Loyalty and Betrayal

"Ah, foster father, foster father, do you really think saying this now will do any good?" Su Xin looked at Third Master Hu and gently shook his head.

"Actually, things between us didn't have to end up like this. You're my foster father. It was thanks to you that I, Su Xin, gained a foothold in the Flying Eagle Gang. If you hadn't made a move against me, I wouldn't have shorted you a single coin from the regular payments at Happy Forest or Yongle District. Why did you have to force my hand?"

Third Master Hu's face was ashen. It was hard to tell whether he regretted his actions or was seething with resentment.

Before Third Master Hu could answer, Su Xin continued, "Actually, even if you don't say it, I can more or less guess. You're wary of how quickly my strength is growing. You're afraid you can't control me, so you wanted to suppress me and make a move against me.

"You don't even trust Chen Dao, the foster son you spent over twenty years raising. What chance did I have? In truth, you, Third Master Hu, don't trust anyone!"

Third Master Hu let out a long breath and said coldly, "Su Xin, what exactly do you want? You're a smart man. You should know that if you kill me, you won't be able to stay in the Flying Eagle Gang!"

"Foster father, you're worrying too much. I never planned to kill you." Su Xin shook his head.

"Then what do you want?"

"I only want you to speak up before the gang leader and say that Hou Tong started the trouble and that I killed him in self-defense, with your approval. You also have to recommend me for the position of chief lieutenant in the Flying Eagle Gang." Su Xin looked Third Master Hu in the eye and enunciated each word.

"Impossible!"

Third Master Hu rejected him outright. "You want to pin everything on me? You might as well kill me right now! If I take the blame for something this serious, even if I don't die, the gang will strip me of all my territory! Go ahead and kill me. At least we can both go down together!"

Third Master Hu had been one of the chief lieutenants who followed Sha Feiying in conquering the underworld back in the day. He had a certain fearless, devil-may-care air about him.

"Both go down together? I don't think so."

Su Xin smiled. "I learned a few of your secrets from someone, foster father. Embezzling the gang's funds, pocketing the regular payments behind their backs... I wonder what money you used to buy this grand estate?

"And over the years, you've eliminated anyone who stood in your way. You even dared to kill men from the Punishment Hall. Tsk, you certainly have guts."

Third Master Hu's expression changed dramatically. "Nonsense!"

"I'm not making anything up. You'll know as soon as you see him, foster father."

Su Xin clapped his hands. A middle-aged man in a scholar's robe walked out from the side and bowed respectfully to Su Xin. "Boss Su."

It was none other than Third Master Hu's trusted adviser, Master Li!

The moment he saw Master Li, Third Master Hu truly lost all hope.

Ji Gang had once said that Third Master Hu trusted no one. The only person he might trust was probably Master Li, who didn't know a thing about martial arts.

And that was indeed the case. Only someone completely incapable of martial arts could make him feel entirely at ease.

Yet the one who had betrayed him in the end was the very Master Li he had always trusted!

Master Li had followed him for nearly twenty years. He knew almost everything Third Master Hu had done in secret.

If any one of those deeds came to light, the Punishment Hall would have grounds to sentence Third Master Hu to death!

"Li Yuankun! You were nothing but a failed scholar back then. If it weren't for me, the people you owed money to would have beaten you to death! After all the trust I placed in you, I never thought you'd betray me!"

Third Master Hu's eyes were bloodshot, as if he wanted to devour Master Li alive.

As his former master, Third Master Hu's appearance startled Master Li. But he quickly regained his composure and sneered. "Third Master, don't make such bold claims. Ask yourself honestly: did you ever truly trust me?

"It's true that you saved me back then, but over the past twenty years, how much dirty, exhausting work have I done for you in secret? And what have you ever given me in return?

"You only trusted me because I couldn't practice martial arts and posed no threat to you. But when I asked to learn, you did everything in your power to stop me!

"Third Master, you're old. As the saying goes, a good bird chooses a tree to nest in. By throwing in my lot with Boss Su, I can at least guarantee myself a life of wealth and comfort. But if I keep following you, who knows what the future holds?"

Huang Bingcheng and the others stared at Master Li in surprise, wondering when he had teamed up with Boss Su.

Su Xin had been surprised too when Master Li had approached him of his own accord. At first, he had thought Master Li was a plant Third Master Hu had sent to play some trick. It wasn't until Master Li told him what dirt he had on Third Master Hu and even handed over the evidence that Su Xin believed him.

"Well, foster father, have you made up your mind? If you help me take the blame, the worst that'll happen is that they'll take back all your territory. With me around, I can still make sure you live out the rest of your life as a wealthy man. But if I hand all this evidence over to the gang leader, things won't be so simple."

Third Master Hu's eyes were blood-red. In a hoarse voice, he said, "What if I refuse? You killed Hou Tong, so the gang leader will have you executed all the same! We can all perish together!"

Su Xin shook his head. "Not necessarily. Don't forget, the Flying Eagle Gang isn't the only gang in Changning Prefecture. There are the Three Gangs and Four Associations. If I want to join one, with my strength, I could at least get a chief lieutenant position.

"Take the Green Bamboo Gang, for example. If I join them now with my brothers and a territory in Yongle District, do you think they wouldn't welcome me with open arms?"

"Don't forget, you stole that territory in Yongle District from the Green Bamboo Gang! And you killed two of their chief lieutenants!"

Su Xin gave a cold laugh. "Foster father, foster father, did you really think I knew nothing about what was going on in the Green Bamboo Gang?

"The two chief lieutenants I killed were both men loyal to their gang leader, Wei Feng. He's nothing more than a puppet of the two deputy leaders now.

"The two deputy leaders of the Green Bamboo Gang will be grateful to me for killing those men. If I join them, I might even become their third deputy leader right away!"

Third Master Hu slumped into his chair. Once again, he had lost to his own foster son.

Su Xin hadn't even given him the chance to go down fighting.

Just as Su Xin had said, he could hand the evidence over to the gang leader and take his men to join another gang. With Su Xin's strength and influence, even the Three Heroes Association, the strongest of the Three Gangs and Four Associations, would welcome him with open arms.

"I agree," Third Master Hu forced out, his voice drained of strength.

"Then I'm much obliged, foster father. There's a little bug here, too. I'll have to trouble you to deal with him."

Su Xin tossed Ji Gang over to Third Master Hu. Ji Gang's tendons had been severed at the wrists and ankles, and his mouth was gagged. He immediately let out a series of muffled cries, pleading in his eyes.

Third Master Hu gave Su Xin a complicated look. His foster son's mind was vicious to the extreme. He had left him not the slightest room to maneuver!

"Bang!"

Third Master Hu brought his palm down. The powerful force of his Iron Sand Palm shattered Ji Gang's heart meridian, and blood trickled from his mouth and nose.

"Are you satisfied now?" Third Master Hu's voice was cold, but it carried a note of weakness.

"Quite satisfied. Now we can go see the gang leader." Su Xin clapped his hands.

But just then, a burst of shouting and cursing came from outside. Several men in black-and-red martial uniforms shoved Su Xin's men aside and swaggered into the hall.

One of them shouted, "Su Xin! You dared to defy your superiors and assassinate chief lieutenant Hou Tong! You've shown utter contempt for the gang rules! Surrender at once and come with us to the main hall to await judgment!"

Su Xin frowned and glanced at Huang Bingcheng. "What are these clowns?"

Before Huang Bingcheng could answer, Master Li spoke up first. "They're from the Punishment Hall. They answer only to its hall master, Dong Chengwu. They have the authority to arrest anyone below the three hall masters."

Huang Bingcheng glared furiously at Master Li. That shameless bastard had only just joined the boss's side, and he was already trying to steal the credit!

Seeing that Su Xin and the others paid them no attention, the Punishment Hall disciples were immediately enraged.

In the Flying Eagle Gang, the War Hall disciples weren't the ones with the highest status. That distinction belonged to the Punishment Hall.

They might have been the smallest in number, and they might not have been as strong as the elite War Hall disciples who had risen through the ranks in countless gang wars, but they held the greatest authority.

If they caught anyone violating the gang rules, they could deal with anyone below the rank of chief lieutenant without reporting to their hall master.

Even if a chief lieutenant broke the rules, they had the authority to arrest him first and ask questions later.

Dong Chengwu's Punishment Hall had only a little over thirty men, but even when facing a chief lieutenant, those thirty-odd men had the confidence to stand their ground.

Now Su Xin was ignoring them outright. The leading Punishment Hall disciple gave a cold snort and drew his saber, swinging it at Su Xin.

"Defying your superiors and assassinating a chief lieutenant. Flouting the law and resisting the Punishment Hall! Su Xin, your crimes are punishable by death!"

"Courting death!"

A cold glint flashed in Su Xin's eyes as he kicked out, sending the Punishment Hall disciple flying.

He took a step forward and planted his foot on the man's face. In a cold voice, he said, "My crimes are punishable by death? And who exactly are you to sentence me? Do you have that authority?"

Seeing Su Xin make his move, the other Punishment Hall disciples shuddered in fear. They didn't even dare draw the long sabers at their waists.

They were used to throwing their weight around. Only after Su Xin struck did they realize that this was no man to trifle with.

Two chief lieutenants from the Green Bamboo Gang had died at his hands. Now he had even dared to kill a chief lieutenant in his own gang. They were nothing but a bunch of petty underlings riding on the Punishment Hall's coattails. Drawing their sabers in front of Su Xin would be asking for death.

"He doesn't have the authority? Then do I?"

The Punishment Hall's master, Dong Chengwu, strode in with a Big Ring Saber on his back. His face was so dark it looked ready to drip.

"Let him go. My Punishment Hall's disciples aren't yours to teach a lesson, Su Xin!"

Su Xin shook his head. "He drew on me first. If we weren't fellow members of the Flying Eagle Gang, he'd already be dead.

"When you make your way in the jianghu, drawing your saber means fighting to the death. This isn't child's play. No one's going to go easy on you. But out of respect for you, Hall Master Dong, I'll leave him with just a lesson."

Su Xin lifted his foot from the man's head, then suddenly stomped down on the right hand holding the saber, crushing it to pieces!