Ji Gang had no idea that disaster was about to descend upon him. He was still rounding up the five old hands who had followed Su Xin ever since Happy Forest, constantly feeding them the story that Su Xin was finished.
Ever since joining Su Xin's crew, Ji Gang had felt stifled. That feeling had grown especially strong when he saw Li Huai being entrusted with important responsibilities.
But Ji Gang alone knew that what he felt wasn't really frustration. It was regret—deep regret.
When he first joined Su Xin's side, Li Huai had shown Su Xin no respect, but he hadn't harbored any ulterior motives.
Ji Gang, on the other hand, had clearly joined to spy on Su Xin and keep him in check on behalf of Third Master Hu.
The result, of course, was predictable. He hadn't even managed to serve as a spy. Su Xin not sending someone to watch him was already a sign of considerable magnanimity.
After the assassination of Dai Chong, Ji Gang had completely fallen out with Su Xin, while Li Huai had become one of Su Xin's trusted confidants.
Su Xin, whom Ji Gang had expected to be severely punished by the gang, had soared to new heights. As for Ji Gang, his own position had become terribly awkward.
At Third Master Hu's side, Ji Gang had also sensed his suspicions. That was exactly why Ji Gang envied Li Huai for earning so much of Su Xin's trust.
Ji Gang was always thinking that if he had supported Su Xin back then and thrown in his lot with him completely, then with his own skills, what would there have been for that old fox Huang Bingcheng to do?
Unfortunately, there was no cure for regret in this world. Ji Gang could only entertain such thoughts. Since he had completely broken with Su Xin, he had to use every means at his disposal to deal with him!
But as the gap between them grew wider and wider, Ji Gang had almost given up on that idea. Then, to his surprise, Su Xin had brought disaster upon himself. He had actually killed the chief lieutenant, Hou Tong!
If Ji Gang let something like that pass, then he wouldn't be Ji Gang.
So as soon as he learned what had happened, Ji Gang went straight to rally some of Su Xin's old hands, intending to stir up a little trouble.
Ji Gang had a few clever ideas. He didn't choose to stir up the gang members who had only recently joined Su Xin.
They might have been easier to sway, but they were weak and had almost no influence under Su Xin. Even if Ji Gang got a hundred of them worked up, they'd be no threat to Su Xin; a few men could easily put them down.
Instead, he chose the old hands who had followed Su Xin since Happy Forest, particularly those who hadn't been promoted to squad leaders or platoon leaders this time.
There were nearly two hundred old hands under Su Xin, but only a little over a hundred squad leaders and platoon leaders. Nearly half of them were still ordinary gang members.
Seeing their former companions rise to prominence and become their superiors and leaders—how could they not feel bitter?
Ji Gang intended to exploit their discontent and get them to make trouble behind Su Xin's back.
"Gentlemen, Su Xin has actually killed the chief lieutenant, Hou Tong. There's no way the gang will let him off this time.
"Once Su Xin is punished, at best his cultivation will be crippled; at worst, he'll be killed outright. Either way, Happy Forest and Yongle District will be left without an owner. Don't you want to get your hands on those two territories?
"This time, you've followed Su Xin longer than anyone and fought desperately by his side, yet in the end you didn't even get promoted to squad leader. Are you satisfied with that? Don't you want to claim a territory of your own?"
Ji Gang spoke with a most persuasive air, but the five men present weren't buying it.
One of them cursed him outright. "Bullshit! Who says our boss is finished? That bastard Hou Tong saw we were doing well and wanted to shake us down for money. Even if our boss hadn't killed him, I'd have found a chance to take him out myself!"
Another man gave a cold snort. "Ji Gang, don't think we don't know what you're up to. We might not know a single character, but we're no fools! If our boss dies, who'll pay us ten taels a month?"
"Exactly. You don't need to try to set us against him, Ji Gang. We're certainly unhappy we didn't make squad leader, but we've never blamed our boss.
"He said that if we wanted to eat meat, we had to risk our lives for it! When we were fighting those bastards from the Green Bamboo Gang, I was the one who let everyone down. My legs went weak, and I hid in the back. I didn't kill anyone and still got hurt. That's no one's fault but mine, and it certainly isn't the boss's!"
Ji Gang was left speechless. He hadn't expected Su Xin to have such prestige in these men's eyes.
"Are you really going to follow Su Xin down this road to the bitter end? Once the gang's punishment comes down, it'll be too late to regret it!" Ji Gang shouted.
"I don't know whether they'll regret it, but I do know you're sure to regret this." A voice suddenly came from outside the door.
When Su Xin pushed the door open and entered, Ji Gang's face turned ashen.
Wasn't Su Xin supposed to be in a panic, trying to figure out how to handle the gang's accusations? How did he have time to come after him?
"Boss!"
The five men called out respectfully, though cold sweat ran down their backs.
Luckily, they hadn't said anything out of line just now. Otherwise, they wouldn't be standing here now.
Su Xin nodded. "You did well. You can go."
The five men nodded and immediately turned to leave.
A look of despair came over Ji Gang's face. "The victor becomes king and the loser is damned. If you want to kill me, then do it."
Su Xin sighed and walked over to him. But Ji Gang, who had looked ashen and given up resisting just moments before, suddenly sprang into action. A dagger slid from his sleeve and stabbed toward Su Xin's lower abdomen.
Su Xin held the hilt of his sword and casually smacked it aside. The dagger flew from Ji Gang's hand.
Su Xin reached out and clamped a hand around Ji Gang's throat. As he struggled to breathe, Ji Gang felt death drawing closer with every moment. This time, he was truly in despair.
But just as he was about to suffocate and pass out, Su Xin suddenly threw him to the ground.
"The most pitiable and wretched people in this world are those who think they're clever. But you still have some use to me, so I won't kill you for now."
Li Huai stepped forward and drew his sword, slicing through all the tendons in Ji Gang's hands and feet. Then he carried him out like a dead dog and handed him to a gang member waiting outside.
By then, Huang Bingcheng had returned with Li Qing and the others. From the look of them, they'd clearly already been in a fight.
If someone like Ji Gang, who hadn't even cultivated internal energy, had dared to attack Su Xin, then it went without saying that the others had done the same.
"Old Huang, how many?" Su Xin asked.
"Eight." Huang Bingcheng's expression was grim.
Su Xin had told him to expect some of their men to harbor disloyal intentions, but he hadn't expected there to be so many.
"Kill them all." Su Xin's tone was utterly calm.
"Boss, could you make an exception? Why not cripple their martial arts and drive them out instead?"
Huang Bingcheng's expression was complicated. Those eight men had been with them longer than almost anyone. One of them had even been on very good terms with Huang Bingcheng, and he had only just promoted him to squad leader.
Though Huang Bingcheng knew they had betrayed them, he still couldn't bring himself to kill them.
Su Xin waved a hand. "Old Huang, I can agree to anything else, but not this.
"I gave them a chance. If they'd withdrawn beforehand, then we could have gone our separate ways, and I wouldn't have held it against them.
"But they took my silver, learned my martial arts, and used the authority I gave them. Then, in the end, they still betrayed me. That's unforgivable!"
"Yes, Boss. I understand." Huang Bingcheng clenched his teeth and made a throat-slitting gesture to Li Qing and the others.
"Come on. Let's pay my adoptive father a visit—and bring him a grand gift while we're at it."
Su Xin looked toward Shunyi Ward, his thoughts a little complicated.
A little over three months ago, when he had first arrived in this world, he'd had to rely on honeyed words just to win a sliver of a chance to survive at the hands of others.
But now he had strength and influence in abundance. He had reached the point where he could decide whether the other man lived or died. It was a truly strange feeling.
At that moment, Third Master Hu in Shunyi Ward wasn't nearly as conflicted as Su Xin. His feelings were simple: fear.
When he heard Su Xin had killed Hou Tong with a single sword strike, Third Master Hu hadn't felt pleased. Instead, he'd grown afraid.
What kind of person was the most frightening in this world? A madman!
You could never guess what was going through his mind or what he would do next.
Hou Tong had believed Su Xin wouldn't dare kill him, so he'd swaggered into Happy Forest and provoked Su Xin in the most arrogant way possible.
Third Master Hu had likewise believed Su Xin wouldn't dare do anything to Hou Tong, a chief lieutenant. That was why he'd confidently given Hou Tong fifty thousand taels to go cause trouble for Su Xin.
Everyone had thought Su Xin wouldn't dare kill Hou Tong, but he'd gone and done it anyway.
That madman's way of thinking was exactly what Third Master Hu feared. Who knew whether Su Xin would still care about the bond between adoptive father and son—or come and kill him, too?
"Master Li, pack our things. We're going to the main hall!"
The more Third Master Hu thought about it, the more uneasy he became. He immediately ordered his things packed so he could head for the main hall. Only there would he feel safe.
No matter how strong Su Xin was or how arrogant he acted, he wouldn't dare cause trouble in the main hall.
The three hall masters, all at the Post-Heaven Mid-Stage, and the gang leader were there. The main forces of the War Hall were there as well. Su Xin absolutely wouldn't dare run amok there.
But after calling twice, Master Li, who was usually like Third Master Hu's shadow, was nowhere to be seen.
Just as he was about to call again, Su Xin walked openly into his residence with Li Huai and the others.
"Don't rush off, Adoptive Father. I've brought you a gift."
Su Xin chuckled and tossed Hou Tong's head in front of Third Master Hu. His heart gave a sudden jolt.
Third Master Hu forced himself to stay calm and said coldly, "Su Xin, think this through. This is the Flying Eagle Gang! Are you trying to betray the gang with what you're doing?
"The gang leader and the three hall masters are far beyond your imagining. Come with me to the main hall and admit your mistake. Considering the great service you've rendered the gang, I'll swallow my pride and plead with the gang leader. I can still save your life!"
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