Chapter 58: The Little Minivan and the Luxury Car

"Damn it, that depends on the situation! You idiot, hurry up and gather all the brothers nearby. They've come looking for trouble and you lot are still eating and drinking!" Hou Qingyi bellowed his orders.

With his command, the entire Green Robe Sect sprang into action.

In no time, about fifty or sixty men had gathered at the headquarters. But seeing that the numbers were so few, Hou Qingyi roared at the subordinate next to him, "Call for backup! Get everyone here, now! Forget about watching the clubs for today—our home base is about to be overrun!"

"Boss, they've only got thirty, maybe forty people. We've got way more than them. No need to be afraid," a tall, skinny underling said in a low, slightly stooped voice.

"Bullshit! What do you know? When I say call everyone, you call everyone! Say another word and I’ll put you at the front line—believe it or not?" Hou Qingyi snapped at the lanky man.

More people means we’re safe? Do you know who they are? That’s Yongxing Hall! And not just any small fry, but the real enforcers, the ones who watch over the venues. Even if we outnumber them two to one, there’s no guarantee we’d win. Would it hurt to bring more people? Am I wrong?

Seeing a few more of his men still dawdling, he kicked each of them in turn.

"Still not making the calls?"

Realizing the boss was truly furious, the men finally understood the gravity of the situation and hurried to pull out their phones to start calling for reinforcements.

"Fifth, boss wants everyone—bring them all from the venues!"

"Baldy, you hear me? Everyone! Even the cooks count! Bring them too, and have all the gear ready!"

Watching his subordinates make calls, Hou Qingyi finally allowed himself a breath, thinking: Yongxing Hall, I don’t know why you brought so many elite fighters here today, but since you want a battle to the death, I’ll give you one!

As he weighed the relative strengths on both sides, out of the corner of his eye he caught sight of the messenger boy running over from afar.

His lips twitched. What now? Is there no end to this nonsense?

"Boss, good news!" the underling shouted, finally snapping Hou Qingyi out of his thoughts.

"Spit it out."

"Jiang Liliang’s not coming for us. He passed by our gate and went straight to the Tiantong Road residential complex," the young man said excitedly.

"Really..." Hou Qingyi was about to say, "That scared the hell out of me," but realized that with so many of his men watching, he couldn't show such weakness. How could he command any respect if he came off like a coward?

"Really... If they do come, they’re asking for it!" He quickly changed his words, masking his relief.

"By the way, what are they doing at the Tiantong Road complex?" Hou Qingyi asked, puzzled.

It was an old neighborhood on their turf, but there were no clubs, no restaurants—honestly, a place with nothing of value.

So why would they go there, and with such a show of force?

"No idea, but apparently Jiang’s top disciple, Wan Rong, and three gold-ranked instructors are with them."

A sharp hiss escaped Hou Qingyi at the mention of Wan Rong and the three elite trainers from Yongxing Hall. If that’s not going all out, what is? Thank heaven they’re not coming for us—forty top fighters would have been tough enough, but with Wan Rong and those instructors, I’d have to use my secret weapons.

And that’s not even counting the old man from the Jiang family—rumor has it he’s a real monster.

If this crew were really coming for me, I honestly wouldn’t know how to deal with it!

So then, who are they targeting with such an intimidating force?

Tiantong Road complex... haven’t heard of any big names living there.

And if there were, they certainly wouldn’t be living in a place like that.

Hou Qingyi just couldn’t figure it out.

"Haozi, keep a close eye on them. See what they’re up to in Tiantong Road. After all, this is my turf—I won’t let them just waltz in and do as they please!" With the direct threat gone, Hou Qingyi’s bravado returned.

Fang Hao, known as Rat, answered and hurried off.

"Boss, should we stab them in the back?" The lanky underling, having finished his calls, sidled up with a sly suggestion.

"Stab them in the back?" Hou Qingyi’s eyes lit up.

That’s a thought—if we do this right, the title of top power in the North District might hang over Green Robe Sect’s gate!

"Haha, you’ve got a good head on your shoulders!" Hou Qingyi laughed, clapping the skinny man on the back, his lips curling into a sly grin. "Keep calling everyone. Later, we’ll hide outside Tiantong Road complex and when Yongxing Hall and their target are worn out, we’ll hit them hard!"

"Yes, boss! Brilliant idea!" The skinny man seized the chance to flatter.

"If it works, you’ll be in charge of Red Lips Bar!" The prospect of becoming the North District’s top force made Hou Qingyi’s heart race, and he promised the reward offhand.

"Red Lips Bar?" The skinny man’s eyes glinted with excitement. The head girl at Red Lips Bar... only those who’ve truly tasted her know the feeling.

And so, the Green Robe Sect quietly trailed Yongxing Hall, laying in ambush outside Tiantong Road complex. A few men were sent to observe from a distance.

Tiantong Road complex was just as Hou Qingyi remembered: quiet, almost deserted. Many of the original residents had moved out, replaced mostly by tenants from out of town.

With so many renters, no one really cared what happened inside the neighborhood.

So when Hua Tianyu’s group of nearly twenty people showed up, it didn’t draw much attention.

Many hands made light work—Lin Lin and Tian Li’s belongings were quickly packed.

But sorting Bear’s things proved much harder. There were plenty of items Lin Lin didn’t know how to handle. After all, it’s easy for a father to tidy his daughter’s room, but for a daughter to clean out her father’s, it’s a Herculean task.

Moreover, Lin Luohua was gone.

Technically, much of it was now useless and could be thrown away, but Lin Lin couldn’t bear to do it—her eyes reddened as she sorted through the memories.

They’d originally planned to let Bai Zhiping, the estate agent, rent out the apartment. Hua Tianyu had even joked about a story called "The Landlady and Her Beautiful Tenant," but now, that was clearly not happening.

Seeing Lin Lin’s reluctance, Hua Tianyu couldn’t bear it either.

"Take whatever you want with you. Leave behind anything that's inconvenient to carry. We won’t rent this place out," he said gently.

"We’re not renting it out?" Lin Lin was startled.