novelsky Chapter 222
Chapter 222
In less than an hour, Blacksmith Zhou was brought back.
Chen Ergou returned with gold notes worth one thousand taels.
This was the fortune Blacksmith Zhou had amassed over seven years in the Weapon Room.
In addition to that, there were the title deeds to his five residences—including the estate at the prefectural capital—altogether valued at three thousand five hundred taels of silver.
Chen Ergou leaned in and whispered about a small incident that had occurred while Blacksmith Zhou was scrambling to gather the money.
At the time, a second-rank martial artist had arrived with more than a dozen martial artists in tow. They came in aggressively, their expressions unfriendly, clearly intending to snatch him away.
But the moment Captain Bai appeared, the other side immediately left the gold notes behind and retreated in disgrace.
Wangchuan understood at once.
The Island Lord Lan backing Blacksmith Zhou had caught wind of the matter and rushed over to support him.
Wangchuan had long anticipated this.He had already notified Captain Bai to keep watch.
A third-rank martial artist was more than enough to deter Island Lord Lan and make him back down.
Blacksmith Zhou was naturally terrified. Afraid that Wangchuan might still be angered, his body trembled without stop.
Wangchuan accepted the one thousand taels in gold notes and had no intention of dragging the matter further. He said calmly,
“Since you have admitted guilt and accepted punishment, I will not report this to Old Seven.”
“But from this day forward, you and your family will leave Hejiang Town. You are no longer part of my Sanjiang Branch Helm.”
Blacksmith Zhou felt as if he had just walked past the gates of the underworld. Nearly collapsing, he kowtowed weakly in thanks. “Thank you, Helm Leader, for sparing my life! This subordinate takes his leave.”
Years of accumulated wealth had turned to smoke—but at least he was alive.
With Blacksmith Zhou and the eight shop assistants swept out the door, the Weapon Room was completely transformed.
It now had two blacksmiths, nineteen shop assistants, and three apprentices.
Wangchuan’s first order to the Weapon Room was to forge and stockpile enough arrows and Hundredfold Steel sabers, and at the same time prepare a batch of Armor-Piercing Arrows in case of emergencies.
The furnaces roared to life.
Inside, the clanging of iron rang without pause as sweat poured down faces and weapons took shape under hammer and flame.
At one point, Wangchuan personally picked up a hammer and demonstrated One-Breath Fivefold Strike, forging a batch of Hundredfold Steel arrowheads. The display left both blacksmiths stunned.
At that moment, everyone in the Weapon Room understood:
Helm Leader Wangchuan truly knew his craft.
He knew it better than they did.
From then on, the Weapon Room settled into stability.
…
Overnight, nearly everyone in Hejiang Town learned a single piece of news:
The newly arrived deputy helm leader, “Wangchuan,” was extremely forceful. On his very first day in office, he moved into the helm leader’s residence and carried himself with the unmistakable bearing of a man who claimed sole authority.
Even more strangely, he had secured the support of all Caobang disciples and deputy helm leaders.
Including Bai Jingtang.
After nightfall, Bai Jingtang came to the branch helm and found Wangchuan at the training grounds.
Having spent the day sorting out branch affairs, Wangchuan was now fully immersed in cultivating 《Wudang Sanshou》.
“Wangchuan.”
“Do you not think your actions today were a bit too high-profile?”
Bai Jingtang stood behind him as she spoke.
Hearing her, Wangchuan stopped practicing and turned to explain.
“Captain Bai, you may not understand.”
“The way our gang operates is different from that of your orthodox sects. You value humility and propriety. You emphasize acting with just cause.”
After a brief pause, he continued,
“Our gang is different. We believe in fists. Whoever’s fist is harder holds reason. People are willing to listen to whoever is stronger. Whoever brings them benefits—that is who they will follow.”
“Rest assured, Captain Bai. As long as I control the branch helm and ensure the shipping operations run without error, and everyone continues to earn money as before—perhaps even more—respect born of fear will naturally turn into genuine respect. And that will also satisfy Old Seven.”
Wangchuan had experience managing a gang hall, and his words carried weight.
Bai Jingtang nodded.
She had not come to lecture him. She only feared he might be dazzled by the current illusion of smooth success and make a fatal misstep.
“Since you know what you are doing, I am at ease.”
“I heard from your men that you intend to recruit a batch of preparatory disciples at the branch helm?”
She raised her second question.
“As far as I know, the Sanjiang Branch Helm has never distinguished between inner and outer disciples. If you recruit preparatory disciples, they are effectively outer disciples. What is your purpose?”
“Because I am afraid of dying.”
Wangchuan smiled bitterly and answered honestly.
“When I was at the Huishui County hall, we had several dozen inner disciples and fewer than a hundred outer disciples. We were desperately short of manpower… One battle later, the casualties were devastating. In the later stages, we relied entirely on outer disciples to replenish our strength—on the newcomers from our studio to quickly fill the gaps.”
…
Bai Jingtang listened intently.
As a disciple of a great orthodox sect, her experience in such matters was, in fact, less than Wangchuan’s.
Wangchuan recounted several major battles in Huishui County before adding with self-mockery,
“The Yulong Gang’s various halls were always short-handed. From that time on, I secretly recruited outer disciples without pause, absorbing and cultivating inner disciples as well. Only after the entire Qingfeng Escort Agency joined did the Huishui County hall finally take shape. Even when facing the Earthfiend Sect and the riots of tens of thousands of refugees, I could remain calm.”
Bai Jingtang was stirred.
Tens of thousands of refugees…
A sudden assault by the Earthfiend Sect!
She had experienced none of it.
Yet the danger behind those events was easy to imagine.
She began to understand the source of Wangchuan’s sense of crisis.
After all, since entering 《spirit realm》, she herself had never truly felt safe.
…
Lowering her head, Bai Jingtang fell silent.
Wangchuan sat down on the cold stone steps and continued,
“The Caobang is vast and powerful. In these waterways, it appears to have no rivals. But in reality, there are many potential enemies lurking in the shadows.”
…
“First, the Beggar Sect. We compete for the title of the number one gang under heaven. Neither side is willing to yield.”
“Second, the authorities. The Caobang’s profits are enormous. It deals in both the light and the dark, and it has extensive dealings with underworld bandits. It has even secretly taken in many fugitives wanted by the government. You could say it walks the line between righteous and evil, which gives the authorities endless headaches.”
“Third, the splinter gangs. Smaller gangs like the Yulong Gang continue expanding, slicing away portions of the Caobang’s shipping profits—territories the Caobang cannot fully monopolize…”
“Lastly, local clans and escort agencies. Numerous small organizations clash with the Caobang in business interests. And there are countless hidden dangers I cannot even see. With a single misstep, a conflict could erupt—like the assassination of an imperial envoy—bringing heavy casualties.”
Some of this was his own deduction. Some had been revealed by Yang Feiyue.
Bai Jingtang listened carefully.
After a while, she could not help but remind him,
“Wangchuan, you could have waited twenty days—until you officially became the helm leader of the Sanjiang Branch Helm—before making these changes. Would that not have been more legitimate, with far less resistance?”
Wangchuan rubbed his nose.
“All right.”
“I understand.”
Bai Jingtang looked straight into his eyes.
“In truth, you relied on Zhang Cha’er as your hidden card, and you seized the Weapon Room as your breakthrough point. You intended to use me to strike the mountain and frighten the tiger—to eliminate all hidden dangers within the Sanjiang Branch Helm in one stroke, remove every obstacle to your becoming helm leader, and establish your rules.”
“Captain Bai is wise.”
Wangchuan had known she would see through it eventually and had never intended to conceal it.
“With you presiding here, I feel reassured.”
Bai Jingtang could not help rolling her eyes.
“Are all members of the Su family like this?”
Eh?