Chapter 41

"The position of Hall Master!"

Ye Tian squinted his eyes, appearing to ponder, but gave no direct answer.

He had heard before that Lei Tang had long coveted this Hall Master position, and the other three Head Bosses likely wouldn't let this opportunity slip either.

The competition pressure is truly no small matter.

But!

"Funny—I actually like pressure."

If there's no challenge at all, it's not worth the effort.

Even though he had already known, Mei Yongning couldn't help smiling when he received Ye Tian's definitive reply.

"With this chance to deliver money, I'm sure the Bāngzhǔ and the other Hall Masters will favor Boss even more."

"Don't get too excited yet."

Compared to Mei Yongning, Ye Tian's face showed no sign of joy.

"Anyone who's spent time in the Jianghu knows brotherhood is nonsense—what's truly unbreakable is always interest, and it must be continuous interest."

Sure, I spent a lot of money this time.

But people are like fish—they forget in seven seconds.

To get those people to help again, you'll have to pay again.

If we're talking about handing out money, Lei Tang, backed by Lei Ji Money House, clearly isn't short of cash—even though he's had a terrible falling-out with Lei Yushan over Lei Lu.

But if Lei Tang truly needs help, Lei Yushan will step in.

Not because of some damn brotherhood—purely because Lei Tang and Lei Yushan benefit each other: the higher Lei Tang rises in the Black Water Gang, the more stable Lei Ji Money House's business becomes.

As for the other Head Bosses.

Having controlled their territories so long, they certainly aren't short of money—if handing out cash could make you Hall Master, they'd all spend fortunes to do it.

"Is that so?"

Mei Yongning nodded, half-understanding.

Though clever, born in this era, his way of thinking was inevitably limited—he couldn't see as broadly as Ye Tian.

But with this hint, Mei Yongning quickly grasped it.

It's indeed a trouble.

Yet seeing Ye Tian's face utterly free of worry, Mei Yongning suddenly smiled.

"If Boss says so, then he must have a plan."

As for a plan—well, there actually is one.

Either accept the status quo, grow steadily, build high walls, stockpile grain, and delay proclaiming oneself king—Ye Tian understood this principle well.

As long as your territory is large enough, and you have enough people and money, the Hall Master position will naturally be yours.

Or, forge a new path: establish mutual-interest ties with other Hall Masters.

As Ye Tian pondered, a familiar voice came again.

【Detected: Host triggered choice】

【Choice One: Grow steadily, accumulate power! Reward: Primary Loyalty +20, Hard Qi Art】

【Choice Two: Establish mutual-interest ties with other Hall Masters! Reward: Primary Loyalty +20, Hard Qi Art】

Of course it came.

Ye Tian's expression was one of expected amusement—Primary Loyalty meant little, but Hard Qi Art surprised him; in this age of cold weapons, personal martial prowess still held great value.

Having self-defense ability is better than having nothing at all.

"How much money did you get from the Flying Cloud Gang?"

With a plan in mind, Ye Tian immediately turned to ask Mei Yongning.

Though stockpiling grain was the safest method, it was also the slowest—this complete annihilation of the Flying Cloud Gang made Ye Tian realize one thing.

The gang scene in Linshui City is too chaotic, too fragmented—the powerful feast while ordinary folk suffer in numb acceptance. Perhaps what he needs is a fearsome figure emerging from nowhere.

Though "Unrivaled Benevolence and Righteousness" was the persona Ye Tian crafted to recruit more followers,

it's his future actions that will make this persona credible.

Damn it! At first, stopping bullying and oppression was just to make more money—when people's lives are stable, they're more willing and able to spend, right?

Yet now I've become the safest, most harmonious Big Brother in all of Linshui City—how chaotic is this world? Even a small city like this.

What must the vast Thirteen Provinces look like?

"After recent expenses, we still have about five hundred thousand taels left!"

Knowing Ye Tian had a plan,

Mei Yongning spoke quickly.

The Flying Cloud Gang was good at making money, but spent heavily too—after all, three-tenths of gang revenue had to be paid to the clans; even the Black Water Gang did this, let alone a small gang like the Flying Cloud Gang.

To hold ground in Linshui City, they'd have paid even more.

As for whether destroying the Flying Cloud Gang would offend the clans,

Ye Tian never worried about it.

First, there are too many gangs in Linshui City. Second, even though the Flying Cloud Gang is gone, the territory remains—if someone takes it over, revenue flows again, and the clans still get their share.

"Over half a million!"

Sounds like a lot.

But now that his status has risen, he understands: money, sometimes, just doesn't last.

"Get the forge working!"

This money must be spent—but how best to spend it? That's the question.

The hammerer wasn't idle either; during this time, Ye Tian had the hammerer teach his ironworking skills to many of his loyal subordinates, for no matter how fast one man could forge, it couldn't match the output of many working together.

"You said before that the Hall Master handling the iron ore business in the gang is called Old Ghost, right?"

He had already asked Mei Yongning before.

The iron ore business is run by a Hall Master within the Black Water Gang.

"That's right, Boss!"

Mei Yongning immediately nodded and recounted everything he knew about Old Ghost.

"Old Ghost is now in his prime; though his territory isn't the largest in the Black Water Gang, it's the most stable. It's said he originally came from another gang, and the Bāngzhǔ paid a great price to recruit him—later, the Bāngzhǔ wiped out that gang entirely."

"So this Old Ghost is still a talent!"

He was willing to spend a fortune to recruit him.

Old Ghost must have something extraordinary about him.

"Moreover, Old Ghost's elder sister has been with the Bāngzhǔ since he first took power; with this connection, no one in the gang dares to offend Old Ghost lightly."

The two siblings weren't originally from the same gang.

Old Ghost has always remained neutral, focused solely on making money and avoiding all conflict; otherwise, with such a connection, his influence within the gang would be immense.

"Old Ghost's elder sister? Do you know anything about her?"

Yet what truly interested Ye Tian was Old Ghost's elder sister.

He had heard before that one of the eight Hall Masters of the Black Water Gang was a woman, but he'd never met her and didn't know her name.

If possible, Ye Tian thought he wouldn't mind eating some soft food.

"Uh!"

Seeing Ye Tian seemed interested in Old Ghost's elder sister, Mei Yongning's expression turned awkward.

"Old Ghost's elder sister is known as Pig Sister; in her youth, she became famous for eating an entire pig in one meal. Later, …"

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