Chapter 126: The Gangster's Underling

Brother Qiang’s full name was Fu Qiang. At thirty years old, he was in the prime of his life, fierce and ambitious.

He was a smart man who knew which opportunities to seize. Since he was going to confront Qin Xuan, he had naturally done some background checks on him beforehand. What he found was startling: Qin Xuan was closely connected to Miss Su Muqing of the Su family, maintained friendly ties with the Zhao family, and even had some involvement in the downfall of the Li family.

These were Qin Xuan’s worldly connections, but it was his identity as a swordsman, almost ghostlike and formidable, that truly made Fu Qiang wary.

Because of that, Fu Qiang planned to join forces with some drug traffickers, abduct the woman they believed belonged to Qin Xuan, and use her as leverage to force him into compliance and help rescue Lei Jinde.

Now that Qin Xuan was willing to be his backing, Fu Qiang immediately sensed an opportunity—one even more promising than following Lei Jinde.

“It’s fine now. Let’s head back,” Qin Xuan said with a smile as he approached Shui Xian, who had been hiding nearby.

Shui Xian looked nervously at Fu Qiang, who had followed them, and clutched tightly onto Qin Xuan’s robe, drawing close. Seeing this little spirit so scared, Qin Xuan couldn’t help but feel a bit helpless.

But it was understandable—Shui Xian was naturally shy and timid, and on top of that, Fu Qiang had just knocked her out and carried her away from the villa.

“Don’t be afraid. When I’m not here during the day, he and his men will be protecting you,” Qin Xuan comforted her. Then he turned to Fu Qiang. “You’ll watch over the villa during the day. You don’t have to come at night—unless there’s a special situation, like tomorrow night when I won’t be around.”

“Yes, big brother,” Fu Qiang responded firmly.

“Remember this: although I’ll help you occasionally, how far you rise ultimately depends on you,” Qin Xuan reminded him.

“Understood.”

Determination blazed in Fu Qiang’s eyes. His ambition had always been immense, and now, with Qin Xuan’s support, he felt it was time to give it his all.

After a moment’s thought, as Qin Xuan and Shui Xian walked farther away, Fu Qiang furrowed his brow and said, “I have another question.”

“Go ahead.”

Qin Xuan stopped walking.

“What do you mean by ‘don’t let expansion methods go too far’?” Fu Qiang was puzzled by a remark Qin Xuan had made earlier.

For a gang wanting to expand, certain ruthless tactics were expected—so what exactly counted as ‘too far’? Fu Qiang knew he had to understand this fully. Crossing a line without backup could be disastrous.

“Heh,” Qin Xuan turned and smiled. “I believe you still have a conscience. Everything must be done with conscience. Your opponents are other gangs, not ordinary people. Understand?”

Fu Qiang nodded thoughtfully.

After a moment, though, he still felt unsure—this seemed like a difficult standard to meet. Where does gang money come from? Mostly from protection fees and controlling venues—but how could that not lead to conflicts with ordinary folks?

“I’ll try my best.”

“Not try—must do,” Qin Xuan’s gaze turned cold. “Take care of yourself.”

Fu Qiang’s heart jolted, then he gave a wry smile. He hadn’t expected his new boss to have a sense of justice—it was a little embarrassing.

But what did it matter, as long as he had a chance to rise?

Fu Qiang glanced back at the unconscious henchmen of the drug traffickers, a cold light flashing in his eyes. Those drug dealers were desperate to rescue Lei Jinde, but now that he had Qin Xuan’s backing, he no longer needed to cooperate with them.

Still, if he wanted to expand his power, absorbing those men could be useful...

Qin Xuan, leading Shui Xian back, pulled out his phone and called Zhao Long.

“You mean, support the underworld?” Zhao Long was surprised. Qin Xuan had just come out of the mountains and probably wouldn’t stay long in the secular world—why would he think like that?

“Senior brother, I’m just thinking about you,” Qin Xuan smiled. He had two reasons for wanting to back Fu Qiang.

One was that the southern underworld of Jinling was fragmented. Rather than letting them develop freely, it was better to control all these forces, just like the old Li family had done.

More importantly, they would protect the villa’s safety. Otherwise, Qin Xuan wouldn’t bother with them—it was too troublesome.

Hearing this, Zhao Long laughed heartily. “Junior brother Qin, I didn’t expect you to take an interest in this.”

“It’s not interest, just a convenient move,” Qin Xuan chuckled. “If Fu Qiang proves reliable, I’ll introduce him to you so you can handle it yourself.”

“That works. I’ve been considering this side of things too. Since you say so, let’s do it. Don’t worry, junior brother Qin—as long as they keep to the limits, I’ll turn a blind eye.”

“Thanks a lot, senior brother.”

After hanging up, Qin Xuan began pondering another matter.

He recalled the news he’d heard earlier at the Purple Gold Temple about the Blue Needle Daoist of the Jinling Tianhou Palace. Although Tianhou Palace was the largest sect in Jinling, its strength was modest.

It was called the largest only because the cultivation forces in Jinling were weak. In the Shushan region, even a small sect would be stronger than Tianhou Palace.

Still, it couldn’t be ignored. The Blue Needle Daoist was at least at the Foundation Establishment stage, possibly at the Golden Core stage, and definitely stronger than the Ascension Daoist.

Qin Xuan felt the meridians he’d injured earlier were almost healed—just a few days more.

Knowing someone intended him harm, simply waiting to be struck was weak. Once his strength returned, he would take the initiative to seek out the Blue Needle Daoist at Tianhou Palace. The master and disciple duo from Purple Gold Temple would have to be taught a lesson; broken legs would be the mildest punishment.

How many legs to break? That would depend on their attitude at the time...

Of course, all of this had to wait until his power was fully restored.

“Qin Xuan, you’re back?”

Returning to the villa, Dongfang Qingwan greeted them with a smile.

“Yeah, the matter’s settled. Why are you outside? Is dinner ready?” Qin Xuan asked as he led Shui Xian inside. Immediately, a tempting aroma filled the air.

“I cooked a few dishes and made some soup,” Dongfang Qingwan said with a smile, pulling Shui Xian close.

The dishes made by Dongfang Qingwan and Shui Xian were quite different in style, but both were delicious. Dongfang Qingwan’s cooking was more traditional—simple home-style dishes that felt warm and nostalgic, leaving one reluctant to stop eating.

Shui Xian’s dishes were generally lighter in flavor, likely due to her nature as a flower spirit. Qin Xuan could sense a pure, natural essence in her cooking, more in line with the cultivation way.

“Oh, little Qin Xuan, you’re back. Is Shui Xian alright? Who kidnapped her?” Liu Qianqian asked fiercely, waving her tiny fists. Qin Xuan had no doubts—if Fu Qiang and those drug traffickers had met her, their fate would have been far worse. She might have really broken their third leg.

“It was the Black Wolf Gang, and...”

Qin Xuan began to recount the events.

...

As evening approached, Fu Qiang led a group of men near the villa. To gain Qin Xuan’s trust, he decided to make a good impression on the very first night.

“Brother Qiang, are we really going to protect this villa from now on?” a henchman complained, looking miserable. They had just sneaked into the villa to knock out and abduct a beauty, and now suddenly they were tasked with guarding the villa? The change was too sudden.

Not just him—every henchman around showed some resistance. None of them had witnessed Qin Xuan’s power firsthand, so they naturally didn’t share Fu Qiang’s respect or fear.