Chapter 418: Riding Alone to Meet Seventh Master

Heitu Commandery

Lately, Seventh Master had not been doing well.

“Ever since he was transferred to Heitu Commandery to serve as Hall Master there, he had already survived at least seven assassination attempts by Beggar Sect experts.”

Two of his trusted aides had died.

Cui Mingjue had taken a blade for him and was left heavily wounded, bedridden for seven days, and still had not properly recovered.

Twenty-six Hall brothers had been killed.

If not for Elder Wan Xiwen secretly protecting him under orders from headquarters, he would have died who knew how many times over by now.

Only with Hall Master Yin’s help, Elder Wan Xiwen’s support, and by linking up with Six Gates and the local gang forces had he managed to strike back against the Beggar Sect several times, gradually stabilize the Hall, and slowly get the shipping business running again. Even so, it had not recovered to even half of what the Hall had earned at its peak.

Now, as the weather turned cold and part of the waterways froze over, the shipping business was slipping into winter’s dead season. Every day, Seventh Master stayed inside the Hall, gathering men in the training ground to drill.

More than three hundred newly recruited disciples were sweating it out there. The surging heat and energy of the crowd gave him at least a little sense of reassurance.

But the men he had recruited at this time were all being paid double, sometimes even triple, the usual wages.

The Gold Notes he had brought from Sanhe Commandery had long since been spent almost to the last.

Although headquarters had exempted Heitu Commandery and Shenyu Commandery from this year’s remittance, winter had arrived, and they still had to hold on for at least another two months.

These days, Seventh Master was living on money borrowed from nearby Hall Masters, all on the strength of Hall Master Yin’s reputation.

Even so—

with more than five hundred martial artists under the Hall, from formal martial artists to Third-Rank Martial Artists, all drawing high wages, the monthly expenses exceeded one thousand taels of gold.

And he still had to support several Sub-Helms.

Seventh Master could not have felt more miserable.

It was at that moment that he received a carrier pigeon message from Shenyu Commandery.

“Lin Cunxin is dead.”

The message had come from Hall Master Yin, with the details written underneath:

“All the managers in Sanhe Commandery have been replaced by Wangchuan’s people. That boy has the makings of a true warlord.”

Hall Master Yin’s evaluation revealed neither pleasure nor anger.

The furrows on Seventh Master’s brow deepened at once.

Holding the slip of paper, he remained silent for a long while.

At that moment, the heat and bustle of the training ground could no longer keep out the chill of winter, and he felt a coldness sink all the way into his bones.

“Wangchuan...”

“You’ve really grown into something.”

“Lin Cunxin... and you killed him just like that...”

A Third-Rank Martial Artist.

The God of Wealth of Sanhe Commandery.

Hall Master Yin’s number one confidant.

This was an unmistakable signal that Wangchuan had broken away from both Hall Master Yin and himself.

This was an unmistakable sign of open estrangement.

Sanhe Commandery had changed hands.

At that moment, Seventh Master knew that his only road of retreat had also been cut off.

Unless he could firmly establish himself in Heitu Commandery and carve out a domain of his own through blood and struggle...

Otherwise,

even he would never be able to return to Sanhe Commandery and drive Acting Hall Master Wangchuan from his position.

The Gang Leader, headquarters, and the higher-ups would never be willing to see Sanhe Commandery thrown into turmoil again.

Because Wangchuan had, in truth, done an excellent job there.

Elder Zheng of the Beggar Sect was dead. Qiu Dahong was dead. The massacre at the Beggar Sect’s Kuaiji County Branch Altar, including the destruction of the Five Poisons Sect’s temporary stronghold... the deaths of two Outer Elders in Qinghe Commandery—Seventh Master was certain all of it had something to do with Wangchuan.

The current Sanhe Commandery was one of the Caobang’s few truly solid strongholds. The Beggar Sect could neither penetrate it nor shake its foundations.

At a time like this, no Caobang higher-up would allow the Hall Master position in Sanhe Commandery to be thrown into uncertainty again.

He sighed.

Seventh Master silently crushed the paper slip and drew a deep breath, his eyes fixed on the sky.

As he recalled all the ways he had helped Wangchuan, along with the image of Wangchuan practicing Poison Sand Palm in the training ground, his emotions became exceedingly complicated.

There was satisfaction.

And there was regret.

Just then...

tap, tap.

Footsteps approached from behind.

A Caobang disciple entered, leading a young martial artist fully armed with bow on his back and sword at his side.

The instant Seventh Master saw that young, familiar face, he could not help falling into a daze.

...

He opened his mouth, almost unable to believe it.

Was he seeing things?

How could he possibly appear here?

And yet,

the young martial artist stopped on the steps opposite him, bared his teeth in a grin, cupped his fists, and greeted him first:

“Wangchuan greets Seventh Master!”

That familiar, clear voice snapped Seventh Master back to reality and confirmed the man’s identity.

“You... how...”

All at once, Seventh Master felt as though the air around him was no longer quite so cold. A warm current seemed to flow back into his body, softening the ice around his heart.

The Caobang disciple who had led Wangchuan in tactfully cupped his fists and withdrew to one side.

Quite a few of the Caobang disciples in the training ground turned their heads to look.

Those who recognized Wangchuan all broke into smiles.

“It’s Hall Master Wangchuan.”

“Why has he come?”

Wangchuan cupped his fists and smiled at Seventh Master.

“Seventh Master lent a hand to Zhao Heiniu and helped my Hall escort that important shipment safely. Wangchuan came here specially to thank you in person... and, while I’m at it, to ask Seventh Master for a cup of tea.”

By then, Seventh Master had recovered his composure. He walked over and patted Wangchuan on the arm.

“You came alone?”

“Yes.”

Wangchuan nodded.

Seventh Master instantly understood something.

At a time like this, for Wangchuan to come alone to Heitu Commandery, he was most likely on his way to the capital to turn in the Hall’s profits.

But after killing Lin Cunxin, and still daring to come alone to Heitu Commandery...

that meant this place was not dangerous ground to him.

“Come inside and have a hot cup of tea.”

Seventh Master led Wangchuan toward the main hall.

Along the way,

Seventh Master asked in an offhand tone,

“What happened with Lin Cunxin’s death?”

Wangchuan had prepared for this long ago. He recounted everything from beginning to end, then asked in return:

“Seventh Master, if you had still been in charge, and someone had joined hands with the managers below you to withhold most of the profits that should have been remitted, how would you have dealt with it? How would you have stabilized the Hall? How would you have cowed the others into submission?”

...

Seventh Master stopped walking.

After several moments of silence, he gave his answer:

“All participants would be thrown into the river, and every last member of their families would share the same punishment!”

Seventh Master was still the same Seventh Master.

Wangchuan said,

“This subordinate was ultimately not as resolute as you. I had them all turn in the money they embezzled and intended to place Lin Cunxin under arrest... but he committed insubordination and attacked me, so I had no choice but to strike him down! To the outside world, we announced that he died in an ambush. I left his family alive.”

“As for the thirteen managers, all of them were spared. They were only demoted by one rank.”

“... Womanly softness.”

Seventh Master gave a cold snort and said,

“In Jianghu gangs, only iron-blooded methods can keep these people in line... forget it. You’ll understand it later.”

Now that the matter had been laid out clearly and the misunderstanding dispelled,

Seventh Master’s mood visibly improved.

The two of them entered a courtyard.

The layout inside was exactly the same as the Hall Master’s courtyard in Sanhe Commandery.

A Caobang disciple had already served the tea.

The two of them took their seats inside the room.

Wangchuan glanced at the disciple serving tea so carefully, but did not see Cui Mingjue anywhere, so he asked:

“Seventh Master, where is Cui Mingjue?”

Seventh Master sighed.

“Seven days ago, during the melee, he took a刀 for me. He’s still bedridden with severe injuries...”

Wangchuan was shocked.

“Is it that serious?”

Seventh Master nodded.

“The leg injury he suffered back in Sanhe Commandery had already reduced his strength considerably. And now, after this... even if he recovers, it will be difficult for him to preserve the strength of a Second-Rank Martial Artist. He still hasn’t improved much, and I suppose he knows his own condition now, so his spirit has largely collapsed.”

At that point, Seventh Master sighed again.

“There isn’t anyone here like Divine Physician Shen of Medicine King Valley. And the medical halls here charge exorbitant prices.”

“I’ve been thinking that once he improves a little, I’ll give him some money and send him back to his hometown, so he can leave Jianghu behind and live as an ordinary man.”