Chapter 55: Little San

As the saying goes, it is easier to enjoy the shade under a big tree. Should he go and check it out? Su Tang thought to himself as he walked into the inn, requested a room, and told the waiter to prepare hot water so he could take a wonderful bath.

After a short nap, Su Tang left the inn and tore down the notice. He looked for a clothing store; the tight-fitting clothes he wore were already damaged. Since he planned to “apply” for the job, he naturally wanted to make himself look clean and decent.

Su Tang bought black Martial Artist Clothing. For women, beauty meant wearing white; for men, beauty meant wearing black. After changing into the black Martial Artist Clothing, Su Tang looked extremely spirited, and his gaze was more complex and deeper than before.

To avenge Long Qi, he was willing to risk great danger to assassinate Madam Red. This was a kind of mental cultivation ; one could say that most people would have chosen to give up in the same situation.

Su Tang found a barber shop and trimmed his hair. He stopped a child on the street and, for the price of one silver coin, asked for directions and walked toward the Zuiyue Tower mentioned in the notice.

Twenty minutes later, Su Tang stood beneath Zuiyue Tower. It was a very grand restaurant, but perhaps because it was still early, there were almost no customers inside.

Su Tang felt a bit suspicious. A guaranteed monthly salary of ten gold coins was certainly not a small amount. In his imagination, there should have been countless Wandering Martial Artists crowding the place.

With a dry cough, Su Tang called out at the door, “Excuse me, is Shopkeeper Xi here?”

A short, fat middle-aged man behind the counter looked up. “Young man, what do you want with me?”

“I am here to apply.” Su Tang produced the notice.

“Apply? Great!” The short, fat middle-aged man was delighted. He hurriedly stepped out from behind the counter and waved his hand. “Young man, please follow me.”

The short, fat middle-aged man led Su Tang up to the fifth floor and stopped in front of a private room. He knocked on the door and shouted, “Chief, someone has come to apply.”

“Really?” a female voice called from inside.

“Shh… be quiet!” another female voice said. “Ahem… please come in.”

The short, fat middle-aged man pushed open the door, and Su Tang walked in slowly. There was a round table in the center of the room, with three girls sitting around it. Beside them stood an old servant with graying hair, who was looking at Su Tang with a smile.

“Warrior, please, please sit,” the girl sitting at the head of the table greeted him warmly.

Su Tang looked left and right, and his gaze finally landed on the girl at the head. She was very beautiful, but her attire was shocking. Despite being indoors, she wore an inappropriately large bamboo hat, an eyepatch over her left eye, and a terrifyingly large blade on her back. The blade was a foot wide and looked like a door panel.

Su Tang sat down respectfully and placed the notice on the table. “I am…”

“Where did you come from, warrior?” the girl at the head asked.

“I am from Mount Peng,” Su Tang said. “I left my hometown in my teens and traveled the world…”

“No wonder you look so dignified; so you are a distinguished student of Mount Peng.” The girl at the head seemed to enjoy interrupting others. “May I ask your honorable name, warrior?”

Talking like this is so damn awkward, Su Tang thought to himself, but his expression remained calm. “I am simply surnamed Su…” Su Tang paused suddenly, then smiled. “My name is Su Tang.” He had intended to use a fake name, but then he thought that he would not hide from the Xia Family for the rest of his life. Using a fake name from such a distance seemed too cowardly. Why not be a real man who does not change his name or surname?!

“How old are you this year, Warrior Su?”

“Twenty.” Being too young could easily lead people to look down on him, so Su Tang intentionally lied and said he was older.

“Oh.” The three girls exchanged glances.

“With Warrior Su joining us, our number is just right.” The girl at the head slapped the table hard. “I announce that the Pink Squad is officially formed today.”

What… Su Tang was stunned. Four or more people made a squad, ten or more made a group, and a hundred or more made an alliance. Before coming, he thought he would be joining a community of Wandering Martial Artists organized as an alliance. He did not expect it to be just a small squad, and one that was just born… It seemed that if he had not come, the squad could not have been formed.

“Big Sister, we…” the girl to Su Tang’s left said.

“Call me Chief!” the girl at the head replied.

“Oh… Chief, we have a man now. Is calling it the Pink Squad a good idea?” the girl asked.

“Then what do you suggest we call it?” the girl at the head asked.

“How about the Dragon and Phoenix Squad?”

“Nonsense!” The girl at the head became unhappy. “Between him and me, who is the Chief? How can he be placed before me?!”

“Then… the Phoenix and Dragon Squad? It doesn’t sound very good… it’s a bit of a tongue-twister.”

“Warrior Su is also quite pretty. How about… we call ourselves the Four Flowers,” the girl to Su Tang’s right said with a smirk.

Flowers my foot! Su Tang felt an impulse to flip his sleeve and leave. However, the smiling old servant was emitting an invisible pressure that made him afraid to speak out of turn.

The girl at the head frowned and thought hard for a long time, then suddenly said, “We’ll talk about the name later. Let’s swear brotherhood first.”

“Yes, yes!” The other two girls both looked joyful and excited.

Su Tang’s face was filled with disbelief. He came to find a big tree for shade; how did this end up becoming a brotherhood oath? What on earth was happening?!

“My surname is Xi, and my name is Xi Xiaoru. From now on, I am Xi the First,” the girl at the head said carelessly. “Her surname is Zhou, and her name is Zhou Qian; she is Zhou the Second. Both of us are older than you. Your surname is Su, so you are Su the Third. Her name is Lu Feixia, the youngest, so she is Lu the Fourth.”

Su the Third… that sounded like the name of a prostitute, didn’t it? Su Tang gave a few dry laughs and slowly stood up. “Chief Xi, I think I might have come to the wrong…”

“Uncle Zhong, this guy looks like he wants to run away. Keep an eye on him for me!” Xi the First suddenly changed her face and spoke fiercely.

“Don’t worry, Miss—oh, I mean, Chief,” the old servant said with a smile. Then he beckoned with his hand, and the teapot on the small table in the corner moved without wind. It slowly floated up and flew toward the old servant. The old servant caught the teapot, poured a cup of tea for Su Tang, and said with apparent respect, “Third Chief, please drink your tea.”

Su Tang gasped and slowly sat back down.

“Good, since everything is settled, I will tell you about our first mission,” Xi the First said. “The Sword of Taisho has appeared and fallen into the hands of a group of villains. Our mission is to knock over all those thugs and snatch the Sword of Taisho back! Little San, are you coming with us?!”

Su Tang did not react for a moment. In his mind, “Little San” usually represented something else entirely, and had nothing to do with him.

“Little San?!” Xi the First raised an eyebrow and shouted.

“Are… are you calling me?!”