Chapter 46. The reason why the leaders often have white hair

After Dugu Sheng confirmed that the Black Line Leader was dead, he strode somewhere and stood in front of the officer who had thrown the spear at him. The officer, who had been trying to stop the bleeding from his severed wrist, looked at Dugu Sheng. Dugu Sheng knelt on one knee and glared at the officer. The officer then struck Dugu Sheng across the face with his good hand.

*Slap*...

Everyone expected Dugu Sheng to kill the officer, and I did too. However, after being slapped, Dugu Sheng smiled and stood up again. Dugu Sheng showed an attitude that the officer, whose hand was cut off, was not worth his attention. He was indeed a strange man. Dugu Sheng looked at me.

"Yizha, it seems you should take over as the next leader."

I beckoned Dugu Sheng with a wave of my hand. Dugu Sheng strode over, and I slapped him across the face.

*Slap*— Dugu Sheng fell over with a thud.

I approached Dugu Sheng and grabbed his hair.

"Why are you so disrespectful? Do you want to be sent to the leader's side?"

We glared at each other, ready to kill. No matter who glared better, Dugu Sheng would die.

Dugu Sheng said, "What do you want me to do after killing the leader?"

Honestly, Dugu Sheng's words were the most shocking since I arrived at Black Line. People should live their own lives.

Perhaps because they were born under the command of a leader, they couldn't escape the idea that without a leader, there would be chaos. Even Dugu Sheng, who had the strongest rebellious spirit, couldn't escape this mindset.

'This is a problematic group.'

I let go of Dugu Sheng's head, stood up, and looked around.

'This is troublesome. Very troublesome.'

If it were a group like Black Cat, composed entirely of martial artists, I could easily absorb them. However, this group was mixed with civilians, making it difficult to distinguish who was a martial artist and who wasn't. It also seemed impossible to mix them with the Haomen.

What should I do in this situation?

I tried to liberate them by killing the leader, but they were waiting for the next leader.

If things continue like this, the responsibility will be on me. After all, I killed the Black Line Leader, who was the leader of the slaves.

'Ah, damn...'

After much deliberation, I decided to take on this responsibility. Since I had the sin of killing someone, I should pay the price.

"Dugu Sheng, gather all the officers in the main hall. Treat the surviving elders. The survivors need to live."

Dugu Sheng, with a few gestures and nods, quickly organized the situation and waved the officers into the main hall.

* * *

I watched the officers enter from the seat where the Black Line Leader had sat.

Some sat confidently, while others hesitated and sat at the back.

In any case, keeping these people alive was the only good thing the Black Line Leader did. Perhaps he anticipated his defeat and left with the elders and the heavens.

Or not.

Anyway, did they sit according to rank?

Dugu Sheng sat to my left.

"Are they all here?"

The youngest officer at the back replied, "Yes, all the officers are here."

I took a deep breath and organized my thoughts.

There's only one thing I want to tell them.

Even if it's not me, you are at risk of being wiped out by some master in the future. However, if I say this, they will think I'm crazy. I am crazy, but telling them about something that hasn't happened yet won't serve as a warning.

I opened my mouth.

"Appointing a new leader and bringing the entire Black Line under my command is the best option for me."

There could have been questions, but after my earlier outburst, no one asked.

I asked, "Is there anyone stronger than Dugu Sheng?"

As soon as I finished my question, Dugu Sheng glared at the other officers.

Wow, is this guy's temper really that bad?

Well, he cursed at the elders, so the other officers wouldn't dare challenge him easily.

"The next leader will be Dugu Sheng."

I pointed at Dugu Sheng, who looked eager.

"Follow my orders."

Dugu Sheng closed his mouth.

I issued orders to change Black Line.

"The first task as leader is to mobilize everyone to destroy that old city wall."

Dugu Sheng replied, "Start with the city wall?"

Wow, how do I explain this?

Should I just say it feels right...?

I suppressed my temper and asked the other officers, "Do you need an explanation?"

The officers answered in unison, "Yes."

I slapped my forehead and explained.

"The city wall is too closed. You might think it protects you, but it's no obstacle to martial arts masters. It didn't even protect the life of the strongest Black Line Leader. It's a kind of mental formation. It makes you look inward and bind each other with various rules."

"Is that a problem?"

I nodded. "It is."

"Why?"

"You can't communicate with people outside. It's too closed. You need to understand each other for things to change. Ah, it's tiring."

I took a deep breath to rest.

My mouth tasted bitter, and the officers' unpleasant odors made me dizzy.

I slapped my cheek and continued.

"Start by destroying the city wall. Go outside more often. The world is wider than Black Line. Once the city wall is gone, we should get rid of the name '堡' (Fort)."

'堡' means a small fort. It seems the name was chosen because the group started inside the city wall. 'Black Line' just means a black fan, describing the shape of the wall.

"If I find you running a slave market, collecting loans, or doing anything to provoke me when I return, I'll start by killing Dugu Sheng, and then I'll kill all the officers I recognize. I'll go to heaven and greet the Black Line Leader. 'How have you been?' It will be a mess."

An officer asked, "Can you give us more specific instructions?"

"I don't know, kid. Think about it specifically. Isn't that what being an officer is for? What's your name?"

The other officers told me his name, affiliation, and rank.

I pointed at him. "For specifics, ask this guy and proceed."

Since there were many ordinary people mixed in, I had to assert my authority.

"Drop the name 'Black Line' and come up with a new one. Especially, don't use the character '黑' (black). You bastards, with black hearts and yellow minds."

A slightly dim-witted middle officer replied, "Can we use '白' (white)?"

I looked at him and replied, "Don't ask questions. Until the meeting ends."

"I understand."

Damn, the flow was interrupted.

"..."

I was about to let it go, but my temper flared, and I lashed out at him.

"Are you a white bastard?"

"No, I'm not."

"There's a way to name a group."

"I understand."

I calmed down and said to the officers, "If you have any questions, ask."

"We only know your name. We don't know what you do."

I scratched my forehead. Introducing myself to the Black Dao, I started.

"I am..."

"Yes."

"I was a waiter in Yiliang County, now the leader of Haomen, a regular customer at Chunyang Restaurant. I passed over Black Cat. What else? I'm not a fake brother."

As I continued to worry about trivial things, an officer interrupted.

"Let's leave it at that."

"Should I? Anyway, how many laws do you have?"

"Many. Over a hundred."

I ordered Dugu Sheng, "Reduce it to three."

"From a hundred to three?"

I glared at Dugu Sheng. "Start with three. If you really need to add more, gather and vote. But only after you've destroyed that black wall together."

The other officers replied, "Understood."

I found meetings more tiring than fighting.

We lived in different worlds.

The reason why martial arts leaders often have white hair is because of this.

Trying to gather opinions from these guys will inevitably turn your hair white.

If meetings with these idiots are tiring, imagine being a martial arts leader.

Originally, meetings with smart people make you lose energy faster.

A famous sect leader, in the middle of a power struggle, would say, "Leader, that's a bit..."

A senior from a noble family would say, "Please reconsider."

A military strategist, known as the smartest in Central Plains, would say, "But this is a bit concerning."

Hearing this, you'd want to draw your sword.

But since I'm the leader, I have to endure, and my hair turns white.

I muttered, "That's why martial artists need to use swords."

A dim-witted officer opened his mouth again.

"You're right."

I sighed. "I have to endure."

Suppressing the urge to escape, I said to the officers, "Remember what I said. It's hard to gather like this, so let's have a meal together today. Prepare some food. We'll eat together."

"The leader never had a meal with us."

I snapped my fingers. "Fine. From now on, officers will gather for meals three times a day. Eliminate the transit tax and release the captured people. Burn all documents related to bounties, open the leader's treasury, and use the wealth to help those in need. Build proper houses. Hire outsiders and pay them fairly to build. Even the beggars of the open faction live cleaner than you."

After saying this, I realized it was a difficult task.

I naturally passed the responsibility to Dugu Sheng.

"Understood?"

Unexpectedly, Dugu Sheng nodded and replied, "I'll do it. I understand."

I was slightly surprised and asked, "You understand?"

Dugu Sheng replied calmly, "It's right, and I can do it."

"Did this guy suddenly achieve enlightenment? He understands what I'm saying. Summarize it."

The other officers also focused on Dugu Sheng.

Dugu Sheng, still in an angry tone, summarized my words.

"Destroy the city wall."

I replied, "Again."

"Go outside more often."

"Right. Next."

"Live among the people."

I looked at Dugu Sheng, who continued.

"Stop the slave trade. Ban gambling. Don't extort transit fees from other boatmen. Live cleanly. Demolish old houses and build new ones. Use the leader's accumulated wealth for this. The officers should not embezzle the money."

I couldn't understand why the atmosphere was so solemn. Anyway, Dugu Sheng continued.

"Drop the name 'Black Line' and come up with a new one. Eat with the officers. Reduce the laws. Add them one by one after discussion."

Why did the atmosphere become so serious?

"Start all this after you've destroyed the city wall together."

I looked around and replied, "You summarize well. But why is the atmosphere like this? Suddenly."

An oblivious officer said, "Dugu Officer used to say these things often. Not exactly the same, but similar. Right? Everyone has heard this before."

"I've heard it before."

I suddenly glared at Dugu Sheng, who also glared back. This guy was always angry from start to finish.

Dugu Sheng's eyes held many stories.

During the time I stared into Dugu Sheng's eyes, we had more silent conversations than when we talked.

I suddenly remembered our disjointed conversations.

How is the atmosphere in Black Line these days?

What do you mean? It's full of idiots.

Yizha, it seems you should take over as the next leader.

What do you want me to do after killing the leader?

In the awkward silence, a dim-witted officer broke the silence.

"Should we prepare the meal?"

The officers waited for my answer.

I sighed and replied, "Forget the meal. Bring some alcohol."

I need to drink today.