17: Prepare to take action

The bearded man hesitated for a moment, then cupped his hands slightly and said, "Brother, please wait. I cannot make decisions on your matter; I need to invite the Gang Leader."

Xu Sanyan nodded understandingly, "No problem, go ahead."

The bearded man turned and left. The surrounding big men no longer dared to speak carelessly as before. Wherever Xu Sanyan's gaze fell, people averted their eyes.

The man lying on the ground was still unconscious. Xu Sanyan said to one of them, "I accidentally used too much force. This Brother is troubled. Take him to the medical hall; I will cover the expenses."

Xu Sanyan took out a few taels of silver and tossed them over. The man took the silver and carried the unconscious man away.

Not long after, the bearded man returned with a middle-aged man. From afar, they heard the man's hearty laughter, "My young Brother, please forgive me for being late."

Xu Sanyan looked up and saw a tall, burly man walking towards him. He cupped his hands slightly and said, "I am Xu Sanyan. It is a pleasure to meet Gang Leader Song."

He had heard from the Chieftain's Wife that the Gang Leader of the Guanshan Saber Society was named Song Qian, and he was also an Inner Qi Realm expert.

"Hahaha, Brother Xu, please come inside."

Song Qian was very polite. Xu Sanyan was simply too young. In Taian City, it was rare to encounter such a young Inner Qi expert.

The two came to a simple hall and sat down. Song Qian said, "Brother Xu, to have such ability at such a young age is truly rare."

Xu Sanyan knew what he meant; he merely wanted to inquire why he wanted to join the Guanshan Saber Society.

After all, among the four major Gangs in Taian City, the Guanshan Saber Society was at the bottom. Whether in terms of wealth or strength, it couldn't compare to the other three. It only gained its reputation by daring to fight and not fearing death.

Xu Sanyan casually said, "To be honest, Gang Leader, because I also grew up in the winds and sands, I naturally feel a kinship with the Guanshan Saber Society."

Song Qian nodded and did not ask too many questions. After all, strengthening the Gang's power was a good thing.

After thinking it through, Song Qian stood up and laughed loudly, "Hahaha, good! Since you have passed the three trials, then light the incense and join the Society. From now on, we are our own Brothers!"

With Xu Sanyan's strength, whether he passed the third trial or not was no longer important. In a remote place like the Northwest, an Inner Qi Realm expert was already a formidable individual.

"Many thanks, Gang Leader." Xu Sanyan stood up and cupped his hands.

Song Qian ordered someone to bring a table with an incense burner on it.

"Please, three sticks of incense, offered to Heaven, Earth, and Man. After bowing, you must abide by the Gang's rules: do not indiscriminately kill the innocent, do not disturb the common people, and do not rape women. If there is any violation, we will all attack!"

Xu Sanyan nodded, not taking it to heart. He grabbed three sticks of incense, inserted them, and bowed a few times, thus completing his joining.

The ceremony was very simple.

Song Qian called everyone over and announced in front of them, "From now on, Brother Xu Sanyan will be the Deputy Gang Leader of the Guanshan Saber Society, and the West District will be under Brother Xu's management."

"Greetings, Deputy Gang Leader!"

Song Qian waved his hand, "Alright, everyone disperse. Wang Laizi, you stay."

Xu Sanyan glanced at Wang Laizi. When he first arrived, Wang Laizi was one of the two people sparring in the courtyard.

"Gang Leader, Deputy Gang Leader."

Wang Laizi was a short man with a pockmarked birthmark on his face, which was why he was called Wang Laizi.

Song Qian said to Xu Sanyan, "Wang Laizi is most familiar with the Gang's business. Let him help you get acquainted for a while."

Xu Sanyan nodded, "Many thanks, Gang Leader."

Song Qian shook his head and smiled, "Don't thank me yet, Brother Xu. Although you've joined the Gang and are one of us, rules cannot be broken. For the business in the West District, thirty percent of all profits must be given to the Gang, and the rest is for you to manage."

Xu Sanyan asked curiously, "May I ask how many Brothers are in the West District, and how much money can be earned each month?"

Song Qian shook his head and sighed, "The West District has about twenty-something people. As for business, you need to develop it yourself. I don't care what business you do, as long as it doesn't violate Gang rules."

Song Qian was also helpless. The Gang didn't have any legitimate trade, and all Gang members lived by their own abilities. The Guanshan Saber Society was called a Gang, but it was more like a group of saber-wielders huddling together for warmth to avoid being bullied.

Xu Sanyan frowned. No wonder Song Qian was so generous, giving him a district as soon as he joined. It turned out it hadn't been developed yet. What was the difference between this and him starting his own Gang?

Thinking carefully, there was still a difference. At the very least, it carried the name of the Guanshan Saber Society, and Song Qian, an Inner Qi expert, stood behind it. Ordinary people wouldn't dare to provoke them.

He estimated that Song Qian must at least be an Inner Qi Mid-stage cultivator, otherwise, he wouldn't be able to support such a large Gang.

"Alright, many thanks, Gang Leader." Xu Sanyan nodded.

Song Qian clapped his hands and laughed, "With our Brothers united, the Guanshan Saber Society will surely become stronger. I still have matters to attend to, so I won't keep you."

Xu Sanyan wisely excused himself, with Wang Laizi and Big Yellow Tooth following close behind.

Watching Xu Sanyan's departing back, Song Qian's eyelids drooped, his mind filled with countless thoughts.

Gaining an Inner Qi Realm expert for free should have been a joyful thing, but he always felt a little uneasy.

...

"Tell me about the situation in the West City." Xu Sanyan asked.

Wang Laizi thought for a moment, "Wangyue Tower is in the West City, but they only do brothel and gambling house business. There's also a Gang in the West City called the Yelang Society, which deals in smuggled salt, ironware, tea, and other businesses. I heard they have some connections at the top."

Xu Sanyan raised an eyebrow, "Is tea also a controlled item?"

Wang Laizi nodded, "Yes, tea is too profitable, so the court naturally wants to keep it in its own hands."

Xu Sanyan nodded silently, "What businesses did you all do before?"

Wang Laizi seemed a bit embarrassed, twisting uncomfortably, "Our Gang was established too late, and all the profitable businesses were already divided up. We could only do odd jobs helping people."

Xu Sanyan shook his head. They were already in the underworld; if there were no jobs, didn't they know how to snatch them?

"Go and find out who is behind the Yelang Society. It's best to figure out where their goods come from. I'll give you two days."

Xu Sanyan took out a few taels of gold from his Pregnant and threw them to him. This was what he had obtained from Ma Tianqing earlier.

Wang Laizi's eyes lit up, and he quickly caught it. He didn't expect this new Deputy Gang Leader to be so generous, giving out gold right away. So he patted his chest and guaranteed, "Don't worry, I promise to investigate everything clearly for you."

"Go." Xu Sanyan waved his hand.

After he walked away, Xu Sanyan turned his head and said to Big Yellow Tooth, "Go and investigate news about the Ginseng Society. Any news will do."

"Yes, Fourth Master."

Big Yellow Tooth responded and turned to leave.

Xu Sanyan stood alone on the street, looking up at the passing pedestrians, his mind turning over countless thoughts.

The most urgent thing now was to quickly improve his strength and status, so that he could obtain precious medicines.

As for directly joining the Ginseng Society, Xu Sanyan had considered it, but ultimately gave up.

The Ginseng Society had been established for many years, and the internal distribution of power was basically fixed. Even if he joined, he wouldn't receive too much importance.

Moreover, the Ginseng Society didn't like fighting and killing; they were more concerned with making money. Most Ginseng Society Disciples were ginseng harvesters, ordinary people with families and livelihoods, and their main goal was to earn money to support their families.