Offering Diligent Service for No Reason

Xie An, just like last time, had half his face covered with black cloth, but Zhang Lin still recognized him at a glance.

There was no helping it; a head of white hair was too eye-catching.

Seeing Zhang Lin again, Xie An was no longer as vigilant and guarded as before.

After inquiring for the past few days, Xie An learned that the Tiger Wolf Gate wasn't some gang disguised as a sect, but a legitimate sect that was determined to establish itself and develop long-term in the Qingwu County area, thus paying great attention to reputation and heritage.

Xie An felt that choosing the Tiger Wolf Gate as a target was sound. The next step was to figure out how to join.

He wasn't young anymore. If he joined and became just a handyman, that wouldn't do...

Xie An cupped his hands. "Steward Zhang."

Zhang Lin held Xie An in high regard and had no airs about him. "Mhm. Come to buy a Bear Heart?"

Xie An didn't hide it. "I'm buying a Bear Heart to nourish my body."

Zhang Lin gave him a knowing look. "Bear Hearts are indeed very nourishing, with potent and vigorous medicinal effects. Not only do they strengthen the body, but they can also keep one going all night. You're a man who knows how to live... Old Liu, this is my friend. Give him a good price."

The latter half of the sentence was directed at the stall owner.

The stall owner, over forty and well-versed in human affairs, glanced at Xie An in surprise before breaking into a smile. "So, Old Brother is a friend of Steward Zhang. My apologies for my poor judgment earlier. I'll give it to you at cost price then. Thirty taels."

A single word, "friend," saved him a full thirty taels of silver.

The world of the powerful was truly beyond the understanding of ordinary folk.

Xie An happily agreed and bought the Bear Heart. The stall owner, Old Liu, packed it up and handed it to Xie An with both hands. "Old Brother, from now on, whenever you come to my stall, this will be the price."

Old Liu had long wanted to curry favor with Zhang Lin but had never found an opportunity. Now that the chance had arrived, he naturally knew how to seize it.

Zhang Lin accepted Old Liu's overture, promising to waive his stall fees in the future and to give him priority access to good merchandise at the black market. Old Liu was overjoyed.

"Old Brother, you left in a hurry last time. It's still early today, why don't I take you around the black market?"

Having received a favor from Zhang Lin, Xie An found it difficult to refuse and agreed. "Then I'll trouble you, Steward Zhang."

"No need to be so polite, Old Brother. Just call me Zhang Lin."

Xie An merely smiled; he wouldn't actually address Zhang Lin so casually.

The Blood Ridge Black Market spanned five or six towns, covering over a hundred thousand residents. The status of guards and stewards could be imagined to be quite significant.

If someone was just being polite, why would you take it seriously?

After a leisurely stroll, wherever they went, everyone showed Zhang Lin utmost respect. This even extended to Xie An, who received a bit more deference. Zhang Lin, however, was accustomed to this and enthusiastically began explaining the situation of the black market.

"The Blood Ridge Black Market is the largest black market in the surrounding six towns. Everything imaginable is sold here: weapons, medicinal ingredients, secret manuals..."

"The stalls along this road all sell weapons: sabers, swords, spears, crossbows... Many are items banned by the imperial court. This street also has a blacksmith shop; the blacksmith is quite famous and can even customize weapons according to your needs."

"The stalls along this road primarily sell medicinal ingredients, and there are also pharmacists who can dispense medicine according to your prescriptions..."

"The stalls along this road mainly sell martial arts manuals..."

After listening to Zhang Lin's explanation, Xie An finally gained a more comprehensive understanding of the Blood Ridge Black Market.

Rather than calling it a black market, it was more like a very large settlement.

Looking at the continuous stream of merchants and customers, Xie An estimated that the annual transaction volume of this black market likely far exceeded the total output value of Wuqiao Town.

No wonder the Tiger Wolf Gate didn't need to resort to robbery to make money; this black market alone could generate enormous profits every year. Moreover, for the Tiger Wolf Gate, this black market was merely the tip of the iceberg of their affiliated industries.

Sects and gangs were fundamentally different.

If he could join the Tiger Wolf Gate and become a manager in this black market, wouldn't it be easy to obtain cultivation resources in the future?

The key was to be a manager... not a subordinate.

After their stroll, Zhang Lin invited Xie An to his courtyard for a chat.

Xie An thought it was a good opportunity to learn about the Tiger Wolf Gate, so he agreed.

Zhang Lin was visibly pleased when Xie An accepted. He led Xie An to a small courtyard near the black market, even proactively brewed tea for him, and was very polite.

After some pleasantries, Zhang Lin reiterated his intentions. "Old Brother, you've seen the prosperity of the Blood Ridge Black Market. All the cultivation resources you desire are available here, and you'll even get discounts. It's much better than struggling on your own."

Xie An held his teacup with both hands, remaining silent, a look of contemplation on his face.

Seeing that he had a chance, Zhang Lin became even more enthusiastic. "Let me tell you about the general situation of our Blood Ridge..."

After carefully listening to Zhang Lin's account, Xie An learned:

The Blood Ridge Black Market was affiliated with the White Feather Hall.

The White Feather Hall was one of the seven major halls under the Tiger Wolf Gate.

The White Feather Hall was naturally presided over by its Hall Master, Fang Baiyu, a martial artist in the Second Gate Marrow Refining Realm.

In addition to Fang Baiyu, there were two deputy hall masters.

Below the deputy hall masters were four Incense Masters.

The Blood Ridge Black Market was under the jurisdiction of Incense Master Wei Dian, and Zhang Lin was one of Wei Dian's three stewards, responsible for order and security in the vicinity of the black market, leading a total of over a dozen armed guards.

"I saw, Old Brother, that you easily drew a One-stone Bow with one hand and shot two arrows consecutively. This shows you're still vigorous in your old age. Your single-arm lifting strength is no less than four hundred jin. This already matches the strength of a First Gate Bronze Skin Realm martial artist. If you're willing to join the White Feather Hall, you can start as my deputy, a vice-steward. Your monthly salary will be eight taels. Additionally, you'll receive discounts on all resources purchased at the black market. When a steward position opens up in the future, I will definitely find a way to get you into it."

After detailing the benefits, Zhang Lin looked at Xie An with anticipation.

Eighty taels a month, that's a hundred taels a year.

It was truly not a small sum.

It was five times more than Xie An's current income as an appraiser at the pawnshop. Plus various other benefits.

It was unrealistic to say Xie An wasn't tempted.

It's just... the position of deputy steward seemed too low, right?

Above there were stewards, incense masters, deputy hall masters, hall masters... an unknown number of rungs away from the higher echelons of Tiger Wolf Gate.

It wasn't that Xie An aimed too high, but who wouldn't want a better position and treatment when looking for a job?

If you can be the boss, who wants to be the subordinate?

Xie An showed a troubled expression.

Zhang Lin, with his sharp eyes, immediately noticed that Xie An found the deputy steward position too low. He began to sweeten the deal, "Actually, with your strength, elder brother, you could directly become a steward, but there are no vacancies among the three steward positions under Incense Master Wei right now. However..."

At the crucial point, Zhang Lin suddenly stopped, showing he knew how to build suspense. Only when Xie An looked at him did Zhang Lin continue, "Recently, one of the stewards has incurred the displeasure of Incense Master Wei. I surmise that Incense Master Wei intends to replace him, but hasn't found a suitable candidate for the time being."

Xie An finally became interested, "What do you mean?"

Zhang Lin lowered his voice, "Zhang Biao, who is a steward like me, is addicted to gambling, neglects his duties, and his temperament has changed drastically, frequently clashing with the Incense Master. However, he has someone backing him, so Incense Master Wei can't do anything about him for the moment. If something were to happen to Zhang Biao, his steward position would become vacant. It would be perfect for you, elder brother, to take over."

Upon hearing this, Xie An's heart skipped a beat, and he became vigilant.

As the saying goes, unsolicited kindness often hides ill intent.

Zhang Lin had enthusiastically extended an olive branch to him twice, and now he subtly pointed out Zhang Biao...

Xie An felt... that it wasn't just Wei Dian who was unhappy with Zhang Biao, but that Zhang Lin had a grudge against Zhang Biao. He was hinting that he wanted to use Xie An's hand to get rid of Zhang Biao.

This made a lot of sense.

However, Xie An didn't think there was anything wrong with that. The martial world... was naturally about one person trying to get the better of another.

Since he was wearing a mask now and Zhang Lin didn't know his identity, he asked, "What's the treatment like for a steward?"