A Glimpse of His Skills

Inside Li Manor.

Li Ru's family of three had eaten breakfast early. Li Shaoyun had even changed into a refined brocade robe, belt, and hairpin, fully displaying his extraordinary bearing.

Madam Li smiled as she instructed him, "Today is your first day taking up the position of deputy steward at White Feather Hall, though it's only an honorary post. But Steward Zhang is gone now, so keep a low profile in everything you do. White Feather Hall isn't our Li Manor. When you need to bow your head, bow it, and don't provoke anyone you shouldn't."

Li Shaoyun was in especially high spirits, looking full of youthful ambition. "I know, Mother. I was merely an honorary deputy under Steward Zhang. Now that Steward Zhang is gone, I'll hold the post under the newly appointed steward. I just don't know who the new steward is, what sort of temperament he has... or whether I'll need to give him a gift..."

Li Shaoyun was already twenty years old and had graduated from the Martial Arts Hall in the county town long ago.

With the distinction of Martial Scholar, he could originally have apprenticed himself to a prestigious family in Nanyang Prefecture to cultivate and prepare for the provincial examination three years later. Unfortunately, Li Manor lacked the necessary connections, so he could only seek out a prestigious family within Qingwu County.

Tiger Wolf Gate was undoubtedly one of the two great sects in Qingwu County.

His chance to join Tiger Wolf Gate as an honorary deputy steward had come only because Li Ru had previously given Zhang Biao five hundred taels of silver to secure it. They had thought the matter was foolproof, never imagining that Zhang Biao... would be gone.

Although Zhang Biao had finalized Li Shaoyun's deputy position before his death, the sudden replacement of the steward still left the three members of the Li family feeling deeply insecure.

Li Ru gritted his teeth, took out a money pouch, and reluctantly handed it to Li Shaoyun. "Your concern isn't unfounded. To ensure that your position goes smoothly, take the one hundred and eighty taels of ransom money Old Xie was supposed to pay and give it to the new steward. Once you've smoothed out the relationships, your path will be much easier. If you pass the provincial examination in the future, this expenditure will all be worth it."

Li Shaoyun accepted the money pouch and clasped his hands gratefully. "Thank you, Father! Once I pass the provincial examination three years from now, I'll certainly be twice as filial to you and Mother."

By the time Xie An reached Blood Ridge Black Market, it was already the hour of Chen in the morning.

The black market did not open during the day, and there were few people about. Aside from the shopkeepers and workers who had long been stationed there, those coming and going were mostly stall owners preparing their goods and equipment in advance.

Members of Tiger Wolf Gate could be seen patrolling everywhere.

"Old Brother, I've finally been waiting for you."

When Zhang Lin saw the masked Xie An, he was as enthusiastic as ever. He had already had Zhou Xing clean out a separate courtyard for Xie An to rest and practice in.

The courtyard was not large, only about three hundred square meters, but its layout was exceptionally refined.

There were two osmanthus trees, as well as an ornamental rockery and pond, pavilions, and towers. It included a reception hall, bedroom, kitchen, and more. There was even a room set aside specifically for weapon racks, equipped with stone locks and other items for practicing martial arts.

After traveling through this world for thirty years, Xie An had never owned such a lavish courtyard.

In his previous life, Xie An had long yearned to own a large villa of his own, but his abilities had been limited, and he had never managed to achieve it before his death. Who would have thought that after transmigrating, he would actually accomplish this little goal?

"Zhou Xing, what are you standing there gawking at? Hurry up and carry Old Brother's luggage."

After Zhang Lin's scolding, Zhou Xing belatedly hurried over to Xie An and helped remove the luggage from his back.

Xie An did not stand on ceremony. Since he was a steward now, having someone carry his bags was only reasonable, so he handed the luggage to Zhou Xing.

He had his large villa, and he had someone to carry his bags too...

In a word: comfortable.

After entering the main hall, Zhang Lin personally brewed tea for Xie An and patiently began introducing him to the black market's work.

Generally speaking, Blood Ridge Black Market's business was divided into two parts.

One part was security: maintaining order and ensuring the safety of merchants and customers coming and going. Zhang Lin was responsible for this part.

The other part was the black market's commerce, encompassing stall fees, entrance fees, other commissions, and personal dealings. This part had previously been handled by Zhang Biao, and now it naturally fell to Xie An.

Speaking of which, Xie An's work was far better than Zhang Lin's. He did not need to fight and kill, the work was leisurely, and there was more money to be made.

Moreover... although Zhang Biao and Zhang Lin were both stewards, no matter how one looked at it, Zhang Biao had seemed like the true boss of Blood Ridge Black Market, while Zhang Lin was the second-in-command.

Now that Xie An had replaced Zhang Biao, did that make him the black market's top man?

Zhang Lin seemed to see Xie An's confusion and explained with a smile, "Blood Ridge Black Market is overseen by Incense Master Wei Dian. There's also a Chief Steward, Lin Yun, who serves as Incense Master Wei's deputy. He usually doesn't come here and only comes to check the accounts at the end of each month. Before, I worked alongside Zhang Biao. Now that Old Brother is here, I'll naturally work alongside you."

Zhang Lin had wanted to rise higher as well, but back then Tang Qingyun had given the order... Though he felt somewhat disappointed, he was still content. At least working with Old Brother was far more comfortable than working with Zhang Biao.

Xie An nodded slightly. "I see. By the way, Brother Zhang, the black market only opens at night. What does everyone do during the day?"

Zhang Lin answered honestly, "During the day, we're responsible for cleaning, drumming up business, and so on. But those matters are generally handled by the people below us. As stewards, we receive special treatment."

"Special treatment?"

"Mm. We can go to White Feather Hall to study martial arts..."

From Zhang Lin's explanation, Xie An finally learned what this special treatment was:

White Feather Hall's headquarters was established near Shuideng Wharf, not far outside Wuqiao Town and not far from Shuideng Town either. The hall had three hundred disciples. Incense Master Wei and the Chief Steward usually lived at White Feather Hall to practice martial arts.

The other Incense Masters and deputy hall masters were included among them as well.

To promote martial arts, Tiger Wolf Gate had established a martial arena, Library Pavilion, Instruction Pavilion, and other facilities at White Feather Hall. After finishing their work, the disciples could go inside to listen to lessons on martial arts.

Stewards belonged to Tiger Wolf Gate's lowest level of management and received preferential treatment when it came to martial arts training. For example, the stewards of Blood Ridge Black Market were responsible for the market's affairs at night and could go to the headquarters to study martial arts during the day.

White Feather Hall had a Library Pavilion, a medicine workshop, a weapons shop, and more.

After hearing all this, Xie An was very pleased. He increasingly felt that he had come to the right place.

"If Old Brother is in a hurry, I can take you to the headquarters to have a look right now. With your status as a steward, you can choose one martial art for free, find an instructor for free, and receive medicinal supplements for training..."

Xie An weighed it for a moment, then finally suppressed the eagerness in his heart and said, "Thank you for your kindness, Brother Zhang. But I'm new here, so becoming familiar with the black market's business should come first. Once I've gotten used to the work and the black market is operating smoothly, it won't be too late to visit the headquarters."

Zhang Lin could not help looking at Xie An in a new light, his approval deepening. "Old Brother is certainly steady and dependable. If Incense Master Wei hears about this, he'll surely be gratified."

Xie An merely smiled and did not explain.

He was new here and had no background. If he neglected his main duties and ran off to practice martial arts, he would inevitably leave a poor impression on Incense Master Wei and Chief Steward Lin Yun.

With the support of the Lifelong Legacy, Xie An was not in a hurry. He would first establish a firm foothold in the black market, then advance gradually.

"By the way, Brother Zhang, are Incense Master Wei and Chief Steward Lin at the black market today? I'd like to prepare some gifts and pay them a visit."

When arriving in a new place, one first had to pay respects to the local power.

Xie An understood this rule. He certainly would not think that becoming a steward meant he could let his tail stick up to the heavens.

Zhang Lin said, "Incense Master Wei and Chief Steward Lin were summoned by the hall master to suppress bandits. I'm afraid they'll be busy for some time."

Disappointment appeared on Xie An's face. "Then I'll trouble you to help me become familiar with the black market's business."

"Old Brother certainly gets things done efficiently. Come with me."

Zhang Lin patiently took Xie An around the black market, introducing him to its many details and points requiring attention.

Generally speaking, the black market's core business was divided into several major categories: weapons, medicinal supplements, secret manuals, and materials from ferocious beasts. Everything else was merely scraps and odds and ends.

For ordinary itinerant vendors, the black market collected only stall fees.

But some large vendors who had been stationed there year-round had established shops. The black market then took a certain commission from them, and that was its core income.

Maintaining good relations with all the shopkeepers was one of the main duties of a steward like Xie An.

Xie An asked detailed questions and made himself fully aware of the situation.

After completing all this, Zhang Lin took Xie An back to the separate courtyard and instructed Zhou Xing to bring over all the subordinates who had originally belonged to Zhang Biao so they could pay their respects to the new steward.

While waiting for the subordinates to arrive, Zhang Lin offered a reminder. "Old Brother, most of Zhang Biao's former subordinates are unruly men. I'm afraid you'll have to put in quite some effort. Only after you've disciplined them properly can you establish a firm foothold here."

Xie An thanked him, keeping the matter firmly in mind.

Before long, the disciples filed in one after another, each standing tall and broad-chested in the courtyard.

There were more than a dozen of them, most sturdy men who had clearly practiced martial arts. After seeing the half-head of white hair on Xie An, they merely gave a casual cupped-fist salute and addressed him as steward.

Although they called him steward with their mouths, Xie An keenly sensed their disobedience in the way they looked at him. They seemed to think he was an old man who had secured the position through connections, and thus did not take him very seriously.

Xie An saw it all but did not lose his temper.

Zhang Lin placed special emphasis on introducing two people: Liang Zhi, the accountant responsible for the flow of silver, and Wang Xiang, one of Zhang Biao's former fierce fighters.

Xie An carefully sized up the two men.

Liang Zhi was a plump old man in his forties, with a particularly conspicuous tuft of white whiskers. Though old, he had practiced martial arts, and his body looked quite robust. Wang Xiang was in his thirties and gave off an unruly air. Even the way he looked at Xie An was filled with undisguised defiance.

Xie An also knew that although he was still wearing a mask, his half-head of white hair could not be concealed. Seeing an old man take Zhang Biao's position, it was only natural for them to feel dissatisfied.

This was within Xie An's expectations.

He was a minor leader now, in any case. If he wanted to do this steward's job well, the first thing he had to do was discipline these people and make sure they carried out his orders.

To intimidate his subordinates as quickly as possible, it seemed he would have to show them a little something.

With that thought, Xie An deliberately put on a stern expression. "I place the greatest importance on clearly rewarding good and punishing evil. If you work diligently, I'll naturally reward you handsomely. But if you grow lax and negative, or secretly scheme behind my back, then once I discover it, you'll end up like this stone lock..."

As he spoke, Xie An walked directly to a seven-hundred-pound stone lock. Under the stunned gazes of countless disciples, he lifted it over his head with one arm, swung it forcefully twice, and then smashed it heavily against another stone lock. With a sudden boom, both stone locks shattered at once, spraying countless grains of powder into the air.

Hiss.

The entire courtyard fell silent as cicadas in winter!