Chapter 52: Newly Ascendant Favorites

Hu Zhengqi, upon suddenly hearing such a fawning sixteen-character motto, nearly choked on a breath stuck in his throat. He whipped his head around in a furious glare, and after a closer look, couldn't help cursing inwardly: "So it's this Servant! This scum must have also taken that five taels of silver!"

The one who shouted the sixteen-character motto was a man with a square face, thick brows, and broad shoulders with a thick back. His appearance was the easiest to recognize — on his forehead was a mole the size of a fingertip.

This man was a clansman of Hu Zhengqi, sharing his surname, and was named Hu Xian.

Hu Xian looked big and tall, but was actually the type who is fierce in appearance but cowardly inside. In the Sect, he was unreliable and didn't fit in anywhere, making a living solely on his skill at conditioning people — whether man or woman, old or young, once they passed through Hu Xian's hands, they would receive clients if told to receive clients, throw away their lives if told to throw away their lives, without half a word of complaint ever again.

Given that Hu Xian had done no small number of evil deeds, and happened to have a mole on his forehead, people at the time pinned the nickname "Hu Rotten to the Core" on him — a sore growing on the crown of the head, truly rotten to the very core.

Back to the main story: when Hu Zhengqi saw that his own first prize had been snatched away by Hu Xian, he had no time to settle accounts with this Servant. He hurriedly shouted out the line he had prepared as well, and thus managed to claim the second prize.

Zhou Tong nodded with satisfaction upon hearing this: "Mm, not bad. These two know how to behave. Rise and speak."

When the two Hus, smiling obsequiously, came forward and paid their respects, Zhou Tong let only a single word burst from his lips: "Reward!"

The several baskets of monthly wages that had belonged to Seventh Master Huang not long ago were now grabbed by a large hand. Two full fistfuls of loose silver were separately dropped into the two men's hands. Because of Hu Zhengqi's hand, he even let two taels slip through.

The rabble kneeling below all went red-eyed at this sight. That one grab of silver was at least twenty or thirty taels. Those still able to kneel now were mostly the low-grade beggars who had been waiting outside the Mountain Gate earlier — the favorites who had charged to the front were already all dead.

These people usually never saw twenty taels, and even two taels were hard to come by. In this One Moment, the beggars finally saw clearly how things stood, and a rising and falling din of pledges of allegiance erupted thunderously.

Zhou Tong lowered his head to look at Hu Zhengqi, who was shoving others' legs aside and crouching at his feet to pick up those two taels of silver, then raised his head to look at the impassioned beggars, and couldn't help but burst into loud laughter.

What followed was a matter of course: the crowd of people kneeling below took turns coming forward, paying respects to the new boss, receiving rewards, and being assigned Territory. And the two Guide Party members now already comported themselves as trusted confidants, standing without any reserve at Zhou Tong's side. As each person came forward, these two would, in detail, introduce that person's background to the new boss.

When a young beggar came forward and kowtowed, the flesh on Hu Zhengqi's face immediately twitched, because Hu Rotten to the Core, at his side, came out with this One Section of words: "Group Head, be careful. This man is called Liao Seventeen. He was the confidant of that dead ghost Liao Hall Master, Raised Up by him from childhood, as close as father and son."

That young man, hearing Hu Xian actually utter such words, could not help but fly into a great rage. He straightened up and was about to shout curses, but just as the words "You Hu—" burst from his mouth, before the word "—Xian" could come out, Zhou Tong waved a hand with utter indifference. Behind the young man, a flash of snowy blade-light flickered, and he fell dead in a pool of blood.

A scapegoat made to establish authority was thus produced. Zhou Tong's casual attitude told everyone that he did not care in the slightest whether this man was as close as father and son to the already dead Hall Master.

The remaining crowd immediately became much more cautious — except for Hu Zhengqi, who had already entered rivalry-for-favor mode and was shooting eye-daggers at Hu Rotten to the Core from time to time.

Hu Zhengqi knew that the reason Hu Rotten to the Core had just offered slander was mostly still on account of Liao Seventeen himself — Liao Seventeen had probably never expected that the Consequence of stepping on Hu Rotten to the Core's head and publicly mocking that mole on his forehead would be so brutally tragic.

A petty man's revenge lasts from dawn till dusk.

Since Hu Rotten to the Core had chosen the mad-dog path of drawing hatred, Hu Zhengqi naturally had to switch to the common-touch path. When the last man, who looked like an old farmer, came forward and kowtowed, Hu Zhengqi forcefully suppressed his past grudges against this man and said with an ingratiating smile: "This is Old Bone, the Head of the Cremation Ground. He's got skill, burns a first-rate corpse."

Zhou Tong raised an eyebrow at this: "Cremation Ground? Mm, not bad."

By the time this whole chaotic affair was finished, it was already the hour of Yin Zheng. The meat cauldron, whose fire had been out for half the day, was carried over. The Manpower of Pingfeng Stronghold hastily picked out the scattered Human Body parts that had flown into the cauldron, then ladled out a bowl for everyone present — a meat broth of a ghastly color, still faintly warm.

Group Head Zhou rose and held his bowl, looking at these beggars who were both excited and apprehensive, and spoke in a ringing voice: "All who have paid respects at the Mountain Gate today are our own brothers. In this Current Age, every one of you is a Newly Ascendant Favorite — silver tucked in your bosom, a seat Stuffed under your rear. When you go back, all of you keep a firm eye on your own Territory for me. Anyone who can't keep his underlings in line is trash. What use is there for trash?"

By this point, Zhou Tong's voice and expression had both turned stern.

After coldly sweeping his gaze around, Zhou Tong raised his bowl and continued: "Matters on the official side, this Zhou will handle personally, no need for you to trouble yourselves. Remember to come for roll call these next few days."

His words finished, he tilted his head back and poured the bowl of meat broth down his gullet: "Fine broth! Truly excellent!"

The news that the Beggar Sect's Head Hall had been breached by enemies, and that Group Head Huang Qi and a host of big shots had perished, spread rapidly among the various heroes inside and outside the city after the Newly Ascendant Favorites returned.

The authorities naturally also received the news at the First Moment. However, Knowledge is one thing; the old tradition of "maintaining calm" still could not be discarded. This was a common failing of successive generations of authorities — no matter how big the matter, they always had to first see clearly the Wind Direction before acting.

Meanwhile, the family dependents of the Former Huang Tuan Leader were already staging the drama of a chaotic household scattering. Everyone knew the things Seventh Master Huang had done over the years. What everyone did not know was: just how many enemies did Seventh Master have? Now that Seventh Master had met a bad end, if they didn't pack up the Floating Wealth and Escape, they feared the enemies would soon be killing their way to the door.

Speak of Cao Cao, and Cao Cao arrives.

Just as the people in the several residences under Seventh Master's name were each packing up their valuables, certain people had already come knocking.

When the Beggar Sect's newly appointed Liaison Officer, Master Hu Zhengqi, entered with a crew of fierce, murderous-looking men, the entire Huang Family, high and low, nearly died of fright.

Fortunately, Master Hu was reasonable and understanding, making it clear that Zhou Big Dragon Head was in fact a reasonable and understanding man. This matter, well, it only pursued the main culprit; the rest would not be questioned. Everyone was free to take some valuables and return quietly to their maiden homes. However, within reason was enough — One Part of the Floating Wealth and the title deeds had to be left behind. If anyone dared make more noise, the Sect rules and Family Law were not vegetarian.

When dynasties change, some matters are just this direct.

The vast Majority of bottom-rung beggars cared not a whit about such things — it was nothing more than a change of the person exploiting them. This mentality was a good thing for the Newly Ascendant Favorites who had just taken power — the great banner these people were now waving had yet to receive official certification, and they were uneasy.

Yet after one night passed, the number of people coming the next day to pay homage to the new sovereign was still three short. These few individuals usually had little goodwill among others, and were also loath to part with the silver they had received as reward. That very night upon returning, they had been done in by certain persons of prestige.