Chapter 276 The Mystery of the Surname "Long"

Long Ye angrily interrupted him, "Shut up! Don't say another word! Why can he do whatever he wants, while I, the gang leader, can only go to brothels to find those used and shabby women? Can't I at least find a virgin to play with? Tell me... don't you even look down on me? Fine, get out! Get back to your back mountain right now and never come back! Get out!"

"Vice Leader, please calm down! Vice Leader, please calm down!" Seeing that the small flame in his heart had been fueled and ignited by his own actions, the subordinate knelt down with a thud.

Long Ye suppressed his anger and said, "I was even covering for you in front of the gang leader. If it weren't for the fact that you are still somewhat useful and can help me with my plans, I wouldn't have saved you a few days ago. It would have been better if those truly inhuman bandits had hacked you to death in the wilderness."

"I will never forget the Deputy Chief's life-saving grace. I will follow the Deputy Chief's lead for the rest of my life and work together to create a great cause. I will never have any other thoughts." The subordinate clasped his hands and bowed his head, solemnly and sincerely making his vow.

Long Ye glanced at him casually from the side, exhaled a breath of stale air, and said in a deep voice, "Alright, considering that you are still somewhat sincere to this leader, I will spare your life for now. Get up!"

"Thank you, Vice Chief. What are your plans, Vice Chief?" The subordinate stood up and cautiously inquired.

As Long Ye walked, he thoughtfully stroked his mustache, then narrowed his eyes and said meaningfully, "Hmph, after all these years, it seems I really overestimated him. It turns out he wasn't averse to women after all. I was almost fooled by him, truly believing he was so loyal and devoted, still thinking of his old flames. Turns out he simply looks down on those wildflowers and weeds. Who says 'those who do many evil deeds will surely perish'? He acts so willfully, how can he command respect? He's practically courting death. He's always so timid and hesitant, never daring to act, saying the time isn't right. I don't believe it. That Western Qin guardian is just an ordinary mortal; how powerful can he be? Can he really come back from the dead? Without his grace, Long En, am I, Long Ye, truly incapable of supporting this vast Xiaolong Society, or sitting on the dragon throne of Western Qin?"

In the blink of an eye, the two had already strolled into Long Ye's room in the west courtyard. As soon as they entered the room, their subordinates busied themselves pouring tea.

Upon hearing this, he was immediately startled. After a moment of silence, he presented the bowl of tea he had just poured to the other man with both hands. Seemingly puzzled, he lowered his voice and asked, "I have a question. There is a saying, 'We are all born of the same root, why are we so eager to destroy each other?' Since the deputy leader and the leader are brothers from the same mother, what's wrong with sharing the world and wealth together? Why are you so hostile towards each other, even wanting to kill him?"

Unexpectedly, upon hearing this, Long Ye slammed the teacup he was about to drink onto the table with a loud thud, roaring angrily, "Who the hell would I be his brother! Humph, don't think that just because I, Long Ye, share his surname, I'll actually take him seriously for the rest of my life! If you really anger me, I won't acknowledge anyone!"

"So the deputy gang leader's surname wasn't originally 'Long'?" the subordinate exclaimed in surprise.

Upon hearing this, a look of sadness suddenly appeared on Long Ye's face, and he sighed, "Yes, what is my surname, really? I myself seem to have forgotten!"

Time flies, and more than a decade has passed in the blink of an eye. In this world, there are people who have almost forgotten what their own surname is.

So, as he reminisced, Long Ye said in a deep, dreamy voice, "In the past, I was the steward of a wealthy family in the south of the city..."

"Oh? So the deputy leader used to have a legitimate business! But how did he end up doing this rebellious thing?" Before he could finish speaking, his subordinate interrupted him, puzzled.

Long Ye snorted and continued, "One day, the only young master of that family returned from studying abroad and said that he had fallen in love with a girl from a humble family. They had already secretly pledged their lives to each other and had consummated their relationship. However, the master and mistress had already painstakingly arranged a perfect marriage for their beloved son, waiting for his return from his studies to choose a date for the wedding. Upon hearing this, the master was so angry that he vomited blood on the spot and became bedridden, never to recover. Later, the old lady tried her best to persuade her son, even confining him to his quarters and restricting his food intake, but no matter how she tried, she could not change his mind. Finally, in desperation, she handed this hot potato over to me, the leader of the gang, to deal with."

"How did the deputy leader handle this matter? Did the old lady give any instructions?" the cold-faced subordinate asked.

Long Ye took a sip of tea and continued, "Although that old lady is a woman, she is quite vicious. In order for her son to marry a girl of equal social standing whom they tacitly approved, she ordered me, the leader of the gang, to make that family disappear without a trace in the south of the city at all costs."

"You wanted them to disappear without a trace...you...killed that woman's entire family?" the subordinate guessed in horror.

Long Ye smiled bitterly, "The whole family? Your so-called whole family is nothing more than a poor old scholar and his granddaughter. Besides, back then, I didn't have the heart to kill so much that I sold that... that woman?"

"Sold? Sold to a wealthy family as a maid?" the subordinate asked in surprise.

Long Ye was silent for a moment, then said, "When I was young, I was addicted to gambling and women. I heard that there were many beautiful women in the Wanjiao Pavilion in the south of the city, so I went for a look. Who would have thought that I would be tricked and lose all the gold, silver and travel money that the old lady had given me. The thugs in the Wanjiao Pavilion were very powerful. They gave me three days to pay off all the remaining gambling debts. So, on a whim, I imitated the young master's handwriting and sold the woman to the Wanjiao Pavilion."

"You sold that poor woman... to a brothel?" His subordinate was stunned.

Long Ye, burning with rage, said, "I was also tricked into this situation. If I kill her or let her go, who will pay off my gambling debts? If I don't do this, they will definitely kill me. You know what? Later, I learned that the mastermind behind Wanjiao Pavilion was actually the ruthless eldest prince of Beilie Kingdom, Tuoba Ze, whose strength was absolutely not to be underestimated. In that situation, I had no choice but to do that."

"And then what happened?" the cold-faced man asked again, suppressing his anger.

"Later, I paid off all the gambling debts I owed at Wanjiao Pavilion and returned to that wealthy family's house. I lied to the old lady and said I had dealt with the grandmother and granddaughter. But I kept having nightmares in the middle of the night and was afraid that one day I would be exposed, so I stole a lot of gold and silver from them and fled in a panic. Later, I met Long En. I was afraid that I would be recognized and that people would know my past, so I lied and said that I was an orphan, nameless, and homeless person. Because I was so hungry, I robbed a corrupt official on the road who came to plunder the people and got the gold and silver. Long En was very pleased to hear this and thought I was quite courageous, so he took me in as the second leader of the Xiaolong Society. I also took his surname 'Long' from then on. From then on, I have been following him."

Upon hearing all this, the cold-faced subordinate clenched his fists tightly, making a cracking sound, and gritted his teeth, as if he wished he could smash the wicked Long Ye to pieces with a single punch.

Meanwhile, the conversation between the two people inside the room struck a chord with Lanxiang, who happened to be passing by the window and about to bring in water. She heard every single word clearly.

At this moment, she frowned deeply, gritting her teeth as she thought to herself: So it really is as Erlang said, the truth of everything that happened back then is just like this. Those past few years, she had suffered a living hell in Wanjiao Pavilion, a life worse than death. All the hardships she endured were the work of this treacherous traitor before her, the so-called vice leader of the Xiaolong Society. It was all his doing! Truly, the net of heaven is vast, and though its meshes are wide, nothing escapes it! Today, I, your humble servant, will settle all those scores with you.

Just as the two were talking, a knocking sound suddenly rang out on the door, "knock, knock, knock."

"Who is it?" Upon hearing the voice, the cold-faced subordinate asked as he walked over to open the door.

"This servant has come to bring hot water to the deputy leader," a gentle, seemingly female voice came faintly from outside the door.

The subordinate opened the door, and Lanxiang rushed in with a beaming smile, as if she had been eagerly anticipating the entrance. However, her every move kept glancing unintentionally at Long Ye in the inner room.

The cold-faced subordinate turned around and saw Lanxiang suddenly quicken her pace, about to rush inside. Sensing her unusual behavior, he strode over, snatched the water jug ​​from her hand, and coldly stopped her, saying, "This is none of your business. Get out of here!"

However, Lanxiang did not retreat as he instructed. Instead, a captivating smile quickly appeared on her lips. She slightly raised her fiery red cherry lips, then extended a pair of slender, fair hands, placing them lightly but firmly on the strong arm of the cold-faced man. She brazenly roamed, caressed, and played with his arm, while winking seductively at him. She slowly swayed her slender, snake-like waist, looking pitiful and aggrieved, pleading in a coquettish tone: "Brother, I'm new here. I haven't even seen the Vice Leader yet, nor have I ever greeted him. Please, have mercy and let me in to see the Vice Leader, even just for a single word! I'll be so grateful, okay?"

As she spoke, she pressed her entire limp body tightly against the man's.

How could such a cold body withstand such passionate and fiery teasing...