Zhu Xiao Ren had long since been scared limp, collapsing to the ground like a pile of mud.
Only then did he understand the meaning of the Eight-Faced Buddha's words earlier.
"You've been dead for a long time!"
The moment he betrayed the Qing Hui, he had committed a grave offense against Qin Ye Xuan.
And for Mr. Qin to want to eliminate him was as simple as crushing an ant.
Zhu Xiao Ren crawled desperately on the ground, trying to beg for mercy.
But the indifference in Qin Ye Xuan's eyes made him realize that pleading was utterly useless.
Zhu Xiao Ren turned and crawled to the feet of the Eight-Faced Buddha, who had always cared for him.
The Eight-Faced Buddha was old, and his heart was soft. Seeing this scene, he suddenly recalled the incident years ago when he took Zhu Xiao Ren in from a garbage dump.
"That year, you were just a child scavenging for food. I let you join the Qing Hui, sent you to school, and even intended to hand over the Qing Hui to you. But you still took the wrong step."
As the Eight-Faced Buddha spoke, tears streamed down his face. Su Dan Novel Network
Many elders in the Qing Hui knew the story of that year, and they all looked somber at this moment.
The guests were also moved and looked towards Qin Ye Xuan.
However, Qin Ye Xuan had only two words: "No!"
Zhu Xiao Ren had to be dealt with!
The Eight-Faced Buddha wiped away his tears, turned, stomped his foot fiercely, and said, "Take him to the deck and handle him according to the rules of the association!"
Zhu Xiao Ren was dragged out, screaming and wailing.
The hall grew even quieter.
With his swift and decisive actions, Qin Ye Xuan swiftly resolved the internal conflict within the Qing Hui and then turned his attention to the Hong Hui and the San Shan Hui.
The three major factions of Xiang Jiang, the Hong Hui of Tian Huan District and the San Shan Hui of Kowloon City, now had their leaders present.
Heroes gathered here, each with their own hidden agendas, but in the end, the ultimate authority rested with Qin Ye Xuan from Jiang City.
"Mr. Qin, I'd like to speak with you privately." Master Hong, with his white hair and beard, had been very quiet. He walked forward now, constantly rubbing his eyes.
Qin Ye Xuan nodded gently.
Master Hong, the leader of the Hong Hui, bowed as he asked in the softest voice, "Do you still remember the young fisherman from sixty years ago?"
His aged eyes flickered with a strange light.
Qin Ye Xuan sized him up. After a long while, he recognized him, "Oh, Hong Yu Er, that little brat who didn't even have a pair of pants... is that you?"
Sixty years ago, a poor fishing family was bullied by local ruffians. The twenty-something Hong Yu Er watched as his sister jumped into the sea and his parents were arrested. Facing death, he encountered that handsome young man.
That young man single-handedly defeated over thirty ruffians. In Xiang Jiang's most chaotic times, he emerged like a comet, and subsequently earned the moniker "God of Slaughter."
Master Hong knelt down with a thud, excitedly kowtowing repeatedly.
"You are... Big Brother Qin, who saved me!"
Qin Ye Xuan neither denied nor confirmed.
He merely helped Master Hong up and asked, "You are the leader of the Hong Hui. What will you do now?"
Did that need asking?
Master Hong turned and, with Xiang Jiang's most established organization, collectively saluted Qin Ye Xuan.
"Mr. Qin's words are the command of my Hong Hui leader. Anyone who dares to disobey will have three knives through their belly and atone with their own lives!"
Now, only the San Shan Hui remained allied with Gao Yao in the underworld.
The three leaders of the San Shan Hui, Long, Hu, and Bao, though their eyes were filled with fear, still spoke defiantly, "Friend surnamed Qin, your methods are indeed formidable, but our San Shan Hui has received sixty million from the Gao family. We cannot betray them. We will still protect Mr. Gao."
As soon as these words fell, the Eight-Faced Buddha and Master Hong burst into laughter.
The leader of the San Shan Hui, Master Long, flushed red. "What are you laughing at?"
Master Hong rolled up his sleeves, cupped his fist to the Eight-Faced Buddha, and said, "Brother Ba, shall we go down and have some fun?"
The Eight-Faced Buddha's aged body suddenly straightened, and an oppressive aura surged forth.
He grinned menacingly and nodded, "Sure, if Brother Hong has the inclination, I will certainly accompany you."
With a combined age of at least one hundred and sixty years, the two of them stepped forward, exuding the domineering spirit of the past, as if they had once traversed the stormy seas of the martial world.
*Boom!*
With a thunderous explosion, Master Hong appeared like lightning in the midst of the San Shan Hui's members. Hu Ge, the second-in-command of the San Shan Hui, stumbled and fell, spitting out three mouthfuls of black blood on the spot.
On the right, the Eight-Faced Buddha also appeared like a phantom, and with a single palm strike, he sent Master Long flying out of the hall.
The remaining so-called Brother Bao were then incapacitated by the two elders, each kicking them into crippled wrecks.
It was that simple, a complete resolution.
The members of the Gao Yao family looked as if they had seen a ghost.
So, the ones controlling the underground of Xiang Jiang were still the heroes from sixty years ago.
The power dynamics on the cruise ship had completely reversed.
The guests now breathed a collective sigh of relief, knowing their lives were safe.
Compared to wicked forces like the San Shan Hui and the shameless Gao Yao family, at least the Eight-Faced Buddha and the Hong Hui upheld the code of the martial world.
Now, Qin Ye Xuan faced the Gao brothers, Gao Yao and Gao Jian, directly.
Gao Jian managed a strained smile, "Your skills are impressive, sir. You've settled the underworld matters so quickly. However, our Gao family is not part of the underworld. Are you going to use a bunch of hoodlums to deal with us?"
Qin Ye Xuan also smiled, "Gao Jian, is it? You've committed numerous evils. All of the Gao family's underground businesses are managed by you. You've also handled the dirty work that Gao Yao isn't suitable to be involved in. Your hands are already stained with blood."
Gao Jian's face darkened, and he snorted, "Those thugs fear you. I, Gao Jian, am a respectable member of Xiang Jiang society, a Justice of the Peace. I'm not afraid of a brute like you!"
Still talking tough.
Qin Ye Xuan scoffed, "Still a Justice of the Peace, a man of high society? You're a beast who wouldn't even let your own sister-in-law off. And you're talking to me about this?"
What?
The entire hall erupted in shock, and everyone looked at Gao Jian in disbelief.
Gao Yao was the first to panic, "Gao Jian's sister-in-law, you... you're talking about my wife?"
"Your most beloved first wife, Ah Hui, who built everything up with you and endured hardships with you!" Qin Ye Xuan slowly took out his phone. "Sixteen years ago, Gao Jian accompanied your wife to Eagle Country for medical treatment, but he returned early. Not long after, your wife died in a car accident there."
The files on Qin Ye Xuan's phone were directly transmitted. "However, the truth is that Gao Jian, in a drunken state, insulted Ah Hui. After sobering up, he became fearful and paid twenty million to have locals cause Ah Hui's death, covering up the incident. This evidence I have is the local investigation report. Gao Yao, you can take a good look."
Not just Gao Yao, but everyone present received a transmitted file from Qin Ye Xuan on their phones.
The evidence was conclusive, with both human and material witnesses.
Gao Jian's face turned as white as paper. He wailed and jumped up, "Don't believe him! This is fake! I don't admit it! Big Brother, I..."
*Bang!*
The sharp crack of a weapon!
Gao Jian's head was instantly blown open, and he collapsed onto the ground.
Behind him, his elder brother Gao Yao, holding a weapon, trembled and roared, "You beast! Traitor! You dog-damned Gao Jian!"
Qin Ye Xuan clapped his hands, applauded, and smiled, "Removing a scourge for the people, Gao Yao. Well, now everyone has witnessed a murder firsthand. Everyone is a witness. Gao Yao, do you have anything else to say?"