You promised steampunk martial arts, but you've got an internal combustion engine in your chest

Chapter 52 Chips

Fourth Master?

Baili Jing's hand, which was reaching for the braised pork, stopped.

The smile on his face froze.

He was genuinely shocked!

Hua Xiangrong had previously laid the groundwork by saying that he would go to the Chaosheng Association on behalf of the Cao Gang, and that after returning, he might become the head of the Cao Gang.

But in Baili Jing's original estimate, that was something that would be a long time from now.

His original idea was that he simply happened to have some talent, which made him a very important "key piece" in the hands of the canal gang.

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To appease him, the canal gang might bestow upon him a prestigious title of high-ranking retainer, grant him some territory to collect protection money, or simply give him a pile of gold and silver treasures.

But he never expected that they would actually put him in the position of leader!

Fourth Leader —

This means that Baili Jing will be on equal footing with Zhou Erquan and Ding Yan in the Shanghai canal gang from now on!

Baili Jing subconsciously turned his head and exchanged a glance with his younger brother.

The younger brother's eyes were also filled with shock; clearly, he hadn't expected the Canal Gang to offer such a high price.

The private room fell silent for a moment, with only the occasional lingering sounds of gongs and drums coming from the lower stage.

Bai Lijing took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down.

He shoveled all the braised pork from the plate into his rice bowl, chewed it heartily with the rice, and used the food to suppress his emotions.

After swallowing all the food in his mouth, he slowly put down his rice bowl and said slowly, "Second Master, please stop joking with me. I know I am quite important to the Canal Gang right now, and I am a key figure in binding the Canal Gang and the Chaosheng Society together, but—isn't it a bit too frivolous to put me in the head's chair right from the start?"

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Baili Jie also spoke up, "Second Master, my brother is just a laborer by trade. He has no connections, no business acumen, and not a single business that generates any revenue. How could he possibly be worthy of the position of the fourth leader of the Canal Gang?"

Upon hearing this, Zhou Erquan smiled slightly, a hint of admiration flashing in his eyes.

"Brothers Baili, the fact that you two brothers have this clarity and concern proves that your elder sister has not misjudged you."

"But rest assured, in the hundred-year history of the Shanghai Canal Gang, we have never given any leader a vacant position. As long as you, Brother Baili, nod your head, you will sit in this fourth seat, and you will receive all the power and business that are due to you. The specific reason is—"

Zhou Erquan turned his head to look at Ding Yan and smiled faintly: "Why don't we let our third brother explain?"

Ding Yan picked up his wine glass and took a sip.

He did not refuse and calmly said, "The reason is actually very simple: none of the three leaders of our Cao Gang are steam cultivators."

Upon hearing this, Baili Jing raised an eyebrow.

Ding Yan, fanning himself with a folding fan, continued, "Our eldest sister is a mechanic, all her skills are in her head; as for my second brother, well, he has relatives in official positions protecting him, and he walks the path of official-business connections; as for me, Ding Yan, I am not talented, I have been physically weak since childhood and cannot build a gas furnace, so I can only stay at home and study rune engraving and be a leisurely rune master."

"We three old fellows have managed to hold onto our positions because we each possess unique abilities, and ordinary cultivators can't harm us, but—"

The smile on his face faded slightly, and a hint of emotion appeared in his eyes:

"Once our canal gang leaves Shanghai, we'll have to compete with sharks at sea for food. Our current skills probably won't be enough."

Zhou Erquan naturally picked up the thread: "In the end, all conflicts in the world are about the supremacy of power. It's good that we can make cultivators think twice, but if we really encounter an unreasonable and ruthless god, all these rules are not enough!"

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"If the leader of a gang is a fatal weakness that the enemy can easily exploit, it's like putting ourselves on the chopping block and handing ourselves over to someone else's knife."

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"Second brother is right."

Ding Yan slammed his empty wine glass on the table: "In the past, our Cao Gang was protected by Wugendu, and ordinary people in the martial arts world would never dare to easily attack us. But in the future, everyone knows that Wugendu will be our Cao Gang's biggest enemy!"

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"As for the Chaosheng Society? They are locked in a fierce battle with Wugendu. No one can say for sure how much attention they will have to protect us. Therefore, our Cao Gang will definitely need a cultivator who can speak for us."

"Moreover, this practitioner must have strength and potential. He cannot be able to handle things on his own. He must also be valued by the Chao Sheng Association. Only in this way can our canal gang remain stable."

Upon hearing this, Baili Jie's eyes narrowed slightly, and he suddenly interjected, "The Canal Gang probably doesn't just want my brother to have a voice in the future, does it? In the future, my brother will probably have to stand up and take the fall for the Canal Gang, won't he?"

"Haha! Young man, you're truly clever; you grasp it immediately!"

Ding Yan burst into laughter: "But isn't that how things are in this world? You two brothers were just laborers and poor scholars a few days ago!"

Now that he's transformed into a big shot in the Grand Canal Gang, with immense wealth falling into his lap, how could he possibly not take any risks or sacrifices? There's no such thing as free food and luxury.

Huang Qixiu finally chuckled and spoke up, playing the role of comforter: "Brother Baili, don't be frightened. Under the whole sky, all land belongs to the emperor. No matter how vicious Wugendu is, he still wouldn't dare to easily offend the imperial court. As long as I am still sitting in this position, the storms—won't be that dangerous."

Baili Jing sat in his seat without saying a word.

He knew that he had no choice but to take the position of "fourth leader" today.

The favors owed have been paid, and the rules that needed to be followed have been explained. This matter was already a natural outcome.

Moreover, I had already prepared myself mentally, it's just that this happened a little too suddenly.

Urgent—you're really in a hurry!

Baili Jing laughed loudly, poured himself a full glass of wine, and drank it all in one gulp.

The pungent alcohol flowed down his throat. He raised an eyebrow and said nonchalantly, "Alright! Since that's the case, I think I have a general idea of ​​what's going on in managing the household!"

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"Second Master, you just said that this Fourth Master position isn't just a figurehead; the entire Canal Gang will be sharing business with me. So I'd like to inquire about exactly what kind of businesses our Canal Gang operates under our control?"

On Tuesday, Quan saw Baili Jing begin to ask about interests, and the smile in his eyes grew wider.

"Since we're dividing up the family fortune, I won't hide anything from Brother Baili. The foundation of our Shencheng Canal Gang lies entirely in the Third Branch Hall."

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Zhou Erquan held up the first finger: "Firstly, it is my eldest sister's Qing Shuang Hall."

"Qing Shuang Hall is in the business of steam machinery. It has three shops on the East Market Ironware Street, a repair shop in the west of the city, a fine workshop in the north of the city, and a casting plant in the south of the city, plus two raw material warehouses. The rest of the people in the city who make a living by machinery pay Qing Shuang Hall 20% of their profits every quarter."

Zhou Erquan extended his second finger and raised his voice a few decibels: "Secondly, there is my Baihua Hall."

"Baihuatang is responsible for the livelihood and food business of the entire city of Shanghai and the surrounding prefectures and counties. It has twelve large stores, including grain shops, salt shops, and butcher shops, as well as seven warehouses outside the city, including granaries and salt warehouses. It also has a security escort agency that is responsible for escorting guards. Now, it has also added the Shanghai Grand Wharf, which originally belonged to Heishuitang. In addition, there are eight restaurants and teahouses in total."

At this point, he turned his head, glanced at Ding Yan, and held up his third finger: "Thirdly, there is my third brother Ding Yan's Blackwater Hall."

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"Blackwater Hall now has two small wharves in Shanghai with a total of 22 berths, as well as eight riverside warehouses and 20 boats of various sizes. On weekdays, the tolls and commissions for goods transported by waterway by merchants in the city, or for other large-volume goods from outside, are all accounted for by Blackwater Hall."

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Zhou Erquan withdrew his finger and smiled, "Brother Baili, all the deals I just mentioned are money-making machines. Which ones do you want, how much do you want? Just say the word, and we, as your older brothers, will help you figure it out tonight and make sure to find the perfect one for your role as the fourth leader."

This series of numbers, like a mountain of gold and silver, came crashing down on the two brothers' heads.

Both Baili Jing and his brother experienced heavy breathing and rapid heartbeats for a moment.

When wealth reaches a certain level, ordinary people often lose their sense of scale.

But Baili Jing is different; he has a clear concept!

Before getting involved in these things, his dream was to buy some shops and open a small shop. He and his brother had already done some simple calculations about how much money they would need for the business and how much turnover those shops of all sizes in the city generated.

So he roughly understood just how terrifying the cash flow and assets behind a large shop, a large fine workshop, and a heavy warehouse were!

It's like a working person who works hard every day, saving every penny, dreaming of buying a small two-bedroom apartment in Jiefang—and then one day, two real estate tycoons suddenly pull you into an upscale club, smiling and saying to you, "Buddy, you're going to be the vice president of our group from now on. We have several large-scale upscale residential areas, several detached villa estates, a whole commercial pedestrian street with prime shops, plus several office buildings. Take your pick, and if you like any of them, sign the papers tonight, and they'll all be yours."

"Who wouldn't be tempted?! Who wouldn't be envious?!"

However, Baili Jing clenched his fists tightly, suppressing the surging emotions in his heart.

He grinned and shook his head: "Your generosity has really terrified this country bumpkin—isn't this a bit too much? Are you just laying bare the resources of the Grand Canal Gang for me to choose from? Are you kidding me?"

Ding Yan, fanning himself with a folding fan, said with a smile, "Brother Baili, what are you saying? Since we dare to lay out our resources tonight, we will not eat them. You can choose whatever you want. No matter what you choose, we will take care of the handover for you tonight. Brother Baili—just choose whatever you like."

Baili Jing remained silent for a moment.

His gaze darted between Zhou Erquan and Ding Yan, quickly calculating what his younger brother had said to him downstairs.

After a moment, he tilted his head back, sighed slowly, and said, "To be honest, my brothers, those big businesses you were just talking about—I really can't do them well. Steam machinery, rice, flour, oil, dock scheduling and tax collection—I, Baili Jing, know nothing about these industries. Even if you gave them to me, I still wouldn't be able to manage them well."

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Zhou Erquan frowned slightly and advised, "Brother Baili, don't be modest and refuse. It's a small matter that you don't know the business and don't have a manager. We have plenty of manpower. You can just sit back and enjoy the fruits of our labor. We will also send people to teach you and your brother step by step."

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He thought for a moment, then said earnestly, "Brother Baili, please don't worry that we'll use this as an excuse to set a trap in our business—we're facing a formidable enemy right now, and our Canal Gang is at a critical juncture. Losing a few small sums of money right now is a trivial matter; what we're after is the future!"

Baili Jing waved his hand, his expression very serious: "Second Master—oh no, Second Brother, I believe you. You are willing to give me so much business out of thin air, so there is really no need for you to play any tricks in this regard. But what I just said is also from the bottom of my heart. I really can't do those big deals."

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Upon hearing this, Zhou Erquan and Ding Yan exchanged a glance, both seeing a hint of seriousness in each other's eyes.

Baili Jing is now very important to the Canal Gang. If he doesn't want these businesses, then what does he want?

This is no joke. If he really asks for something strange, they'll have to think about it carefully.

Seeing this, Huang Qixiu broke the silence at the right time: "Brother Baili, we don't need to beat around the bush here. Just tell us what you want. Brother Zhou and Brother Ding will naturally consider it carefully for you."

Baili Jing thought for a moment.

Then, he suddenly reached out and grabbed a large lamb chop from the center of the table.

He took a big bite of meat without any manners, chewing it heartily. Finally, he grinned at the group and said, "Tonight's feast is absolutely amazing! Every dish is so delicious it makes my tongue tingle. I love it from the bottom of my heart! I really want to eat it every day, every meal."

"So, those kinds of businesses like machinery, grain, and docks, I really don't care about them and I don't understand them either. The first business I'm asking for from my brothers tonight is this very building right here we're sitting in—Jiangshan Fengyulou!"

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