Scheming and Lottery

On the way back, Master Li learned what had transpired at the main hall from Third Master Hu, which made him slap his thigh in frustration.

Su Xin had played this move brilliantly; he had single-handedly turned his own trial into a power struggle within the Flying Eagle Gang.

From the very beginning, Su Xin hadn't bothered to defend himself. Instead, he had positioned himself as a hero who broke gang rules only because he was willing to risk his life against the Green Bamboo Gang for the sake of his brothers.

Although some might not believe this narrative, it was enough that Lin Fuhu—a hall master with simple limbs and a simpler mind—believed it. Naturally, he would speak up for Su Xin.

From the moment Lin Fuhu opened his mouth, the matter was no longer about Su Xin; it had shifted into an internal conflict between the three hall masters.

Lin Fuhu held a grudge against Dong Chengwu, so he was bound to support anything Dong Chengwu opposed.

And since Dong Chengwu had targeted the Charity Hall, blocking Zhuang Li's path to profit, the latter wouldn't care about right or wrong; he was certain to stand in opposition to Dong Chengwu.

With a simple performance, Su Xin had manipulated all three hall masters of the Flying Eagle Gang. The more Master Li thought about it, the more brilliant he found it, to the point where he couldn't help but applaud.

However, seeing the gloomy expression on his benefactor Third Master Hu, Master Li could only follow behind him in silence.

Third Master Hu had previously made underhanded moves against Su Xin, and just moments ago, he had been desperate to distance himself from him. This relationship between foster father and son was on the verge of a total breakdown. Now that Su Xin was unscathed, it would be strange if Third Master Hu were happy.

Master Li vaguely sensed that Third Master Hu had made a terrible blunder.

For a young man with such limitless potential as Su Xin, if he had offered support, he could have reaped the benefits of his status as a foster father. Instead, he had chosen suppression, and now things were difficult to manage.

Meanwhile, Huang Bingcheng, who was following Su Xin back to Happy Forest, was drenched in cold sweat.

He hadn't witnessed the confrontation in the main hall, but just hearing Su Xin's description was enough to make his heart race. If he had been in Su Xin's shoes, let alone speaking eloquently, his legs would have turned to jelly long ago.

"Boss, you really have nerves of steel," Huang Bingcheng said, his face full of lingering fear. "To think you dared to put on a show in front of the gang leader and the three hall masters. What if the gang leader had seen through it?"

Su Xin shook his head. "It's not a matter of 'what if.' The gang leader did see through it. In fact, everyone present—except for someone like Lin Fuhu, who has lived half a lifetime with a screw loose—saw through it."

"I may be confident in my acting, but I certainly couldn't fool Sha Feiying, who founded the Flying Eagle Gang, nor could I fool Dong Chengwu or the cunning Zhuang Li."

Huang Bingcheng was stunned. "They... they saw through it? Then why did the gang leader speak up for you?"

"Correction: the gang leader wasn't speaking up for me; he was speaking up for Lin Fuhu."

Su Xin explained, "Lin Fuhu and Dong Chengwu were at odds, and Zhuang Li was fanning the flames on the side. As the gang leader, he had to choose a side. If he tried to play the peacemaker, he would only earn the resentment of both parties."

"But what if the gang leader had chosen to side with Dong Chengwu?" Huang Bingcheng asked.

Su Xin shook his head. "He wouldn't. The gang leader was bound to side with Lin Fuhu."

"Why?"

"Because among the three hall masters, only Lin Fuhu is the gang leader's true confidant!"

Su Xin said in a low voice, "Why is Lin Fuhu in charge of the War Hall, the strongest force in the gang? Because he's the best fighter? No, it's because among the three, he has the least depth and is the easiest to control!"

Huang Bingcheng was dumbfounded. Although he was known as the "Information Broker" of the Flying Eagle Gang, this was the first time he had heard such an analysis.

"As the strongest combat force, the importance of the War Hall goes without saying. Therefore, it must be managed by someone reliable."

"Among the three, Zhuang Li is slippery and deep-seated; the gang leader wouldn't trust him. And while Dong Chengwu appears to be impartial, no one knows what he is truly thinking."

"Only Lin Fuhu is the classic example of someone with strong limbs and a simple mind."

"His ability may not be the greatest, but Sha Feiying trusts him the most because he is far easier to control than the other two."

"You once said that Dong Chengwu publicly crippled a War Hall disciple for breaking rules, and the gang leader didn't stop him. That showed he was on Dong Chengwu's side back then."

"But this time, with the two of them clashing again, if the gang leader had spoken for Dong Chengwu, it would have surely chilled Lin Fuhu's heart. So, he had to stand with Lin Fuhu this time."

Huang Bingcheng was speechless. He realized that Su Xin's greatest strength wasn't his martial arts, but his ability to dissect the human heart.

But in truth, there was one thing Su Xin didn't say: all of this was predicated on having strength. Without strength, no amount of scheming would matter.

If he hadn't killed Dai Chong and had instead returned after a failed assassination, no amount of excuses would have saved him.

Instead, by killing Dai Chong, he had severed an arm of the Green Bamboo Gang and severely weakened them.

If the Green Bamboo Gang were to go to war with the Flying Eagle Gang now, it would no longer be an even match; they would be at a disadvantage.

Therefore, Su Xin's actions hadn't brought trouble to the gang as Ji Gang and the others had imagined.

The issue regarding Su Xin was primarily whether he had violated gang rules and whether he deserved punishment.

Once that was narrowed down, it was easy to handle; a single performance resolved everything.

However, there were downsides.

Both Sha Feiying and Dong Chengwu had clearly taken note of him. If he tried to pull a stunt like this again, it wouldn't be so easy to get away with.

Upon returning to Happy Forest, the gang members under his command cheered when they heard Su Xin was safe.

After this incident, the cohesion among Su Xin's men had increased significantly.

It isn't easy to follow a boss who is generous with money, but it is even harder to follow a boss who is willing to stand up for his subordinates.

Seeing Su Xin return safely, everyone was overjoyed—everyone except Ji Gang.

Su Xin ignored him.

Ji Gang was one of Third Master Hu's men. Since Su Xin hadn't yet broken ties with the Third Master, he wouldn't move against him as long as he didn't cross the line.

Taking advantage of the high spirits, Su Xin threw out a hundred taels of silver and took everyone to book an entire restaurant, where they drank until nightfall before heading back.

But the moment he stepped through the door, Su Xin was pushed back out by Xin'er.

"Brother, you smell so bad! Why did you drink so much? Go take a bath first; you aren't allowed inside until you're clean!" Xin'er pinched her little nose, her face full of disgust.

"Alright, alright, I'm going." Su Xin could only offer a wry smile as he headed off to bathe.

Back when they lived in the dilapidated shack in the Joyful District, Xin'er hadn't been so fussy, but now that they had moved into a new home, the little girl's obsession with cleanliness had become quite prominent.

Usually, if there was even a speck of dirt on Su Xin's clothes, Xin'er would insist on stripping them off him.

After heating the water and pouring it into the tub, Su Xin hopped in and let out a satisfied hum.

Although he hadn't had to fight anyone today, playing along with the old foxes in the upper echelons of the Flying Eagle Gang all day had been mentally exhausting.

Simple-minded fellows like Lin Fuhu were rare; these old men who had lived for decades were every bit as cunning as the backstabbing bosses from his past life. One wrong word, and they would seize upon it to use against him.

Taking advantage of the bath, Su Xin let his consciousness enter the system space.

Originally, Su Xin had planned to save up his draw chances to pull them all at once, or perhaps accumulate enough for a single high-level draw.

However, his battle with Dai Chong had made Su Xin realize that his strength was still severely lacking. He needed to improve his power urgently, and waiting three months to trade for a high-level draw was unrealistic.

Who knew what might happen in those three months? Improving his strength right now was the top priority.

In the misty system space, Su Xin asked, "How many draw chances do I have now?"

The system replied, "The host currently has 35 primary draw chances and 1 intermediate draw chance."

"Convert them into three intermediate draws for me."

The probability of getting something good from a primary draw was too low. What Su Xin needed now were techniques on the level of Jing Wuming's Quick Sword, not low-level techniques rated below two stars.

"Conversion successful. Does the host wish to draw now?"

"Draw, and remove the empty options."

On the large screen in the center, the wheel slowly spun, the pointer sliding past the techniques section and landing on the medicinal pills.

"Congratulations to the host for drawing one bottle of Spirit Opening Powder, rated two stars."

A pristine white porcelain bottle appeared before Su Xin, and a description naturally surfaced in his mind.

"Spirit Opening Powder: Clears the mind and sharpens the eyes, dissolves blood stasis and nourishes Qi. Suitable for Houtian martial artists to temper their true Qi. Long-term consumption provides slight assistance in advancing to the Xiantian realm."

Su Xin picked up the medicine bottle and examined it: "A bit of a letdown. The effects are decent, but it requires long-term use; otherwise, it's about the same as those Qi Nourishing Pills."

"Continue drawing, and again, remove the empty options."

The wheel began to spin once more, and this time, just as Su Xin had hoped, it landed on the techniques section.

A middle-aged beggar in tattered clothes appeared on the large screen.

Though his clothes were ragged, they were very clean, and his features were refined and scholarly—he looked less like a beggar and more like a studious scholar.

"Congratulations to the host for drawing the character Quan Guanqing, accompanied by the technique Fragmented Dog-Beating Staff Technique. No further drawing required. Technique rating: half a star."

Su Xin nearly spat out a mouthful of blood.

An intermediate draw resulting in a half-star technique? What was this?

If this was considered luck, Quan Guanqing was at least an elder of the Beggar Sect—was he really only worth half a star?

Su Xin wanted to protest, but he shut his mouth as soon as he started.

The Jin-style martial arts world was inherently a low-martial world, and ever since Quan Guanqing had appeared, he had mostly relied on schemes and plots. This martial art really was quite trashy.

But there was one more thing Su Xin refused to accept: the Dog-Beating Staff Technique was the Dog-Beating Staff Technique, so why was it "fragmented"? Su Xin immediately voiced his protest.

The system explained: "The Dog-Beating Staff Technique is the ultimate art of the Beggar Sect. Ordinary disciples know it, but only as fragmented moves. Although Quan Guanqing is an elder of the Beggar Sect, he still lacks the qualifications to learn the complete version of the Dog-Beating Staff Technique, hence it is the fragmented version.

This situation applies to other techniques as well. For example, the authentic Nine Yin Manual is rated four stars. If the host were to draw Ouyang Feng, what you would receive would only be the reverse-cultivated version of the Nine Yin Manual, rated three stars."

Su Xin offered a bitter smile. The rules set by this system were truly airtight; it didn't give anyone the slightest chance to pick up a bargain.