75 Family Affairs 1 (1/2)
Following the old Sect Master, both of them returned to the Crimson Whale. Lu Sheng meditated for a while and swallowed several pills to recover bruises and accelerate blood circulation. After two days’ rest, most of his injuries had healed.
Once he recovered, he immediately summoned his deputy.
The deputy assigned to him by old Sect Master was an effeminate young man who was so pretty that it was ridiculous.
This man’s alias was Jade Lotus. He had once been a Taoist priest and was a mere four years older than Lu Sheng.
Presently, Lu Sheng was only twenty years old. This meant that Jade Lotus was a mere twenty-four years old. His martial arts skill, however, was extremely impressive. With his Iron Tribulus, he was extraordinarily accomplished in the use of concealed weapons. Once, in a duel with someone, he had formed the pattern of a lotus flower with his Iron Tribulus darts, thus earning him the alias Jade Lotus.
In the Golden Peace & Prosperity Restaurant.
Both of them sat in Chamber A situated on the topmost floor. Jade Lotus was in plain white long robes, a white ribbon in his hair, which draped down to his waist. His facial features were even more attractive than those of a woman. Sun rays shone into the chamber, reflecting gently off his snow white skin.
Lu Sheng sized him up with a peculiar look. Honestly speaking, apart from on the Internet on Earth, this was the first time he had encountered a man like this who was prettier than a woman in real life.
If not for the Adam’s apple clearly discernible on his throat, Lu Sheng would probably have thought that he was a woman in disguise.
”External Head, have you seen enough?” Jade Lotus sat upright, his face expressionless.
In the Crimson Whale Sect, the real official designation for External Affairs Emissaries was actually ”External Head”.
”I’m sorry… this is my first time seeing a man as pretty as you, Brother Jade. I got distracted for a moment, my apologies,” Lu Sheng smiled. Under usual circumstances, he was actually a rather mild-mannered man.
”Your subordinate also has no idea why I’m like that. It’s been this way since I was young,” Jade Lotus replied.
Lu Sheng nodded. He had read Jade Lotus’ file. Jade Lotus had been a pretty boy from childhood and was thus nearly sold as a human pet. But thankfully, he was rescued by the old Sect Master, who had taken him in into Crimson Whale Sect and raised him. Now, he belonged to the Sect Master’s faction as one of his trusted confidants.
”Right, then. Let’s look at some troubles that need to be sorted out by External Head now,” Jade Lotus retrieved a roll of sheepskin parchment from his sleeves and unfurled it gently.
”Firstly, Mountain-Edge City has now completely fallen under External Head’s jurisdiction. Old Sect Master has given his full confirmation. Of the three harbors under our management, a serial robbery occurred in Eastern Mountain Harbor yesterday. The authorities have made no headway in investigations and have requested our assistance.”
”I’ll leave this to you to handle. We don’t have many key personnel. Just let Soaring Eagle Squad handle this,” Lu Sheng replied flippantly.
”Soaring Eagle Squad comprises Former External Head Wu San’s men--they were all his trusted men, trained by him. Doesn’t External Head Lu intend to remove them from power?” Jade Lotus was surprised.
”Why would I remove them from power? As long as they’re obedient,” Lu Sheng waved his hands dismissively.
”Alright, then. Secondly, some trouble has cropped up in Eastern Mountain Society. The son of one of their Branch Chiefs was arrested for instigating trouble in one of our casinos. Now he’s being held by our men. It was someone from Soaring Eagle Squad who did it,” Jade Lotus continued.
”Let Soaring Eagle Squad handle their own mess,” Lu Sheng replied lackadaisically.
”Soaring Eagle Squad doesn’t care. They want their money repaid, otherwise they’ll break his arm,” Jade Lotus said impassively.
”How much did that lad lose?” Lu Sheng asked.
”Two nights. Ten thousand taels.”
”HUH??” Lu Sheng’s jaw dropped.
Ten thousand taels!!!
What kind of figure was that? A tael of silver was equivalent to the purchasing power of a thousand dollars. Ten thousand taels… that was a billion dollars!
Two nights and he lost a billion dollars!?
”The lad thinks that he was scammed of his money, and so would rather die than pay up,” Jade Lotus continued. ”Oh, and this happened on the day you fought with Gongsun Zhanglan.”
Lu Sheng became quiet as he narrowed his eyes.
”Interesting. Such a big hoo-hah and yet the Soaring Eagle Squad made no report to me in advance. Heh, interesting…”
”Soaring Eagle Squad may officially fall under Crimson Whale Sect’s power, but in actual fact it has always been a relatively independent force under External Head Wu San’s command. It’s natural that they’re a little untamed,” Jade Lotus explained.
”I don’t need ‘untamed’. I only want ‘obedient’,” Lu Sheng rose and looked at Jade Lotus. ”Of the thirteen men in Soaring Eagle Squad, each one of them are at the pinnacle of Strength Proficiency. How many of them can you take on?”
Jade Lotus fell deep into contemplation. Then, slowly, he replied, ”One at most. They’re no average brawlers.”
”When there’re benefits, they’re happy to keep them to themselves. Only when they’re in trouble do they think of me, the External Head. What good is this Soaring Eagle Squad to me?” Lu Sheng paced about with his hands behind his back.
”If External Head makes a move on them directly, you might just disillusion and discourage our men. External Head Wu San has only just died. And in the line of duty, at that. If you eliminate his trusted confidants now, you’ll be seen as unreasonable, whichever way you look at it.”
”I don’t give two hoots about anyone’s heart. I only want obedience,” Lu Sheng waved his hand. ”Why has our Crimson Whale Sect been able to draw so many men to join us?”
Instantly, the light of realization sparkled in Jade Lotus’ eyes.
”It’s for the name of the Number One sect. It’s powerful enough and offers attractive benefits.”