Regarding Yonghe's troubles, Wei He had asked Cheng Zhengxing himself, then made a trip to the escort agency to visit the bedridden man.
Unfortunately, there was nothing he could do to help with the agency's affairs.
Cheng Zhengxing was an old hand at the Third Stage Qi and Blood. Though advanced in years, his foundation remained, and his martial strength was far from weak.
Yet this incident had even laid a Third Stage Qi and Blood martial artist low. Now, all they could do was see what Cheng Shaojiu was capable of.
Wei He had asked again and again, and each time, the answer had been that there was no problem.
Cheng Shaojiu seemed confident.
Wei He thus set aside some of his worries and continued throwing himself into life hunting in the mountains.
He had now stopped condensing the Nine-Cloud Flower, and Five Ridges Palm had reached completion. All that remained was for the Boundary-Breaking Pearl to fill up again.
Just as he had expected, after stopping all cultivation that consumed Qi and blood, his accumulation speed far surpassed normal.
It was at least double the usual rate.
He could clearly feel a ceaseless stream of Qi and blood flowing into the Boundary-Breaking Pearl, where it was absorbed, merged, and stored.
Two days later.
Wei He returned from the mountains empty-handed. He had not even encountered a single bandit, which was simply rotten luck.
In the past, if he could not find prey, he could at least rob a few mountain bandits and get some rations or the like.
But his luck was poor today. There truly had been nothing at all.
Wei He simply rested for a while at Natural Dwelling before returning and sitting down for a while at that winehouse.
The winehouse was called Guest Seat Workshop, an ordinary name with a faint hint of something unusual.
Though it was called a winehouse, it was actually a teahouse. From time to time, people selling themselves to survive would wait here after naming their price.
But in these times, everyone could barely feed themselves. No one had the spare means to bring another person home.
Wei He lifted the cloth curtain and immediately spotted a long-haired girl in the corner.
The girl sat on the floor with swollen red eyes. Though she wore only a plain gray dress full of patches, it could not conceal her delicate skin and flesh, nor her features, painted as beautifully as a picture.
The customers nearby, who usually paid no attention to such things, had instead gathered to one side and kept glancing at the girl.
Yet no one spoke up to buy her, and the atmosphere became awkwardly cold.
Wei He sat at an empty table and ordered a pot of tea.
"What's the story with that girl?" he asked the winehouse girl who brought over his tea.
"She's a pitiful one too," the winehouse girl sighed.
"Tell me."
The winehouse girl studied Wei He carefully. Feeling that he might have the means to buy someone, she stopped and began explaining in detail.
"That girl is named Shangguan Lin. Her family used to be a scholarly household, and her grandfather once even served as an official at court. Now her family has fallen into decline. Her parents offended a steward from the Blood Robe Gang, and their household has now been shattered and their family destroyed.
"With no other choice, Shangguan Lin could only come out and sell herself to stay alive."
She sighed.
"Now no one dares buy her, all because they fear offending that Blood Robe Gang steward. You should know that anyone who can serve as a steward in one of the Three Gangs and Two Sects is no ordinary person, whether in personal strength or in the forces under their command.
"And the Blood Robe Gang has always been ruthless and vicious." She did not finish her words, but the meaning was obvious.
Everyone was tempted to take the beautiful girl home, but they all feared offending the Blood Robe Gang steward.
Wei He understood as well.
He had seen a Blood Robe Gang steward before. When the Three Gangs and Two Sects had come to recruit him, one of the people they sent had been a steward.
That steward had merely been at the Second Stage Qi and Blood, the same as Wei He now.
Who would have thought that a mere steward could wield such great deterrence outside?
He thought of the few core disciples at the Second Stage Qi and Blood in Huishan Fist Academy. Comparing them side by side, did that mean he was actually someone significant now?
"If you wish to buy her, sir, you should still be careful. Even the nearby Bronze Mountain Gang and Green Wolf Gang do not dare provoke a Blood Robe Gang steward," the winehouse girl kindly reminded him.
"Mm, I understand. Thank you." Wei He returned her smile. After all, she meant well.
But the Bronze Mountain Gang and Green Wolf Gang? Organizations with only a dozen or so ordinary people could possess such formidable reputations?
In those two small gangs, their chiefs were merely burly men who knew some basic fist techniques. Having broken through the First Stage Qi and Blood, they relied on fierce vitality and natural talent to gather a group of hoodlums around them.
Such little gangs were replaced every so often. In these troubled times, they were like weeds.
Still, although Wei He was tempted, he had no intention of buying her.
What he wanted was not a soft and delicate girl like this, but a girl with martial ability to protect his elder sister.
But such a person was difficult to find. He planned to wait until the time was right, then hire one of the junior or senior sisters from the academy, or—
A shadow suddenly flashed before his eyes.
The time still isn't right. Wei He raised his teacup and drained it in a light gulp.
He had come here to gather intelligence about exotic beasts. Having hunted for so long, he had gained considerable experience and could try making a move against one.
The Black Madman he had encountered at the bridge one night while escorting goods had left a profound impression on him to this day.
Thus, to guard against any mishap, he intended to make thorough preparations, gather enough intelligence, and only then attempt to act.
After sitting for a short while, he still found no leads regarding exotic beasts. Wei He finished his tea, rose to his feet, lifted the curtain, and walked out of the winehouse.
Suddenly, he saw Ouyang Zhuang, the newcomer he had brought in, passing by along the street with a servant.
"Eh? Senior Brother Wei!" Ouyang Zhuang stared at Wei He in surprise. "Didn't you go to the Yonghe Escort Agency today?"
"The escort agency? Why? Why would I go today?" Wei He was surprised as well.
"You don't know? News came from the Yonghe Escort Agency this morning. They can't afford to compensate the Zhao Family of the Inner City for the lost escort goods. They've borrowed money everywhere, but they're still short seven hundred taels of gold.
"If they cannot repay it now, they can only shut down and disband, collapsing completely." Ouyang Zhuang answered.
"They owe money? Seven hundred taels of gold?" Wei He froze.
Only seven hundred taels?
His heart jolted.
"What is it, Senior Brother?" Seeing something wrong with Wei He's expression, Ouyang Zhuang asked cautiously.
Without another word, Wei He turned and ran toward his own home. He needed to get the money, then head to the escort agency.
That Cheng fellow was being absurdly coy. Wei He had asked him so many times, yet he had not spoken sooner. If he had said earlier that he was only short this much money, Wei He would have lent it to him long ago and helped him through this crisis!
Cheng Family, reception hall.
At a square redwood table, Cheng Shaojiu sat facing a middle-aged man in a black mandarin jacket.
Groups of people stood behind each of them.
One side had more; the other had fewer.
Cheng Shaojiu's side had fewer.
His hand rested on the tabletop, his fingers pressing down on a yellowish hemp-paper document. His expression was extremely unpleasant.
Written on that paper in black ink on white paper were the mortgage and compensation terms from their previous escort job.
"Speak. Today, your Yonghe should give us an explanation." The middle-aged man in black spoke in a deep voice.
Slanting sunlight fell across the hall floor, illuminating specks of drifting dust.
"You lost the escort goods and made my Zhao Family lose face and break faith with others. How will this be settled? You should lay out a plan."
Silence.
Cheng Shaojiu's lips were cracked, and his complexion was dark and haggard.
For the past few days, he had struggled everywhere and scraped together money from all sides, but in the end, he still could not find five hundred taels of gold.
He had already done everything in his power.
"Can't you give us a few more days?" he asked quietly.
"More time, more time. Young Escort Chief Cheng, considering our past cooperation, we have already given you all these days. We have done everything that duty and goodwill require," the middle-aged man said coldly.
"Tell me, then. What will you do about the final gap, these five hundred taels of gold? If you truly cannot produce it, why not follow my earlier proposal and exchange your method for raising Silver-Kissed Black Snakes?"
The people behind Cheng Shaojiu all revealed suppressed anger and resentment.
The method for raising Silver-Kissed Black Snakes was worth far more than a mere five hundred taels of gold. The other side was clearly taking advantage of a fire to commit robbery!
But over the past few days, Cheng Shaojiu and the others had borrowed money everywhere, yet they simply could not gather those five hundred taels of gold.
Those friends who normally spoke so generously and grandly now shut their doors and refused to see them one after another.
Forget five hundred taels—even a single tael would not be lent.
Now everyone knew that the Yonghe Escort Agency was in trouble. No one was willing to lend money, lest it become a meat bun thrown at a dog—gone and never returned.
By now, the Cheng Family had more or less realized that someone had set a trap for them, with the goal being the method for raising Silver-Kissed Black Snakes.
Cheng Shaojiu remained silent for a long time. Though the Silver-Kissed Black Snake was the foundation of the Cheng Family, the very root that his uncle Cheng Zhengxing had struggled so hard to obtain back then—
This was an extraordinary time. No matter how reluctant he was to part with worldly possessions, the entire escort agency might not survive otherwise.
He let out a long sigh in his heart.
"I understand. Fine. I agree. We'll use it."
"Wait!"
A low shout suddenly rang out.
The man in the black mandarin jacket across from him raised a hand to stop him.
At some point, a short dwarf of a man had appeared beside him. The dwarf seemed to have just whispered something to him.
The black-clad man remained composed as he stood up.
"The main family has ordered that we no longer want the Silver-Kissed Black Snake. If you cannot produce the money, the Yonghe Escort Agency must disband here and now. You are not permitted to open another escort agency in the Outer City!"
He had just received instructions from the main family. The main family had secretly reached an agreement with another escort agency: as long as they completely drove the Yonghe Escort Agency to death, that side would pay a price far exceeding the value of the Silver-Kissed Black Snake.
And once the Yonghe Escort Agency had completely fallen, could their method for raising Silver-Kissed Black Snakes remain hidden?
With a few tricks, would it not all become theirs anyway?
"You!" Cheng Shaojiu's heart shook, and he abruptly rose to his feet.
The escorts and escort chiefs behind him also glared furiously.
"You motherf—!"
Someone could not help but curse, but was immediately pulled back and forced to endure it.
"What?" The man in black sneered. "Want to hit someone? Do you think only your Cheng Family has people? We are the Zhao Family of the Seven Families Alliance. You mere mud-legged yokels from the Outer City—go on, try making a move."
Cheng Shaojiu looked at the pairs of eyes around him, all fixed on him, waiting for him.
He silently raised a hand, stopping the agitated people behind him.
"No matter what, as long as people remain, everything remains."
He drew a deep breath, and even his voice seemed to tremble.
That was right. It did not matter if the Silver-Kissed Black Snake was gone.
It did not matter if the escort agency collapsed.
As long as they remained alive, they could reclaim everything anew.
But other than comforting himself, what effect could those words have?
For an escort agency on the scale of Yonghe, even Cheng Zhengxing in his youth had needed to struggle bitterly, fight for territory and markets, and labor for so long before establishing such a great foundation.
Once it collapsed, would its people truly still remain?
Cheng Shaojiu's hand trembled faintly.
Before you continue