Crisis

By the time he returned to the pawnshop, the sky was already bright.

The shop assistants were busy wiping down the doors, windows, and counters, sweeping the floor clean, and opening for customers.

No one mentioned Zhang Bing being beaten to death anymore.

In this day and age, indentured servants were cheap lives.

It was common for disobedient servants to commit offenses and be beaten to death by their masters. Even the authorities wouldn't interfere much.

A deed of sale wasn't just a piece of paper.

This incident did serve as a reminder for Xie An.

He leaned against the counter, beginning to ponder... he needed to start planning how to get his own deed of sale back.

Previously, Xie An was old and frail, sickly, with no other life skills besides his talent for appraising items. Coupled with the ongoing chaos and war outside, leaving would have made survival even harder.

Back then, staying at the Li Manor to develop safely was naturally the best choice.

Now, Xie An could lift four hundred jin, his speed and strength reaching levels ordinary people couldn't match. Although he hadn't trained in combat techniques, with his strength and speed, he had few opponents below the level of a martial artist.

Considering buying his freedom now was much more manageable.

With sufficient strength, Li Ru wouldn't dare to make it too difficult for him to buy his freedom.

The problem was, what would he do after leaving the pawnshop? What kind of livelihood would he find?... These were all things Xie An needed to consider carefully.

However, the immediate priority was that the Li family still had a son-in-law eyeing him covetously.

Although Zhang Bing was a bit smug in his petty success, he wouldn't have the guts to embezzle two hundred taels, nor would he have the courage to poison him.

Clearly, someone was behind him.

That person was the son-in-law, Lu Wei.

Xie An felt that Zhang Bing was likely helping the son-in-law embezzle, and the poisoning was probably at the son-in-law's instigation.

This son-in-law was a ruthless man, trained in martial arts, born of humble origins, and efficient in his dealings. That's why Master Li took him as a son-in-law to help the Li family with their unsavory business.

But in this world, a live-in son-in-law wasn't a good term. He was nothing more than a high-ranking lackey. If he truly had ability, he would have been married with proper ceremony, why would he need to marry into the family?

Fortunately, he hadn't gone directly to Master Li to report Zhang Bing's actions, but had instead sought Chen He's help, making it look like an accident. This way, no one would suspect him; they would only think Zhang Bing brought his misfortune upon himself.

"Weird, Old Xie, did you take some miracle medicine? You're so energetic. Hey, you've really gotten a lot younger..."

Just as Xie An was lost in thought, Chen Yuan swaggered over, looking Xie An up and down, clicking his tongue in amazement.

Xie An and Chen Yuan had been partners for ten years, so there was no need for pretense. "It's all thanks to the Health Cultivation Technique you gave me, Old Chen."

Chen Yuan, over forty, was entering his twilight years and had bought half a book of the Five Animal Play Health Cultivation Technique, hoping to live a few more years.

Unfortunately, after practicing for several years, it had no effect.

Seeing Xie An's current state, he was incredibly envious.

"Why didn't my practicing the Five Animal Play have such miraculous effects..."

Xie An took out half a book of the Five Animal Play and returned it to Chen Yuan. "Maybe it's my good mindset."

Xie An had long since memorized its contents. There was no reason not to return it.

Chen Yuan accepted the Five Animal Play, seeming to gain some insight. "Am I just too eager for results?"

Xie An: "Possibly..."

The single word "Possibly" gave Chen Yuan great encouragement, and he secretly resolved to practice diligently.

"It's all good news. I estimate Master Li will come to visit you in the next couple of days and let you take over the shop again. We need you to man the shop for me to feel secure. Damn it, otherwise, I'd get screwed over and wouldn't even know it."

After the incident with Zhang Bing, Chen Yuan felt a wave of fear.

"Haha, Old Xie, congratulations on your full recovery."

A hearty laugh echoed into the pawnshop. It was Master Li, Li Ru, dressed in a luxurious scholar's robe, who walked in.

Li Ru was in his early forties, a few years younger than Xie An. However, he was robust and refined, exuding an scholarly aura.

Following Li Ru in were an old physician and the son-in-law, Lu Wei.

Li Ru had Lu Wei present some health supplements, displaying the benevolence of the head of the family. "Old Xie has worked diligently for my pawnshop for thirty years, and I've seen it all. I specifically found Doctor Li to examine you."

How could Xie An not see through Li Ru's intentions?

It was likely that Chunlan had gone to report to Li Ru a few days prior that Xie An's health had fully recovered, and Li Ru, not quite believing it, had specifically brought a physician to check.

Li Ru gave the old physician a look, and the latter stepped forward to take Xie An's pulse, examine his eyes, and palpate his muscles. After the examination, the old physician couldn't help but feel astonished.

Strange!

He had been the one treating Xie An for his stroke. At that time, Xie An was on his deathbed. Even if he survived the stroke, his internal organs were failing, and he didn't have many days left.

How had Old Xie become even more robust now?

Having practiced medicine for thirty years, he had never seen a man in his fifties grow younger.

Lu Wei spoke first, "Doctor Li, how is Old Xie's condition?"

The old physician withdrew his hand. "Master Xie's stroke has left no residual effects. On the contrary, he is strong, his blood essence is abundant, and he can live for another ten years without issue."

A hint of disappointment clearly flashed in Lu Wei's eyes.

Li Ru, however, smiled as always. "Old Xie has good fortune. You can continue to oversee the shop's work from now on."

Lu Wei, standing to the side, actually turned and glared at Xie An.

Xie An's life returned to its usual calm.

Compared to when he was recuperating, he had to visit the pawnshop more often. But he didn't need to spend all day there.

He Chunli was skilled at appraising items and was honest and diligent. He could handle the daily琐碎 tasks, and only when dealing with more valuable pawned items or rare antiques did Xie An need to step in for appraisal.

The rest of the time, Xie An spent most of it in the small room in the backyard practicing his Health Cultivation Technique.

His body grew increasingly robust, with his strength, speed, and endurance steadily improving.

As for Lu Wei...

"You'd best not harbor any wicked thoughts. This old man isn't someone you can easily bully anymore."

Two evenings later, Xie An heard a commotion and arguing from the pawnshop, mixed with He Chunli's submissive voice.

Xie An went to the pawnshop and found that there were no Guest Officials, and the Shopkeeper was also absent. Lu Wei had brought a customer, and he was arguing with He Chunli.

"What's going on?"

He Chunli stammered for a long time before finally explaining the situation.

It turned out that Lu Wei had brought a friend named Zhang Wei to pawn a jade pendant. Zhang Wei claimed it was an ancestral heirloom worth at least one hundred taels. He Chunli, being a by-the-book person, insisted it was only worth five taels. Coupled with his straightforward manner of speaking, the two sides began to argue.

Lu Wei felt that He Chunli was disrespecting his friend and causing him to lose face, so he slapped He Chunli twice. He even threatened to beat He Chunli to death...

"Old Xie, your apprentice is really out of line. For my jade pendant, the pawnshop next door offered at least a hundred taels to start. If I wasn't familiar with the Li Manor's son-in-law, I wouldn't even bother patronizing your business." Zhang Wei weighed the jade pendant in his hand, clearly resentful.

Lu Wei also impatiently urged, "Old Xie, hurry up and fill out the pawn ticket. I still need to go drinking with Brother Zhang."

"Let me see it."

Xie An pulled He Chunli behind him protectively and took the jade pendant to examine it.

It was a high-quality imitation, deliberately aged. It was worth at most two taels, and that was only because the jade material and craftsmanship were decent.

He Chunli's valuation of five taels was partly due to his lack of experience, and partly because he was intimidated by these two men.

Xie An handed the jade pendant back to Zhang Wei. "Sir Zhang, I apologize for my poor eyesight. Please try another pawnshop."

Zhang Wei was clearly displeased, and Lu Wei, even angrier, spoke first. "Old Xie, what do you mean? You're eating the Li Manor's food, and you're deliberately making things difficult for my friend, aren't you?"

Xie An, with his sharp eyes, naturally saw that Lu Wei and Zhang Wei were colluding to set a trap and swindle the pawnshop out of money.

Before, Zhang Bing had likely fallen into Lu Wei's trap, leading him to embezzle two hundred taels.

And now they were trying to pull the same stunt on him?

Although a pawnshop relied on the Appraiser's skill, and it was common for even experienced appraisers to make mistakes occasionally, the owner wouldn't usually blame them.

But this was a deficit of one hundred taels. It would be exposed sooner or later.

And when it was, Xie An would be the one to take the blame.

How could Xie An agree to that?

"In my judgment, this jade pendant is worth about five taels. If the son-in-law insists on pawning it for one hundred taels, then he'll have to ask Master Li to come and write a personal note. Otherwise, if there's a deficit in the future, I can't bear the consequences."

Lu Wei was so angry he was hopping.

He thought to himself that this old man was being stubborn.

When Zhang Bing was in charge of the pawnshop before, he had simply given them a free pass.

But he hadn't expected Old Xie to be so rigid and even use Master Li to pressure him. He really couldn't say much more, as he was just a live-in son-in-law after all.

"You stubborn old fool, just you wait!"

Hatefully leaving behind those words, Lu Wei dragged Zhang Wei away in a huff. Before leaving, he gave Xie An and his apprentice a venomous look, thinking, "How many more days can you still jump around?"

He Chunli, frightened by Lu Wei's glare, shrank his head back to his neck. "Master, we've offended the son-in-law... will there be good consequences?"

Xie An also had a headache. When working for a wealthy family, the worst thing was to offend someone from the main household.

However, now that Xie An possessed strength, it emboldened him. "If you yield to him out of fear, you'll offend Master Li. That would be truly seeking your own death. Understand?"

Although the logic was sound, it was difficult for He Chunli to actually do it.

"I understand, Master."

Xie An breathed a sigh of relief and looked at He Chunli's face, which was swollen like a pig's head. "Does it hurt?"

He Chunli covered his face and smiled shyly. "With Master's concern, it doesn't hurt."

"From now on, stay away from him. If he comes looking for trouble, tell me, or find Shopkeeper Chen."

"Your disciple remembers."

"By the way, how much do you think that jade pendant is worth?"

"Two taels. I said five taels because I was afraid the son-in-law would get angry..."

"Your master didn't teach you his craft for nothing."

Satisfied with the answer, Xie An turned and went back to the small house in the backyard. He changed into a black outfit, took his life's savings of twenty taels, and tucked a dagger into his belt. Then, he hurried out the door towards the Black Market.

Xie An intended to buy all the medicinal ingredients on Tang Qingfeng's prescription, as well as a complete copy of the Five Animal Play and a martial arts manual.

Twenty taels… that wouldn't go far.

"Damn it, I never expected Old Xie to be so stubborn and block my path to riches. He deserves to die! And Zhang Bing is a useless idiot. Even with arsenic, I couldn't kill the old man."

Lu Wei, dejected after leaving the Li Family Pawnshop, was drinking heavily with Zhang Wei at a eatery.

Zhang Wei said, "Son-in-law, I heard the Three Flowers Gambling House has a new proprietor who's been aggressively collecting debts. If you can't repay your gambling debts on time, the new owner might come looking for the Li Manor."

Yes, Lu Wei had developed a gambling addiction and owed a substantial amount of money. Although he had dabbled in petty theft and robbery, the gambling debt was so large that he had resorted to dipping his hands into his own family's pawnshop...

If the owner of the Three Flowers Gambling House were to approach Master Li of the Li Manor, his future as a son-in-law would be ruined.

Thinking of this, Lu Wei's eyes became filled with venom. "I don't believe Old Xie can hide forever. If he doesn't come out, I'll deal with him sooner or later!"

Gambling addiction is more destructive to the mind than indulgence in alcohol or lust. Once addicted, a person ceases to be normal and is capable of anything.

Zhang Wei suddenly looked towards a distant street. "Hey, isn't that Old Xie?"