Sophistry

Of the forty-nine wards in Changning Prefecture, only four actually belong to the Flying Eagle Gang, and among those is the utterly dilapidated Joyful District.

As one of the thirteen major leaders of the Flying Eagle Gang—and a rather powerful one at that—Third Master Hu holds sway over one-third of the Shunyi Ward.

Compared to the Joyful District, the Shunyi Ward is far more prosperous; the streets are bustling with crowds and a constant stream of pedestrians, unlike the Joyful District, which is a perpetual slum of flowing sewage.

"Third Master Hu has his own mansion in the Shunyi Ward, a three-courtyard complex. Tsk tsk, I wonder when I'll ever be able to live in a big three-courtyard mansion like that," Huang Bingcheng said, his face full of envy.

For small-fry like them at the bottom of the gang, they don't dream of fame or glory; they only wish for a stable life.

Two Flying Eagle Gang members stood guard at Third Master Hu's gate. Huang Bingcheng hurriedly stepped forward, fawning, "So it's Boss Wang and Brother Tian on guard duty today? Could you two please go in and announce that Su Xin from the Joyful District is here to see him?"

"Su Xin? The Su Xin who killed Chen Dao?" The two men looked at Su Xin with playful expressions.

Huang Bingcheng's heart skipped a beat. Just as he had feared, the news had already reached Third Master Hu.

But to his surprise, the two men didn't make things difficult for Su Xin. They simply said coldly, "Go on in. Third Master Hu is waiting inside."

Huang Bingcheng led Su Xin inside, feeling uneasy, while the two men behind them immediately shut the gate.

"Tell me, Old Wang, do you think this kid will make it out?"

"Hard to say. But if he can walk out of there, he'll definitely have a place in the Flying Eagle Gang!"

"Why? Just because he killed Chen Dao?"

"No, because he dared to come here after killing Chen Dao. That kind of nerve is rare!"

Inside the main hall, Su Xin finally met the long-famed Third Master Hu.

Aside from the gang leader, the Flying Eagle Gang has three hall masters: the Punishment Hall, which oversees discipline; the Charity Hall, which manages assets and logistics; and the War Hall, which commands the gang's strongest combat forces.

Beyond them, the power brokers of the Flying Eagle Gang are the thirteen major leaders, and Third Master Hu is among the strongest of them.

Third Master Hu is over fifty, nearing sixty.

With streaks of white at his temples, he is one of the old brothers who followed the Flying Eagle Gang leader, Sha Feiying, from the very beginning.

Upon entering, the first thing Su Xin noticed was Third Master Hu's hands.

The man himself looked unremarkable, just like any ordinary old man.

Only his hands were different; the bones were exceptionally broad, and they were pitch-black, shimmering with the metallic luster of iron.

Su Xin had read the files on Third Master Hu.

He had practiced the Iron Sand Palm for nearly forty years, reaching a level of mastery capable of splitting stones and shattering gold and jade!

"So you're Su Xin? You have the gall to come see me right after killing my foster son. You've got some nerve!"

Third Master Hu spoke coldly, his left hand tightening around his teacup until the entire thing crumbled into powder!

Huang Bingcheng shuddered violently, nearly collapsing to his knees on the spot.

A man's reputation is like the shadow of a tree.

Third Master Hu's temper is not something to be trifled with.

"It's not that I have nerve, Third Master; it's that I know you won't kill me," Su Xin said, sitting upright in his chair without a hint of fear on his face.

Third Master Hu laughed in fury, "Not kill you? Do you know how long I spent cultivating Chen Dao? From the time he was twenty until now! A full twenty years!

I spent twenty years raising a successor, only for you to kill him with a single sword stroke, and you say I won't kill you?"

Su Xin looked directly at Third Master Hu, showing no intention of backing down. "Even if I hadn't killed Chen Dao, there would have come a day when you would have killed him yourself!"

Third Master Hu's expression shifted instantly.

"What exactly do you mean by that?"

Su Xin said calmly, "I mean exactly what you mean, Third Master. Chen Dao's existence had become a threat to you. By killing him, you could say I did you a great favor."

"My meaning?" Third Master Hu's expression returned to calm. "Then tell me, what exactly is my meaning?"

"You are only in your fifties, Third Master, but Chen Dao was already forty.

When you first decided to groom Chen Dao as your successor, he did indeed perform well.

By his thirties, his Iron Sand Palm was already perfected, and his strength was not much inferior to some of the weaker major leaders.

But for you, Third Master, that was not a good thing, because he grew too fast!

A martial artist's blood and energy are at their peak; at your age, you could easily remain a major leader for at least another ten years.

You can afford to wait ten years, but can Chen Dao? With strength comparable to a major leader but no territory or men of his own, would he be content?

I believe you must have felt it, too. You were already struggling to keep him in check.

The Flying Eagle Gang only has so much territory. Even with the strength of a major leader, he lacked the territory and the men!

His only choice was to force you into early retirement.

You step down, and he takes your place!"

After finishing his piece, Su Xin picked up the tea on the table and took a sip, looking completely composed, while Huang Bingcheng was terrified out of his wits.

Boss, were you a storyteller in your past life? How could you make up such an outrageous story?

Now that you've angered Third Master Hu, he's going to kill us both with one palm strike!

To everyone's surprise, Third Master Hu did not rush over to strike them with his Iron Sand Palm as Huang Bingcheng had imagined. Instead, he stared fixedly at Su Xin, a flicker of wariness flashing in his eyes!

Back when he was Su Xin's age, he had been nothing but hot-blooded, knowing only how to kill and fight.

Yet, the analysis Su Xin had just delivered was as if he were a tapeworm in his stomach, laying bare almost everything he had been thinking.

This level of cunning did not belong to a sixteen or seventeen-year-old youth; it was more like that of a seasoned, middle-aged veteran.

Little did he know that in his previous life, Su Xin's entire profession had been the art of reading people.

Managing hundreds of subordinates, he didn't need to understand the technical side of things, but if he hadn't mastered the art of reading people, he wouldn't have held his position for years.

Third Master Hu looked at Su Xin coldly. Just as Huang Bingcheng was about to wet his pants in fear, the man suddenly burst into laughter.

"Good! Very good! Everyone in the Flying Eagle Gang says you, Su Xin, have formidable skills, but if you ask me, it's your brain that deserves the most praise."

Third Master Hu looked at Su Xin with appreciation in his eyes: "However, this matter won't be settled so easily. You killed one of my foster sons, so you'll have to compensate me with one, won't you?"

Without a moment's hesitation, Su Xin knelt on one knee and cupped his fists respectfully: "This son pays respects to his foster father!"

As he spoke, Su Xin immediately took out the five-hundred-tael silver note from his bosom and offered it with both hands.

"Five hundred taels is a small sum, but it is a token of this son's sincerity. I hope Foster Father will accept it."

"Good, good, good! Su Xin, I truly didn't misjudge you." Third Master Hu took the note casually and placed it on the table nearby, the appreciation in his eyes deepening.

He certainly didn't care about five hundred taels, but a young man with such keen perception and knowledge of when to advance or retreat was a rare find these days.

Strength could be trained, but cunning was something that was very difficult to cultivate.

"Su Xin, from now on, the Happy Forest will be under your management. I will report your status to the gang as well.

However, since you've just become a small leader, aside from your own decent skills, you only have some ordinary gang members under your command.

I have two young men here with decent skills; they will follow you from now on."

Third Master Hu clapped his hands, and two young men walked in from outside the courtyard.

One of them was in his twenties, his face devoid of any expression, looking as if everyone owed him a few hundred taels.

The other was around thirty, the exact opposite of the first, wearing a friendly, smiling expression for everyone he saw.

"This is Li Huai and Ji Gang. They have been with me for some years, and their skills are quite good. They can help you out."

The stone-faced Li Huai nodded at Su Xin, and that was that, while Ji Gang said with a smile: "Boss Su, from now on, this little brother will be relying on you for a living."

"Brother Ji, you are too kind. You are a senior in the Flying Eagle Gang; I should be the one learning from you."

Su Xin remained humble, though he wasn't naive enough to think Third Master Hu had sent these two just to help him.

To a man who had just killed his foster son and had his own psychology dissected so thoroughly, Su Xin considered it only natural for Third Master Hu to be wary of him.

However, if Third Master Hu thought he could keep Su Xin in check with just these two, he was thinking too simply.

"Alright, you two go outside and wait. I still have some things to discuss with Su Xin."

Third Master Hu waved his hand, and Li Huai and Ji Gang immediately walked out the door.

Huang Bingcheng cast a look of admiration at Su Xin.

This boss of his was truly something else; he had resolved the situation in just a few sentences and even managed to latch onto a massive backer like Third Master Hu!

With Third Master Hu as his foster father, Su Xin's position in the Flying Eagle Gang could be considered rock-solid.

And as the first person to defect to Su Xin, this proved that he, Huang Bingcheng, had made the right bet!

Once everyone had left, Su Xin asked respectfully: "Foster Father, do you have any other instructions?"

"You have practiced internal energy, haven't you?"

Third Master Hu's words instantly stunned Su Xin.

According to his information, only the gang leader and the three hall masters in the Flying Eagle Gang were true martial artists proficient in internal energy. How could Third Master Hu have seen through him?

Seeing Su Xin's shocked expression, Third Master Hu nodded with satisfaction and said: "Don't worry, I won't snatch your internal cultivation method. Internal energy is something I practice as well."

Su Xin asked cautiously: "But I heard that in our Flying Eagle Gang, only the leader and the three hall masters are martial artists who have learned internal energy. I thought you and the other hall masters were only proficient in external martial arts."

"They don't know a damn thing!"

Third Master Hu said disdainfully: "When the Flying Eagle Gang was first founded, there were only thirty of us. We were all brothers who followed the leader to conquer this territory. Since the leader knows internal energy, how could he not teach us?

In fact, all thirteen major leaders of the Flying Eagle Gang have learned internal energy from the leader.

However, martial arts isn't just about hard work; it also requires talent.

The human body has one hundred and eight acupuncture points. Refining thirty-six points makes one an early-stage Houtian martial artist, seventy-two points makes one mid-stage, and one hundred and eight points makes one a peak Houtian master.

Only by stepping into the Houtian realm can one be called a true martial artist. Unfortunately, after nearly forty years, I have only managed to refine thirteen points."

Su Xin really hadn't known about these things.

But the Quanzhen Sect Basic Internal Skill he had obtained from the lucky draw should contain this information.

However, he had only just obtained the manual and hadn't even read it yet; he had gone to take his revenge relying solely on the tiny bit of true energy cultivated from the five percent proficiency gifted by the system.

"With the power of your Iron Sand Palm, even an early-stage Houtian martial artist would be no match for you, Foster Father," Su Xin flattered.

"Alright, you don't need to butter me up. Go back and do a good job. The Happy Forest borders the territory of the Green Bamboo Gang; remember, don't embarrass the Flying Eagle Gang."

Seeing that his words had stunned Su Xin, Third Master Hu nodded with satisfaction.

"Yes, Foster Father. Then I shall take my leave."

Su Xin stood up, bowed respectfully to Third Master Hu, and turned to leave the living room.