The Unassigned Bronze Seal

"Seventh Brother, it's me, Qin Tianjiu." Qin Tianjiu, also known as Qin Xiaopang, had met Ma the Fifth once before. He remembered Ma the Fifth and recognized him. Ma the Fifth remembered Qin Xiaopang, but he genuinely had not recognized him. The first time he saw Qin Tianjiu, the chubby youth had stood around one point seven meters tall and weighed roughly one hundred and seventy jin. Now, the youth before him was still around one point seven meters tall, but his weight might not even reach ninety jin. His build had changed, his features had changed, and because he was so severely emaciated, even his voice had changed. Never mind Ma the Fifth—even Li Banfeng hadn't recognized him. Once Xiaopang revealed his identity, he explained the purpose of his visit as well. No matter what it was, he would never hide anything from Li Banfeng. After ingesting the Hungry Gut Silkworm, Qin Tianjiu's appetite had exploded daily. Over the span of half a year, he had advanced continuously and reached the third tier of cultivation. Sanying Gate regarded him as a rising talent and broke convention by promoting him to bronze seal. In truth, this so-called exceptional promotion wasn't some huge windfall for Xiaopang. In Sanying Gate, Level One and Level Two cultivators served as iron seals, while Level Three and Level Four cultivators served as bronze seals; that had been the rule for years. The main reason Xiaopang wasn't suitable to be a bronze seal was his utter lack of seniority. He was only twenty-one this year, clearly far too young; among the familiar bronze seals, not one was under forty. Moreover, he hadn't been in the gang long—less than a year, all told. Other bronze seals had clawed their way through the gang for at least ten to twenty years. In a situation like his, even if he did become a bronze seal, it would be hard to convince the rank and file. Especially in a relatively traditional territory like Yaowanggou, making Xiaopang a bronze seal would inevitably throw the sect into chaos. So Sanying Gate simply transferred Qin Tianjiu to Lüshui City and made him an unassigned bronze seal. What was an unassigned bronze seal? It meant giving him the rank without any territory. In Sanying Gate, a bronze seal held sway over several streets, and the merchants on those streets all had to pay dividends to the bronze seal. An unassigned bronze seal had no turf, which meant no income. The living expenses of Qin Tianjiu and the few brothers under him depended entirely on the gang's subsidies. Wasn't that pretty good? It was basically getting a steady salary. In truth, it was anything but good. Being a brother in Sanying Gate meant making a living on the blade's edge. When you put your life on the line, who wouldn't want to live comfortably? Yet Xiaopang did not have an easy life. A bronze seal in name, he earned less than an iron seal, barely better off than an ordinary gang disciple. Still, Xiaopang was content. He knew in his heart that rising so fast in rank inevitably came at such a price. Beyond subsidies, the gang also offered bonuses to unassigned bronze seals, provided they could complete special assignments. Today's assignment was exceptionally special: Qin Xiaopang had been ordered by a silver badge to come cause trouble at Ma the Fifth's film set. "Seventh Brother, I really had no idea this movie was yours. If I'd known, I wouldn't have come. But now that I am here, it might not be a bad thing. Keep shooting your movie, and leave the rest to me." Li Banfeng said, "This was an order from your silver badge. What can you do about it? How about you set up a meeting and invite your silver badge out, and we'll see if we can settle this?" Qin Tianjiu replied, "We'll definitely have to meet, but now isn't the right time. I know the silver badge's temperament and how things work in the gang. Just leave this to me. There's one more thing I need to consult with you about, Seventh Brother. Over the next few days, I'll bring some brothers to hang around the set. Their mouths might be foul, and they might even shove people around or act rough, but whatever you do, pay them no heed. Just act like they aren't even there." Li Banfeng nodded. Ma the Fifth looked at Qin Xiaopang and said, "Brother Qin, it's only been a short while since we last met, yet you've changed so drastically." "Fifth Young Master, there's a reason for all this, but now isn't the time to talk. Once I've handled the business at hand, we can sit down and talk in detail." Qin Tianjiu stayed on set with his men, while Ma the Fifth went on filming. His subordinates watched Xiaopang, unable to fathom what he was planning. One of them, named Yue Shucai, was a Level One Literary Cultivator who was fairly close to Xiaopang. Lowering his voice, he asked, "Ninth Brother, aren't we doing the job?" "Of course we are. First, we watch and see." As he spoke, Qin Tianjiu looked dead serious. Yue Shucai didn't dare press further and could only sit there alongside him. Come noon, when the crew had lunch, Ma the Fifth specially provided meals for Xiaopang and his men. Yue Shucai was utterly baffled and asked once more, "Ninth Brother, what's going on here? Do we eat or not?" "Eat. Eat first, talk later." Qin Xiaopang ate first, and the rest joined in. They ate with hearts pounding nervously, feeling as though something big was about to go down. In the afternoon, Qin Tianjiu said to his men, "Wait here. I'm going to pay a visit to the silver badge." Yue Shucai panicked. "Ninth Brother, did something go wrong? You can't just abandon the brothers here!" "There is a problem, but how we handle it depends on the silver badge's orders. I'm telling you: without my order, nobody leaves!" Qin Xiaopang left, leaving the rest trembling with anxiety. Right until the crew wrapped for the day, they didn't dare say a word. Qin Tianjiu really did go to see the silver badge. The silver badge, Tan Jinle, was listening to opera in a private room at Qingyun Teahouse. Hearing that Xiaopang had arrived, he dismissed everyone else, picked up his teacup, and leaned back in his chair. "Is the business with Ma the Fifth taken care of?" Qin Tianjiu shook his head. "I went to handle it, but it isn't done." "If it isn't done, what are you doing here?" "I took the brothers over and told him to stop filming, but he wouldn't listen. When I moved to get physical, Ma the Fifth didn't flinch. He said if we want to fight, he'll take us on, and if anything happens, he'll bear the consequences." "Oho, quite a temper on him!" Tan Jinle chuckled. "Fine, then teach him a lesson. Smash all his equipment. Just tell the boys to show some restraint—don't kill anyone." "Brother Jin, he said there's someone on set. Someone special." "What special person? Isn't it just Zuo Wugang? Tell him to try laying a finger on you and let's see if he has the guts." "It's not Zuo Wugang. Ma the Fifth said someone from the Lu family is there." Tan Jinle shot upright and slammed his teacup onto the table. "Who from the Lu family?" "He didn't say, and I didn't see anyone either. I don't know whether he was telling the truth, but my guess is he was bluffing. I was thinking of having the boys strike directly to see if someone from the Lu family really is there. If there really is..." "Don't!" Tan Jinle said anxiously. "What strike? If someone from the Lu family really is there, wouldn't it be too late?" Qin Xiaopang lowered his head. "I didn't dare act on my own authority, so that's why I came to ask for your instructions. This is a job the gang handed down to me, and I can't just refuse it, or how will I ever hold my head high in the gang..." "Who said you shouldn't do it? Do it! Take the boys and camp out at Ma the Fifth's place. Don't fight—just watch him. Wouldn't that do the trick?" "Just watch like that?" "What's wrong with watching? That counts as doing our part. Do you really want to pick a fight with the Lu family?" "Just watching without making a move—isn't that humiliating?" Tan Jinle frowned. "That's why I say you're young and don't understand how things work. How is that humiliating? You stand in front of Ma the Fifth, and Sanying Gate's duty is fulfilled. As for how thoroughly it's done, well, that's open to interpretation. I think you're doing a fine job. If the boss thinks it's not enough, at most he'll scold you a bit. But if you actually offend the Lu family, your little life is over, and I'll get dragged down with you." Qin Tianjiu sighed. "Then I'll take the brothers and stand guard." "Go on. Threaten them with a few words now and then, but whatever you do, don't raise a hand!" Qin Tianjiu agreed, and the next day he brought his men back to loiter on set. Seeing this bunch of thugs hanging around the set, the actors were terrified. Hearing them hollering and making a racket, quite a few wanted to quit. Yet after a few days, everyone grew accustomed to it, and that was that. Clamoring and shouting every day was intimidating enough, but they never actually got violent. The crew got used to it, but outsiders didn't know the truth. Word spread that Sanying Gate was going to trash Ma the Fifth's production, so pedestrians gave the film set a wide berth. Zhou Changhong urged Ling Miaoying, "Hurry up with the filming. While Sanying Gate has Ma the Fifth tied down, the second installment of Bloodblade Detective must premiere first." Ling Miaoying did not disappoint. A month later, the second movie was released. On premiere day, major cinemas across Lüshui City were packed to capacity. Some of this was a show put on by crowds hired by Ling Miaoying, but there were also plenty of genuine ticket-buying patrons. Ling Miaoying made a rough estimate: an eighty percent occupancy might be pushing it, but seventy percent was certain. This was a respectable showing. As long as it maintained this momentum, the movie was bound to turn a hefty profit, cementing Ling Family Pictures' standing. Unfortunately, the momentum did not last. On the second day of release, attendance dropped below sixty percent. By the third day, it was under half. In the days that followed, the cinemas grew sparse, with hardly anyone coming to see the film. Zhou Changhong couldn't make sense of it. He went to a cinema in person to watch a screening, only to find that barely into the opening scenes, many audience members stood up and walked out. What did this mean? They paid good money for tickets and left before finishing? Two viewers were dressed impeccably, clearly not short on money. Zhou Changhong followed them out and asked with an amiable smile, "Why did you stop watching? I thought it was pretty good." "Good? If I'd known, I wouldn't have come at all." Zhou Changhong urged, "Since you already spent the money, staying a bit longer won't hurt." The man waved his hand dismissively. "What's the cost of a single movie ticket? The problem is that this movie is fake." "Fake?" Zhou Changhong paused, startled. "What do you mean by that?" "Do I even need to explain? Look for yourself! After watching for so long, their clothes are bundled up tight as could be. What's there to see? Not a speck of real substance!" Zhou Changhong was completely bewildered. Another audience member chimed in from the side: "Bought the wrong ticket! The one we wanted to see was Bloodgun Detective—that's the real deal! This one's an imitation, a total waste of time!" Bloodblade Detective had become the knockoff. Zhou Changhong sat in the theater and watched the movie from beginning to end. There was nothing wrong with the film. Ling Miaoying had poured great effort into it; even if screened in the Outer States, it would qualify as high-quality work. The problem wasn't the movie. It was the people watching it. If not for Bloodgun Detective, Bloodblade Detective would easily have maintained sixty percent attendance. But now, these moviegoers hadn't come to appreciate cinema—they had come for blood and guns, and Bloodblade Detective didn't match their expectations. Should he make Ling Miaoying pivot in Ma the Fifth's direction? No. They couldn't stoop to something as shameless as Ma the Fifth's tactics, or the Ling family's reputation would be ruined. Besides, a movie produced that way was not what he wanted; it wouldn't allow many of his subsequent plans to move forward. Zhou Changhong felt confident. There was no need to rush. Ma the Fifth's movie couldn't be made anyway, and once people forgot that filthy picture of his, everything would get back on track. Ten days later, the second installment of Bloodgun Detective hit theaters. Without much promotion, Ma the Fifth had simply placed a few notices in the newspapers before releasing the film. On premiere day, Zhou Changhong couldn't get a seated ticket and bought a standing ticket instead. He watched the movie all the way to the end. To tell the truth, he had seen enough shocking, visceral scenes; there were far too many of them in the Outer States. Yet he desperately wanted to know one thing: In this movie, who was the real culprit? The movie's story was not bad at all. A decent story combined with intense visual impact—how could Bloodblade Detective possibly compete? Grandiose visuals? Renowned actors? Dazzling cinematography? Did any of that truly matter to the audience of Puluo Province? Zhou Changhong's cheeks twitched repeatedly. Just how was he supposed to stop Bloodgun Detective? Should I go and smash up the film set myself?