Madman!

Chapter 129: Public Appearance

On the open ground southeast of the Walled City, a temporary mourning hall spanning several hundred square meters had been erected, enclosed by white canvas. Outside, rows upon rows of funeral wreaths encircled the structure.

The front of the hall faced the Walled City directly. A massive crowd gathered in the distance to watch, while hordes of reporters snapped photos with their cameras.

For those outside the Walled City, the place was a mysterious, chaotic den of sin.

Many people were endlessly curious about it.

So when the Dragon Head of Hetu died and such a grand funeral was held, reporters flooded in immediately.

Some of them were even interviewing local residents nearby.

"Do you know this Mr. Lin Jianxin?"

"What was his reputation like in the Walled City?"

"So, what do you know about Hetu?"

Chen Wujun pulled a black suit jacket and black dress shirt from a bag and began changing. As he dressed, he muttered, "Who told everyone to wear black? As if we're trying to advertise that we're gangsters.""Shark Jiu's orders. She said it looks more solemn this way. Actually, any dark color would do — dark blue, charcoal gray, that sort of thing..." Ah Fei explained.

Chen Wujun finished changing. The outfit Ah Yue had bought fit him perfectly.

He took a white flower and pinned it to his chest, then glanced upward through the car window. He could just make out the sign for his family's dental clinic.

With a spectacle this big, he figured there was no hiding anymore. His identity was probably going to reach his family's ears.

At least he'd raked in a windfall. He could buy a few apartment units and use this chance to move his family out.

Better that than having them grabbed someday — that would be a real headache.

'Trouble doesn't touch your family' — nice sentiment, but that's all it was.

Old Ghost Bing had spent a lifetime in the underworld, and in the end, his whole family was wiped out anyway.

Moments later, the car pulled up near the mourning hall. Up ahead, lackeys in suits with white flowers pinned to their chests were busy pushing back the reporters on both sides.

Chen Wujun put on his sunglasses, then opened the car door and stepped out. The men from the vehicles in front and behind piled out as well — a procession of twenty, cutting quite an imposing figure.

They immediately drew a flood of stares. Camera flashes popped at him from all directions.

"Who's that guy?"

"Looks pretty young..."

"That good-looking fella looks like he might be from the Chen family dental clinic? But the build doesn't match — not that tall, not that muscular..."

In a nearby cold drinks parlor, several federal police officers with Chinese features sat watching the scene, sipping sodas while they chatted:

"That's Shark Jiu's Head Horse — Chen Wujun."

"One of Hetu's rising stars. Ruthless and vicious."

"He beat Yu Wei from Lidong to death on the ring."

"Shark Jiu's trying to groom him for the top. Whether he can actually handle it remains to be seen."

After all, the last time Chen Wujun had fought openly, he'd only been a cut above Yu Wei.

Barely half a year had passed since then. No matter how fast his strength had grown, he still had a considerable gap compared to those Hall Master-level figures.

......

"Brother Jun."

"Brother Jun."

Several of Shark Jiu's lackeys greeted him one after another.

The funeral committee roster had been released the previous night, and everyone now knew exactly where Chen Wujun stood.

"Write down which newspaper those reporters are from, what their names are. Anyone who publishes garbage — they'll get a visit. And tell them not to harass the guests who've come to pay respects. Anyone who doesn't listen, drag them aside and break their legs. But keep it clean — no mess," Chen Wujun ordered, gesturing toward the cluster of reporters.

"Got it, Brother Jun."

After giving his instructions, Chen Wujun led his group toward the mourning hall.

"Ah Jun's here." Ah Hao spotted Chen Wujun and immediately came forward to greet him.

"Has the mourning ceremony started?"

"It's already underway, but the people from the other gangs won't arrive until this afternoon," Ah Hao said, then lowered his voice. "Congratulations, Ah Jun."

Chen Wujun clapped him on the shoulder. "You've been studying the property market, haven't you? Let's talk about it later."

"Absolutely! North Port's property market is definitely going to keep climbing, and I know every development inside and out." Ah Hao thumped his chest, vowing solemnly.

"Later."

Chen Wujun surveyed the funeral wreaths around him, reading the names on them. Something occurred to him, and he turned to give an order:

"Ah Fei, Master Xin is dead, and I should show my respects too. Buy thirty wreaths in my name and set them up outside — make sure they're in the most visible spots."

Shark Jiu had already placed his name after the Hall Masters on the list. Now was the time to make every gang in North Port's underworld know his face.

The wreaths had to be plentiful, and they absolutely had to stand out.

After finishing his instructions, he finally led his group into the mourning hall. Inside, over a hundred chairs were arranged in rows on either side. The left section was already occupied by quite a few people, some chatting among themselves.

At the very front stood Master Xin's coffin and the memorial altar.

Several people were still bustling about, arranging paper effigies, paper cars, and paper mansions in the corners.

Near the front, a few figures in white mourning garments knelt alongside the coffin.

Chen Wujun's gaze immediately landed on one of them — the woman he'd seen at Master Xin's villa. Quite a looker, and dressed in mourning white, she was even more striking.

How did the saying go? 'Want to look fine? Wear mourning white.'

Chen Wujun took the first seat in the second row on the left.

The first row on the left was reserved for Shark Jiu, Elephant, and the other Hall Masters. His place was in the second row, with Cun Bao right beside him.

The chairs on the right side were for the guests from other gangs.

"Who are those people up front? I know the woman — Master Xin's mistress. But the others — they're not his sons, are they?" Chen Wujun leaned over and asked.

He remembered that Master Xin had no sons.

"Master Xin's bodyguards. Now that he's dead, Shark Jiu arranged for them to wear mourning clothes and kneel," Cun Bao whispered.

Chen Wujun nodded, letting his gaze drift over to Tall Guy before pulling it back.

After one in the afternoon, members of the other gangs began arriving one after another.

The first to show up were the people from Four Stripes. Their territory bordered the Walled City, so their boss, Tan Cheng, came personally, followed by Four Stripes' Hall Masters and several other important figures.

When Shark Jiu stood, Chen Wujun, Cun Bao, and Flower Boy Rong rose as well, falling in behind her.

Shark Jiu received Tan Cheng with the bearing of a host, exchanging pleasantries. Meanwhile, Chen Wujun sized up the Hall Masters trailing behind Tan Cheng — each one tall and imposing, radiating an aura of ferocity and danger.

And they, in turn, were sizing up Shark Jiu — and Chen Wujun.

Many of them had watched the ring fights and had some impression of Chen Wujun, though they hadn't paid him much mind.

After all, Chen Wujun was still a level below them.

But this time, Shark Jiu had placed Chen Wujun's name fifth on the funeral committee — a clear signal that she intended to elevate him.

The Four Stripes Hall Masters gave Chen Wujun a brief once-over, then turned their attention elsewhere.

Before long, the Four Stripes delegation took their seats, and the representatives of other gangs followed in succession — Big Four, Heyi, Heyong, Fuyi Society...

Chen Wujun accompanied Shark Jiu in receiving them all. He even spotted Snake Aunt in a black women's suit, who winked at him.

When the Lidong delegation arrived, Chen Wujun fixed them with a cold stare. His gaze passed over Lidong's Dragon Head, Ma Dong, and settled on Fire Dragon and Wen Long.

"Even the stray dogs showed up," Chen Wujun sneered. He tilted his head, lips barely moving, and murmured to Cun Bao so no one else could hear.

Stirring trouble now wouldn't be slapping Master Xin's face — it'd be slapping Shark Jiu's.

Still, he secretly hoped Fire Dragon and Wen Long would cause some kind of incident. That would give him the perfect excuse to kill them.

Fire Dragon's expression was sour. Over the past few days, while Chen Wujun had been in West Embankment, the Shengsha people had come around to harass him.

Right now he felt like someone had smeared a bloody sanitary pad across his face — equal parts revolting and infuriating.

But the Lidong people played by the rules.

Master Xin's death had nothing to do with them, and they had no intention of making trouble here and bringing the heat down on themselves.

Once most of the guests had arrived, the master of ceremonies began presiding over the funeral.

Shark Jiu was the first to step forward and pay her respects. Elephant and the others followed, and right after the Hall Masters came Chen Wujun.

Chen Wujun stepped up and accepted the incense. He lit it and bowed to Master Xin's coffin. He wanted to put on a grief-stricken expression, but couldn't quite manage it. Not bursting out laughing was achievement enough.

After offering the incense, Chen Wujun turned around and swept his gaze across the hall — lingering especially on the members of the rival gangs — before swaggering back to his seat.

For him, the most important part of this funeral was making a public appearance before the entire North Port underworld. He wanted every last one of them to know his face.

......

By five in the evening, Chen Wujun left the mourning hall and took a stroll around the perimeter, confirming that his wreaths were prominently displayed. Satisfied, he led his men to deliver the 17.5 million dollars to Shark Jiu's residence.

He stashed his own money away, then headed back to Ah Yue's place.

The moment he pushed the door open, Ah Yue bounded into his arms, her soft curves pressing against his chest. She threw her arms around his neck and asked:

"How'd it go this time? Did you bring me a present?"

"I was there on business. You think it was a vacation?" Chen Wujun wrapped an arm around Ah Yue, walked a couple of steps, and tossed her onto the bed.

He changed into athletic wear, getting ready to head home for dinner.

Eyeing the pot of beef stew simmering on the stove, Chen Wujun said, "Put on something nice later. We're going out for dinner tonight."

He'd made plans to have dinner with Ah Hao that evening.

"Sounds great!"

A short while later, Chen Wujun returned home. The moment he pushed the door open, he was greeted by warmth, the mouthwatering aroma of food, and the familiar sound of cartoons playing on the television.

The whole family was gathered around the table, eating.

"Bro, you're back!" Chen Wuqi's head shot up, his face lighting up with joy.

"I thought you'd stay over there a few more days. You came back without even calling ahead," Huang Meizhen grumbled as she got up and headed to the kitchen for an extra bowl and chopsticks.

"Finished earlier than expected." Chen Wujun smiled and sat down at the table.

As he'd seen more of the world and broadened his horizons, the home-cooked meals didn't taste as impressive as they once had.

But he still enjoyed sitting down to dinner with his family.

"Now that you're back, don't go running off again. And speaking of which — you can't just practice martial arts forever. You need to do something to support yourself eventually. Have you given it any thought?" Chen Hanliang asked between bites.

Now that the eldest was staying home every day and had quit gambling, he'd started worrying about the second son.

The boy had been doing nothing but training for over a year now. He couldn't keep this up forever, could he?

"I've got a plan. I'll tell you about it in a few days," Chen Wujun replied casually.

He figured his cover was about to be blown anyway. No point saying anything more right now.

After dinner, the eldest brother Chen Wuhong pulled him aside into a room. "Hey — you said when you got back you'd let me go out and work. You're back now, so how about it?"

"I'll have someone take you to work in a couple of days. But if I find out you've been contacting those lowlife friends of yours, or gambling again, I'll throw you off the roof," Chen Wujun said, his expression flat and unreadable.

He planned to put the eldest to work in one of the operations for a few days. Once he'd bought the new apartments, he'd ship him out of the Walled City.

"I swear I'm done gambling..." The eldest was ecstatic, vowing solemnly.

After more than half a year of being cooped up, he was finally going to be allowed outside.