The Seven-Colored Hall's influence is spread across the Southern Thirteen Street.
Qingyi Hall naturally has many people under its command, not to mention the vagrants, beggars, petty thieves, and unemployed individuals who rely on shady dealings.
Even the official disciples who have offered incense and paid homage to the founder number in the hundreds.
Of course, this batch of forces is directly under Incense Master Dong Jinzhong's command, and Chang Sansi cannot mobilize too many.
No matter how few, there are still some usable people.
Like Tang Sanliang who has come to report now, he is one of the outstanding ones.
From the time Chang Sansi issued the order to find out about the matter of a few little beggars singing songs, just after the time it takes to burn three sticks of incense, before the carriage returned home, the news was already here.
"Good, you truly deserve the name Iron Kite. You are indeed excellent in gathering information, and your body technique continues to excel."
Upon seeing Tang Sanliang's expression, Chang Sansi laughed heartily and praised lavishly.
The visitor was a thin, small man with a very small face, resembling a child.
However, this person's arms were exceptionally large, along with his shoulder blades protruding outward.
As he moved, it seemed as though wings were fluttering.
The most eye-catching thing was not his appearance, but his movements.
Just moments ago, he was a mere shadow, but with a few quick leaps, he was already in front.
He had mastered the key to light and agile movements.
Of course, this also related to his very light body weight.
"It's all thanks to the Incense Master's support... If not for the Incense Master's rescue, I would still be in the deep mountains, living with wolves and beasts, without the achievements I have now," Tang Sanliang knows well that Vice Incense Master Chang is excellent in everything except for speaking straightforwardly.
You have to listen to his words inversely.
Clearly it's praise, but if you're not careful, he may strike decisively the next moment.
Among this batch of people, prosperous times saw a dozen or so, yet only three remain.
The others either had accidents during tasks or were personally killed by Chang Sansi.
"Tell me, what's going on with those guys like Tian Qi? Have you investigated their whereabouts these days?"
Chang Sansi pulled aside the curtain, came down, and slightly bent down, patting Tang Sanliang twice on the shoulder in a bow to indicate the other party not be overly nervous.
We're all brothers here, why act so distant?
Tang Sanliang looked up and smiled flatteringly, "As for what's happening on Qilin Street, what secrets are there? Just asking around, you'll know. I must say, you, Incense Master, guessed correctly. At first glance, they are singing songs to make money, but their actions in secret are quite strange.
They clearly need the silver, yet they're not very focused on earning money through singing."
The need for silver, Tang Sanliang didn't explicitly mention, everyone knows.
The Vice Incense Master gave them a month's notice; if they can't hand over three hundred taels of silver by then, they may face ruthless consequences.
Any normal person facing this situation would surely work day and night to quickly meet the target...
Earn every bit of silver they can.
But they're just like this, even more leisurely than the officials in the government office...
Only in the morning they start, sang one or two hours, and then stop, regardless of how well or poorly business is going.
These actions clearly aren't normal.
"According to this, they are not at all concerned... about my silver." Chang Sansi clutched his heart, his face in pain.
"Singing just half a day every day, how much silver must they be losing? Even if the business is booming, and the reputation is great, how much money can they save?"
Tang Sanliang suddenly dared not continue speaking, afraid that upon hearing this, the Vice Incense Master's heart disease and brain disease would simultaneously flare up, causing him to hiccup and catch a cold.
"If there's anything bad left, speak it all out, don't hide a thing." Chang Sansi dropped his pretense of a fake smile and coldly glared at Tang Sanliang, his eyes like a venomous snake.
"Yes, Incense Master, they are truly good at singing. Everyone who heard them is captivated, during every start of the day, the crowd from half the street flocks over.
Not only Qilin Street, but people from other places are also waving silver notes and showering silver, eager to listen first. Although they may not be too focused, they've earned quite a bit.
However, it seems their silver hasn't been saved, most of it has been spent."
"Spent?"
Chang Sansi's voice turned shrill, almost breaking, "Where'd they spend it?"
"I went to the Ping'an Restaurant and Baoyue Hall to investigate... In the beginning, Hua Lian'er was fine, merely purchasing large quantities of meat and ordinary healing and Qi replenishing medicines, not spending much silver. After a few days, he became much bolder, buying over ten doses of [Qi Blood Powder]."
"It seems, Tian Qi, that kid has indeed grown a rebellious heart. No surprise, his injured leg should be nearly healed, though who knows how his body nourishments are? Have his Qi and Blood grown significantly, has Bone Forging succeeded? Who knows how many moves he can withstand against me?"
Upon hearing the little beggars were purchasing Qi Blood Powder in large quantities, Chang Sansi instead calmed down, "Well, it's indeed related to the matter at Fuyuan Restaurant."
That's the kind of high-cost Qi and Blood-boosting medicine that's fifty taels a dose. Even as a Vice Incense Master, after a month, I'd cautiously consume only seven or eight doses.
Any more would be wasted.
There's also not enough silver to waste wantonly.
These worthless wretches used over ten doses?
Where'd they get so much silver, unless those on surveillance have slacked and not kept a close watch?
He already regrets not paying closer attention to them during these days, being busy with other matters.
Unexpectedly, these people have achieved such gains and are so bold.
"Yes, if it were just a few ordinary little beggars, when bullied, they'd only endure silently.
But since they dared to buy so much Qi Blood Powder under our noses and spend large amounts of time in closed-door cultivation every day, they're naturally not good ones.
Cheng the Westerner's methods were too blatant, trying to ruin their livelihood, using sinister means, naturally facing backlash."
Tang Sanliang reaching here, glancing, noticed the Vice Incense Master's unsightly face, his heart skipped.
Speaking of Cheng the Westerner, isn't that also Vice Incense Master Chang, whose methods may not be bright either.
This is indeed saying something wrong.
He hurried to rectify:
"How about I go and capture those like Tian Qi, skin them, draw out their tendons, and vent this anger."
"You? Your skill is sufficient, but your mind isn't quite right."
Chang Sansi said blandly, his gaze growing colder, "These few still have significant use, especially Hua Lian'er... Tang Sanliang, you don't understand the meaning behind these songs, this singing, do you?
That's a money tree..."
He pinched his brows in thought: "When I first met Tian Qi, I felt his eloquence was refined, his demeanor exceptional. Such a person is no ordinary one, cannot be allowed time to cultivate.
The most troublesome is, those kids all had utmost trust in him, and he really won their hearts...
If you really went on the offensive, you believe those kids would rather break than submit. Then both sides would suffer, and forget about the silver."
The difficulty is indeed here.
They're already so poor, down to begging.
To still be able to win hearts, deeply loved by many, how did he achieve all this?
Being cautious not to alert and harm the rodent, directly dealing with him wouldn't work.
"Tian Qi, oh Tian Qi, since it's difficult to kill openly, we can only act in secret. Just make sure nobody knows it's us behind it.
Surely, Hua Lian'er and the singing lot wouldn't hold us accountable. Moreover, missing their protector, seeking revenge would likely align them with the Seven-Colored Hall."