Golden Scale

"Do as Young Master Xin says, Doctor Lianshan. Please don't stand on ceremony with me. You must give me a chance to make amends."

Huang Jingji was on the verge of tears.

If he couldn't give this gift away, he would be the one left trembling with fear.

Since the benefactor himself had gone that far, Lianshan Jingcheng could only "reluctantly" agree.

"Very well. I'll have to put you to some expense, Gang Leader Huang."

"It's no expense at all. This is what I ought to do," Huang Jingji hastily replied.

Even now, he was still kneeling as he spoke to Lianshan Jingcheng.

Lianshan Jingcheng was clearly a little uncomfortable, but he also couldn't quite hide his pride.

The son he had raised with his own hands had made something of himself. How could he not feel proud?

The fact that he hadn't lost himself in elation or let it go to his head already spoke well of his years of cultivating his character.

Lianshan Xin felt that his father was rather impressive.

Unlike himself, who was clearly getting a little cocky.

But he was also deliberately indulging that cockiness.

When someone from Shandong wanted to get ahead within the establishment, he could be more cautious than even the most seasoned old hand.

But Qi Shiyun had said that Great Yu had its own circumstances, so he had decided to do as the locals did.

In a feudal dynasty of mighty martial artists, everyone could understand a young man wearing fine clothes, riding spirited horses, and holding forth on the affairs of the realm. The big shots even hoped to see it.

But if you were already mature beyond your years while still young, those who truly held power might not care to understand you.

Impulsiveness and recklessness were qualities a young man ought to have, and they were also his protective coloring.

"Gang Leader Huang, get up. If you keep kneeling while talking to us, outsiders will think I'm using my position to bully you."

Lianshan Xin truly had no intention of throwing his weight around.

If Huang Jingji hadn't shown such good sense, he wouldn't even have bothered doing him this favor.

Yes, he was doing Huang Jingji a favor.

Anyone clever could see that.

Some of those who had originally intended to make trouble for Huang Jingji would weigh their options after seeing this before deciding whether to continue.

Huang Jingji rose from the ground, visibly relaxing a little.

He glanced at Lianshan Jingcheng and hesitated.

Lianshan Xin noticed his hesitation and said outright, "If you have something to say, say it."

Huang Jingji stopped hesitating and cupped his hands. "Young Master Xin, I also came to pay my respects as a disciple of the Golden Scale Alliance. Would you be willing to visit the Thorn Gang with this humble one? The Helmsman sent word that he would like to be your friend."

Lianshan Xin was a little surprised. "You're a disciple of the Golden Scale Alliance?"

Huang Jingji nodded. "I wouldn't dare deceive you, Young Master Xin. After I founded the Thorn Gang, I was invited to join the Golden Scale Alliance as a disciple."

Lianshan Xin immediately caught the key point:

Franchising!

That certainly fit his understanding of the Golden Scale Alliance.

The Golden Scale Alliance was a martial underworld organization ranked among the top five in the Jiangzhou Martial World. Though called an underworld organization, it straddled both sides of the law, with good and bad mixed together among its members-an alliance that was neither wholly righteous nor wholly evil.

In terms of strength, the Golden Scale Alliance wasn't all that remarkable in the Jiangzhou Martial World. But in terms of numbers, it had the most members.

Once your faction grew to a certain size, the Golden Scale Alliance would invite you to join. Compared with the major powers whose legacies stretched back a hundred years, the Golden Scale Alliance was an emerging force, so its entry requirements weren't high.

Yet it was precisely that low barrier to "franchising" that had allowed its membership and influence to swell rapidly in a short time.

In Great Yu, however, quantity could rarely replace quality. Though the Golden Scale Alliance had expanded swiftly, it hadn't attracted much attention.

"The Golden Scale Alliance's Helmsman wants to be my friend?"

"Of course. My wife is the Helmsman's daughter. She told me herself."

"Isn't he afraid of offending the Demon Cult by befriending me?" Lianshan Xin asked.

The Golden Scale Alliance carried some weight in the Jiangzhou Martial World, and could just about be counted as a force on the national stage.

But the Demon Cult was the great villain of the entire martial world.

Naturally, the Golden Scale Alliance couldn't compare.

Huang Jingji, however, saw things clearly. "Young Master Xin, when I beat that younger brother-in-law of mine surnamed Qu to death, I already burned that bridge."

Lianshan Xin chuckled.

"Besides, however powerful the Demon Cult is, it still can't be mentioned in the same breath as the Nine Heavens."

Lianshan Xin nodded slightly.

"I'm happy to make friends, but as for a visit, let's..."

"Please do this humble one the honor, Young Master Xin. In truth, I also have a favor to ask."

Huang Jingji's face flushed slightly as he confessed the truth. "My wife bore me two children, both daughters. I've always wanted a son, so I kept a mistress outside the home. She's now given birth to a baby boy, but she's demanding an official place in the household."

Lianshan Xin frowned. "Whether studying letters or practicing martial arts, talent matters, not sex. Gang Leader Huang, you should count yourself lucky to be living in Great Yu."

In my previous life, the ladies would have roasted you until you couldn't even look after yourself.

"Your mistress demands a place in the household, and you just obey? Are you really that accommodating, Gang Leader Huang?" Lianshan Xin asked skeptically.

Huang Jingji gave an embarrassed smile. "There's something you don't know, Young Master Xin. This mistress of mine... is a cousin of Kong Sanlang's book attendant."

Lianshan Xin said, "...You certainly have your ways, Gang Leader Huang."

Huang Jingji continued smiling awkwardly.

"So you want to drag me along to sort out the trouble in your backyard?"

Huang Jingji had amused Lianshan Xin. "You've worked that abacus well. Do you think I have that much time on my hands?"

"Of course I wouldn't ask you to make the trip for nothing, Young Master Xin. I heard your honored mother needs snow lotus to restore her health, so I specially prepared a fifty-year-old Heavenly Mountain Snow Lotus for you."

Lianshan Xin said, "..."

Now that really does make it hard to refuse.

He couldn't openly reveal that He Miaojun had suddenly recovered.

"Also, Young Master Xin, from now on, this humble one is willing to follow wherever your horse leads."

Lianshan Xin glanced at Huang Jingji and remarked, "Your wife is the Golden Scale Alliance Helmsman's daughter. By keeping a mistress behind her back, you've offended your father-in-law, so now you're looking for a way out? But shouldn't you be turning to the Kong Family?"

Huang Jingji flattered him. "The Kong Family is certainly good, but your future is even more boundless, Young Master Xin."

Lianshan Xin acted as though he hadn't heard.

A cunning hare kept three burrows. That was not merely the survival wisdom of small fry, but of great lineages as well.

So he didn't look down on Huang Jingji.

Huang Jingji was just like him: someone striving to climb higher. At heart, there was no difference between them.

"The cousin of the Kong Family's third young master's book attendant, and the daughter of the Golden Scale Alliance's Helmsman..."

He then recalled the enormous ambitions Qi Shiyun had said the Nine Heavens harbored in coming to Jiangzhou this time.

Lianshan Xin glanced at Huang Jingji again.

Perhaps the Thorn Gang could be his fulcrum for levering up the Jiangzhou Martial World and Jiangzhou's powerful lineages.

Give him a fulcrum, and he was confident he could pull off something big.

If the Dragon Subjugation Lineage wanted to advance, it also needed him to make a major move.

"Ninth Brother, send word to the academy."

"Then we'll go pay a visit to the Thorn Gang Headquarters together."

Since the matter had come knocking at his door, he decided to lend a hand.

Huang Jingji was overjoyed. "Thank you, Young Master Xin."

"No need for thanks. You've worked hard enough yourself, Gang Leader Huang."

An underworld gang boss had managed to bed both his superior's daughter and the cousin of a young nobleman's personal book attendant.

Who could say he wasn't a talent?

For many small fry, all they needed was an opportunity.

That was why the Golden Scale Alliance had its saying:

How could a golden-scaled fish be confined to ***? Once wind and clouds arose, it would become a dragon!