Gang Initiation Ceremony: Hearts United; the Strategist; Zhang Sheng Grinned: "I Know This One"

"Do you love your brothers or gold?"

"I love my brothers!"

As the officiant smacked Zhang Sheng on the back with a knife, he stood ramrod straight and answered loudly!

"Do you love your brothers or gold?"

The officiant's expression was solemn as he moved to the next man and smacked him. The man hurriedly replied, "I love my brothers!"

"I love my brothers..."

The officiant walked to the altar and said solemnly, "First Oath: Once you join the Harmony and Prosperity Union, your parents are my parents, and your brothers and sisters are my brothers and sisters!"

"Your wife is my sister-in-law, and your children and nephews are my children and nephews!"

"You must never betray your brothers, nor violate your brothers' wives or daughters!"

"Should you break these rules, forget this bond, or violate this oath, may the five thunders strike you down, and may you die a miserable death..."

After all thirty-six oaths had been recited, everyone pressed their incense sticks to the ground and ground their tips beneath their feet.

Shi Wen sat in a grand armchair, watching it all.

They had slain the phoenix and sworn a blood pact...

After the ceremony ended,

Zhang Sheng rose to his feet, feeling as if he had awoken in another world.

He looked at the twenty-eight men around him and felt an inexplicable emotion, as if some bond had sprung up between them out of nowhere.

When those twenty-eight Red Poles looked at Zhang Sheng, they, too, called out with faces full of respect, "Head of Operations!"

"Now that you're officially Red Poles of Peace Lane, each of you will receive a monthly allowance of thirty guan. On top of that, you'll get a share of the profits from your own territories. I'll set aside time each month to teach you martial arts and body tempering, and the gang will cover the cost of your medicinal baths!"

"The gang will support your parents, wives, and children. If you ever find yourselves in trouble, the gang will stand up for you!"

"Anyone who becomes a martial artist will enjoy the same standing as me. You'll be able to become a Head of Operations in your own territory and receive the same benefits I do!"

Zhang Sheng shouted, "But if anyone betrays the gang, may the five thunders strike you down, and may the whole gang rise against you!!!"

"May the five thunders strike us down, and may the whole gang rise against us!"

The twenty-eight Red Poles roared in excitement, too.

Their faces were flushed, their veins bulged, and their fists clenched. It was as if a surge of strength filled their chests with nowhere to go. They couldn't wait to turn all that pent-up energy into hard work for the gang!

After undergoing a series of initiation rites,

they all felt that joining this gang was unlike any time they'd joined one before.

This Harmony and Prosperity Union they'd joined was mysterious and tightly united.

Its benefits were far better than anything they'd had before. They couldn't wait to get to work!

And it wasn't just them.

Even Zhang Sheng

found an inexplicable sense of belonging welling up inside him!

"Zhang Sheng, from this moment on, you're the Head of Operations in Peace Lane, and these men are the Red Poles under your command. They're your brothers, too!"

"Remember, the rules in Peace Lane change starting today. I told you what needs to be done. You know how to handle it, right?"

Shi Wen looked at him impassively.

Zhang Sheng cupped his fist. "Dragon Head, rest assured. I know what to do."

"Strategist, you're in charge of following up. Put together an inspection team. If anyone fails to do as I said, tell me, and I'll deal with them."

Shi Wen's tone was calm.

But the murderous coldness in his words sent shivers down everyone's spines.

Iron-Clad Child Meat Mountain's corpse was still hanging in the courtyard outside. Who wouldn't be terrified at the sight of that mangled body?

This Faceless Man seemed easygoing and composed.

But when it came to killing, he showed no mercy!

"I'll make sure to follow up on this matter,"

said Song Mingyi, the middle-aged man with graying temples and the air of a scholar. He nodded.

He was an old scholar from Peace Lane.

Too poor to grease the right palms, he'd never been able to secure an official post. Though destitute, he'd held fast to his principles, possessed considerable wisdom, and helped the neighbors settle countless disputes.

He was fairly well known in Peace Lane.

Shi Wen paid him twenty-five guan a month, along with an additional share of the profits, to manage some of the Harmony and Prosperity Union's affairs.

A gangster who didn't use his head would spend his whole life as a nobody.

"Mm. That's all for now."

Shi Wen rose and left.

Everyone hurried to their feet to see him off.

Only after Shi Wen disappeared did they dare relax their rigid postures.

"Boss Zhang, do you know who that Dragon Head is?" Zhou Biao asked, still shaken. "I just saw him beat Tong Roushan to death with my own eyes, and that man weighed seven hundred jin! It was terrifying! Is there really someone that powerful in Peace Lane?"

The other Red Poles pricked up their ears to listen.

"Don't ask what you shouldn't. Remember what I told you. Once you get back, keep your men in line. Don't let the same things happen again, or even I won't be able to protect you!"

Zhang Sheng barked at them. The Red Poles smiled sheepishly.

Soon, everyone dispersed.

Only then did Zhang Sheng turn to Song Mingyi and ask with a wry smile, "Mr. Song, do you know how to carry out those projects the Dragon Head mentioned?"

"I only understood about seventy percent of it."

Song Mingyi stroked his chin beard and slowly unrolled the bamboo scroll in his hands. Pointing at the first item, he said, "A stable business environment, sustainable operations, and a commercial street with a good reputation. We need to bring everything up to the highest standard: the surroundings, service, security, and atmosphere."

"Let's start by developing Fumin Street."

"The gang can hire people to clean the street, then find people to patrol and keep the peace. We'll also straighten out all the shop signs and clear away the haphazard stalls and clutter. Everything should look neat..."

Zhang Sheng listened attentively beside him and nodded, only half understanding.

When Song Mingyi finished explaining that, he pointed to the second item. "I completely understand the part about setting up a wholesale market."

"The Dragon Head means to build a huge market. We'll buy meat, grain, and other goods from the peddlers at prices lower than wholesale, then have the Harmony and Prosperity Union sell them throughout the area. Our prices will be lower than what people usually pay when shopping on the street. That'll build a reputation for affordability and attract even more merchants!"

"There are plenty of abandoned houses on Wulin Street, and the roads are open. It'd be convenient to build a large market there."

"Tsk, tsk. Buy two, get one free; membership plans; discounts when you spend a certain amount; group orders with gifts; shopping groups with special offers; prize draws..."

"I've been reading for decades and never heard of any of this. Even I find it incredibly enticing. I can hardly wait to visit the market myself!"

"How does the Dragon Head come up with these ideas? He's managed to use people's love of a bargain to create so many enticing promotions!"

Song Mingyi stroked his beard, his face filled with astonishment and respect.

When people went to buy groceries, prices were unstable, and they often had to visit several places to find what they wanted.

But this market would have everything, and the streets would be safe.

Not only would the prices be low, there'd also be all these enticing promotions. In the future, it would definitely become the biggest money-maker in Peace Lane and even the other slums!

Zhang Sheng scratched his head beside him.

He nodded, only half understanding. "Just tell me what to do, sir, and we'll do it."

"I only know how to chop people up. As for this stuff, I have no idea what to do."

Song Mingyi turned to the back of the bamboo scroll, a puzzled look on his face. "But I don't quite understand the third point: building pleasure houses and creating a culture and reputation around 'listening to music in the pleasure house'?"

"And establishing a star courtesan persona, inviting storytellers to tell tales during the day, and having the star courtesans perform at night. Reality shows, then some kind of shared-table system, membership system, discount system, wine-deposit system, and so on..."

"Forgive this old man's incompetence. I've never been to a brothel in all my years."

Zhang Sheng's eyes lit up. "Now that I understand! Leave this to me. I'll handle it for sure!"

"The Dragon Head's idea is brilliant. Peace Lane has brothels, but no proper pleasure houses. To open a brothel, we'd have to buy a license and contracts from the Black Whale Gang and the authorities. But if we set up a place for listening to music, we can bypass the Black Whale Gang!"

"Anyone who gets carried away with lust after listening to music can be sent over to the brothels we run."

"And with so many poor wretches in Peace Lane, we're bound to make a fortune!!"

"Leave this to me!"

"I know how to handle it!"

Zhang Sheng, who'd been scratching his head the whole time, was now beaming, full of enthusiasm...