Ten Thousand Sword Masters

After giving Xiong Changhai 100,000 taels of silver notes, Zhang Jianyun had very little money left.

"I really don't know how much money it would take to establish and maintain an influence and spread a faith in the real world. I need to find a way to make money." Zhang Jianyun felt a lot of pressure.

After get off work, Tang Guanshan sent someone to invite Zhang Jianyun to dinner.

When Zhang Jianyun arrived at the White Tiger Gang's council hall, he found that all the other branch leaders were present, except for Tang Guanshan.

Swish!

As soon as Zhang Jianyun entered the council hall, Tang Guanshan and all the other leaders knelt down before him.

"Please address me as Your Excellency, Lord Zhang!" Tang Guanshan said in a boisterous voice.

It turned out that after Tang Guanshan had established a presence in the martial arts world of Cangxi Town, he discussed with his subordinate leaders and decided to honor Zhang Jianyun as the Supreme Elder of their gang, who would then make all the decisions.

Zhang Jianyun walked through the kneeling crowd and sat in the main seat of the council hall. After a moment of contemplation, he declined, saying, "I appreciate your kindness, but I am still a member of the Nine Star Guard. It is not convenient for me to openly hold a position in a martial arts sect. I can stay behind the scenes."

"I won't interfere too much in your gang's affairs, as long as you keep eliminating my enemies. Of course, I won't refuse to make decisions for you if you need me to."

"Sir, please tell us who your enemies are?" asked Wang Chaoyang, the deputy leader of the gang.

"All martial arts sects outside of the White Tiger Gang are my enemies," Zhang Jianyun said softly.

The council hall was silent. The members of the White Tiger Gang felt a mix of blankness and excitement. Zhang Jianyun, at such a young age, had suddenly reached the Historical Realm and helped the White Tiger Gang unify Cangxi Town. What heights would Zhang Jianyun reach in the future, and how far could he lead the White Tiger Gang?

The more they thought about it, the more excited they became, completely forgetting how ridiculous it was for the White Tiger Gang of a small town like Cangxi to claim that all other martial arts sects were enemies.

"Get up, all of you, stop kneeling," Zhang Jianyun said, and Tang Guanshan and the others stood up.

Tang Guanshan sat down next to Zhang Jianyun and said excitedly, "Sir, the two martial arts sects that are close to our Black Horse Town have been clashing frequently recently. This may be our opportunity to move into Black Horse Town."

"Have you finished digesting the power of the Green Fang Gang and the Flying Dragon Gang? The White Tiger Gang has grown so much in a short time, how is its cohesion? Has its combat power declined?" Zhang Jianyun asked in succession.

After thinking for a moment, Tang Guanshan said, "I haven't fully absorbed the influence left by the Green Fang Gang and the Flying Dragon Gang. The gangs have grown rapidly and their cohesion has declined a lot. But I assure you, sir, that the core members of our gangs have not become too arrogant and our combat strength has been maintained relatively well."

"Moreover, we are not going to take over the martial arts sects in Black Horse Town right now. We just need to move in and have a foothold."

After pondering for a moment, Zhang Jianyun said, "As long as you are confident, I am not afraid of making enemies. What I am afraid of is that you will suffer too much loss and have no one left to work for me."

"Don't worry, sir, we won't make any enemies for you. We will act carefully," Tang Guanshan hurriedly assured him.

"No, you're wrong. I need you to constantly create enemies for me. I need enemies to spur me on to improve. The more enemies you create for me, the faster I'll improve," Zhang Jianyun said seriously.

"I understand. I will know my limits, so that I may make enemies for you, sir, to spur you on and help you improve, but I will not cause you too much loss. I will serve you faithfully and help you roam the martial world," Tang Guanshan said, having understood everything.

Seeing Tang Guanshan's expression, Zhang Jianyun was extremely satisfied: "I am very pleased that you can understand my intention."

"My lord, since you do not wish to be promoted to the position of Grand Elder of my faction, then let us move to the reception hall, where a banquet has already been prepared," Tang Guanshan said with a smile.

"Alright, I'll have a simple meal with you all." Zhang Jianyun said, getting up and walking towards the reception room, with Tang Guanshan and the others following closely behind.

Upon arriving at the reception room, Tang Guanshan sat at the head of the table, while Zhang Jianyun sat to his right, leaving an empty seat between them.

"Why are you so far away from me? Is there someone else sitting in this seat?" Zhang Jianyun asked, puzzled.

Tang Guanshan smiled knowingly, then clapped his hands, and a young woman strolled in.

"Go, sit next to Lord Zhang," Tang Guanshan called to the woman.

The woman slightly raised her head, followed Tang Guanshan's gaze to look at Zhang Jianyun, and then sat down next to Zhang Jianyun.

At this moment, the woman's round face was flushed, her bright eyes were sparkling, and her long, black hair was naturally draped behind her, with only a jade hairpin tied in the middle of her hair.

The woman was dressed in a light green dress and exuded a scholarly air about her, unlike an ordinary courtesan.

"Chief Tang, why did you only call a woman to keep me company? You should have called a courtesan for every one of the brothers here to liven things up," Zhang Jianyun joked.

"My lord, the woman before you is not a courtesan," Tang Guanshan said with a smile.

Zhang Jianyun frowned upon hearing this, thinking, "In front of everyone, are you fucking going to bring some decent girl to keep me company while I eat and drink?"

"My lord, this is the daughter of our previous magistrate. As you know, our previous magistrate colluded with eccentrics and was punished by the court. All the men in his family were beheaded, and all the women were forced into prostitution. I bought her from the Jiaofangsi (a government-run entertainment brothel) at a high price, and she hasn't even stepped into a brothel yet."

"What's your name?" Zhang Jianyun asked the woman after hearing Tang Guanshan's words.

"My name is Lou Qingluan," the woman replied softly.

"Lift your head up so I can see you," Zhang Jianyun said.

Lou Qingluan raised her head and looked at Zhang Jianyun. There was no fear in her eyes, only a dimness.

Looking at Lou Qingluan, she wasn't exceptionally beautiful, but she wasn't bad-looking either. Coupled with her scholarly aura, she exuded an otherworldly charm.

"Aren't you going to pour wine for the master?" Tang Guanshan shouted.

Lou Qingluan hurriedly picked up the wine pot and filled Zhang Jianyun's cup with wine.

After a meal and drinks, the leaders of the White Tiger Gang played cards. Zhang Jianyun, slightly drunk, decided to go home.

"My lord, let Lou Qingluan follow you. Let her be your maid, wash your clothes and such," Tang Guanshan hurriedly said as he saw Zhang Jianyun about to leave.

Zhang Jianyun initially wanted to keep his distance, but when he turned his head and saw a glimmer of light appear in Lou Qingluan's previously dim eyes, his heart softened, and he nodded in agreement.

In that instant, Zhang Jianyun felt that Lou Qingluan had come back to life.

Cao Fen was overjoyed when she brought Lou Qingluan home, thinking that she was the wife Zhang Jianyun had found.

"This is a maid I asked someone to buy from the county town. She'll be washing my clothes and such," Zhang Jianyun said.

"You're going to use such a good girl as a maid?" Cao Fen said, somewhat angrily.

Zhang Jianyun didn't dare to say anything more and went straight into his room.

"Girl, don't be afraid. Our Zhang family isn't bad people. You look like a lady from a respectable family. We won't really treat you like a maid. Just treat this place as your own home and settle in comfortably." Cao Fen was more and more satisfied with Lou Qingluan.

I like the Ten Thousand Swords Master.