With the rise of my family, I can summon the Daoist Soldiers' Nest.

After everyone left, Lin Ye remained alone in the courtyard, holding the "Xiang County Gazetteer" left by the county government in his hands, his gaze lingering on the map and text depicting the vast territory.

With over 42,000 hectares of land, 18 towns, and countless scattered villages, how could the Lin family possibly manage such a vast area as Xiang County?

As for Sun Qian, his heart, which had been hanging in suspense for several days, finally settled down.

After returning to the wooden house outside the fortified village and pondering for a moment, he mounted a fast horse and rode back to the Black Tiger Gang's headquarters in the county town.

He ordered his men to find several yellowed volumes.

These are a list of strongholds established by the Black Tiger Gang in various towns over the years, the distribution of local gentry influence, simple topographical maps, and even some of the towns' specialties and records of recent disasters.

By the light of the oil lamp, he carefully examined each page, repeatedly sorting through the information that was crucial to the town's survival in his mind, unaware that the sky outside the window was beginning to lighten.

The next day, Lin Ye summoned Sun Qian to the courtyard again.

He was practicing his marksmanship in the courtyard. The morning light shone through the sparse branches and leaves, outlining his tall and straight figure. Even the angle at which the hem of his clothes was lifted by the wind revealed a sense of neatness.

When Sun Qian arrived at the courtyard, he found that only Lin Ye was there this time, with no Lin Qiang or other clansmen by his side. He was overjoyed to find that the restrained atmosphere of yesterday was gone, and even his breathing became easier.

He tiptoed to the corner of the courtyard, found a clean stone step and stood there, not daring to make a sound to disturb them, and just quietly watched Lin Ye's figure.

Lin Ye seemed oblivious to Sun Qian, completely absorbed in the Shadow Piercing Spear Technique.

Lin Ye's Shadow Spear technique had already reached its peak. When he unleashed it, the spear tip streaked through the morning mist like a meteor, and the strong wind swept away the fallen leaves.

His body moved with the momentum of the spear, his footwork was delicate and precise, and the spear tip wove a net that was difficult to distinguish between reality and illusion.

The courtyard was already cramped, and amidst the crisscrossing gunfire, the cold glint and afterimages of the gun tips almost filled every gap in the courtyard, constantly approaching Sun Qian's front, causing him to involuntarily hold his breath, and even his heartbeat seemed to match the rhythm of the gunfire.

After a short while, Lin Ye finished practicing the spear technique three times, stopped, and walked slowly to the stone table next to him. He tilted his head back and drank a few mouthfuls of cool water, then looked at Sun Qian.

"Chief Sun, I heard you returned to the county town yesterday?"

"Reporting to Your Excellency, since I came to Linjiawu with the others to repel the bandits, I have not returned for seven or eight days. Some trivial and complicated matters in the gang have been piling up and I have not been able to deal with them."

Yesterday, I was summoned by Lord Meng, and fearing that my answers regarding the Eighteen Towns were not detailed or reliable enough, I hurriedly returned to the county town to retrieve the relevant records carefully compiled by the gang, which I brought this morning to present to Lord Meng.

Sun Qian bowed respectfully and handed a simple yet heavy book to the servant standing quietly to the side.

Lin Ye took the book, lightly touched the cover with her fingertips, but did not open it to read it carefully. She simply placed it steadily on the clean spot of the stone table.

"You're too kind, Chief Sun," Lin Ye said calmly.

"How many members does your Black Tiger Gang have right now?" Lin Ye continued to ask, his tone inquiring.

"Reporting to Your Excellency, the county headquarters has more than three hundred people, all of whom are experienced and strong."

The three third-rate martial artists, besides myself, included the two vice-leaders who were also third-rate martial artists. They all bravely participated in this fierce battle against the bandits.

In addition, there were more than ten skilled but mediocre martial artists.

Sun Qian paused slightly, his tone becoming more composed, and continued.

"In addition to the county headquarters, there are eighteen loyal, second-rate martial artists who serve as the masters of the Black Tiger Martial Arts Schools in various towns."

Each martial arts school has a different number of members, ranging from ten to twenty, all of whom are reliable members of the local community.

"Hmm, there are quite a lot of people." Lin Ye nodded slightly.

"When was the Black Tiger Gang founded? And how did you become its leader?" Lin Ye pressed, his tone remaining calm.

"My lord, as you know, the Black Tiger Gang mainly handled matters that the Wang family couldn't handle in person in its early years. It was founded fifty years ago and has a deep foundation."

More than a decade ago, the old gang leader unfortunately passed away, and I took over the position of gang leader from the old gang leader, who was also my father-in-law.

My father-in-law and wife both come from the Wang family.

"Oh? Your wife is from the Wang family?"

Upon hearing this, Sun Qian's expression suddenly tightened, and he hurriedly knelt down, his tone urgent and sincere.

"I dare not hide it from you, my lord. My wife is indeed a member of the Wang family, but she is only from a collateral branch. She has no close relationship with the main branch of the Wang family."

In my early years, I was orphaned and destitute. Fortunately, I met my wife, which gave me the opportunity to learn martial arts and improve my health, and through this, I gradually rose to become the leader of the gang.

"Get up quickly. So what if you're from the Wang family? My Lin family has no enmity with the Wang family." Looking at his fearful yet sincere appearance, Lin Ye felt that this person was loyal, righteous, and true to his principles, and was someone worth befriending.

"Now that Xiang County is under the jurisdiction of my Lin family, as long as you do not oppose my Lin family, all past matters will be forgiven and you will all be my subjects."

Moreover, my Lin family has lived in Xiang County for generations and has received much help from the Wang family; I remember this kindness in my heart.

"What is your contact status with the Black Tiger Martial Arts School? What kind of people work there?"

"The owners of each pavilion are my trusted confidants, carefully selected from the county town before being sent there, and their families are also properly settled in the county town."

The gang has always taken good care of their families, and there's a lively celebration every year at the end of the year. No matter how busy they are, they always come back to reunite, so the relationship is very close and strong.

Sun Qian continued, his tone tinged with pride.

"The other people in the martial arts school are usually orphans adopted from the local area. They are carefully raised from a young age, taught to read and write, and also learn to fight and defend themselves."

Each year, those who perform exceptionally well are selected to go to the county headquarters for further martial arts training and refinement.

"The martial arts school owner is just a third-rate martial artist, can he really hold his own?" Lin Ye continued to ask.

"In a typical town, there are usually only one or two third-rate martial artists. Most of the martial arts masters are unranked martial artists with outstanding skills and rich combat experience. In addition, the local gentry knew that the Black Tiger Gang was backed by the Wang family, so they were able to keep the situation under control."

In recent years, the Wang family has passed away, and the martial arts school no longer collects protection fees, focusing solely on teaching martial arts. Having severed ties with local powers, it has gradually managed to survive.

"That's good. It's no wonder Uncle Lin Qiang spoke up for you yesterday, considering you were still able to teach everyone martial arts under such circumstances." Lin Ye said, his tone showing more approval.

"It seems that Chief Sun did some work before he came."

"I'm not going to beat around the bush with you anymore." Lin Ye changed the subject, his expression becoming serious.

"I actually despise gangs. Merchants work hard to run their businesses, and farmers toil day and night to earn their money, yet they still have to pay protection money to you. This kind of behavior should be banned."

But after these past two days of observation, although you do collect protection money, you have indeed done a lot of practical help and good deeds in the village.

He paused for a moment, then said, "Now that Xiang County is under the jurisdiction of my Lin family, the old business of collecting protection fees can no longer exist."

I will assign dedicated personnel to manage the businesses and agricultural activities, so that people can earn a living with peace of mind.

"However, your Black Tiger Gang has quite a few members. If you were to cut off your livelihood and disband on the spot, it would be a waste of this readily available force." Lin Ye's tone softened.