In the rear discussion hall, Wang Weijing sat high on the main seat—a large chair draped with a whole tigerskin—smugly looking down on the hall full of his top subordinates.
With spittle flying, he was passionately proclaiming his "grand" plan to launch a surprise attack on the Lu Family that very night and massacre them all.
"...When the time comes, the docks, the warehouses, the shops—all of the Lu Family’s properties—I’ll take every last one of them!"
"Don’t leave a single man alive! As for the women... hehe, as is tradition, I’ll have my fun with them first, and then I’ll pass them around to you brothers."
"I want everyone in Yun Port City to know the fate that awaits anyone who opposes me, Wang Weijing, or who opposes the soldiers of Wa Country!"
The Cyan Dragon Gang leaders below listened, their blood boiling with excitement. Their flattery and slogans grew louder and more nauseatingly obsequious with each passing moment.
Each one scrambled to be the first to declare their loyalty to Wang Weijing, stopping just short of getting on their knees to lick the soles of his boots right then and there.
"Brilliant! Truly brilliant! Gang Leader, your plan is marvelous! The Lu Family are just dead men walking; they’ll crumble at the first push!"
"Gang Leader, you are wise and mighty, a master of both strategy and combat! I say it won’t be long before the entire Yun Port City belongs to us, the Cyan Dragon Gang!"
"Right, right! Feng Hall Master is right! Didn’t the Gang Leader say so himself just a few days ago?"
"Wa Country is about to make a big move. Their grand army is going to invade again... ahem, no, that’s not right. It should be ’assisting the Daxia New Country in maintaining order.’"
"By then, Gang Leader, with such a great achievement under your belt, you’ll have earned the appreciation of the Wa Country lords."
"Being appointed the City Manager of Yun Port City, or even the governor-general of the surrounding provinces—wouldn’t that just take a single word from our Wa Country patrons?"
"Wow! If you really become one of those respectable, high-class gentlemen, who’s going to remember that we all started as dirt-poor peasants?"
"Now that would really be bringing honor to our ancestors and making a name for ourselves in history! Hahaha!"
"Well said! We owe everything we have today to the Gang Leader’s leadership! From now on, brothers, we’ll follow him to a life of luxury, promotions, and riches!"
Wang Weijing leaned back in his tigerskin chair, his one eye half-closed as he quietly listened to the deafening chorus of flattery.
An image had already formed in Wang Weijing’s mind: he saw himself dressed in the official robes of a governor-general, surrounded by a massive entourage, receiving the adoration of the masses.
He had sensed the thick stench of gunpowder from the few words the Wa Country consul, Yamamoto Ichirō, had occasionally let slip.
The Western Countries and Wa Country, it seemed, were plotting another feast to carve up the nation.
And such a chaotic era of war and famine was the perfect opportunity for an "opportunist" like him to ride the tide and seize power!
However, while most of the men’s minds were clouded by alcohol and fervor, a few of the more seasoned and cautious Hall Masters in a corner exchanged glances.
One of them steeled himself and interrupted the "wonderful" fantasy. "G-Gang Leader, the plan is good, but that old man from the Lu Family... he’s a genuine Grandmaster of Huajin!"
"Our seven or eight hundred guns are formidable, sure, but what if... what if that old monster sees things are going south and just decides to run? With the speed and movement of a Grandmaster of Huajin, in the pitch-black of night, our brothers might not be able to stop him!"
Another man quickly chimed in, "He’s right, Gang Leader! You know better than anyone just how terrifying a Grandmaster of Huajin can be!"
"If that old man from the Lu Family really escapes, he’ll be hiding in the shadows, watching us like King Yan himself come to claim our souls. He’ll pick off our brothers one by one whenever they’re alone."
"We’ll never have a moment’s peace! We’ll have to sleep with one eye open! Who could live like that?!"
"That’s right, Gang Leader. You’re a Grandmaster of Huajin yourself. Imagine being stalked day and night by an equally powerful, frenzied master..."
The third man didn’t dare finish his sentence, but his meaning was perfectly clear.
Those few sentences instantly doused much of the fervent atmosphere in the hall.
Many of the men were jolted from their daydreams, suddenly recalling the terror a Grandmaster of Huajin represented.
Wang Weijing’s daydream was shattered. A flash of displeasure crossed his one eye as he shot upright, pointed at the cautious men, and snarled, "Fools! A bunch of brainless fools!"
He scanned the hall and said sinisterly, "That old bastard is tough, but he wasn’t born from a crack in a rock!"
"He has sons, grandsons, and daughters-in-law! He has a whole family dragging him down!"
"When the time comes, keep your eyes peeled! All we have to do is grab one of his sons, or snatch one of his grandsons, and parade them out front..."
"Hehe, you tell me, would he still dare to abandon them and run? Wouldn’t he have no choice but to expose an opening in his rush to save them?"
A cruel smile spread across Wang Weijing’s face. "The moment he gets close, the moment he’s distracted, just toss a few cluster grenades or blast the son of a bitch with a grenade launcher!"
"I don’t give a damn what kind of Grandmaster of Huajin he is! As long as he’s flesh and blood, we can blow him to smithereens all the same!"
He paused, then dropped another bombshell.
"Besides, even if—and this is a big if—that old Lu Family bastard manages to get away by some fluke, so what?"
"Lord Kameida has personally given me his word! As long as Lu Yun isn’t dead, the Wa Country Concession will give us their full support!"
"They’ll dispatch their most elite Samurai Swordsmen and their elusive ninjas to help us hunt Lu Yun to the ends of the earth! They won’t stop until they bring his head back!"
As soon as he said this, the hall erupted with gasps of understanding, followed by an even more fanatical wave of praise.
"So that’s how it is! Gang Leader, you’re so farsighted! You had a backup plan ready all along!"
"With those masters from Wa Country backing us, what do we have to fear from that decrepit old geezer from the Lu Family?"
"The Gang Leader truly is..."
Just then, a cold draft swept in.
The two heavy, carved wooden doors of the discussion hall were pushed open a crack from the outside.

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