A Little Pressure

He had still been worrying about money just moments ago... and now money had arrived.

Xie An carefully stroked the familiar large silver ingots, his heart filled with indescribable delight.

The money was his. So, the person outside who had come to take the position of nominal vice-manager had to be the eldest son of Li Manor, Li Shaoyun.

After the New Year's Eve dinner, Xie An had seen Li Shaoyun leave with Zhang Biao on friendly terms. They had even gone to Feiyun Restaurant for a little gathering. He had also overheard their conversation when they left the restaurant. Adding that to the money now in front of him...

After a little deduction, the answer emerged:

It was nothing more than Li Shaoyun preparing for the Martial Examination in the provincial exam three years later. He had asked Zhang Biao to pull some strings and secure him a nominal vice-manager position at Tiger Wolf Gate. He had intended to borrow White Feather Hall's martial training resources and use them to pass the provincial Martial Examination.

Unexpectedly, Zhang Biao had died.

His position had also been taken over by Xie An. After going around in circles, Li Shaoyun had become his own underling...

Li Shaoyun, you were so harsh and difficult before, and you hacked me so viciously. You even joined forces with Zhang Biao to have Li He capture He Chunli and torture him, trying to force a confession out of him.

But you never expected that the new manager would be me. You even became my underling.

This was fate.

Xie An could not help sighing at the tricks fate played on people.

Sharp-eyed Liang Zhi saw the smile on Xie An's face and concluded that Xie An was also someone who liked money, unlike the upright and incorruptible man he had claimed to be. Getting along with him in the future would be much simpler.

Thinking this, Liang Zhi let out a long sigh of relief. What he feared most was running into someone rigid and blindly upright. Those people were the hardest to deal with and communicate with.

"Manager, the other party is the eldest son of Li Manor in Wuqiao Town. He passed the Martial Scholar examination and isn't far from entering the Bronze Skin Realm. He's someone worth cultivating. Besides, Li Manor is wealthy, so he'll inevitably continue showing his respect to you in the future."

Xie An approved of Liang Zhi's flattery and gave a slight nod. "I'll accept this money. I won't meet him. Just arrange something for him to do."

Liang Zhi asked, "Should I arrange things as usual, or give him preferential treatment?"

Xie An recalled how Li Ru had suppressed and made things difficult for him earlier, so he followed that example. "He's young, and I'm afraid he's impetuous and overly ambitious. If he receives preferential treatment as soon as he arrives, he'll be difficult to discipline later. We have to put a little pressure on him first. Give him some heavy work."

After saying this, Xie An felt extremely pleased.

Back when he had redeemed his freedom, Li Ru and Li Shaoyun had also adopted the strategy of putting pressure on him. If that had been all, Xie An remembered Madam Li's kindness and could have let it go.

But Xie An had heard the conversation between Li Shaoyun and Zhang Biao outside Feiyun Restaurant. His own disciple, He Chunli, had been beaten until his buttocks were a bloody mess, and the Young Master of the Li family had helped with it.

If Xie An had not been strong enough at the time to kill Zhang Biao in time, and if Zhang Biao had continued goading Li He into causing trouble, He Chunli might not even have survived.

He Chunli was his good disciple, the one who would care for him in his old age and see him off at his death.

That was what truly rankled Xie An.

Now that he was using their own method against them and putting a little pressure on Li Shaoyun, Xie An even felt that he was being too lenient. If he had not remembered Madam Li's kindness, he would have sent Li Shaoyun on his way long ago.

Liang Zhi's mouth fell open, and he felt incredulous.

He had accepted the man's money, yet not only was he refusing to give him preferential treatment... he was putting pressure on him?

Although Xie An's reasoning was logically sound, Liang Zhi still found it highly unreasonable. It seemed this new manager had a personal grudge against the young master of Li Manor.

"Yes. I'll arrange it right away. If he's dissatisfied and becomes resistant..."

Xie An said coldly, "Then deal with him according to the rules of the gate. Show no mercy."

"Understood."

Liang Zhi did not dare say anything more. He cupped his hands and withdrew from the reception hall.

Liang Zhi had already made up his mind: if the manager said to put three points of pressure on Young Master Li, then he had to put seven points of pressure on him. That was how a subordinate should handle matters.

After Liang Zhi left, a delighted smile spread across Xie An's face.

However, Xie An did not dwell on this matter too much. He merely treated it as a bit of seasoning for idle conversation. Whether it was Li Ru's suppression and harassment back then or his own retaliation today, giving Young Master Li a small punishment, none of it was the most important thing to Xie An.

He would not keep wasting his mental energy brooding over such trifles. His most urgent task was to improve his strength as quickly as possible. That was what truly mattered.

"With this money, I can focus on practicing martial arts for the time being."

Xie An swept away his distracting thoughts, sat cross-legged, and began grinding away at the Health Cultivation Technique.

Outside the courtyard.

Dressed in fine clothes, Li Shaoyun stood ramrod straight in the snow, quietly waiting for the new manager to summon him. His heart was on tenterhooks.

In truth, he had not initially planned to give the new manager one hundred and eighty taels all at once. He had only intended to send fifty or sixty taels first to express his goodwill. But after asking around among the disciples just now, he learned that this new manager was ruthless and forceful, and difficult to deal with. After arriving that very morning, he had already cowed Zhang Biao's former group of unruly subordinates.

This left Li Shaoyun extremely uneasy. He felt that fifty or sixty taels might not win the new manager's favor, so he had simply gritted his teeth... and sent over all one hundred and eighty taels his parents had given him.

Because of this, Li Shaoyun had even sighed, "Fortunately, Father was wise a few days ago and hacked Old Xie viciously. That money came in just in time for me to use as a gift today."

Just then, a burst of footsteps sounded.

It was Liang Zhi emerging from the courtyard. Li Shaoyun hurried forward, cupped his hands, and put on a fawning smile. "Elder Liang, when will the new manager see me?"

Li Shaoyun had already met Liang Zhi when he sought Zhang Biao's help in pulling strings, and the two had dealt with each other before. When he had given the gift earlier, Li Shaoyun had not forgotten to stuff some loose silver into Liang Zhi's hands.

At that time, Liang Zhi had been all smiles.

Now, Liang Zhi's expression instantly turned cold. "The manager is busy with official business and has no time to see you."

Li Shaoyun was stunned.

He had accepted one hundred and eighty taels from him, yet he still refused to see him?

This...

Li Shaoyun cursed inwardly but did not dare show the slightest displeasure. He lowered his posture and pleaded, "Elder Liang, please help me put in another word..."

Before Li Shaoyun could finish, Liang Zhi returned the loose silver he had accepted earlier. "Young Master Li, I'm sorry, but I can't help you with this."

Liang Zhi had thought that if the new manager accepted Li Shaoyun's money and was delighted, giving Li Shaoyun preferential treatment, then it would be fine for him to accept a little silver as well. But the situation was clearly heading in the wrong direction. No matter how short of money he was, Liang Zhi did not dare keep it.

Li Shaoyun accepted the loose silver and stood there in a daze.

"Here's what you'll do. Follow Xiao Liu to clean the black market and help carry things around. After some time, we'll see whether the manager has any new arrangements for you." After leaving those words, Liang Zhi said no more and turned away.

Li Shaoyun hurried after him and asked, "Elder Liang, please enlighten me. Was the gift I sent too small?"

Liang Zhi suddenly stopped and paused, apparently not expecting Li Shaoyun to think in that direction.

Then he thought about how the new manager was clearly someone who had his eyes opened by money. If he could hint to Li Shaoyun that he should send more silver to the manager, the new manager would undoubtedly praise him for being capable.

After spending five years serving under a brute like Zhang Biao, Liang Zhi was naturally very skilled at reading his superior's intentions.

Thinking this, Liang Zhi turned around and sized up Li Shaoyun. His gaze was like that of someone looking at a plump sheep dripping with fat.

Li Shaoyun had no idea what Liang Zhi was thinking. Believing that he had guessed correctly, he offered more silver and said humbly, "I've only just arrived and don't know the rules here. I know even less about the new manager's preferences. I ask Elder Liang to give me some guidance."

Liang Zhi raised a hand and refused the silver. "You can give it a try. But I didn't say anything. These are all your own deductions."

Li Shaoyun was overjoyed, convinced that his guess had been right. "Thank you for your guidance, Elder Liang."

"Mm."

Liang Zhi nodded and left, feeling sorry for Li Shaoyun in his heart. He knew that the new manager had deliberately decided to put pressure on Li Shaoyun. It was not because the gift was too small—there was probably a personal grudge involved.

No matter how much silver Li Shaoyun sent, it would be useless.

But what did that matter?

He had given such a hint solely for the sake of his own future.

"Ah."

Li Shaoyun watched Liang Zhi's departing back, then looked at the imposing courtyard and sighed with a thousand emotions. "Looks like I'll have to go back and ask Father to prepare more silver for the gift..."