Chapter 317: Killing to Establish Authority

Chen Ergou and Zhao Heiniu worked together with perfect coordination.

One blade, one arrow.

Lin Jie—who had attempted to give the newly appointed Deputy Hall Master a show of disrespect—ended up losing an arm. The sight of him trembling while clutching his severed limb deeply shocked every Caobang disciple present.

However…

it was not over.

Holding his saber, Chen Ergou walked up to Lin Jie and looked down at him with cold eyes.

“Anyone who shows disrespect to the Hall Master—dies!”

The saber flashed downward.

The words “spare me,” which had just reached Lin Jie’s lips, were brutally cut off. Together with his head, they were sent flying by the steel blade. His eyes widened in utter disbelief as his severed head rolled several times across the ground before finally going still.

Chen Ergou’s gaze was icy as he pointed the blade toward the Caobang disciples in front of him.

“Who else?”

At that moment—

everyone in the training grounds stood frozen in shock.

No one had expected that Lin Jie, who normally swaggered with arrogance and even claimed he could fight Third-Rank Martial Artists without falling behind, would now be so easily disarmed, lose an arm, and have his head cut off—without the slightest chance to resist.

“Your subordinate greets the Hall Master!”

“Your subordinate greets the Hall Master!”

Dozens of Caobang disciples—both First Rank and Second Rank alike—were terrified out of their wits. They immediately changed their tone and bowed respectfully.

Those Second-Rank Martial Artists who had earlier displayed mocking expressions and frivolous behavior were now drenched in cold sweat. They dropped to their knees at once.

“Your subordinate knows his fault. Please forgive us, Hall Master!”

They had originally believed Wangchuan had merely been lucky, secretly killing Luo Laoqi with a soft sword.

But now that they had seen how ferocious Wangchuan’s subordinates were, they immediately admitted their guilt and submitted to punishment without hesitation.

Greenwood fighters might be unruly, but they understood one thing clearly—

the one with the stronger fists held the truth.

Throughout the entire process, Wangchuan had not moved a single step.

He simply stood there quietly.

Watching Chen Ergou and Zhao Heiniu resolve the trouble while everyone submitted, he felt an indescribable satisfaction.

For the first time, he truly felt like a Deputy Hall Master.

The training he had invested during this period had not been wasted.

Cui Mingjue also stared at the scene in shock. He had never expected the two mud-legged followers under Wangchuan’s command to grow so formidable.

Wangchuan stepped forward and slowly walked up the stairs opposite the training grounds before turning around.

“You lot—get out!”

At his sharp shout, the courtesans from the brothel felt as if they had been granted a pardon. They scrambled out of the Caobang hall in panic.

Wangchuan then addressed the First-Rank and Second-Rank Martial Artists.

“From this day forward, as long as I remain here, if anyone dares to drink wine, gamble, or play with women in the training grounds again—three blades and six holes. Cripple them and throw them out.”

“Yes!”

“We obey the Hall Master’s orders!”

“Your subordinates would never dare again.”

The crowd responded loudly.

“Are all the Ranked Martial Artists of our hall gathered here?”

Wangchuan asked.

A Second-Rank Martial Artist immediately raised his head and clasped his fists.

“Reporting to the Hall Master!”

“Other than the twelve brothers stationed on guard duty within the hall, the rest are here.”

He then added an explanation.

“Previously the hall had more than sixty people, but some were transferred to reinforce the Main Helm and two branch helms. So our numbers have decreased. At present there are four Second-Rank Martial Artists and thirty-five First-Rank Martial Artists.”

“In addition, the hall has one hundred and eighty Quasi-Martial Artists stationed in the front courtyard as guards, led by twenty full Martial Artists. They are responsible for the hall’s defensive duties.”

His explanation was concise and clear.

“What is your name?”

Wangchuan looked at the man who had spoken.

He remembered him as the only Second-Rank Martial Artist who had not dared to meet his gaze earlier—the only one who had shown restraint. The man seemed to possess either depth or steadiness.

“Your subordinate is Gao Quan!”

Wangchuan carefully examined Gao Quan.

The man’s gaze was calm and experienced. His physique was strong, his muscles well-proportioned, far more solid than the other three Second-Rank Martial Artists. His bearing also carried greater authority.

“From now on, the thirty-nine men of the hall will be divided into three teams. The first team will be led by Captain Chen Ergou…”

Wangchuan pointed at Chen Ergou.

“Greetings, Captain Chen!”

“The second team will be led by Captain Zhao Heiniu.”

“Greetings, Captain Zhao!”

“As for the third team—you will temporarily lead it. You will serve as the acting captain of the third team.”

Wangchuan promoted Gao Quan by one rank.

Gao Quan was overjoyed and immediately kowtowed.

“Thank you for your promotion, Hall Master! Your subordinate will gladly give his life in service to you!”

The other three Second-Rank Martial Artists did not even dare to raise their heads. They did not dare show the slightest objection.

Wangchuan ordered that whenever anything happened at the Sanhe Commandery hall, at least two of the three teams must remain on duty to guard the hall inside and out.

“At present the hall has barely more than two hundred brothers. That is far too few…”

“We will begin recruiting.”

“Hall Master.”

“To recruit people for the hall, we usually need to investigate their backgrounds carefully to prevent enemy spies from infiltrating. So we normally recruit from the branch helms.”

Cui Mingjue reminded him.

Wangchuan pointed at the Ranked Martial Artists in front of him.

“These people were able to enter. What kind of person could not be recruited? Recruit freely. All newcomers will initially be assigned to the front courtyard of the hall.”

“And another thing.”

“Within the hall, announce a rule: anyone who confirms that a person is behaving suspiciously and successfully reports it will receive merit and a generous reward.”

Wangchuan spoke decisively.

“If a Ranked Martial Artist wishes to join my Caobang, that is fine—but bring a pledge of loyalty. As long as the pledge is heavy enough, Caobang will dare to accept you!”

“…”

Everyone exchanged glances.

Cui Mingjue was stunned.

Meanwhile, the disciples who came from the greenwood had already begun wondering whether they should call their friends and join Caobang together to enjoy the benefits.

“Hall Master…”

“May I ask what you mean by a pledge of loyalty?”

Gao Quan asked bravely on behalf of everyone.

“Beggar Sect disciples!”

“As long as it is the head of a Beggar Sect disciple with the cultivation of a formal Martial Artist or above, it guarantees entry into Caobang for a First-Rank Martial Artist. A Second-Rank Martial Artist must bring at least three heads of First-Rank Beggar Sect disciples!”

Wangchuan’s voice rang like clashing steel.

To defend the Sanhe Commandery hall, they could not simply remain on guard—they had to attack and weaken the Beggar Sect’s strength.

Only then could they buy more time for the hall and for Old Seven.

“Understood.”

“I will immediately arrange for people to spread the news…”

Gao Quan clearly had his own channels for recruitment.

After all, many bandits were wanted criminals or greenwood fighters. They either lived in hardship or committed crimes with their heads on the line, constantly hiding from the pursuit of the Six Gates or from bounty hunters.

If they had a chance to join Caobang and live well, many would gladly change their name and identity to start over.

Of course, many of them might be killed by Beggar Sect disciples in return.

But such risks were unavoidable.

Whether one had the ability to eat this bowl of rice depended entirely on one’s own fate.

Watching the crowd below whispering among themselves, Wangchuan felt secretly satisfied.

He knew his goal had already been achieved.

As long as the Beggar Sect descended into chaos and had no time to deal with the Sanhe Commandery hall, he would have succeeded.

At worst, they would simply spend more money to raise another group of fighters.

And that money was not coming out of his own pocket.

Money God Lin Cunxin would bear the cost.

The crowd quickly dispersed to carry out their tasks.

Chen Ergou cleaned up Lin Jie’s corpse and returned with a money pouch containing twenty-three taels of gold.

With a grand gesture, Wangchuan said,

“You and Captain Zhao performed well today. The two of you divide this money.”

“Thank you, Hall Master!”

Both men broke into smiles.

Wangchuan corrected them solemnly.

“It is Acting Deputy Hall Master…”