Madmen don't keep diaries

Chapter 518 517 Recruiting Bandits
Despite being suddenly rebuked, "Second Master" maintained his smile, only his eyes narrowed slightly.

"Second Master" smiled without saying a word, appearing indifferent, but Yan Huaizheng couldn't ignore it.

He pointed at Feng Xiuhu and scolded, "What a joke! Second Master is such a prestigious figure, why would he need to pull strings? Have you ever been Second Master before you start spouting nonsense!"

Before Feng Xiuhu could reply, "Second Master" put his hand on Yan Huaizheng's arm and laughed, "Forget it, I'm a magnanimous person and don't hold grudges. Why waste your breath?"

Yan Huaizheng nodded with a forced smile.

Feng Xiuhu was increasingly confused—did he have such a high status in the government office? Why didn't he receive this treatment before?
The Second Master and the Third Master followed Yan Huaizheng to the prison gate. The two men, one fat and one thin, one short and one tall, looked at the bandits in the prison, sometimes nodding silently, sometimes exchanging glances.

Yan Huaizheng explained in a low voice: "These are the bandits we just caught today. They are all under Hei Sanniang's command. I'm afraid their bandit nature is difficult to control, so it's better to just kill them."

The bandits all stared wide-eyed at them.

Second Master waved his hand and smiled: "Hey, Director Yan, what are you saying? If there were any decent jobs, who would want to risk their life to become an outlaw? Outside, you can call them bandits and I won't care, but here, they're all my brothers."

Feng Xiuhu chimed in, "That's right, you all share the surname Ma."

All the bandits turned their attention to Ma Er, and some even shouted excitedly, "Master Er is truly benevolent and righteous!"

Fang Youliu squatted in the corner, trying to suppress his laughter.

Unable to contain his curiosity, Feng Xiuhu pushed aside the bandits blocking his way and stepped forward to ask "Second Master," "Wait a moment."

"Second Master" looked at him with a smile: "What does this brother have to say?"

Feng Xiuhu gestured with his chin at him: "Are you Ma Er?"

"Second Master" nodded in agreement: "I will not change my name or surname, I am indeed Ma Er."

Feng Xiuhu then looked at the tall, thin man beside him: "Are you Ye San?"

The tall, thin man looked down at him coldly: "Who do you think you are to call Ye San?"

Yan Huaizheng quickly chimed in, "Call him Third Master!"

Shunzi immediately became unhappy, stood up from the ground, and almost bumped her head against the cell ceiling.

He pushed through the bandits, walked behind Feng Xiuhu, and glared angrily at the crowd outside the cell with his large, bell-like eyes.

The sudden appearance of the burly figure caused everyone outside to change color, with "Second Master" showing even more surprise and suspicion.

Then Feng Xiuhu asked, "Ma Er and Ye San are both here, so where did Fang Liu go?"

Fang Youliu was also quite curious about this question, so he secretly pricked up his ears to listen.

The Second Master was suspicious and didn't respond immediately. Instead, the Third Master became impatient: "What Fang Liu? I don't know him."

Feng Xiuhu replied, "It's that driver."

"Third Master" sneered: "I wondered who it was—you said you were just a carriage driver, why would I remember his name?"

Feng Xiuhu chuckled, and Fang Youliu's face darkened.

"Second Master" suddenly interrupted, bowing slightly to Feng Xiuhu: "May I ask how this brother is addressed?"

Feng Xiuhu grinned and said, "My name is Ahu."

"Second Master" secretly breathed a sigh of relief, then immediately looked at Shunzi: "And this brave man?" Shunzi froze on the spot, and after a long while, he finally spoke: "Then...then my name is Abao."

Upon hearing this, "Second Master" felt a complete sense of relief, and his smile returned to its sunny tone. He continued to ask the bandits one by one, and soon he got to Fang Youliu.

Fang Youliu said irritably, "Me? I'm just a lowly servant, my name isn't worth Second Master or Third Master remembering."

Seeing that this person was unremarkable and looked like a pushover, "Second Master" stopped paying much attention to him.

Meanwhile, the names of "Ma Er Ye San" were already quite well-known in the martial arts world. Although the bandits were currently imprisoned, it did not prevent them from exchanging pleasantries and trying to get close to "Second Master and Third Master" through the prison gate.

One said, "Second Master is benevolent and righteous," while another said, "I have long admired your name."

"Second Master" was welcoming to all, always with a smile on his face, and had no airs whatsoever.

This demeanor won the deep favor of the bandits, and after some maneuvering, "Second Master" finally steered the conversation back on track.

But then "Second Master" spoke up: "Brothers, you are all heroes of the martial world. Let me speak frankly. No matter how loudly we martial artists shout or how glamorous we act, behind our backs, only we know the bitterness in our secrets. We risk our lives to earn a meager fortune, and who knows when we might suffer a sudden misfortune and meet our maker in the cycle of reincarnation. All the wealth we have painstakingly accumulated will end up benefiting others."

The bandits looked at each other, puzzled by "Second Master's" deeper meaning.

"Second Master" cleared his throat and continued, "If you brothers think highly of me, Second Master Ma has a business opportunity right now, and I'm looking forward to getting rich together with you all."

One of the bandits chimed in, "Second Master, don't beat around the bush, just say what you have to say!"

"readily!"

"Second Master" clapped his hands and chuckled: "In that case, Ma Er will not hold back anymore—I have negotiated a big deal with the foreign tycoon in the city to buy Hei San Niang's head!"

The cell fell silent the moment these words were spoken.

"Second Master" had obviously expected this, and continued to persuade, "I, Ma Er, am not an unreasonable person, and I will not force you."

"But let me make this clear: it was Hei San Niang's idea to bomb the railway. This is due to the feud between Hei San Niang and the foreign master. You're just contributing your strength—but what difference does it make who you work for? Besides, the foreign master is offering much more than Hei San Niang!"

One of the bandits muttered under his breath, "We're from Yu Aizhou... working for foreigners, we'll probably be talked about behind our backs in the underworld in the future..."

"Second Master" waved his fat hand: "Don't worry. If word gets out, you'll all be working for me, Ma Er. I, Ma Er, will bear all the blame and would never dare to ruin the reputation of my brothers."

Upon hearing this, Feng Xiuhu objected, jumping up and down in protest: "I disagree! Why should Ma Er bear all the blame?"

"Second Master" looked on with satisfaction: "I didn't realize that Brother Hu was such a considerate person. But it doesn't matter. A little bit of criticism is nothing. I, Ma Er, am not afraid of these things."

Feng Xiuhu was frantic: "Damn it, I'm scared!"

"I'm not afraid of anything!"

At this moment, "Third Master" spoke.

Seeing that the other bandits remained silent, he coldly said, "Don't forget your current situation. You must understand what is good and what is bad. My brother is kindly helping you out. If you still don't know how to lend a hand, then you can wait to be shot."

"Second Master" stopped speaking and just smiled as he looked at everyone in the prison.

After a long while, the bandits finally stepped forward and said, "Second Master is right. It is a great blessing for us brothers to be able to follow you. We will follow your orders."

"Second Master" nodded in satisfaction, but said aloud, "It's not that I don't trust the brothers, but many things depend on how they are done. Empty words don't count. I intend to send someone back to Feisha Road to deliver a challenge to Hei San Niang. I wonder which brother is willing to go?"

(End of this chapter)