Officially Joining the Gang

The three arrived at the Internal Affairs Hall, where a goateed old man sat inside.

He was leisurely sipping tea.

"Old Yu, what brings you here today?" the old man asked Yu Shan with a smile.

"Brother Wu, I've come today to recommend a young man for the gang, as a minor leader!" Yu Shan replied.

"Oh? The young fellow behind you?" Old Wu glanced at Lu Shaolin.

"Yes!"

"Since he was brought by you, he surely won't be lacking!" Old Wu nodded.

"Kid, come over here." He then said to Lu Shaolin.

Lu Shaolin stepped forward and cupped his hands. "Greetings, Old Wu!"

Old Wu nodded, took out a register from a drawer, and asked, "Name?"

"Lu Shaolin."

"Address?"

"Panshan Village."

"Age?"

"Sixteen."

"..."

After recording each piece of information in the register, Old Wu took a red wooden token from another drawer and handed it to Lu Shaolin.

Lu Shaolin accepted it and examined it. The front bore the two characters Blackwater, while the back bore the words Minor Leader. Patterns covered both sides, and a string of numbers ran along the bottom.

"A minor leader receives three taels of silver each month. You may come collect it next month."

"With the token, you can collect two sets of clothes and a waist saber from the warehouse behind here!"

"You may also use the token to go to the Martial Arts Pavilion on the second floor and collect cultivation manuals!"

"At any Blackwater Gang property, showing this token will earn you a discount."

"Keep the token safe. If you lose it by accident, you must come report it!"

"That's about all. Kid, do you remember it all?" Old Wu rattled off a long string of instructions in one breath, then looked at Lu Shaolin and asked.

"I remember!" Lu Shaolin nodded.

"Alright, Old Yu, the matter is settled. Care to have a few cups of tea with me?" Old Wu turned to Yu Shan again.

"Sure." Yu Shan nodded, then turned to Lu Shaolin. "Go collect your things. Once you're done, find Wang An and have him assign you your men. He can also familiarize you with the docks."

"Understood!" Lu Shaolin cupped his hands.

With that, he took the token and eagerly left the Internal Affairs Hall, heading straight for the second floor.

The Martial Arts Pavilion was located in the middle of the second floor.

Lu Shaolin glanced at the plaque and strode inside.

The moment he entered, he saw a white-haired old man sitting by the door with a lecherous look on his face.

A wooden table stood before him. He was reading a book on the table while raising a wine gourd to his mouth.

Lu Shaolin walked over and glanced at it. The book was filled with drawings of little figures, painfully offensive to the eyes!

Sensing someone approaching, the white-haired old man calmly closed the book and looked up at Lu Shaolin. "New here?"

"Yes, sir." Lu Shaolin cupped his hands.

"Give me your token!" The white-haired old man took out a registration book from a drawer.

Lu Shaolin handed over the token.

After registering the number on the token, the old man tossed it back to Lu Shaolin.

"Go in! Hanging inside is the Martial Dao True-Intent Diagram for Reckless Bull Force. Make sure you carve it into your mind. Then choose a martial technique for yourself. There are palm techniques, saber techniques, sword techniques, and more. Once you've chosen, come back out, and I'll give you the Skin Tempering portion of the Reckless Bull Force manual." The old man waved a hand as he spoke.

Lu Shaolin nodded and entered the Martial Arts Pavilion.

The moment he stepped inside, his gaze was drawn to the image of a Wild Bull hanging on the wall directly opposite him.

The Wild Bull in the painting was lifelike, its muscles knotted all over its body. Every muscle seemed to contain boundless power, making one unable to resist sinking into it.

Only after quite some time did Lu Shaolin pull back his gaze. He had firmly etched the True-Intent Diagram into his mind!

Turning to look around the room, he saw three large bookshelves.

Lu Shaolin walked to the third shelf and pulled out several manuals to inspect. They were all unranked martial techniques.

He then went to look at the second shelf. They were still unranked.

When he came to the first shelf, he finally saw ranked techniques.

"Fire Venom Palm," "Funeral Gate Saber," "Drifting Rain Sword," "Mad Demon Staff Technique," and so on...

There were only a few ranked techniques, all Yellow-rank techniques. The rest were still unranked.

Lu Shaolin searched carefully. Among the ranked techniques, saber and sword arts were the most numerous. There was not a single spear technique!

He found the spear very handy and had grown accustomed to using it. He did not want to change weapons.

After thinking it over, Lu Shaolin turned his gaze to the "Mad Demon Staff Technique." They were both long weapons, so there should be some common ground. At worst, he could use his spear like a staff!

He pulled out the "Mad Demon Staff Technique" and looked through it. It contained thirteen staff forms, and judging by the description, it was quite formidable!

This was the one!

Lu Shaolin took the manual and walked out.

"Kid, made your choice?" The old man took a gulp of wine and asked.

"Yes. I'll take this 'Mad Demon Staff Technique.'" Lu Shaolin placed the manual on the table.

"Hehe, there are no spear techniques inside, but this Mad Demon Staff Technique isn't bad either." The old man glanced at the spear in Lu Shaolin's hand and smiled.

He then registered the Mad Demon Staff Technique, took out the Skin Tempering portion of the "Reckless Bull Force" manual from a drawer, along with a sealed black clay jar, and handed them over.

"This jar contains medicinal oil for practicing Reckless Bull Force. Just coat your entire body with it. There's enough for three uses. Once you've gotten started, you won't need it anymore," the old man explained.

"Alright." Lu Shaolin reached out and accepted the manual and medicinal oil.

"Remember to return the manual in three days. Kid! Everyone's physique differs, and the techniques suited to them differ as well. If you can't get started with Reckless Bull Force, come find me. I have another personal technique here, the Savage Bear Skill. For ten taels of silver, I can pass it on to you." The old man waggled his brows as he spoke.

"Uh... alright." Lu Shaolin nodded, tucked the manual into his clothes, and left the Martial Arts Pavilion with the medicinal oil.

After going downstairs, Lu Shaolin headed for the warehouse behind the building. He took out his token and collected his clothes and waist saber.

He hung the waist saber at his belt, held the medicinal oil and clothes in his left hand and the spear in his right, then left the Water Fortress and headed toward the docks.

Arriving at the docks, he found the same black pleasure boat. Lu Shaolin stepped forward and leaped aboard.

"Little Brother Lu is back." Hearing the sound, Wang An emerged from the cabin.

"Brother Wang." Lu Shaolin replied with a smile.

"I've already sent someone to call your subordinates over. One is called Ma San, and the other Li Si. I don't know their actual names very well. We all use nicknames." Wang An spoke as he ushered Lu Shaolin into the cabin.

Once inside the cabin, the two sat facing each other.

"What do we do each day?" Lu Shaolin asked.

"There's not much to do. We just patrol the docks and maintain order."

"Most days are quiet. With our gang's reputation in Ping County, no one comes looking for trouble." Wang An poured tea as he spoke.

"Am I on duty today?"

"You only joined the gang today, Little Brother, so you don't need to take a shift. Just come tomorrow."

"There are four minor leaders under the steward. The minor leaders take shifts in pairs, and another twenty subordinates remain stationed here long-term. Today, I'm on duty with another minor leader," Wang An explained.

"So that's how it is!" Lu Shaolin nodded.