{Chapter: 218 The desperate situation of Qingshan Gang!!}
"Only by living to fight another day can we plan our revenge. There's no point in being brave now, only to end up dead before we've even had our chance."
"Don't think that Lin Yuan hasn't confronted us directly," Gu Qingshan said with a bitter laugh, his voice heavy with sarcasm. "It's not because he lacks courage or strength—it's because he doesn't need to. He doesn't plan to fight us head-on at all. Why would he dirty his own hands when he can manipulate everything from the shadows?"
He leaned back and exhaled deeply before continuing, his expression grim.
"He hides behind the overwhelming power of the Lin family, and now he's got the Tang and Mei families dancing to his tune. Those two families act like loyal hounds, eager to follow every flick of Lin Yuan's finger. And the worst part? It's working. That's how he managed to push me—and the entire Qingshan Gang—into such a hopeless and humiliating situation."
Gu Qingshan's voice carried a mixture of frustration and helplessness. "Compared to the combined might of those three families, our gang is nothing. Not even on the same level. And don't put your hopes in the Chen family either. The Chen family can't stop them. Not when the others unite like this. That's the truth. Harsh, but it is what it is."
He gave Ye Feng a hard look. "If there's one thing I've learned, it's this—relying on others leads to disappointment. At the end of the day, you can only trust your own strength."
His tone then softened slightly as he placed a hand on Ye Feng's shoulder.
"But we're not done yet. I still have a fortune saved, and I still have a handful of loyal brothers—men who will follow me to the ends of the earth. Let's take that wealth, take those men, and go to Yanjing. We'll lie low, build our strength, and come back one day. When the time is right, we'll settle this. We'll return not as prey, but as predators."
Gu Qingshan's words were passionate and filled with conviction, and Ye Feng was clearly moved. He looked into Gu Qingshan's eyes, saw the desperation and sincerity, and slowly nodded.
Though his fists were clenched tightly, and there was still some fire in his heart, he understood the reality they were facing. "Alright," Ye Feng said at last. "Let's go to Yanjing. I've got connections there—people who are even more powerful than the Lin family. I swear, I'll come back and show that Lin bastard what I'm really made of!"
Though his pride was wounded and he still burned with the desire to retaliate, Ye Feng wasn't blind. The writing was on the wall. They had no choice.
Seeing Ye Feng finally agree, Gu Qingshan nodded solemnly, then took out his phone and made a call.
"Ah Yong? How's the situation? Are the people from the Lin family and those damn officials still causing trouble?" His voice grew harsher. "Yeah, I've had enough of them too. Damn it! Thousands of them? Good, that'll make it even easier. I'll head there now with some of our men. I've got someone who can help me this time, so I'm not afraid of their numbers!"
His words were filled with rage, but Ye Feng noticed something strange.
Frowning slightly, he asked, "Brother… isn't Ah Yong the deputy leader? I thought we were leaving. Why are you talking about fighting again? And who's this person who's going to help us?"
Gu Qingshan gave him a knowing smile, cold and calculating. "Ah Yong is a decoy. I told him to cause a ruckus, create a big enough scene to catch the Lin family's attention—and the attention of the authorities. They'll be too busy chasing ghosts to notice we've already slipped away. It's a smokescreen, nothing more."
There was no remorse in his tone. Whether Ah Yong lived or died didn't matter.
Ye Feng paused, and after a moment of silence, he slowly nodded. "I see. That makes sense…"
Though he understood the strategy, he couldn't help but feel a little uneasy.
Gu Qingshan was ruthless, and this only confirmed what Ye Feng had always known—his brother might be loyal to a few, but to others, he was cold-blooded and pragmatic.
Still, one thing was clear: Gu Qingshan's feelings toward Ye Feng were genuine.
There was something about that bond—something that hinted at the charisma of a man born to lead. Maybe it was that inexplicable aura—the so-called protagonist's aura—that made others follow him even into fire.
Gu Qingshan then made another call, his tone sharp and direct.
"Ah She? The goods and the money in the Eastern Suburb warehouse—still intact, right?" He waited a beat. "Good. Now listen carefully. Anyone from the Chen family who's still stationed there must be eliminated. Cleanly. Take the goods, take the cash, and bring everything back to my house. Then gather the trusted brothers. We're heading to Yanjing to rebuild."
"Understood!" came the firm voice on the other end of the line.
Ah She was one of Gu Qingshan's most trusted men—absolutely loyal, without question. The kind of follower every boss dreams of.
Unlike the hidden dealings Qingshan Gang had with other families—deals filled with backstabbing and encroachments—the partnership with the Chen family was supposed to be different. They had agreed to share profits equally.
The warehouse in the eastern suburb was the symbol of that trust—a joint vault holding years' worth of earnings and shared interests.
But now, Gu Qingshan had made up his mind.
They were abandoning Jiangbei.
And that meant cutting all ties, burning bridges, and if necessary, betraying past allies.
He was going to take everything.
Ye Feng, for his part, didn't object. The more resources they could gather, the better their chances of surviving—and thriving—elsewhere.
---
Meanwhile, at the Eastern Suburb warehouse, Ah She moved quietly through the shadows.
He spotted a member of the Chen family stationed outside, standing guard like always.
A sinister smirk crossed Ah She's face.
Hidden in his sleeve was a dagger, its edge glinting faintly in the moonlight. Slowly, silently, he approached the guard from behind.
When he was within arm's reach, he drew the dagger, raised it high, his expression twisted with cold determination.
But just as he was about to strike—
He didn't notice the presence behind him.
A sudden chill filled the air.
Like a ghost materializing from the mist, a tall, cold beauty emerged behind him. She moved like an assassin—fluid, silent, deadly.
It was Chen Yu.
Her expression was blank, cold as ice. Without a word, she raised her blade and brought it down in one clean motion.
Steel flashed.
Blood sprayed.
Ah She's attack was cut short—permanently.
*****
You can support me by joining my Patreon and get upto 60 chapters in advance.
patreon.com/Eden_Translation