Third Master Hu's Regret

The result of the great battle between the Flying Eagle Gang and the Green Bamboo Gang was clear: the Green Bamboo Gang had been crippled, losing any qualification to challenge the Flying Eagle Gang. Within the gang, however, there were those who rejoiced and those who fretted.

Those rejoicing were, of course, the gang leader Sha Feiying and his inner circle; seizing one and a half districts in a single stroke was enough to keep the Flying Eagle Gang occupied for quite some time.

As for those fretting, that would naturally be Third Master Hu.

Regarding his foster son Su Xin, Third Master Hu no longer had any confidence in his ability to suppress him.

In terms of personal strength, Su Xin had the record of assassinating Dai Chong to his name.

Furthermore, the strength he displayed during his battle with Luo Zhen of the Green Bamboo Gang had caused even a veteran of the Changning Prefecture underworld like Third Master Hu to feel secretly alarmed.

They knew Luo Zhen's background quite well; this man had studied genuine martial arts, far beyond what half-baked underworld figures like them could compare to.

In fact, had Luo Zhen not started his training at a somewhat advanced age, limiting his achievements, a small temple like the Green Bamboo Gang would never have been able to contain a "great god" like him.

That Su Xin could defeat Luo Zhen in a fair fight was proof enough of his strength.

As for the forces under his command, his nearly two hundred subordinates who had practiced internal energy and martial techniques were nearly on par with the disciples of the War Hall, not to mention that the total number of ordinary gang members under him had now exceeded one thousand.

It was precisely because he feared Su Xin's strength that Third Master Hu had endured and acted as if he knew nothing after learning that Tang Taihe had been crippled, choosing not to lash out.

However, today, he was so angry that he smashed his cup.

"What exactly does this brat want!? Does he have any sense of hierarchy left? I am his foster father! I am his boss! Does he still want to survive in the Flying Eagle Gang?"

Third Master Hu roared in fury, his expression so savage it looked as if he wanted to eat someone alive.

Master Li, standing beside him, sighed softly, not knowing what to say.

The scene Su Xin had staged yesterday had nearly scared Third Master Hu to death.

In truth, the sequence of events was simple: after Su Xin performed a "killing the chicken to warn the monkeys" routine for the merchants of Yongle District, those fellows had decisively cowered, handing over all their protection money within three days.

Once Su Xin tallied it up, it came to a full sixty thousand taels of silver—a truly terrifying sum.

Logically, twenty percent of this silver should have been given to Third Master Hu first, and from that twenty percent, Third Master Hu would then extract another twenty percent to hand over to the gang.

But Su Xin had already essentially torn the mask of civility off his relationship with Third Master Hu; why would he still be eager to send him silver?

Consequently, he only handed over the portion due to the gang, and as for the share that should have gone to Third Master Hu, he didn't even mention it.

The person responsible for managing the money was Zhuang Li, the hall master of Charity Hall. Once he received the protection money, he informed Third Master Hu, which immediately infuriated the man enough to smash his cup on the spot.

Su Xin had bypassed him and handed the money directly to the gang; this was a clear indication that he did not hold his foster father in any regard. How could Third Master Hu not be enraged?

"Damn white-eyed wolf. If I had known today would come, I should have slapped him to death back then!" Third Master Hu spat viciously.

He truly regretted it now. He regretted listening to Su Xin's cajoling back then, not only failing to punish him but even taking him as a foster son, only for the situation to spiral into a tail that could no longer be wagged.

Back then, Su Xin had claimed that Chen Dao coveted his position. Third Master Hu knew this; even if Su Xin hadn't killed Chen Dao, Third Master Hu would have found an opportunity to eliminate him to protect his own seat.

By taking Su Xin as a foster son, Third Master Hu had intended to retire in ten years, let Su Xin take over, and then sit in the background as an emperor emeritus.

But for all his calculations, he had miscalculated one thing: Su Xin was not Chen Dao!

It had taken Chen Dao twenty years to make him feel threatened, but Su Xin had taken less than three months to reach a position where he could rival him, or perhaps even surpass him!

Third Master Hu did not want to retire yet; he still wanted to remain in his position as a Great Chief, so he had to eliminate Su Xin.

"Third Master, please calm your anger. Su Xin has already handed the money to the gang. No matter how angry you are, it is useless."

Master Li consoled him, though he sighed deeply in his heart.

The Third Master Hu of today was truly old.

The Third Master Hu of the past had a gloomy personality and deep-seated schemes, capable of keeping his emotions hidden from his face. He was nothing like he was now, so easily provoked into such a loss of composure by a single piece of news about Su Xin.

Among the thirteen Great Chiefs, Third Master Hu's strength was not the greatest, but he was the smartest. He was the only one who had specifically sought out Master Li, a failed scholar, to serve as his strategist.

But unfortunately, the once-wise Third Master Hu had stumbled completely when it came to the issue of Su Xin.

If he had maintained a supportive attitude toward Su Xin all along, even if Su Xin rose to power, he would still have shown him respect. Otherwise, Su Xin's soaring reputation in the Flying Eagle Gang would have turned into infamy.

At the very least, if Third Master Hu had remained silent—neither supporting nor suppressing him—Su Xin would have remembered the favor of their early days.

After all, in the beginning, Su Xin had relied on Third Master Hu's name to gain a foothold in the Flying Eagle Gang.

But now, Third Master Hu had engaged in petty maneuvers behind the scenes. The gang assembly last time was one thing, but this time, when Tang Taihe provoked Su Xin and was crippled, the news had spread throughout the entire Flying Eagle Gang. Anyone who wasn't a fool could guess what had happened.

Master Li had actually advised Third Master Hu several times, but having been a power broker in the Flying Eagle Gang for many years, Third Master Hu had long since lost the deep, subtle mind of his youth, becoming somewhat stubborn and self-opinionated.

In the past, if there was an issue, the two of them could discuss it, but in recent years, Master Li could only offer suggestions, and whether they were used or not depended entirely on Third Master Hu's own decision.

Clearly, on the matter of Su Xin, Master Li's advice had been completely rejected by Third Master Hu.

After smashing a few more cups, Third Master Hu's mood finally settled.

"Master Li, what if I suggest to the gang leader that Su Xin's territory be brought under the gang's direct control? He now sits on Yongle District and Happy Forest; the territory under his command is more than that of three Great Chiefs combined!" Third Master Hu said with a cold expression.

Master Li shook his head hurriedly: "Third Master, you must not do that. The gang leader will not agree."

The distribution of war merits was a matter of principle for the Flying Eagle Gang. Once changed, the entire gang would fall into great chaos.

War merits were above all else; that was the core principle of the Flying Eagle Gang.

Whoever conquered the territory owned it. If even that could not be guaranteed, how disheartened would the members of the Flying Eagle Gang be?

The Three Gangs and Four Associations of Changning Prefecture were not the only places to hang one's hat; once this precedent was set, it was estimated that by the next day, more than half of the disheartened gang members would defect to other factions.

"Third Master, why don't we stop fighting Su Xin? Not only is there no benefit to it, but we're just making ourselves a laughingstock for no reason," Master Li suggested cautiously.

Third Master Hu said coldly, "No! If I don't suppress Su Xin, where am I supposed to put this face of mine?

It was Hall Master Zhuang who told me that Su Xin bypassed me to hand the tribute money directly to the gang. If he could tell me, others could naturally find out as well.

I know exactly what kind of people those guys are; they must be laughing in their hearts that I raised two foster sons, only for both of them to turn into trouble!"

Just as Master Li was about to say something, he heard someone come in to report, "Third Master, Chief Hou Tong is here to visit."

"What is he here for?"

Both Master Li and Third Master Hu frowned, their expressions turning sour.

Among the thirteen chiefs of the Flying Eagle Gang, Third Master Hu didn't have any close allies, but if there was anyone he had a bad relationship with, it was certainly this Hou Tong.

It should be said that no one in the Flying Eagle Gang liked Hou Tong.

As a chief of the Flying Eagle Gang, Hou Tong held a high position, but he had a very bad habit: he was a degenerate gambler.

Hou Tong was a sore loser; once he started losing, he would become like a gambler with bloodshot eyes, refusing to stop until he won his money back.

The chiefs of the Flying Eagle Gang actually had decent incomes; Su Xin's Yongle District alone brought in over three hundred thousand taels.

Although Hou Tong only managed a quarter of the Changping District and his set tribute wasn't as high as Su Xin's, he still made several tens of thousands of taels every month.

After handing the required amount to the gang and distributing shares to his subordinates, the remaining money was more than enough for Hou Tong to live very comfortably.

However, Hou Tong insisted on taking this money to gamble recklessly, and since his luck was never very good, he would gamble it all away in a matter of days.

Without money, Hou Tong began to default on his debts to the gambling dens, to the point where the owners didn't even want to do business with him anymore.

When he truly ran out of silver, he started borrowing money from other chiefs like Third Master Hu, and the result, of course, was that he never paid it back.

In the end, Hou Tong's reputation became completely rotten; no one wanted to lend him money, and he could only scrape a few coins from others by pestering them relentlessly.

Third Master Hu certainly didn't want to deal with such a person and was just about to order his men to make an excuse that he wasn't in, when he heard a booming voice from the courtyard.

"Hahaha! Old Third Hu, I heard you were played by your newly adopted son. He handed the monthly tribute directly to the gang and didn't give a damn about you at all. Is that true?"

A middle-aged man who looked slightly younger than Third Master Hu walked straight into the room, laughing mockingly as if no one else were there.

Watching Hou Tong enter without being announced, Third Master Hu said coldly, "What are you here for?"

Hou Tong toyed with a teacup on the table and said lazily, "To borrow some money to spend, of course. Don't worry, once I turn my luck around, I'll definitely pay you back double."

Third Master Hu sneered, "You've said that at least ten times. Keep dreaming; I don't have a single cent for you."

Thinking about what Hou Tong had just said made Third Master Hu furious.

You're here to borrow money, yet you walk in and mock me immediately? It's a miracle I haven't kicked you out on the spot, and you still want to borrow money?

Hou Tong chuckled, "Old Third Hu, don't be so impatient. I'm not coming empty-handed this time. How about this: I'll do you a favor, and you lend me a sum of money. How does that sound?"

"What kind of favor could you possibly do for me?" Third Master Hu looked at this chief, who was ranked near the bottom, with disdain.

A smile crept onto the corner of Hou Tong's mouth: "A big favor—for instance, helping you deal with that disobedient foster son of yours, Su Xin!"