Regarding these two so called dragons and phoenixes among men, others obviously had different views.
Yu Qing and Mu Aotie did not take it seriously. People were just being polite, how could they take it literally.
However, since the other party was generous, Yu Qing was not so straightforward. He hurriedly said, “Third Master, there is no rush to join. Before joining, I have a few questions I want to clarify.”
Cao Dingkun laughed heartily and expressed his understanding of this. “If you joined without asking anything, I would actually be afraid to recruit you. Ask away, ask whatever you want.”
Yu Qing was not polite either and asked directly, “I remember the Third Master said your gang allows free coming and going. Does that mean we can quit at any time after joining your gang?”
Cao Dingkun was silent for a moment and asked in return, “May I ask the honoured names of the two brothers?”
Yu Qing said, “Zhu Qing.”
Mu Aotie said, “Zhang Sui.”
Both men had forgotten how many times they had used fake names to mingle in the world. Others mingled in the Jianghu to make a name for themselves, declaring their real names right from the start. They were the opposite, mingling until now without making a name, and not daring to report their real names wherever they went.
There was no other way. They had made a mistake in their debut. They made a huge name right from the start, and as soon as they entered the Jianghu, they were targeted by the most top tier powers in the world.
“So it is Brother Zhu and Brother Zhang.” Cao Dingkun greeted them cheerfully and politely, then pondered and said, “I believe Brother Zhu and Brother Zhang can both see that our Scorpion Gang is somewhat different from gangs in other places. In fact, it is not just our Scorpion Gang, most gangs in the Kuilei City area are about the same.
People who come to Kuilei City are here for the treasures of Tianji Mountain. The chaos of Tianji Mountain is obvious to all. The purpose of forming gangs is to huddle together for warmth.
Everyone is here to make a fortune. If anyone really talks about working for the great cause of the gang, no one will get involved. If someone makes a fortune and feels their goal is achieved, they can naturally leave at any time. But the ugly truth must be said upfront. Leaving at any time refers to after the matter is settled or when there is nothing happening.
You cannot say you are in the middle of a job and run away because you feel it is dangerous. That is no different from shaking the morale of the army. Everyone will instantly scatter like birds and beasts. How can we still huddle together for warmth? It is very easy to pit others to death.
Therefore, at least some rules are necessary. Once there is a path to wealth, everyone discusses and agrees to act together. You can either not participate, or once you are willing to participate, you must follow the rules during the action. If anyone dares to run away without permission or shake the morale, everyone will execute them together.
Do not think you can get away with it if you run. Have the ability to never let us find you for the rest of your life, otherwise this debt will be settled sooner or later. Brother Zhu, Brother Zhang, these are the rules of joining. Weigh them yourselves. If you are willing to join, join. If you are not willing, we will not force you.”
The two brothers looked at each other. Yu Qing asked again, “In other words, when we are not acting together, everyone is free, individuals can do whatever they want, and can quit the Scorpion Gang at any time?”
Cao Dingkun nodded. “That is exactly the meaning. But freedom is also limited. Infinite recklessness cannot be allowed. The premise is that you cannot do things detrimental to the Scorpion Gang, and you cannot commit atrocities under the banner of the Scorpion Gang and cause trouble for everyone.”
Understood. The two brothers looked at each other again. These conditions were not excessive at all and were completely acceptable.
However, Yu Qing asked again, “If we really make a fortune, how will everyone share it?”
Hearing this, Mu Aotie sighed inwardly. Wasn’t the purpose of joining the gang to conveniently gather intelligence? Why was he suddenly concerned about how to divide the money?
He knew that if there was an opportunity to make a fortune along the way, the fifteenth brother would not let it go.
Of course, he himself did not object either.
Cao Dingkun waved his large hand. “After making a profit, first pay ten percent to the gang. After all, the gang also needs expenses to obtain various information. The remaining ninety percent goes to the participants. Those who did not participate have no right to share. The participants will share according to how much effort they contributed.”
Yu Qing immediately pressed on, “How is the amount of effort measured?”
Cao Dingkun said, “There is no specific way to measure it. We negotiate the price before doing the job. For example, that shop…” He raised his hand and pointed to a Mountain Porter shop.
Yu Qing and the others followed his gaze and found it was exactly Nan Zhu’s shop.
Cao Dingkun continued, “Suppose we encounter a situation and need to take over that shop. Whoever can take it over gets fifty percent of the profit for this job. Is there anyone willing to do it? If no one does it, we increase it to sixty percent. Is there anyone willing to do it? Suppose you, Brother Zhu, go and take it over. Afterwards, you get sixty percent of the benefits. The rest is either shared equally among everyone, or we continue to use this method to allocate. In short, everything is clarified in advance, there is discussion, and afterwards no one should regret it. Otherwise, everyone will execute them together. Gentlemen, can you understand my explanation?”
Inside the shop, Nan Zhu and Baili Xin noticed that everyone over there was staring at them. They instantly felt a bit nervous, not knowing what the situation was.
It turned out that the price was negotiated before working. This was indeed much more secure than dividing it afterwards. Yu Qing immediately nodded and said, “That is quite fair. Good, the two of us will join the Scorpion Gang.”
“Haha!” Cao Dingkun clapped his hands and laughed loudly, looking very welcoming. He turned around and waved his hand. “Come, give the two new members their clothes.”
Give clothes? Yu and Mu immediately looked at the uniform clothes they were wearing. A scorpion was embroidered on them. Anyone could tell they were people from the Scorpion Gang.
A man sitting on the side, sitting on a large parcel, heard this and immediately waved to the two brothers. “Come, pick your clothes over here.”
Yu Qing instantly became vigilant. He worried about encountering a scam where people were tricked into buying clothes under the guise of forming a gang. He immediately asked, “How much does this piece of clothing cost?”
Cao Dingkun pushed him on the shoulder. “Little brother, you are overthinking it. We are our own people. Why would clothes cost money? They are given for free, no money required.”
Hearing that it was free, the two brothers breathed a sigh of relief. They immediately walked over, each picked a set, and held them in the crook of their arms for later use.
Who knew Cao Dingkun would walk over again to remind them to change into them right now. Once worn, they were people of the Scorpion Gang. As for the coats they were originally wearing, they were actually required to destroy them on the spot.
The reason was quite straightforward. It could have some impact on arbitrary desertion.
Alright, this reason was not easy to refuse either. The two brothers had no choice but to comply. They changed into a set of black Scorpion Gang clothes.
They did not feel it when not wearing it. But after truly putting it on, it felt a bit tacky. It was not a problem with the clothes themselves, but with the clothing decorations. It felt like there were too many earth yellow scorpions embroidered.
There were scorpions on both the front and back. The scorpion on the chest was the largest and the most conspicuous one.
Then there was one on each shoulder, one on each sleeve, and a small scorpion pattern embroidered on each of the four corners of the garment.
This truly allowed people to recognise them as members of the Scorpion Gang wherever they went.
“It fits quite well.” After laughing heartily, Cao Dingkun informed them seriously, “If you withdraw from this gang, the clothes must be returned regardless of whether they are worn out, or we must see that they are destroyed. They cannot be worn by others to go out and swindle people.”
The two brothers looked at each other. Was this kind of clothing difficult to counterfeit? Did a gang of such a rabble have the qualification to go out and swindle people?
After changing clothes and destroying their old ones, there was temporarily nothing else to do. The group just waited there idly.
After waiting for a while, Yu Qing could not help but step forward and ask again, “Third Master, I wonder who the First Master and Second Master are?”
Cao Dingkun raised his chin towards the messy, ruined area. “The Second Master and the others are deep in Tianji Mountain. They will naturally take you to meet them later.”
Yu Qing did not notice the ambiguity in the words. He said “oh” and asked again, “What are we waiting for?”
Cao Dingkun looked at the sky. “Let us set off after the Chen hour passes. Perhaps there are still people coming to join our gang. Let us wait a bit longer.”
Yu Qing was stunned for a moment and understood. It seemed that this person had distributed more than just a few contact tokens in Kuilei City. He then looked at the other Scorpion Gang members. Upon observation, he found that there was not much conversation among them. They did not seem to know each other very well. He instantly understood that most of these dozens of people might be just like them, new members who had just joined.
Recruiting dozens of people at once, what was this about? He had a slight doubt in his heart, and then asked again, “Third Master, do you have a map of the city?”
Cao Dingkun turned his head in surprise. “A map? Yes, why?”
Yu Qing pointed at himself and Mu Aotie. Following the principle of saving as much as possible, he said, “Nothing much. We just have no money and cannot afford to buy a map. Could you give us two?”
He wanted four, to get some for Nan Zhu and Baili Xin as well, but that was not appropriate.
It was the first time someone had asked him for this thing. Cao Dingkun hesitated for a moment, glanced at the eyes looking over from the surroundings, and ultimately did not hold a grudge. He called two people over, asked them to take out the maps on their bodies, and gave them to the two brothers.
As soon as the maps were in their hands, the two brothers knew they were cheap goods. They were probably the kind sold by Mountain Porters, not the finely crafted, waterproof, fireproof, and durable kind made in the city. However, having one was enough. They were not in a position to be picky.
Who knew that as soon as the two of them got them, it immediately attracted many other gang members to gather around. They also surrounded Cao Dingkun, begging for maps.
People who could not even bear to buy a map were obviously at the level of poor ghosts.
This time, Cao Dingkun refused without hesitation. “Gentlemen, how could we possibly carry that many maps on us? We have none left.”
For this reason, he turned his head and looked at the two brothers to give them an instruction. “If you want to withdraw from the Scorpion Gang, the maps must also be returned.”
Yu Qing nodded to show he understood. In his heart, however, he felt disdain. He was reluctant to even distribute a map worth at most a few thousand taels, yet he had the nerve to call himself a gang.
Time passed little by little. The crowd continued to wait. They did not wait for anyone else holding a contact token to join. However, there were a few strangers who came to ask proactively, expressing their willingness to join. Cao Dingkun refused them all without hesitation.
The sun slanted in the sky. Once the Chen hour passed, Cao Dingkun waited no longer. He waved his hand to give an order and led the group to set off, charging deep into the ruins.
Nan Zhu hurriedly came out, hoisted the shop onto his back, and chased after them eagerly. However, being burdened, he could not catch up at all. Fortunately, Yu Qing and Mu Aotie left familiar marks along the way.
Baili Xin could not stay put either. She took out the shop in a hidden area along the route and chased after them quickly. She kept her distance and followed from afar, also acting as a guide for Nan Zhu who was behind.
On the top floor terrace of the Shixin Residence, a reclining chair was placed on a blanket. The proprietress, Lian Yu, lay on it, crossing her bare feet, and reading a book. A small table beside her held fruits and wine. Her delicate and charming appearance paired with her focused reading truly had a unique charm.
Huniu, who came out of the room, knelt beside the reclining chair and wagged her tail as she reported, “That Zhang Zhichen joined a scum gang called the Scorpion Gang and followed them into the mountains. I do not know what he wants to do.”
Lian Yu was somewhat surprised. “Then arrange for someone to infiltrate that so called gang and keep an eye on them. Let us see what exactly is going on.”
Huniu smiled bitterly. “It is really not easy to infiltrate right now. The Scorpion Gang only recruits people they want to recruit. They do not recruit those who actively want to join. Our people tried and failed to get in. To infiltrate, we will probably need to design a good plan.”
Lian Yu said, “Since it is troublesome, keep an eye on them if you can. If you cannot, then forget it. No matter how much of a first person the Morning Sun Assembly is, they are not worth us investing too much energy. The mountains are dangerous after all.”
Huniu said, “We have currently sent people to follow them secretly. By the way, that fat companion of his contacted someone and turned into a Mountain Porter. He is probably impersonating one. Now he is also carrying the Tianya Pavilion and following Zhang Zhichen.”
This time, Lian Yu closed the book and held it against her chest, looking a bit startled. “They have quite the nerve, daring to impersonate a Mountain Porter. What do they want to do?”
Even the city lord of Kuilei City, Nie Rifu, would not dare to impersonate one lightly.
Huniu said, “I do not know.”
Lian Yu pondered and stood up. She walked back and forth on the terrace with her bare feet a few times, then said slowly, “There are other contacts? The person who can handle the impersonation matters is probably not simple. Then spend a bit more energy to keep an eye on them. Let us see what exactly they want to do.”