The Jianghu is not about fighting and killing

"William, take the men and clean up the scene. Me and Dragon will haul these scumbags back to the Branch."

Mo Xingchen slung an arm around Dragon, tossed the order over his shoulder at William, and started back the way they came. The pirates, already scared out of their wits, meekly trailed behind the two.

"Bro, since when do you know swordsmanship?"

"Tch, I know a lot more than that. I'm a master of all eighteen weapons. And this is called blade technique!"

"Blade technique? Isn't that just swordsmanship?"

"Tsk, I don't know what's wrong with these people—they use a blade but insist on calling themselves sword masters. If your big bro here weren't still too weak, I'd show you what a real sword immortal looks like!"

"Bro, you were so cool just now! We were all stunned! Do you think it's too late for me to start training with a blade?"

"Uh... I doubt it. This stuff requires serious talent! But if you train for a few years, you could at least bully some weaklings."

Chattering back and forth like that, they escorted the pirates back to the Branch.

They found Major General Wilte already waiting at the gate with his men.

"Captain Mo, truly impressive! Cleaning out the entire lawless zone so effortlessly. I'll offer my congratulations on your promotion in advance!"

"Hahahaha, Major General Wilte, you flatter me, you flatter me. This time, the Marine soldiers of the Sabaody Archipelago Branch, under your leadership, also put in a lot of effort to capture these pirates."

"Ahahahaha! That was just a small favor on my part, hardly worth mentioning, hardly worth mentioning! Captain Mo, you've worked hard today. Go wash off the dust first. I'll arrange a banquet to celebrate your victorious return!"

Hearing Mo Xingchen's veiled promise to share the military credit, Wilte was overjoyed and silently praised Mo Xingchen for knowing how to play the game.

"Mm, I really should go clean up first. I'll leave these pirates to you, Major General."

"Haha, no trouble at all. Go ahead."

Mo Xingchen took Dragon back to the barracks to wash up and change clothes. By the time William and the others returned, the whole Branch was throwing a grand banquet, lively and bustling with joy.

Over clinking glasses, Mo Xingchen and Wilte ironed out the specifics of how the military credit would be split. The captured pirates would be sent to Impel Down by the Branch for the final wrap-up. After the drinking session, Mo Xingchen mentioned he was ready to take his leave and report back to headquarters.

The next afternoon, after everything was packed and ready, the warship slowly left the harbor. This time, Major General Wilte led a crowd standing on the shore, waving a warm farewell!

During the voyage back to headquarters, Dragon frowned deeply, his face twisted in confusion. Mo Xingchen found it amusing and said:

"What national crisis are you brooding over? Your brows are so tight they could crush a Sea King."

"Bro Mo, I actually wanted to ask yesterday, but I still can't figure it out. Why did you give part of the military credit to Wilte?"

"Let me ask you this—where did our dozens of men eat, sleep, and take care of business?"

"The Sabaody Archipelago Branch!"

"Then let me ask you another thing—how did Wilte treat us?"

"He was very friendly. He basically met every request we had."

"So we ate his food, used his resources, and the host was polite enough to make things easy for us. Then you earn military credit on his turf and just swagger off without a backward glance.

Put yourself in his shoes. If next time you get a mission and end up back on Wilte's turf, how do you think he'll treat you?"

"Uh... probably not so warmly."

"Exactly. The mission is yours, not his. Success or failure has nothing to do with him. If he's not malicious, the worst you'll get is a cold shoulder. But if he is malicious, on his own turf, he could easily sabotage you behind your back and make your mission fail.

Now think again—if I gave him credit this time, and you get another mission on his turf, how will he act?"

"He'd probably be even more enthusiastic than this time, maybe even proactively help."

"Right! And that's just one reason. Second, he has his own friends. When they chat, I'll naturally become known among them. As long as I keep doing things like this, word will spread from one to ten, from ten to a hundred. Eventually, no matter where I go, people will greet me with smiles and offer help!

No more needing Sister Crane or someone else's superior to make a phone call to smooth things over! In this life, only profit moves people's hearts. The Jianghu is not about fighting and killing—it's about human connections and social graces! Kid, you still have a lot to learn."

Just then, a News Bird flew down from the sky and landed on the railing. Dragon bought a newspaper, opened it, and exclaimed excitedly:

"Bro Mo! You're in the news—front page headline!"

"Oh? Let me see!"

Mo Xingchen took the paper Dragon handed him. The first thing he saw was a photo of himself holding twin blades, frozen mid-stride at the end of a street, with a wall of fallen pirates in the background.

Tsk, gotta say, the photo was pretty cool! The long shot, the focus, the angle—it made Mo Xingchen's silhouette look incredibly imposing! And then he read the headline:

Another Rising Star in the Marines!

Back at headquarters' port, the moment Mo Xingchen and his men stepped off the warship, the surrounding soldiers stopped what they were doing and stared at him with fervent gazes.

After dismissing the squad, Dragon went back to report to Zephyr. Mo Xingchen headed alone to the Marshal's Office to report in. The whole way there, eyes followed him, making him feel a bit overwhelmed. Finally, he reached Kong's office door and knocked.

"Reporting in!"

"Enter."

Mo Xingchen pushed the door open. Whoa, quite a crowd—all the big shots were there. Looked like they'd been waiting for him.

"Well, well, our Marine star has returned!"

Kong said with a chuckle.

"Heh heh, that's all thanks to your excellent guidance! At least half the credit for this medal belongs to you!"

"Hahahahaha! With that silver tongue of yours, you'll never starve anywhere you go!"

Mo Xingchen didn't reply, instead grinning cheekily as he warmly greeted the big shots lounging on the sofa, then took the initiative to pour tea and refill their cups. He served them so well that the bigwigs beamed with delight.

"You little rascal, you're a real smooth operator!"

Kong watched Mo Xingchen's act and shook his head with a laugh.

"Xingchen, you completed this mission quite brilliantly! You've also brought face to the Marines. By rights, promoting you to Major General wouldn't be excessive, but you've really only been in the Marines for too short a time. How about Rear Admiral?"

"Fleet Admiral Kong, I have no objections. I'll follow the organization's arrangements!"

"Hmm~ You sure know how to talk. Even if your rank hasn't been bumped up, the Marines won't shortchange you. You can have a Major General's authority in advance anyway—with your strength, you'll get the rank in a few years. I'm planning to let you command a Branch on your own. Any place you'd like to go?"

"Fleet Admiral Kong, I'm new here. I'm afraid I'm hardly fit for such a big post! How about... I just serve as Vice Admiral Garp's adjutant?"

Mo Xingchen had no intention of being stationed somewhere and becoming a regional bigwig—that job was too exhausting! One misstep and he'd sink deeper into the Marines. He quickly and decisively refused.