The Greedy Third Master Hu

Inside the residence of Third Master Hu in Shunyi Ward.

Third Master Hu held the list Huang Bingcheng had handed him, smiling in silence, while the middle-aged scholar beside him gripped his folding fan tightly, his face etched with shock.

"Master Li, what do you think of my foster son's methods?" Third Master Hu asked, looking up.

Snapping his fan open, Master Li said in a deep voice, "Ruthless, vicious, resourceful, and most importantly, he knows when to advance and when to retreat."

Third Master Hu said slowly, "Exactly. The most important thing is that he knows his limits; otherwise, no matter how many tricks he has, they are useless. Since that is the case, I shall take the assets of Shunde Casino."

"And how much shall we leave for Su Xin?" Master Li asked.

"Leave him two thousand taels, and he can keep the land where Shunde Casino stood. We only want the liquid silver." Third Master Hu waved his hand dismissively, though he was in a good mood.

Several tens of thousands of taels of silver was a massive fortune, even for a high-ranking leader of the Flying Eagle Gang like him.

Most importantly, there was no burden attached to obtaining this money.

Su Xin was the one who crippled the people, and he was the one who looted the silver.

Third Master Hu only had to step in to coordinate with the local government, using his status to grease the wheels and handle the authorities.

Even if the government wanted to settle scores later, the charge of forcibly seizing property could not be pinned on Third Master Hu, even if he kept ninety percent of the silver.

In Happy Forest, Huang Bingcheng excitedly reported Third Master Hu's intentions to Su Xin, but Su Xin did not show a hint of excitement, merely sneering in his heart.

His foster father had a much larger appetite than he had imagined; with one word, he swallowed ninety-nine percent of the silver, leaving only two thousand taels for him.

Fortunately, Third Master Hu had no interest in the land of Shunde Casino, so he ultimately left it to Su Xin.

"Old Huang, after deducting thirteen hundred taels from these two thousand, there should be about seven hundred left. Is that enough to simply renovate Shunde Casino and turn it into a proper headquarters?"

"Boss, you want to build a headquarters? The money is enough—you don't even need to renovate, just change the plaques and buy a new batch of tables and chairs. But that isn't according to the rules," Huang Bingcheng said, scratching his head. He felt he could never keep up with his boss's way of thinking.

Su Xin asked, "Why is it against the rules?"

Huang Bingcheng explained, "In the Flying Eagle Gang, only those at the level of high-ranking leader are qualified to build a headquarters. Other minor leaders just rent a house to live in."

Su Xin tapped the table and said, "You say 'qualified,' which means the gang rules don't explicitly state that one must be a high-ranking leader to build a headquarters, right?"

Huang Bingcheng paused and said, "I suppose so."

"Since that's the case, what does it matter if I build one?"

Su Xin only had one goal in wanting to build a headquarters: to increase the cohesion of his subordinates.

Discussing matters in a dilapidated shack versus a spacious, bright hall were two completely different concepts.

Huang Bingcheng thought about it and began to understand.

It wasn't that minor leaders weren't allowed to build headquarters; it was that no one ever did.

A minor leader in the Flying Eagle Gang managed at most three or four streets, with monthly dues totaling around a thousand taels at most, sometimes only a few hundred.

Building a headquarters required tens of thousands of taels of silver just for the land.

Rather than spending that money on a headquarters, they would rather keep it to enjoy themselves.

"Alright, leave this matter to you. Aside from the necessary expenses, keep one hundred taels for yourself and hold onto the rest." Although Huang Bingcheng was a bit slick, he was meticulous in his work, and Su Xin trusted him.

To make someone work for you, you must first provide them with sufficient benefits; otherwise, why would they risk their lives for you?

Therefore, whether in his past life or now, Su Xin was always generous with his subordinates.

"Thank you, Boss! From now on, my life belongs to you!" Huang Bingcheng patted his thin chest, his eyes brimming with moved tears.

Of course, this display was mostly flattery, but there was genuine emotion behind it.

He had been in the Flying Eagle Gang for over ten years, but due to his own lack of strength, he had never been valued despite his slick nature.

Now, Su Xin had not only given him authority but also entrusted him with the silver, making Huang Bingcheng feel that a man should die for one who truly understands him.

After sending Huang Bingcheng away, Su Xin returned to his residence, buying a roasted chicken on the way back.

Pushing the door open, Xin'er immediately pounced on him, her little nose twitching as she said in surprise, "Yay! Roasted chicken!"

"Alright, you little glutton, go wash your hands and eat." Su Xin ruffled Xin'er's hair.

Xin'er nodded quickly and ran off to wash her hands.

After the meal, Su Xin had someone bring two wooden posts to stand in the courtyard, then asked Huang Bingcheng to get him two swords while he was handling matters at the government office.

Weapons forged in ordinary blacksmith shops were too inferior; Su Xin would rather use the piece of scrap iron he currently had than use those.

The best weapons in Changning Prefecture came from the imperial court.

The blades, spears, and swords in the Changning Prefecture government office were all retired equipment from the Great Zhou Dynasty army, distributed to the yamen runners of various prefectures. The materials were top-tier, mass-produced by military craftsmen, and all had been sharpened and tasted blood.

Huang Bingcheng went to the government office once, and for only fifty taels of silver, he brought back two long swords for Su Xin.

In recent years, the Great Zhou Dynasty had seen fewer wars and had disbanded many troops, so some of their equipment was distributed to various prefectures in significant quantities.

A single warehouse in Changning Prefecture held enough weapons and armor to arm over a thousand men, yet the entire prefecture had barely over a hundred runners.

Thus, most of these items just sat in the warehouse gathering rust. Forget fifty taels; even for twenty, the warehouse guards would be happy to sell them.

One of the two long swords was a thin blade, three feet long and two fingers wide, light and agile.

The other was a heavy sword, four feet long and four fingers wide, steady and substantial, perfect for hacking and slashing.

The blades of these two swords were biting and cold. Only upon close inspection could one see faint nicks from past clashes, but they had clearly been resharpened and were no different from brand-new weapons.

Su Xin held the thin sword in his left hand and the heavy sword in his right, thrusting them repeatedly at the wooden post.

However, he was not practicing the force of his strikes, but rather their precision.

Every single thrust had to stop the moment it touched the post; leaving even the slightest mark on the wood counted as a failure.

Su Xin currently possessed two sword styles: one was Jing Wuming's Quick Sword, and the other was the Great Sumeru Sword Style.

The Great Sumeru Sword Style leaned toward defense with its complex maneuvers; Su Xin intended to use it to cover the openings left when using his fast sword, ensuring he wouldn't be left helpless if his quick strikes were countered.

Although he could not raise his proficiency in Jin Wuming's Quick Sword to one hundred percent, this sword style was the simplest of killing arts, pursuing only the ultimate expression of speed, ruthlessness, and accuracy.

These three elements were not only embodied in Jing Wuming's Quick Sword but could also be applied when practicing other martial arts.

Therefore, Su Xin focused his proficiency training solely on Jing Wuming's Quick Sword, which served perfectly as a way to drill his basic skills.

Seeing her brother practicing, Xin'er sat on the steps in front of the house, watching him obediently.

When Su Xin finished his practice, drenched in sweat, Xin'er would bring him water and a towel to wipe his brow.

"Brother, can I learn the sword?" Xin'er stared at the thin sword in Su Xin's hand, a glimmer of fondness in her wide eyes.

"You can, but why does Xin'er want to learn the sword?" Su Xin looked at her in surprise. At her age, girls were usually interested in dolls and the like; swords and blades were typically things boys preferred.

Clenching her small fists, Xin'er said, "If I learn the sword, I can protect Brother and drive away all the bad people who bully us."

"Alright, then Brother will wait for Xin'er to protect me." Su Xin smiled and ruffled Xin'er's hair.

Su Xin handed the thin sword to Xin'er, but after she happily took it, her face fell, and she looked at him with a pitiful expression.

Although it was called a thin sword, it was forged from hundred-refined steel and weighed over ten pounds. For a seven-year-old child like Xin'er, it was far too heavy.

Xin'er could barely lift the sword with both hands, let alone swing it.

Seeing this, Su Xin chuckled. He took the sword back, chopped a piece off the wooden post, and quickly whittled it into a wooden sword to give to her. Thus, the two of them, one large and one small, stood before the post, thrusting their swords at it time after time.

A month is neither long nor short.

Su Xin remained in his small courtyard, never stepping out, focused entirely on his cultivation. Meanwhile, the many storefronts of Happy Forest had finished their renovations and were preparing to reopen.

Now that the moment had arrived, the various bosses of Happy Forest found themselves in a position where they could neither advance nor retreat.

They had already given Su Xin his shares and spent a fortune on the shop's decor; success or failure would be decided by this single move.

As night fell, carriages began to pull into Happy Forest. This was the time when Happy Forest truly came alive.

Young Master Sun of the Sun family in the East City stepped out of his carriage. Looking at the brand-new Happy Forest, he remarked in surprise, "Oh? I haven't been here for a month, and the renovations are quite nice. I'll have to have a good time tonight."

Young Master Sun's family were the largest medicinal herb smugglers in the East City, specializing in smuggling rare herbs from the Southern Barbarians and the Three Xiang regions into the Eastern Jin.

Although the trade was dangerous—being caught by the Great Zhou Dynasty's border guards meant immediate decapitation—it was immensely profitable. The Sun family's wealth was among the top in all of Changning Prefecture.

With his family's financial power, he could have gone elsewhere to play while Happy Forest was under renovation, but he had held back and stayed home for a month.

For no other reason than that Young Master Sun was a sentimental man.

Back when he was thirteen, his unscrupulous cousin had dragged him to Happy Forest for his first life experience, so he held a genuine affection for this place.