Robbery

"Big brother, the Black Kill Pavilion's people have come knocking!"

Zhou Chu had just given out the work assignments for the next few days and hadn't even had time to rest when Ma Jun came to find him.

"The Black Kill Pavilion? Come knocking? What do they want with us... Bring them in!"

Zhou Chu suddenly remembered why the Black Kill Pavilion had come knocking and frowned.

Surely the Black Kill Pavilion's people didn't really think they were the ones who had wiped out its branch here?

Or did they have another purpose?

"Call all the brothers over!"

Zhou Chu was afraid the Black Kill Pavilion might suddenly attack, so he had to take precautions.

"Yes!"

Ma Jun soon led two men inside, one dressed in black and the other in white, a distinctive pair.

"Hahaha, I never expected it to be the esteemed Bai Sha and Hei Po! I've long heard of you both! What important business brings you here?"

Zhou Chu laughed heartily as he looked at the two men in black and white.

"What a grand reception!"

Bai Sha glanced around at the Flying Eagle Horse Gang's members, snorted coldly, and settled unhurriedly into a chair.

"Serve the tea!"

Zhou Chu wore a smile that betrayed nothing of what he was thinking and sat down at the table as well.

"I'm sure you know why we've come. Your Flying Eagle Horse Gang wiped out our Black Kill Pavilion branch. Aren't you going to give us an explanation?"

Bai Sha stared at Zhou Chu's heroic, square-jawed face, his gaze sharp.

Before Zhou Chu could speak, the brothers beside him were already furious.

"An explanation, my ass! This is a frame-up, plain and simple. Anyone can see it has nothing to do with us. We only arrived in Shahu County today!"

"We didn't do it!"

"Has your Black Kill Pavilion come to extort us? Get out!"

"Why don't you just rob us?!"

Everyone's faces turned red with anger.

They had always been the ones robbing others. Never in their wildest dreams had they expected someone to come to their door and rob them!

Bai Sha and Hei Po remained unruffled, merely staring at Zhou Chu with faint smiles, paying the others no mind at all.

"Enough!" Zhou Chu raised a hand, and the voices instantly fell silent, though everyone still looked indignant.

"First, the Black Kill Pavilion and our Flying Eagle Horse Gang have always stayed out of each other's way. We wouldn't do such a thing. What happened in Shahu County wasn't our doing. Second, tell me what you want."

The corners of Bai Sha's mouth rose, and he clapped. "There's a reason you're the one in charge. You see the bigger picture! Our Black Kill Pavilion was attacked for no apparent reason, suffered heavy casualties, and had its branch wiped out. Your Flying Eagle Horse Gang's name was even written at the scene. No matter how you look at it, you can't escape involvement!"

"Our Black Kill Pavilion isn't some stray cat or dog that anyone can kick around. We need to save face. Whether or not your Flying Eagle Horse Gang did it, your name was at the scene, so you must give us an explanation. Otherwise, it'll be hard for us to answer to our superiors! What do you think, Gang Leader Zhou?"

Zhou Chu stared expressionlessly at Bai Sha for a while, then suddenly smiled. "Get to the point. What do you want?"

"Straightforward enough. I won't beat around the bush either. Six people, five thousand taels each, thirty thousand taels of silver in all. We'll use it to rebuild the branch! Whatever happened before, we'll wipe the slate clean. How about it?"

Zhou Chu chuckled. "And what do I get?"

Bai Sha raised an eyebrow. "Oh? What does Gang Leader Zhou want?"

Zhou Chu leaned forward until he was very close to Bai Sha, his eyes fixed on the two men. "Simple. Help me kill someone!"

"Who?"

"The County Magistrate, Hu Bufan!"

"Oh? Do you have a grudge against him?"

"That's none of your concern. I want to see his head within three days!"

"No, it's not worth it! Hu Bufan is at least at the middle stage of the Marrow Washing Realm. In our Black Kill Pavilion, a target like him doesn't come cheap!"

Bai Sha refused outright.

"Then keep an eye on him for me. Make sure he doesn't come out and cause trouble. Surely that won't be a problem?"

Zhou Chu seemed to have known all along that Bai Sha wouldn't make a losing deal, and immediately made a second request.

"Keep an eye on him? He's not dead. We can't control where he goes! Ask for something else!"

Bai Sha wasn't about to fall into Zhou Chu's trap.

"This won't do, that won't do. What exactly do you want?"

One of Zhou Chu's brothers jumped forward and shouted in dissatisfaction.

"It's not about what I want. What do you want? How about this? I have a pretty good idea what you're planning. Go ahead with your business. As long as you don't infringe on our interests, we won't concern ourselves with it or interfere. How's that?"

"That's all? Not enough!" Zhou Chu shook his head. "One more condition: don't report what we're doing to your superiors. Agree, and I'll offer you the thirty thousand taels with both hands. Refuse, and we'll each rely on our own abilities and see who walks out that door today!"

"Deal!"

Bai Sha and Hei Po stood up.

"Go get the money!" Zhou Chu waved to the brothers behind him, and someone soon returned with a stack of silver notes.

"Gang Leader Zhou, you're a straightforward man!" Bai Sha took the money and left.

"I hope you don't go back on your word!" Zhou Chu called after him.

"Rest assured, our Black Kill Pavilion has a reputation to uphold!"

After the two men left, Zhou Chu sat expressionlessly in his chair, lost in thought.

"Big brother, we're just letting them go? Thirty thousand taels of silver! That's so much money. They're even more like bandits than we are!"

Ma Jun winced at the expense.

Even for them, thirty thousand taels was no small sum.

"That's right, big brother. We're just giving them the money? If you ask me, we should've killed them both then and there. Plenty of people from the Black Kill Pavilion have already died anyway. What difference would two more make?"

"Exactly! They obviously came here to rob us!"

"We weren't the ones who did it, yet they still want us to pay so much! The Black Kill Pavilion is far too overbearing! What could they do if we simply refused to pay?"

The brothers were all deeply indignant.

"Big brother has his own considerations. What are you all yapping about here?" said a burly man over two meters tall in a muffled voice.

He wore a suit of iron armor, and his broad, round face had a beard beneath the chin like steel needles.

"Third brother, you're the one who understands me!" Zhou Chu smiled and looked at the brothers. "The Black Kill Pavilion's people came here because they obviously had us pegged. They were surely planning to ruin our business if we didn't agree. Right now, we don't have the time or effort to deal with them. If money can solve the problem, that's the best way. If we really fought, who could guarantee none of our brothers would get hurt?"

He looked around at them. "Right now, the most important thing is that iron mine! As for the money, let the people of Shahu County pay for it! In a few days, we'll see if we can collect enough in the city. If we're still short, we'll get the rest from those mudlegs!"

"Yes, big brother!"

"As long as the Black Kill Pavilion's people don't interfere, there's no one in all of Shahu County with the strength to ruin our plan! When the time comes, you only need to act according to the plan, and we can look forward to great things! Until then, none of you are to act recklessly. Understood?" Zhou Chu's gaze turned stern.

The others nodded emphatically, their eyes full of excitement and fervor.

If they really pulled off this great undertaking, perhaps they could become masters themselves one day!

Qingshan Village.

Five days had passed since their return from Shahu County.

Lu Chen stood at the very front of the village training ground, smiling as he watched the people below practice on their own.

The system notification finally came.

[Under the host's guidance and encouragement, the fates of Lu Huaiyi, Lu Ting... and 337 others have changed]

[Lu Huaiyi and 77 others have taken their first steps in martial arts. Stage Fate Value reward: +780]

[Teng Yue and 258 others have made progress in martial arts. Stage Fate Value reward: +259]

[Total: 1,039]

[Total Fate Value: 3,803]

Including the 34 points rewarded for teaching literacy that morning, he now had 3,803 Fate Value in total.

That was enough to add points to the Ox-Cleaving Saber Technique!

But he was still short on Luck Value.

I wonder what else can give me Luck Value besides those people from the Black Pole Gang and the Black Kill Pavilion? Or could teaching the villagers now get me some Luck Value? How exactly does this thing work? Is it merit or fortune? The system hasn't explained it, and there are so few sources for it.

Lu Chen wanted to upgrade now, but his lack of Luck Value had him stuck.