Chapter 11

Inside the residence of Hu San Ye in Shunyi Fang.

Hu San Ye held the list given to him by Huang Bingcheng and smiled without a word. The middle-aged scholar beside him tightly gripped his folding fan, his face showing a look of shock.

"Mr. Li, what do you think of my adopted son's methods?" Hu San Ye asked, raising his head.

The scholar suddenly opened his fan and said in a deep voice, "Cruel, ruthless, and full of ideas. Most importantly, he knows when to advance and when to retreat."

Hu San Ye slowly said, "You're right. The most important thing is that he knows when to advance and when to retreat. Otherwise, no matter how many methods he has, they would be useless. Since that's the case, I'll take the assets of Shunde Gambling Den."

"How much will you leave for Su Xin?" Mr. Li asked.

"Two thousand taels. I'll also give him the original land of Shunde Gambling Den. We only want the cash." Hu San Ye waved his hand casually, but his mood was still good.

Several thousand taels of cash, even for the head of the Flying Eagle Gang, was a huge sum.

Most importantly, this money came with no burden.

Su Xin was the one who had crippled the people and collected the money.

Hu San Ye only needed to coordinate with the authorities and use his status to smooth things over.

Even if the authorities wanted to settle accounts, they couldn't pin the crime of forcibly seizing property on Hu San Ye, even if he took ninety percent of the money.

In the Happy Forest, Huang Bingcheng excitedly reported Hu San Ye's intentions to Su Xin, but Su Xin showed no excitement on his face, only a cold smile in his heart.

His adoptive father had a much bigger appetite than he had imagined, taking ninety-nine percent of the money and leaving him only two thousand taels.

Fortunately, Hu San Ye had no interest in the land of Shunde Gambling Den, so he left it to Su Xin.

"Old Huang, from these two thousand taels, after deducting one thousand three hundred taels, there are about seven hundred taels left. Use this money to renovate Shunde Gambling Den into a hall. Is that enough?"

"Boss, you want to build a hall? The money is enough, and you don't even need to renovate it. Just change the signboards and buy a new batch of tables and chairs. But that's not the way it's done," Huang Bingcheng scratched his head, feeling he could never keep up with his boss's thinking.

Su Xin asked, "Why is it not the way it's done?"

Huang Bingcheng explained, "In the Flying Eagle Gang, only the top leaders have the right to build halls. Other minor leaders just rent a house to live in."

Su Xin tapped the table and said, "You say they have the right, but the gang rules don't explicitly state that only top leaders can build halls, right?"

Huang Bingcheng was taken aback and said, "It seems so."

"Since that's the case, what's the problem with me building a hall?"

Su Xin wanted to build a hall to increase the cohesion of his subordinates.

Discussing matters in a small, dilapidated house and in a spacious, bright hall are two completely different things.

Huang Bingcheng thought about it and began to understand.

It's not that minor leaders are not allowed to build halls, but no one does it.

A minor leader in the Flying Eagle Gang usually manages only three or four streets, with a monthly income of at most a thousand taels, and sometimes only a few hundred.

Building a hall would cost tens of thousands of taels just for the land.

It would be better to keep the money and enjoy it slowly.

"Alright, I'll leave this to you. From these seven hundred taels, after necessary expenses, you can keep one hundred taels for yourself, and the rest will be under your management." Huang Bingcheng, though a bit slick, was meticulous in his work, and Su Xin trusted him.

To make someone serve you, you must first give them enough benefits. Otherwise, why would they risk their life for you?

So, whether in his past life or now, Su Xin has always been generous to his subordinates.

"Thank you, Boss! From now on, I'll dedicate my life to you!" Huang Bingcheng patted his small chest, moved to tears.

Of course, his behavior was mostly flattery, but there was some genuine emotion.

He had been in the Flying Eagle Gang for over ten years, but due to his lack of strength, he had never been given important tasks despite his slickness.

Now, Su Xin not only gave him power but also entrusted him with the money, making Huang Bingcheng feel a sense of loyalty.

After dismissing Huang Bingcheng, Su Xin returned to his residence, buying a roasted chicken on the way.

As soon as he opened the door, Xing'er immediately pounced on him, her nose twitching with excitement. "Wow! It's a roasted chicken!"

"Alright, little glutton, go wash your hands and eat." Su Xin rubbed Xing'er's head.

Xing'er nodded quickly and obediently went to wash her hands.

After the meal, Su Xin had two wooden stakes set up in the yard and called Huang Bingcheng to get him two swords from the government office while he was there to smooth things over.

Ordinary blacksmiths' weapons were of poor quality. Su Xin would rather use the iron blade he had now than those.

The best weapons in Changning Prefecture came from the imperial court.

The weapons in the Changning Prefecture government office, such as swords, spears, and halberds, were all used by the imperial army and then distributed to the local government and law enforcement, made of top-quality materials by skilled craftsmen, and had been tested in battle.

Huang Bingcheng went to the government office once and, with just fifty taels of silver, brought back two long swords for Su Xin.

In recent years, the Zhou Dynasty had reduced its military, and some of their equipment was distributed to various prefectures, in large quantities.

A single warehouse in Changning Prefecture had enough weapons and armor to equip over a thousand people, but the entire Changning Prefecture had only just over a hundred law enforcement officers.

So, most of these items were left to rust in the warehouse. Even for twenty taels, the warehouse keeper would be happy to sell them.

One of the swords was a slender sword, three feet long and two fingers wide, light and agile.

The other was a heavy sword, four feet long and four fingers wide, heavy and powerful, suitable for cutting and slashing.

Both swords had sharp edges, with only slight marks from use, indicating they had been re-sharpened and were as good as new.

Su Xin held the slender sword in his left hand and the heavy sword in his right, repeatedly thrusting at the wooden stakes.

But he was not practicing the strength of his strikes, but rather the precision.

Each strike had to stop just as it touched the stake. If it left a mark, it was considered a failure.

Su Xin now knew two sword techniques: Jing Wu Ming's Fast Sword and the Great Sumi Sword Style.

The Great Sumi Sword Style was more defensive, with complex moves. Su Xin wanted to use it to cover the gaps in the Fast Sword, so he wouldn't be at a loss when the Fast Sword was countered.

While he couldn't bring the Fast Sword to full proficiency, it was the simplest killing technique, focusing on being fast, ruthless, and accurate.

These three points could be applied not only to the Fast Sword but also to other martial arts.

So, Su Xin was now focusing on improving his proficiency with the Fast Sword, which also served as basic training.

Seeing her brother practicing, Xing'er sat on the steps in front of the house, watching obediently.

When Su Xin was drenched in sweat, Xing'er brought water and a towel to wipe his sweat.

"Brother, can I learn swordsmanship?" Xing'er looked at the slender sword in Su Xin's hand with a hint of admiration.

"Sure, but why do you want to learn swordsmanship?" Su Xin was surprised. At her age, girls usually liked dolls, not swords.

Xing'er clenched her small fists and said, "If I learn swordsmanship, I can protect Brother and drive away the bad people who bully us."

"Alright, I'll wait for Xing'er to protect me." Su Xin smiled and rubbed her head.

Su Xin handed the slender sword to Xing'er, who happily took it but then looked at him pitifully.

Although it was a slender sword, it was made of refined steel and weighed over ten pounds, which was too heavy for a seven-year-old child.

Xing'er could barely lift the sword with both hands, let alone wield it.

Seeing this, Su Xin smiled and took the sword, cutting a piece of wood from the stake and quickly shaping it into a wooden sword for Xing'er. Then, they stood in front of the stake, thrusting their swords into it one by one.

A month passed, not too long, but not too short.

Su Xin stayed in his small courtyard, focusing on his training, while the various shops in the Happy Forest were all renovated and ready to reopen.

The owners of the Happy Forest were now in a bind.

They had already given Su Xin shares, renovated the shops, and invested a lot of money. The success or failure of this venture would determine their fate.

As night fell, carriages began to arrive at the Happy Forest. This was the time when the Happy Forest truly came to life.

Young Master Sun from the Sun family in the eastern part of the city stepped out of his carriage, looking at the newly renovated Happy Forest and said, "Wow, a month without coming, and the renovation is quite good. I'll have a good time today."

The Sun family was the largest drug smuggler in the eastern part of the city, responsible for smuggling various rare herbs from the Southern Barbarians and the Three Xiang regions to the Eastern Jin.

Although this business was dangerous, with the risk of being caught and executed by the border guards, it was highly profitable, and the Sun family's wealth was among the top in Changning Prefecture.

With the Sun family's wealth, even if the Happy Forest was being renovated, he could go elsewhere, but he had stayed at home for a month.

No other reason, just because Young Master Sun was a nostalgic person.

When he was thirteen, his unscrupulous uncle had taken him to the Happy Forest for his first experience, so he had a genuine affection for the place.