Xu Lang immediately stopped his movements, turned to look at Ankang, waiting for her next command.
The Money Gang member, who had been lifted like a chicken by Xu Lang, subconsciously breathed a sigh of relief.
He looked at his companions lying miserably on the ground, his own legs were already trembling, and his trousers were soaked.
Xu Lang smelled the strong odor of urine up close, but showed no impatience. He simply held the last Money Gang member and quietly waited for Ankang's command.
Ankang looked at the last Money Gang member and asked, "Didn't you keep boasting how powerful your Money Gang was before?"
"How come after all this time, no one has come to save you?"
Ankang said with some disappointment.
The Money Gang member immediately understood Ankang's meaning and quickly said, "Yes, yes, yes!"
"If Miss wishes, I'll call someone over right away!"
The Money Gang member, fearing Ankang would change her mind, quickly replied.
Ankang's lips curled into a smile as she watched this gang member betray his gang without hesitation. It seemed this Money Gang was also a disreputable force.
"I'll give you an incense stick's time to call them over."
Seeing Ankang say this, the Money Gang member's eyes widened in surprise and he repeatedly replied, "Don't worry, Miss, don't worry."
"It won't even take an incense stick's time, I'll definitely bring them."
With that, he silently shifted his gaze to Xu Lang's iron hand gripping his collar, hoping he would release him quickly.
He had already made up his mind: as long as he could escape, he would ditch the Money Gang, flee far away, and never get involved in this mess again.
"Hey, what are you looking at him for?"
Ankang asked the Money Gang member.
"This..."
The Money Gang member froze in mid-air, not knowing what Ankang meant.
"I just told you to call people, I didn't say I'd let you go."
"I'm giving you an incense stick's time now. No matter what method you use, get the Money Gang people over here for me."
"Otherwise, you can just lie down with your brothers."
Only then did the Money Gang member understand Ankang's meaning, and cold sweat immediately poured down him.
The other Money Gang members were crippled, not deaf.
Except for Lord Xiong, everyone else was wailing weakly on the ground.
His previous words had been heard clearly by these people, and even the onlookers clearly understood his intention to flee.
If there wasn't a reasonable explanation for this later, he probably wouldn't have a place in the Money Gang anymore, and might even be held accountable later on.
Thinking of this, the Money Gang member gritted his teeth, and finally seemed to have made some kind of decision.
"Alright, as Miss wishes."
"But afterwards, please spare my life, Miss!"
Ankang did not reply. This fellow was not qualified to negotiate with her.
"Release him."
Ankang said indifferently.
Xu Lang immediately let go.
The Money Gang member fell with a thud, landing on his backside.
But at this moment, he didn't care about the pain. He scrambled to Lord Xiong's side and reached into his embrace to search.
In a short while, he pulled out an object from Lord Xiong's embrace.
It was a short stick-like object with a short rope attached to the end.
The Money Gang member pulled the short rope hard, and immediately a firework shot into the sky, exploding with a loud bang, emitting a resonant sound.
"A single piercing arrow, a thousand armies come to meet it!"
"Where are the Money Gang disciples?"
"Assemble quickly!"
After lighting the firework, this person shouted loudly, his voice echoing through the street and traveling far.
This fellow was also fighting for his life, trying to survive.
And seeing the commotion before them, the onlookers, who had been watching before, immediately showed expressions of terror, then scrambled to flee the scene.
Li Xuan couldn't help but be stunned by this sight, not expecting the Money Gang to have such prestige.
"They really bully the common people to death, don't they?"
Seeing the onlookers so frightened, it seemed that the Money Gang's influence was not built in a day.
Rome wasn't built in a day.
It seemed that the Money Gang's evil deeds were not a matter of a day or two.
Soon, most of the people on the street had fled.
However, Xiao Cui and her grandfather did not escape in the chaos, but remained where they were.
Xiao Cui supported her grandfather and came to Ankang's side, then knelt down with a thud.
"Miss, Xiao Cui will never forget your life-saving grace."
"But for now, you should escape quickly. The Money Gang is not to be trifled with."
Xiao Cui immediately urged them to leave.
But things had reached this point; there had to be a resolution.
Otherwise, they could just leave, but what about Xiao Cui and her grandfather?
They would absolutely not be able to withstand the Money Gang's subsequent retaliation.
If there wasn't a proper solution, Ankang's help today would have actually harmed them.
"Xiao Cui, don't be afraid, rest assured."
"I'm not afraid of the Money Gang, and you don't need to be either."
"If there's no resolution today, I won't leave."
With that, Ankang reached out to help Xiao Cui up, then pulled her to stand beside her.
"No matter what happens later, neither of you should leave my side."
"Although I cannot manage all the affairs of this world, I can still manage the current situation before us."
Listening to Ankang's words, Li Xuan couldn't help but feel a surge of pride.
Ankang had always been a kind-hearted child.
It was just that in the past, her body was frail, and she could barely take care of herself.
Now, as her body became healthier, her disposition also changed.
The Money Gang member was still desperately calling out to his companions.
And as it turned out, his piercing arrow was not shot in vain.
On the empty street, faint, chaotic footsteps could be heard approaching.
The next moment, many people appeared at the street corners and surrounding areas, completely blocking the entire road.
A dense crowd slowly approached them, blocking their front and back tightly.
The first person was a gaunt, tall, middle-aged man with a sinister expression.
Seeing Lord Xiong and the disheveled gang members on the ground, his expression became even uglier.
The Money Gang member who had shot the piercing arrow and kept shouting for people, seeing this person appear, immediately shouted, "Hall Master, Lord Xiong is severely injured and needs immediate medical attention!"
This fellow was also clever; he didn't ask for himself to be saved, only that Lord Xiong was in critical condition.
The one who arrived was indeed Lord Xiong's brother-in-law, Hall Master Tang Sha, the Hall Master of the Money Gang's Greedy Wolf Hall, known in the martial arts world as 'Poison Mantis'.
Hall Master Tang Sha heard this, merely glanced at Lord Xiong, then calmly shifted his gaze to Ankang and the others.
Finally, his gaze settled on Xu Lang, filled with apprehension.
Hall Master Tang Sha separated from the crowd and walked forward alone, then, to their surprise, respectfully cupped his hands in greeting.
"Hall Master Tang Sha of the Money Gang. I wonder how these few youngsters of mine offended you all to warrant such heavy-handedness."
Li Xuan didn't expect the Hall Master of the Money Gang to be quite polite.
He probably already saw the strength of the Flower-Clad Eunuchs, which was why he didn't dare to act rashly.
"Tsk, not all the ruffians in the capital are just petty thugs, it seems."
Li Xuan chuckled inwardly, starting to find it interesting.
Li Xuan's understanding of these underground forces in the capital was no more than Ankang's.
To be able to operate this kind of business in the capital, and for so long, there must be someone backing them.
But no matter how strong their backing, could it be stronger than Ankang's?
Regardless of whether she was favored or not, she was ultimately a Great Xing Princess. In this capital, who could openly be stronger than Emperor Yongyuan?
Therefore, Li Xuan was not worried at all; he just wanted to see how far Ankang could go.
He completely handed over the stage to Ankang.
This was also an excellent opportunity to broaden her experience.
Ankang loved to read, and theoretically, she had a lot of knowledge.
But knowledge gained from books is shallow; one must practice to truly understand.
Li Xuan absolutely did not want to miss an opportunity to let Ankang gain experience.
Ankang looked at Hall Master Tang Sha, who was being polite and following rules, and her eyes suddenly turned cold.
"These scumbags, when they're stronger than others, they bully them recklessly, but when things go wrong, they want to talk about rules."
"How can there be such a good thing in this world where you always get the advantage!"
Ankang felt an inexplicable surge of anger.
Especially since she had just witnessed how Lord Xiong and his men bullied merchants and forcibly abducted respectable women in the street.
Ankang's face darkened, revealing an undisguised sneer, and she retorted to Hall Master Tang Sha, "I just found them unpleasant to look at, is there a problem?"
This left Hall Master Tang Sha speechless, as if he had misheard.
When had anyone ever dared to speak to their Money Gang like this on this street?
But the more so, the more apprehensive Hall Master Tang Sha became.
Although he didn't recognize the young girl in the wheelchair, anyone who traveled with so many experts couldn't be an ordinary person.
Especially Xu Lang, who stood before Lord Xiong and the others, Hall Master Tang Sha couldn't see through him at all.
"Tsk, where did this 'crossing river dragon' come from?"
Hall Master Tang Sha sighed inwardly, cursing his bad luck.
He knew perfectly well what kind of character his brother-in-law was.
And seeing the grandfather and granddaughter standing beside Ankang, it immediately became clear.
"This idiot, instead of going to a brothel when he has money, he has to go after respectable women. When he gets back, I'm going to castrate him!"
Hall Master Tang Sha cursed inwardly.
Hall Master Tang Sha had heard about his brother-in-law's method of raising stall fees to force respectable women into submission.
Originally, this wasn't a big deal; his brother-in-law would get tired of playing after a couple of days and send them back.
Moreover, the streets were full of common people, and Lord Xiong also knew how to pick his targets, never provoking those he shouldn't. He always targeted stall vendors and their families.
After all, these people's livelihoods were in the hands of the Money Gang.
Offending the Money Gang meant they wouldn't be able to continue setting up stalls in West Market, or even in the capital.
To sustain their families, ordinary people would endure as much as they could.
If they couldn't endure, they usually had no way to deal with the Money Gang.
However, if you walk by the river often, you're bound to get your shoes wet.
Today, they just happened to encounter the meddlesome Ankang.
Hall Master Tang Sha took a deep breath, adjusted his mindset, and then asked Ankang, "Then, may I ask if Miss has had enough?"
Ankang shook her head:
"That's still far from enough."
"These small fry are boring. Go call your Gang Leader over."
"If your Gang Leader kneels before me and admits his mistake, perhaps my mood might improve."
Ankang said with a beaming smile, looking exactly like a spoiled young lady from a wealthy family.
But Li Xuan felt a surge of secret pleasure watching the Money Gang members opposite, gnashing their teeth in anger.
"This is a true profligate. Zhao Four and Third Young Master Hou are far from it."
Li Xuan gave a thumbs up to the utterly profligate-looking Ankang.
As soon as Ankang spoke, the Money Gang members were already seething with murderous intent, and Hall Master Tang Sha's face was so grim it looked like water would drip from it.
But Hall Master Tang Sha still suppressed his anger and replied:
"Our Gang Leader went south to handle some business and won't be in the capital for the next few days. I'm afraid I'll have to disappoint you, young lady."
"Is that so."
Ankang looked very regretful, but then she beckoned to Hall Master Tang Sha and said, "Then why don't you temporarily take his place? Come over and kowtow ten times first, and see if that can make me happier."
Xiao Cui and Xiao Cui's grandfather, who were standing by, were already stunned.
They had thought Ankang was a well-behaved girl, but they never expected her to be even more arrogant than the Money Gang.
Xiao Cui's grandfather looked like he was thinking, "My life is over," seemingly already pondering where the best feng shui for his burial would be.
When the city gate catches fire, the fish in the moat suffer.
Xiao Cui's grandfather wasn't sure if the Money Gang and Ankang would be alright, but he and his granddaughter were probably in for a bad time.
But Xiao Cui didn't think like her grandfather.
She watched as the Money Gang, who usually acted like fierce demons towards them, didn't even dare to breathe heavily in front of Ankang, and her gaze towards Ankang was filled with admiration.
Although Ankang looked a few years younger than her, this didn't stop Xiao Cui from thinking Ankang was very cool.
Especially when she thought that Ankang was standing up for her, her heart fluttered.
Hall Master Tang Sha naturally couldn't kowtow and admit his mistake to Ankang in front of so many gang members.
His patience was also gradually reaching its limit.
"Miss, you condoned your guards beating someone like this in the street. Aren't you afraid of getting into trouble with the authorities?"
Ankang couldn't help but laugh when she heard this.
Yu'er, who was pushing the wheelchair, also showed a disdainful smile, looking at Hall Master Tang Sha with utter contempt.
Hall Master Tang Sha, being ridiculed by two young girls so openly, naturally couldn't keep his composure. If it weren't for the presence of the Flower-Clad Eunuchs, he would have already exploded.
It was natural for Ankang and Yu'er to find it amusing.
The Money Gang, an underground gang that oppressed good citizens and operated in the shadows, was actually starting to talk to them about the law. It was truly laughable.
If these guys had always followed their own rules and only solved problems with violence, they might have held the Money Gang in higher regard.
Such two-faced and opportunistic conduct only highlighted their shameless and vulgar behavior.
And yet, these scumbags still called themselves heroes behind their backs. It was truly comical.
Hall Master Tang Sha was now also on the hot seat.
With things having escalated so much, and his brother-in-law being the one crippled, there was no way he could just let it go.
Otherwise, how could he continue to be a hall master in the Money Gang?
But the problem was that Ankang was not an easy person to talk to, and her attitude was extremely arrogant, showing no respect at all.
Hall Master Tang Sha had originally thought of saying some nice words, giving each other an out, and playing the 'no fight, no friendship' card.
But now it seemed completely out of the question.
However, he was wary of the Flower-Clad Eunuchs, especially Xu Lang's strength, and didn't dare to make a move at all.
Hall Master Tang Sha just kept stalling, seemingly waiting for some turn of events to appear.
Li Xuan and Ankang also noticed Hall Master Tang Sha's intention to stall for time, but since they were currently in the capital, they had no worries and genuinely wanted to see what Hall Master Tang Sha was waiting for.
As a result, after not long, the constables from Changan County actually arrived.
"What's going on, what's going on!"
"In broad daylight, under the clear sky, blocking the street like this, what kind of behavior is this!"
"Everyone, move aside! Anyone who dares to obstruct official duties will be taken back to the yamen…"
Originally, the voice was quite loud, but then it got softer and softer, finally turning into a murmur.
A group of constables separated the Money Gang members and came before the two sides confronting each other.
But when the constables saw Ankang and the Flower-Clad Eunuchs beside her, they were instantly dumbfounded.
In these past few days, they had received countless visitors with such a setup and clearly knew that these people had extraordinary identities.
Especially after the Great Prince publicly handled cases in Changan County, everyone in Changan County, from top to bottom, clearly knew the true identities of these young men and women.
The constables were dumbfounded, involuntarily starting to breathe rapidly, their knees went weak, and they almost knelt down directly.
Ankang saw that these constables had stopped speaking halfway through their sentence and asked indifferently:
"Take them back to the yamen, how about that?"
The constable was jolted awake by the question and replied hesitantly:
"Take, take them back to the yamen, interrogate them carefully, make sure to clarify the case, and do not allow any injustice to exist…"
The Three Little Ones couldn't help but scoff in unison, not expecting this guy, who looked like a constable, to have such a way with words.
Hall Master Tang Sha's heart tightened when he saw the constables who had arrived looking uneasy.
The scene fell into an awkward silence, and another group of people found themselves in a difficult position.
Ankang looked at the two groups of people in front of her, finding it amusing.
She hadn't expected that Hall Master Tang Sha was actually waiting for the government officials.
And judging by the expressions of these constables, they seemed to be aware of their identities.
This saved Ankang the trouble of speaking.
Hall Master Tang Sha and the Changan County constable secretly exchanged glances, reading the troublesome implications in each other's eyes.
"Since you're here, why don't you speak? How should this situation be resolved?"
Ankang asked.
The Changan County constable looked at the people from both sides, then at the few Money Gang members still wailing in the center of the scene, and a clever idea suddenly struck him.
"I see everyone is helping the injured here, aren't they?"
"Such matters should be handled by us constables. We will immediately send people to take the injured to the nearest medical clinic, and you all can disperse."
"As for everyone's enthusiastic acts of helpfulness, this constable will report them to the County Magistrate, and you will certainly be commended for your kindness."
The Changan County constable played the mediator, and with a few words, he redefined the incident. Ankang and the Money Gang had actually become enthusiastic citizens.
"Wait!"
Ankang directly stopped these constables.
"Constable, please don't misunderstand."
"These people were beaten by my guards, on my orders."
The Changan County constable, who had originally intended to just take the people away and disperse the crowd, froze on the spot. He never expected Ankang to be so resolute.
The Changan County constable silently looked at Hall Master Tang Sha, his face showing a difficult expression, seemingly indicating that he was also helpless.
At this moment, Ankang interrupted the tender gazes between the two.
"Constable, why are you looking at him?"
"Do you two have some unknown relationship in private?"
The Changan County constable immediately jumped up, denying it repeatedly.
"Miss, please don't misunderstand, I don't know him."
He would rather be misunderstood by the county magistrate than by Ankang.
Although he still didn't know which princess Ankang was, this could be a matter of losing his head.
As a small constable who only received a monthly salary, he couldn't afford to get involved in such matters.
"I hope so."
Ankang then asked him:
"What crime should those few people be charged with for forcefully abducting a civilian girl in the street?"
The Changan County constable hesitated for a moment before replying:
"It needs to be judged by the County Magistrate. I wouldn't dare to speak carelessly."
Ankang nodded and continued:
"Good, then you can escort them back."
"I will go to the county yamen tomorrow to observe the trial and see how the Changan County Magistrate handles cases."
Upon hearing this, cold sweat poured down the Changan County constable's forehead.
He had brought such a big problem back to the county magistrate; the magistrate would surely settle accounts with him.
But since things had come to this point, the Changan County constable could only follow Ankang's instructions and escort Lord Xiong and the others back to the yamen for trial.
After giving instructions to the constables, Ankang then turned to look at Hall Master Tang Sha.
"This Hall Master of the Money Gang."
Hall Master Tang Sha, seeing the constables' reaction to Ankang, knew that they had hit a wall today. He hated his brother-in-law to the extreme in his heart, but he could only respectfully reply:
"What else does this young lady command?"
Ankang pointed to Xiao Cui and Xiao Cui's grandfather beside her and said to Hall Master Tang Sha:
"These two people beside me, the Money Gang should remember them well."
Xiao Cui's grandfather trembled when he heard this, so scared that he almost blacked out and passed away on the spot.
"If these two suffer even the slightest harm in the future, even if it's just a single hair, I will settle this score with your Money Gang."
"At that time, everyone in the Money Gang, from top to bottom, will have to be buried with them, including your families."
Such a direct threat made Hall Master Tang Sha frown.
He was now even wondering who the real gang members were.
How could Ankang threaten people more ruthlessly than they did, even implicating families?
But at this critical juncture, Hall Master Tang Sha wouldn't be so tactless as to cause trouble. He just listened in silence.
However, this trouble was destined to be unavoidable.
"But I see that your Money Gang doesn't quite believe my words."
"How about this, I'll have my guard give you a demonstration."
"If you can withstand one of his palms, then what I said is nonsense."
"If you can't, then what I said counts."
"How about it?"
Hall Master Tang Sha looked speechlessly at the seemingly cute and innocent little girl sitting in the wheelchair in front of him, having heard Ankang's unreasonable request.
Even the King of Hell in the underworld wouldn't be more than this, right?
He never expected that after enduring humiliation for half a day, he still couldn't escape this calamity.
"Damn it!"
Thank you to all my readers for your monthly ticket support.
There are only a few days left this year, Bai Miao needs to work hard!
Meow~