CHAPTER 115: 115 LIN BAI IS GOING TO CROSS THE SINGLE-PLANK BRIDGE

"I consider you a friend; that’s why I came to advise you. Otherwise, why would I bother saying so much?" Jiang Qingqin glared at Lin Bai, feeling deeply wronged, then stomped her foot and left.

"Boss, are we really going to clash head-on with the Righteous Seven Sects?" Crispy Rice came forward to ask.

"What else can we do?" Lin Bai glanced at him. "Just let them break up the Beggar Gang? They want to use their power to crush us. We all know what would happen if we went to the Supervisory Immortal Office; why walk into their trap and let them trample all over us? We’ll avoid a direct confrontation for now and then take them down one by one..."

He paused, then instructed the Beggar Gang members behind him, "Prepare for defeat before you count on victory. Earlier, when we were outside the city, no one wanted to leave the Beggar Gang. So, let’s unite and overcome this crisis together. If anyone from the Righteous Seven Sects tries to persuade you to defect, you know what to do. If they forcibly abduct you and I can’t rescue you in time, find a way to kill yourselves. I will compensate you for your losses."

"Yes," the Beggar Gang disciples chorused.

"A sect’s reputation isn’t built on compromises or charity from others; it’s earned through fighting! The Righteous Seven Sects can walk their wide, easy Yangguan Road; our Beggar Gang will take the perilous single-plank bridge." Lin Bai sneered. "I originally planned to observe you for a period before teaching you martial arts. However, I didn’t expect the Righteous Seven Sects to be tricked by the Evil Sect and come looking for trouble with us. Without any martial skills to defend yourselves, I’m afraid you won’t be able to handle them. So, once we’re settled, I will teach martial arts to all of you."

The Beggar Gang disciples erupted in joy and shouted in unison, "Shopkeeper Lin is mighty!"

Dumbelldore felt a pang of jealousy and glanced at Lin Bai wistfully, feeling as if he, the disciple, had been overlooked again.

The audience watching the live stream also felt a pang of jealousy:

"The Beggar Gang disciples are so lucky!"

"Yesterday I was saying Shopkeeper Lin is stingy, and today he’s teaching Skills to everyone!"

"Lin Bai needs a nerf! The game is unplayable like this!"

"Actually, whether Lin Bai is nerfed or not doesn’t matter. The game’s balance isn’t determined by a single sect or NPC; the game is an entire ecosystem."

"Looking at the bigger picture, haven’t you noticed Lin Bai’s situation has gotten much tougher since he arrived in Jiamucheng?"

"The Blood Shadow Sect is his enemy, now even the Righteous Seven Sects are against him, and then there are the Players. You could say Shopkeeper Lin is an enemy of the entire world. If Lin Bai falls, the Beggar Gang will scatter like monkeys when a tree falls. Opportunity often comes with greater risk. This is probably what the game developers mean by ’balance’."

"Agreed. Many Players were abducted and trained by the Evil Sect, and they’re also learning Advanced Skills. The Beggar Gang being forced by the situation to learn Advanced Skills en masse is actually leveling the playing field. That’s how a realistic world works."

"People yelling for Lin Bai to be nerfed have probably played too many dumbed-down games and don’t get the subtleties of this one."

"The biggest unfairness is actually how the closed beta Player accounts were released in batches. The first Players in got a huge head start."

"Not really. Remember what the game company calls the closed beta accounts? Pioneers. When no one knew the game, the benefits they got were actually limited. Later Players can directly use what the Pioneers discovered, develop how they want, and avoid many mistakes."

"That’s why the game company opened up live streaming: so later Players can learn about the world through the Pioneers and make the best choices for themselves."

"Allowing tips for streamers is basically free early publicity for the game company, done by these Players."

"Plus, the game company is releasing more and more accounts. Later Players can team up and help each other right away. So, the advantage for early Players isn’t as big as you think."

"Awesome! This expert’s explanation is more enlightening than ten years of study!"

"Seriously, the live stream chat is full of experts. Amazing! I’m gonna post this expert’s points on the forum and get some likes!"

With money and manpower, things get done efficiently.

To win Lin Bai over, the advertising sponsors poured a ton of money into the Beggar Gang. Lin Bai didn’t touch a cent; it all went into the Beggar Gang’s operational funds.

It’s fair to say the Beggar Gang Players are currently the wealthiest in the entire game. With large sums of money thrown around, a lavish manor, originally built by a rich merchant at great expense, became a branch of the Beggar Gang.

It boasted rockeries, flowing water, and gardens—truly extravagant.

The plaque above the main entrance boldly displayed ’Beggar Gang’. A group of Beggars in ragged clothes, yet frequenting this wealthy district, created a jarring contrast with their surroundings.

Lin Bai’s announcement that he would teach them Skills fully mobilized the Beggar Gang disciples.

With a clear goal, the Players became remarkably efficient. After a simple division of labor, the Beggar Gang expanded rapidly.

In a single afternoon, all the native Beggars in Qian City were recruited into the Beggar Gang.

In this world, there wasn’t a formally established ’Beggar Gang’. Most Beggars were idle loafers or came from destitute, fallen families. They banded together for mutual support, occupying the lowest rung of society, which made them very easy to recruit.

If even one or two of these Beggars proved to be sharp-eyed, it would be a huge gain for the Players.

After all, Qian City was unfamiliar territory to them as well, and they needed to gather a lot of information to make the best decisions.

With a little training, these local Beggars could form a basic intelligence network.

Of course, they would also serve as their advertisers...

Simultaneously, at Lin Bai’s request, cartloads of various Herbal Medicines, food ingredients, Iron Ingots, copper ingots, and other materials were transported into the manor.

This included all sorts of blades, spears, swords, and halberds...

It was truly like spending money like water.

From the outset, the Players aimed to build the Beggar’s Gang of Qiancheng into an all-encompassing Sect.

Upon entering Qian City, their Resurrection Point was automatically moved there as well.

Since they planned to establish roots here, equipping themselves for learning Skills was essential.

Seeing the Beggar Gang disciples spending so lavishly to build up their Sect, the mocking voices in the live stream chat diminished.

Without the support of advertisers, ordinary Players likely couldn’t afford to be part of the Beggar Gang—it was just too damn expensive.

After all, when joining other Sects, everything was provided; there was no need to spend your own money on supplies!

However, while the audience pitied their expenses, the Beggar Gang members themselves didn’t care. The money came easily, so they spent it without a second thought.

Even if people on the forums continued to boycott Shopkeeper Lin, the number of people joining the Beggar Gang wouldn’t decrease. After all, compared to other Sects, the Beggar Gang was currently the most complete and commercially valuable.

They had to leverage this advantage, at the very least to ensure that future members wouldn’t quit out of fear of the costs involved.

The Beggar Gang disciples understood that the advertising sponsors didn’t care how much money was spent; their primary concern was always exposure and Player traffic...

While Lin Bai and his Beggar Gang disciples were busy with construction in Qian City.

「The Supervisory Immortal Office.」

It was a place filled with a desolate and gloomy atmosphere.

The Sect Leaders of the five major Sects sat in their chairs, their expressions grim.

At the head of the table sat a Scholar in his thirties. With drooping eyelids, he sipped his tea leisurely, appearing entirely unconcerned with the matters at hand.

"This is outrageous! Who does Lin Bai think he is? He clearly has no respect for us!" Daoist Qingming from the Return to Dragon View, known for his fiery temper, slammed his hand on the table. "These young upstarts are getting more and more audacious!"

"His actions in the main city, intercepting the Descended Ones, have already violated the rules established by the Righteous Seven Sects," Wang Jingtian from the Spirit Artifact Pavilion said sinisterly. "If we eliminate him, no one could say a thing."

"Senior Wang, Lin Bai is not yet a Golden Core Realm cultivator," Jiang Qingqin timidly defended him. "Besides, he came from the Righteous Door; he doesn’t understand the rules of the world..."

Jiang Yuru of the Hundred Flower Valley coughed lightly, interrupting her disciple. "Say no more."

"The Righteous Door? Probably some obscure little Sect from who-knows-where. How can its rules compare to those established by the Righteous Seven Sects?" Wang Jingtian scoffed.

"Exactly. If he doesn’t know the rules, we’ll make him learn them," Zhao Yi from the Morning Yuan Sword Sect sneered. "I met him outside the city today. He’s just an arrogant fool who overestimates his own cleverness and doesn’t know his place."