Chương 144: Recruiting Personnel

"Young Master, how about I introduce someone to you?" Hearing Old Nie's words, Song Que's interest was piqued:"Who is it?"

"My sworn brother. He is a rather well-known rogue cultivator in the Yangnan Prefecture named Shen Ziming. Big Brother Shen is a few years older than me and is already a Fourth-Grade martial artist. Having him hold the fort at the Shunfeng Escort Agency would be more than enough."

"Your friend? Old Nie, are you confident you can persuade him? Are you certain he won't leak your whereabouts?" Song Que asked doubtfully.

"Young Master, Big Brother Shen and I have gone through life and death together. He is extremely sincere and open-minded. As long as I ask, he likely won't refuse. Furthermore, I can guarantee he will absolutely not betray me." After thinking for a moment, Boss Song still shook his head:"This matter is of grave importance and cannot be treated carelessly. Even if he has no intention to leak it, what if someone accidentally finds out? Old Nie, we cannot afford to be careless right now."

Although slightly disappointed, Nie Feng understood his young master's concerns:"Understood! Young Master, I oversimplified things." Patting his shoulder, Song Que encouraged him:"Don't be discouraged. Wait until that thing is ready. By then, we should have the ability to protect ourselves. If you can recruit this person then, I will naturally welcome him warmly. But now is not the time."

"Thank you, Young Master! I will definitely not disappoint you!" Nie Feng cupped his hands, overjoyed and grateful.

"Young Master, then how do you plan to resolve the immediate problem? If anything, let me go to Shunfeng! My physique has deformed now, so no one should be able to recognize me."

"No need. I plan to have Xiong Ba return for a trip to intimidate these newcomers and dull their sharp edges a bit. As for the rest, let Guan Xing and Brother Hong hold the fort for a while until we finish everything here, and then we'll make further plans. It should only be a little over a month; they can manage until then." Thinking it over and finding no better candidates, Song Que decided to make do for the time being. Nie Feng had no objections.

They added a few more details, discussed for a while longer, and then called the foolish Bear in to give him instructions. When night fell, Xiong Ba and Li Xin secretly descended the mountain to return to Plum Manor and find Zhong Hong.... The next day, Shunfeng Escort Agency, the Guan residence. Zhong Hong, Xiong Ba, the three members of the Guan family, along with Zhang Lin and Jiang Heng, were facing the twelve newly joined martial artists, exchanging greetings and introductions.

Among these twelve, there was one Third-Grade, two Second-Grade, and nine First-Grade martial artists. Originally, there was another Second-Grade martial artist who wanted to join, but after screening, Zhong Hong found issues with his character and decisively crossed his name out on Boss Song's behalf. These people weren't too old. The oldest was the Third-Grade martial artist Yu Fan, who was only in his forties, a few years younger than Guan Xing.

The rest were all in their prime, possessing great potential to be tapped. Seeing the introductions were mostly done, Zhong Hong finally stood up and said:"Gentlemen, my brother Song Que was very pleased to hear the news of your arrival to join us. It's just a pity that he is currently busy in secluded cultivation, researching martial arts, and cannot get away. Therefore, he sent this Xiong Ba, who is his family retainer, to come here in his stead to pass on a few words."

Only then did everyone turn their eyes to the ferocious and terrifying Master Xiong. They had been secretly sizing him up this whole time, and only now did they learn his identity. It had to be said that sending Xiong Ba here today was a good idea. Just looking at his face and his terrifyingly massive physique—even sitting completely still—made people feel oppressed, causing those present to restrain themselves considerably.

The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. At this point, Xiong Ba stood up, took out a piece of paper from his robe, and began to read the words written on it. The young master had given a lot of instructions yesterday, and he couldn't remember them all, so he asked Nie Feng to write them down to be safe.

"Gentlemen, my young master instructed me to convey his warmest welcome to you all. Shunfeng is currently in a stage of vigorous and rapid development, and we exactly need talents like yourselves to help out. Although we are not some major gang right now, my young master promises not to let anyone suffer losses. For now, please assist Brother Hong and Escort Leader Guan at the Shunfeng Escort Agency; there will be other arrangements later." The foolish Bear finally breathed a sigh of relief and put the paper away.

Sweeping his gaze over the crowd, he spoke:"My young master said that all of you here only need to spar with me. Surviving three moves under my hands is considered passing. Surviving five moves gets a monthly salary of twenty taels. Surviving ten moves doubles the salary! If you can survive twenty moves, you will be considered an elder, and your salary will be equivalent to Escort Leader Guan's current salary!"

"Are those words true?!" The martial artists began to stir with excitement. Their initial goal in joining was just for future prospects. Once Boss Song made it big in the future, they would be considered founding contributors. Even if they didn't dare dream of wealth and glory, positions as headmen and high-level executives would surely be theirs. For that goal, they were mentally prepared to forego short-term benefits.

But hearing that the salary here was actually this generous, they looked at each other, unable to suppress their excitement.

"Brother Xiong Ba, I don't mean anything else. But what if we're lucky enough to defeat you?" At this moment, one of the two Second-Grade martial artists, named Fang Ran, couldn't hold back and stood up to ask. Glancing at their frail physiques, Xiong Ba honestly shook his head and said in a booming voice:"You guys can't win." A glint flashed in the eyes of the people below. As hot-blooded martial artists, no matter how much they restrained themselves, they still had a fierce pride.

Being looked down upon like this naturally made them dissatisfied. Although the person in front of them looked tall and mighty, fighting often didn't depend on who was bigger. To know who was better, they had to fight! Secretly observing the changes in everyone in the room, Zhong Hong smirked and finally spoke:"Gentlemen, although A'Que didn't say it, I can make the decision! Whoever defeats Brother Xiong Ba here, or even fights him to a draw, their monthly salary will not be less than this amount!"

Saying this, he held up three fingers, indicating three hundred taels. Seeing the crowd's eyes light up like headlights, Brother Hong chuckled inwardly. If anyone has the ability to subdue Xiong Ba, they must at least be a Fourth-Grade martial artist without a doubt. With that kind of strength, they would have long since established their own dominance around here; why would they come here to risk their lives for others? What happened next was exactly as Zhong Hong imagined.

Facing Master Xiong—even though Xiong Ba secretly held back his strength—the gap was evident. In the end, only Yu Fan survived twenty moves, the two Second-Grade martial artists survived ten moves, and out of the nine First-Grade martial artists, three were eliminated. Only six were considered to have passed. Now only nine newcomers remained in the courtyard. After being taught a lesson by Master Xiong, they were thoroughly convinced.

With subordinates already this strong, wouldn't that legendary Boss Song be even more incredible? No wonder he was mighty enough to trounce the Fierce Tiger Gang and the County Defender's people! Our decision to travel so far upon hearing the news to join him wasn't wrong! With these fierce men, is it really far-fetched to say Shunfeng will sweep across Qinghe County in the future? Who knows, maybe we'll even gain a foothold in the Commandery City! Perhaps even the Yangnan Prefecture... cough cough...

that's a bit too far. Imagining an incredibly bright future, a few of them couldn't help but dream in their hearts. Xiong Ba didn't care what they were thinking. Having completed the task assigned by the young master, he finally breathed a sigh of relief after Zhong Hong nodded in approval. He happily bid farewell to Brother Hong's group and hurried back to Plum Manor. Being around so many people made him feel uncomfortable.... Night. A carriage quietly departed from Plum Manor toward Eagle's Sorrow Ravine.

The driver was Li Xin, and only Xiong Ba accompanied as the escort. Having successfully completed the young master's task today, Xiong Ba returned to Plum Manor to regroup with Li Xin. After resting and recuperating, the two of them transported the medicinal herbs and ores delivered by the Sea of Clouds Pavilion to the stronghold under the cover of night. Boss Song could have done this secretly himself, but doing so would cause unnecessary suspicion, so he opted out.

Besides, if he had to do everything himself, what was the point of keeping so many underlings? The distance from Plum Manor to the Black Iron Stronghold wasn't far, and with their Black Iron Stronghold holding absolute dominance in the area, Song Que wasn't too worried about the two's safety.

"Xiong Ba, you were so awe-inspiring today! I heard Brother Hong say you subdued a dozen people all by yourself, including quite a few Third and Second-Grade martial artists! I'm so jealous! I wonder when I'll be able to help Big Brother with tasks." On the way, Li Xin couldn't help but speak enviously. Not knowing how to encourage or console him, Xiong Ba just rubbed his bald head and smiled:"Hehehe, A'Xin, you have to eat more! Are you about to break through?"

Speaking of breaking through, Li Xin's eyes immediately lit up:"Heh, almost! I have a premonition that I'll be able to enter the Second Grade in a few days. My hard work these days hasn't been in vain! Just you wait, Xiong Ba, I'll catch up to you soon!"

"Hehehe, then you have to hurry." The naive Li Xin still hadn't grasped the reality that the difference in aptitude between him and Xiong Ba was like heaven and earth. After just a few days of hard work, he already thought he could turn the world upside down. Fortunately, no one jumped out to crush his fragile psyche; otherwise, this kid might have started feeling discouraged again. Just at this moment, the resounding cry of an eagle pierced the sky.

Lightning, arriving at some unknown time, swooped down and skimmed over their heads, screeching continuously.