Underworld Chronicles: Qiao Si's Strategist, Xiao Ke, and Wang Weifan

After seeing how awesome Xiao Ke was, Yang Mantou thought to himself that this guy was going to be successful and his future would definitely be bright.

Fighting such a person will only result in mutual destruction. Why not do them a favor, release Hao the Cripple, and become friends with them? Having more friends means having more options, while having more enemies means having more obstacles.

See, who says Yang Mantou is just a swordsman? He thinks things through before he acts, otherwise he wouldn't have made it into Master Qiao's top five groups. He's got some brains.

Yang Mantou sent his underlings to the warehouse and took Hao the Cripple to the hospital. Hao the Cripple hadn't eaten or drunk anything all day, and on top of that, he had been beaten up earlier. His body was limp, his hair was a mess, and his eyes were a little glazed.

Two henchmen supported Hao the Cripple and followed Yang Mantou to Xiao Ke's ward. When they saw Yang Mantou and the others arrive, Wang Zhi, Zhang Guangyue, and Wei Qinggang glared at them fiercely and surrounded them.

"Brother, I've brought the man to you, and I won't take a penny from you. I see you're a man of honor, so I'll be your friend. My name is Yang Deguang, but everyone calls me Yang Mantou." Yang Mantou put the money Xiao Ke had given him on the table and said to Xiao Ke on the hospital bed.

"Alright, brother, you really keep your word. My name is Wang Weifan, just call me Xiao Ke. Once I'm healed, I'll host a dinner party, and we'll have a good drink together," Xiao Ke said, lying in his hospital bed.

"Alright, it's a deal. I'll be your friend." After saying that, Yang Mantou turned and left with his henchmen.

"Damn it, looking at his long, narrow face, I really want to go up and slap him a couple of times," Zhang Guangyue said indignantly.

"I fucking want to kick him in the back door twice and kill him," Wei Qinggang said angrily.

"Alright, hurry up and take Brother Hao to the doctor," Xiao Ke instructed.

Wang Zhi and the others took Hao the Cripple to the doctor. Hao the Cripple was exceptionally resilient; after eating and drinking some food, his spirits almost fully recovered.

When Hao the Cripple regained consciousness, he learned that Xiao Ke had stabbed himself three times to save him. If Hao the Cripple hadn't had polio, he would have knelt down before Xiao Ke.

"Brother Ke, I won't say much in thanks. From now on, my life is yours. Just say the word whenever you want it," Hao the Cripple said to Xiao Ke.

"Damn it, what's the point of taking your life if I have nothing to do with it? Go tell your men to just let this go. Both sides are injured," Xiao Ke said.

"Damn it, we can't let this go! Look at my brother, they chopped him up, and I'm stuck in a dog cage. I'm going to show them that I, Hao the Cripple, am not someone to be trifled with!" Hao the Cripple said angrily, his big eyes glaring.

Brother Hao, listen to me, stop fighting. The martial world isn't about fighting and killing. If you keep fighting like this, someone will die sooner or later, and it won't benefit anyone.

I just can't swallow this insult. In the underworld, reputation is everything; I can't let outsiders think I'm afraid of him. Hao the Cripple was still unconvinced.

"Nobody's afraid of anyone. Once I'm almost fully healed, I'll host a party, we'll all have a drink, and that'll settle things. Just listen to my advice this time; if things really don't work out in the future, we can always do it again," Xiao Ke earnestly advised.

"Alright, Brother Ke, I'll listen to you this time. I'll take care of you here until you're better," Hao the Cripple said enthusiastically.

Xiao Ke thought to himself, "Give me a break! You think you can serve me while you're on crutches? You might just drive me away."

"No need, no need. My brothers can handle it. You go and take care of your brothers. Remember, keep your brothers in check and don't get into any more conflicts with them," Xiao Ke instructed.

"Alright, call me anytime if you need anything. I'll come see you again in a couple of days," Hao the Cripple said, clattering as he walked out with his crutch.

"Brother, that's really strange. How can someone like Hao the Cripple become a boss with several men under him? What's his motive?" Zhang Guangyue asked, puzzled.

"What's the point? Let me tell you, in any era, you have to rely on your brain. Fists are just brute force; brains are what last. Look at Chairman Mao, he was so powerful. He never even held a gun his whole life. He relied on his intelligence. We should learn from him," Xiao Ke told them.

"Brother, I can't learn that. You have too much stuff stored up in your head," Wei Qinggang praised.

"From now on, I'll call you Brainy Ke. You're getting more and more articulate," Wang Zhi couldn't help but remark.

Stop praising us, let's focus on our casino. Making money is the key. So, Xiao Ke and his team started planning the casino's opening.

In this way, Xiao Ke successfully resolved the conflict with Yang Mantou and the others. No one was killed, and everyone became friends, which was a happy ending for all.

A few days later, as soon as Xiao Ke was able to get out of bed, he started busying himself with the casino, because opening it a day earlier meant earning more money a day earlier.

This time, Xiao Ke's casino not only provided food, but also, for the first time ever, introduced two slot machines. This was absolutely a novelty at the time, something usually only found in casinos in Hong Kong and Macau, yet it appeared in Xiao Ke's casino.

Xiao Ke and his friends' casino opened as scheduled. The scene was truly spectacular, with drums and gongs, firecrackers, red flags waving, and crowds of people.

Many local underworld figures, such as Hao the Cripple and Yang the Steamed Bun, came. Not to mention the gamblers, who were more excited to hear that the casino was open than if their own mothers had seen each other. They flocked over and started gambling without saying a word.

Little Ke was quick-witted; he turned the second floor of the casino into a hair salon. If someone won a lot of money and was in a good mood, wouldn't they want to come for a quick visit? Come on, there's one on the second floor—convenient and fast.

If you lose and want to change your luck, don't go to the toilet to pee. Go up to the second floor as usual and let the girl wash your hair to bring you good fortune.

Look at Xiao Ke's casino, it has so many different kinds of things, including slot machines, a hair salon, and free food. You can't find another place like it in the whole of Harbin. It's no wonder his business is booming.

On opening day, Xiao Ke's casino was packed with people, heads touching, and some couldn't even get a turn to play and could only stand by and watch anxiously.

When Xiao Ke saw so many people, he thought, "Isn't this a sure thing? The money is flowing in like crazy!" He felt a surge of ambition: "In the near future, I will definitely take over all the casinos in Harbin and become the number one gambling king in Harbin."

Of course, Xiao Ke's wish was later fulfilled, and right now it's just a small goal for him.

Just as Xiao Ke and his friends were enjoying watching the gamblers recklessly and frantically send money to the casino, a commotion arose from the slot machine area.

Xiao Ke, Wang Zhi, Zhang Guangyue, and Wei Qinggang glanced over there and saw a young man, about 20 years old, thin and rather handsome, glaring at the waiter and yelling at him.

"Cousin, go see what's going on. We just opened, and we can't allow anyone to cause trouble," Xiao Ke instructed.

So, who is this young man causing trouble? He's someone of great importance. Stay tuned for the next installment.