In the evening, Old Yuan came to fetch me, telling us to go to the main cabin.
When we arrived, it was filled with people; almost everyone on the boat was present.
I scanned the room and quickly spotted Niu Gang.
He stood beside a man in a dark blue striped shirt, staring at me with a chilling gaze, as if he wanted to devour me.
Yang Hanxue sat on a folding chair not far away, smoking. Seeing us arrive, he said to the striped shirt man, "Old Xue, I've called them over. You can find out what's going on by asking."
The man called Old Xue smiled and looked at us, "Brother Xiang Fei, right?"
I nodded.
"I heard from Boss Yang that someone on the boat made a move on your woman?"
I blinked, wondering when Bai Hanyan became my woman.
However, at this moment, I couldn't deny it. Seeing Bai Hanyan about to say something, I quickly interjected, "That's right, someone drugged her and had ulterior motives. Fortunately, I discovered it..."
I recounted the whole incident from beginning to end. As soon as I finished, Niu Gang couldn't help but point at me and curse, "Bullshit! When did I ever go to the passenger cabin? You're spewing venom!"
"Niu Gang!" Old Xue said sternly, "Is it your turn to speak?"
Niu Gang was indignant. He glared fiercely at me and muttered something under his breath.
I was not afraid of him and glared back directly.
"Xiao Jin," Old Xue called out a name, and a young sailor quickly stepped forward, "Did you tamper with the food last night?"
Xiao Jin pursed his lips, glanced at Niu Gang, and hesitated, "I... I..."
"If you did, say yes. If not, say no. As long as you tell the truth, no one will dare touch you!" Old Xue said coldly.
"Last night... Niu Gang asked me to mix him a glass of fruit juice... I don't know what it was for..."
Upon hearing this, Niu Gang immediately roared, "You motherfucker!!"
He looked like he was about to lash out, but the next moment, he was seized by two people and forced to his knees without a word.
Old Xue stared at Niu Gang, "I'll give you one more chance. Did you go to the passenger cabin last night?"
Niu Gang glanced at him, and after a long pause, slowly nodded, "I did... but I didn't do anything to that woman... I..."
Before he could finish, Yang Hanxue stood up and said, "Old Xue, since the situation is clear, let's proceed according to the gang rules."
"Ah?!" Niu Gang was stunned. He didn't beg Yang Hanxue for mercy but crawled to Old Xue's side, "Captain, I know I was wrong..."
As he spoke, he raised his hands and began slapping himself repeatedly, confessing his mistakes as he did so.
The sound of slaps echoed one after another in the hall.
"Confessing to me is useless. The boss has already spoken, and we'll follow the gang rules... Since you made a mistake, you must accept the punishment." Captain Old Xue's tone was calm, but there was a hint of anger.
"They are not members of the gang, so why should we follow the gang rules?"
Niu Gang gritted his teeth and said, turning to Yang Hanxue, "Boss, this is against the rules. I'm not convinced!"
"Not convinced?" Yang Hanxue said, "Alright, I'll give you a chance."
He signaled to Old Yuan beside him. Without a word, Old Yuan drew his pistol from his waist and threw it onto the ground.
For a moment, everyone's eyes were fixed on the gun. I noticed many people had grave expressions, while Captain Old Xue looked thoughtful.
I didn't understand what this meant. I glanced at Song Bing beside me, and he also had a furrowed brow.
The hall was eerily quiet, and Niu Gang's rapid breathing was exceptionally noticeable.
After nearly a minute, Niu Gang's eyes suddenly changed. Just as he made a move, Yang Hanxue beat him to it, rolling on the ground and snatching the gun first.
In a flash, Yang Hanxue, holding the gun, aimed it at Niu Gang's forehead.
Everything happened so fast that I was a bit slow to react.
Yang Hanxue stood up slowly with a blank expression, looking down at Niu Gang, "I gave you a chance, and you didn't seize it. So you can't blame me!"
Saying that, he glanced at Captain Old Xue not far away and pulled the trigger without hesitation!
I held my breath, even bracing myself for a bloody scene, but all I heard was a "click." The gun was empty.
The hall had a faint smell of gasoline, but for some reason, I vaguely detected a smell of urine.
I thought I was smelling things incorrectly, but then I saw the additional liquid between Niu Gang's trembling knees as he knelt on the ground, and my heart felt a complex mix of emotions.
It seemed that even the most ruthless person had a weak side when facing death.
"Old Yuan, carry out the family law!" Yang Hanxue said after throwing the pistol back to Old Yuan.
Immediately, I saw someone carrying over a square table. On the table, a bronze incense burner was placed, appearing to be an artifact from the late Ming or early Qing dynasty.
Someone lit three incense sticks and inserted them into the incense burner. A dagger and a porcelain bowl were placed on the table.
The distraught Niu Gang slowly stood up from the ground, his eyes devoid of any trace of ferocity, replaced by fear and unease.
He walked to the table, placed his left hand on it, picked up the dagger with his right hand, and looked around, glancing at Captain Old Xue not far away.
I faintly saw Old Xue nod slightly, and then Niu Gang gritted his teeth...
"Ah!!"
With a furious roar, he directly used the dagger to cut off his little finger.
The dagger was sharper than I expected, instantly severing the little finger, flesh and bone included.
Witnessing this scene, my adrenaline surged uncontrollably, and my heart raced.
Bai Hanyan beside me frowned, clearly showing her fear, but she forced herself to endure it.
Niu Gang immediately collapsed onto the ground, his screams echoing endlessly.
Soon, someone came to clean up the mess, soak his little finger in the porcelain bowl, and bury it in the incense burner.
When I was young, my father told me that some gangs in the old days had their own rules. For example, in the past, many gangs would establish various gang rules.
Moreover, the rules of each organization were different, but most gang rules included a clause about "not stealing wives and not engaging in incestuous relationships."
"Stealing wives and incestuous relationships" could be roughly understood as not molesting or bullying the wives of fellow gang members.