Zhang Rongfang went through the whole process again and found that the only possible route was the Secret Passage and the residential house where the Secret Passage led out.
He spent the most time in these two places.
'The Black Ten Sect is truly not to be underestimated.'
He didn't know if the decline in his Life Attribute was permanent; he could only wait and see.
If it's permanent, then we've lost a lot of money this time.
Because he was poisoned, Zhang Rongfang simply went to work and came home normally every day and stopped acting strangely.
He did indeed charge all the way into the headquarters of the Black Ten Sect, but because of his stealth and speed, the Black Ten Sect's experts were unable to surround him at all.
They successfully assassinated Basali, achieving their objective.
The only pity is that they couldn't eliminate all the people who knew about the situation, as mentioned by Basali.
But thinking about it carefully, it's not a big deal.
Anyway, nobody knows that he killed Basali.
Thus, Zhang Rongfang maintained the status quo while secretly keeping an eye on the current situation of the Black Ten Sect.
To his surprise, after Basali's death, the Black Ten Sect became embroiled in a struggle for the elders' seats.
Tanyang's Black Ten Sect has three elder positions. Basali is the Grand Elder.
Now that he is dead, another elder needs to be appointed to replace him.
Furthermore, the position of the Grand Elder needs to be filled by selecting one of the second or third elders.
Herein lies the problem.
The Second Elder and the Third Elder were not easy to deal with, and the forces they represented were constantly vying for power, creating quite a stir.
In just a few days, it even resulted in several deaths.
In the East City and South City, several small gangs under their control engaged in brawls, resulting in numerous serious injuries.
Zhang Rongfang and his team also handled a related case.
During this time, he was not really idle.
First, his Life Attribute slowly recovered.
Secondly, he finally obtained information about the female expert from the Black Ten Sect that night.
"Brother Zhang, here's the information you requested."
Li Huoyun plopped down on the stone bench in the courtyard, handed over the notebook in his hand, and then picked up a bunch of grapes and stuffed half of them into his mouth in a few bites.
"I'm so thirsty! The weather is getting drier and drier."
"You have no idea how long I had to beg my dad to get this information. Now that I've finally got it, Brother Zhang, don't forget what you promised me."
"Don't worry, since I promised you, I'll definitely do it." Zhang Rongfang sighed, took the notebook, and put it aside.
"Are the details of the Black Ten Sect's experts of Sixth Grade and above really that confidential?" he asked doubtfully.
"Of course, what's out in the open isn't secret, the key is the hidden experts. Also, my dad's been having a lot of troubles lately, there's nothing he can do," Li Huoyun said helplessly.
"What? Is it important to keep it a secret?" Zhang Rongfang had already noticed that Tanyang's higher-ups seemed to be on high alert for something. Everything was being kept extremely secret.
What could make Li Ran, Chief of the Ministry of Justice of at least the Eighth Grade, so wary was no small matter.
"Actually, there's nothing to keep secret. The higher-ups know what they need to know," Li Huoyun shook his head.
"It's just that a Black List Expert came to Tanyang. That expert even killed more than ten patrolling soldiers in the street."
Fortunately, nothing worse happened afterward. Otherwise, it would have caused a huge mess.
"Black List Expert??" Zhang Rongfang narrowed his eyes, intrigued.
He has gradually approached the ranks of ordinary masters. In just a year and a half, he has achieved what others take at least twenty years to accomplish.
Today, his vision and abilities are far greater than before.
"Yes, and it's said she's not just any ordinary Black List Expert," Li Huoyun sighed. "This kind of ruthless person has probably killed more people than you and I have eaten meals. Who knows what she wants here?"
"Tanyang is just a small city in the whole of Great Ling. Maybe he has already left for another city by now?" Zhang Rongfang comforted him.
"That's true. Here, have some grapes!"
The two of them took turns picking bunches of grapes, and in no time they had finished off all the grapes on the table.
After chatting for a while, Li Huoyun got up to say goodbye and left.
Wait until the courtyard gate is completely closed.
Zhang Rongfang sat back down on the stone bench, picked up the Little Booklet he had copied, and gently opened it.
Soon, the information about the Black Ten Sect's masters appeared before his eyes.
The one ranked first was Annuowa.
The Shinto Altar where Annuowa resides is the largest violent institution in the entire Black Ten Sect.
She is also the leader of the Shinto Altar.
This woman possesses exceptionally strong explosive power. In a battle three years ago, she single-handedly killed two Fifth Grade Masters who had broken into the Black Ten Sect's stronghold, thus becoming famous overnight.
Based on his past strength and achievements, the State Yamen then assigned him a rank of Seventh Grade.
'Seventh Grade. As expected'
Zhang Rongfang glanced down and saw that, apart from Annuowa, Tanyang's side of the Black Ten Sect had one Seventh Grade hidden master, three Sixth Grade, twelve fifth -Fifth Grade, and others of the Fourth Grade who were not counted because of their high turnover.
In particular, the Black Ten Sect governs many small gangs, among which many serious criminals are sheltered, making it difficult to count the number of experts.
And all the forces that are in the open are here.
"To be able to shelter so many serious criminals, it seems they must be sending a lot of money to the higher-ups every year." Zhang Rongfang understood without a doubt that the Black Ten Sect was connected to a large number of officials.
He carefully read through all the documents in his hand.
The Black Ten Sect, the Lin Family, Sea Dragon —these three forces are now all involved with him.
Therefore, we must be careful with every step we take now.
After reading the booklet for a while and memorizing the names of the experts, Zhang Rongfang put the booklet away and hid it in his study.
Today is a day off, so he's taking the opportunity to experience the combined use of various martial arts techniques at home.
When he Spirit Snake Body Method earlier, he vaguely sensed that the combination of various martial arts seemed to have a significant enhancing effect.
Knock knock knock.
Around noon, there was a series of knocks on the door.
"Is Lord Zhang Ying here?"
Someone was calling out.
Zhang Rongfang stopped the drill, stepped forward, pulled the latch, and opened the door.
Two people were standing outside the door.
A man in front of them wore Black Round Hat inlaid with jade, a dark red brocade robe, and a long string of Amber Beads around his neck.
The person behind him was dressed as a servant in black with white trim, and his attitude was respectful; he was clearly a servant.
"Could it be Lord Zhang Ying in person?" The man smiled and cupped his hands, saying, "I am Geng Changsheng from the Geng Family lives nearby. I heard some time ago that Lord Zhang had moved here, but it is a pity that I only have the opportunity to visit you now. I am truly ashamed."
"So it's Mr. Geng. May I ask what brings you here?" Zhang Rongfang thought carefully and realized that this was probably the first time he had met these two people.
"That's right. I heard that Lord Zhang has just been promoted and doesn't own any fertile land. Well, I, Geng, happen to have some fertile land at home that I can transfer to you, sir."
Geng Changsheng bowed with a smile.
Upon hearing this, Zhang Rongfang immediately understood what he meant.
This means they're going to be affiliated with someone else.
He thought for a moment and then invited the two of them to sit down in the courtyard.
After a brief discussion, the two quickly reached an agreement. In exchange for the Geng Family donating ten mu of fertile land, two hundred mu of land would be registered under Zhang Rongfang's name as Tax-Free Fields.
The tax exemption for officials is not unlimited, but has an upper limit.
The maximum exemptions vary depending on the official rank.
Zhang Rongfang, for example, is currently considered the lowest-ranking official, and can be exempted from taxes on 200 mu of farmland.
At the same time, they can also be exempted from Military Service Draft and labor service for their immediate family members. Apart from business taxes, which are still required for business, most other taxes and labor service can be exempted for their immediate family members.
After reaching an agreement, the two quickly signed the personal contract brought by Geng Changsheng and pressed their fingerprints on it.
The identity Zhang Rongfang is currently using, Zhang Ying, is not fictitious; it is the True Person Zhang Xuan who has completed all the necessary procedures and documents.
In other words, if he were willing to forget his former identity, he could live as Zhang Ying indefinitely.
After signing the contract, Geng Changsheng felt immediately relieved.
As a newly wealthy merchant Lineage, the Geng Family was most troubled by these high taxes. Now that they had found several suitable newly promoted officials to be tax-exempt and affiliated with them, they finally had one less thing to worry about.
With the land matter settled, he looked around at the furnishings of Zhang Rongfang's residence.
"I never imagined that Lord Zhang, who has a considerable monthly salary, still lives such a frugal life. He is truly admirable."
"Mr. Geng, you flatter me. I'm just too lazy to handle too many trivial matters," Zhang Rongfang explained with a smile.
"Lord Zhang is only twenty-four or twenty-five years old, yet he is so young and promising. May I ask if you are married?" Geng Changsheng's eyes were bright, and he had a plan in mind.
His four daughters and five daughters are fourteen and sixteen years old respectively, which could be arranged for him to meet them. Even if that doesn't work out, he has several pretty nieces who could be introduced to him, since being close to the source makes it easier to get to know them.
Zhang Ying young man has already obtained Daoist Registry and an official position. It is said that he also has a private relationship with the Li Family of Prison Affairs. He can be said to have a promising future.
Placing a bet now might turn out to be a great blessing in the future.
"I have never been married," Zhang Rongfang said frankly. "However, I am currently focused on cultivating martial arts and have no interest in that area."
"That won't do. Now that Lord Zhang has been promoted to an official position, he has laid the foundation for his family's future. In the future, his sons will inherit his official position, generation after generation, which is the key to the Lineage's prosperity."
"Moreover, two fists can't beat four hands. In this world, if you have a few more hands at home, no one will dare to bully you."
Geng Changsheng's words also represent the mentality of ordinary people in this world.
"What do you mean?" Zhang Rongfang asked after a moment of silence.
He had practiced martial arts for many years and came from a Dao Palace, so he didn't really know much about the lives of ordinary people.
Previously, it was always her older sister who arranged for the upkeep of this body.
So when he heard Geng Changsheng's words, he was moved and asked a question.
"The world is a difficult place, with numerous taxes and corvée labors. For us ordinary people, isn't it precisely because there are many men in the family that we can stand more securely?"
Geng Changsheng sighed.
"Take what happened in my family not long ago as an example."
"My Geng Family's house is right next to the Hu Family. Last month, my youngest son and the Hu Family's youngest son got into a fight, and both sides were injured."
So the Hu Family came knocking on our door, demanding compensation. A mere child with a cut on his hand, and they want five hundred taels of silver from us!
Five hundred taels?
Zhang Rongfang also gasped; this amount of money could buy a 200-square-meter courtyard house in Tanyang City.
The Hu Family is truly ruthless.
"And then, how was it resolved?" he couldn't help but ask.
He knew that if it were him, he would definitely hire someone in private to kill a few members of the Hu Family to scare them off, and then there wouldn't be much of a problem.
If they still don't comply, then the only option is to wipe them out. After all, if you don't nip the problem in the bud, it will just grow back in the spring.
In this kind of world, if you're not ruthless, your family won't be stable.
"Sigh," Geng Changsheng sighed.
"After that, we reported it to the authorities, but unfortunately the Hu Family had connections in the yamen. After that failed, we asked other families to mediate, and after spending a lot of favors, we finally reduced the compensation to one hundred taels."
In the end, they settled the matter with compensation.
Zhang Rongfang was speechless.
He paused.
"How so?"
Geng Changsheng shook his head.
"Because the Hu Family had a daughter who married Spirit Person, and the family had more than ten servants, all of whom were fat and strong. Some of the family members had also practiced martial arts."
He gave a wry smile.
"We are an ordinary family. Although we have some spare money, we have only risen to prominence in recent years. In our haste, we don't even dare to hire guards or servants because we have no family members to keep order in the house."
If we dare to hire guards or servants, and they happen to have malicious intentions and try to seize our property, we will be completely helpless.
Geng Changsheng looked troubled.
This is why most families Central Capital Tanyang send their children to learn martial arts.
"So, I've heard that Lord Zhang, at such a young age, has already reached the Third Grade in martial arts. I wonder if you could take a look at my daughter and see if she has the good fortune to become your disciple?" Geng Changsheng suggested, a strange look flashing in his eyes.
He was referring to his daughter, and these days, there are many places where daughters can learn martial arts, mainly boxing gyms, Daoist Sect, gangs, and private guards.
But Geng Changsheng specifically pointed to himself, hoping to become his disciple.
Zhang Rongfang was somewhat puzzled, but judging from the casual conversation just now, the Geng Family seemed to have some connections in business, but they lacked a powerful backer.
On his side, he was so young to reach the Third Grade and even get promoted, and he also had a good personal relationship with Li Huoyun.
Previously, Lin Qixiao had confronted him directly, but Li Huoyun stopped him from striking hard on the spot. It's likely that word of that incident got out. So, it makes some sense.