18: Meet the gang leader, give and take

Chen Cuo quickly finished reading the booklet, his heart fluctuating. He hadn't expected that the Master he casually acknowledged would have such a significant background, which was truly unbelievable.

"Alright, now that you've finished reading, follow me to truly pay respects to the Ancestral Master and your Grandmaster!" The incense Chen Cuo offered when he first entered the ancestral hall was merely a Junior's courtesy. Now, it was a true initiation ceremony, requiring him to make a vow and adhere to the sect's rules.

Fan Wufeng held three sticks of incense and respectfully said, "Ancestral Master above, I, Wufeng, a Disciple of the Vajra Sect, bring my excellent Disciple Chen Cuo to offer incense and formally enter the sect. This child, Chen Cuo, is filial, virtuous, diligent, respectful, and intelligent. I wish to accept him as the thirty-fifth generation sole successor of our Vajra Sect. I hereby inform the Ancestral Master."

Fan Wufeng quickly inserted the incense, then nodded slightly to Chen Cuo and said, "Chen Cuo!"

"Disciple is here!" Chen Cuo responded loudly.

"Offer incense!"

"I, Disciple Chen Cuo, today enter the Vajra Sect, becoming the thirty-fifth generation sole Disciple of the Vajra Sect. I will strictly uphold the Vajra Sect's prohibitions, pursue the prosperity of the Martial Dao, and never regret it even unto death!" Chen Cuo solemnly made his vow, his heart surging with boundless ambition. His Soul became even more active, and the burning source fire within his true spirit grew brighter.

After all the ceremonies were completed, Chen Cuo immediately asked Fan Wufeng for the secrets regarding the Cultivation of the Mountain Moving Skill, hoping to quickly get started and diligently Cultivate using the System.

He kept asking questions along the way, not noticing the passage of time. It was already getting late. Chen Cuo was about to bid farewell and leave the Fan Residence.

Unexpectedly, outside the Cultivation room, Uncle Chang walked directly up to Fan Wufeng and said very calmly, "Master, the Gang Leader sent word, asking you to go to the main hall, and Brother Cuo must go with you."

"Main hall? Did the Gang Leader's messenger say what it was about?" Fan Wufeng was a bit puzzled. Inviting him made sense, but why did Chen Cuo also have to go?

Could it be about the incident at Hong Family Fort two days ago?

Uncle Chang waved his withered hand, his tone completely unchanged, saying, "He didn't say, but since Brother Cuo is to go along, it's either those few rare goods or something concerning Brother Cuo himself!"

As one of Fan Wufeng's old brothers, Uncle Chang was his most capable subordinate and most trusted person, managing many of Fan Wufeng's confidential matters. Usually, when Fan Wufeng had affairs, the old Master would also entrust them to Uncle Chang. Of course, he knew everything about Chen Cuo's situation.

This time, the gang's invitation to Chen Cuo made Fan Wufeng and Uncle Chang, who were seasoned Jianghu veterans, realize that this matter must be related to Chen Cuo. Therefore, Uncle Chang also offered a reminder.

The old Master immediately tidied up and took Chen Cuo towards the main hall. The Vajra Sect had two internal and external halls, but three hall Masters. The third hall was the main hall, which the Vajra Sect members called the Hall of Benevolence and Righteousness. It managed the six major leaders below it. The Master of the Hall of Benevolence and Righteousness was Shi Potian's son, Shi Renhsan.

Shi Potian often went into seclusion to Cultivate, seeking to Breakthrough to the Innate Realm. Therefore, Shi Renhsan basically handled all the gang's affairs, big and small. If it weren't for the news of a Mountain Spirit appearing this time, Shi Potian would probably still be in seclusion.

Chen Cuo grumbled to himself along the way. His current strength was sufficient to protect himself against Lian Zang Realm Martial Artists, but he was still far from being able to face Acquired Martial Artists. Moreover, he was going to meet a grand Master at the Acquired Perfection Realm, so he was still a bit flustered.

The main hall was located by the moat, with carved buildings and painted beams, making it very luxurious.

The two quickly arrived at the main hall. Fan Wufeng led Chen Cuo directly to the third floor and entered a rather rustic room. A very dignified middle-aged man sat on the high seat, exuding an astonishing Aura.

Behind him stood two young men. One stood with hands on hips, looking at Chen Cuo with an expression of disdain. The other had a cold expression, seemingly looking down on everyone, only revealing a brutal murderous intent.

"The one seated at the head is the Gang Leader. The person on his left is Shi Renhsan, also known as the Young Master. The person on his right is the Gang Leader's adopted son, Stone Deficiency." Fan Wufeng used a sound transmission technique to explain the brief situation of the people in the upper seats to Chen Cuo.

Martial Dao sound transmission: Lian Zang Realm Martial Artists, by tempering their internal organs, could achieve the effect of secret sound transmission by controlling the internal Qi. However, this effect could only deceive Martial Artists of the same Realm. For Shi Potian, the two were simply talking openly and without concealment.

However, Shi Potian didn't mind. Through Fan Wufeng's introduction, Chen Cuo also learned that both Shi Renhsan and Stone Deficiency were at the Lian Zang Realm, but Stone Deficiency was at Lian Zang Realm Perfection, while Shi Renhsan was only at Lian Zang Major Achievement.

As Shi Potian's biological son, Shi Renhsan's Aptitude was rather ordinary, far inferior to Stone Deficiency. Stone Deficiency was an adopted son whom Shi Potian had raised since childhood. He had a cold and merciless personality, cruel and bloodthirsty, like a born killing machine.

Shi Renhsan managed the six major leaders and the gang's affairs, big and small. Stone Deficiency was the Master of the outer hall, and Lei Wu served under him.

Chen Cuo had rarely gone out for a year. Besides the old Master, he had almost no contact with the upper echelons of the gang, so he was not clear about this information.

"Greetings, Gang Leader!" Fan Wufeng led Chen Cuo in a cupped-hand salute.

Among Martial Artists, except for Heaven, Earth, benefactors, parents, and Master, kneeling was not practiced. Even the monarch was not among those to be knelt to.

Chen Cuo secretly observed the Gang Leader and the two hall Masters. With the continuous strengthening of his Soul Power, he could already clearly sense the malice coming from Shi Renhsan. Conversely, the cold Stone Deficiency had no hostility towards him.

This made him very curious, not knowing how he had offended Shi Renhsan.

As for Shi Potian, he didn't dare to look much, only glancing briefly a few times. He found that Shi Potian showed no emotional change and didn't care who Chen Cuo was. He simply spoke calmly to Fan Wufeng, "You've arrived. Sit."

Fan Wufeng sat in the first chair on the right. Chen Cuo silently walked behind him. Shi Potian glanced at Chen Cuo twice. Chen Cuo felt a tense sensation like his heart was being tightly squeezed, and his breathing quickened a bit.

"You are Chen Cuo? How audacious of you! Don't you know that the gang previously set a rule that everything should prioritize the Mountain Spirit, and no conflict should occur with other sects? Yet you dared to defy the gang's orders and cause a ruckus at the North Dipper Gang's Hong Family Fort."

A cold voice spoke, it was Shi Renhsan. His tone was fierce, directly questioning Chen Cuo.

"Third Hall Master, that statement is inappropriate, isn't it? First, Hong Family Fort is in the eastern suburbs; it's not yet the North Dipper Gang's territory! Moreover, it was those scoundrels from the North Dipper Gang who first provoked our Vajra Sect and abducted our gang members. My Disciple is merely young and hot-blooded, acting somewhat impulsively, and he didn't even know the gang's orders before he went to cause trouble at Hong Family Fort!"

Fan Wufeng tried to ease the situation, defending Chen Cuo. In his youth, he was straightforward and wouldn't care who his opponent was; he would still mercilessly strike them down with an Iron Sand Palm. Seeing Shi Renhsan being so aggressive, he spoke directly to retort.

"You!" Shi Renhsan immediately grew furious, letting out a soft exclamation, but he held back.

As the Gang Leader's son, Shi Potian gave him many privileges. Shi Potian practiced nepotism; all three halls were managed by his trusted kin. Only the miscellaneous tasks of managing the various streets were handled by the six major leaders. However, although the few major leaders had no power, they all possessed martial prowess, especially Fan Wufeng.

Fan Wufeng calmly drank his tea. At this moment, Shi Potian, sitting at the head, waved his hand, and several subordinates brought forward several trays. After opening the curtains, Chen Cuo saw that they were all the good things he had "invented."

"Chen Cuo, are these things all your own creations?" Shi Potian said slowly, his voice deep.

When Chen Cuo saw Shi Potian's actions, he immediately understood and recounted the story of "inventing" soap and other items in detail.

After listening to Chen Cuo's narration, Shi Potian nodded slightly. Then he said, "These things yield considerable profit. I want to sell them as specialties of the Vajra Sect. What are your thoughts?"

As soon as these words came out, Chen Cuo's heart sank. Shi Potian's words were clearly a demand for him to hand over the production methods of these "inventions," which meant converting his large personal income into the gang's income.

Currently, his Cultivation of several Cultivation Techniques had reached a crucial point, and he couldn't do without money. But if he didn't hand them over, Shi Potian would likely immediately bring up the fault of clashing with the North Dipper Gang, leaving him in a dilemma.

Fan Wufeng gently shook his head and transmitted a message: "You have to give to gain. Don't worry too much!"