Hands-Off Boss, Entering Qingcheng

Yun Shou, fourteen years old, was the gang leader.

In a world where martial might reigned supreme, the strong were truly favored. Under the coercion of his formidable strength, the Qing He Gang's various heads unanimously approved letting this veteran member, who had fourteen years of seniority in the gang, become the official gang leader.

"Gang Leader~! Mighty~!"

Upon the gang leader's jade throne, carved from green rock crystal born of emerald jade, a handsome youth sat upright, his hands resting on the green rock, his feet planted on the crystal slab.

"Everyone, no need for formalities. Rise."

A voice infused with Force Qi spread through the hall like a broadcast, echoing three or four times before fading, overlapping like a symphony.

Yun Shou crossed his legs. To his left was Mu Jian, formerly the Twentieth Seat and now the Twenty-Second Seat, whom he had personally appointed as Left Protector.

To his right was the former gang leader, now the deputy leader Xu Ruohai, whom he had personally appointed as Right Protector.

Among the ranked members of the Qing He Gang, the Left and Right Protectors were one the weakest and the other the strongest, yet they were also the two whom Yun Shou had beaten the most severely.

Whether this was fate or something else, he wasn't sure.

"These tedious formalities—no need to continue them from tomorrow," Yun Shou said, waving a hand.

"Understood." A man below, who looked like a dog-headed strategist, responded. In truth, he was indeed the Qing He Gang's chief steward, Song Yan, who managed that profiteer from Qing He Village.

Yun Shou (glaring): "Hm?!"

Song Yan: (?ω?)

It had to be said that as the steward managing nearly a thousand people in the gang plus over a dozen nearby villages, a single glance or a light grunt from Yun Shou was enough for Song Yan to catch on instantly.

Clearing his throat, the dog-headed strategist stroked his long beard and added, "But if everyone's admiration for you, Gang Leader, is boundless, and they insist on expressing their sincerity with this ritual every day out of genuine feeling, then we cannot stop them, nor can we refuse their heartfelt enthusiasm."

Yun Shou: "Hmm~~"

"Gang Leader, I have an important matter to report."

A gaunt old man stepped forward, wearing the attire of a head-level member. He was one of the Qing He Gang's twenty Second-rate Martial Artists.

"Speak," Yun Shou said with a wave.

"Two fishing households in White Feather Village got into a dispute..."

"Isn't it obvious that Wang is in the wrong? This lake belongs to our Qing He Gang, not to any single fisherman!"

No sooner had one problem been resolved than another person stepped forward.

"I also have an important matter. A disciple of the Red Shadow Sect injured one of our members. The specific reason is..."

Yun Shou's head ached from listening. He suddenly turned to look at Xu Ruohai: "Handle all the trivial matters yourself. If you encounter something you can't deal with, then come to me."

He stepped down from the gang leader's throne. "One more thing. The couple Ji Kangnian and his wife in Qing He Village, Wang Changnian—they're all acquaintances of mine, along with a child named Song Xiaohu. Treat these four well."

Xu Ruohai nodded, reining in his domineering aura in front of Yun Shou and acting obediently: "Understood, Gang Leader."

Yun Shou left, and Xu Ruohai moved to return to his seat...

"One more thing!" Yun Shou stopped halfway out the door and suddenly turned his head.

"That seat is mine. You're not allowed to sit on it!"

Xu Ruohai's butt, which had been hovering in midair, lifted back up.

Yun Shou was gone for good.

Silence fell over the hall, a strange atmosphere flowing among the crowd.

A moment later, Xu Ruohai sat on a small stool, with Yun Shou's exclusive throne behind him, and the gang members resumed their usual interactions.

They simply treated it as having an idle emperor above them who didn't meddle—as long as they didn't upset him, everything would be fine.

With nothing to do, Yun Shou wandered around the Qing He Gang for half a day.

Then he grabbed a handful of silver and entered Qingcheng before the city gates closed. He had traveled all the way using Lightness Skill, and though he slowed down at the city gate, he was still far above Second-rate level.

The city gate guards didn't dare collect an entry fee from a martial artist and let Yun Shou straight in.

It was already dusk, nearing evening. There were far fewer pedestrians on the streets, but it was still much livelier than Qing He Village.

Yun Shou wore a coarse blue cloth outfit. In Qingcheng, it wasn't quite beggar's clothing—about the same as most commoners—but compared to the wealthy families passing by or the occasional nobles brushing past him, it was far too shabby.

He found a shop and bought a well-fitting set of clothes. After putting them on, he looked completely renewed. The shop owner, seeing his extraordinary bearing, not only gave him a big discount but also dragged his daughter out from the back room, saying they should meet.

The owner's daughter was a pretty, cute little girl, but the problem was exactly that: she was about eleven years old, practically a bean sprout.

Though she was only three years younger than Yun Shou, he still couldn't accept it. After chatting with the girl for a bit, he took his leave.

"Looks like when the capital comes in, even buying clothes brings romantic luck," Yun Shou muttered as he strolled leisurely. He found a large inn and walked straight in.

"First time here, young hero?" As soon as he entered, a shop assistant greeted him with a smile.

"How did you recognize I'm a martial artist and that it's my first time?" Yun Shou asked curiously. The term "hero" was reserved for martial artists.

"In this line of work, you need good eyes," the assistant replied with a smile. "Martial artists and ordinary people have completely different auras. And I've worked at Home Inn for five years, so I'm best at telling new faces from old ones."

Yun Shou paused and silently scolded himself.

He really was acting too much like a nouveau riche. That martial artists and ordinary people had different auras was something in the martial arts experience he'd inherited, but it was too basic—he'd never applied it in real life, which was why he'd just asked such a stupid question: "How did you recognize I'm a martial artist?"

"Still can't get too cocky," he thought to himself. Every version of him in simulations had been battle-hardened, weathered the storms of the martial world, and matched in strength and insight.

And he only had the combat power of a Martial Master—enough to take on one or two peers at most, with far too much he still didn't understand, just a pile of stats with nothing else.

—But next time, he still wouldn't choose to inherit memories.

Next, guided by the shop assistant, he ordered six dishes and a soup, his appetite rivaling that of a burly martial artist standing two meters tall and weighing over two hundred jin, startling the other diners around him.

Such a small frame with such a big appetite—even a Second-rate Martial Artist wouldn't go that far, would they?

And a First-rate Martial Artist around fifteen years old... even more impossible.

Yun Shou swept through the table of food like a whirlwind, tossed out a piece of碎银子, and had the店家 bring two more meat dishes.

After finishing everything, his performance had stunned the entire room.

"Young hero, you've got a good mouth—ah no, I mean, you've got a good appetite!" the shop assistant said, serving multiple guests before turning back to see Yun Shou and couldn't help "praising" him.

Yun Shou didn't mind, beckoned him over, and took out a piece of silver weighing about half a tael: "Is this enough for a top-tier room?"

The shop assistant took the silver, tested its weight, and replied: "It's just enough for one night in a top-tier room. If you have any requests, you can bring them up to the innkeeper."

In truth, the silver was a bit short, but facing a martial artist—especially a young hero with impressive martial arts skills at such a young age—the shopkeeper had already instructed not to offend him.

This young hero was only short by a few dozen coppers; rather than mention it, it was better to leave a good impression.

Yun Shou waved his hand, indicating he didn't need extra services: "Nothing else—just don't bother me before noon tomorrow... How long will this silver let me stay?"

"You'll need to check out before 3:00 PM," the shop assistant replied with a smile.

Yun Shou then followed the room number and found his own room, "Silver Moon Pavilion."

At the door and windows, he set up a device similar to a bell-and-string trap, and only then did the youth lie down on the bed with peace of mind.

"Now I can get a good night's sleep."