"I swear I'll follow you to the death, my lord."
Liang Zhi prostrated himself on the ground and kowtowed in a grand salute. Half of what he said was true, and half was false.
One half was helplessness. The other half was genuine.
Xie An said, "Go take care of things. If anything comes up later, you can report to me at any time."
"Yes."
Liang Zhi rose and took his leave. Yet as he walked out of the hall, he felt as if thorns were pricking his back, as though a bone-chilling cold had poured down from the top of his head and reached all the way to his toes. The cold sweat that had broken out had already soaked through his inner clothes.
After dealing with this newly appointed steward, not only had he suffered a crushing defeat, but the pressure weighing on his shoulders was immense.
Not long after he stepped outside, Wang Xiang led more than a dozen disciples over to surround him.
"Brother Liang, what did that old man say? If he humiliated you, just say the word, and we'll go demand an explanation from him. We absolutely can't let some old man lord it over us... Ah!"
Before Wang Xiang could finish, Liang Zhi smacked him across the face.
Liang Zhi said harshly, "What old man? Call him Steward. From now on, keep your tails between your legs and behave. Listen obediently to Steward Xie's orders. If anyone dares disobey Steward Xie's commands, don't blame me for turning ruthless. That's all I have to say today. If I turn against you afterward, don't say I didn't warn you."
Leaving those words behind, Liang Zhi turned and walked away.
Half of it was a serious warning not to make trouble. Even he had been easily handled by the steward. If these underlings dared provoke him... how miserable their fate would be... It went without saying.
The other half was that Liang Zhi had been frustrated by Xie An and had nowhere to vent his anger. After giving Wang Xiang a slap, he felt much more at ease.
"Brother Wang, you..."
Smack.
A younger brother who tried to show concern and curry favor with Wang Xiang predictably received a slap from him. "Cut the damn chatter. Listen to Brother Liang."
One after another, they vented their anger...
In the end, the ones who suffered were still the underlings at the very bottom.
After Wang Xiang left, that underling viciously stomped twice on a small patch of grass by the roadside. "Did you hear me? Cut the damn chatter. From now on, listen to Brother Liang."
Reception Hall.
After initially cowing the group of underlings, Xie An felt that things had gone smoothly. The black market's future operations should be able to get off to a good start, and he could make his subordinates obey orders and act at his beck and call.
He had more or less established a foothold in Tiger Wolf Gate.
Casting aside his distracting thoughts, Xie An began practicing Five Animal Play.
At times he entered the stance of a fierce tiger descending the mountain; at times he ran like a deer, shook like a bear, reached for fruit like a monkey, and flew like a crane...
Every move flowed from Xie An's hands as naturally as if it had been born there.
Each motion carried the might of a tiger.
Only after practicing until sweat poured from his entire body and heat rose from his muscles and bones did Xie An stop. He sat cross-legged and entered meditation, beginning to cultivate Fetal Breathing Technique.
Ever since Xie An's Fetal Breathing Technique had entered the second stage, Yin-Yang Convergence, he had not seriously practiced it. Once he entered meditation this time, he sealed off the breathing of his mouth and nose and breathed only through his navel.
At the same time, the many mental formulas of Fetal Breathing Technique surfaced in his mind.
According to the formulas, the beginner level of Fetal Breathing Technique was the Three Styles Method. It had three breathing-adjustment techniques, each building upon the last. The sign of mastery was being able to breathe through the navel.
Xie An had already achieved this.
The next stage, Yin-Yang Convergence, was likewise divided into three phases: Eye Convergence, Heart-Kidney Convergence, and Inner-Outer Convergence.
The so-called Eye Convergence meant that Fetal Breathing Technique considered the left eye yang and the right eye yin. When the two eyes gazed at each other, divine light would be produced. This divine light illuminated the qi acupoint, transforming yin and giving birth to yang, just as the sun in the sky shone upon the earth and nurtured all living things. Without it, nothing could grow.
Even understanding it was extremely difficult for Xie An.
The only thing Xie An could do was force himself to follow the instructions in the formulas. As for how successful he would be, he could leave it all to Lifelong Legacy.
After more than half an hour, Xie An felt extremely uncomfortable inside. His left and right eyes could not meet. Even if he forced them... they still could not converge.
He had no choice but to stop and bring up the data panel.
Current Lifelong Legacy: Level One! Five Animal Play: Strengthening the Five Viscera (8/100) Fetal Breathing Technique: Yin-Yang Convergence (1/100) Remaining Lifespan: 30 years
Seeing that Five Animal Play had advanced by one point was comforting.
But Fetal Breathing Technique had not progressed at all, leaving Xie An deeply disappointed.
"The second stage of Fetal Breathing Technique is truly difficult to cultivate. Even with the support of Lifelong Legacy, the rate of improvement is painfully slow."
Xie An warned himself not to rush and to take things slowly.
Thirty years of lifespan were enough for him to use for a long time. There was no need to panic. Besides, the improvement of Five Animal Play was visible. Once he completed Strengthening the Five Viscera, his lifespan would increase again.
Since it was difficult, he would simply endure it.
"If I want to increase my combat power in a short time, I still have to practice martial arts. Once the black market's business is running steadily, I'll have Zhang Lin take me to White Feather Hall to find a martial art to practice. There'll be free medicinal supplements and free instruction..."
At this thought, Xie An let out a long breath. The future was still promising.
However, Xie An also knew very well that the medicinal supplements distributed by White Feather Hall were all extremely basic. They certainly could not satisfy all the needs of martial arts training.
If he wanted to practice martial arts smoothly, he would have to spend additional money.
Moreover, the Unique Medicinal Prescription for cultivating Health Cultivation Technique had been used up. He was desperately short of money.
At present, all his worldly possessions amounted to only four taels of silver.
"I'm still poor..."
If Li Ru had not demanded an exorbitant price, Xie An would not have fallen into such dire straits.
"I can only see whether the Night Pot Lad comes tonight..."
Just as Xie An was worrying over money, a knock sounded from outside the door.
The courtyard gate was not locked, but out of respect, his subordinates would always knock first. They only dared to enter after receiving Xie An's permission.
"Come in."
The main gate opened.
It was Liang Zhi, hurrying through the gate. After crossing the courtyard and entering the reception hall, he clasped his hands and saluted Xie An.
After the earlier whipping, Liang Zhi's attitude had become thoroughly proper.
Xie An sat high in the seat of honor, displaying every bit of a steward's authority. "Liang Zhi, what is it?"
Liang Zhi said, "A nominal deputy steward has arrived outside. He says he's here to report to Steward Xie. This man is quite sensible—he brought a gift for you."
As he spoke, Liang Zhi took out a money pouch and placed it on the small table beside Xie An.
Xie An opened it and took a look.
There was roughly one hundred and eighty taels.
Who had sent such a lavish gift?
Looking more closely, he saw that several silver ingots bore marks and dents that looked extremely familiar.
Good heavens... weren't these the ransom silver he had given Li Ru the day before yesterday?
After going around in circles, it had been sent right back into his hands?
Before you continue