The light of the sword is like the moon reflecting on Kyushu

Zhang Xiaolin, the leader of the Black Tiger Gang, said solemnly, "Of course not!"

Second-in-command Li Wenzheng said in a deep voice, "You are also very frank."

Zhang Xiaolin said, "Now that there are no outsiders here, there's no need for us to keep things from each other."

Li Wenzheng said, "Actually, I know that the rudeness and ignorance you usually show is just a facade. In reality, you are meticulous and have a plan that never goes wrong!"

Zhang Xiaolin's heart skipped a beat, but he remained calm and said, "You flatter me!"

Li Wenzheng smiled calmly: "Fifteen years ago, I knew what kind of person you were the first time I saw you!"

Zhang Xiaolin's eyes flickered, as if he were lost in memories: "Fifteen years ago? We were both twelve years old that year, weren't we?"

"Yes!"

"You have such a sharp eye at the age of twelve, it's terrifying!"

"Heh, you were able to conceal your brilliance and show people a mask at the age of twelve. Your scheming is astonishing. Isn't that even more terrifying?"

"Hehe, likewise, let's not flatter each other!"

Li Wenzheng thought to himself: This is called mutual flattery? This is clearly exposing each other's secrets! Damn it!

He said casually, "To be honest, I looked down on you from the first glance! I thought to myself, with your pretentious ways, Master definitely won't like you! You're definitely not the one who will inherit his mantle! Among my fellow disciples, I definitely have the best chance!"

Zhang Xiaolin asked expressionlessly, "When did you change your mind?"

Li Wenzheng sighed and said, "When you were nineteen, I discovered that your handling of at least three matters exceeded my expectations! After reviewing them, I realized that your recklessness and irritability were just a facade! If you were truly a reckless man, you would have died at least three times over!" Each of those three matters was fraught with danger! Almost every step was a trap, and one wrong move could have led to your demise!
Zhang Xiaolin was taken aback: "The year I was nineteen? That was eight years ago! What three things?" He regretted it as soon as the words left his mouth!
Are those three things still important now? And what's the point of asking?
Li Wenzheng smiled meaningfully: "You don't remember?"

Zhang Xiaolin waved his hand and said, "Forget it! Don't talk about it anymore! It's all in the past, there's no point in bringing it up again!"

Li Wenzheng said, "Very well, do as you please."

Zhang Xiaolin stared into Li Wenzheng's eyes and said in a deep voice, "Do you intend to remain subservient to me from now on?" He found it hard to believe that Li Wenzheng could do that! He knew that Li Wenzheng had great ambitions! His so-called honesty and concessions were merely correct choices made after objective consideration based on the current balance of power! If he were confident of killing him with a single blow, would he still be honest with him?
Li Wenzheng stared directly into Zhang Xiaolin's eyes without flinching: "What can I do even if I'm unwilling? I can't beat you in a fight, and I can't outsmart you. What am I supposed to do?"

Zhang Xiaolin's eyes lit up. "That's easy! You can start your own business!"

A flicker of emotion crossed Li Wenzheng's eyes: "Don't try to mock me! Starting your own business isn't that easy. First of all, I can't afford to be labeled a traitor to the Black Tiger Gang!"

Zhang Xiaolin could tell from the subtle changes in the other person's eyes that he was definitely interested, so he pressed his advantage: "If you really want to start your own business, I will give you my full support!"

Li Wenzheng's eyes flickered, and his heart was greatly moved!

If Zhang Xiaolin could lend a helping hand, he could leave the Black Tiger Gang openly and legitimately, without having to bear the stigma of being a traitor, and could legitimately start his own business!
Seeing that Li Wenzheng was clearly interested, Zhang Xiaolin couldn't help but sneer inwardly: Do you think I don't know what you're thinking? From the first time I met you, I knew you were an ambitious guy who wasn't content with mediocrity!

The main reason he pretended to be reckless and irritable was to mislead Li Wenzheng! He was certain that Li Wenzheng was the only one who could rival him in the future! Of the six fellow disciples, Li Wenzheng had the greatest ambition! And he was the smartest! Compared to him, the other disciples were simply blockheads!
Li Wenzheng had already taken the bait, so he pressed his advantage, "I can announce to the entire martial arts world that, according to my late master's dying wish, in order to strengthen the Black Tiger Gang, you are hereby specially sent to leave the Black Tiger Gang and start your own organization, so that you can coordinate with the Black Tiger Gang from afar and increase your strength! That way you won't have to worry about betraying the gang!" Li Wenzheng stared at Zhang Xiaolin, trying to read his true intentions from his eyes.

Zhang Xiaolin said, “You don’t need to doubt my motives! Your ambition means you won’t be content to remain under my command for long. You might suddenly turn on me and kill me one day! Rather than being on guard against you every day, I’d rather let you go far away and help you establish your own power base! That way, you won’t see me as a stumbling block to your advancement! I just want one less enemy and one more friend!”

Li Wenzheng forced himself to remain calm: "Are you speaking from the heart?" He never expected that the other party would want to support him in establishing his own faction and becoming the new gang leader!

Zhang Xiaolin solemnly replied, “Of course, that’s what I really think! Keeping you by my side is like raising a tiger! Since I don’t have the ability to control a tiger, I have to be constantly on guard against it turning on me! But without my control, you’re like a tiger entering the mountains or a dragon returning to the sea! Helping you become independent not only relieves my own anxieties but also helps you start a new life. It’s a win-win situation!”

Li Wenzheng frowned and asked, "You...you really think that way?"

Zhang Xiaolin said, "Of course it's true! I'd rather have you as my open enemy than have you as an uncertain factor by my side!"

Having this kind of person around is like having a poisonous snake next to you; you never know when it will bite you!
Li Wenzheng asked, "When do you plan to announce this to the martial arts world?"

Zhang Xiaolin said, "You set the time!"

Li Wenzheng said, "Then let's do it today!"

Zhang Xiaolin frowned, inwardly cursing this guy for actually taking advantage of the situation! But he remained outwardly calm, "Fine! I'll announce it when they get back!"

After Pang Shiwu settled down, he left the tent and prepared to find Feng Jiuxiao.

As soon as I lifted the curtain and peeked out, I was stunned by what I saw!
Before him stood countless martial arts masters from the Central Plains, three layers deep, densely packed, and impossible to move!
There are people from the eight major sects, as well as local gangs that dominate a region.

Pang Shiwu remained calm and asked, "Gentlemen, is there something you need?"

The expert from the Diancang Sect standing at the forefront laughed and said, "Young Master Pang, do you still remember me?"

Pang Shiwu coldly replied, "I don't know him!" He then turned and left.

He had absolutely no interest in dealing with these righteous martial arts figures who were "profit-driven and treacherous"!
The Diancang Sect expert looked embarrassed, but dared not show the slightest dissatisfaction, and simply walked away dejectedly!

As Pang Shiwu walked out, the crowd automatically parted to make way for him.

Many people wanted to greet Pang Shiwu, but they all swallowed their words!
Pang Shiwu caught a glimpse of several acquaintances out of the corner of his eye. Their faces all wore expressions of shame, and he couldn't help but sneer inwardly: "Now you know you regret it? Too late!"

He strode over to the Tibetan encampment and came to Feng Jiuxiao's side: "Brother, how's the alms-begging going?"

Feng Jiuxiao smiled faintly and said, "Here, everything is."

Pang Shiwu followed his gaze and saw several large bundles, several small carts, and several rice sacks piled on the ground. "This little bit of stuff isn't even enough to fill a tooth gap, is it?"

Akakiri's face instantly turned deathly pale! (End of Chapter)