The two of them were somewhat surprised. The Scorpion Gang’s fabricated story about searching for the Qilin Ginseng happened to hit exactly on the secret operation currently underway here. Was this not a bit too coincidental?
If it were not for the insider, and the belief that the Scorpion Gang would not truly leak such a secret to recruit people, the two of them would have genuinely suspected that the Scorpion Gang also knew about this secret. Right Protector An Tianyin and Tong Zaitian both noticed that the expressions of these two were somewhat off.
But there was no time to dwell on this now. An Tianyin reminded them, “Gang Leader, those people from the Scorpion Gang could launch a surprise attack at any moment.” Left Protector Gong Ziting said, “We have been guarding against them for a long time. They have gathered a mob, nothing to be afraid of.” Duan Yunyou, who was pondering briefly, then said to Tong Zaitian, “You must return to the Scorpion Gang.” Everyone was stunned. Tong Zaitian asked in confusion, “Why?”
Duan Yunyou coughed lightly twice, then said, “That woman Xu Fengji is very sensible. Knowing she cannot win, yet still fighting to the death is not her style. She should be clear that bringing these people here will not defeat us. It is no different from coming here to die for nothing. Do you think she is the type of person to die for nothing?”
The few of them looked at each other. Right Protector An Tianyin said, “Does the Gang Leader mean that there is a problem with this surprise attack?”
Duan Yunyou said, “She might have a backup plan. I am not afraid of her coming to fight to the death. I am afraid of her escaping. We must have someone keeping an eye on her so we can find her at any time. We cannot let her hide away easily. After all, it is a vendetta for killing her husband. If we do not eradicate the problem completely, we fear future trouble. She does not have Boss Cao’s ability and prestige, and she could not control the Scorpion Gang to begin with. If she fails again this time, she will definitely lose all support. The possibility of her fleeing is very high. When she has no helpers by her side then, it will be the perfect opportunity to finish her off.”
Tong Zaitian understood his meaning immediately. He cupped his hands and said, “Good, I will go back and keep an eye on her right now.” Duan Yunyou smiled and nodded.
“I will see you out.” Right Protector An Tianyin gestured with his hand. The two of them jumped down the sloping wall and left once more.
Before walking out the main gate, Tong Zaitian could not help but look back at the excavation workers bustling back and forth. He felt puzzled in his heart, wondering what treasure they were actually looking for here. Almost a year ago, under Duan Yunyou’s instruction and arrangement, he had infiltrated the Scorpion Gang. The purpose was also to encourage the Scorpion Gang to excavate this temple.
At first, Duan Yunyou wanted to use gentle methods to achieve his goal. After all, fighting and killing, which also causes casualties to our own side, is a method only used when absolutely necessary. However, the Scorpion Gang would not listen to his encouragement. This was because the Scorpion Gang had already excavated this temple long ago and had not found anything valuable at all. Why would they waste effort on such a futile task? In the blink of an eye, a year had passed. The mission had not succeeded, but he had instead become a senior member in the Scorpion Gang.
Do not underestimate a year. In a place like Tianji Mountain, in an environment where gang members come and go like flowing water, being able to stay in a gang for a year absolutely makes one a senior member of the gang. Seeing that he had struggled in the Scorpion Gang for a year with no results, Duan Yunyou had no choice but to orchestrate this surprise attack, taking over the nest like a cuckoo to excavate it himself.
In the moonlit desert, a group of people lurked behind a sand dune, secretly observing the activity at the temple. They could be seen going in and out, continuously clearing the sand from inside the temple. Judging from the piles of sand accumulated nearby, quite a lot had already been cleared.
Xu Fengji and Cao Dingkun, lying prone together, occasionally glanced at each other. There was doubt in their eyes. They did not know what the Flying Eagle Gang was actually digging for. They had already excavated and investigated their own old nest long ago and found nothing of significance. What was the point of the Flying Eagle Gang doing this?
But one thing was certain. The Flying Eagle Gang’s surprise attack was clearly premeditated for a long time. They would absolutely not cause casualties among their own members for no reason to do futile work. This indicated that there might indeed be treasures in this temple that they knew nothing about.
The nature of the gangs in Tianji Mountain was what it was. A gang would not easily launch a desperate attack against another gang. Let alone launching an attack across a long distance and different regions. This indicated that the treasure they desired was likely not an ordinary treasure. It might well be a heavy treasure that, once obtained, would be enough to enjoy for a lifetime. Thinking that there might be a heavy treasure right under their noses for years without them knowing, the feelings in the hearts of the two were indeed unpleasant.
Yu Qing at the scene did not understand what this meant. But he sensed that their side seemed to have signs of plotting something. Otherwise, why would they collectively move out in the middle of the night to lurk and spy? After observing for a while, feeling slightly uneasy, he crawled like a reptile and forced his way to Cao Dingkun’s side. Cao Dingkun turned his head to look at him, frowning slightly. He felt this guy seemed to be causing a bit of trouble, so he asked, “What is it now?” Yu Qing asked, “Third Master, are we going to launch a surprise attack on them?”
This question left Cao Dingkun a bit unsure of how to answer. If he said no, how would they handle things later?
He was just about to say that he would know later, when the nearby Second Master, Xu Fengji, glanced at them and suddenly slid down from the sand dune, landing in a sandy hollow. She waved her hand, signalling for everyone to come down.
So, fifty or sixty people turned and slid down one after another, gathering around Xu Fengji. Xu Fengji opened her mouth and asked, “Everyone has seen the situation, right?”
They had naturally seen it, but they did not understand it. Yu Qing asked, “Second Master, what are we going to do?” Xu Fengji said, “Why did you join my Scorpion Gang? Did the Third Master not tell you?” “Qilin Ginseng?” Yu Qing expressed doubt. “How could there be Qilin Ginseng in this desert?”
Xu Fengji said, “Then what do you think the people in that broken hall are digging for? Playing with sand in the middle of the night? I am not saying there is Qilin Ginseng right here. Rather, there is something in this temple that can help us find the Qilin Ginseng.” A group of old members stood there expressionless, giving the impression that they were used to such scenes. In reality, they were each watching Xu Fengji tell blatant lies, observing her handle the falsehoods with ease. Before coming, Xu Fengji had already made things very clear to them. They did not need to do anything, nor did they need to take any risks. They just needed to cooperate and put on a show. They could consider it repaying the favour of the late First Master, who had led everyone to make a lot of money, helping the First Master get revenge, or making up for the previous failure. Those who agreed came, and those who did not agree did not come. Therefore, they would not expose the truth.
A group of new members looked eager to try, yet worried that something might be wrong, looking at each other. Having said this much, everyone guessed what it meant. They were probably going to rob the place.
Something that can help find the Qilin Ginseng? Yu Qing’s eyes flashed repeatedly. He was also tempted, but still harboured doubts. He asked, “Second Master, are we going to rob them?”
Having just joined, participating in a robbery immediately felt a bit strange to him. But the atmosphere in Tianji Mountain seemed to make it not entirely surprising.
Xu Fengji asked with a mocking tone, “What, do you expect them to politely hand it over to you? Everyone comes to Tianji Mountain to make money. Before coming, you should know that you are here to take risks. If you want to make money without any danger or trouble, I do not have that here. If you have such a method, you might as well tell me, and I will follow you.” This remark drew support from a group of old members cooperating with the act. Led by Cao Dingkun, bursts of mocking laughter sounded one after another. Yu Qing said, “Second Master, that is not what I mean. I wanted to ask, what is the strength of the other side? Do we have the confidence to succeed?” Cao Dingkun, raising his eyebrows slightly, felt whether he had recruited a troublesome person. He realised he should not have recruited this individual in the first place.
However, on second thought, for this kind of matter, even if this person did not ask, others would probably want to know clearly. It was just that others were not as active as this person.
Despite this, for some unknown reason, this guy’s words and actions inexplicably made him feel vaguely uneasy. He felt this person was not afraid of strangers. Could he have encountered an old hand?
Xu Fengji snorted coldly and said, “If we had no confidence at all, do you think we would have come here to take risks? The people in the temple belong to a small gang. Currently, there are only about twenty of them. In terms of strength, they are not as good as us. Actually, among those twenty or so people on the other side, there are also our people. To tell you the truth, the First Master is currently undercover inside. Once we make our move, we will coordinate from the inside and out, and we will definitely succeed in one stroke.”
Hearing that there was an insider inside, the group of new members immediately felt much more relieved. Yu Qing and Mu Aotie also glanced at each other, feeling that the odds of success were indeed quite high.
Xu Fengji added, “Let me make this clear upfront. We still follow the old rule of more work, more pay. If we find the Qilin Ginseng, this robbery operation will account for ten per cent of the profit. Those who participate and contribute will share it equally. What does everyone think?”
Upon hearing this, while the new members were silently calculating how much ten per cent of the Qilin Ginseng profit would be when divided equally, an old member already expressed dissatisfaction, saying, “Second Master, this is also a job involving fighting and killing. Only taking out ten per cent to share with everyone, is that not a bit too little?”
Xu Fengji immediately argued with him, saying, “The clue was found by the First Master. The situation is also under control. The First Master has also brought people to act as insiders within. It is a certain thing, and there is basically no need for everyone to do much. Just a single charge and fight, and you can share ten per cent of the profit. Everyone will probably get at least ten million. Is that not enough? We do not know what effort will be required from everyone in the process of finding the ginseng later, so we should keep some margin.”
Another old member said, “Second Master, what you say is correct. But what if there are not many opportunities to contribute later? What if seizing the items right in front of us determines the ownership of the Qilin Ginseng? Ten per cent is too little. It should be at least twenty per cent.”
Thus, the scene turned into a debate and haggling over the profit share. Although everyone was keeping their voices down while arguing, it was still a chirping mess. In short, most of the old members hoped to get a higher share from this single operation, but Xu Fengji was not certain. A group of newly arrived members watched from the side, getting a taste of how the gangs here operated.
Finally, Xu Fengji raised her hand to stop them and said, “Stop arguing. If it is truly as you say, and this operation happens to be the most crucial part of finding the Qilin Ginseng, then it will not be too late to increase the corresponding profit share later. For now, it is ten per cent. This job is too light, and for the time being, it can only be ten per cent. As for the belongings on the bodies of the enemy personnel killed, according to the old rules, they belong to the one who struck the killing blow. That is it. Those willing to participate, raise your hands to indicate it. Those who think it is too cheap and do not want to go, I will not force you.” She raised her hand first, followed by Cao Dingkun.
A group of new members were eager to make a move. Although it was chaotic when they argued, this kind of bargaining actually made them feel completely reassured. However, they still maintained a wait and see attitude for now.
Despite the fierce argument just now, the old members hesitated for a moment before raising their hands one after another.
Yu Qing and Mu Aotie glanced at each other. The former raised his eyebrows as a signal. Just messing around could yield an extra ten million. He felt it should not be missed, so he immediately raised his hand first. The look in Cao Dingkun’s eyes revealed relief, realising that he had overthought things earlier. Mu Aotie also raised his hand.
Sure enough, after a leader appeared among the new members, they raised their hands one by one in succession.
The final result was that all the personnel who came raised their hands. They were all willing to participate in this robbery.