Translator: CinderTL
The county captain was named Zhu Yong, and Xu Sanyan had already learned about him from Wang Laizi.
After entering, he was asked to wait in the hall, not even offered a cup of tea. Xu Sanyan didn't mind and casually admired the calligraphy hanging on the wall.
Of course, if it could even be called calligraphy.
Xu Sanyan felt that even two chickens with a handful of rice could produce better strokes than this.
It was hard to believe that these characters were written by a human. In a way, it could be considered a pinnacle of its own kind.
After waiting for an hour, Zhu Yong finally strode in and sat down in the main seat, a mocking sneer on his face. "Oh? So you've wiped out the Yelang Society, and now you're coming for me?"
Xu Sanyan wasn't surprised that Zhu Yong knew about this. He hadn't intended to hide it, and it was impossible to keep it under wraps anyway.
"Master, this calligraphy piece is quite impressive. Would you be willing to part with it?" Xu Sanyan pointed at the large characters on the wall that read "Heaven rewards the diligent," with Zhu Yong's signature at the bottom.
Zhu Yong grinned. "Even I can't recognize what I wrote. You really want it? How much are you offering?"
Xu Sanyan held up one finger.
"A thousand taels?" Zhu Yong raised an eyebrow.
Xu Sanyan shook his head. "One hundred thousand taels."
Zhu Yong's expression changed, and he slammed the table. "Someone! How can you not even serve tea to our guest? Go and bring out my Mingqian tea."
Xu Sanyan turned and sat down on a chair. "No need to trouble yourself, Master. I'll just sit for a while and leave."
Zhu Yong asked, "So, what's the matter?"
Xu Sanyan shook his head. "Nothing. Master just needs to stay at home, drink tea, and read books. You don't need to worry about anything. Tomorrow, I'll bring you fifty thousand taels as a deposit, and the remaining half will be handed over once the matter is settled."
Zhu Yong frowned. "It's that simple?"
Xu Sanyan smiled. "That simple. Master doesn't need to do anything. Of course, it's best if your subordinates don't do anything either."
Xu Sanyan's meaning was clear: Zhu Yong should restrain his troops and not interfere, even if the county magistrate gave orders.
Zhu Yong naturally understood. After a moment of thought, he whispered, "Moon Gazing Pavilion…"
Xu Sanyan nodded.
"Haha, no problem. As long as the assistant magistrate doesn't get involved, I'll handle the rest." Zhu Yong patted his chest, his tone shifting from calling them "northwesterners" to addressing Xu Sanyan as a brother.
One hundred thousand taels of silver was indeed a significant amount. Even Wu Jue, who had worked diligently for decades in the desert, had only managed to save around four hundred thousand taels in total.
Of course, Xu Sanyan didn't feel any pain in parting with the money—it wasn't his to begin with.
Moreover, once they took over the Moon Gazing Pavilion's business, the Guanshan Blade Association would rise to become one of the most powerful forces in Taian City, and his position would become even more unshakable.
With that, he would have the leverage to negotiate with the Ginseng Gang. Everything he had done was for the sake of obtaining precious medicine.
Xu Sanyan stood up and cupped his hands. "Thank you, brother."
Zhu Yong waved it off. "Hey, no need for formalities between us brothers. If there's anything you need in the future, just ask."
Xu Sanyan understood, of course, that nothing came for free—it would cost money.
"There's one more thing. Does brother happen to have any precious medicine? I'm willing to pay a thirty percent premium for it."
Zhu Yong hesitated. As a martial artist, he naturally had a need for precious medicine. After some thought, he decided to part with one. "I do have one. I'll have someone bring it to you."
Zhu Yong wasn't afraid of Xu Sanyan taking it without paying. In Taian City, he had the confidence to back that up.
"Thank you."
…
Xu Sanyan left the Zhu residence with the precious medicine in hand. With Zhu Yong on board, the rest would be much easier to handle.
The Moon Gazing Pavilion only dared to act as it did because of its ties to the assistant magistrate. In terms of actual strength, it was the weakest among the four major gangs.
"Vice Leader, is everything settled?" Wang Gang was still waiting outside.
"Yes, let's go. We need to talk to the leader."
Xu Sanyan still didn't plan to act himself. This was something for Song Qian to handle, given his strength. Besides, this was a matter for the entire gang—there was no reason for him to refuse.
In the evening, at the headquarters of the Guanshan Blade Association, Xu Sanyan and Song Qian sat facing each other, leisurely sipping tea.
Xu Sanyan put down his cup. "I'll front the one hundred thousand taels. Once the gang starts making profits, you can repay me."
Song Qian frowned. "But provoking the officials might make our lives difficult in the future."
"Leader, we can't swallow the Moon Gazing Pavilion alone. No one wants us to grow too powerful. Once the matter is settled, we'll give Zhu Yong half of the profits. He'll definitely ensure our safety."
Seeing Song Qian still hesitating, Xu Sanyan spoke again. "Don't worry, Leader. The assistant magistrate can't do anything to us. He has no military power or cultivation—what can he do?"
Song Qian remained silent for a while, then finally slapped the table. "Fine! Brother, how do we proceed?"
"We'll storm the Moon Gazing Pavilion under the cover of darkness, eliminate the managers, and take over directly."
Xu Sanyan's approach was still simple and brutal. He didn't have the patience for a slow takeover. While this might leave some loose ends, he wasn't thinking about the future.
As long as he quickly advanced to the Celestial Being Realm, there would be no consequences!
"Good. When do we act?" Once Song Qian made up his mind, he became eager.
"Tomorrow night."
…
The next day, Xu Sanyan personally delivered fifty thousand taels of silver to Zhu Yong. They agreed that once the matter was settled, Zhu Yong would hold a fifty percent stake in the Moon Gazing Pavilion. The condition was that no one, not even the White Horse Gang, the Ginseng Gang, or the assistant magistrate himself, would be allowed to interfere that night.
That evening.
Xu Sanyan and Song Qian led over a hundred members of the Guanshan Blade Association to a four-story building in the southern part of the city. This was the headquarters of the Moon Gazing Pavilion, Taian City's largest brothel.
"Remember, don't harm the customers. We'll need them later." Xu Sanyan gave the final instructions.
Everyone nodded. This had already been discussed before.
"Let's move!"
Xu Sanyan took the lead, kicking open the doors of the Moon Gazing Pavilion. The swordsmen behind him flooded in, and chaos immediately erupted inside.
"Who are you? Do you know where you are?"
Someone recognized them and shouted, "It's the Guanshan Blade Association! Brothers, arm yourselves!"
Xu Sanyan and Song Qian ignored the commotion downstairs and headed straight for the fourth floor, where the managers of the Moon Gazing Pavilion were located.
The other party had also noticed something was wrong. The three of them met on the stairs.
"Song Qian, have you lost your mind? Don't you know whose property the Moon Gazing Pavilion is?" A middle-aged man with a grim expression barked.
Song Qian tightened his grip on his sword. "Jiang Chongyun, stop wasting your breath. Do you think I'm here to turn back now?"
"Hmph, Song Qian, do you really think you've got me cornered?"
Jiang Chongyun wasn't afraid. Their strengths were similar, and the outcome was far from certain.
Xu Sanyan watched their cautious expressions and glanced at the chaos downstairs. He whispered, "Leader, end this quickly!"
The longer this dragged on, the worse it would be for them.
(End of the Chapter)
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