Some people responded better to a fist in the face than a lesson in reason.
The merchants of Yongle District were just that sort.
Having learned from the past, none of them dared complain. They obediently agreed to the fifty-tael monthly fee.
As for Su Xin's final promise to severely punish any gang members who extorted merchants and skimmed off the top, the merchants all sneered to themselves.
It would be strange if a dog could change its habit of eating shit.
After sending the merchants away, Su Xin estimated how much he could collect in monthly fees. The total might even reach sixty thousand taels!
Yongle District had over a thousand merchants. Even after excluding the ones too small to pay, the proceeds would still be substantial.
Back when the Green Bamboo Gang was in charge, those bastards had sucked the merchants dry. They'd even had the nerve to demand a few coins from a breakfast stall.
But after taking charge of Yongle District, Su Xin had Huang Bingcheng abolish all those rules.
Su Xin wasn't about to lose face by extorting a few coins from poor, struggling folk.
"Old Huang, call in all the old hands. We've got more people under us now, so it's time to send some out to manage them."
Su Xin now commanded over a thousand men. He wasn't a senior leader, but he had more men than some of them, so he needed to promote a few low-level managers.
The two hundred or so men who had followed Su Xin from the beginning were all present, excitement showing in their eyes.
They'd clearly already heard the news. Their boss was planning to promote some of his men.
"Before we attacked Yongle District, I told you all: if you wanted meat, if you wanted a life of wealth, then you had to stake your lives on it!
"You fought well in this battle. Now it's time to reap the rewards.
"Starting today, I'll promote ten men to centurion, each in charge of a hundred men. Each centurion will have ten squad leaders under him, each managing ten men."
In truth, the titles of centurion and squad leader that Su Xin had come up with were borrowed from the military, where a hundred men formed a company and ten formed a squad.
He was a gang boss, so using military titles felt a little out of place, but there wasn't much he could do about it.
Su Xin himself was only a minor leader. Was he supposed to promote his men to minor leaders too? That would throw everything into chaos.
The men below him didn't care about the titles, though. All they wanted was real authority.
With Su Xin's arrangements, more than half of them stood to be promoted to centurions or squad leaders.
Huang Bingcheng gazed at Su Xin expectantly. The others had all been given positions. Surely it was his turn now?
Sure enough, Su Xin continued, "Huang Bingcheng will handle the hall's logistics and promotions below the rank of centurion, while Li Huai will be in charge of discipline.
"The rules of Happy Forest apply in Yongle District too. You've all been with me for a long time, so I don't think any of you would make such a stupid mistake. With you keeping the new recruits in line, I can rest easy."
The gang members below him felt a chill run through them. They hadn't forgotten those dozens of strikes Su Xin had dealt out back in Happy Forest.
Compared to the ten taels a month Su Xin paid them, how much did it really matter if they took a little less from the merchants?
Nobody was stupid. Even gang members who couldn't recognize a single character knew better than to sacrifice the whole for a small gain.
Besides, Li Huai, that grim-faced enforcer, was in charge of discipline.
Back in Happy Forest, they'd all been put through the wringer by Li Huai during combat training. It had left them with a lasting fear of him.
The man didn't go easy on anyone. They could imagine what would happen if they fell into his hands.
"All right, that's all I have to say. Old Huang will announce the centurions and squad leaders." Su Xin waved a hand, and Huang Bingcheng immediately hurried forward to announce the names.
Su Xin and Huang Bingcheng had already settled on the centurions.
A real battle revealed a great deal. Everyone's strength and ability had been laid bare.
The ten men chosen had performed the best in that fight.
One of them was Li Qing, whom Su Xin intended to cultivate.
Li Qing might not have ranked among the top three in strength, but he was quick-witted and loyal. Su Xin was happy to invest in someone like him.
As for the squad leaders, Su Xin had no part in choosing them. He left the whole matter to Huang Bingcheng.
Su Xin had never planned to hold on to every low-level responsibility himself. He couldn't manage everything alone, and doing so would make him look petty.
Huang Bingcheng had done a fine job lately. These responsibilities were only rightfully his.
Once the positions had been assigned, Su Xin announced, "To celebrate taking Yongle District, I've booked the Drunken Moon Pavilion in Happy Forest for today. The hall will cover all the expenses. Just enjoy yourselves!"
"Thank you, Boss!"
The gang members below him erupted in cheers, their faces alight with excitement.
The Drunken Moon Pavilion in Happy Forest had once been a place they could only dream of visiting. A den of pleasure on that scale was beyond their means.
Even after Su Xin started paying them ten taels a month, that money could at best buy a pot of good wine there. They couldn't even touch a courtesan's hand.
Some of them couldn't save a coin to save their lives. When they got paid, the most they could afford was a small brothel for a little fun. They never expected to visit the Drunken Moon Pavilion today. It would make their lives complete.
Huang Bingcheng tugged discreetly at Su Xin and whispered, "Boss, booking the Drunken Moon Pavilion for a day costs at least several thousand taels. Isn't that a bit too extravagant?"
He was in charge of the hall's finances, and having been poor for so long, it pained him to see Su Xin spend money so lavishly.
Su Xin chuckled. "Don't worry. It won't cost us a single coin. Boss Liu of the Drunken Moon Pavilion offered to cover it himself."
"He's that generous?" Huang Bingcheng asked, puzzled.
Those merchants were all stingy old cocks. They'd acted as if he'd asked them to kill their whole families when he demanded a fifty-tael fee. And now they were letting the gang visit a brothel for free?
"Don't underestimate these merchants. How many people who built a fortune from scratch are fools? Boss Liu is a clever man." A knowing smile touched Su Xin's lips.
Boss Liu had come to Su Xin in person yesterday to bring up the matter, but he hadn't asked Su Xin for any favors.
They were both clever men, and Su Xin could more or less guess what Liu had in mind. He was probably hoping to open a branch of the Drunken Moon Pavilion in Yongle District.
A den of pleasure like a brothel didn't succeed by multiplying its branches. It succeeded through quality.
The Drunken Moon Pavilion had once been the biggest brothel in Changning Prefecture, and with some advice from Su Xin, its quality was beyond question.
But if Liu wanted to open one in Yongle District, he would surely draw the hostility of the local businesses, who might even trip him up behind the scenes.
After all, nobody liked having someone else reaching into their bowl to steal their food.
That was when Liu would need Su Xin's help. With a favor owed, any trouble Liu ran into could be settled with a single word from Su Xin.
In the long run, spending a fortune to curry favor with Su Xin was well worth it.
The gang members below were already howling as they raced toward Happy Forest, afraid that if they arrived too late, all the pretty girls would be taken. Su Xin had no intention of joining them. He planned to head straight home.
It wasn't that Su Xin disliked women. He was simply very particular.
In his previous life, he'd had plenty of money, but he'd never paid to satisfy his physical needs.
Even when he went to a nightclub to pick up a girl for a no-strings-attached fling, he first had to approve of her looks.
Besides, he was now in the martial world. Su Xin would rather devote all that time to cultivation.
But as he turned around, he noticed that Li Huai hadn't gone along with the others either.
"Why don't you go have some fun with everyone? If you go to the Drunken Moon Pavilion, Boss Liu will surely arrange for his top courtesan to see you," Su Xin joked.
"Sorry, Boss. I'm a little tired." Li Huai looked awful. After saying that, he turned and left.
Su Xin frowned, puzzled.
Li Huai was acting strangely. He was usually cold and taciturn, but that was just his nature. Now it was plain that something was weighing on him.
Su Xin grabbed Huang Bingcheng, who was about to rush off to the Drunken Moon Pavilion, and asked, "What's been going on with Li Huai lately? Has something happened? He looks like he's got a lot on his mind."
Huang Bingcheng scratched his head. "Nothing that I know of. He's been acting normal these past few days."
As he said this, Huang Bingcheng suddenly seemed to remember something. Lowering his voice, he added, "I think I know what it is. Today's celebration probably hit a sore spot."
"What sore spot? Stop keeping me in suspense."
Huang Bingcheng led Su Xin to a corner before continuing. "I only heard it from someone else, but Li Huai was once wounded below the waist in a fight. It left him unable to perform.
"He used to be a loner, but he wasn't like this. Now, whenever a fight starts, he turns into a madman, bloodthirsty and spoiling for a fight.
"He became like this after that incident. He wasn't all that interested in women to begin with, but any man would go mad after something like that. Li Huai's doing pretty well, all things considered."
"All right, go have fun," Su Xin said.
"Aren't you coming, Boss?"
Su Xin shook his head. Huang Bingcheng cast a furtive glance at Su Xin's crotch. Could the boss be the same way?
"What are you staring at? Get lost!" Su Xin said with a laughing kick, sending Huang Bingcheng on his way. But then something occurred to him.
He pushed open the door to the private room. Li Huai sat on the bed, meditating as he cultivated.
When Li Huai saw Su Xin come in, he said, "Go have fun, Boss. I'm not interested in women. I'd rather stay here and cultivate. I feel like I'm about to open my thirtieth acupoint."
Su Xin said nothing. He simply handed Li Huai a book.
"I think this sword technique suits you better."
There were only four large characters on the cover: Evil-Warding Sword Manual!
Su Xin didn't say another word. He simply turned and left.
His injury had dealt Li Huai a heavy blow, but it hadn't broken him. So Su Xin didn't try to comfort him; there was no comfort to be had for something like that.
Li Huai had turned that pain into a longing for the martial path and a frenzied will to fight. That proved he was anything but weak-willed.
Compared to Lin Pingzhi, Li Huai was much better suited to wield the Evil-Warding Sword Manual.
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