Return of the King, Dominating the City
Chapter 93 - 93 92 Only Four Doors Left

93: Chapter 92: Only Four Doors Left 93: Chapter 92: Only Four Doors Left The old man was slightly taken aback by these words.

Anyone who could talk about serving dishes to others was either an old hand in the Martial World or a descendant of those who handled criminal law.

If this young fellow before him had completed his apprenticeship, it would be even more troublesome.

He quickly put on a smiling face and said, “And here you say you’re not from the underworld.

Your jargon is smoother than anyone’s.”

“There’s not much to it.

If you want revenge, call your people over quickly.

I see that you few old men can’t withstand a beating from me.”

Feeling the intense murderous intent, the old man kneeled and hunched over, chuckling nervously as he said, “We indeed acted shamefully today.

When I return, I will scold them properly, do please be magnanimous, sir, and let this pass.”

What a joke, I’m the victim here, the mark that these thieves set their eyes on.

And it wasn’t just my money they were after; they had their sights on my woman too.

This is something even the uncle could endure, but the auntie could not.

If I hadn’t learned a few martial arts moves, I would have surely been killed by these people.

They had no rules and no integrity—Song Yun looked down on them disdainfully.

If he didn’t still have use for them, Song Yun wouldn’t mind eliminating these pests to give the people of Sunan City a peaceful world.

Look, I’m so devoted to my country, dedicating all my abilities to society; yet this old man before me is still trying to take advantage of me.

What a bastard.

“Now, I can properly ask you, how many of the Old Nine Gates are left now?” Song Yun said.

The old man pondered for a moment before saying, “Please tell me your identity first.

After all, this concerns the dignity of our Old Nine Gates.”

Dignity my ass.

At this moment, Song Yun wanted to slap the old man a few times, give him a good beating, and then spit in his face, asking about the damn dignity of a thief.

Song Yun pulled out the credentials of the National Security Bureau Special Action Department from his bosom, waved them in front of the old man, and then tucked them back into his pocket, saying, “Now you know my identity, right?

We can find a place to have a good talk.”

The old man sighed with a pale face and said, “It seems the state wants to bring us to justice, huh?

Is the Old Nine Gates still paying for the mistakes of the past?

Have we not atoned for our sins even after so many deaths?”

Yo-heave-ho, Song Yun raised an eyebrow, thinking that he might have stumbled upon some significant secrets.

It seemed that this old man had quite a story.

Clearing his throat twice, Song Yun said, “Let’s go to the tea house up ahead first.

We’ll have a good talk about what happened back then.”

The group made their way to a remote tea house at the very end of the food street.

The old man seemed to be a regular there, he greeted the waiter and then entered a private room.

Song Yun told Li Shishi, Qingluan, and Xiao Qing to stay outside and not make any trouble, then he entered the room.

As soon as he had entered, he saw the old man playing with a purple clay pot and saying, “Please, take a seat.

Since you want to know about the major shift that happened in the Old Nine Gates back then, I’ll tell you all about it.

So that when you kill me later, you’ll at least know what crime our thieving doors committed.”

This was a clear attempt to elicit sympathy, a common tactic to make someone feel sorry for you.

If you have to kill someone you don’t know, you won’t feel a hint of conscience after the deed.

But if you have to kill someone you know, whether newly acquainted or known for a long time, there will always be a bit of discomfort in your heart afterward, and that’s what the old man was trying to evoke in Song Yun.

After Song Yun sat down, the old man first poured him a cup of tea, meticulously adhering to proper etiquette.

After watching Song Yun finish the tea, the old man said, “This matter dates back to the Ming and Qing dynasty.

It’s said that our Old Nine Gates already existed during the Warring States Period.

Depending on the different roles played in the Martial World, we were divided into the Upper Three Gates, the Middle Three Gates, and the Lower Three Gates.

“The Upper Three Gates were politicians and military figures, considered the leaders of the Nine Gates, so the heads of the Old Nine Gates were generally chosen from there.

The Middle Three Gates were interesting, comprising thieves, fortune-tellers, and robbers.

Thieves, that’s our theft sector; fortune-tellers were the Taoists who told fortunes in ancient times; and robbers were the most ferocious and cruel group within the Nine Gates, looked down upon by the rest.

They were grave robbers, fond of digging others’ ancestral graves, even going so far as to once dig up the grave of someone from the Upper Three Gates, leading to a severe retaliation from them combined.

“The Lower Three Gates consisted of the lowest class in ancient times―merchants, tailors, and smugglers of salt.

In the hierarchy of scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants, their work was the most humble, yet they were the wealthiest.

Some events involving the Nine Gates were even sponsored by them.”

“The Old Nine Gates could survive for a millennium surely through their own methods.

Later, during the Ming and Qing period, they shined brightly.

After all, they had officials to tip them off from above, talents in the Middle Gates who could steal intelligence and break people’s feng shui, and the wealthy merchants from the Lower Gates.

Back then, the Old Nine Gates had an indisputable say in the Martial World; no one dared to defy them.”

“But a turning point for the Old Nine Gates came during the period of the Republic.

First, the people from the Lower Three Gates felt that the power in their hands was insufficient, so they demanded rights from the Upper Three Gates, who had always looked down from their lofty heights, never sparing a glance for the copper-smelling Lower Three Gates.”

“The Lower Three Gates felt their living environment was threatened and chose to leave the Old Nine Gates.

By the end of the Republic, two of the Lower Three Gates had separated from the massive organization.

The Upper Three Gates, unable to save face, later exterminated those who had left the organization, not sparing even babies who were just a month old.”

“After committing such a heinous atrocity, the Upper Three Gates also consciously withdrew from the Old Nine Gates, forming their own system, while we, the Middle Three Gates, being neutral at the time, were fortunate enough to survive.

After this disaster, the once united Old Nine Gates became four.”

“Then the RB ‘ghosts’ came.

The Middle Three Gates, along with the surviving Lower Gate, experienced a huge change.

Our ancestors didn’t pass down what exactly happened, but eventually, we four joined the Peacekeeping Party.

In the party, our theft sector was actually shining, taking on tasks like stealing confidential documents.

However, when the party lost, we four Gates, reluctant to leave our homeland, chose to stay on the mainland.”

“During the resistance against the invasion, the theft sector stole not only RB documents but also many from the current ruling party.

After the reform and opening up, those in power began to suppress us heavily.

We knew the errors we had committed; thus, all four Gates from across the country gathered in Sunan City, seeking self-preservation.

Eventually, even the original Upper Three Gates spoke up for us, and after suffering severe losses, we four Gates survived.”