After several days of recuperation by He Yunxiao's internal energy, Pang Jian, the former leader of the Short Knife Gang, has recovered most of his injuries and strength.
He may not have recovered to his peak condition yet, but he should have no problem defeating an ordinary eighth-rank martial artist.
The Short Knife Gang currently has fifty-six martial artists, including the gang leader Pang Jian, who is a ninth-rank martial artist. There are also three branch leaders and the junior gang leader Pang Ce, making a total of four eighth-rank martial artists. The remaining members include twenty-one seventh-rank martial artists, twenty-five sixth-rank martial artists, and five martial artists below the fifth rank.
Before Pang Jian was injured, the Short Knife Gang had about two or three hundred members. After being attacked by the Iron Eagle Gang and the Snake Tiger Gang for several days, and with the members' morale declining, only the current number remains.
He Yunxiao didn't care. Pang Jian's injury this time seemed to greatly weaken the Short Knife Gang's strength, but it was actually a way to "clean up" their fanbase.
Those brothers who stayed after experiencing the low point of the Short Knife Gang are the true backbone of the gang.
Moreover, this wave of "fan cleansing" mostly eliminated low-level martial artists, with minimal loss of high-level strength. The Short Knife Gang is a well-disciplined gang, making them the perfect backbone for building a massive force.
You don't know the cost of firewood and rice until you're in charge of a household. Only after He Yunxiao truly became the leader of the Short Knife Gang did he realize how much money it takes to support a powerful force.
A sixth-rank martial artist receives a basic monthly salary of three taels of silver, slightly higher than Hong She's salary working in the Jiangnan textile industry. Seventh-rank martial artists receive ten taels, eighth-rank thirty taels, and ninth-rank one hundred taels. Add to that the salaries of martial artists below the fifth rank. Just these fixed expenses alone cost the Short Knife Gang over five hundred taels of silver per month. Add to that gang benefits, food, equipment wear and tear, medicinal herb consumption, and rent due to their dispersed residences…
Headache.
However, cultivating power has its advantages. First, it provides some protection for the female protagonists. Ziruo and Yinyun are constantly watched over by members of the Short Knife Gang, and the Daqi Bank isn't worried about trouble. Second, it provides assistance, such as catching birds or something.
He Yunxiao was discussing the situation in Yinjing Jianghu with Pang Jian at this moment.
According to Sister Jiang's intelligence, the Jianghu (martial arts world) forces in Yinjing City have been heavily infiltrated by the Yan Kingdom. Once war breaks out and the Yan army approaches Yinjing, there's a good chance that many traitors will suddenly appear. This is something we must guard against.
As the two were talking, their brother came from outside and asked to see them.
After He Yunxiao let him into the house, the kid shouted to Pang Jian without saying a word, "Chief! I've caught the egret you wanted!"
Pang Jian angrily retorted, "How dare you! Brother He saved my Short Knife Gang from dire straits, and you still call me gang leader? Aren't you an ungrateful wretch?"
The man was stunned for a moment before realizing that the gang leader had changed. He was speechless for a moment, and then he was scolded by Pang Jian. He reluctantly knelt down and kowtowed to He Yunxiao to admit his mistake.
"Master, please forgive me, I..."
He Yunxiao got up and helped the man up, brushing off the dust that had settled on his shoulders from his journey.
"A man's knees are worth gold, why are you kneeling before me?"
"I made a mistake."
"If you make a mistake, correct it. If you hurt someone, find a way to make amends. I, He Yunxiao, am neither heaven nor earth, nor the emperor or your parents. I don't need you to kneel. If you feel sorry for me, do your job well in the future. I believe that none of the brothers who are still willing to stay in our gang and share life and death are cowards. It's a small matter, nothing. Get up."
After helping the young man, who was in tears from his words, up, He Yunxiao asked, "What's your name?"
The young man shouted, "Boss! My name is Chen Xiaolong!"
He Yunxiao patted him on the shoulder, "Not bad, I have a childhood friend whose surname is also Chen. Come on, take me to see the egrets."
Yinjing is located in the north, and egrets fly south in winter. This kid will probably have to ride a horse at full speed to find an egret, which will take a lot of effort.
A white egret is kept in a cage. A thin blanket is placed over the cage to keep it warm.
He Yunxiao was not a bird enthusiast, and he couldn't tell the difference between the egrets of Qi and modern egrets.
They're all just big white birds, they all look pretty much the same.
He went to great lengths to have someone capture the bird, actually just to verify one thing: what would happen if the egret stayed in the Jinxian Academy.
Nan Zhu's wife said, "The 'strange poison: egret' comes from the droppings of egrets."
Since it comes from feces, it means that the poison is present in the egret's body; otherwise, it wouldn't be excreted in the feces. All poisons must be measured. If the amount of poison in the egret's body is very small and does not affect its health, it will naturally go unnoticed.
Assuming... Mengbao and Bailu are in the same situation...
Mengbao wasn't suddenly poisoned; she had been poisoned all along. It's just that under certain circumstances, the amount of toxins suddenly increased for some unknown reason...
Mengbao was fine until she was suddenly poisoned in Jinxian Academy. This variable was Jinxian Academy, which caused Mengbao to be poisoned twice!
...
Generally, the coming-of-age ceremony for the eldest princess is not a major ceremony; at most, it is a small gathering attended by her parents and relatives.
However, Meng Qingqian was different. Because of her status, all the officials and merchants tried to get acquainted with her. What was originally a proper coming-of-age ceremony became bigger and bigger, eventually reaching the scale of the Empress Dowager's birthday celebration last year.
Meng Qingqian sat at the table in her bedchamber, reviewing memorials.
She could have lazily leaned against the tea table and read the documents, but ever since she started hanging out with He Yunxiao, she'd found herself with increasingly limited time. She had to concentrate fully and read quickly every time she needed to read the memorials, otherwise she simply couldn't finish.
With her coming-of-age ceremony just around the corner, the number of matters requiring her attention and instructions has surged dramatically, resulting in a mountain of official documents and a chaotic situation that only intensifies her efforts.
Meng Qingqian cursed He Yunxiao in her heart again.
If it weren't for him constantly finding fault and saying he "misses Mengbao," I wouldn't have had to waste my time going to Jinxian Courtyard with him every day!
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