Chapter 25: Vermin

With the beheading of the Shaolin Abbot, the morale of the Shaolin side plummeted. However, as a temple with centuries of history, Shaolin naturally had contingency plans. On a narrow path behind the temple, two middle-aged monks were fleeing in a panic, accompanied by several younger ones.

Unfortunately, the Money Gang had long been prepared. No sooner had the monks escaped the confines of Mount Song than a massive net descended from the sky, trapping them securely. White Dog, his face pale, emerged from the shadows and said, "I have been waiting for you for a long time."

Black Dog, his complexion dark, appeared from elsewhere and added, "Too long! Let's wrap this up!"

They were joined by over a dozen Money Gang members. These men were drawn from the dregs of the pugilistic world; they might not have possessed great individual skill, but they were full of underhanded tricks. They were subordinates of the Money Gang’s "Dog Boss," primarily tasked with tracking, hunting enemies, and gathering intelligence. They went by the elegant name of the Flying Snow Hall, implying that not even a single snowflake could escape their pursuit. However, everyone else in the Money Gang called them the "Dog Hall." The members took no offense; rather, they wore the title with pride, boasting that they were the loyal lapdogs of Chief Li Xunhuan.

After Black and White Dog finished subduing the monks, White Dog looked toward the mountain and remarked, "With the people from the Turtle Hall and those oddities from the Pig Hall up there, there will surely be no problems on the mountain. Let's head back to report." The "Turtle Hall" was the colloquial name for the Rules Hall.

Black Dog nodded, saying, "In the entire Money Gang, only our Dog Hall is normal! No wonder Vice Chief Shangguan has developed so many gray hairs lately!"

White Dog replied, "So what? We are loyal to Chief Li; as long as he doesn't have gray hair, that is all that matters!"

"True enough," Black Dog agreed.

They escorted the securely bound monks down the mountain path for about an hour until they reached the foot of Mount Song. There, they met the rest of the Dog Hall and proceeded with the Dog Boss, Zhuge Lei, to report to Shangguan Jinhong.

Shangguan Jinhong, still wearing his bronze mask, looked at the fleeing monks with satisfaction and asked, "What of the other routes?" The Dog Hall had set up eighteen checkpoints across Mount Song specifically to intercept monks attempting to flee.

Zhuge Lei replied, "No word yet. I imagine the Shaolin Temple was so rushed that they likely only prepared this one escape route."

"Continue your watch," Shangguan Jinhong ordered. "Arrange for shifts and keep guard for seven consecutive days."

"As you command!"

Li Xunhuan was the Chief of the Money Gang, but he was a hands-off leader; consequently, it was Shangguan Jinhong who usually issued orders. Unexpectedly, the Money Gang had not been hollowed out by Shangguan Jinhong; instead, many remained fiercely loyal to Li Xunhuan. This was because Li Xunhuan did not manage the gang through vague notions of chivalry or personal preference, but through strict rules. Under the Money Gang’s rules, everyone was treated equally. The gang was far more ruthless in punishing its own members who broke the rules than it was toward outsiders.

The rules were the greatest interest of everyone in the Money Gang. Because of this, many were genuinely convinced by Li Xunhuan. Some even idolized him; within the Chicken Hall, there were many young women who yearned to bear his children.

Shangguan Jinhong gazed at the Shaolin Temple on the mountain, lost in thought. Once Shaolin was razed, the other great martial arts sects would be next. He would pull them out one by one like nails, and then the entire martial world would belong to the Money Gang. This was a feat never before accomplished! At the thought, even Shangguan Jinhong felt his blood boil. If a man could achieve this in his lifetime, his existence would not have been in vain.

Suddenly, he saw black smoke rising from the mountain. His expression changed. "Who started a fire?"

Once they took the Shaolin Temple, all its wealth would belong to the Money Gang. Setting fire to the temple now was not burning Shaolin, but burning their own property—burning the Money Gang’s wealth!

"Go and extinguish the fire immediately!" he commanded Zhuge Lei.

Zhuge Lei moved to obey, but muttered with a sour tone, "The Rules Hall is always so careless in their work; no wonder they’re called the Turtle Hall!"

With Shangguan Jinhong wearing his mask, no one could see his expression. Jing Wuming had been brought into the gang by him, and the Rules Hall was his original power base. Zhuge Lei wasn't just mocking the Rules Hall; he was mocking him. Yet, because Zhuge Lei constantly proclaimed himself to be Li Xunhuan’s most loyal lapdog, Shangguan Jinhong could not easily dispose of him. He sighed as he watched Zhuge Lei depart with Black and White Dog.

Wherever there are people, there is a martial world. A gang is no different. It was only natural for the three halls to look down on one another. The fact that they had managed to recruit so many people and sweep through the world in a mere two months was entirely due to the sheer military might of the Money Gang. That the members of the three halls merely looked down on each other without erupting into open conflict was already a blessing.

The current strength of the Money Gang was beyond anything he had ever dreamed of; he had never fought such a well-funded war. There was no need to show respect to any so-called chivalrous traditions or prestigious families. Anyone who blocked the Money Gang would simply die! The Money Gang was just too powerful. This made the quest for dominance less thrilling, but far more secure. He was happy, yet also melancholy. Nothing brought him more joy than watching the gang’s territory grow day by day, but he felt weary from the energy required to handle internal affairs.

For instance, he had to purge those who violated the rules. Furthermore, he had to mediate the conflicts between the three halls. He increasingly felt like an old nursemaid; as long as he could appease and drive the three halls, the world would be theirs sooner or later. As for how to appease and drive them within the confines of the gang's rules—that was the problem. If he used his own methods, the three halls would eventually collapse. But following Li Xunhuan’s methods often went against his own instincts.

Even if it went against his own heart, he had to do it. He had to follow Li Xunhuan’s methods, ideas, and intentions. This was the burden of a second-in-command. To others, he was only one step away from Li Xunhuan, second only to one and above tens of thousands. Only he knew that this gap was immense. The difference between the first-in-command and the second-in-command was not just a single brushstroke.

Just then, the smoke on the mountain began to dissipate. A short while later, Jing Wuming appeared by his side.

"What happened?" Shangguan asked.

"The bald donkey set fire to the Scripture Library," Jing Wuming replied.

Shangguan Jinhong sneered. "What use are those scriptures? If they were useful, would the temple have been destroyed by us?"

The one thing the Money Gang lacked least was martial arts! What exactly was the relationship between the mysterious Elder of Martial Arts Transmission and Li Xunhuan? How could one bribe this elder? If he could be bought, then... A secret thought stirred in Shangguan Jinhong’s heart.

A carrier pigeon landed beside him. He casually removed the letter from its leg. The content was simple: Li Xunhuan had returned to the Money Gang’s headquarters with a woman and an old man.

Shangguan Jinhong read it and tore the letter to shreds.

"Fine, fine, fine! I sit here holding down the fort at Shaolin, and you go off gallivanting, seducing young girls! How can we run the Money Gang properly if you associate with such vermin!"