A Show of Authority

The hall fell silent for a moment. Zhang Dayuan gave a hearty laugh, then waved to the maid beside him.

"What's one wine cup? Quickly, get Young Master Peng another one."

The maid immediately turned around, took an exquisite wine cup from the cabinet behind her, and set it down. She was just about to pour the wine again when Young Master Peng stopped her. He took the wine jug from her hands and placed it on the table, then looked up at Lin Xiao.

"Going by our positions in the gang and our ages, I count as your senior, right?"

His sudden... hostility made it clear that he had come with ill intentions. Lin Xiao was somewhat surprised, and even Zhang Dayuan and the others frowned. Yet some people watched the two of them with gleeful anticipation.

Was he deliberately picking a fight? I haven't offended him, have I?

Lin Xiao thought carefully. He had not offended anyone in the gang, and having joined only recently, he had not even had the chance to offend anyone. Yet Young Master Peng had given him a show of authority the moment they met. That was rather strange.

But puzzled or not, there was one thing Young Master Peng had said that was true. In terms of seniority, he was indeed Lin Xiao's senior. Lin Xiao only wanted to settle down at the Song'an Branch and earn some Potential Points. He had no interest in getting involved in any other messy affairs. After thinking it over, he answered seriously:

"Yes."

The corner of Young Master Peng's mouth lifted slightly. With a flick of his finger, the wine cup before him flew to the center of the table. He leaned back in his chair and pointed lazily.

"Since I'm your senior, it wouldn't be too much to ask you to pour me a cup of wine, would it?"

Lin Xiao's brows immediately furrowed. This request was a little... excessive.

Such a request would have been perfectly normal between acquaintances or between a superior and subordinate. But he and Young Master Peng were neither familiar with each other nor in a superior-subordinate relationship. Asking Lin Xiao to pour his wine was nothing short of outright humiliation.

Is he trying to suppress me?

Is he so petty that he can't stand seeing anyone else do well?

Several thoughts flashed rapidly through his mind. Soon, he made up his mind, clasped his fist, and said:

"I'm sorry, Young Master Peng, but this request is excessive as far as I'm concerned. Please forgive me, but I can't do it."

"Whoa!"

Someone let out a low cry, staring at Lin Xiao with surprise and admiration. No one had expected him to confront Young Master Peng so directly, without the slightest attempt at tact.

Young Master Peng's expression changed as well. He raised his head and stared fixedly at Lin Xiao for several seconds. Then, suddenly, the coldness vanished from his face, and he burst into laughter.

"Not bad. No wonder you were able to kill Lan Xinghe. You certainly have courage. I admire you."

He quickly poured himself a cup of wine and raised it toward Lin Xiao.

"This cup is to you."

Lin Xiao immediately lifted his own cup in return.

"Young Master Peng is the impressive one. You single-handedly held the Song'an Branch against the Iron Boat Gang and the Salt Gang. I can't compare with such ability."

"You flatter me. It was also thanks to the efforts of the two Guardians and all the brothers of the Song'an Branch. I, Shi, hardly deserve the credit."

In an instant, it was as if nothing had happened. The two of them began exchanging polite compliments.

But Lin Xiao knew that this seemingly narrow-minded Young Master Peng had probably taken a dislike to him. It was only that there were too many people present for him to blow up.

Lin Xiao was not afraid of him, though. He had not truly obtained his position as Hall Master simply by contributing secret manuals; he possessed genuine ability as well. If Young Master Peng did not provoke him in the future, they could each stay on their own side of the river. But if he kept picking fights for no reason, Lin Xiao would not show him any courtesy.

Although the other man's position was higher, Lin Xiao was not far beneath him. If he wanted to give Young Master Peng face, he could obey his orders. If he did not, so what if he refused to obey?

Afterward, Lin Xiao separately toasted the two Headquarters Guardians who had been stationed there all along, as well as Zhang Dayuan, the master of the Song'an Branch. These three ranked above him apart from Young Master Peng. The rest either held positions equal to his or lower, so there was no need to toast them one by one.

When the banquet ended, Zhang Dayuan arranged a small courtyard in the stronghold for him. More than a dozen of his subordinates all lived there.

Early the next morning, after finishing his cultivation, Lin Xiao was eating breakfast and drinking porridge with his subordinates in the courtyard when one of them came over and whispered into his ear:

"Hall Master, Lin Yong requests an audience."

"Let him in."

Lin Yong had come today not only to convey the branch master's orders. He also had another purpose in mind.

He brought out a roll of paper and spread it across the table. It was a map. Pointing at it, he said:

"This is a map of the area around the Song'an Branch. White is our Great River Gang, gray is the Iron Boat Gang, and black is the Salt Gang. Because this place lies at a crucial river mouth, our mission is to ensure our gang's ships pass through safely while intercepting the other side's ships whenever possible."

Lin Xiao glanced at the map and quickly committed it to memory before asking:

"The downstream area belongs to the Salt Gang. Can our ships pass through?"

Lin Yong replied:

"That is because the Three Gangs made an agreement long ago. If ships from all three sides can pass through this river mouth safely, then none of the three sides is allowed to attack farther downstream along the river. Whether it's our ships traveling downriver or the Salt Gang's ships traveling upriver, the same rule applies."

"Oh!"

Lin Xiao nodded. He understood now.

Gang struggles were one thing, but money still had to be made. If they kept fighting nonstop, no one would be able to bear it. Thus, this agreement had come into being. As long as any merchant ship passed through the point where the three gangs met at the Song'an Branch, it would not be obstructed when traveling onward to other places downstream.

At this moment, Lin Yong continued:

"Every expert sent from Headquarters will be assigned a mission. Young Master Peng's task is to patrol a stretch of the river, and the branch master's task for Hall Master Lin is the same. Take a look at the map. You may choose any section that has not been marked."

"That is only proper."

Lin Xiao's gaze swept across the map before he casually pointed to one section.

"This one."

Lin Yong nodded and put the map away. Then he suddenly glanced left and right before lowering his voice.

"Hall Master Lin, do you know why Young Master Peng made things difficult for you at yesterday's welcome banquet?"

Lin Xiao's heart stirred.

"Why?"

"Hall Master Lin has only just joined the gang, so you may not know this. In his early years, our gang master suffered cultivation deviation while practicing and injured his kidneys. As a result, he has never had any children, nor does he have any relatives to adopt as heirs. So five years ago, the gang master announced that he would choose someone from among the gang's elites to inherit his position. The Great River Three Heroes are the heirs qualified to compete for the position of gang master."

When Lin Yong said this, Lin Xiao immediately understood why Young Master Peng had made things difficult for him.

The Great River Three Heroes were clearly not high-ranking members of the gang, yet in terms of status, they were no lower than any Guardian, Hall Master, or branch master. That was because they were qualified to compete for the position of gang master—in effect, they were like several princes competing to become emperor.

Now that the gang master had yet to decide who would inherit his position, the three heroes were certainly locked in fierce competition. Then, all of a sudden, a young expert had appeared who could kill a Headquarters Guardian from a mortal enemy gang. This had made Young Master Peng feel threatened, and his first instinct had been to give Lin Xiao a show of authority and suppress him.

After all, if Lin Xiao had really backed down and poured the wine yesterday, once word spread, everyone in the gang would know that Lin Xiao had poured wine for Young Master Peng. His reputation would immediately drop a notch. Whenever people thought of him, they would subconsciously assume that he feared Young Master Peng. His status would be lowered for no reason, and when the two competed for the position of gang master, everyone would naturally favor Young Master Peng.