Palm Thunder

That night, thunder roared and rain poured.

Rain pattered against the tiles of Jiang Yuan's residence.

Holding an umbrella in one hand and a wooden box in the other, Liu Mang entered Jiang Yuan's residence with a delighted expression.

"Old Brother, I brought you the indentures you wanted..."

Before he could finish, Liu Mang's eyes widened, and his jaw nearly dropped.

Jiang Yuan sat upright atop a bluestone platform in the courtyard. Behind him stood an iron pillar wrapped in chains, the two ends of those chains clenched in his hands.

Rumble!

The next instant, a deafening roar split the sky. A thick bolt of lightning struck the iron pillar in an instant, blazing with dazzling radiance.

Jiang Yuan's white hair stood on end, yet his body remained as immovable as a mountain. True qi mixed with lightning surged madly around him, making for a terrifying sight.

The next moment, it was as though Jiang Yuan had absorbed the lightning. The violent aura gradually subsided.

At the sight of this, Liu Mang was nearly scared to death.

Good heavens, was this how Old Brother cultivated every day?

No wonder the old man had forged himself a body of bronze skin and iron bones, impervious to blades and spears. With such a method of tempering the body with lightning, how many martial artists could possibly accomplish it?

He had originally wanted to ask Jiang Yuan to teach him this technique, but now he intended to give up on that idea.

Damn it, he still wanted to live a few more days!

In truth, although the scene looked frightening, it was nowhere near as perilous as Liu Mang imagined.

Throughout the entire process, Jiang Yuan had not truly used lightning to temper his body.

Instead, he had stored the power of lightning through a special method, condensing it into a lightning seal within his palm.

This was Palm Thunder!

The power of this lightning seal was anything but ordinary.

By Jiang Yuan's estimation, releasing all its lightning power at once would be enough to instantly kill a Meridian Opening realm martial artist.

If they were caught completely off guard, even a martial arts grandmaster would likely be left in a miserable state.

Unfortunately, the lightning seal could only be replenished during thunderstorms, making it a consumable martial skill.

Still, it was more than enough for self-defense.

Once the Palm Thunder had been condensed, Jiang Yuan suddenly opened his eyes, removed the chains from his hands, and could not help curling his lips into a smile.

The Seven-Kill Sword Casket, Palm Thunder...

Though he was merely an old man, his methods were frighteningly sinister. Anyone who provoked him would be in for a disaster.

"Jiang... Jiang, Old Brother, have you finished cultivating?"

Liu Mang's slightly trembling voice came from afar as he looked at Jiang Yuan.

Jiang Yuan had noticed Liu Mang long ago, but now he acted as if he had only just seen him and feigned surprise. "Ah, Brother Zhang, why did you come personally?"

Liu Mang let out a breath of relief and hurried forward. He sighed, "Jiang, Old Brother, you truly are a divine man! I have genuinely never heard of such a cultivation method!"

"This little brother originally wished to seek your guidance in this method, but now I see that I truly did not know the height of heaven or the depth of earth!"

"Hahaha..."

Jiang Yuan laughed heartily but neither confirmed nor denied it. "Brother Zhang, what brings you here tonight?"

Liu Mang quickly handed the wooden box to Jiang Yuan and said solemnly, "Old Brother, the indentures for Chunlan and Qiuju are inside. You must keep this matter secret—under no circumstances can it be spread around!"

Taking the wooden box, Jiang Yuan raised a brow. "Brother Zhang, just what are the identities of these two maidservants?"

He had never understood why Liu Mang was making such a big deal over freeing two servant girls.

Was it merely to make him grateful?

There was no need for that.

Liu Mang said helplessly, "To be honest, Old Brother, it is not a problem with the two maidservants themselves. It is that doing this breaks the rules!"

"The rules?"

Jiang Yuan was even more puzzled.

Liu Mang leaned close and lowered his voice. "Old Brother, I came tonight specifically to warn you about this, so that you will not break the rules in the future."

"Go on," Jiang Yuan said.

Liu Mang's expression turned grave as he lowered his voice further. "Old Brother, I told you before that our Black Market is a place for business. The four main halls of the Jiangning Branch are as distinct as the rivers Jing and Wei, and none may interfere with the others."

"The Azure Dragon Hall oversees the gambling business, also known as the pig-slaughtering scam. They specifically lure wealthy people into gambling, then lend them money until they are stripped of everything."

"Our White Tiger Hall oversees the assassin business. Every sort of killing job on the streets falls under our control."

"The Vermilion Bird Hall oversees the flesh trade. Most of the major brothels in the outer city are controlled by them. Even these two indentures had to be pried from their hands, and one cannot casually redeem people from them."

"The Black Tortoise Hall oversees auctions. Most of what they sell are prohibited goods, such as illicit salt, slaves, banned drugs, demon cores, and so on."

"Of course, those are all underground dealings. On the surface, we only need to maintain order in the markets and conduct ordinary business. Whatever you do, do not break the rules!"

Liu Mang explained everything in detail, leaving Jiang Yuan's heart pounding.

He had long heard that the Black Market was no respectable place, but he had never expected it to be involved in such dealings. No wonder even the authorities found it such a headache.

"I understand. Thank you for the reminder, Brother Zhang."

Jiang Yuan let out a soft breath, though inwardly he was making calculations.

The Black Market was absolutely not a place to remain for long. He had only wanted to hide from the Blood-Clad Cult's pursuit while earning some cultivation resources along the way.

If the timing was right, it would be better to run sooner rather than later.

But the righteous sects probably would not accept a white-haired old man like him as a low-ranking disciple, would they?

Unless his cultivation became strong enough for him to serve as a guest elder or elder who could guard an entire sect.

That would be difficult.

Liu Mang grinned. "Old Brother Jiang, why be so polite? What's yours is mine, and what's mine is yours!"

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Liu Mang reluctantly left Jiang Yuan's residence.

What he had witnessed that night only strengthened his conviction that Jiang Yuan was an extraordinary master. Perhaps one day, Jiang Yuan could help him soar to great heights.

His investment now was truly aid delivered in the midst of a snowstorm.

Carrying the wooden box back to his room, Jiang Yuan summoned the two sisters, Chunlan and Qiuju.

"I obtained your indentures for you," Jiang Yuan said with a smile.

The two sisters were startled. They accepted their own indentures in disbelief, then immediately fell to their knees.

"Thank you, my lord!"

After Jiang Yuan had made his promise that day, they had forgotten about it the moment they turned around, never taking it seriously.

A man's words in bed could not be trusted!

They had never expected this old gentleman to truly keep their affairs in mind, and they could not help feeling moved.

Jiang Yuan waved a hand. "Ah, meeting is fate. This old man was once down and out as well, and a kind-hearted woman helped me."

"You may go. Do not remain in the Black Market any longer."

"Ah? My lord, are you driving us away?"

Hearing this, the two sisters exchanged glances, their lovely faces turning pale with fright.

"What is it? You do not wish to leave?"

The two women remained kneeling on the ground, unwilling to rise and showing no intention of departing. Jiang Yuan could not help feeling puzzled.

After a long while, Chunlan hesitated, bit her lip, and said, "My lord, there is something you do not know."

"As this servant understands it, any woman who leaves Vermilion Bird Tower—even after redeeming herself—has never met a good end. They... they seem to have all been killed."

As she spoke, Chunlan's entire body trembled, as though she were terribly afraid. She could not help knocking her head against the ground.

"My lord, this servant is willing to serve you forever."

Qiuju was also full of fear. She bowed her head to the ground as well. "Please do not abandon us, my lord. We sisters are willing to serve you forever."

"This..."

Jiang Yuan was dumbfounded. They would still die even after redeeming themselves?

This Black Market truly was no place of kindness.

Looking at the two sisters with their foreheads pressed to the ground, Jiang Yuan could not help feeling compassion. He sighed. "Fine. If you wish to stay, then stay. But I will consider it employment and pay you a monthly wage, all right?"

"Keep your indentures. You may leave whenever you wish."

"Ah?"

The two sisters were even more astonished. Happiness had come too suddenly, and they could not help weeping with joy.

"Thank you, my lord! Thank you, my lord! You truly are a good person!"

A good person?

Jiang Yuan gave a self-mocking smile.

If saving fallen girls counted as being a good person, then there were far too many good people in this world.