A Scroll of Infinite Glory

Chapter 81 Flowers Shaking in the Rain on the Slope

In the main hall of Yun Youbai's house, the decoration and furniture are in a retro style, and a painting of a tiger descending a mountain in the lush forest hangs on the wall.

On either side of the picture are two pieces of calligraphy that Yun Youbai wrote in his early years as a practice.

The merits and demerits of a thousand years are but nameless white bones in the waves.

The brushstrokes were heavy, executed in one go, leaving deep indentations on the paper, clearly visible.

He was on the phone with a group of people under his command who were in charge of demolition.

"What do you mean it's okay to raise their prices a little? Is this your first day working with me?"

"We have money now, but we earned it penny by penny. Why should we give more to those peasants? Stick to this price."

Yun Youbai sneered, "If they refuse, just take action. Go to their place and find the most troublesome ones, break a few of their legs, then negotiate a price with them. Find two people to act as shills for you. A bunch of opportunistic rabble will naturally change their tune."

The person on the other end of the phone seemed to say something else, and Yun Youbai frowned slightly. "The one who led the way in holding up the banner has a nephew in the Ministry of State Security, Kong Qingyun, huh? Well, then you should bypass the Kong family, disguise yourself when you make your move, and cripple a few more families. Then those sycophants will naturally turn around and resent the leader."

After hanging up the phone, Yun Youbai picked up the teapot with crackled glaze and gold trim, took two sips, and slowly walked around the antique cabinet to sit down on the sofa.

In the middle of the lobby, several people were playing mahjong.

Gu Daoyuan sat on the east side, glanced at the cards, and casually said, "I gave the Shenzhou Brotherhood Society three days to consider, and they gave me their answer last night, rejecting our offer."

"As expected."

Yun Youbai put down the small teapot in his hand and said, "Fan Minzhi has been visiting him far too often these past few days, either going to his house or asking him out. He's been so humble; he really doesn't know how to maintain his dignity."

Gu Daoyuan stroked the mahjong tiles, then tossed out a four of bamboo with a displeased expression, saying, "Minzhi is still young, so it's not beneath him to do these things. Guan Luoyang is also a young man. Minzhi urgently needs his own team, so it's only right that we value him more."

"He was able to take down Wang Qing, Qin Deli, and the other three brothers all by himself. Even if he didn't know anything else, he deserved to be highly regarded just for his martial prowess."

"But now that he's chosen that side, shouldn't we give him a warning?"

Yun Youbai shook his head: "What's there to warn us about? Just find an excuse to wipe out this Shenzhou Brotherhood Society. I've said it before, dragons don't associate with snakes. His men are practically nonexistent. Take a few dozen modified ones, and call a group of snipers. I'll go there myself. He's just one person, even if he's made of iron, how many nails can he drive?"

Gu Daoyuan pressed down a card in his hand, turned his head and looked over, saying, "But after all, Fan Minzhi has already made his stance clear. If we want to make such a big fuss, we have to find a plausible reason."

"Isn't the reason already there?"

Yun Youbai took another sip of tea. "Dugu Hao has been missing for more than a day or two. Judging from the increasingly chaotic situation under his command, he's probably really in trouble somewhere. Among the recent new faces, who else besides Guan Luoyang could possibly take him down?"

"Then the evidence..." Before the other party could answer, Gu Daoyuan already understood, "Whether it's true or false, just fabricate some evidence."

Yun Youbai nodded, pondering silently in his heart.

The old leader's attitude of delegating power is becoming increasingly clear. He is watching from the sidelines, and it is likely that he is deliberately testing his son's mettle before his coming-of-age ceremony.

The destruction of the Divine Land Brotherhood Society was a deliberate act of intimidation, meant to scare Fan Minzhi. If he learned to back down, that would be fine; otherwise, there would be no other option...

Yun Youbai narrowed his eyes, a growing ruthlessness settling in his heart.

A series of ringtones brought Yun Youbai back to his senses, and he took out his phone.

"Feed...what?!"

………………

The light and cheerful melody of the piano echoed in the cool-lit hall, which was predominantly brown in color.

Aside from the performer, there were only two people in the café.

Fan Minzhi and Lang Feiyan sat by the window.

"Guan Luoyang has basically sided entirely with us. He's a good guy; he often has some novel ideas about business, but he obviously hasn't studied them systematically. He's also wise; he doesn't interfere too much in his subordinates' affairs."

"Although I hate selling drugs and lending money, I'm ruthless when it's time to be, and I'm more decisive than most people in the underworld."

Fan Minzhi gently stirred his coffee with a small silver spoon and smiled, "His strengths and weaknesses are equally obvious. This kind of person is simply a capable assistant made just for me."

Lang Feiyan said lazily, "Don't be too careless. He's done things so smoothly—killing all the leaders and incorporating the lower ranks. If you try to wield an overly sharp blade, you might accidentally hurt yourself."

"I know."

Fan Minzhi smiled and said, "I heard from you that the old man didn't have much education before, but since I can remember, he has been cultivating his character and often recites ancient books. There is a saying, 'Use the softest thing in the world to overcome the hardest thing in the world,' meaning to overcome strength with softness. I am younger and more friendly than him, and I will win his heart sooner or later."

Lang Feiyan's eyes shifted slightly. She leaned forward, her hands, as delicate and soft as lotus blossoms, supporting her chin, and murmured softly, "Old man..."

"The old man and Liu Laoda have become more and more reserved over the years. Liu Laoda is alright, but after your sister died, he's been like that ever since. It wouldn't be surprising if he became even more mentally unstable."

"But the old man's changes inevitably make people feel that he has some other pursuits besides Tao Zhu's legacy."

Fan Minzhi smiled dismissively and said, "Anyway, he truly delegated authority."

The bell inside the coffee shop's main entrance rang softly, and a man in a suit and glasses hurried in, handing a cell phone to Fan Minzhi.

When Fan Minzhi took the phone and listened, her expression was a mixture of surprise and doubt, which eventually turned into a mixture of joy and hesitation.

He explained to Lang Feiyan, "Su Yucheng led a group of people to Bukit Po, wanting to search Bukit Po, and also claimed that Yun Youbai should hand over Dugu Hao."

"Doesn't Su Yucheng have a hobby of growing flowers? He found Dugu Hao's phone in a pot of potting soil. The potting soil was from Bukit Po. After the data was repaired, it was shown that the last call on the phone was from Yun Youbai to Dugu Hao."

"On the very day Dugu Hao went missing!"

Lang Feiyan's expression changed several times, and as her eyes darted around, she said in a deep voice, "I'll call Ge Shu and the others. You should let the old man know first."

A few minutes later, Fan Minzhi put down her phone.

"The old man told us to handle it ourselves."

Lang Feiyan's pupils trembled slightly, suppressing a slight gasp of surprise that escaped her throat.

That's really... ruthless.

"Then, well, let's call you Guan Luoyang too."

………………

In the living room, Guan Luoyang received a phone call. A few seconds later, he hung up and ate the last piece of apple in the fruit bowl.

"It's been two days and we've only just found out. If you guys had been any slower, I think we would have had to send out some more stuff."

Guan Luoyang flicked the toothpick into the trash can, went out, took a car, and headed towards Bukit Po.

Bukit Po is located on the south side of Bukit Fangma, the highest natural terrain in Singapore and Malaysia.

The land here is fertile, and the terrain is perfectly undulating. Taking advantage of the natural features, many irrigation canals have been dug out. It is also the largest cultivation area for tropical ornamental plants in the entire Singapore-Malaysia Port area.

Schefflera arboricola, Dracaena sanderiana, Salix matsudana, Palm, Rhapis excelsa, Croton tigrinosa, Traveler's Firewood, Vinca minor, Anthurium andraeanum, etc.

There are flowers and trees, a riot of colors.

The wind was strong and the clouds were moving, obscuring the sun. It seemed that a sudden rain was about to fall.

When Yun Youbai, Fan Minzhi, and their group arrived here, the rain was falling on the plastic greenhouses in the distance, like a dense drumbeat. Many flowering trees that were not enclosed by the greenhouses swayed their branches gently in the rain.

The two groups of people were facing off in the rain. When they saw Yun Youbai and his group arrive, they not only did not relax, but became even more tense.

The clear rain couldn't dampen the increasingly intense and white-hot atmosphere here.

(End of this chapter)