After leaving the broker's office, the sky was already nearing dusk.
Shang Yong looked at Wang Yuan beside him, whose expression remained calm, and extended another invitation.
This time, his smile was far more sincere. "Junior Brother, you saved your senior brother here the cost of a whole courtyard today. Surely you'll do me the honor of letting me play host and treat you to a simple meal?"
"Drunken Immortal Tower—how about it?"
Wang Yuan looked at Shang Yong's faintly teasing but harmless smile.
Then he recalled how Shang Yong had come to his rescue in time earlier, as well as the generous gifts he had given before. Refusing again would seem rather cold and unfeeling.
He nodded and smiled. "Then I'll trouble Third Senior Brother."
"Haha, think nothing of it!" Shang Yong laughed heartily, looking extremely pleased.
Seeing this, Wang Gui and Madam Zhou headed home first, while Wang Yuan and Shang Yong made their way to the restaurant.
Drunken Immortal Tower was the most renowned restaurant in the South District.
Shang Yong was clearly a regular here. He directly requested an elegant private room by a window on the top floor.
The room was luxuriously furnished, and through the window, they could see the South District streets as their lanterns began to light up.
The wine and dishes were soon served, a dazzling spread laid before them.
Wang Yuan had never even seen many of the dishes before. Their rich fragrances filled the air, and the ingredients were clearly selected with the utmost care, far beyond ordinary fare.
Steamed Red Scale Fish, Braised Ironback Beef Brisket, Lingzhi Stewed Snow Pigeon...
All were delicacies brimming with Vitality Essence.
The two ate and chatted, the atmosphere harmonious.
Shang Yong was widely knowledgeable and spoke with wit. He vividly recounted interesting tales and strange anecdotes from Gaoye City and even Cloud Province, greatly broadening Wang Yuan's horizons.
After three rounds of wine and five flavors of dishes.
Shang Yong set down his wine cup, his expression turning somewhat more serious as he got to the point.
"Junior Brother, things around Gaoye City have not been peaceful lately."
Shang Yong gently swirled the amber wine in his cup, his voice carrying a trace of gravity.
"I'm sure you've sensed it vaguely as well. Those mountain bandits, the Black Wind Bandits, have been exceptionally rampant lately. Their range of activity has grown wider and wider—they even dare to raid the official road leading to the Prefecture City."
"Some time ago, the Three Great Families of the Inner City jointly dispatched a force led by a Force Martial Master to leave the city and suppress the bandits. Guess what happened?"
He paused and looked at Wang Yuan.
"They returned in crushing defeat! They lost quite a few men, and even the Force Martial Master leading them suffered no light injuries."
"Now the city is all rustling winds and crane cries. And that Incense God Cult is taking advantage of the muddied waters to fish for profit. The situation is rather tense."
Wang Yuan frowned slightly upon hearing this.
The Black Wind Bandits?
He recalled vaguely hearing that name before, but he had not expected them to be so rampant that even the Three Great Families had suffered losses after joining hands.
Shang Yong continued, "My Wanguan Merchant Association deals in trade and transporting goods."
"With the land outside the city so unsettled now, the association has suffered enormous losses."
"After my father discussed matters with several uncles, they decided to have me take the lead in establishing an escort agency belonging to our merchant association, recruiting capable hands to specifically protect important merchant caravans and reduce our losses."
He looked at Wang Yuan, his gaze burning bright.
"The main reason I came to see you this time, Junior Brother, aside from congratulating you on your move and great advancement in cultivation, was to invite you to join this Wanguan Escort Agency, which has not yet been officially established."
"Me?"
Wang Yuan was somewhat surprised. After all, on the surface, he was merely a minor martial artist at the First Blood Change.
"That's right."
Shang Yong nodded.
"Although you are currently only at the First Blood Change, Junior Brother, you are exceptionally gifted and possess boundless potential."
"What I value is your future."
"So for now, you only need to attach your name to the escort agency and count as one of its members."
"Ordinarily, you will not need to do anything. You can still cultivate peacefully at the Fist Academy."
"Only for certain particularly important escort missions, or missions that happen to be along your route, will we trouble you to act."
"To put it plainly, we'll first forge a good bond. Once you grow in the future, you will naturally become one of the pillars of the escort agency."
To move Wang Yuan's heart, Shang Yong directly laid out his offer. "Of course, we will not have you attach your name for nothing, Junior Brother."
"You will receive a fixed monthly stipend of thirty taels of silver."
"You may also spend money to borrow and study the martial arts manuals collected internally by the escort agency before anyone else."
"Every month, we will also provide a fixed amount of Blood Strengthening Pills, which are greatly beneficial to Blood Exchange Realm martial artists. Most importantly..."
As Shang Yong spoke, he took out an exquisite jade box he carried with him. From it, he removed a palm-sized piece of dark-red jerky that radiated a dense aura of vitality, then pushed it before Wang Yuan.
"This is jerky made from the dried heart meat of a second-rank monster beast, the Fire Rhino. It is superior Monster Beast Meat and has remarkable effects in strengthening vitality and tempering the physique."
"Once you join the escort agency, you can receive a fixed amount every month."
"Junior Brother, you may as well have a taste first."
Wang Yuan looked at the jerky and could clearly sense the majestic energy contained within it.
It was far beyond any ordinary Monster Beast Meat he had eaten before.
He picked up the jerky and put it into his mouth.
The jerky was exceptionally chewy.
Yet with every chew, a blazing, pure torrent exploded in his mouth, swiftly surging through all four limbs and eight meridians before finally flowing into the Black Talent Bead in his chest.
[Energy Absorption in Progress... Current Energy: (28/100)]
Wang Yuan's heart jolted.
This small piece of jerky alone provided such considerable energy.
It was far more efficient than the ordinary Monster Beast Meat and pills he had eaten before.
If it could be supplied over the long term, the speed at which he accumulated energy and carried out his next Talent Awakening would surely increase dramatically.
This Wanguan Merchant Association truly possessed profound foundations!
Wang Yuan fell into thought.
All he had to do was attach his name. He would usually remain free, yet he could receive silver, pills, the right to consult precious martial arts, and superior Monster Beast Meat capable of greatly accelerating the Black Talent Bead's energy accumulation every month...
What he needed to give in return was merely to act under certain circumstances, along with the status of a future "ally."
For him, this deal's benefits far outweighed its drawbacks.
What he lacked most now was stable, high-quality cultivation resources.
After weighing the matter for a moment, Wang Yuan raised his head and looked at the expectant Shang Yong, solemnly nodding.
"Thank you for thinking highly of me, Third Senior Brother. If the escort agency does not find this junior brother's cultivation too low, I am willing to join and contribute my meager strength."
"Good! Excellent!"
Shang Yong clapped his hands and laughed, looking immensely delighted.
"With Junior Brother joining, my escort agency will truly be like a tiger that has grown wings."
"Come, let us drink to standing shoulder to shoulder in the days ahead!"
The two wine cups lightly clinked in the air.
Wang Yuan knew that from this moment onward, he and the Wanguan Merchant Association, along with his Third Senior Brother Shang Yong, were officially tied to the same boat.
Still, it was no great matter. Human relationships were built on give and take.
After all, Shang Yong and he were both Zheng Shan's disciples. That alone naturally made them close.
Night was as black as ink, shrouding a relatively orderly cluster of residences in the Outer City's East District. This was the headquarters of the Black Tiger Gang.
Gang Leader Zhao Hu, a powerfully built middle-aged man with fierce eyes, was listening to a report from his trusted subordinate with a face as dark as iron.
When he heard the news connecting the words "Wang Yuan," "Panshi Fist Academy," "First Blood Change," and "easily defeated Liu Yunfeng in public."
The teacup in his hand shattered with a crack, and scalding tea burst forth.
"First Blood Change... How long has it been?"
Zhao Hu's face was filled with shock and a faint thread of fear.
"One month! Only one month!"
"He went from a sickly wretch who was nearly beaten to death to a First Blood Change martial artist? And he even defeated that Liu Family brat?"
He abruptly rose to his feet and paced irritably around the hall.
Song San's death, that strange fire at the end of Bluestone Alley, and the disappearance of Widow Li and the others...
Before, he had only suspected it. Now, he could almost confirm that Wang Yuan was behind it all!
"This boy... cannot be allowed to live!"
A savage gleam burst from Zhao Hu's eyes, and icy Killing Intent spread through the air.
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