My autobiography is definitely not a tragedy!
Chapter 308 - 209: Sighing at How Few Have Returned from the Jianghu

Chapter 308: Chapter 209: Sighing at How Few Have Returned from the Jianghu

"Who are these people? So domineering!"

"All the bar owners have to pay them protection fees, what does that tell you about who they are?"

"Let’s go, let’s go! Don’t stir up trouble, be careful not to turn yourself into the spectacle while you’re watching one!"

Meng Lang suddenly noticed some unrest around him and couldn’t help but look towards where the disturbance was coming from.

He saw a bunch of thugs, dressed in flashy, tacky clothing, sporting various tattoos, surrounding a booth area, pushing the crowd around them away.

Then... he spotted Ah Xing and Cheng Biao among the crowd...

...

Hu Dazhi, with his small mustache and shrewd-looking face, unceremoniously sat down opposite Cheng Biao and Ah Xing.

He crossed his legs with a flourish and clamped his hands together.

Immediately, one of his subordinates brought over a lit cigar.

With the cigar in his hand, Hu Dazhi blew out a ring of smoke contentedly before looking down at the two men, whose complexions were starting to change, with a hint of pride in his eyes.

"Brother Biao, how come you didn’t call me to drink with you? Isn’t that a bit lacking in brotherhood?"

"Brotherhood my ass! You motherf..."

Ah Xing rose furiously, but was held down by a hand reaching out from beside him.

Cheng Biao looked at the former brother in front of him, a cold sneer appearing at the corner of his mouth.

"Hmph! Brotherhood? You’re not even worthy of mentioning those words!

Hu Dazhi, back when you were down and out on the streets, riddled with debts, if I hadn’t taken you in, you would’ve probably been chopped to death by the debt collectors!

It’s my own fault—I was blind back then, not seeing that you were such an ungrateful wretch!

A brother? You who betray for a bit of money, backstab, and snitch—are you calling that ’brotherhood’?

Ha! And these people standing around you... you think of them as ’brothers’ as well?"

Since the facade had already been torn down, Cheng Biao didn’t bother to mince words. He spoke bluntly, targeting where it hurt the most!

Especially that last sentence—it was a verbal dagger to the heart!

In the underworld, they worship Lord Guan, and they never stop talking about "loyalty."

It’s not really about faith or anything like that.

But "loyalty" is the foundation of their trust, a necessary means to maintain unity, a value that everyone publicly endorses...

They came together out of shared interests, after all. If they talked only about money and not about loyalty, wouldn’t the subordinates scatter like birds and beasts at a moment’s notice?

It’s like over in the US—despite the world seeing them recruit underlings, they still incessantly chant "Freedom" and "Democracy." It’s the same principle.

You may also call this the creation of a common ideology.

Indeed, many of the underlings who were aware of the "love and hatred" between them looked at Hu Dazhi with hesitation, and quite a few with scorn.

Of course, despite their scorn, this didn’t stop them from continuing to collect their paychecks and call someone ’boss.’

"Hehe..."

Hu Dazhi, however, laughed as if nothing had concerned him, not angry in the slightest.

"Brother Biao, you’ve got it wrong. Do you think living this life, talking about loyalty will feed you? Will it make your brothers risk their lives for you for free?

I’ve been with you for over a decade, and without me, you couldn’t have secured this territory!

I’ve repaid all the debts of gratitude over the years!

Now, I’m just taking what rightfully belongs to me.

What’s more, who do you think has been painstakingly holding onto this territory for the brothers while you’ve been locked up these past few years?

It’s me!

Without me, and relying on a moron like Ah Xing who’s all muscle and no brains, our turf would’ve been swallowed whole long ago!"

"You motherf... Brother Biao, don’t stop me! I’m going to beat this bastard to death today!"

"Don’t be impulsive, stay calm! Have you forgotten what the master once said?"

Ah Xing was held firmly by Cheng Biao, and with just one sentence, he calmed down immediately.

Right!

One second he was rolling up his sleeves in a rage, the next he was sitting back on the sofa, muttering to himself.

"Stay calm! Stay calm! Impulsiveness is the devil! I’m not angry, not angry..."

Ah Xing was held back, but Hu Dazhi furrowed his brows.

Something wasn’t right.

This guy’s usually so hot-headed. With that much provocation, he should’ve blown his top by now, right?

This wasn’t going according to his expectations...

Right, Hu Dazhi was using reverse psychology, wanting the other side to strike first.

He knew Ah Xing was a good fighter, and Brother Biao was not to be underestimated. Even with more men on his side, it wouldn’t necessarily mean an easy victory.

But... it would be better if they could fight!

The best outcome would be to beat them all down. If his men went too far and caused some serious injuries, it’d be perfect!

In a society governed by laws, who doesn’t understand how to "utilize" the legal weapon?

The days of shouting and fighting are pretty much a thing of the past. Nowadays, there are cameras everywhere. Committing a crime doesn’t even have the privacy it used to, and the cost of crime is extremely high.

As a cultured hooligan, Hu Dazhi was scheming something nasty, he wanted them to throw the first punch!

In public places, if you assault people and cause disorder, creating chaos, the severe cases can be identified as "picking quarrels and provoking trouble."

They face a punishment of up to five years imprisonment, detention, or surveillance.

But Cheng Biao is an ex-convict. If he reoffends within five years, he’ll be identified as a "repeat offender," and the sentencing will be more severe.

If during the chaos, he made the scene bloodier and then pulled some strings to get a medical report, turning minor injuries into serious ones, or serious ones into critical...

Brother Biao might end up being sentenced to more than five years!

Even though Brother Biao was already a tiger that had fallen to the plains, Hu Dazhi had no intention of letting the two of them off the hook.