Chapter 54: Chapter 47: Money Is a Deadly Blade (Part 2)
Hahaha!
Her face filled with excitement as she controlled her Duck Feather Beastman to flee madly. With a face full of longing, she said, "I can become a mythical creature, a celestial being from myth!!"
The next morning.
Fu Qingjun got out of bed and saw a small horn the moment he opened his door, followed by a tall, burly man with sharp eyes, the same one he saw at the herbal shop.
"Boss." He spoke slowly, his voice deep.
Having met the Second-in-Command at the pharmacy before, he seemed to feel that there was something unusual about Fu Qingjun, but couldn’t pinpoint what. He merely attributed it to the change in a martial artist’s mindset.
"Long time no see." Fu Qingjun nodded, knowing that the small horn was genuinely talkative and had spilled the beans...
But from Li Mo’s hints, he also learned that the man’s name was Baiyu.
"Let’s talk as we walk. Li Mo, you lead the way."
...
In front of a house made of brick and earth.
Fu Qingjun saw a middle-aged woman sweeping in front of the house, her clothes torn and tattered.
"Liu Mei?"
"It’s me."
Liu Mei looked up at the two men and two women before her.
Leading was a very tall young man, with a youthful face and shimmering eyes, incredibly deep, very handsome, giving off an unimaginable heavy aura, a feeling of profound mystery.
"Do you handle finances?" Fu Qingjun asked.
"I indeed have a knack for that," she immediately replied, her malnourished face full of pride.
Seeing those fiery eyes, Fu Qingjun didn’t think she was boasting at all. To climb out of such an environment, perseverance and talent were indispensable.
"You’re the one."
Fu Qingjun turned to Baiyu next to him, saying, "Her transition is up to you."
Baiyu, the tall and burly man beside him, squinted, put down his smoking pipe, exhaled a cloud of smoke, and looked around at the surrounding thugs, "Since she’s one of us, who here bullied you?"
The surrounding thugs suddenly didn’t dare to make a peep.
"Him, and him! And those women!" she immediately pointed to a group of people standing nearby.
The group was stunned, then suddenly grinned and swaggered out, "Who are you guys, so cocky on our turf?"
"Yeah."
"Those two women look interesting, want to have some fun with us guys?"
"Pah! That little girl with a horn at her waist doesn’t count, all skinny, still young, not fully grown, no fun."
"But that woman, I’ve seen her, friends with Liu Mei the tramp. I heard she’s a dance teacher, that woman’s got a great body, those long, white legs are long and straight, walking as if with something stuck between her legs, flirting to death."
...
Li Mo’s face turned red with anger.
The small horn was also enraged.
"These assholes sure have learned the essence of scoundrel talk." Baiyu merely laughed, looked at these surrounding brawny guys, and put down his pipe.
Suddenly the place was filled with horrifying cries, hands covered in blood, and those few hoodlums lost a mouthful of teeth,
Ruthless.
Decisive.
Fu Qingjun, though mentally prepared, was overwhelmed by this intense street brutality, unlike any harsh demeanor of modern fighters.
Truly the gang’s second major force.
Baiyu squatted down, patted a few of them on their faces, and laughed, "You guys aren’t up to par! Such young men already hollowed out, how old are you?"
They dared not make a sound.
After a few more kicks, they stammered their replies,
"Thirty-two."
"Twenty-nine."
"Thirty-one."
Baiyu stood up, grinning, "At the age of thirty, you are already weak like this. My family studies medicine; you can’t go on like this, you need treatment..."
Bang!
He suddenly reached out a finger, faintly with a blast of air, harshly jabbing a few in the abdomen.
Bang.
As if breaking some tendon, instant horrifying cries ensued.
"Boss, let’s go."
He turned around, merely smiled, "For them, no need for medicine or nutritional therapy, and they’ll recover from weakness, as impotence is a gift from heaven for thirty-year-old men."
A dead silence enveloped the surroundings.
Terror gripped the world as if it had lost its voice.
"This man, he’s the Second-in-Command of the Miao Chun Hall at the train station!" Suddenly, someone seemed to remember something and cried out in fear.
"We are no longer the authorities at the train station." Baiyu said as he walked, "Boss, are we really going into business with finding an accountant? We’re all rough, the train station territory we’re really not contending for?"
Liu Mei looked at this man with admiration.
Righteousness, ruthless, generous, working under such a leader was worth relying on.
And this Second-in-Command is also imposing and intimidating, very seasoned. He knows how to fight and intimidate for greater prestige.
This is a rare talent!
This man, bold and charismatic, naturally suited for the streets.
Fu Qingjun knew this man was using this method to win Liu Mei’s loyalty and to intimidate others, making them give up resistances.
"Boss, what do you think?" The Second-in-Command turned around, looking at Fu Qingjun with a calm expression, unsure of his thoughts.
Fu Qingjun hesitated for a moment, and said, "It’s okay, but in this world, being righteous and powerful doesn’t create team cohesion, that cohesion is temporary, not lifelong."
Fu Qingjun glanced at Liu Mei and tossed her a mechanical watch, "Do you want this watch as monthly salary or stay in an impoverished gang with a sense of righteousness?"
What??
Liu Mei cautiously held the mechanical watch.
She knew the value of this watch, at least worth thirty taels of silver, which meant she could earn one tael of silver a day?
Her breathing accelerated in an instant.
This wasn’t a bronze knife, but silver.
The Second-in-Command Baiyu fell silent, understanding from her expression that his prior demonstration of force was far less effective than this watch.
Fu Qingjun looked at the Second-in-Command, calmly saying, "The ancient rivers and lakes are gone, they don’t understand, you should."
The man he met at the pharmacy seemed bewildered and silent again, silently resuming smoking.
In the underworld, martial power and loyalty are the foundations for survival, having strength and speaking morals make others believe they can eat their fill with you.
But now...
Their martial power has weakened.
Ordinary people might even be stronger than them, how will martial artists survive in the future?
On loyalty alone?
From the moment they met, he felt the boss had changed, now he fully felt it.
Though with the same appearance, he seemed like a different person.
The sharpness and killing intent had disappeared. The previous dominance had, with that gunshot interference and arena defeat, truly changed his ideals.
Although he knew it, he still couldn’t make the same decision to change, not as free-spirited as the boss.
"Henceforth, establish rules, only resort to force when necessary. We are legitimate businessmen." Fu Qingjun stroked his own thick, strong arm lightly, saying, "These are all vain."
"Train station! We won’t fight it back, nor take it forcefully. They will beg and kneel to distribute our goods later!"
The Second-in-Command’s expression flickered at those words.
Fu Qingjun then tossed another mechanical watch to him, saying, "Now in this world, money is the fastest knife in the underworld that spills not a drop of blood."
"I...understand." Baiyu’s expression turned serious, he sighed.
Fu Qingjun’s taut nerves felt relaxed, seeing he successfully bluffed, he quietly sighed in relief, "Let’s go back."