Chapter 197: Gan Rong

He Yu frantically helped me get dressed. I dried my hair quickly with a towel and pulled on my jeans, nearly tumbling over in my haste. Fortunately, He Yu had quick reflexes; he caught me and tossed me onto the simple cot in the tent.

“What’s the rush? Get dressed properly. So what if your mom is here? Look at how scared you are. You didn’t even look this terrified when you were in that snake den,” he said, giving my jacket a couple of tugs and pulling it flat.

I buckled my belt and took the jacket from him to put on. He Yu then moved behind me, using a portable hairdryer to dry my hair.

“You don’t understand. Talking to my mother is scarier than going into a snake den. If you tell even a single lie, she sees right through it instantly, and if she gets the chance, she’ll call you out on the spot. So I’m thinking, what if…”

“Isn’t this still about the Black Hoof Iron? According to your Fourth Brother, she only just arrived. She doesn’t know he gave it to you. As long as we don’t bring it up and she doesn’t ask, won’t everything be fine?”

I twisted around and looked up at He Yu. “That’s exactly what I’m afraid of. What if Fourth Brother already told her? If she asks about it later, what do I say? That things were too chaotic down there and I lost it?”

“Don’t move, I’m still drying,” He Yu said, turning me back around. “I don’t think she will. Look at the shape you’re in; she ought to be fussing over you. Your Fourth Brother was concerned about you first earlier, too, and didn’t mention the Black Hoof Iron at all. I think there’s a good chance she won’t ask about it.”

I picked at a loose thread on my clothes and gave a faint snort. “That’s because you don’t know her. If she finds out I went down there and ended up burning the Black Hoof Iron, I’m absolutely finished.”

He Yu clearly didn’t understand, which only made me feel more anxious. To be precise, ever since I was a child, I felt incredibly apprehensive every time I had to see my mother. During the period before the college entrance exams, my life was filled with intense anxiety. Evening self-study ended at ten-thirty, but I would linger at school until eleven just to avoid going home. Several times, my teachers mistakenly thought I had a girlfriend.

My feelings toward my mother were complicated. On one hand, I wanted to see her; I wanted her to talk to me more, to ask about my life, my friends, and how I was doing on my own. On the other hand, I really didn’t want to see her at all.

Once I was ready, He Yu and I stepped out of the tent and headed toward the largest tent in the center of the camp. The workers in the camp were all busy with their own tasks. I could see some gathered around the blasted pit, dealing with the snakes below, while others collected firewood and set up pots, seemingly preparing to boil water for a meal.

The central tent was the largest in the entire camp, guarded by men at every entrance and window. When we arrived, Xiao Wu was squatting on the ground pulling up weeds while waiting for us. He stood up as soon as he saw us.

“The Young Master and the Eldest Miss are both inside. They told me to wait out here for you. These guards were brought here by the Eldest Miss; they haven’t seen you before,” Xiao Wu explained, rubbing his hands together.

I glanced at the sentries nearby. They were indeed unfamiliar faces. Just as I was about to motion for Xiao Wu to lead us inside, a series of heart-wrenching wails erupted from within the tent.

I turned to exchange a look with He Yu and asked Xiao Wu, “What… what’s going on?”

Xiao Wu smiled at me and stepped forward to lift the flap. “Go inside and see for yourself.”

I took a deep breath, looked at He Yu once more, and stepped into the tent. To my surprise, there were many people standing inside. They were lined up along both sides. I scanned the room; they were mostly Fourth Brother’s most capable subordinates.

However, not a single one of them was sitting. These men were all standing against the walls of the tent, forming a square around the central area where the table and chairs were. When they saw me enter, they automatically made way for me, stepping back in unison.

Seeing how these people treated me, He Yu gave a small grunt. “Now this is more like the proper attitude.”

I hid my hand behind my back and gave him a sharp tug, gesturing for him to look at the people kneeling on the ground in front of us.

Before he had even fully turned around, he caught a glimpse and began frantically pulling at my sleeve, his damn eyes practically glowing. He suddenly let go of my hand and whispered, “Holy crap, a beauty! A total beauty!”

“What the hell is wrong with you! That’s my mother!” I hissed at him, slapping him behind me.

“Huh? She’s that young?”

It wasn’t surprising that He Yu didn’t recognize her. My mother had me quite young, and thanks to my grandfather’s genes, she was naturally beautiful. With just a little effort, she could outshine anyone for blocks. But today she wore no makeup, dressed only in a long down coat.

Right now, only my mother and Fourth Brother were seated at the front. To be precise, Fourth Brother was sitting upright while my mother held a book, sipping tea as she flipped through the pages. Her jet-black hair reached her waist without any adornment. Occasionally, a stray strand would be lifted by the breeze. She looked like a picture of serene grace, as if she and the group of men led by Liang Si kneeling on the ground belonged to two different worlds.

But based on my years of experience, when my mother got like this, she was at her most terrifying.

“Eldest Miss! Eldest Miss, have mercy!” Liang Si was drenched in sweat. He crawled forward a short distance and raised his hands in a pleading gesture.

“Master, we’ve followed you for over a decade. Please, say a word for me. I did offend the Young Master, but it was because I saw your life was in danger and I was too anxious. I was afraid the boy was too young and his blind commands would ruin everything. I truly had no intention of seizing the Gan Clan’s Pankou!” Liang Si spouted utter nonsense.

He Yu exploded with rage upon hearing this. He pointed at the man and cursed, “Have you no conscience! You bastard, we should have let you drown back at the Tomb-guarding Beast! Fourth Lord, you be the judge. Boss Yu and I were there the whole time. So many eyes saw you making things difficult for Young Master Gan, and you’re still denying it? I’ve never seen such a treacherous beast!”

He Yu spoke loudly, and as soon as he did, many others chimed in. Liang Si lay prostrate on the ground, momentarily at a loss for how to argue. Realizing that denial was useless, he quickly shifted tactics and began to wail.

“Boss! Even if we were wrong to give the Young Master a hard time, it was because the situation was truly dire! I was the only elder left on that ship. The Young Master has only just entered the trade; no one was willing to listen to him. Can I really be blamed for that?”

At that moment, Fourth Brother rested his hand on the table and turned slightly toward my mother. “Sister Gan Rong, Liang Si has indeed been my subordinate for many years, and his Pankou is in the western suburbs. I was poisoned, so I’m not entirely clear on the details of what happened then. How do you think he should be handled?”

I couldn’t help but look at the workers on either side. Every one of them had their heads bowed. The rowdy, rebellious behavior they had shown on the ship had vanished completely. Standing here, they didn’t even dare to breathe too loudly. I looked at Fourth Brother again. There was no tea in front of him; the only cup of tea in the room had been served specifically to my mother.

I immediately realized that the authority here had officially shifted from Fourth Brother to my mother. Even Fourth Brother was watching her expression before speaking. Yet my mother had long ago announced to the world that she no longer managed the business. Looking at the workers around us, they didn’t look like they were in the dark about her power.

Perhaps I should have realized long ago the true reasons behind everything: why the business Chen Si had managed for so many years still bore the Gan name, why the Gan Clan’s reputation remained so prominent among the Five Masters, and exactly whose sake these workers were considering when they looked after me.

My mother turned a page in her book and smiled faintly. “He is your man. Just because the person he targeted was my biological son doesn’t mean I should handle the punishment directly. If word of this gets out, people will say I am unreasonable and unfair.”

“Sister, what are you saying?” Fourth Brother said with a forced smile.

My mother took a sip of the tea at her side. “However, regarding this matter, I’ve heard a rather different version of events.”

“The Eldest Miss has been away from the Central Plains for a long time, and even longer from the ships. Where would these versions come from?” Liang Si gave a cold laugh.

My mother set her cup down. The bottom hit the table with a dull thud. She looked up, her cold gaze sweeping across the room before finally coming to rest on us.

At first, I thought she was looking at me, but then I realized I wasn’t the supposedly special one. She turned her head calmly toward Liang Si and said, “You probably didn’t know that Xiao Wu was someone I assigned to Old Fourth.”

So she was just confirming Xiao Wu’s location a moment ago.

He Yu and I whipped our heads around to look at Xiao Wu, both of us wearing expressions of utter shock. I thought to myself, damn it, no wonder! No wonder I felt like I was always running into him, and I even fucking thought it was fate! I’d assumed he was one of Fourth Brother’s men. What a joke! It turns out he was an undercover agent my mother planted by my side!

The moment she said those words, I clearly felt Liang Si’s shoulders, which had been held high, instantly slump.

“‘Whether this Pankou will be named Gan or Chen in the future is yet to be seen.’ Did those words really come out of your mouth?”

Hearing that, I knew for certain that Liang Si was a dead man. There was a reason the Gan Clan had remained the Gan Clan for all these years. By seniority, my mother was the true head of the Gan Clan’s Pankou for this generation. She would never allow a subordinate who threatened her position to continue existing.

Liang Si was so terrified he began to tremble all over. “No! Ab-absolutely not! That… that wasn’t my intention at all, Eldest Miss! I… I…”

My mother didn’t look at him again. Instead, she turned to Fourth Brother. “The poison was only just neutralized, and you haven’t fully recovered yet. You shouldn’t be dealing with all this violence. Fortunately, everyone is here today, so I’ll settle this matter for you.”

“Xiao Wu,” my mother asked, “has the snake pit been cleared out?”

Xiao Wu replied, “Not yet.”

The moment he spoke, ten men who looked like hired thugs lifted the curtain and entered. My mother picked up the book on the table again and turned a page. I don’t know what kind of signal she sent, but those thugs immediately stepped forward.

“What are you doing?”

“Boss, save us! Boss! We’ve been your men for over ten years!”

Liang Si screamed, trying to claw at the carpet, but one of the thugs slapped him hard across the face, leaving him completely stunned. He Yu and I watched with wide eyes as Liang Si and his men were dragged right out of the tent by the thugs.

Fourth Brother turned slightly toward my mother. “But now that Liang Si is dead, there’s no one to manage his operations. That Pankou in the western suburbs isn’t exactly small, and my people are all tied up.”

“If he can’t manage it, someone else will.” My mother continued flipping through her book, her voice not wavering in the slightest.

She looked at the book and smiled faintly, though her tone radiated a chilling coldness. “It doesn’t matter if they’ve been with us for over ten years. Even a trusted confidant must be severely punished for making a mistake. The Gan Clan’s years of foundation and effort didn’t just blow in on the wind^[1]. What, do you think the Gan Clan’s business will fail just because we’re missing one Liang Si?”

“Sister Gan Rong is right,” Fourth Brother agreed from the side.

He Yu tugged on my sleeve, swallowed hard, and leaned toward my ear to whisper, “Liang Si… is he really going to be…”

I glanced at him but said nothing.

“That’s ruthless,” He Yu sighed. “But it’s satisfying.”