Teaching Internal Skills

Inside a private room in the branch hall, Su Xin sat in a chair, sipping tea. Before long, Huang Bingcheng pushed the door open and came in with Li Huai.

"Boss."

"Boss Su."

Li Huai was the one who had called him Boss Su, which left Huang Bingcheng rather surprised.

When he'd first met the man, he'd been incredibly arrogant. He'd even made it clear that he wouldn't obey Su Xin's orders. So why was he calling him Boss Su now?

But Huang Bingcheng didn't dwell on it. Their boss was a master at handling people; it wasn't surprising that he'd managed to win Li Huai over.

"Sit down. There's no need to stand. I called you here because I want to discuss something with you."

Su Xin motioned for the two of them to sit, then asked, "What do you think of the men under my command?"

Li Huai never cared about such things. Huang Bingcheng replied eagerly, "To put it simply, the people are on our side, and we can put them to good use!"

Su Xin chided him with a laugh. "Don't throw idioms around carelessly. If someone from the authorities heard you say that, you might end up in jail."

Huang Bingcheng chuckled. "Well, that's the gist of it. Boss, you're generous with your money. Our men earn more than the guys in the War Hall.

"And you were willing to risk your life against one of the Green Bamboo Gang's top men for a brother. That moved those boys to tears. If you ordered them to attack Yongle District right now, they'd grab their knives and charge in without hesitation."

Su Xin tapped the table with a finger. "Yes, their morale is good. But it's not enough."

Huang Bingcheng was a little confused. In his eyes, Su Xin's men were already exceptional.

Most of the men under the other minor bosses were seasoned old hands. They could handle extortion, robbery, and street brawls well enough, but when it came to a real fight, they'd hide at the back.

Su Xin's men, on the other hand, were all young and daring. They'd already been won over by him, and even the older ones were gradually getting swept up in the same atmosphere.

If Su Xin went to war with someone now, they'd all charge forward, shouting. In the Flying Eagle Gang, only the well-paid War Hall could match that sort of spirit.

Su Xin shook his head. "I thought they were doing all right too, until I went to the main headquarters last time. You saw the War Hall disciples at the gate. My men number fewer than two hundred, but just ten of theirs could take them all down."

Huang Bingcheng's eyes widened. "Isn't that a bit much? Twenty of our men to every one of theirs, and they still couldn't win?"

He knew the War Hall disciples were strong, but he'd never imagined they could be that strong.

Su Xin shook his head. "You've never trained in martial arts, so you can't sense their powerful vitality and chilling murderous intent. To put it bluntly, my unblooded youngsters are nothing compared to them."

Li Huai, who had been silent until then, spoke up. "Boss Su is right. The War Hall disciples are strong. I could beat one of them in a fight, but not three."

Huang Bingcheng's eyes went wide. He'd never seen how strong the War Hall disciples were, but he knew how formidable Li Huai was.

Li Huai had once been Third Master Hu's top enforcer. The number of outside gang members who'd died by his hand alone was already in the double digits.

Last time, Li Huai had also gone with Su Xin to assassinate Dai Chong. The two of them had fought their way out of Green Bamboo Gang territory. That spoke volumes about his skill.

But even someone as strong as Li Huai couldn't beat three War Hall disciples?

Li Huai spoke calmly. "The War Hall disciples are handpicked by the Flying Eagle Gang. They're strong and robust, and they start training when they're young. They eat beef and eggs at every meal, five meals a day, then soak their bodies in medicinal herbs at night to build up their vitality.

"They don't have to patrol territory every day. Their only job is to train in martial arts, and War Hall Chief Lin Fuhu personally instructs them. Sometimes, even the gang leader teaches them himself.

"But those still aren't true War Hall disciples. Only those who kill more than ten men in a gang war and survive qualify to become true War Hall disciples."

Huang Bingcheng asked curiously, "How do you know all that?"

"Because I once tried to join the War Hall, but they turned me down."

"Even you were rejected?"

Li Huai replied in an even voice, "My parents died when I was young. My uncle seized my family's property and abused me for a year. By the time I escaped and tried to join the War Hall, I was gaunt and frail. Of course they turned me down."

This was the first time Huang Bingcheng had heard about Li Huai's family background. He couldn't help asking, "What happened to the uncle who took your family's property?"

"I killed him."

Huang Bingcheng hunched his shoulders and cursed himself for his loose tongue. He should've known that would be the answer.

Su Xin tapped the table. "All right, enough gossip. I called you here today because I'm planning to discuss a way to make our men stronger. My men can't lose to the War Hall!"

"It'll be hard." Li Huai shook his head.

Huang Bingcheng said stubbornly, "All they do is eat meat at every meal, right? We've got plenty of money. What's the cost of a few meals' worth of meat? We can expand the training yard in the courtyard behind the branch hall, then have Boss teach them himself."

Li Huai sneered. "You can't master martial arts in a day. If they train like that, they'll turn into empty showpieces, not the kind of experts in the War Hall who can take on dozens of men."

Huang Bingcheng was about to say more, but Su Xin waved a hand. "Li Huai is right. The Flying Eagle Gang spent years training those people. There's no way we can raise our men to the War Hall's level in a short time by following the same method.

"Li Huai, have you ever learned internal skills?" Su Xin suddenly asked, changing the subject.

"Of course not."

Though Li Huai had been Third Master Hu's top enforcer, even Chen Dao, Third Master Hu's adopted son, had never been taught Third Master Hu's internal skills. There was no chance Li Huai had learned them.

"If I gave you an internal skill manual now, how many times stronger do you think you could become?" Su Xin asked.

"At least ten times!" Li Huai's eyes lit up.

Li Huai's strength had already reached a limit. He'd been in the Flying Eagle Gang for years, and as Third Master Hu's top enforcer, he'd never wanted for food or drink. His bones and vitality had been tempered until they were exceptionally strong.

But for Li Huai, that was already the limit. He wasn't born with Dai Chong's tremendous strength. No matter how much he trained, he couldn't get any stronger.

Only by cultivating internal skills, nourishing his vitality with inner force and opening his acupoints, could he advance further.

"If your strength could increase tenfold, then even ordinary gang members could multiply their fighting power several times by cultivating internal skills, even if they weren't as strong as you. So my plan is to have my men cultivate internal skills!"

Su Xin took out the copy of Quanzhen Sect Basic Internal Skill he'd transcribed the night before and tossed it onto the table.

"An internal skill manual!"

Li Huai sprang up from his chair, startling Huang Bingcheng beside him.

He'd never seen Li Huai this excited before.

"This is for us to cultivate?" Li Huai asked.

Su Xin nodded. He thought he heard a tremor in Li Huai's voice.

But Li Huai had every reason to be excited. Internal skills were something he'd dreamed of possessing.

Without internal skills, Li Huai had already reached the limit of what he could achieve in his life. He was nothing but a gang member—a gang member who was a little better at fighting than most.

He knew that the gang leader and the three hall chiefs all knew internal skills. Even top bosses like Third Master Hu knew them. But he'd never dared hope that they would teach him.

To people of the martial world, internal skills were a closely guarded secret, especially in a small gang like theirs.

Even Chen Dao, Third Master Hu's adopted son, had never been taught internal skills by him. What right did Li Huai have to expect to be taught?

Later, when Li Huai went with Su Xin to assassinate Dai Chong, he realized that Su Xin must know internal skills too. But he hadn't entertained any other thoughts.

He wasn't close to Su Xin, and he'd even spoken rudely to him before. It was already generous of Su Xin not to hold a grudge. How could he expect to be taught internal skills?

He hadn't expected Su Xin to toss out a precious internal skill manual today and let him cultivate it so openly.

"What's wrong? Is something the matter?" Su Xin asked with a smile when he saw Li Huai's reaction.

Li Huai looked up and said solemnly, "An internal skill manual is a closely guarded secret. Even in martial arts sects, you have to become a disciple before you can learn one. No one in the Flying Eagle Gang has ever taught internal skills to ordinary gang members."

"Do you know why that is?" Su Xin asked.

Li Huai said, "Because internal skills are precious?"

Su Xin sneered. "Precious my ass! No matter how precious this stuff is, it isn't consumable. One person learning it doesn't stop another from learning it. The gang leader and the top bosses don't pass internal skills on to their men because they're afraid!"

Huang Bingcheng and Li Huai stared at him in confusion. Afraid? What were they afraid of?

"What are internal skills? They're the dividing line between ordinary people and martial artists. Once you learn them, your future holds endless possibilities. Otherwise, you'll spend your whole life scrambling around in some corner of Changning Prefecture.

"Third Master Hu cultivated internal skills for more than ten years, yet he still couldn't open all thirty-six acupoints. What if one of his men learned internal skills and grew stronger than him? Wouldn't he have to give up his position to make way for them?

"The gang leader and the three hall chiefs are stronger, but this is what they're afraid of too. Once you gain strength, your ambitions grow, and you become harder to control."

"Then aren't you afraid?" Li Huai looked up and asked.

Huang Bingcheng glanced at him. This fellow really dared to ask anything.

Su Xin smiled. "I'm not afraid."

"Why?"

"Because I'll go further than all of you."