"Stay away from Sun Wenyan's team next time; I can't always make it in time," Lv Gang cautioned.
Song Changming pursed his lips and nodded in agreement.
This was just a minor incident that had no significant impact.
The massive raid on the Qinghe gang ended shortly thereafter; the gang never mounted an effective counterattack, and the Patrol Armor Bureau's guards completely took over the main base of the gang.
What remained of the Qinghe gang was either dead, captured, or escaped, with only a handful managing to flee.
Lv Gang kicked open the door to a study in the courtyard.
Moments later.
"Found it, there's a hidden chamber here; land deeds and property deeds are all here, along with two boxes of money and silver!"
Lv Gang announced the good news, making Liang Chuan Mountain, who was waiting outside, beam with joy as well.
"Great! We've earned the first merits!"
"Brother Lv, you're amazing!"
"When it comes to finding treasures, you have to count on Brother Lv!" the patrol guards in the team immediately started boasting.
"Enough with the chatter, come carry these things; there are also some ancient paintings and jade artifacts, all valuable stuff," Lv Gang shouted from inside the room.
"Go, all of you, move them." Liang Chuan Mountain waved his hand, and the guards instantly filed in and carried the items out one by one.
Song Changming looked at the two large boxes full of copper and silver, as well as the carefully crafted ancient artifacts and calligraphy, and couldn't help but admit that the Qinghe gang had indeed accumulated quite an impressive fortune.
No wonder they had managed to stand firm in the city for so many years, unlike some small gangs that would disband at the slightest hassle.
They knew how to win people's hearts, manage and explore, possessing a certain foundation.
If it weren't for the emergence of a stronger Nine Bends Association in recent years competing with them, the Qinghe gang might have continued to grow stronger, shedding their label as a motley crew, and eventually turning into local powerhouses once the time was right.
Alas, only a few manage to leap from obscurity to prominence; the vast majority ultimately fail in their endeavors.
The Qinghe gang, in the end, couldn't escape the fate shared by most gangs. After this catastrophe, by tomorrow, the gang would be nothing but a memory.
In a while, perhaps there would hardly be anyone in the marketplace even mentioning the Qinghe gang.
"Running a gang and dabbling in the underworld does bring profit, but the risks and rewards are proportionate; one wrong step, and it could all end in ashes," Song Changming thought as he looked at the ground littered with the corpses of gang members.
By comparison, as a patrol guard backed by the government, his position was undoubtedly safer and more stable, and the perks are quite generous too.
"Brother Liang, such quick hands! You found the most valuable spot in such a short time," Sun Wenyan said, arriving with his men belatedly, adopting a disgruntled tone.
"Heh, these assets are to be turned in; it's just a minor merit," Liang Chuan Mountain chuckled lightly.
Sun Wenyan stood aside without further comment, clearly dissatisfied with his team's performance that night.
Some time later, other patrol teams arrived, carrying their valuable loot.
In comparison, the spoils of Liang Chuan Mountain's team were evidently the most abundant.
There's no doubt that when they returned from the mission, Liang Chuan Mountain's contributions would prove to be the most significant.
"Guard Captain, members of the Nine Bends Association have arrived," a guard standing outside reported back.
"Let's go take a look," Zhao Dezhi said.
In the deep alley, a group of gang members holding torches surged forward, completely encircling the courtyard.
Several leaders, with headscarves tied around their heads, stood at the frontline. Upon seeing the squad of patrol guards, their faces turned icy and grim.
A standoff ensued between the two sides.
"Brother Qian, do you still remember last night at Chunfeng garden, how we drank and were like confidants?" The foremost leader spoke in a muffled voice.
Patrol Captain Qian Wen sighed deeply and replied helplessly, "Zhu Changyi, this matter was ordered from above; we have no say in it and are merely following orders."
Zhu Changyi turned his gaze to Sun Wenyan, "Brother Sun, do you remember what you told me a while ago?"
Sun Wenyan no longer bothered to pretend; he bluntly retorted, "I don't understand what you're talking about. Don't address me as brother; if you breach the law, I'll arrest you just as well!"
"Fine, fine mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind," Zhu Changyi took a deep breath, speaking coldly, "Never mind if you don't understand, I don't need the Qinghe gang's money and silver, just leave the land deeds and property deeds."
"All of the Qinghe gang's land deeds and property deeds are to be confiscated and turned over to the public; if you inquire further, don't blame me for wielding the sword without mercy!" Sun Wenyan rebuked.
At these words, the atmosphere ignited; members of the Nine Bends Association drew their knives, faces ablaze with anger, poised for conflict.
It seemed as if they awaited just a single command to charge at the patrol guards in a ferocious clash.
In terms of numbers, the hundreds of gang members, buoyed by their victorious momentum, potentially overpowered the patrol guard's presence, causing the guards to exchange uneasy glances, a wave of unrest flowing through them.
In an actual confrontation, even if the patrol guards emerged victorious, they would likely face significant casualties on their side.
Liang Chuan Mountain took a deep breath, stepped forward, and addressed the leaders of the Nine Bends Association, "It would be unwise to escalate this further; if this reaches higher authorities, both our local Patrol Armor Bureau and your Nine Bends Association will suffer consequences."
Zhu Changyi's expression fluctuated between anger and calm; after a long silence, the air became suppressed.
Amidst the hundreds of torches, flames occasionally crackled audibly.
In the end, the Nine Bends Association withdrew without taking anything.
After all, the Patrol Armor Bureau represented the entirety of Donglai County City's government.
No matter how audacious they were, unless they'd lost their wits, they wouldn't dare confront the Patrol Armor Bureau openly, at least not on the surface.
"Hmph, a bunch of street thugs really think they're something," Sun Wenyan remarked dismissively.
"Let's go, return," Liang Chuan Mountain ignored Sun Wenyan, leading his men away.
At the headquarters of the Nine Bends Association.
The nine chief stars rushed back in haste, heading straight for the inner cabinet.
"These court dogs, Brother Zhu, we can't let this slide! The brothers fought tooth and nail and got this end result; nobody's feeling good about it!"
"Yeah, this really pisses me off! I, Fululai, have never endured such humiliation!"
With a grim expression, Zhu Changyi said while walking, "Of course we can't let this slide; since overt actions won't work, I'll exact some interest in secret to vent this anger!"
"This should be discussed with the president first."
"Of course."
...
After a busy night, it was nearly dawn when Song Changming finally returned home to rest.
He took out the night's spoils from his arms.
It wasn't much, five money bags, a Bisho Silkworm Breeding booklet, an iron Heart Protection Mirror, and a thin piece of inner armor.
These were all the items he could take; anything else was left behind for public confiscation if it wasn't worth much.
Song Changming first opened the money bags one by one.
The first four bags contained little money and silver, likely taken from ordinary gang members, totaling no more than three thousand copper coins.
It was only the last bag that carried weight, left by a gang high-up who possessed the Bisho Silkworm Breeding booklet.
It contained over fifty pieces of silver, giving him a small fortune.
No wonder Wang Xianwen had quibbled over these matters with him previously.
Had Wang known about the amount in this bag, he likely wouldn't have given up so easily and let him walk away.
"This is nearly worth half a reward silver," Song Changming placed this bag of silver alongside the leftover reward silver.
Totaling almost one hundred fifty pieces.
This made him consider moving again.
After securing all the money, Song Changming began to flip through the Bisho Silkworm Breeding booklet.
This was the item that intrigued him the most among his night's gains.