"By the way, are you guys not planning to open more venues?" Li Jiangping curiously looked at Lin Chuan and said, "I think the location of Feng Taibao's teahouse is pretty good, right on the main road, and it's basically in the city center of the eastern district, which is also pretty much the city center of Jiangbei City. If you could refurbish that teahouse, it could totally become a second Haiqing Pool."

"No." Lin Chuan shook his head and said, "We've decided to keep the teahouse as it is. The economy of Jiangbei City is developing rapidly, and everywhere there are cafes, bars, entertainment venues, but only lacking places like the Eight Horses Tea House which possess Chinese characteristics and heritage. I think it's meaningful to preserve it. Moreover, the Eight Horses Tea House has already accumulated a number of high-end customers. This is wealth, it's also connections!"

"Oh, be it wealth or connections, isn't the ultimate goal still all about money?" Feng Taibao frowned and then said, "Our goal is to make money, why bother with these intangible things?"

Lin Chuan smiled and then replied, "Money is important, of course, but we must not lose our culture and beliefs."

"You're so young, how come you sound like a stubborn old man?" Li Jiangping asked with a smile.

"Don't say that!" Lin Chuan shook his head and said, "I'm just speaking the honest truth."

"Alright, do as you see fit." Li Jiangping said with a laugh, "If there are any good investment opportunities in the future, remember to include me, I would like to share in the investment."

"Don't worry, definitely." Lin Chuan nodded.

The two chatted for a while, and Lin Chuan stood up to leave. Being 'arrested' was really just an excuse to drink a couple cups of tea, have a little chat, and then all issues would disappear. According to regulations, driving without a license and dangerous driving should result in detention for at least a month. This kid wasn't even held for thirty minutes.

Upon leaving the police station, Lin Chuan walked back on foot.

Li Jiangping, this young guy, is now utterly respectful towards himself, all based on the foundation of money, and also because he has grasped Li's corruption and some of his other secrets. With these, Li Jiangping was entirely under his control. Having Li Jiangping as a chess piece meant that the territory in the eastern district of Jiangbei City could basically be secured.

A smile crept onto the corner of Lin Chuan's mouth.

The business was developing more and more smoothly, whether it was Haiqing Pool, the transport market, or even the Eight Horses Tea House, everything was operating normally. As for the bars that were seized by Mr. Hu from the northeast, Lin Chuan never gave a second thought.

However, recently, Mr. Hu from the northeast has also been troubled and irritated. And his troubles and irritations were precisely because of those bars.

The men Feng Taibao took away were just over twenty, but there were still over a hundred left. Although these men were kept in the eastern district of Jiangbei City by Feng Taibao, they needed income, they needed money, they needed to spend. And those bars were their source of income, where their livelihood lay. However, Mr. Hu cut off their financial path, severed their economy. They wouldn't stand for it.

In recent times, this group of lads has launched several covert attacks, almost suicidal in nature, managing to actually kill several of Mr. Hu's brothers and injure or maim more than ten.

Mr. Hu was furious, but the suicidal tactics of the other side really annoyed him.

In the office at Qinghua Pool, Mr. Hu's headquarters.

"Big brother, Ben Se Bar has been smashed up again." The man with whiskers was furious.

"It's those remnants left by Feng Taibao again?" Mr. Hu asked.

"Yes!" The man with whiskers immediately nodded and said, "What can we do? If we don't eliminate these remnants, I think... I think we'll have to endure their harassment for a long time."

"Damn it!" Mr. Hu cursed through gritted teeth, "We didn't drive them all away back then, and now they're climbing up on our heads and shitting all over us?"

"How about... we give up a few bars to them?" A man nearby suggested.

"Third brother, what nonsense are you spouting?" The man with whiskers frowned.

"Actually, our main enemy is still Lin Chuan." The young man glanced at Mr. Hu, then said, "If we pour too much of our efforts into these people, we might suffer more loss than gain. Besides, how much are three bars worth? Maybe we can even find a way to win over this group of remnants, it might be helpful to us!"

"Makes sense!" Mr. Hu's eyes lit up, he hurriedly said, "Third brother, I'll leave this matter for you to handle."

"Yes, big brother!" Qiu Wuming immediately nodded.

Qiu Wuming was Mr. Hu's sworn brother, also a pivotal figure in the Tiger Gang, as was the man with whiskers. The three were regarded as the 'Three Bears' of the Tiger Gang. Mr. Hu was the eldest, the man with whiskers was the second brother, and Qiu Wuming was the third brother.

Qiu Wuming was almost the wisdom of the Tiger Gang, while Mr. Hu controlled the overall situation and the man with whiskers had extraordinary fighting ability. The three each had their strengths and weaknesses.

............

Eastern District, Dongfeng Trade Market.

This is the largest trade market in the Eastern District, offering not only agricultural goods but also serving as a wholesale market with retail as well. Now, the Dongfeng Trade Market has been monopolized by Long Wu. Through a series of operations, Long Wu's people have taken control of the entire market. The management staff have all been replaced by Long Wu's people.

"Long, look... can I switch to a different stall this year?" A balding old man approached, offering a cigarette to Long Wu with a smile, "My stall is too far inside, there's hardly any foot traffic. Please show some mercy..."

"Scram, scram, scram, I'm not running a charity," Long Wu shook his head, "Stall placement is based on rent. The ones on the outside cost more, and you old bastard don't want to rent them!"

"Can't afford it. It's too expensive," the old man said helplessly. "I just sell vegetables."

"Then that settles it, just humbly stay inside and sell your veggies," Long Wu lay on the sofa, didn't even bother to turn around, and continued to sleep with his head in his arms.

The old man looked somewhat at a loss, wanted to speak but was afraid of angering Long Wu. After hesitating for a moment, he turned and left. The old man was just a local farmer, growing vegetables in his greenhouse. He would carry loads of vegetables from the suburbs to the city each day to sell. He relied solely on selling these vegetables for income. After all, they were just vegetables, not seafood or meat, so the profit margin was not high. It would be impossible for the old man to rent an expensive stall, else he'd end up with a deficit every month.

Just as the old man had left, the door to Long Wu's office was knocked on again.

Thud, thud, thud...

The knocking sound irritated Long Wu, who, without turning his head, continued to lie on the sofa and cursed loudly, "What's so important that it can't wait until I wake up? If it's about switching stalls, pay up, pay up..."

"Long needs money? We can talk!" A chilly voice came from outside the door.

As soon as Long Wu heard this voice, he sensed something was off. He quickly scrambled up, his eyes bloodshot. After rubbing his eyes, he looked at the man standing in the doorway: of slim build but not short, around 175 cm, wearing glasses and looking scholarly in a black Sun Yat-sen suit, with glossy leather shoes. Two sturdy men followed behind him.

"Is it you?" Long Wu exclaimed, and then said, "You... you're Qiu Wuming from the Tiger Gang?"

"Correct." Qiu Wuming nodded, "Didn't expect Long to still recognize me?"

"This..." Long Wu glanced around and realized there were no underlings near him. The management office was eerily empty. Long Wu started to panic. He looked around, then forced himself to stay calm and said with a chuckle, "Brother Qiu, what brings you here... any particular reason?"

"Of course!" Qiu Wuming nodded, "Mr. Hu sent me to bring you a sum of money."

"What?" Long Wu was stunned, saying awkwardly, "Such good news?"

Long Wu couldn't believe his ears. Lately, the Thirteen Grand Protectors had constantly clashed with the Tiger Gang, causing disputes. Not to mention having killed a few from the Tiger Gang, they had also maimed and injured quite a few. Now, with them coming to him, it was certainly with ill intent. Long Wu was on alert, quietly shifting his bum towards the corner of the sofa where he had hidden an aluminium baseball bat for self-defense.

"Of course!" Qiu Wuming nodded again, then walked in.

Long Wu grew more nervous, hurriedly asking, "What kind of money does Mr. Hu intend to give me? Surely not funeral expenses, right?"

"Haha, Long is joking," Qiu Wuming let out a laugh, "Mr. Hu sent me here today to let you know that Ben Se Bar, Night Light Bar, and Kunlun Bar are all yours to take."

Long Wu was shocked, "Really?"

"Absolutely true!" Qiu Wuming smiled, "It's just... we hope that from now on, you'll go easy on us Tiger Gang members. After all, our biggest enemy is Lin Chuan, not each other, right?"

Long Wu was overjoyed at once, "Exactly, exactly, our greatest enemy is Lin Chuan. The Thirteen Grand Protectors' biggest enemy is Lin Chuan. That guy has caused us so much misery, made Protector Feng flee Jiangbei City, leaving me alone to stand guard with a group of men. Alas..."

"However, from now on, we could help each other out." Qiu Wuming sat down opposite Long Wu, "I have a pretty good proposal, wondering if Long would be interested?"

"Speak!" Long Wu suddenly became excited. Being treated with such respect by the third boss of the Tiger Gang, he naturally felt extremely proud. Coupled with the prospect of owning three bars, he was ecstatic. Long Wu's face was flushed with pleasure.

"A union!" Qiu Wuming said with a smile, "We give you the three bars in hopes that you will put the same effort into fighting with Lin Chuan as you would with us. What do you say?"

"Absolutely!" Long Wu gritted his teeth, "Damn it, Lin Chuan has gone too far, bullying us time and again. Now he's made the Thirteen Grand Protectors suffer so much, we must settle scores with him."

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.