Chapter 3

In the forty-nine wards of Changning Prefecture, although Chang乐 Ward was the poorest, it wasn't entirely a slum. At least one street was still decent, known as Kuaihuo Street.

As the name suggests, Kuaihuo Street was a place for pleasure. On this small street, there were over a hundred gambling dens, taverns, brothels, and inns.

Just this one Kuaihuo Street alone could support dozens of members of the Flying Eagle Gang. Without it, the Flying Eagle Gang would probably have withdrawn from Chang乐 Ward long ago.

Fighting to the death with the Green Bamboo Gang for such a poor place seemed like a losing proposition to the Flying Eagle Gang.

At this moment, inside the largest brothel on Kuaihuo Street, Zuiyue Tower, Liu Sandao was enjoying a massage from two girls with his eyes half-closed, listening to his subordinates report. Life was quite comfortable for him.

Liu Sandao was already in his thirties, and after more than ten years in the underworld, he had only managed to become a minor leader. It was not an easy feat.

Although his current position was not obtained in a particularly honorable way.

But this was the underworld. Although they were just the lowest level of underworld figures, there was one rule that applied to all: the winner takes all.

Liu Sandao was ruthless and fierce, and he had earned his nickname "Liu Sandao" by killing a member of an opposing gang with three strikes in his first battle. However, he was not a martial artist and had no martial skills at all.

Due to his lack of strength, he had been at the bottom of the Flying Eagle Gang for over ten years.

However, this was not without its benefits. At least at the bottom of the Flying Eagle Gang, he had a wide network of connections and some friendships with higher-ranking leaders.

Otherwise, after he framed Su Xin, he would have been punished according to the gang's rules rather than promoted to a minor leader.

"How is Brother Chen doing at the gambling den?" Liu Sandao played with a pair of iron balls in his hand and asked casually.

He had learned this skill from the chief constable of the eastern twelve wards of Changning Prefecture, Tie Wuqing, and found it quite impressive.

The subordinate looked worried and said, "Brother Chen has already lost over a hundred taels at the gambling den. They just lent him another hundred taels."

Liu Sandao waved his hand indifferently, "Whatever he loses, put it on my tab. Tell Old Huang that the monthly tribute for next month is waived."

The subordinate hesitated, "But the monthly tribute for the gambling den is only fifty taels, and Old Huang said that when the Green Bamboo Gang was in charge, it was only thirty taels."

"Bang!"

Liu Sandao slammed the iron balls to the ground, scaring the two girls behind him.

"I'm in charge now!"

Liu Sandao's face was twisted with anger.

"Go back and tell Old Huang that the monthly tribute will be increased to two hundred taels from now on! If he doesn't pay, he can close his gambling den!"

"Yes, yes! I'll go tell him right away!" The subordinate ran out immediately.

For some reason, since becoming a minor leader, the usually amiable Liu Sandao had changed a lot.

Liu Sandao picked up the iron balls from the ground and lay back on the chair, but before he could settle down, a commotion came from outside the door.

"What's going on?" Liu Sandao asked, displeased.

"Big Brother! Fifth Brother is dead!" A gang member with a scar on his face ran in, sobbing.

"What happened? Didn't Fifth Brother go out with Fourth Brother? Was it the Green Bamboo Gang?"

Liu Sandao pushed aside the crowd and saw Fourth Brother standing at the entrance of Zuiyue Tower, carrying the body of Fifth Brother, who had been killed by Su Xin. Fourth Brother looked at him with a blank expression.

"How did Fifth Brother die?!"

Although he had many subordinates, most of them had joined after he became a minor leader. The only ones who had been loyal to him for years were these five brothers.

"Third Brother! It was Su Xin who killed Fifth Brother!"

"Su Xin!" Liu Sandao hated hearing that name the most.

Although the underworld gangs were despised by the righteous martial world, they still valued loyalty.

Liu Sandao had secured his position by framing his brother, and although he had stabilized his position, he could not avoid being criticized.

"Impossible! Su Xin was beaten to near death by the Green Bamboo Gang. Even if he's not dead, he couldn't have killed Fifth Brother."

Fourth Brother said sadly, "It's true! Su Xin killed Fifth Brother with one strike! No, it wasn't even a sword, just a piece of iron! He said you owe him and he will come to settle the score with you!"

Hearing this, Liu Sandao felt a chill run through his head.

Looking around, Liu Sandao shouted, "What are you all looking at? Get out!"

The onlookers in Zuiyue Tower immediately retreated.

"Go get Brother Chen."

Brother Chen's real name was Chen Dao, in his forties. Although he was just a regular member of the Flying Eagle Gang, he was also the adopted son of one of the thirteen major leaders, Tiger Third.

He had mastered the Iron Sand Palm technique, which he had learned from Tiger Third, and ordinary minor leaders were no match for him.

Liu Sandao had spent hundreds of taels to invite Chen Dao to eat, drink, and indulge in pleasure, hoping to get a good word from him to Tiger Third to solidify his position.

The subordinate brought Chen Dao over, but Chen Dao sat down in Liu Sandao's previous spot, looking impatient. "What's going on? I was having a good time at the gambling den."

Liu Sandao ignored Chen Dao's rudeness and smiled apologetically. "Brother Chen, one of my subordinates was killed with one strike. I want you to take a look and see how strong this person is."

"Green Bamboo Gang?" In Chang乐 Ward, there were no other gangs, and the only possibility was the Green Bamboo Gang, which they had just fought and lost to.

"No, it's one of our own from the Flying Eagle Gang." Liu Sandao looked embarrassed.

"Your own? Damn, can't you even control your own subordinates?"

Chen Dao frowned at Liu Sandao, then suddenly remembered something and asked in surprise, "Is it that Su Xin? The one you framed?"

Liu Sandao nodded awkwardly, as betraying a brother was not a good thing to admit.

Chen Dao shrugged, as he was just doing a favor for money.

The body of Fifth Brother was brought in, and Chen Dao squatted down to examine it carefully.

Seeing the sword wound on Fifth Brother's throat, Chen Dao's eyes narrowed.

"Brother Chen, what do you think? Did you see anything?"

"An expert! A sword expert!" Chen Dao said solemnly, no longer lazy.

"One strike, and the sword cut through the throat precisely, without even a millimeter of extra movement. This person's control over the sword is terrifying. Was Su Xin this strong when he was under you?"

Liu Sandao said blankly, "This kid was indeed strong, don't let his weak appearance fool you. He had a lot of strength and was ruthless. He could take on three strong men alone, but I never heard that he knew how to use a sword."

"That's strange. This level of skill can only be achieved after immersing oneself in swordsmanship for over ten years." Chen Dao sat up and played with Liu Sandao's iron balls.

"Could Su Xin have learned internal martial arts?" Liu Sandao suddenly said.

Chen Dao laughed, "Do you think anyone can learn internal martial arts? Only true martial artists at the innate level can. In our Flying Eagle Gang, only the leader and three hall masters are at the innate level. Do you think this is Changning Prefecture, where martial artists are as common as in Shengjing City? We are just wandering gangsters. Internal martial arts? You've been listening to too many stories."

Liu Sandao smiled apologetically, "I admit I'm ignorant. Brother Chen, do you have the confidence to deal with Su Xin?"

"What's the point of a fast and accurate strike? Power is the key! For five hundred taels of silver, I'll take care of Su Xin for you. I'll also report to my adoptive father that Su Xin colluded with the Green Bamboo Gang, clearing you of the rumors of betraying your brother." Chen Dao played with the iron balls as he spoke.

"Deal! I'll prepare the silver right away!" Liu Sandao gritted his teeth and agreed.

Compared to his life, silver was secondary. Five hundred taels was a lot, but with a bit more extortion from the businesses on Kuaihuo Street, it could be made in a month.

"Great! Liu Sandao, you'll soon see that these five hundred taels were well spent."

Chen Dao threw the iron balls to the ground and stood up. On the iron balls made of pure steel, five clear finger marks were visible.

What was Su Xin doing at this moment? He was eating baozi.

Just as he walked to Kuaihuo Street, he felt hungry again, so he found a street stall and ordered several steamed buns.

Martial artists have abundant qi and blood, so they have a large appetite. Since Su Xin had just started practicing internal martial arts, he needed to absorb the essence from food to cultivate his internal energy.

Some experts can eat a whole cow in a day, and some can go a month without food or drink.

After finishing the baozi, Su Xin suddenly remembered that he still had one draw left for the day.

With a thought, Su Xin appeared in the system space.

"System, do I still have one draw left today?"

The system replied, "Yes, the host still has one basic draw. Would you like to draw?"

"Draw." Su Xin said without hesitation.

Although the basic draw was not very useful, if he got lucky and drew a technique or a skill, it would be good.

However, this time, Su Xin was not lucky. The pointer on the wheel passed over the techniques and stopped at the medicine section.

"Tsk! Not what I expected. A weapon would have been better."

Su Xin was still using the iron piece as a sword, which was quite embarrassing.

The silver he had taken from Fourth Brother could buy a steel sword, but it would be a common one, not much better than the iron piece.

"Congratulations, the host has drawn a basic substandard Qi Nourishing Pill, rated half a star."

Su Xin's lips twitched. A basic substandard Qi Nourishing Pill, not a good thing by the name.

When he came out of the system space, the basic substandard Qi Nourishing Pill appeared in his hand. It was not spherical but an irregular lump, looking unreliable.

Su Xin opened his mouth and swallowed it in two bites. Instantly, he felt his internal energy double.

Don't think this is a lot. Su Xin had only practiced internal martial arts for one day, and his internal energy was just a thin thread. Even if it doubled, it was still just a thin thread.

In summary, the basic substandard Qi Nourishing Pill could only increase the internal energy Su Xin had cultivated in one day, which was better than nothing.

Just as he stood up, the system's voice echoed in his mind: "The task system is activated. New task: Kill Liu Sandao within three days and become a minor leader of the Flying Eagle Gang. Reward: 10 points of villain value, one basic Qi Nourishing Pill. Penalty for failure: lose an arm."

"The penalty for failure is severe, but the task is simple."

Su Xin threw a piece of silver and walked straight towards Kuaihuo Street.