I'll Try My Best

"Ah! Ah! Ah!"

Yuan Jiang writhed on the ground, getting spanked as if he were a wild child being disciplined by his own father. His initial torrent of harsh words gradually gave way to cries of pain.

The surrounding townspeople stared in disbelief. That was Yuan Jiang, the Hall Master of the Fierce Tiger Gang, being beaten so miserably.

With a bang.

The wooden stick snapped.

Yuan Jiang also fainted from the blows, lying motionless on the ground.

Lin Fan tossed aside the broken half of the wooden stick. Without even glancing at Yuan Jiang, he turned to a stunned Zhao Er and said, "Little Fatty, go find a cart. Bring your mother and come with me."

Little Fatty, holding two cleavers, snapped back to reality. "Ah, oh, oh..."

He had long since been won over by Brother Lin's majestic and domineering presence, watching in a daze. Recovering his senses, he immediately went to find a cart.

He knew Brother Lin was going to take him away.

Not long after, Little Fatty had placed his sick mother onto the cart. He thoughtfully put a pillow behind her head before pushing the cart over to Lin Fan.

"Brother, it's done."

"Let's go."

Lin Fan ignored Steward Li, who was trying to engage him, and left with Little Fatty. No matter how Steward Li called out from behind, Lin Fan offered no reply.

Only when Lin Fan's figure disappeared from sight did Steward Li slap his thighs in regret. Pointing at the unconscious Yuan Jiang, he cursed, "Yuan Jiang, Yuan Jiang, you deserve to die."

Returning to the residence.

Zhao Er's mouth hung open, as if he were Granny Liu visiting the Grand View Garden, captivated by the surroundings.

"Brother, will my mother and I live here from now on?"

"Yes. From now on, you'll be my steward. Forget about the gang and such. Tomorrow morning, go to the doctor's and invite a physician back to properly treat your mother. Don't worry about the money; I'll handle everything," Lin Fan said.

Hearing this, Zhao Er's eyes reddened, and he couldn't help but cry out, "Brother, thank you so much."

"What's there to thank? We're brothers."

Lin Fan waved his hand with a smile. When his own life improved, he would definitely not forget his poor brothers. Moreover, he knew Zhao Er's character and that he was suitable to be his steward.

"Mm."

Zhao Er nodded heavily, vowing in his heart that from now on, his life belonged to Brother. He would go through fire and water without batting an eye, and anyone who dared to harm Brother would have to step over his 200-pound body first.

Sun Manor.

Inside the hall, the atmosphere was heavy.

Steward Li sat there, awaiting the Gang Leader's inquiry. Sun Yaozu frowned, seeming to have much to say but unsure how to begin.

Sun Xiao asked, "Is there any room for salvaging this situation?"

Steward Li sighed, "Difficult. Extremely difficult. Yuan Jiang's foolish actions have ruined all my previous efforts. Honestly, if we hadn't been on good terms recently, I would have suspected he might even attack me."

Sun Yaozu, standing nearby, said, "Father, regardless, Yuan Jiang is a Hall Master of our Fierce Tiger Gang. Now that he's been beaten like this, if we do nothing, won't people think we Fierce Tiger Gang members are easy to bully?"

He had a close relationship with Yuan Jiang.

After all, he intended to become the Gang Leader and would need the support of some old members. Yuan Jiang was one such Hall Master who supported him. Now that he'd been beaten, Sun Yaozu felt he had to say something.

Slap!

Sun Xiao angrily slammed the table and looked at Sun Yaozu. "Easy to bully? He brought it upon himself. Remember this: some things are yours because Father gives them to you. If Father doesn't give them, you can't have them. Don't think that just because no one knows about certain things, Father is unaware. Father simply chooses not to dwell on them. Do you understand?"

Facing his imposing father, Sun Yaozu immediately lowered his head. "Understood, Father."

"Steward Li, please try your best with this matter. See if there's any chance of salvaging it. Talent is rare. This young man is worth recruiting, no matter the cost," Sun Xiao said.

"Yes, Master. I will try my best."

Steward Li looked troubled but did not refuse.

Sun Xiao nodded with considerable satisfaction.

What was a capable and trustworthy subordinate? Steward Li was exactly that.

Early morning.

Lin Fan went to the private school to study law as usual. Before reaching the school, he encountered his peers who also studied law. They looked at Lin Fan with deep reverence in their eyes, respectfully addressing him as Master Lin.

He accepted this calmly.

The title was quite acceptable.

Last night's events had been a major incident, and news spread quickly. Yuan Jiang, along with dozens of men, had been brutally beaten by Lin Fan. This couldn't be kept secret.

For them, they wondered if Lin Fan was human or a monster. If he was human, how could anyone fight so well?

Upon arriving at the dock.

He noticed that the people working at the dock looked at him with even greater reverence than the day before. This made him puff out his chest involuntarily. Status and respect were earned through fighting.

If the previous awe was merely due to his status, then the current awe came from his own strength.

Ultimately, it all came down to whether one's own fists were hard enough.

Amidst the calls of "Master Lin," he arrived at the warehouse, seeing his brothers look at him uniformly, their eyes overflowing with admiration.

"Brother Lin, I truly admire you so much," Wu Yong shouted proactively. "We heard about what happened last night. You beat Yuan Jiang soundly. It's a shame we found out too late. If we had been there, I could have fought alongside Brother Lin and swept all before us."

Lin Fan smiled and waved his hand. "It's nothing worth mentioning."

Wu Yong said, "Brother Lin, how can that be nothing worth mentioning? It's all over the outside world. They say Brother Lin descended like a god, fighting dozens of people alone, beating them until they cried out in pain, and even Yuan Jiang couldn't fight back. If I had been there, witnessing Brother Lin's might with my own eyes, I think I would have no regrets even if I died."

The other brothers looked at Wu Yong enviously. Thinking quickly was indeed good. While they were still contemplating how to converse with Brother Lin, Wu Yong had already spoken.

"Haha," Lin Fan laughed. "Next time there's an opportunity. Alright, bring me two strong men to help me train."

Life had to go on, and training couldn't stop.

He actually hoped Yuan Jiang would exhaust all his connections and find a master. Even if that master was very weak, as long as they had cultivated something, he would definitely have a good chat with this master.

No matter how much silver it cost, he wanted to uncover the mysteries of the Martial Way.

The path to seeking the Martial Way was too difficult.

He just hoped Yuan Jiang could put in a little more effort.

By noon, Steward Li arrived, but Lin Fan directly waved his hand, refusing Steward Li's invitation. Sometimes, one had to act the part convincingly.

After last night's events, both sides knew each other's bottom line.

He wanted to get something for free.

Steward Li not only wanted to get something for free but also wanted his master to believe the matter wasn't handled well due to Yuan Jiang's fault, not his own. Clearly, he had achieved this.

However, although he couldn't get anything for free from Steward Li.

His own Hall Master appeared with a beaming smile, clearly pleased with last night's events, as if he could walk on air.

Of course, given the Hall Master's generosity, they couldn't go to Xianwei Tower, only to ordinary restaurants. But as long as there was food, what did it matter?

Restaurant.

"Good, well done. This battle has truly shown our might."

Wang Changhai was very happy. He drank several cups of wine and praised Lin Fan profusely. When he learned of the incident, he was stunned and then laughed wildly at home.

His own wife said he had gone mad, but he wished he could go mad more often.

Who knew Yuan Jiang would have such a day?

You wanted to covet my Jili Pier.

You must be dreaming.

Lin Fan smiled, not taking the matter to heart. Just then, there was a commotion on the street. He saw two constables, armed with swords, escorting a man out of a wine shop.

A middle-aged man rushed out in a panic.

"Sirs, please release my son. My son is innocent."

The commotion here attracted the attention of the townspeople.

But everyone seemed accustomed to this, shaking their heads and sighing, yet powerless.

Lin Fan watched intently, not knowing what had happened. Wang Changhai glanced over and said, "Don't watch. It's a common occurrence. The Hu Family has set their sights on the wine's recipe. He has no power, no influence, and no backing, yet his wine sells so well. It's a miracle he could hold onto the recipe."

Similar situations.

Wang Changhai was long accustomed to them.

The common folk couldn't fight the officials.

Otherwise, a few simple schemes would be more than enough for ordinary people to handle.