Chapter 59

The Training Hall was under the supervision of Li Qing and others, so Su Xin was relatively at ease. He only needed to come by a few times each day to make his presence known, ensuring that the gang members knew who was giving them the opportunity to learn martial arts. That was enough.

The rest of the time, Su Xin spent practicing in the Eternal Peace Hall or sparring with Li Hua.

Li Hua's innate talent was not bad, and after witnessing Su Xin's battle with Li Zhonghe, he gained some insights. Last night, he directly broke through to the 36th acupoint, advancing to the Early Afterbirth stage.

Su Xin's Jing Wu Ming's Fast Sword required a high level of internal energy, as it was a pure killing technique. The more power you had, the more terrifying the killing technique would be.

In contrast, Li Hua's Exorcising Evil Sword Technique did not have such high requirements for internal energy. Advancing to the Early Afterbirth stage, he increased his speed rather than the power of his sword strikes.

Compared to the original Sunflower Manual, the Exorcising Evil Sword Technique had both obvious advantages and disadvantages.

At this moment, Huang Bingcheng walked into the hall and said to Su Xin, "Boss, Liu Shengming wants to see you."

"Why is he coming to see me?" Su Xin asked in confusion.

Liu Shengming was one of the major heads of the Flying Eagle Gang. He was not particularly close to the three hall masters and was part of the chief's faction. Su Xin had little interaction with him.

In fact, Su Xin had little interaction with the other major heads. The major heads of the Flying Eagle Gang had considerable autonomy, each guarding their own territory and rarely venturing into others' territories.

Huang Bingcheng shook his head. "I don't know. He came alone and only said he wanted to see you, Boss."

"Alright, let him in."

After a while, Huang Bingcheng brought in a middle-aged man in his fifties.

As soon as Liu Shengming saw Su Xin, he immediately laughed and clasped his hands. "Congratulations, Hall Master Su, for becoming the youngest hall master in our Flying Eagle Gang. Tsk, tsk, Hall Master Su, you are a young talent, truly making old men like me envious."

Su Xin humbly replied, "Boss Liu, you're too kind. You're not an old man. From what I know, you're not even fifty yet, right? You should be in your prime."

Liu Shengming smiled bitterly and shook his head. "Hall Master Su, you flatter me. A man like me, with poor internal energy cultivation, focused on combat power in my youth and chose to practice quick and hard techniques. As a result, my body couldn't keep up as I aged. After forty, my health started to decline. To be honest, I can't even engage in intense battles now; my body can't handle it."

Su Xin comforted him with a few words. Since Liu Shengming hadn't explained his purpose, Su Xin wasn't in a hurry and chatted with him about various trivial matters.

Finally, Liu Shengming couldn't hold back and sighed. "Hall Master Su, I actually came to ask you for a favor."

"Whatever it is, Boss Liu, just say it. If I can help, I will. After all, we are brothers in the Flying Eagle Gang," Su Xin said, patting his chest.

Liu Shengming looked embarrassed. "It's like this. I have an unworthy son who caused trouble and smashed a shop in Changde Ward a while ago. As you know, Changde Ward is different from our peripheral wards. The people who run shops there have significant backgrounds. They directly reported to the authorities, and my unworthy son was thrown into jail. I went to beg them with money, but they didn't care. They even had the authorities sentence my son to two years in prison. My connections in the authorities couldn't do anything; the person in charge is too powerful, and money doesn't work."

At this point, Liu Shengming's face showed a hint of distress. "My unworthy son may be no good, but he was pampered from a young age. Spending two years in jail will likely ruin him. I heard that you have a good relationship with the Chief Constable of the Eastern Twelfth Ward, Tie Wuqing. That's why I came to you, hoping you could speak to Chief Constable Tie and get my son released. Money is no issue; I, Old Liu, have some savings."

After listening, Su Xin pondered for a moment and said, "Boss Liu, wait a moment. I'll go find someone and be right back."

"It's fine, I'm not in a hurry," Liu Shengming said, though his face showed excitement.

Since Su Xin hadn't refused outright, it meant there was still a chance.

After leaving the hall, Su Xin asked Old Huang to call the patrol constable of the Eternal Peace Ward.

Changning Prefecture had 49 wards, each with several patrol constables responsible for managing street issues.

The Eternal Peace Ward was under the jurisdiction of Tie Wuqing, and these patrol constables were his subordinates, who had become familiar with Su Xin.

Su Xin was never stingy with money when it came to these officials.

For someone of Tie Wuqing's status, a small amount of money wouldn't move him, so Su Xin gave him political achievements.

However, these patrol constables were different. They were locals in Changning Prefecture and needed money to support their families. Su Xin paid them ten times more than what the authorities gave them each month.

Therefore, these patrol constables were very friendly with Su Xin.

Especially after the Life and Death Arena, these patrol constables realized that Su Xin was not only their benefactor but also very powerful, making them even more respectful towards him.

Sure enough, as soon as Su Xin called, a patrol constable immediately came out from a nearby tavern with Huang Bingcheng.

These patrol constables were the most comfortable in Su Xin's territory.

Su Xin managed his subordinates very strictly, and no gang members dared to extort merchants or cause trouble on the streets.

Moreover, a large number of gang members patrolled the streets daily, ensuring that anyone who caused trouble in Su Xin's territory would face severe consequences.

These gang members were more diligent than the patrol constables themselves.

Therefore, the patrol constables in Su Xin's territory spent their days drinking and watching plays in small taverns, waiting for their generous pay. Life was quite comfortable.

They knew that this comfortable life was thanks to Su Xin, so when he called, the patrol constable immediately put down his cup and came over.

"Hall Master Su, is there something you need?" the young patrol constable asked politely.

"Constable Xiao Zhang, why are you so formal? We're about the same age; you can still call me Brother Su as before."

Constable Xiao Zhang quickly smiled bitterly. "Hall Master Su, don't put me in an awkward position. Our boss is very strict about hierarchy. He calls you brother, but if I call you brother, it won't be good if he hears it."

Su Xin didn't insist and directly led him into the hall.

"This is Liu Shengming, one of the major heads of the Flying Eagle Gang, and this is Constable Xiao Zhang of the Eternal Peace Ward."

Liu Shengming was delighted to see that Su Xin had brought an official, and a constable at that.

His connections in the authorities were mostly clerks, who had high ranks but little power.

In the major cities of Central Plains, clerks and secretaries in the authorities had considerable power, but in a small southern city like Changning Prefecture, even the authorities respected strength above all.

With Tie Wuqing's strength, he was one of the top five in the Changning Prefecture authorities. Even the highest-ranking magistrate had to be polite to him.

Therefore, in the Changning Prefecture authorities, the most powerful were not the clerks in various departments but the constables and patrol constables.

Liu Shengming bowed and flattered, "Constable Xiao Zhang, you are indeed young and talented, to be a patrol constable in the Eternal Peace Ward at such a young age."

Faced with Liu Shengming's flattery, Constable Xiao Zhang only snorted, showing no interest.

He was polite to Su Xin because Su Xin gave him money and a comfortable life, and most importantly, because Su Xin was at the Mid-Afterbirth stage and had killed Li Zhonghe.

Although Constable Xiao Zhang was only a few years older than Su Xin, he was also at the Early Afterbirth stage. He didn't need to care about Liu Shengming, who had only opened a dozen acupoints at his age.

Liu Shengming smiled awkwardly, not daring to say anything even though Constable Xiao Zhang was arrogant.

Seeing the awkwardness, Su Xin directly said to Constable Xiao Zhang, "I called you here because of Boss Liu's matter. His son offended someone in Changde Ward and was sentenced to two years in prison. I want to know who he offended and then ask Chief Constable Tie for help to get him out."

Hearing this, Constable Xiao Zhang immediately understood. "Oh, that's the kid who smashed a shop in Changde Ward. If it's just this small matter, there's no need to trouble the boss. I'll handle it for Hall Master Su."

Hearing Constable Xiao Zhang's promise, Liu Shengming's eyes lit up.

"Do you know who he offended?" Su Xin asked.

Constable Xiao Zhang nodded. "The shop he smashed belongs to Secretary Sun from our prefecture. This matter didn't even reach the magistrate, so Secretary Sun directly changed the sentence to two years in prison."

Hearing this, Liu Shengming finally understood why his connections hadn't worked.

When a new magistrate took office, they would bring secretaries to help with administrative affairs. These secretaries usually had several roles, and Secretary Sun was responsible for criminal matters.

In the prefecture, his relationship was with the criminal department, which was nominally independent but actually under the jurisdiction of Secretary Sun.

His son had smashed the shop of his superior's superior, so it was no wonder they couldn't help him.

Su Xin said, "Is this matter complicated? If getting Boss Liu's son out will make you offend Secretary Sun, it might not be worth it. Maybe we should still ask Chief Constable Tie."

Constable Xiao Zhang patted his chest and said disdainfully, "No need. What is Secretary Sun? He's just an outsider brought by the magistrate to handle official business. Without the magistrate's support, he has no rank and is nothing. My family has been constables in Changning Prefecture for over ten years. Why should I fear him? My older brother is a patrol constable in Changde Ward. I'll have him say a word, and I guarantee that Secretary Sun will release the person the next day."

PS: Thank you to the readers Elna's Pandora, Tidy Bear, Reader 160502004426378, Gao Chengguang, Yezi, Reader 141030224922476, and Leitu Zhi Shan for your support.