In the courtyard of Shunyi Fang,Tiger Third Master held the list given to him by Huang Bingcheng and chuckled without saying a word.The middle-aged scholar beside him tightly gripped a folding fan,his face showing a horrified expression.
"LǐShīye,how capable is my adopted son?"Tiger Third Master asked,looking up.
Suddenly opening the folding fan,LǐShīye said in a deep voice,"Ruthless,cunning,resourceful,and most importantly,he knows when to advance and when to retreat."
Tiger Third Master said leisurely,"You're right.The crucial point is his sense of timing.Without it,no matter how many skills he possesses,they would be useless.In that case,I'll take over the assets of the Shunde Gambling House."
"How much do we leave for SūXìn?"LǐShīye asked.
"Just leave him ten thousand taels.Give him the original land of the Shunde Gambling House.We only want cash,"Tiger Third Master said casually,waving his hand,but his mood was quite good.
Several hundred thousand taels of silver,even for the leader of the Feiying Gang,was a substantial sum.
Most importantly,there was no burden in acquiring this silver.
SūXìn ruined the people,and the silver was all looted by him.
Tiger Third Master only needed to coordinate with the government,manage everything with his identity,and even if the government wanted to settle scores later,the crime of forcibly seizing family property wouldn't be pinned on Tiger Third Master,and he would still get ninety percent of the silver.
Inside Kuài HuóLín,Huang Bingcheng excitedly reported Tiger Third Master's intentions to SūXìn,but SūXìn's face showed no excitement,just a cold laugh in his heart.
His adopted father was much more appetizing than he had imagined,swallowing nine-tenths of the silver in one go,leaving only ten thousand taels for himself.
Fortunately,Tiger Third Master had no interest in the land of the Shunde Gambling House,ultimately leaving it to SūXìn.
"Old Huáng,after deducting three thousand taels from this ten thousand taels,there are still seven thousand taels left.Is this silver enough to renovate and build the entrance of the Shunde Gambling House?"
"Boss,you want to build an entrance?Money is enough,and there's no need for a complete renovation.Just change a few plaques and buy a new batch of tables and chairs.But this doesn't follow the rules."Huang Bingcheng scratched his head,feeling like he could never keep up with the boss's thoughts.
SūXìn asked,"Why doesn't it follow the rules?"
Huang Bingcheng explained,"In the Feiying Gang,only the leader-level figures are qualified to build an entrance.Other small leaders can just rent a courtyard for themselves."
SūXìn knocked on the table,saying,"You said it's about qualification.Does that mean the gang rules don't specifically state that only leader-level figures can build an entrance?"
Huang Bingcheng hesitated for a moment and said,"Seems like it."
"Well then,what's the problem if I build an entrance?"
SūXìn wanted to build an entrance for one purpose:to increase the cohesion of his subordinates.
Discussing matters in a small broken house and discussing them in a large,bright entrance were two different concepts.
After thinking about it,Huang Bingcheng also understood.
It's not that small leaders aren't allowed to build an entrance;it's just that no one would do it.
In the Feiying Gang,a small leader manages at most three or four streets,with a monthly revenue of at most ten thousand taels.
Building an entrance requires a hundred thousand taels of silver just for the land.
Instead of spending that money on building an entrance,it's better to keep it for personal enjoyment.
"Alright,I'll leave this matter to you.After deducting necessary expenses,you keep five hundred taels for yourself,and the rest is also entrusted to you for safekeeping."Huang Bingcheng was slippery,but meticulous in his work.SūXìn trusted him.
To make someone serve you,you must first give them enough benefits.Otherwise,why would they risk their lives for you?
So,whether in the past or now,SūXìn was very generous to his subordinates.
"Thank you,boss!From now on,my life is sold to you!"Huang Bingcheng patted his thin chest,tears of gratitude welling up.
Of course,this gesture was mostly about flattering,but there was still some genuine emotion in it.
He had been in the Feiying Gang for more than ten years,but due to his own strength,although he was slippery,he was never valued.
Now,SūXìn not only gave him power but also entrusted him with the silver in his hands,making Huang Bingcheng suddenly feel a sense of willingness to die for a friend.
After sending off Huang Bingcheng,SūXìn returned to his own courtyard,buying a roasted chicken on the way back.
Opening the door,Xīn'er immediately rushed over,her little nose twitching with excitement,"Wow!It's roasted chicken!"
"Alright,little glutton,wash your hands and eat."SūXìn rubbed Xīn'er's little head.
Xīn'er nodded quickly and ran to wash her hands.
After dinner,SūXìn had two wooden stakes placed in the courtyard and brought Huang Bingcheng,asking him to arrange for two swords when handling things at the yamen.He wanted to use these swords instead of the poorly crafted weapons from the common blacksmith's shop.
**Translation:**
The best weapons in Changning Prefecture all come from the imperial court.
The weapons in the Changning Prefecture yamen,such as knives,spears,swords,and halberds,are all retired from use by the imperial army.They are distributed to the yamens of various states and prefectures for the use of constables.The materials are absolutely superior,mass-produced by craftsmen within the military,all having been wielded and seen bloodshed.
Huang Bingcheng went to the yamen once and,with only fifty taels of silver,brought back two long swords for Su Xin.
In recent years,the Great Zhou Dynasty has had fewer conflicts,resulting in the downsizing of many military units.Their equipment has been distributed to various state and prefecture yamens,and the quantity is not small.
In a Changning Prefecture warehouse,there are weapons and armor that can arm thousands of people,but the entire constabulary of Changning Prefecture is less than a hundred.
So,most of these things end up rusting in the warehouse.Even if it's twenty taels,the person guarding the warehouse would happily take them out and sell them.
One of the long swords is a thin sword,three feet long and two fingers wide,light and agile.
The other is a heavy sword,about four feet long and four fingers wide,stable and substantial,suitable for hacking.
The edges of these two swords are sharp,with only faint signs of cutting visible in subtle places.They seem to have been newly sharpened,looking almost new.
Su Xin held the thin sword in his left hand and the heavy sword in his right,constantly stabbing at the wooden stakes.
However,he wasn't practicing the force of the strikes but the precision of the strikes.
Each strike must stop right at the moment of contact with the wooden stake.Leaving a mark on the wood would be considered a failure.
Su Xin currently mastered two sword techniques:the Jing Wuming Quick Sword and the Grand Sumeru Sword Style.
The Grand Sumeru Sword Style leans toward defense,with complex moves.Su Xin mainly intended to use it to cover the openings in the quick sword when facing enemies,preventing a situation where the fast sword could be countered.
Although he couldn't increase proficiency to one hundred percent with the Jing Wuming Quick Sword,it was the simplest killing technique,focusing on achieving extreme speed,ferocity,and accuracy.
These three points not only apply to the Jing Wuming Quick Sword but can also be utilized in practicing other martial arts.
So,Su Xin is currently focusing on increasing proficiency only in the Jing Wuming Quick Sword,considering it as mastering the fundamentals.
Seeing her brother practicing with the swords,Xiner sat on the steps in front of the house obediently watching.
When Su Xin finished practicing,Xiner went to fetch water and a towel,wiping away Su Xin's sweat.
"Brother,can I learn swordsmanship?"Xiner stared at the thin sword in Su Xin's hand with a somewhat loving expression in her eyes.
"Sure,but why does Xiner want to learn the sword?"Su Xin looked at Xiner in surprise.Girls at this age should usually like things like dolls,not knives and swords,which are more favored by boys.
Xiner clenched her small fists and said,"If I learn swordsmanship,I can protect my brother and drive away the bad people who bully us."
"Okay,Brother will rely on Xiner to protect me."Su Xin smiled and rubbed Xiner's head,not knowing that this joke would actually come true later on.
Su Xin handed the thin sword to Xiner.However,Xiner,who took it happily,looked pitiful as she struggled to lift the heavy sword.It was made of refined steel,weighing over ten pounds,too heavy for a seven-year-old.
Seeing this,Su Xin chuckled,took back the thin sword,cut off a piece of it from the wooden stake,and quickly carved it into a wooden sword,handing it to Xiner.Now,with one large and one small,they stood in front of the wooden stake,striking the wood one after another.
One month,whether long or short,passed by.
Su Xin stayed indoors in his small courtyard,focusing on cultivation.Meanwhile,the numerous storefronts in Happy Forest had completed their renovations and were preparing to reopen.
As the time approached,the various bosses of Happy Forest were hesitating.
After all,they gave Su Xin a share,and the decoration of the store was completed.A lot of silver had been invested,and success or failure depended on this move.
As night fell,carriages arrived outside Happy Forest one after another.This time was when Happy Forest truly came alive.
Young Master Sun from the Sun family in the east of the city got off the carriage,looking at the newly renovated Happy Forest and remarked,"Not bad for a month without coming for renovation.Today,I'll have a good time."
The Sun family was the largest smuggler of rare herbs in the east of the city,specializing in smuggling various rare herbs from the Southern Barbarians and the Three Lakes region into the Eastern Jin Dynasty.
Although this business was dangerous,with the border guards of the Great Zhou Dynasty,getting caught meant immediate execution,it was profitable.The wealth of the Sun family was unmatched in the entire Changning Prefecture.
With the financial power of the Sun family,even if Happy Forest was renovated,Young Master Sun could still go elsewhere for entertainment.However,he had refrained from going out for a month.
There was a reason for it—Young Master Sun was a sentimental person.
Back in the day,at the age of thirteen,he was brought by his unscrupulous cousin to Happy Forest to complete the first event in his life.Therefore,he had genuine feelings for this place.
