Yun Shou, fourteen years old, was the gang leader.
In a world where martial strength reigned supreme, the strong were truly treated well. Under the coercion of his formidable martial prowess, the Qing He Gang's leaders unanimously approved making this old member, who had fourteen years of seniority in the gang, its official leader.
"Long live the gang leader! Mighty indeed!"
Upon the gang leader's jade throne, carved from green rock crystal found alongside emerald jade, a handsome youth sat upright, his hands resting on the green stone and his feet upon the crystal slab.
"Everyone, dispense with the formalities. Rise."
His voice, infused with Force Qi, spread through the entire hall like a broadcast, echoing three or four times before fading, layer upon layer like a symphony.
Yun Shou crossed his legs. On his left was Mu Jian, formerly the Twentieth Seat and now the Twenty-second Seat, whom he had personally appointed as Left Protector.
On his right was the former gang leader and current deputy gang leader, Xu Ruohai, whom he had personally appointed as Right Protector.
Among the ranked members of the Qing He Gang, the two protectors were respectively the weakest and strongest—yet they were also the two people Yun Shou had beaten most severely.
Whether it was fate or something else, no one knew.
"There will be no need for this sort of cumbersome ceremony from tomorrow onward." Yun Shou waved a hand.
"Understood." A man below, who looked like a dog-headed strategist, answered. In truth, he was indeed the Qing He Gang's chief steward, Song Yan. The unscrupulous merchants of Qing He Village were under his control.
Yun Shou glared. "Hm?!"
Song Yan: (?ω?)
One could only say that he truly deserved to be the chief steward managing nearly a thousand gang members, along with more than a dozen nearby villages. With a single look and soft snort from Yun Shou, Song Yan instantly understood.
After clearing his throat, the dog-headed strategist stroked his long beard and added, "But if everyone's admiration for you, Gang Leader, flows on without end, and every day they sincerely insist on using this ceremony to express their heartfelt loyalty, then we cannot stop them. We cannot reject the fervent devotion in their hearts."
"Mm~~"
"Gang Leader, this subordinate has an important matter to report."
A gaunt old man stepped forward. He wore the attire of a leader and was one of the Qing He Gang's twenty Second-rate Martial Artists.
"Go ahead." Yun Shou flicked a hand.
"Two fishing households in White Feather Village have gotten into a dispute..."
"Isn't it obvious that the Wang family is at fault? This lake belongs to the Qing He Gang, not to any one fisherman alone!"
Before one issue had even been settled, another person stepped forward.
"This subordinate also has an important matter. Disciples of the Red Shadow Sect injured members of our gang. The specific cause was..."
Yun Shou's head began to ache from listening. He abruptly turned to Xu Ruohai. "You will handle all ordinary matters. Bring only those you cannot deal with to me."
He stepped down from the gang leader's throne. "One more thing. Ji Kangnian and his wife from Qing He Village, Wang Changnian, and the child called Song Xiaohu are all acquaintances of mine. Treat these four well."
Xu Ruohai nodded. Before Yun Shou, he had reined in his overbearing aura and acted with plain honesty. "Understood, Gang Leader."
Yun Shou left, and Xu Ruohai naturally returned toward his seat...
"One more thing!" Yun Shou suddenly turned around halfway out.
"That seat is mine. You are not allowed to sit on it!"
Xu Ruohai's butt, suspended in midair, rose back up.
Yun Shou finally departed.
Silence fell over the hall, and a strange atmosphere flowed among the crowd.
A moment later, Xu Ruohai sat on a small stool, with Yun Shou's exclusive throne behind him, while the gang members returned to their usual atmosphere of interaction.
They simply treated it as though an aloof supreme emperor who did not manage affairs had appeared above them. So long as they did not make that person unhappy, everything would be fine.
With nothing to do, Yun Shou wandered around the Qing He Gang for half the day.
Then he took some silver and entered Qingcheng before the city gates closed. He used his Lightness Skill all the way there; though he slowed down at the gates, he was still far beyond a Second-rate level.
The city guards did not dare charge a martial artist an entry fee and let Yun Shou enter directly.
It was already dusk, nearing evening. There were far fewer pedestrians on the streets, yet it was still much livelier than Qing He Village.
Yun Shou wore coarse green cloth. In Qingcheng, it was not quite beggar's attire and was about the same as what most commoners wore, but compared to the wealthy households passing by and the occasional nobles brushing shoulders with him, it was far too shabby.
He found a shop and bought a well-fitting outfit. Once he put it on, his entire appearance was renewed. Seeing that he carried himself with uncommon bearing, the shop owner not only gave him a hefty discount but also dragged his daughter out from the back room, saying the two should meet.
The owner's daughter was a pretty and delicate little girl, but that was precisely the problem: she was an eleven-year-old little girl, practically a bean sprout.
Though she was only three years younger than Yun Shou, he simply could not accept it. After chatting with the little girl for a couple of sentences, he took his leave.
"Now that I've got some capital, even buying clothes brings me peach blossom luck." Yun Shou strolled along at an unhurried pace, found a large inn, and walked straight inside.
"Is this your first time here, young hero?" The moment he entered, an inn waiter beside the door came up to greet him with a smile.
"How could you tell I'm a martial artist, and that it's my first time here?" Yun Shou asked curiously. "Young hero" was a form of address reserved for martial artists.
"Our trade requires a good eye." The waiter answered with a smile, "Martial artists carry themselves differently from ordinary people. Besides, I've worked at this Home Inn for five years. I'm especially good at recognizing new and familiar faces."
Yun Shou paused, inwardly mocking himself.
He truly had been acting too much like a newly rich upstart. The fact that martial artists and ordinary people carried themselves differently was included among the martial knowledge he had inherited, but it was too basic. He had never applied it in real life, which was why he had just asked such an idiotic question as, "How could you tell I'm a martial artist?"
"I still can't get carried away." he thought. Every version of himself in the simulations had been battle-hardened, weathered by the storms of the martial world. Their strength and insight matched each other.
But he only possessed the fighting power of a Martial Master. At most, he could fight one or two opponents of the same level. There was still too much he did not understand; he had nothing but a set of stats.
—But next time, I still won't choose to inherit memories.
Next, guided by the waiter, he ordered six dishes and a soup. His appetite rivaled those burly martial artists over six feet tall and two hundred pounds, startling the other diners nearby.
Such a small frame with such a huge appetite? Even Second-rate Martial Artists would not be like that, would they?
As for a First-rate Martial Artist around fifteen years old... that was even more impossible.
Yun Shou swept through the entire table of food like a whirlwind, tossed out a fragment of silver, and had the inn bring him two more meat dishes.
After he finished everything, he had already stunned everyone present.
"Young hero, you were born with quite a mouth—ah, no, young hero, you were born with quite an appetite!" After serving several guests, the waiter turned back, saw Yun Shou, and could not help "praising" him.
Yun Shou did not mind. After calling him over, he took out a piece of silver weighing half a tael. "Open me a superior room. Is this enough?"
The waiter took the silver and tested its weight. "It is exactly enough for one night in a superior room. If you have any requests, you may bring them to the inn."
In truth, it was slightly short, but when facing a martial artist—especially such a young hero with impressive Martial Arts—the innkeeper had already instructed them not to offend him.
At most, this young hero was short by a few dozen coins. Rather than mention it and make trouble, it was better to leave a good impression.
Yun Shou waved a hand to indicate that he needed no additional service. "Nothing else. Just do not disturb me before noon tomorrow... How long does this silver pay for my stay?"
"So long as you have packed up before the hour of the Monkey, between three and five in the afternoon, that will be fine." The waiter replied with a smile.
Following the room number, Yun Shou found his own room, "Silver Moon Pavilion."
At the door and window, he set up devices similar to bells connected by strings. Only then did the youth feel at ease enough to lie down on the bed.
"Now I can finally sleep well."
Before you continue