Chapter 48

After returning to the hall, Su Xin opened the porcelain bottle and took a look. Indeed, there were ten light yellow pills inside, emitting a strong medicinal fragrance.

However, one must always be cautious. Who knows if the old wolf still had ulterior motives and had tampered with these pills in some way.

But even if he asked the people at the pharmacy, it would be of no use. They wouldn't recognize the secret pills made by a major martial arts sect.

After some thought, Su Xin suddenly came up with an idea, though he wasn't sure if it would work.

He entered the system space and asked the system, "I got a bottle of pills outside. Can you appraise them for me?"

The system replied, "Yes, the system can authenticate and evaluate everything the host obtains in the outside world, and rate it according to the system's star levels."

Su Xin smiled, this was indeed a pleasant surprise.

There were many hidden attributes in this major villain system that had yet to be discovered. If Su Xin didn't ask, the system wouldn't tell him.

"Alright, appraise these pills and see if there's anything wrong with them."

On the large screen in the system space, the image of the bottle of pills appeared, followed by a series of descriptions.

"Shaolin Temple's Secret Small Revival Pill, made from forty-nine herbs and a secret method. It is a simplified version of the Great Revival Pill, which can accelerate the circulation of internal energy, strengthen blood and qi, and aid in cultivation. Overall rating: two and a half stars."

This world also had a Shaolin Temple, though it was very far from Changning Prefecture in southern Hunan. He didn't expect to encounter something from Shaolin Temple today.

Changning Prefecture, a southern frontier region, had very little knowledge of the central martial arts world. Su Xin had also inquired from Huang Bingcheng, but he only had a superficial understanding.

To them, Changning Prefecture was their entire world, and there was no point in wasting time on useless information.

Therefore, Su Xin only occasionally heard snippets about the central martial arts world. Even so, he knew that Shaolin Temple was a holy place of Buddhism and had a very high reputation in the martial arts world.

Since the Small Revival Pill was produced by Shaolin Temple and rated two and a half stars by the system, it was quite good.

Su Xin had already opened sixty acupoints. With the help of these ten Small Revival Pills, he estimated that he could complete the breakthrough to the middle stage of the acquired realm within ten days.

The saying "poor in literature, rich in martial arts" was not a joke.

Without this bottle of Small Revival Pills, Su Xin would need at least a month to break through to the middle stage of the acquired realm. Now, he could complete the breakthrough in just ten days.

...

Changde Pavilion, the seventh floor of the Prosperous Dragon Tower, was the largest restaurant in Changning Prefecture. Even if you had money, not everyone had the qualifications to enter.

Each floor of the seven-story Prosperous Dragon Tower required sufficient status and position to qualify for entry.

The leader of the Falcon Gang, Sha Feiying, only had the qualifications to go to the sixth floor, while the seventh floor was accessible to fewer than ten people in all of Changning Prefecture.

At this moment, on the seventh floor of the Prosperous Dragon Tower, three middle-aged men were drinking and looking down at the figures below.

Changning Prefecture had three gangs and four associations. The Falcon Gang, Green Bamboo Gang, and River Gang were the weakest.

The four associations were the Iron Knife Association, Blood Robe Association, Divine Wind Association, and the strongest Three Heroes Association.

These three middle-aged men were the three leaders of the Three Heroes Association.

Among the three gangs and four associations, most had experienced over a hundred years of storms, some even spanning three or four generations. Only two were established in the past few decades: the Falcon Gang and the Three Heroes Association.

The Three Heroes Association was established even more recently, only about ten years ago.

But in just over a decade, the three of them had turned the Three Heroes Association into the largest gang in Changning Prefecture, demonstrating their strength and means.

"Have you heard about the new major leader of the Falcon Gang?" one of the middle-aged men with a stern face asked.

He was Meng Changhe, one of the three leaders of the Three Heroes Association, responsible for managing the gang's personnel and teaching martial arts to the members. He had the most power among the three leaders.

Another man, lean and with a fierce scar on his face, said, "He can kill the leaders of the Green Bamboo Gang, Dai Chong and Chen Lao, before he turns twenty. This is no ordinary strength.

Moreover, he once defeated Luo Zhen of the Green Bamboo Gang, which is even more extraordinary. Luo Zhen comes from the Weiyuan Escort Agency, and his master is the chief escort of the Weiyuan Escort Agency, 'Soul-Cutting Spear' Lin Luoyuan, a genuine innate martial artist.

If Su Xin can defeat Luo Zhen, his strength must be even greater."

This scar-faced man was Duan Xiao, one of the three leaders, responsible for external gang battles, similar to the Falcon Gang's War Hall.

However, the War Hall was specifically trained to follow an elite route, while the Three Heroes Association's gang battles were commanded by Duan Xiao, who was said to have a military background and was skilled in military strategy.

The last leader was the youngest, looking only about thirty, wearing a scholar's robe, and well-maintained, not looking like a gang leader but rather a nobleman's son.

This man was Ning Luojun, one of the three leaders, who was said to come from a declining martial arts family but was expelled for a major mistake.

Although Ning Luojun had a gentle and refined appearance, he was the most terrifying of the three leaders.

After the Three Heroes Association was established, it was this Ning Luojun, who looked like a nobleman, who used a soul-severing hook to cause bloodshed in Changning Prefecture, with over a hundred deaths at his hands.

Hearing Duan Xiao's words, Ning Luojun shook his head and said, "I see it differently. Su Xin's methods are more impressive than his martial arts.

Sha Feiying's heart is as small as a needle, yet he can tolerate such a young man becoming a major leader. Su Xin is not an ordinary person."

Meng Changhe tapped the table, "In any case, Su Xin is definitely not an easy opponent. I've decided to recruit him to the Three Heroes Association. What do you think?"

Duan Xiao and Ning Luojun both nodded.

This kind of conversation had happened before. Recruiting from other gangs was one of the main strategies of the Three Heroes Association.

The strategy of the Three Heroes Association was similar to that of the Falcon Gang. They wouldn't waste time teaching internal skills to low-level members.

But the Three Heroes Association did one thing better than Sha Feiying: they never hesitated to recruit talented and powerful individuals.

The Falcon Gang was once strong, but Sha Feiying, to secure his position, brutally eliminated nearly half of the major leaders.

If those major leaders were still alive, their strength would be comparable to the three hall leaders like Lin Fuhu.

The three leaders of the Three Heroes Association were much more confident. They would offer wealth, beauty, or martial arts to anyone they recruited, as long as it was what they wanted.

This strategy allowed the Three Heroes Association to grow rapidly over the past decade.

The Falcon Gang had no major leaders who had broken through to the middle stage of the acquired realm, while the Three Heroes Association had over thirty major leaders, all at the middle stage of the acquired realm.

Su Xin was now strong, had potential, and was young, making him a perfect target for recruitment.

Ning Luojun said, "Recruitment is possible, but from the information, Su Xin seems to have his own ambitions. I suspect he won't agree easily, just like when we tried to recruit Luo Zhen, who also refused."

Meng Changhe smiled confidently, "They are different. Luo Zhen is old and lacks ambition, only wanting to protect his brothers in the Green Bamboo Gang. He wouldn't want to be a subordinate in our Three Heroes Association.

But Su Xin is young and ambitious. The Falcon Gang clearly can't fulfill his ambitions, while our Three Heroes Association can."

Ning Luojun thought for a moment and said, "Alright, let's send someone to try. Send Zhang Heng, who is steady and gentle, to persuade Su Xin."

Meng Changhe frowned, "Zhang Heng is currently managing the trade with the barbarians. Only he can negotiate with the barbarians in the mountains and get better deals. If we send someone else, they won't agree. Let's send someone else."

"Who else?"

Meng Changhe clapped his hands and called out, "Chong, come up here."

A series of footsteps approached, and a young man of about twenty, with a proud expression, walked up and bowed to Ning Luojun and Duan Xiao, "Meng Chong greets the two uncles."

Among the three leaders of the Three Heroes Association, only Meng Changhe had a son, Meng Chong.

"Older brother, younger brother, Chong is getting a bit old. I'm preparing to let him familiarize himself with the gang's affairs. Let him go this time," Meng Changhe said with a smile.

Ning Luojun hesitated, "But Chong's temper is too explosive. He might ruin the negotiation with Su Xin."

Duan Xiao also nodded, familiar with the faults of their leader's son, which were mostly due to being spoiled as a child.

Meng Changhe shook his head, "Chong knows the gravity of the situation."

He turned to Meng Chong and scolded, "Be polite when you meet Su Xin. As long as his demands are not excessive, agree to them.

This young man is a rare talent among the young in Changning Prefecture. Moreover, he has over a thousand followers and a market. We must have him under our control."

Meng Chong nodded, but it was unclear if he had really taken it to heart.

Seeing Ning Luojun and Duan Xiao silent, Meng Changhe laughed, "Since neither of you are speaking, let's send Chong. Come, I'll help you select some reliable subordinates."

With that, Meng Changhe took Meng Chong downstairs, leaving Ning Luojun and Duan Xiao with grim faces.

"This time, the leader is too hasty. He wants to secure a future for his son, but he shouldn't risk the gang's interests," Ning Luojun said solemnly.

Duan Xiao, who usually spoke little, also spoke up, "The Three Heroes Association was once ours, and it still is. As long as the three of us are alive, the Three Heroes Association will always be ours!

This time, the leader not only acted hastily but also went too far!"

PS: Thank you, book friend Nan Chen Da Di, for your generous donation. This is the first time I've received such a large donation, and I'm quite excited.

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