Preparing to Act

Translator: CinderTL

The bearded man hesitated for a moment, then cupped his hands in a salute. "Brother, please wait a moment. I can't make the decision on your matter; I need to invite the gang leader."

Xu Sanyan nodded in understanding. "No problem, go ahead."

The bearded man turned and left, and the surrounding burly men no longer dared to speak as freely as before. Wherever Xu Sanyan's gaze fell, people quickly averted their eyes.

The man lying on the ground was still unconscious. Xu Sanyan spoke to one of the men, "I accidentally used too much force. This brother has suffered. Take him to the clinic, and I'll cover the expenses."

Xu Sanyan took out a few taels of silver and tossed them over. The man caught the silver and carried the unconscious man away.

Not long after, the bearded man returned with a middle-aged man. From a distance, they could hear the man's hearty laughter, "Young brother, my apologies for being late."

Xu Sanyan looked up and saw a tall, imposing man walking towards him. He slightly cupped his hands and said, "I am Xu Sanyan, greeting Gang Leader Song."

He had heard from Madam Wu that the leader of the Guanshan Blade Association was called Song Qian, also a master of the Inner Qi Realm.

"Hahaha, Brother Xu, please come inside."

Song Qian was very polite, mainly because Xu Sanyan was so young. In Taian City, it was rare to encounter such a young Inner Qi master.

The two of them sat down in a simple hall. Song Qian said, "Brother Xu, it's truly remarkable that you have such skills at such a young age."

Xu Sanyan knew what he was implying—essentially trying to find out why he wanted to join the Guanshan Blade Association.

After all, among the four major gangs in Taian City, the Guanshan Blade Association was at the bottom. Whether in terms of wealth or strength, it couldn't compare to the other three. It had only made a name for itself by being fearless and willing to fight.

Xu Sanyan casually replied, "To be honest with you, Gang Leader, I grew up in the desert, so I naturally feel close to the Guanshan Blade Association."

Song Qian nodded and didn't ask further. After all, strengthening the gang was a good thing.

Once he had thought it through, Song Qian stood up and laughed, "Hahaha, good! Since you've passed the three trials, let's perform the incense ceremony. From now on, you're one of our own."

With Xu Sanyan's strength, whether he passed the third trial was already irrelevant. In a remote place like the northwest, reaching the Inner Qi Realm was already enough to be considered a top fighter.

"Thank you, Gang Leader." Xu Sanyan stood up and cupped his hands.

Song Qian had someone bring a table with an incense burner on it.

"Please, three sticks of incense—to honor heaven, earth, and man. After this, you must abide by the gang's rules: no wanton killing, no harassing civilians, no plundering women. If you violate these, the gang will turn against you!"

Xu Sanyan nodded, not taking it too seriously. He grabbed three sticks of incense, inserted them, and bowed a few times. Just like that, he had joined.

The ceremony was quite simple.

Song Qian called everyone over and announced in front of them, "From now on, Brother Xu Sanyan is the vice leader of the Guanshan Blade Association, in charge of the west district."

"Greetings, Vice Leader!"

Song Qian waved his hand, "Alright, everyone, disperse. Wang Laizi, you stay."

Xu Sanyan glanced at Wang Laizi. When he had first arrived, Wang Laizi was one of the two men fighting in the courtyard.

"Gang Leader, Vice Leader."

Wang Laizi was a short man with a pockmarked birthmark on his face, which was why he was called Wang Laizi.

Song Qian said to Xu Sanyan, "Wang Laizi is the most familiar with the gang's business. Let him show you around for a while."

Xu Sanyan nodded, "Thank you, Gang Leader."

Song Qian shook his head and laughed, "Don't thank me yet, Brother Xu. Although you've joined the gang and are one of us, the rules can't be broken. For the business in the west district, you must hand over 30% of the profits to the gang. The rest is yours to manage."

Xu Sanyan asked curiously, "How many brothers are in the west district, and how much can we earn each month?"

Song Qian sighed and shook his head, "There are about twenty or so people in the west district. As for the business, you'll have to develop it yourself. I don't care what kind of business you do, as long as it doesn't violate the gang's rules."

Song Qian was also helpless. The gang didn't have any legitimate businesses, and all the members survived by relying on their own skills. The Guanshan Blade Association was more like a group of swordsmen banding together to avoid being bullied.

Xu Sanyan frowned. No wonder Song Qian was so generous, giving him a district as soon as he joined. It turned out it hadn't been developed yet. How was this any different from starting his own gang?

On second thought, there was a difference. At least he had the name of the Guanshan Blade Association behind him, and Song Qian, an Inner Qi master, standing in support. Most people wouldn't dare to mess with them.

He estimated that Song Qian must at least be at the Mid Stage of the Inner Qi Realm, otherwise he wouldn't be able to hold up such a large gang.

"Alright, thank you, Gang Leader." Xu Sanyan nodded.

Song Qian clapped his hands and laughed, "With our brothers united, the Guanshan Blade Association will surely grow stronger. I have other matters to attend to, so I won't keep you."

Xu Sanyan took the hint and excused himself, with Wang Laizi and Big Yellow Tooth following closely behind.

Watching Xu Sanyan's retreating figure, Song Qian's eyelids drooped, and his thoughts were in turmoil.

Gaining an Inner Qi master for free should have been a happy occasion, but he couldn't shake a feeling of unease.

...

"Tell me about the situation in the west district," Xu Sanyan asked.

Wang Laizi thought for a moment, "The Moon Gazing Pavilion is in the west district, but they only deal in brothels and gambling dens. There's also another gang in the west district called the Yelang Society. They deal in smuggled salt, ironware, tea, and other goods. I've heard they have some connections higher up."

Xu Sanyan raised an eyebrow, "Tea is also a controlled item?"

Wang Laizi nodded, "Yes, tea is too profitable. The court naturally wants to keep it in their hands."

Xu Sanyan nodded silently, "What kind of business did you guys do before?"

Wang Laizi looked a bit embarrassed and fidgeted, "Our gang was established too late. The profitable businesses were already taken by others, so we could only do odd jobs for people."

Xu Sanyan shook his head. Even in the underworld, if you don't have work, you don't know how to take it?

"Go and find out who is behind the Yelang Society. Best to figure out where their goods are coming from. I'll give you two days."

Xu Sanyan took out a few taels of gold from his pocket and tossed it to him. This was what he had gotten from Ma Tianqing earlier.

Wang Laizi's eyes lit up, and he quickly caught it. He hadn't expected the new vice leader to be so generous, handing out gold just like that. He patted his chest and assured, "Don't worry, I'll get all the information for you."

"Go ahead." Xu Sanyan waved his hand.

After Wang Laizi had gone, Xu Sanyan turned to Big Yellow Tooth and said, "Go and find out any information about the Ginseng Gang. Any information at all."

"Yes, Fourth Master."

Big Yellow Tooth acknowledged and left.

Xu Sanyan stood alone on the street, watching the passersby, his thoughts swirling.

The most urgent matter now was to quickly improve his strength and status, so he could obtain precious medicine.

As for directly joining the Ginseng Gang, Xu Sanyan had thought about it but ultimately gave up.

The Ginseng Gang had been established for many years, and the internal power distribution was already fixed. Even if he joined, he wouldn't get much attention.

Moreover, the Ginseng Gang didn't like fighting and killing. They cared more about making money. Most of the Ginseng Gang members were ginseng gatherers, ordinary people with families and livelihoods. Their main goal was to earn money to support their families.

(End of the Chapter)

---

📖Read (HB) on Pa.treon@CinderTL - c56. [+4]

🔑Early Access at $5.

✍Translated (6) Series, (3K+) Chapters, (4.2M+) Words.

💥Flat 30% Discount on All Tiers Available Till 26th July, Use Code 3KCHAPTERS to Avail.