Chapter 4: Poisonous Snake Gang
The pier district of Yun Port City was one of the most glamorous, westernized districts in the Daxia New Country.
Western style and Eastern charm collided here. On the main street, women in high-slit cheongsams mingled with gentlemen in suits carrying umbrellas, while female students with bobbed hair hurried by, clutching their books.
There were even rickshaw pullers, shouting for fares as they weaved between clattering automobiles.
A black Ford sedan rolled slowly onto Baihua Avenue. Lu Yun leaned against the back seat, surveying the city—so familiar, yet so strange—through the window.
A few years ago, he had handed over the family business to his eldest son, Lu Jingteng, and had rarely been seen in public since.
In Lu Yun’s opinion, these Western sedans were cumbersome and cramped, far less comfortable than a simple walk.
But times had changed.
The sign for Tonghe Pavilion was a little dim. The three-story traditional restaurant had once been the grandest banquet hall in Yun Port City.
Now, it was no match for the newly built Ping’an Restaurant across the street.
Glass curtain walls, revolving doors, and young doormen in uniform—every detail exuded a new kind of Western chic.
Only local gangsters who clung to the old ways would deliberately choose a declining, time-honored restaurant like this to hold a sit-down.
The car came to a stop, and Lu Fu got out briskly from the passenger seat.
Another sedan pulled up behind them. Lu Jingwu pushed the door open, strode to Lu Yun’s window, and bowed, whispering, "Uncle, our men will arrive shortly. Please rest in the car for a moment."
No sooner had he spoken than a hundred able-bodied men poured out from the surrounding streets and alleys, gathering in disciplined ranks behind Lu Jingwu.
Only then did Lu Jingwu ask for further instruction. "Uncle, I’ll take my men up first and have a word with those scumbags from the Poisonous Snake Gang."
"If we can come to an agreement, so be it. But if they don’t know what’s good for them... I’ll leave the final decision to you, sir."
"Go on,"
Lu Yun nodded slightly, his rosewood walking stick tapping lightly on the floor of the car. "Just be careful."
He remained seated calmly in the car, showing no intention of getting out. He hadn’t come here personally to negotiate face-to-face with a gang of local thugs.
After fighting his way to the top of Yun Port City for sixty years, how could Lu Yun possibly grant an audience to such insignificant punks?
But if they didn’t know their place, Lu Yun wouldn’t mind personally meeting with these ants.
Inside a private room on the third floor, dozens of Poisonous Snake Gang members were standing around. All were dressed in open short coats, slouching with insolent looks on their faces.
Moreover, a hundred more men were packed onto the second floor, completely blocking the stairwell.
Lu Jingwu, dressed in a crisp black suit and surrounded by his entourage, stepped onto the third floor.
Without so much as a glance, he kicked a goon out of his way and strode directly to the large square table in the center of the room.
Seated at the table were three burly men, their faces fleshy and their eyes filled with malice.
Every one of them was smirking, legs crossed in a show of casual arrogance.
Lu Jingwu didn’t take a seat. Instead, he planted a foot on a bench and loomed over the three men. "Zhang Hong, I don’t care which Immortal you have backing you."
"From this day forward, if you dare cause trouble at the Lu Family Pier again..."
Lu Jingwu paused, then enunciated each word clearly. "I will make sure you useless bastards have nowhere left to stand in Yun Port City."
Hearing this, the three men exchanged a look and burst into uproarious laughter. "AHAHAHA!"
The laughter echoed for a moment before gradually dying down.
The scarred man in the center, Zhang Hong, Gang Leader of the Poisonous Snake Gang, dropped his wild expression. Replacing it with a smirk, he cupped his fists at Lu Jingwu.
"Manager Wu, those are some strong words. The Lu Family’s reputation in Yun Port City is well known, and my brothers and I respect that. How would we dare to actually challenge the Lu Family?"
"However... Manager Wu, as the saying goes, a tall tree attracts the wind. And recently, I’m afraid I’m not the only one with eyes on your Lu Family Trading Company."
Watching Lu Jingwu’s expression, he continued slowly, "Word is spreading in the underworld. That shipment you brought in from Jingbao City last month... it’s something special."
"I hear it’s loot from the tomb of some Prince of the old dynasty. The real deal, top-quality stuff."
"And you know, even though the Daxia New Country doesn’t care about the old dynasty’s rules, those bigwigs at the Bureau of Antiquities are keeping a very close eye on these ’dynastic relics.’ As for who’s backing *them*... you know better than I do."
"So let’s be frank. If the Lu Family is willing to do us a favor and hand over management of the Longyuan Bay Pier so my brothers can make a living..."
"...then over at the Bureau of Antiquities, I, Zhang Hong, have a little bit of pull. I could help smooth things over for you. From then on, we could all make our fortunes in peace. Wouldn’t that be lovely?"
"You?"
Lu Jingwu scoffed, stomping his foot on the bench. "What makes you think you, Zhang Hong, have enough clout to speak to the Bureau of Antiquities? This message came from ’Mad Third’ of Yishun Hall, didn’t it?"
Instead of getting angry that his family trading company’s secret had been exposed, Lu Jingwu just laughed.
Very few people knew the origin of that shipment. A gang of local thugs like the Poisonous Snake Gang could never have gotten wind of it so quickly.
Only Yishun Hall, one of the three great Cao Bangs of Yun Port City, had eyes and ears that far-reaching.
Exposed so publicly, Zhang Hong’s face flushed, then paled.
On a normal day, it was hard enough for his Poisonous Snake Gang to hold on to their small patch of turf in the pier district.
He only dared to bare his fangs at the Lu Family because he had the backing of Wu Zhongyi, the Third Hall Master of Yishun Hall.
The ruthless figure known in the underworld as "Mad Third."
Zhang Hong gave a dry laugh and shrank back slightly, but he forced himself to finish. "Heh heh... Manager Wu, please, calm down. I’m just the messenger."
"I’ve delivered the message. If the Lu Family comes to its senses, you have three days to send someone to the Poisonous Snake Gang to let us know."
The Poisonous Snake Gang had been constantly harassing the Lu Family Pier, disrupting shipments and causing chaos.
They had only let up for the past few days because of this scheduled negotiation with Lu Jingteng.
"Son of a bitch! Threatening the Lu Family? You really think I won’t blow your head off?"
Lu Jingwu had a notoriously short fuse, and the words sent him into a blind rage.
His right hand shot inside his coat, and when it emerged, the gleaming black barrel of a Western revolver was pressed hard against the center of Zhang Hong’s forehead.
The cold steel pressed against his skin, and the smirk on Zhang Hong’s face froze solid. Beads of cold sweat trickled down his temples.
In truth, Lu Jingwu looked down on warriors who were quick to draw their guns. He felt it was a betrayal of a Martial Artist’s code.
But times had changed. In a city like Yun Port, a melting pot of Chinese and Westerners where guns and cannons were king, it didn’t matter if your martial arts had reached the level of Ming Jin or even Dark Force.
After all, flesh and blood could hardly stop a speeding bullet. This cold piece of iron in his hand was the only law that truly mattered in the Daxia New Country now.
"What do you think you’re doing? Put the gun down!"
The other two Poisonous Snake Gang lieutenants shot to their feet, and the expressions on the faces of the dozens of lounging gang members instantly hardened.
In a single motion, they all grabbed the machetes and iron bars hidden under the tables and at their waists. With a great RUSH, they surged forward, surrounding Lu Jingwu and fixing him with murderous stares.