I Really Can't Help You with This!

Steward Zhang was the Cao Gang steward in charge of the old northern district of Yangzhou City.

He was already fifty-six, his hair streaked with gray. The fierce man who had once fought his way through the old district was long past his prime.

"Steward Zhang, that's the situation. I was hoping you could help me."

Old Master Du rubbed his hands together and spoke with an ingratiating smile.

Steward Zhang chuckled. "Old Du, we've known each other for so long. There's no need to beat around the bush."

"Yes, yes. Go ahead," Old Master Du said with a fawning grin.

"As for your matter, I really can't help you."

"Huh?" Old Master Du's face immediately fell.

"But the steward at Kui Shui Pier is just a newcomer. How could even you, sir, be powerless to do anything?"

Steward Zhang shook his head with a smile. "There's something you don't know."

"Please, tell me."

"Steward Li may be new, but do you know how old he is?"

"No."

"Just eighteen."

Steward Zhang asked again, "Do you know what his current cultivation is?"

"No." Old Master Du shook his head and answered honestly.

"At the very least, he's a Mid-sixth Grade Martialist!"

"Gasp!"

At that, Old Master Du sucked in a sharp breath.

He'd lived long enough to see a thing or two.

He knew what it meant to be a Mid-sixth Grade Martialist.

It meant that, in the future, the man could at least become a Hall Master in the Cao Gang. It meant that if he so much as wished it, he could wipe out the entire Du Family at any time.

Steward Zhang didn't think that was enough, so he added with another beaming smile, "And that's not all. I heard he recently earned Merit Points and used them at the Scripture Repository to exchange for the unique inner cultivation method left behind by the previous Old Gang Leader. Guess what happened?"

"What happened?"

"He mastered it in less than a day."

"My heavens!"

Old Master Du let out a strange cry and nearly collapsed to the ground.

Steward Zhang clicked his tongue. "Word of this has already spread among the higher-ups. I hear even the Old Gang Leader has taken notice of Steward Li and is planning to meet with him sometime."

A martial arts prodigy who had earned the attention of the Cao Gang's leadership truly had boundless prospects. He might not stop at Hall Master; he could become an External Affairs Envoy, or even the Deputy Gang Leader!

At the thought, Old Master Du's face turned ashen.

In other words, his son had offended a future heavyweight in the Cao Gang.

Was the Du Family going to be ruined by his own hands?

"Steward Zhang, you have to save me!"

Old Master Du clung to Steward Zhang's leg, wailing through his tears and snot.

"Hey, Old Du, what are you doing?"

Steward Zhang was at a loss. He tried to pull Old Master Du up, but the other man had wrapped himself around his leg so tightly that he couldn't push him away for the moment.

"Alas, at this point, just send Steward Li some gifts and sound him out. See what he's thinking."

Steward Zhang looked helpless.

Li Xian looked at several boxes of gold bars on the ground and asked, puzzled, "Who sent these?"

"The Du Family," Brother Xin said with a grin.

"The Du Family? Which Du Family?"

"The family of that brat who insulted us over drinks yesterday."

Li Xian was even more confused.

"Why would that brat's family send us gold bars?"

Wan Cai said from the side, "Because when I left yesterday, I called over a few of the brothers below us and told them to teach that brat a lesson. Maybe it'll make him watch his mouth next time."

The Cao Gang had a strict hierarchy. People like Brother Xin and Wan Cai were elite disciples of the Cao Gang.

Below the elite disciples were countless outer disciples.

Those outer disciples were mostly idle people from Yangzhou City. They had little fighting ability and knew only a few crude fist techniques.

Only those who had truly cultivated to an established grade, like Wan Cai and Brother Xin, counted as core disciples of the Cao Gang. They had absolute authority to direct the outer disciples beneath them.

Li Xian didn't want to make an issue of it, but that didn't mean the people under him wouldn't do so on his behalf.

When their superior had been insulted like that, those under him naturally had to help him save face.

Still, Wan Cai had only told the men stationed around the pier to teach Young Master Du a lesson. He had no idea what had happened afterward.

Seeing the boxes of gold bars now, he even wondered if Old Master Du's side was making too much of a small matter.

"What do you think, Boss Li? Should we take them?"

Li Xian had gained a new appreciation for the Cao Gang's strength in Yangzhou City.

He waved a hand and tossed them one box of gold bars. "Take these and share them among the brothers who handled things yesterday. Let's put this matter to rest."

"Got it!"

Brother Xin and Wan Cai picked up the gold bars and hurried out, overjoyed.

They were getting the lion's share of what was inside.

How could they not be happy?

Li Xian looked at the gold bars still scattered across the ground and couldn't help sighing.

Back in Nanfeng City, his family's Escort Agency might not have earned half this much in a whole year of hard work. Now, just by serving as a steward and going out for a drink, he had enough to cover a year's expenses.

Sure enough, choosing to venture out had been the right decision.

For Li Xian, what had happened at Fengyang Tower was only a minor incident.

He had more important things to do.

Today, he'd received another assignment.

A wealthy young lady in Yangzhou City had been kidnapped by a Flower Picking Bandit.

The young lady's family was one of Yangzhou City's richest lineages. Compared with them, the Du Family was like mud beside the clouds.

The family had approached the Cao Gang, asking for help in rescuing their young lady.

As for the Flower Picking Bandit, dead or alive was fine.

The Cao Gang hadn't wanted to bother with such a small matter, but the family had offered far too much.

So the gang posted the assignment.

"Rescue Miss Huang. Reward: one hundred taels of gold and one thousand Merit Points!"

Li Xian couldn't sit still after seeing that.

The gold didn't matter much. What he cared about was the Merit Points.

With one thousand Merit Points, Li Xian could exchange for the next three layers of the Crimson Sun Nine Songs Mind Method.

So he accepted the assignment without a moment's hesitation.