Gao Wu: I'll enjoy the benefits, but you'll bear the side effects.

The younger brother paused for a moment, a brief pause that seemed to freeze time itself. Then, he slowly raised his hand, which looked particularly sinister under the light.

He gestured with his hand as if it were a knife, slowly slicing across his neck with stiff, malicious movements, accompanied by a low, hoarse hissing sound, like the whisper of death.

"You don't mean that, do you?"

His voice carried a hint of flattery and cruelty, his eyes fixed on Qin Xianglong, as if waiting for his master to give the final instructions.

Qin Xianglong narrowed his eyes slightly, a cold smile curling at the corner of his mouth. He reached out and patted his underling's shoulder heavily, the force as if authorizing him to carry out a death sentence.

"To be honest, you guessed right, kid. That's exactly what I meant. Let's get things done. Don't you think that's a good idea?"

Qin Xianglong's voice was deep and authoritative, each word seemingly squeezed out from between his teeth, carrying a strong killing intent.

"Anyway, I don't want to waste any more time. Let's get on with what we can do quickly, so this matter ends here. I hope you understand what I mean. In short, don't play those useless games with them, understand?"

The younger brother nodded hurriedly, as if pounding garlic, his eyes gleaming with excitement and greed, as if he could already see his status in the Qin family soaring because of this operation.

Subsequently, like a venomous snake lurking in the darkness, he quietly prepared to strike at several of Awen's key subordinates.

After all, they have now joined Boss Qi's ranks. If they are not killed, in the eyes of the underlings, they are like a ticking time bomb that could explode at any moment, and sooner or later, a major problem will inevitably arise!

After taking them in, Boss Qi simply arranged for them to run small jobs for him whenever they had free time, and didn't interfere with their lives much else.

In Qi Laoda's view, this was just a common practice in the underworld of recruiting followers, and he didn't pay much attention to it.

However, to everyone's surprise, that night, darkness enveloped the entire city like a giant curtain.

One of Awen's men was walking home on a secluded street when suddenly a black van, like a mad beast, sped out from the street corner and rushed toward him at an extremely high speed.

Before the henchman could even utter a cry of alarm, he was violently struck by the van. His body flew out like a kite with a broken string, crashing heavily to the ground. Blood spread in the darkness, and he died instantly in the accident.

At first, Qi Laoda didn't pay much attention to it, thinking it was just an ordinary accident.

But the next morning, another piece of bad news arrived.

Another of Awen's men was found drowned in the community's pond.

His body floated on the water, his eyes wide open, as if telling of his fear and resentment before death.

The flowers and plants around the pond were trampled into a mess, seemingly bearing silent witness to the harrowing struggle of the previous night.

Boss Qi finally realized something was wrong, and a hint of vigilance and anger flashed in his eyes.

So he quickly arranged for everyone to be careful to prevent being attacked by someone else. At the same time, he also issued a series of statements to the martial arts world. The statements were strongly worded and he desperately hoped that those who were plotting against him behind his back would stop.

Standing at his headquarters, Boss Qi roared at his men:

"Whoever is behind this, if I find out, I'll make them wish they were dead!"

His voice echoed in the hall, and his men nodded in agreement, their eyes filled with anger and unease.

Unfortunately, the person who orchestrated all of this seemed to completely disregard Boss Qi's statement and continued to do as he pleased, pursuing his assassination plan.

Qi Laoda was quite helpless about this. He knew that in the martial arts world, sometimes even if you were strong, it was difficult to stop some secret conspiracies and tricks.

He simply issued a statement and that was it; he really didn't have much clue as to who was behind it all.

This situation didn't last long, and Boss Qi temporarily put an end to the matter.

After all, there are new conflicts and troubles every day in this world, and he can't keep focusing all his energy on this one thing.

However, Qin Xianglong was constantly thinking about killing his enemies, especially the young kids like Gao Jie.

In his heart, Gao Jie was like a thorn, deeply embedded in his soul, something he couldn't bear to leave unremoved.

He dispatched countless informants to search for Gao Jie's whereabouts in every corner of Jinling City, but Gao Jie seemed to have vanished into thin air; he simply couldn't find him.

Qin Xianglong sat in his study, his brows furrowed, a glass of wine clutched tightly in his hand, his eyes revealing confusion and anger.

"Where did Gao Jie go?"

He muttered to himself, the sound particularly eerie in the quiet study.

But before the matter was resolved, the selection of the sheriff had already begun.

This was undoubtedly an extremely important matter for Qin Xianglong. He knew that if he missed this opportunity, it would become even more difficult for the Qin family to further expand their influence in Jinling City.

Left with no other choice, he reluctantly ordered all his men to cease their pursuit of Gao Jie and his associates, and to wait until the selection of the sheriff was over before devising a new plan.

But he secretly vowed that Gao Jie and the others would never escape his grasp, and that one day he would make them pay a heavy price for what they had done.

But Qi Laoda was by no means a fool. He had been in the underworld for many years and was used to all kinds of conspiracies and tricks. He immediately and keenly sensed Qin Xianglong's intentions.

He knew that Qin Xianglong was determined to compete for the position of sheriff and was trying to use various means to garner votes and expand his power. If Qin Xianglong succeeded, the Jianghu landscape of Jinling City would undergo tremendous changes, and his own position would be seriously threatened.

So, Qi quickly took action in private. Relying on the connections he had built up over the years in the underworld, he contacted several influential friends and earnestly explained Qin Xianglong's ambition and evil deeds to them, urging them not to vote for Qin.

Qin Xianglong was confident of victory, but he never expected to be secretly ambushed by Boss Qi at this crucial moment.

When the election results were announced and he found himself having once again lost the position of sheriff, his anger erupted like a volcano, and he was utterly furious.

During this period, he first lost his general Li Youcai, and now he has suffered repeated setbacks in the selection of magistrate. He never expected to suffer such heavy blows one after another.

Qin Xianglong never expected the problem to escalate to this point. In a fit of rage, he smashed various items in the Qin family mansion, his roars echoing throughout the entire mansion. His subordinates were terrified, fearing that they would anger their furious master.

These young people, however, have been living a peaceful life, like a secluded paradise.

The Xu sisters are naturally beautiful and multi-talented. In these peaceful times, they occasionally pick up their paintbrushes to depict the beautiful world in their hearts. The paintbrushes dance lightly on the canvas, outlining brilliant colors and delicate lines.

Occasionally, they would dance gracefully to melodious music, their figures as light as swallows, their steps agile and beautiful, as if they were fairies who had stepped out of a painting.

Others were enjoying their leisure time, some fishing quietly by the lake, holding fishing rods in their hands, their eyes focused on the water, waiting for the moment when a fish would bite;

Some people stroll up the mountain, breathing in the fresh air and enjoying the tranquility and beauty of nature.

Gao Jie didn't have any particular feelings about these things, but as time went on, everyone inevitably became too quiet, and life seemed to lack some passion and excitement.

At first, Sister Wen was indeed not used to this overly peaceful life. She had been wandering in the martial arts world for many years and was already used to a life full of strife and challenges.

But later, she gradually adapted to this tranquility and even felt that this kind of life was quite good and suited a quiet person like herself.

For Sister Wen, the current peaceful situation is far more important than she imagined!

Huang Muran saw that Sister Wen was alone on the side, not participating in various activities like the others, so he walked over with a curious smile.

"Why aren't you joining in the fun? Why are you staying here all by yourself?"

Huang Muran's voice was clear and pleasant, carrying a hint of concern.

"Let me tell you, it's more fun with lots of people. If you stay here alone for too long, you'll get bored and sick. Since things have already gotten this bad, why don't we just enjoy life to the fullest? What do you say?"

Sister Wen raised her head slightly, a faint smile appearing on her face.

"You little girl, you have a very sweet tongue, but unfortunately, I'm much older than you all. I don't really feel that way, I just find it more enjoyable to play here."

Sister Wen's eyes revealed a calm and composed demeanor that came from having experienced many hardships.

Just as he finished speaking, Gao Jie and his group walked over excitedly carrying a fish.

The fish shimmered with golden light in the sunlight; its body was plump, and its scales gleamed in the sunlight.

"Let's eat this fish today! Look how plump it is!"

Gao Jie said with a smile, his face beaming with the joy of a successful harvest.

No sooner had she finished speaking than the Xu sisters, like two cheerful little birds, came over. Their eyes were sparkling as they looked at the plump fish and immediately suggested that they eat boiled fish.

Their voices were clear and bright, with a hint of coquetry.

Upon hearing this, Huang Muran immediately shook his head, a dismissive expression on his face.

"You guys really dare to think of making this fish into boiled fish. Let me tell you, this is called golden carp."

Huang Muran spoke in a serious tone, as if he were telling a mysterious story.

"It was passed down from grass carp and black carp. If you make it into boiled fish, you'll really ruin the fish."

A hint of regret was in Huang Muran's eyes.

"To be honest, the best way to eat this kind of fish is to stew it, as this will preserve its freshness to the greatest extent."

Before Gao Jie could even speak, Sister Wen surprisingly voiced the same opinion as Huang Muran!

The Xu sisters were not happy about this. They believed that boiling fish was the best way to bring out its deliciousness, so they both spoke up to refute it.

Immediately, the women started arguing fiercely about how to cook the fish.

They each stuck to their own version of events, refusing to back down, their voices growing louder and the atmosphere becoming increasingly tense.

Gao Jie and Huang Xu looked on helplessly at the scene. They knew it was best not to get involved in women's arguments at times like this, so they walked to the side and decided to find a place to sit for a while.

"Wake me up after the four of them stop arguing. I'm going to take a nap now."

Gao Jie yawned and said that he found the argument rather boring.

Upon hearing Gao Jie's words, Huang Xu quickly shook his head and pushed him forcefully to bring him to his senses.

"Don't fall asleep. I'm telling you, in this situation, if you fall asleep, they're likely to cause a huge problem."

A hint of worry was visible in Huang Xu's eyes.

"Let me tell you, staying awake is the best thing you can do. Anyway, I don't want you to sleep, so please don't fall asleep!"

Gao Jie was speechless for a moment, then helplessly turned over and could only stare blankly at the sky.

The sky was as blue as a jewel, with a few white clouds drifting lazily by, creating a beautiful picture.

"Honestly, do you think we're really happy living together?"

Gao Jie suddenly said with a sigh, a hint of confusion in his eyes.

"At first, I thought we were quite happy together, but then I found that conflicts gradually arose, and then it became an endless stream of conflicts. Don't you think people live in a constant state of conflict?"

"By the way, why do you never call your parents? What's going on?"

Gao Jie seemed to suddenly remember something, turned his head and looked at Huang Xu and asked.

Upon hearing Gao Jie's question, Huang Xu looked embarrassed. He scratched his head, made up an excuse, and turned to run away.

His movements were somewhat flustered, as if he were trying to escape something.

Gao Jie immediately reached out and grabbed him. It wasn't that he didn't trust this guy, but some things couldn't be based on just one person's story. What if this kid's parents had done something they shouldn't have, or were from an evil sect?

A hint of seriousness appeared in Gao Jie's eyes.

"Where do you think you're going, kid? Explain yourself right now, what exactly happened?"

Huang Xu scratched his head awkwardly, a helpless smile on his face.

"Actually, it's nothing much. My parents are always busy, and they don't even remember their eldest son. They only know how to make money, so I like to hang out with friends I spend a lot of time with."

Huang Xu's voice carried a hint of disappointment.

Huang Xu moved frequently when he was young, and he basically spent his entire childhood moving around.

He had asked his parents more than once why they kept moving, and why it wasn't good to live in one place.

His parents always gave him vague answers, saying it might be because of work, or that they were looking for something wrong with him. In short, their answers were always completely different from what he expected.

He has lost count of how many times he has moved, and how many friends he has had.

I only remember that this was the friend I met this time and the one I spent the longest time with.

Gao Jie looked at him with disbelief, finding it hard to believe that Huang Xu had spent his childhood like this.

"Dude, you're not kidding me, are you? Is this for real or fake?"

Gao Jie's eyes were filled with sympathy.

"But don't worry, I'll treat you better. This matter will be fine!"

Gao Jie patted Huang Xu on the shoulder, giving him a comforting look.