Recruitment

The Three Heroes Association was never the property of a single man. From the day of its founding, it belonged to the three of them, with no distinction of who held the position of leader.

Because Meng Changhe was the eldest and possessed genuine skill in managing the gang, he gained the most fame within the organization, and the entire Three Heroes Association gradually came to hold him in the highest regard.

However, the factions under Duan Xiao and Ning Luojun were not inferior, and since they had no intention of vying for power, the Three Heroes Association had developed quite steadily over the past decade or so.

Yet in recent years, the two of them had grown dissatisfied with Meng Changhe, and the reason was Meng Changhe's son, Meng Chong.

Neither of them had heirs, while Meng Changhe alone had a son.

People grow old and die; once they were gone, to whom should the Three Heroes Association be handed over? Regardless of what Duan Xiao and Ning Luojun thought, Meng Changhe was at least preparing to pass the association to his son, and he was already paving the way for him now.

This was precisely the source of Duan Xiao and Ning Luojun's dissatisfaction.

The Three Heroes Association was built by the three of us brothers together. Since we have no heirs, we would have no objection to you leaving the association to your son.

But we are currently in our prime, and you have already begun to pave the way for your son and encroach upon our influence; isn't this being a bit too impatient and going a step too far?

In the past, Meng Changhe only did such things in secret, but now he was openly and brazenly paving the way for Meng Chong.

When the Three Heroes Association recruited martial artists from other gangs, the person who did the recruiting would naturally develop a closer relationship with the new arrival.

Seeing that Su Xin was extraordinary, Meng Changhe wanted Meng Chong to recruit him personally, clearly intending for Su Xin to grow close to Meng Chong and secure this great general for his son.

The two men were resentful precisely because of this, but for now, they could only grumble in private and would not tear off the mask of civility with Meng Changhe in public.

As the largest gang in Changning Prefecture, the Three Heroes Association had countless eyes watching them, waiting for them to show a weakness so they could swarm them together.

Therefore, no matter how great their internal conflict, they could not engage in infighting, as that would simply be handing an opportunity to outsiders.

At this moment, outside Shenglong Pavilion, Meng Changhe said earnestly to Meng Chong, "Chong'er, if you can recruit Su Xin this time, this man will surely become your greatest asset in the future."

Meng Chong shook his head and said, "Father, aren't you overestimating this Su Xin? I heard he is even younger than I am. Being able to sit in the position of a Chief Headman is at most a stroke of good luck.

The Green Bamboo Gang's Boss Chen was just a guy who knew how to flatter and fawn; I could send anyone to kill him. Su Xin just fought one tough battle and completely occupied Yongle District—is such a person really worth me personally stepping out to recruit?"

A look of disappointment appeared in Meng Changhe's eyes; his son was still far too green.

He had only mentioned Su Xin's situation, and Duan Xiao and Ning Luojun had immediately recognized Su Xin's strength, yet his own son actually thought the other party was not worth regarding.

In truth, among the second generation of the many gangs in Changning Prefecture, Meng Chong was already considered quite good.

While the likes of Sha Yuandong were still out chasing chickens and fighting dogs, Meng Chong had already begun to participate in the management of the gang.

But even so, Meng Changhe still felt it was not enough.

Meng Chong was arrogant and conceited, a trait that was extremely disadvantageous when dealing with other gangs.

One must know that even a lion uses its full strength to hunt a rabbit; even when facing the weakest enemy, one cannot have a shred of contempt.

Moreover, Meng Chong had grown up under the protection of Meng Changhe all these years. With his father standing behind him, the gang members naturally dared not show the slightest disrespect to Meng Chong.

But what if his father were gone? Would Meng Chong be able to control these unruly gang members?

The strength of the Three Heroes Association was far greater than other gangs in Changning Prefecture, but by the same token, managing them required much more effort.

"Enough. You just need to listen to me and recruit that Su Xin. Remember, you are going there to show respect to a man of talent; keep your attitude humble."

Meng Changhe brought over a few steady-natured gang members to accompany Meng Chong. As long as he could successfully recruit Su Xin, who was of a similar age, they should be able to suppress the old guard within the gang once they all matured in the future.

However, at this moment, Meng Chong did not understand his father's painstaking efforts; instead, he felt quite dismissive of Su Xin.

This was not only because of Meng Chong's arrogant personality but also because of the age gap between the two.

Meng Changhe only saw that Su Xin was young and wanted Meng Chong to recruit him so they could grow together.

But unfortunately, Meng Chong's personality destined him to dislike Su Xin.

Being the same age, or even a few years younger than him, yet receiving such praise from his father made Meng Chong feel jealous.

He was just that kind of person; from childhood to adulthood, he had always been the strongest among his peers.

When he learned martial arts as a child, he could beat several others by himself, and as he grew up, while the likes of Sha Yuandong were out chasing chickens and fighting dogs, he had already begun to handle gang affairs.

Although Meng Chong spoke with disdain regarding the achievements Su Xin had made, in his heart, he was actually quite jealous.

The Three Heroes Association never recruited people in a sneaky manner; they would always openly set up their formation and state their terms.

This method made many people feel a great deal of goodwill, and some even felt honored.

Because if the Three Heroes Association sent someone to recruit you, it proved that you truly had the strength to be valued by them.

Although Meng Chong had never done such a thing, the subordinates Meng Changhe had arranged were experienced veterans. They went straight to the Yongle District branch and shouted at the main gate, "Young Master Meng Chong of the Three Heroes Association is here to request an audience with Chief Headman Su."

After obtaining the Lesser Returning Pill, Su Xin had gone into seclusion, preparing to charge directly into the middle stage of the Houtian Realm in one go, so he had left all the affairs of the branch to Huang Bingcheng.

Hearing the voice, Huang Bingcheng immediately came out and cupped his hands, saying, "So it is the Young Master of the Three Heroes Association who has arrived. Everyone, please come in."

Upon hearing the name of the Three Heroes Association, Huang Bingcheng felt a surge of joy in his heart.

Having spent so many years in the Flying Eagle Gang, how could he not know about the Three Heroes Association's custom of recruiting talent?

Because the Chief Headmen of the Flying Eagle Gang were all veterans who had fought alongside Sha Feiying, they had never been recruited by the Three Heroes Association, but many people from other gangs had been.

Being approached by the Three Heroes Association for recruitment was a testament to one's strength, so Huang Bingcheng was naturally happy.

Especially since the person who came this time was the Young Master of the Three Heroes Association, Meng Chong—this was truly an unexpected joy.

In the past, when the Three Heroes Association came to recruit people, everyone would judge how much the association valued them based on the status of the person sent to do the recruiting.

Usually, those who come to poach people are just eloquent gang members, but for someone the Three Heroes Association truly values, they would send a high-ranking leader to do the poaching in person.

And now, the one who had come to poach Su Xin was none other than the Young Master of the Three Heroes Association; did this not speak volumes?

Although Meng Chong held no substantive position within the Three Heroes Association, his status as the Young Master alone was enough to explain everything.

Seeing that it was not Su Xin who had come out to greet him, Meng Chong could not help but frown and ask, "Who are you? Where is Su Xin?"

Huang Bingcheng offered a fawning smile and said, "This humble one is Huang Bingcheng, responsible for managing the finances, personnel, and other affairs under Boss Su. Boss Su is currently in seclusion; could the Young Master wait two days? Once our boss finishes his seclusion, I will notify you immediately."

If Su Xin were merely in ordinary seclusion, Huang Bingcheng would have gone to notify him to come out immediately.

However, Su Xin was in seclusion this time to prepare for a breakthrough to the middle stage of the Houtian realm, so he had specifically instructed Huang Bingcheng that even if the sky were falling, he was to wait until the seclusion ended before resolving any issues.

Once such an order was given, Huang Bingcheng immediately understood the importance of Su Xin's seclusion this time, and even with Meng Chong arriving in person, he could not interrupt it.

Hearing Huang Bingcheng say this, Meng Chong immediately furrowed his brows.

The Three Heroes Association had come to poach someone, and even he, the Young Master Meng Chong, had come personally, yet this Su Xin did not even take them seriously—it was simply arrogant to the extreme!

Moreover, this small fry before him actually expected them to wait for a few days; who did he think he was, to be summoned and dismissed at his whim?

However, thinking of his father's instructions, Meng Chong suppressed the anger in his heart and said, "Go tell Su Xin to come out. The Three Heroes Association has too many affairs to attend to; I have no patience to wait for him here!"

Huang Bingcheng said anxiously, "Young Master, it really won't do. My boss is at a critical moment in his seclusion and truly cannot be disturbed.

If you have matters to attend to, why don't you head back first? Once my boss finishes his seclusion, I will have him personally visit the Three Heroes Association, how about that?"

Meng Chong laughed in anger: "So you mean I've made this trip for nothing? Su Xin has such a high opinion of himself; I, Meng Chong, have come in person, yet I can't even see his face!

Now I will ask you one last time: are you going to call him or not? If you don't, I will go myself. I want to see exactly what qualifications Su Xin has to put on such airs!"

Huang Bingcheng blocked Meng Chong's path and pleaded, "Young Master, please don't make things difficult for me. My boss is truly at a critical juncture in his seclusion and cannot be disturbed."

"Get lost," Meng Chong said with a cold expression.

Huang Bingcheng shook his head, not retreating a single step.

The anger in Meng Chong's heart could no longer be suppressed; since when had his words become as worthless as a fart?

Even this small fry, who didn't even rank in the Flying Eagle Gang, dared to defy his orders?

"Did you not hear me tell you to get lost?"

Meng Chong slapped Huang Bingcheng aside, instantly causing half of his face to swell up, with a trace of blood flowing from the corner of his mouth.

Huang Bingcheng's internal cultivation was originally quite poor; even after learning martial arts, he hadn't even opened ten acupoints, while Meng Chong already possessed the strength of the early Houtian realm.

With this single slap, Huang Bingcheng was sent flying without even a chance to dodge.

Seeing this scene, the gang members in the hall were instantly filled with rage.

They didn't care who Meng Chong was; they only knew that Boss Huang, who was usually good to them, had been struck!

Under Su Xin, it was always Li Huai who played the bad cop and Huang Bingcheng who played the good cop.

He also came from the bottom, was genuinely good to these gang members, and would often joke around with them; everyone trusted him, second only to Su Xin.

Now, seeing Huang Bingcheng slapped so viciously, several hot-tempered gang members immediately drew the short spears from their backs, ready to strike, but they were stopped by Huang Bingcheng.

"All of you, stop!"