Opportunity Had Arrived

Creak.

The door opened.

The person who arrived was Chief Steward Lin Yun.

Today, Lin Yun wore a pale-green scholar's robe. He was in his forties, yet his aura was restrained and he carried an air of authority. However, Xie An, who was observant, noticed a trace of worry between Lin Yun's brows. He clearly wasn't in high spirits.

Lin Yun gave Xie An and the other person a simple nod as a greeting, then said, "The Incense Master is injured and recuperating in seclusion. Keep your voices down when you speak later."

Xie An nodded in agreement and followed Lin Yun into the courtyard. As he surveyed the surroundings, he muttered inwardly, Incense Master Wei is injured? No wonder Lin Yun isn't in high spirits. Judging by the look between his brows, Incense Master Wei seems to be seriously hurt.

Over the past month, Xie An had made a point of learning about this Incense Master from various angles.

Starting as a pauper, he had clawed and scrambled his way upward step by step until he reached the position of Incense Master. In the end, at the Tiger Wolf Gate's request, he had established the Blood Ridge Black Market and built it up from nothing to its present scale.

He had held down the Blood Ridge Black Market for more than a decade, and not once had any major mishap occurred.

His strength was first-rate as well. How had he ended up seriously injured?

Xie An had only just arrived, so naturally, he didn't dare ask too many questions.

Zhang Lin, however, asked first, "Wasn't Incense Master Wei perfectly fine a while ago? How did he suddenly get injured?"

Zhang Lin wasn't a martial artist with any great ambitions. For years, he had simply followed Incense Master Wei around, seeking a stable and prosperous life. If something happened to the great tree that was Incense Master Wei, Zhang Lin would naturally feel very insecure.

Ah.

Facing the two stewards, Lin Yun didn't conceal the truth. He sighed and said, "Some time ago, the bandits from Great Yin Mountain came down to raid Chen Family Manor in Shuideng Town, and the hall sent Incense Master Wei to suppress them. He injured his internal organs and is currently recuperating. This is a secret matter. As stewards, you must not disclose it. Otherwise, it will cause panic among those below."

Xie An nodded in agreement.

Lin Yun then brought the two of them to the bedroom. The moment Xie An entered, he caught the strong, pungent scent of medicine. Through the curtain, he vaguely saw an old man with a head of snow-white hair lying on the bed, and heard him coughing softly.

Based on the experience Xie An had accumulated when he suffered his stroke, Incense Master Wei's injuries were extremely serious. He might even have reached the stage where his lamp was running dry. He had practiced martial arts and was still an expert, but it was impossible to say whether he could recover.

Wei Dian coughed twice and spoke weakly. "You came."

"Incense Master Wei, how did you end up injured this badly..." Zhang Lin leaned forward and asked with concern through the curtain.

Wei Dian said weakly, "Some time ago, when we were besieging the Great Yin Mountain bandits at Chen Family Manor, the Plum Blossom Monster injured my internal organs... Forget it. Let's not speak of the past. Is this the new steward personally appointed by Elder Tang?"

Xie An stepped forward and cupped his hands. "Yes."

Xie An immediately felt a sharp gaze pass through the curtain and land on him, as if it wanted to see straight through him. After a moment, the gaze slowly softened, eventually turning into a faint sigh.

After some polite exchanges, Wei Dian explained in detail, "Ever since I was injured, Incense Master Zhang Hengshui has been eyeing our Blood Ridge Black Market like a tiger watching its prey. You are both my people, so you must manage the Blood Ridge Black Market properly. Don't give Zhang Hengshui any opportunity, and even less should you leave him an excuse he can use to attack us. Keep the Blood Ridge Black Market stable, and everyone will have an easier time. If something goes wrong with the Blood Ridge Black Market and he uses it to attack and target us, none of us will end well."

Xie An and Zhang Lin nodded in agreement. After exchanging a few more pleasantries, Wei Dian dismissed the two of them. What surprised Xie An, however, was that Wei Dian had Lin Yun personally see him out.

After seeing Zhang Lin and Xie An off, Lin Yun returned to the bedroom and personally began decocting medicine for Wei Dian.

While the medicine was boiling, Wei Dian asked Lin Yun, "Lin Yun, what do you think of this new steward?"

Lin Yun said, "Ordinarily, when meeting the Incense Master for the first time, he shouldn't have covered his face. But since he was personally appointed by Elder Tang, there's not much I can say. I'll simply take it as him being cautious by nature and not completely trusting us.

"I observed him from the side for a month. Although he is advanced in age, he handles matters very steadily. He spent a full month familiarizing himself with the black market's various businesses before coming to the hall to collect martial arts manuals and medicinal supplements. Such composure is quite rare."

Lin Yun then added, "I heard Zhang Lin say that when Elder Tang tested him back then, he lifted seven hundred jin with one arm and accurately shot a sparrow a hundred meters away. It's just that he's a little old..."

Ah.

Wei Dian sighed. "If he can be of help, give him some support. Go see what martial arts and medicinal supplements he wants. If we can make things convenient for him, then do so."

"Yes, Incense Master."

After Xie An and Zhang Lin left the detached residence, they headed straight for the Library Pavilion.

The six-story wooden building was exceptionally imposing.

Quite a few disciples entered and left while holding plaques. However, disciples had to pay a certain fee to enter and leave, whereas stewards were exempt from such charges.

After the gatekeeper examined the plaques of the two men, his attitude immediately became much more respectful. "Please come in, you two stewards."

He led them inside and explained the rules of the Library Pavilion along the way.

"The martial arts manuals and notes on the first floor may be browsed freely. Each loan costs two taels of silver, and the period may not exceed three months. If you wish to go to the second floor, you must pay five taels of silver. Among those materials, borrowing a martial arts manual or set of notes costs ten taels each time, and the period may not exceed one month. As for the third floor... the two of you don't yet have the authority to enter."

Xie An clicked his tongue inwardly.

This is practically highway robbery.

No wonder it's a jianghu gang. Their methods really are wild.

Zhang Lin knew the place like the back of his hand. He directly paid five taels of silver to go to the second floor and even advised Xie An not to waste time on the first floor. After browsing a batch of the martial arts manuals there, Xie An also felt that they were nothing special, so he prepared to pay five taels of silver to go upstairs.

Five taels of silver was quite a lot, but to Xie An now, it wasn't enough to make his heart ache.

Just then, a voice rang out.

"The second floor isn't all that interesting either. I'll take you to the third floor."