The bosses all pondered silently. Just then, two cold laughs rang out.
Everyone looked up. The one who had spoken was still Boss Huang.
"Boss Su, your idea is indeed good, but it's a little impractical.
"Merchants chase profit and stop at nothing. If we do things the way you suggest, we'll certainly attract quite a few customers at first.
"But if the people over in Changde Ward catch on and copy us, their geographical advantage will come right back into play. We still won't be able to compete with them."
Everyone nodded. Boss Huang's concern was well-founded. Those people in Changde Ward were certainly capable of copying the idea.
Su Xin set down his teacup and shook his head. "They can't imitate us. Changde Ward has one fatal flaw: its lots are all different sizes.
"Our Joyful District was planned by the former government. Even the buildings have the same number of floors. But what about Changde Ward?
"That place was rebuilt from the ruins after the Imperial Court moved the capital. The storefronts vary in size: there are little taverns with one floor and big gambling houses with three.
"There are all kinds of other businesses there, too. Even some of the prefectural government's buildings are located there.
"So they can't set up the same kind of exchange system we can.
"Even if they wanted to imitate us, at most a few powerful, wealthy merchants could buy up the storefronts around them and copy our setup.
"The land in a central ward like Changde is worth a fortune. How many merchants can afford to make that kind of investment?
"You all know Changning Prefecture's resources. There are no more than a handful of merchants wealthy enough to do it. They'd be lucky if even thirty percent of Changde Ward managed to copy us.
"But that thirty percent would never meet the needs of all Changning Prefecture.
"The rest of the customers who want to enjoy this kind of service will have to come to our Happy Forest!"
Everyone nodded at his words. Su Xin's plan linked one step to the next, and he had accounted for just about every possibility they could think of.
The only thing holding the many merchants back now was that ten-percent share.
To these merchants, even the few dozen taels they paid each month felt like a knife carving flesh from their bodies. Asking them to hand over a ten-percent share was even worse.
After a long silence, Boss Huang finally spoke. "Boss Su, your idea really is good, but my Shunde Casino is a small business, and money's tight at the moment. I can't spare any. Let's not make a fuss over it."
Though Boss Huang looked down on Su Xin a little, he did approve of the plan.
But approving of it didn't mean he could agree to it.
A ten-percent share was too much. He didn't want to give it up, and he couldn't afford to!
If he gave Su Xin a cut now, what if the government got jealous—or Su Xin's adoptive father, Third Master Hu, got jealous—and demanded a ten-percent share too?
He absolutely couldn't set that precedent!
But refusing Su Xin's terms didn't mean he wouldn't follow Su Xin's plan.
He could stall for a while, claiming money was tight. After some time passed, he could still rally a few bosses and put Su Xin's plan into action.
By then, it wouldn't be so easy for Su Xin to claim a share of his profits.
Everyone present was an old hand. The moment Boss Huang spoke, they understood what he meant.
Their businesses were small, though, and they didn't dare openly oppose Su Xin.
Still, they remained silent, their expressions making it clear they were refusing.
"Boss Huang, sometimes being too clever isn't a good thing."
Su Xin sighed and slowly walked over to Boss Huang.
As Su Xin approached, a chill suddenly ran over Boss Huang, making him shudder.
But he considered his status different from that of the little tavern owners, so he forced a smile. "Boss Su, what do you mean? I don't understand."
"You don't understand? Then I'll explain it to you slowly."
In the next instant, the iron sword hanging at Su Xin's waist was in his hand.
He yanked Boss Huang's right hand onto the table and pinned it down. The ridiculous Iron Sheet Sword thrust forward, piercing straight through Boss Huang's hand and the table beneath it, sinking several inches deep. Only the sword hilt remained visible above Boss Huang's hand!
"Ah!"
Boss Huang let out a shrill scream. Blood sprayed onto the man beside him, who recoiled in terror and knocked over his chair.
Everyone present was badly startled. No one had expected Su Xin to strike without the slightest warning!
Ji Gang's eyelid twitched. He said nothing, but the smile vanished from his lips, and shock filled his eyes.
Li Huai kept his gaze fixed on the Iron Sheet Sword embedded in the table, a faint, inscrutable look flickering in his eyes.
To drive a thin sheet of iron through a person's hand bones and an inch-thick mahogany table as easily as stabbing tofu took no ordinary speed or strength.
"Boss Su, let's talk this out. Don't get violent!" Boss Liu of Drunken Moon Pavilion hurriedly tried to mediate, though he was terrified himself.
They had known that refusing to give Su Xin a cut would offend him, but they hadn't expected him to strike so suddenly!
They weren't like Fatty Wang, whom Su Xin had crippled. Fatty Wang was just the owner of a little medicine shop, while they were prominent merchants in Changning Prefecture.
Each year, they paid the government over a thousand taels in taxes. How could the government stand by and let the gangs bully them?
If the gangs had absolute power, who would still pay taxes to the government? They might as well hand all their money over to the gangs as protection fees!
That was why the various gangs treated major merchants like them well. As long as they followed the rules, the gangs wouldn't make things difficult for them.
For Su Xin to strike the moment they disagreed was the act of a madman!
Once the government flew into a rage, the Flying Eagle Gang wouldn't be able to stop it. They would be the first to throw Su Xin out as a scapegoat and hand him over to the authorities!
The bosses present wouldn't have feared even the Flying Eagle Gang's chief, Sha Feiying, because he was a man who followed the rules.
But now they had run into Su Xin, a madman who didn't follow the rules, and there was nothing they could do.
Watching Boss Huang hunched over the table, drenched in sweat from the pain, Su Xin said calmly, "You really thought you could treat me, Su Xin, like a fool? Stall for time, use my plan, and then refuse to give me a cut? Hm?"
Boss Huang was already in too much pain to speak. When had a pampered big boss like him ever suffered like this?
In a flash, Su Xin yanked the Iron Sheet Sword out of his right hand, pinned his left hand to the table, and drove the blade in the same way.
Boss Huang let out another scream. The sound made the hearts of all the bosses present leap. Both of his hands were ruined.
Su Xin swept his gaze around. Not a single boss present dared meet his eyes.
"Actually, I'm a man who follows the rules. I come up with the plan, you make money and eat your fill, and I just get a little soup. Is that unreasonable?
"You took what I offered but don't want to pay for it? Fine. I'll just collect in person."
Su Xin pulled out the sword, grabbed Boss Huang by the hair, and thrust the blade into his mouth, twisting it viciously. A bloody strip of flesh came away with it.
Leaning close to Boss Huang's ear, Su Xin whispered, "Has anyone ever told you that your mouth stinks?"
But Boss Huang could no longer hear anything. The instant Su Xin cut out his tongue, he had passed out from the pain.
"Now, does anyone agree to my plan?"
Every boss present nodded frantically. How could they dare refuse now? The one who had refused was lying on the ground, crippled!
"Then let's sign the contracts."
Su Xin waved his hand. Huang Bingcheng immediately ordered someone to bring paper, ink, brush, and inkstone, and draw up the contracts transferring the shares.
Although no one said a word, and they obediently signed the transfer contracts, the bosses were all sneering inwardly.
You went too far today, Su Xin. We'll see how you get out of this!
Su Xin wiped the blood from the sword's edge on Boss Huang's body, then waved to Huang Bingcheng. "Go call the brothers in."
Su Xin had fewer than seventy gang members under him, but when they all filed in, the hall still felt a little cramped.
When the gang members saw Boss Huang lying on the ground with blood in his mouth, looking as if he were dead, they all shuddered.
Their boss was truly ruthless when he struck!
Su Xin glanced at the men below and said in a low voice, "When you enter the jianghu, all you're really doing is selling your life for a good price.
"I, Su Xin, am no good man, and I don't expect you to risk your lives for free. I've got an opportunity here. The only question is whether you dare take it."
Su Xin pointed at Boss Huang on the ground. "Boss Huang of Shunde Casino has been crippled by me. You all saw it.
"Whoever steps forward now and turns himself in to the government, saying he crippled the man, will get three hundred taels of silver from me. From this day forward, I'll support his parents and family!"
The gang members' breathing immediately grew ragged. Three hundred taels of silver was an astronomical sum to them.
Only a few of Su Xin's current men were old members of the Flying Eagle Gang. Most had been recruited locally from Joyful District.
They came from the slums and spent their days brawling, but even keeping food on the table was a struggle.
With three hundred taels of silver right in front of them, how could they not be tempted?
Seeing them waver, Su Xin added more fuel to the fire. "Turning yourself in doesn't necessarily mean you'll die. I'll pull strings behind the scenes and make sure you're released within three years.
"You'll spend three years in prison, then come out to find a place waiting for you at my side, Su Xin!"
The bosses stared at Su Xin in horror. He was actually going to handle it this way?
A gang member of about twenty-five or twenty-six stepped forward, his face set with determination. "I'll take the fall! Three hundred taels is enough to keep my mother, my wife, and my son fed and clothed for the rest of their lives."
The man cupped his hands to Su Xin. "Boss Su, I'm selling you my life. I just hope the brothers in the gang will keep an eye on things and stop my wife from using the money I earned with my life to cheat on me!"
The whole hall erupted in laughter, though some of the gang members quietly regretted not stepping forward themselves.
Now that they thought about it, three years in prison in exchange for three hundred taels was an incredible bargain!
They'd been locked up for a few months before for petty theft, brawling, and the like. This was only a little longer. Why had they been too scared to volunteer?
"Don't worry. I'm not asking you to die. Once you turn yourself in, I'll immediately arrange for a lawyer to get you out, and the money will be sent to your family.
"All the brothers here can bear witness. I, Su Xin, keep my word. If I go back on it, I won't be able to stay in Changning Prefecture."
The gang member nodded and turned to leave.
The bosses present immediately lowered their heads, daring not entertain any other ideas.
At that moment, Su Xin seemed even more terrifying to them than the Su Xin who had just ruthlessly crippled Boss Huang.
He understood the government's way of thinking far better than those gang members who knew nothing but fighting and killing!
Hurting someone was a crime, that was true. But the government wouldn't concern itself with who had done the hurting. It would care about its own record and its own face.
Su Xin was now obediently delivering the criminal to them. They had their face.
There would be plenty of money greasing palms behind the scenes, so they had their gains too. Why would they make trouble for Su Xin?
As for Boss Huang, no one would care about him. Some of the merchants present were already thinking about how they might take over his Shunde Casino.
"All right, I've enjoyed our discussion today, so I won't keep you. I'm sure you all understand the plan by now. You can start remodeling over the next few days."
The bosses glanced at Boss Huang, still lying on the ground, his life uncertain, and silently curled their lips.
You called that an enjoyable discussion?
But they didn't dare bare their teeth at Su Xin now. They all smiled and cupped their hands in farewell.
"Everyone else, go too. Old Huang, stay behind. Oh, and have someone carry Boss Huang away and take good care of him. Don't let him die," Su Xin ordered.
Hurting someone and killing them were two different things. If Boss Huang actually died, the government would have a hard time explaining things.
After everyone had left, Huang Bingcheng bent at the waist and praised him admiringly. "Boss, you came up with a solution like that? I'm truly impressed."
"It's nothing, just a little trick." Su Xin waved it off.
Although Huang Bingcheng thought Su Xin was being modest, this really was just a little trick.
There had been plenty of cases like this in his previous life.
No one here had tried it before, or even thought of it, because the gangs here cared only about strength.
"Strength is everything!"
Su Xin sighed inwardly. If he had strength, he wouldn't need to resort to these low, petty tricks. Those were exactly the kind of things Boss Huang and the other merchants liked to play.
The Flying Eagle Gang's chief, Sha Feiying, had reached the Post-Natal Great Perfection Realm. If he had been the one handling this, he could have crippled Boss Huang—or even killed him on the spot—and the government would have pretended not to see a thing.
The government had its own forces too.
Changning Prefecture had forty-nine wards. Aside from Changde Ward in the center, there were twelve wards each to the east, west, south, and north. Each group of twelve wards had a chief constable.
Each of the four chief constables was beyond the Post-Natal Great Perfection Realm, and each had more than a hundred constables under him. That was how they managed to keep Changning Prefecture's Three Gangs and Four Associations in check, at least on the surface.
"Old Huang, take three hundred taels to the man who's taking the blame. Give it to him in front of everyone.
"Also, find the most famous lawyer in Changning Prefecture and have him get the man acquitted. The sentence must be under three years.
"You know which offices in Changning Prefecture need to be paid off. Don't skimp. Grease every palm. We'll have to deal with them again in the future."
Huang Bingcheng said, "Three hundred taels for the family, and lawyers aren't expensive. We can find a decent one for a dozen taels or so. But the government offices will probably cost at least a thousand."
Su Xin nodded. "A little over a thousand? That's less than I expected."
"But we still can't afford that!" Huang Bingcheng said with a bitter smile. "You gave our only five hundred taels to Third Master Hu. There's nothing left in the gang but a little loose change."
Su Xin said coolly, "Shunde Casino is a big place. That Fatty Huang must be worth at least a few tens of thousands, even if not a hundred thousand. Isn't that money?"
"B-Boss! We can find someone to take the blame for crippling Boss Huang, but if we take the assets of Shunde Casino, the government will definitely intervene." Huang Bingcheng was startled and hurriedly tried to stop him.
Hurting someone and seizing their wealth was far more serious than crippling Boss Huang. That crossed the government's bottom line.
They were a jianghu gang. If they started hurting people and seizing property, they would become bandits and robbers. That was a different matter entirely.
"We can't swallow tens of thousands of taels, of course, and I never planned to. Go tally up all of Shunde Casino's assets and draw up a list to give to Third Master Hu. He'll understand what I mean."
The so-called bottom line of the government didn't exist at all.
As long as you had enough money and strength, that so-called line could be shifted in any direction.
Huang Bingcheng left, still uncertain. Su Xin added, "You might see Ji Gang when you go. Don't be surprised. Just act as if you didn't see him."
Huang Bingcheng nodded and walked out, deep in thought.
Before you continue