Chapter 353: Liang Mushan

Watching the fierce Misses Hua, Lin Dong was secretly impressed.
“Well… our Hua family has very few men, so…” Seeing Lin Dong’s surprised expression, Hua Wu Yue felt a bit awkward.
“I understand, I understand!” Lin Dong nodded repeatedly.
When the guards also rushed into the gambling house to take advantage of the chaos, Lin Dong followed inside.
The vast gambling house was filled with cries of despair; hardly any tables or chairs remained intact. Silver and copper coins were scattered everywhere, becoming the least noticeable things. In just a short while, the Misses Hua had moved up to the second floor. By the time Lin Dong reached there, the women had already begun to gather.
None of the thugs or gamblers were standing.
The third daughter of the Hua family was clearly second only to Hua Jingyi in authority. After scanning the gathered sisters, she turned her gaze toward Hua Jingyi and asked, “Sixth Aunty, shall we set fire to it?”
Hua Jingyi glanced at Lin Dong.
Lin Dong quickly shook his head. Setting fire to the gambling house might seem trivial, but if it accidentally affected the surrounding residents, it would no longer be about seeking justice—it would provoke public outrage.
“Alright, leave a few people behind to collect the silver and banknotes, then chase after them and distribute them wherever we see them!” Hua Jingyi waved at the leader of the guard team.
“Understood!”
The guard team leader promptly ordered a few men to take action.
“Let’s go! Next place!”
With a wave of her hand, the Misses Hua reverted to their casual demeanor, chatting as they headed downstairs.
Lin Dong nodded inwardly. This Sixth Aunty Hua was indeed capable of becoming the head of the Hua family—her ability to organize the collection of scattered money was a clear indication. This tactic served two purposes: first, it would create a stir, guiding Chen Yantian and the owners of other gambling houses in their pursuit; second, since the Hua family usually relied on force to bully others, and gambling houses weren’t exactly reputable places, this move could shift public opinion to blame those gambling houses for pressuring Lin Ji’s gym, making it seem as though the Hua family was stepping in to help.
There were seven gambling houses in the east of the city, six of which already had gambling competitions underway, while the seventh was still in preparation. In other words, Lin Dong and the Hua family’s women had six targets in total.
The closest to Tianlai Gambling House was Good Luck Gambling House. By the time everyone arrived on horseback, the owner, Jiang Wen, was inspecting the house. Upon learning the purpose of the Hua family’s women, he could do nothing but keep introducing himself and the head of another family, the Wangs. He could only watch helplessly as the Misses Hua swept through the first floor and then the second, leaving behind a warning that if they dared to hold another gambling competition at Lin Ji’s gym, they would be destroyed each time before the group left.

Gambling houses are notorious for being ruthless—their owners are all heartless individuals, and Jiang Wen is no exception. Yet in front of the Hua family, he never dared to speak up and stop them. The third, fourth, fifth… one by one, they were all cleared out, with the whole process remaining surprisingly calm; none of the gambling houses dared to show off in front of the Hua family. Once the east side of the city was taken care of, night had fallen. Gambling houses and brothels are different from other types of businesses. For other businesses, the busiest times vary—some in the morning, some at noon, some in the afternoon—but they’re all during the day. As for gambling houses and brothels, their peak hours also differ, but they’re always at night. Visiting them when business is good yields better results. Plus, the Hua family’s ladies were eager and ready to go, so they certainly wouldn’t wait until the next day. After finding a restaurant to fill their stomachs, they set off again, heading straight for the south side of the city. There were nine gambling houses in the south, all of which were their targets. They effortlessly cleared out two of them. On their way to the third, several tall horses rushed toward them. On the lead black horse was a handsome young man in a white robe, waving his whip as he rode toward them. Half a horse’s length behind him, Chen Yantian swung his whip with even force, maintaining the same speed as the young man. Behind them were four strong men in athletic outfits. “Liang Mushan!” A cold smile appeared on Hua Wuyue’s lips. Hua Jingyi frowned slightly, clearly surprised by the young man’s appearance. With a whoosh… When they were about five meters apart, they both pulled back on their reins almost at the same time. “Madam Liu, Brother Hua, it’s getting dark. You seem in high spirits! Where are you planning to go?” Liang Mushan dismounted and bowed to Hua Jingyi and Hua Wuyue, then smiled and nodded to the Hua family’s ladies one by one. “I haven’t been out in a while. We plan to visit some of the gambling houses,” Hua Jingyi said with a smile. “And where are you planning to go, Young Master Liang?” “To answer Madam Liu, Mushan has a friend who runs a gambling house. I heard that it was recently damaged by some troublemakers, so he asked me to go take a look. I didn’t expect Madam Liu and Brother Hua to be going to gambling houses too…” Liang Mushan said in surprise. “Madam Liu, Brother Hua, could it be that the gambling houses have offended the Hua family?” “Brother Liang is observant. This is…” Hua Wuyue glanced at Chen Yantian. “Madam Liu, Young Master Hua!” Chen Yantian stepped forward quickly, gave Lin Dong a cold look, then bowed respectfully. “I am Chen Yantian, the owner of Tianlai Gambling House.”

“Oh, it’s Tianlai Gambling House. The first one we destroyed was Tianlai Gambling House,” Hua Wuyue said with a smile. “Boss Chen, you won’t mind, right?”
“Of course not…” Chen Yiantian showed no of the strange quirks he had shown when meeting Lin Dong last time. He forced a ugly smile, shaking his head repeatedly. His expression and actions were like those of a bullied young wife standing in front of her cruel mother-in-law—too afraid to speak out but forced to smile. He was no different from the other gambling house owners.
“That’s good. I think you shouldn’t go there either. The whole gambling house has been destroyed. It won’t be able to reopen in less than ten days or half a month,” Hua Wuyue said smilingly. “In my opinion, Boss Chen had better go back and get some good sleep. Go handle things fresh and energetic tomorrow morning.”
“Well…” Chen Yiantian was at a loss for words. Upon hearing that Tianlai Gambling House had sent someone with a message, he rushed here right away. On the way, he encountered the messengers sent by the gambling house. After learning it had been destroyed, he hurried to the Liang family for help.
After a whole night of effort, he finally managed to get Young Master Liang to come out, but it ended up like this. No matter what, Chen Yiantian couldn’t accept it.
However, Young Master Hua was known for his peculiar personality in Lingnan City. Chen Yiantian wanted to argue but didn’t dare speak up.
“Madam Liu, Brother Hua, I wonder how my friend offended the Hua family?” Liang Mushan, clearly a responsible supporter, saw Chen Yiantian cornered and immediately stepped in to speak for him: “If it’s not a misunderstanding, Madam Liu, Brother Hua, rest assured. Whoever offends the Hua family offends our Liang family. Even if it’s just a friend, no matter how close the relationship, I won’t spare him.”
Hua Wuyue said casually, “It’s not a big deal. It’s just that my friend, Manager Lin, opened Lin’s Gym. As a result, the various gambling houses insisted on organizing gambling competitions. Lin’s Gym is a new industry, and whether it can survive depends most on fairness. The gambling houses are not to be trifled with. They see which contestant bets the most and use threats and inducements to make that contestant lose on purpose. Not only do they make a fortune, but Lin’s Gym also ends up with a bad reputation. With no other choice, Manager Lin had to go to each gambling house owner, hoping to buy some leniency with money. But the guys he sent were either driven out or beaten out. Speaking of which, Brother Liang has good judgment.”
“Good judgment?” Liang Mushan wasn’t quite sure what he meant.

“That’s right,” Hua Wuyue nodded. “It was Manager Lin who went to see Boss Chen in person. Compared to other gambling houses, Boss Chen is among the best. Logically, he should be more domineering than others, but instead, he was polite. Although he didn’t agree to Manager Lin’s request, he still gave him enough face. One could say Boss Chen remains pure despite being in such an environment, which is why I say Brother Liang has good taste.”
“I wouldn’t dare claim such praise!” Chen Yantian said, looking embarrassed as he waved his hands quickly.
Liang Mushan was speechless. On the surface, these words seemed like praise for Chen Yantian, but they didn’t sound right no matter how you listened to them.
Hua Wuyue stared straight at Liang Mushan, then suddenly grew serious. “Brother Liang, don’t these gambling houses just take advantage of honest people?”
“Maybe…”
Just as Liang Mushan was about to say that it might just be one side of the story, Hua Wuyue said firmly, “I think Brother Liang must agree with me. It’s obvious—these gambling houses only benefit by cheating those foolish idiots.”
Liang Mushan was at a loss for words. As he wondered what to do next, Hua Wuyue said harshly, “Relying on thugs to look down on legitimate businessmen—since we’ve encountered this, even if I don’t have a close relationship with Manager Lin, I still have to intervene. Brother Liang, Boss Chen, since we’re here, why not go together? Tonight, let’s show all the gambling houses in Lingnan City what happens when they bully honest people.”
Liang Mushan was torn between laughter and frustration. “Brother Hua, don’t forget—Boss Chen also runs a gambling house. Are you planning to take him along to destroy his own business?”
Hua Wuyue slapped his own head. “How could I forget? I forgot Boss Chen also runs a gambling house.”
“I think we should skip Tianlai Gambling House!” Liang Mushan laughed. “Let’s make a fuss tonight—destroy every other house except Tianlai. As for the gambling races, Boss Chen is indeed at fault. At the very least, the money earned from those races also benefits Lin’s Gym. Let’s make friends through this! Tomorrow, let Boss Chen and Manager Lin talk privately to see if they can exchange shares. That way, no one will suffer losses.”
Hua Wuyue shook his head helplessly. “I’m afraid that won’t work! I’ve already declared that every gambling house will be destroyed tonight—anyone who gets in the way will be eliminated. If we spare Tianlai Gambling House, we’ll be laughed at, and if we can’t keep our word, our Hua family won’t be able to establish itself in Lingnan City anymore. Otherwise… let’s destroy it first. Our Hua family will cover any losses.”

Liang Mushan was speechless, while Chen Yantian’s face turned red, yet he couldn’t say a word. Hua Wuyue’s words were utterly irrefutable. The only possible counterargument would be to doubt that the Hua family would keep their promise to compensate. But not only did Chen Yantian dare not say such things, even Liang Mushan wouldn’t dare speak against Hua Wuyue’s words alone. Moreover, there was also Hua Jingyi, who was an elder in the family. Questioning Hua Wuyue was fine—it was just a conflict among younger members. No matter how fierce it became, as long as no one was injured, the family elders could meet and laugh it off. But questioning Hua Jingyi could easily lead to conflicts among the elders. Resolving such a situation would then be ten times or even a hundred times more difficult.