Mission Accomplished

After Su Xin walked out, a middle-aged man of about forty, dressed like a scholar, emerged from behind a screen and clicked his tongue in wonder. "This young man is truly extraordinary. His scheming is genuinely terrifying. He can't even be twenty yet, right? Third Master Hu, are you really at ease handing over Happy Forest to him? Aren't you afraid he'll become another Chen Dao?"

"Afraid? I'm afraid he won't become another Chen Dao!"

A cryptic smile touched the corner of Third Master Hu's mouth. "That kid was right just now; I'm old, and I can't fight anymore. If I stay in this position for another ten years, I'll be due for retirement anyway.

"The gang leader is old now, too, and he has already begun grooming the young gang leader. When the time comes for the young leader to take over, a new emperor means a new court. Do you think he'll look kindly upon us old relics? It's better to step down early and avoid being an eyesore to certain people.

"By that time, this kid Su Xin should have grown into his own. With him as my adopted son in power, I won't have to worry about being forgotten once I'm gone. At the very least, I'll be able to secure my wealth and comfort for the rest of my life."

The middle-aged scholar remained hesitant. "But Third Master, you can know a person's face but not their heart. With such deep schemes, aren't you afraid he'll return your kindness with enmity in the future?"

"He is a smart man; he won't do that. If he betrays me, he'll only earn the reputation of an ingrate for nothing. In the world of gangs, if your reputation stinks, who will follow you? So, he gains nothing from betraying me.

"As long as I'm alive, my prestige over these years can still help him suppress the old guard in the gang, allowing him to smoothly take over the forces in my hands. Once he's in power, he'll also gain the favor of the young gang leader. Therefore, not only will he not betray me, he'll treat me with great filial piety."

"Third Master, your foresight is deep indeed. I am truly convinced."

The middle-aged scholar bowed in admiration. Now he understood why Third Master Hu had so abruptly taken Su Xin as his adopted son; he had considered things so far into the future.

Third Master Hu waved his hand, his smile fading. "Foresight? Perhaps. After drifting in this world for so many years, if I didn't have a bit of calculation, I wouldn't have lived to see today.

"I told that kid Su Xin just now that when our Flying Eagle Gang was first founded, there were over thirty of us. Over the years, only a dozen or so of us old guys remain.

"But do you think those dozen or so who died all fell in gang warfare?"

The middle-aged scholar was startled by the coldness in Third Master Hu's eyes. As the conversation touched upon the dark secrets of the Flying Eagle Gang's past, he dared not listen any further.

Outside the Third Master's residence, Su Xin cupped his hands toward Ji Gang and Li Huai. "It is my honor that you two have come to help me. From now on, we are all brothers."

Li Huai kept a cold face. "Third Master sent me to help you stabilize your position in the Flying Eagle Gang. Don't expect me to treat you like a boss or follow your orders like those small-time thugs!"

With that, Li Huai turned and walked away, showing no regard for Su Xin at all.

"Hey! What kind of attitude is that? Boss Su is the adopted son Third Master just took in!"

Seeing Li Huai's attitude, Huang Bingcheng was instantly enraged.

It was unclear whether he was angry because Li Huai disrespected Su Xin, or because the term "small-time thug" had stung him.

Ji Gang smiled and cupped his hands toward Su Xin. "Boss Su, that's just how he is. Please don't take it to heart; I'll go and talk to him."

Saying this, Ji Gang went off to chase after Li Huai.

Huang Bingcheng muttered disdainfully, "What's he acting so high and mighty for? Does he think he's special just because he can fight?"

"Do you know these two?" Su Xin suddenly asked.

Huang Bingcheng scratched his head. "I've heard of them. This Li Huai is the top enforcer under Third Master Hu. Although he only emerged in the last few years, he's famous in our Flying Eagle Gang for his ruthless methods and fearlessness in the face of death.

"As for this Ji Gang, he has a similar status to Li Huai. Both are younger enforcers under Third Master Hu, though he isn't as famous as Li Huai."

Mentioning Li Huai still made Huang Bingcheng look indignant. "Hmph! But that Li Huai is too damn arrogant. Who does he think he is? He's not even a minor leader yet! Looking down on thugs—you're a thug yourself!

"Look at Ji Gang. He has the same status, but he's much more humble. Unlike that Li Huai, who acts like he's the king of the world."

Su Xin shook his head faintly. "You don't understand. A dog that bites usually doesn't bark."

Huang Bingcheng scratched his head in confusion, not quite grasping what Su Xin meant.

Seeing that Su Xin had already started walking, he quickly followed.

After Su Xin and his group returned to Happy Forest, the original gang members saw that Su Xin had not only returned from Third Master Hu's place alive but had also brought back two enforcers with considerable prestige in the gang. Their attitude toward Su Xin changed immediately.

Gaining Third Master Hu's recognition meant that Su Xin had firmly established his footing within the Flying Eagle Gang.

In a gang, unlike a sect, as long as the people above don't object, there's nothing wrong with overthrowing the boss to take his place.

Congratulations to the host for completing the novice mission. Reward: 10 Villain Points, one low-grade Qi Nourishing Pill.

As soon as he stepped into Happy Forest, the system's voice rang out in Su Xin's mind.

Su Xin left the Qi Nourishing Pill in the system's storage; now was not the time to consume it.

"Have Ji Gang and Li Huai been settled in?" Su Xin asked.

Huang Bingcheng quickly replied, "Everything is arranged. They are staying in the best rooms at Dongsheng Inn, which cost one tael of silver per day."

Although these two were nominally working under him, they were fundamentally Third Master Hu's men.

Before Su Xin's wings were fully grown, he still had to maintain the facade.

"Boss, I've also cleaned up your room. You can move in whenever you like."

Huang Bingcheng wore a fawning smile; he was truly impressed by this boss of his.

In just one day, he had gone from a gang member who had killed his boss and faced an uncertain future to the youngest minor leader in the Flying Eagle Gang and the adopted son of Third Master Hu.

Huang Bingcheng had lived for half a lifetime and had never seen such a thing.

"I have my own room?"

Huang Bingcheng explained, "This was left behind by those people from the Green Bamboo Gang. Now that Happy Forest is ours, this place naturally belongs to you, Boss."

Su Xin nodded.

Happy Forest had always been the territory of the Green Bamboo Gang, but for some reason, the Flying Eagle Gang had suddenly gone to war with them recently, which was how they had seized Happy Forest.

Thinking of his own dilapidated home, Su Xin didn't waste any more words with Huang Bingcheng and left Happy Forest directly.

Su Xin'er is still over at Granny Wang's noodle stall.

"Brother! You're back!"

Seeing Su Xin, Xin'er immediately trotted over, hanging onto him like a little sloth.

"Alright, alright, you're a big girl now, don't be so shy." Su Xin patted Xin'er's little head. "Come on, Brother is taking you to our new home."

Su Xin picked up Su Xin'er, leaving a single tael of silver at Granny Wang's stall before they left.

It wasn't that Su Xin didn't want to give more, but in a slum like the Joyful District, having too much money was a crime in itself.

Giving her too much silver would only bring harm to Granny Wang.

Although they were moving, there really wasn't much to pack from Su Xin's old place.

The most valuable thing in the entire home was probably just the plot of land it sat on.

So, Su Xin simply grabbed a few sets of clothes and called it a day.

"By the way, Xin'er, where is the bracelet Mother left behind?"

Su Xin remembered his mother had left a bracelet, which he had always entrusted to Su Xin'er for safekeeping.

It was the only valuable item in their family; even during their most desperate times, he had never considered pawning it.

"The bracelet... the bracelet..." A look of fear crossed Xin'er's small face, and she looked too aggrieved to speak.

Su Xin rubbed her head and said softly, "Don't be afraid, Xin'er. Tell Brother where the bracelet went. Did you lose it?"

Su Xin'er pursed her lips, tears welling in her eyes. "I didn't lose it. I saw that you were hurt, Brother, so I tried to steal some medicine from the pharmacy, but the old shopkeeper caught me. He said I had to compensate for his losses, so he snatched the bracelet away. Brother, am I useless?"

Seeing Su Xin'er like this, a surge of murderous intent welled up in Su Xin's heart.

But he said gently, "Don't worry, Brother will get the bracelet back for you tomorrow. Now, let's go see our new home."

Over at the Happy Forest, Huang Bingcheng had already arranged everything, so Su Xin could move in immediately.

The courtyard was right next to the Happy Forest; while it wasn't a massive mansion, it was a decent-sized quadrangle.

Having lived in the slums her whole life, Su Xin'er was so thrilled to be in such a "luxurious" place that she couldn't stop smiling, her eyes squinting into little crescents all afternoon.

After settling Su Xin'er down to rest, Su Xin returned to his own room and took out the Qi Nourishing Pill.

Compared to the defective ones, this primary Qi Nourishing Pill looked much better and was rated as a one-star item.

Swallowing it in one gulp, Su Xin immediately felt a warm current circulating within his dantian.

As Third Master Hu said, the most important thing for a martial artist in the Houtian stage is to refine their own acupoints.

The human body has one hundred and eight acupoints, corresponding to the number of Heavenly Spirits and Earthly Fiends.

Each one opened significantly boosts one's physical strength, blood energy, and internal energy.

Third Master Hu claimed that refining acupoints was exceptionally difficult; Su Xin both agreed and disagreed with this.

For mediocre people, even with internal arts, refining acupoints is indeed very difficult.

Third Master Hu lacked guidance from masters, his internal arts weren't high-level, and his own martial talent was average, so he had to focus on external arts like the Iron Sand Palm. It was normal for him to have only refined thirteen acupoints in forty years.

But Su Xin had the Great Villain System, so he lacked no resources.

He also possessed countless vast and powerful martial arts; if he were still stuck in the Houtian stage, he might as well give up and hang himself with a strand of hair.

Borrowing the powerful internal energy from the Qi Nourishing Pill, Su Xin quickly began to assault the first acupoint in his body.

Under the power of the Qi Nourishing Pill, the acupoint was quickly merged with his internal energy. As blood flowed through it, it instantly became thick and abundant, and his internal energy flowed through without the slightest obstruction or resistance.

Opening just one acupoint brought such a change to Su Xin; he looked forward to seeing how powerful his blood energy would be once he reached the Great Perfection of the Houtian stage and refined all one hundred and eight acupoints.

Creak.

The door was pushed open, and Xin'er walked in timidly.

"What's wrong?" Seeing her enter, Su Xin stopped his cultivation.

"I'm scared being in the room by myself. Brother, can I sleep with you?"

Xin'er blinked her large eyes at Su Xin, looking as if she would cry if he didn't agree.

Su Xin looked outside and was surprised to see that it was already dark.

"Fine, but you have to be good when you sleep. Don't wet the bed."

Back when they only had one room and one bed, Xin'er naturally slept with Su Xin.

The little girl lacked a sense of security and wasn't used to being in a room alone.

"Brother, you're mean!"

Xin'er's face turned bright red.

When she was younger and their mother had to work to support the family, Su Xin was the one who took care of her, so whenever she disobeyed, he would tease her about wetting the bed when she was little.

After settling Xin'er in, Su Xin went to sleep as well.