replying in a deep voice, "Things aren't as simple as you think."
"Firstly, Brother Shan has already retired from the underworld."
"Today, from what we saw with Brother Hao, you can see Brother Shan's current situation."
"A hero in his twilight years!"
"Brother Shan… is no longer the Brother Shan he used to be.
"Secondly, the enemy is very powerful! Powerful enough to carry out indiscriminate retaliatory attacks across regions!"
"And the last point, which is the most important one! Regardless of whether anyone still respects Brother Shan's word, this originally had nothing to do with him, and there's no need to drag him into it any further."
This time, Cheng Minglang didn't retort, but nodded thoughtfully, "That's true. But it's okay!"
"Even if you've caused a huge mess this time, I, Cheng Minglang… will stand by you!"
Before I could speak, Han Jinlun was the first to respond, "Me too!"
"Regardless, thank you both."
Although I wasn't fighting alone this time, with Cheng Minglang and Han Jinlun accompanying me, I still felt a great deal of unease.
Not for any other reason than the enemy being far too powerful!
Just then, my phone in my pocket suddenly rang. Upon opening it, I saw that it was Yu Shuang calling…