Three days later, at noon.
Outside the main hall of the residence, which now bore a plaque reading "Chu Residence," all three hundred and thirty members of West Mountain Hall stood in neat ranks on the training ground before the entrance, dressed in short blue robes with red sashes wrapped around them.
Their expressions were solemn as they bowed respectfully toward the hall.
Standing in the place of honor inside was Tie Kuangren.
To his left stood Tie Xiaosheng and the eighteen hall masters led by Lin Shi, with numerous higher-ranking altar masters arranged behind them.
Zhou Liangchen and Li Shenshan were both among them.
On the right were the guests who had come to witness the ceremony.
They came from all walks of life: prominent figures from trading firms, heads of powerful clans near West Mountain Town, and guests from official circles.
Those without sufficient standing could only gather outside the hall and watch from afar.
For some reason, Lu Luanli had squeezed into the hall too, and was looking curiously at Chu Xisheng.
There was no shortage of complaints among the guests attending the ceremony.
The New Year was almost upon them, with only a few days until New Year's Eve, yet the Iron Banner Gang had chosen this time to hold some Hall-Opening Ceremony.
None of it showed on their faces, however. They were all smiles, warm and respectful.
The Iron Banner Gang already controlled more than half of Xiushui Commandery's river transport, forcing countless trading firms upstream and downstream to live at its mercy. Now that it had established West Mountain Hall, it had not only cleared away the threat on its flank but would also influence every aspect of life in West Mountain.
Thus, they dared not stay away, nor could they refuse to put