Benefits

In a world of chaos, many are plagued by poverty.

As the saying goes, even a hero can be stumped by a single coin; many a great man has been brought low by financial hardship.

It's no exaggeration at all.

Xie An possessed the strength to easily crush martial artists who had just entered the Bronze Skin Realm, yet he still had to beg for help for a mere hundred taels of silver.

What I need most is money…

Logically speaking, Xie An hadn't even joined White Feather Hall yet, and he was asking for half a year's salary in advance. This wasn't in line with the rules. Xie An had prepared himself for Zhang Lin to refuse him. He was just trying his luck.

To his surprise, Zhang Lin was greatly excited upon hearing this and readily agreed, "As long as you, my elder brother, are willing to join White Feather Hall, everything else is a small matter. Half a year's salary… one hundred and twenty taels, I'll lend it to you personally. When the Hall eventually pays out the salaries, you can repay me then."

Zhang Lin had become a martial artist ten years ago and had been with White Feather Hall for many years. His salary was already quite high, and with various under-the-table income, he had naturally accumulated a substantial amount.

However, being willing to lend out one hundred and twenty taels in one go still surprised Xie An.

"Thank you, Steward Zhang."

"Hahaha, we're all one big family, no need for formalities. Just call me Old Zhang." Zhang Lin was in a great mood and immediately instructed Zhou Xing, "Ah Xing, go to my room and get one hundred and twenty taels of silver."

Zhou Xing nodded in agreement and trotted off to the room. When he reappeared, he was holding a cloth bag.

Zhang Lin took the bag and handed it to Xie An with both hands, "Please accept it, elder brother. There's no interest. You can repay me when you're more financially comfortable in the future."

Xie An hadn't expected Zhang Lin to give him the money so readily, nor did Zhang Lin ask for an IOU or anything. He didn't even charge interest.

In this day and age, borrowing money with terms like "nine out of ten returned" was considered normal.

Zhang Lin was essentially making Xie An indebted to him.

But Xie An felt that Zhang Lin was doing this more as a form of mutual benefit, an investment in him.

"Thank you, Brother Zhang."

Xie An accepted the money bag without hesitation.

Zhang Lin smiled warmly, "From now on, we're colleagues. It's only right that we help each other. Speaking of which, Steward Wei is visiting his family these next few days and won't be back for a while. I'll write a letter to Steward Wei shortly, explaining your situation. Once we get a reply, you can complete the procedures and officially take office."

Xie An keenly focused on the key word, "procedures?"

Zhang Lin explained, "The Tiger Wolf Gate will send someone down to assess your strength. You just need to demonstrate combat power comparable to the Bronze Skin Realm. With your abilities, that should be no problem."

Xie An felt relieved, finding it quite reasonable. He cupped his hands and said, "Thank you for your trouble, Brother Zhang."

"We're colleagues, no need for thanks. You'll get a reply in two days, elder brother. Come back then. Don't worry, with my connections, the so-called assessment will just be a formality."

"Alright."

Xie An readily agreed. After a few pleasantries with Zhang Lin, he got up to leave.

"Elder brother, I'll see you out."

Zhang Lin, along with Zhou Xing, personally escorted Xie An out of the black market's canyon. Only after Xie An had gone a considerable distance did Zhang Lin turn back.

On the way back, Zhou Xing still felt puzzled, "Boss, you were more excited than during the New Year when this old man agreed to join our White Feather Hall."

Zhang Lin chuckled, "For the past few years, Zhang Biao and I have managed this black market together, and he's always schemed against and ostracized me. Not only did he block my path to advancement, but he also made me feel like I was walking on thin ice every day. Now that I've found someone easy to get along with, I can finally have a few peaceful days, and I have something to look forward to in the future."

While Zhou Xing felt happy for his boss, he then asked, "But this old man is about to take office, and he's still wearing a mask. Didn't you ask about his identity or background, Boss?"

Zhang Lin chuckled lightly, "This person is naturally cautious. Since he didn't intend to reveal his identity today, why should I force him? If it caused any ill feelings, it would be more trouble than it's worth. Besides, White Feather Hall never inquires about the background of those we recruit."

Xie An, carrying a large sum of money, hurried towards the town.

His trip to Blood Ridge today had gone unexpectedly smoothly.

Xie An had a general idea that Zhang Lin intended to win him over, which was a good thing for Xie An at the moment.

Upon returning to the small house in the back courtyard of the pawnshop, Xie An didn't immediately rush to find the master of Li Manor to buy his freedom.

He planned to wait until his position as a steward in the Tiger Wolf Gate was confirmed, ensuring he had a fallback, before paying the money to secure his freedom. By then, with the position of Tiger Wolf Gate steward, if the master of Li Manor wanted to go back on his word or cause trouble... Xie An would only need to say a word, and Li Manor would cease to exist.

With this in mind, Xie An returned to the inner storage room and began to diligently practice the Health Cultivation Technique, preparing for the Tiger Wolf Gate's assessment in two days.

His next stop was to take up a post in the Tiger Wolf Gate.

This made Xie An feel somewhat apprehensive.

After all, for the past thirty years, he had lived his life within the Li Family Pawnshop. This was his first "job change," and Xie An took it very seriously, not wanting any mistakes.

Although Zhang Lin had said the assessment would be a mere formality, Xie An still felt he needed to possess solid strength. Otherwise, if an unexpected situation arose, he would have no way to cope.

Two days passed quickly. On the afternoon of the third day, after practicing the Health Cultivation Technique for half the day, Xie An stopped to rest and brought up his status panel.

[Five Animal Play: Strengthens Five Viscera (7/100)]

[Fetal Breathing Technique: Yin-Yang Convergence (1/100)]

[Remaining Years: 30 years]

"The improvement isn't significant, but I feel my strength has increased slightly."

Xie An found a five-hundred-jin stone lock and easily lifted it overhead with one arm, swinging it for five or six breaths before feeling the strain.

After putting down the stone lock, Xie An unleashed a powerful punch.

His extremely fast fist speed violently compressed the air, emitting a loud "crack."

"My single-arm lifting strength should be around 650 jin. Coupled with long-term practice of the Five Animal Play, my limbs are agile, and my bones and muscles are strong. The power of one punch... should be incredibly monstrous."

"Zhang Lin said that a single-arm lift of 400 jin is the strength of a martial artist in the First Gate Bronze Skin Realm. Although I haven't practiced martial arts, my lifting strength exceeds the standard by more than 50%. Even fighting bare-handed, I should be able to easily crush ordinary martial artists who have just entered the Bronze Skin Realm."

During this time, Xie An had inquired thoroughly with Chen He about the lifting strength of Bronze Skin Realm martial artists. He had a clear understanding of the matter.

Only martial artists who had reached the Great Accomplishment of the Bronze Skin Realm could possibly lift 600 jin with a single arm.

And Xie An's strength exceeded this standard.

"This assessment should be foolproof."

Having made up his mind, Xie An greeted his two disciples and then hurried out to head for the Blood Ridge Black Market.