Let Them Taste the Might of the Financial Iron Fist

An incense stick of time later, at the old residence of Fish Gang leader Yang Biao.

Lu Cheng stood in the courtyard, unable to help but marvel at the man's vigilance.

After sending the Young Hall Master to meet the Young Gang Leader, Lu Cheng had not delayed in the slightest.

He had rushed here carrying five hundred taels in silver notes.

Since Zhang Rensheng was unaware of the assassination attempt, eliminating the Fish Gang leader would likely cover up the tracks.

After all, a Body Tempering stage martial artist was someone he currently had no way of dealing with.

Even if it only bought him some time, it would be worth it.

Yet, he had not expected to find the place empty.

The Yang Family residence was not large, merely a two-courtyard house.

The house was draped in white mourning silk, and the paper money scattered on the ground was piled so thick it defied description.

Lu Cheng spent less than a cup of tea's time turning the courtyard upside down.

He searched inside and out, even uncovering a secret chamber, but he found neither a single person nor a single cent.

Even every object that could be exchanged for money had vanished completely.

The eternal lamp on the memorial altar had long since extinguished, and the unburnt paper money in the brazier was scattered about by the wind.

Only the fruits offered on the table remained somewhat fresh.

According to the Young Hall Master, Yang Biao had claimed to be observing mourning and seeking solitude a few days ago, sending all his servants and concubines home.

He had even handed over all the affairs of the Fish Gang to his subordinates.

In the days that followed, he had remained in seclusion, only emerging this morning to bring the money to find him.

It appeared now that he had planned this long ago.

The so-called mourning and solitude were indeed true.

But it was more likely that he had been planning his revenge in advance.

He had packed up all his gold and silver beforehand, only using the money on the final day to hire the Young Hall Master for revenge.

As for why he had "fled."

Looking at the Young Hall Master's foolish demeanor, that five hundred taels was likely a trap set by Yang Biao.

Now that he had finished using him, why would he stay behind and invite trouble for himself?

On the other hand, perhaps he was also afraid of retaliation from the Long Wind Escort Agency.

After all, no matter how ruthless Yang Biao was, he was still just a street thug; against a martial artist, he was nothing.

Daring to stir the pot in this matter was already quite bold.

Such fleeing and hiding was not entirely unexpected.

Of course, all of this was merely Lu Cheng's conjecture.

Now that the people involved were either dead or gone, there was no way to verify it.

But that was fine; it saved him the trouble of cleaning up the aftermath.

Beyond that, there was the other information obtained from the deceased Young Hall Master.

The stakes.

With the Martial Suppression Battalion involved, these stakes had to be paid.

Thus, the seventeen factions were divided into three groups.

The Four Symbols Martial Arts Hall, led by the Vermilion Bird Martial Arts Hall and the Black Tortoise Martial Hall, the Xu and Huang families, and the remaining eleven factions each contributed one share.

The silver was manageable; these factions all held numerous businesses in both the underworld and legitimate sectors.

While three or four thousand taels was not a small sum, they could scrape it together.

The real issue was the other medicinal pills.

Five thousand portions of Blood-Activating Powder, and five hundred portions each of Hundred Essence Pill, Bone-Strengthening Powder, Tendon-Changing Pill, and Jade Skin Ointment.

Even if it were only one-third of that amount, it would be enough to make them anxious.

Lu Cheng did not know the situation of the other families, but the Vermilion Bird Martial Arts Hall was still far short.

According to their quota, the Vermilion Bird Martial Arts Hall needed to prepare five hundred portions of Blood-Activating Powder alone.

But currently, they only had eighty portions of finished medicine and just over a hundred portions of unrefined herbs.

The reason for such a shortage was not primarily the price.

The key was that they dared not make a scene.

The news of the duel was still only circulating within a small circle.

Most people were unaware of the matter.

All seventeen factions only dared to quietly hoard pills and medicinal herbs.

Once news of this spreads, the price of medicinal pills in Yang City and the surrounding regions will instantly skyrocket.

That is something the seventeen families cannot afford to bear.

But whether they can bear it or not is sometimes not up to them to decide.

"What do you mean, buy nothing but ingredients for Blood-Activating Powder?"

Inside the Black Market, Old Pi was utterly astonished upon hearing the request from Lu Cheng, who had returned as quickly as he had left.

"Five hundred taels of silver, all spent on ingredients... that would be one thousand sets. You must be insane."

Hearing "one thousand sets," Lu Cheng was also somewhat surprised.

He had only thought about it in passing and hadn't calculated the exact amount.

"One thousand sets does sound like a bit much," Lu Cheng mused.

"But it's impossible to predict what the situation will be like when the time comes."

"If it turns out to be not enough, I'd be left looking like a fool."

"Besides, as the purchase volume increases, the price certainly won't stay at five mace per set."

Old Pi shook his head repeatedly.

"What do you mean 'not enough'? This is medicine for cultivation, not food."

"Forget one thousand sets; even one hundred would be enough to last you until you die."

Lu Cheng shook his head. "No, no, you don't understand what I'm trying to do."

"How about this: help me rent a small storefront in a secluded part of the Black Market. It doesn't need to be big, just the cheapest one available."

"With the rest of the money, buy me nothing but ingredients for Blood-Activating Powder."

"Only Blood-Activating Powder; I don't want anything else."

Other medicinal pills were too expensive and had a small market, which would never achieve the effect Lu Cheng desired.

Old Pi stared blankly at Lu Cheng.

"You really are crazy. You might have a bit of talent for alchemy, but you can't just do this."

The fact that Lu Cheng had just successfully refined fifteen sets of Blood-Activating Powder in a row had deeply shocked Old Pi.

Before this, even the top alchemist in Yang City only had an eighty percent success rate for refining Blood-Activating Powder.

Old Yang, standing nearby, only had a fifty percent success rate.

Part of the reason why medicinal pills were so expensive was the loss incurred from failed attempts.

The higher the grade of the pill, the more expensive the ingredients and the lower the success rate, naturally leading to exorbitant prices.

Lu Cheng shook his head and said:

"No, I'm not crazy. What I want to do is actually not that complicated."

"It's just that I can't explain it to you clearly in a short amount of time."

He then stared at Old Pi, his eyes beneath the black mask exceptionally firm.

"Old Pi, you don't need to spend a single cent of your own money on this. You only need to help me procure the ingredients, and you will earn more silver than you could in this lifetime—no, ten lifetimes. Are you sure you want to refuse?"

Hearing that he didn't need to pay and could still make money, Old Pi finally nodded.

But he still asked with a look of confusion:

"Who... is Old Pi?"

"..."

Lu Cheng pursed his lips.

"Old Pi... is a code word."

Meeting Old Pi's puzzled gaze, Lu Cheng waved his hand and said firmly:

"It really is just a code word. The scale of this plan and its level of importance far exceed the ordinary, and it will also be a very long-term endeavor."

"What we are talking about now—buying ingredients—is merely the beginning of the beginning, but it is just as important as everything that follows."

"As for what might happen later, even I cannot fully predict it."

"But rest assured, once it succeeds, it will be more than ten lifetimes' worth of silver."

"So we must be cautious; do not reveal this to anyone but me."

"And even if it is me, from now on, if I don't say 'Old Pi' first, do not pay any attention to what I say."

Old Pi touched the leather mask on his face and smacked his lips, feeling that something was not quite right.

However, thinking that he didn't have to spend his own money, he wouldn't lose anything no matter how things turned out.

And no matter how many pills were refined, it was Lu Cheng who would be exhausted, so what reason did he have to refuse?

He was just idling away in the Black Market anyway.

Old Pi nodded:

"Alright, then what code name should I use when I call you? Is it still Old Pi?"

Lu Cheng:

"..."

"No, just call me... Livermore."

"Liver-more? Does a millstone... have ears?"

Lu Cheng:

"It's not a millstone, it's... forget it, just call me that."

After speaking, he added:

"Since this plan is so massive, it needs a name."

"Old Pi, from now on, we shall refer to this plan as the 'Financial Storm'."

Old Pi:

"..."

Lu Cheng:

"Also, under no circumstances should we buy medicinal herbs from Yang City. Buying five or eight sets every few days is fine."

"But for bulk purchases, we must buy from other counties, or better yet... another prefecture, and it must have no connection to Yang City."

Old Pi:

"..."

After settling other details with Old Pi, Lu Cheng inquired about the Black Market entrance in the north of the city.

Once he obtained the exact location, Lu Cheng left all the silver notes behind and departed quickly.

Before the plan commenced, he needed to return to the escort agency to properly connect and communicate with Feng Zhan, Fatty, and the others.

Barring any accidents, he would spend most of his time in the Black Market until the tournament began.

There were many aspects of the plan where he needed Fatty and the others' help.

As for his cultivation, if he could frequently spar with Feng Zhan, his chances of reaching the perfection of the Refining Strength stage within three months would be much higher.

Lu Cheng had not forgotten what his primary goal was.

Martial arts was the true path.