After the two left, Cheng Ran could not help clicking his tongue softly.
"Senior Brother Zhou Xing really knows how to win people over, handing out little favors!"
Jiang Ning merely smiled noncommittally. Zhou Xing was a smart man with plenty of ideas; he had seen that much as well.
But he did not dislike Zhou Xing either.
Being able to buy wild ginseng at a price even lower than the market minimum, while receiving three extra roots for free, was the equivalent of gaining dozens of taels of silver for nothing. Why would he dislike such a person?
Cheng Ran then opened the invitation in his hand, glanced at it, and passed it to Jiang Ning.
"Take a look, Junior Brother Jiang. Zhou Xing is certainly generous."
Jiang Ning took the invitation and opened it, his gaze falling upon its contents.
As his eyes swept across it, he too clicked his tongue in amazement.
The invitation contained Zhou Xing's polite pleasantries, followed by his claim that he saw potential in Cheng Ran's future entry into the Inspection Office and thus wished to invest in him in exchange for a favor.
It also recorded Zhou Xing's terms.
One thousand taels of silver, ten boxes of premium skin-tempering ointment, and three wild Earth Ganoderma plants that were each a hundred years old.
This investment placed no excessive demands on Cheng Ran. It merely sought a favor—a favor whose future was filled with uncertainty.
Jiang Ning's gaze moved lower.
Three days from now, at the fourth quarter of the Dog Hour, Fenghua Tower respectfully awaited Junior Brother Cheng's attendance at the banquet.
"What do you think, Junior Brother Jiang?" Cheng Ran asked.
Jiang Ning said, "Very generous. For nothing more than an uncertain favor and an uncertain future, Senior Brother Zhou is willing to offer so much."
Jiang Ning was also as clear as a mirror about why Zhou Xing was being so generous.
Personnel of the Inspection Office possessed the privilege of executing first and reporting afterward. Their authority could be said to be immense.
Cheng Ran had entered the Martial Dao ranks at this age. Once he joined the Inspection Office, who could guess where he would stand ten or twenty years later?
Should he step into the eighth rank of the Martial Dao and rise through the official ranks, that favor would be worth its weight in gold, far surpassing this investment worth two or three thousand taels of silver.
Cheng Ran said, "It does look generous, and it would indeed help me quite a bit! Though my Cheng Family's wealth is not worth mentioning compared to Senior Brother Zhou Xing's, I am not the sort to have my eyes light up at the sight of money."
"I'm not in a hurry. Aside from Senior Brother Zhou, there should be others in Luoshui County who think highly of me, Cheng Ran!"
By the end, a confident look had appeared on Cheng Ran's face.
Jiang Ning handed Zhou Xing's invitation back to Cheng Ran, then said, "Senior Brother Cheng, what spirit."
Cheng Ran laughed. "When buying goods, one must compare three shops. Besides, I am now competing with Xiao Peng for that spot, and I have at least a fifty-percent chance of winning. Naturally, I have this confidence."
He then looked at Jiang Ning again, indignation on his face. "Speaking of which, Zhou Xing must be blind. Junior Brother Jiang has such high Martial Dao talent and is currently short of resources, yet he does not know to send you an invitation?"
Jiang Ning said, "Senior Brother Cheng, don't make fun of me! Senior Brother Zhou clearly understands the importance of the Inspection Office."
As he spoke, he pointed toward Zhou Xing, who was chatting with Xiao Peng in the distance.
"That's true!" Cheng Ran sighed softly upon hearing this. "It is only a pity that Junior Brother Jiang began learning martial arts a year or so too late. The Inspection Office is fated to pass you by!"
"The Inspection Office—once you enter it, you have Great Xia at your back. You possess an official registry, hold the power to execute first and report afterward, to grant life and seize death. Moreover, your future Martial Dao path will be smooth, with no lack of methods or resources for advancing in the Martial Dao."
Jiang Ning nodded slightly in agreement. "Yes!"
He too felt regretful over not receiving Zhou Xing's regard.
What he lacked now was only time and resources.
Zhou Xing's regard and investment would undoubtedly resolve his current shortage of resources.
With the supplies in that invitation worth several thousand taels of silver, not only could his fist technique advance more quickly and allow him to grind out more resources each day, but he could also gain more source energy points daily.
The Wood-Chopping Saber Technique had long since reached perfection, and the 1,000 experience points required for First Limit-Breaking had already been fully grinded out.
The only thing restricting his Wood-Chopping Saber Technique from breaking its limits was his number of source energy points, and acquiring source energy points was closely tied to the energy he consumed each day.
Like the day when he gained the most source energy points before—0.6 in a single day—that was because he had eaten three-tenths of a wild ginseng root that day.
For him now, if resources were sufficient, then within the reasonable limits of absorbing precious medicine, it was possible to gain more than one source energy point per day.
Yet now, his source energy points only increased by 0.4 each day. The gap between the two was plain to see.
With sufficient resources and sufficient energy intake, one day's harvest of source energy points could equal two days' worth.
The rear courtyard of the martial arts school.
Li Qing brushed past the disciple guarding the martial arts school gate.
Then, she came before Wang Jin.
"Greetings, Master!" She respectfully bowed to Wang Jin.
"Greetings, Tower Master Shen!" She also respectfully bowed to Shen Congyun.
At this moment, Li Qing's hands and feet were somewhat at a loss.
From the moment she saw Shen Congyun, her heart had been filled with nervousness.
Naturally, she understood Shen Congyun's identity.
Nearly everyone in Luoshui County with some standing and decent family background knew something about Shen Congyun.
He was the deputy tower master of Myriad Splendor Tower's Luoshui County branch, and Myriad Splendor Tower was a superpower that spread across the nine provinces of Great Xia.
Thus, to all of Luoshui County, Shen Congyun was a true big shot.
Although above Shen Congyun, this deputy tower master, there was a chief tower master, as well as another deputy tower master on equal footing with him.
With Shen Congyun's status, though, looking across all of Luoshui County, who would not give him three parts face?
Li Qing also knew very well that Myriad Splendor Tower occasionally invested in Martial Dao geniuses.
For any Martial Dao genius to be favored and invested in by a wealthy and powerful force like Myriad Splendor Tower was an opportunity to defy fate and change one's destiny.
Even for her, whose family background did not fall below Zhou Xing's, being noticed by Myriad Splendor Tower would still let her transform into a dragon. Her future fate would become completely different.
At that time, her future would no longer be confined to the tiny county of Luoshui County. She would have the chance to become a dazzling Martial Dao prodigy in Guangning Prefecture.
It was precisely because she understood these things that she felt so nervous.
She both hoped Shen Congyun would think highly of her and knew that she was probably unworthy of his regard.
"Her blood and qi fill her entire body, and her physique already possesses a formed skin membrane. This young girl is quite good!" Shen Congyun praised as he looked at Li Qing.
Upon hearing this praise, Li Qing's emotions surged and fell, her heart filling with anticipation and nervousness.
"Tower Master Shen has eyes like torches. With one glance, you saw through this junior's Martial Dao realm."
Hearing this, Shen Congyun smiled faintly at Li Qing.
Seeing that smile, Li Qing immediately understood something.
A sudden, melancholy sense of loss arose in her heart.
"Li Qing, they have all arrived, yes?" Wang Jin spoke at this moment.
Li Qing abruptly recovered from her disappointed thoughts and respectfully said to Wang Jin, "All senior brothers and junior brothers have arrived!"
"Good!" Wang Jin nodded slightly.
Then he said to Shen Congyun, "Brother Shen, are you interested in coming out with me to take a look at my disappointing disciples?"
Shen Congyun could not help smiling. "Brother Wang, are you still hoping to have me appraise them?"
Wang Jin laughed heartily. "It seems nothing can be hidden from Brother Shen!"
Shen Congyun smiled. "Since Brother Wang has spoken, I must give you this courtesy. I happen to have nothing to do, so let's go out and take a look!"
"Brother Shen, please." Wang Jin raised a hand in invitation.
"Please."
(End of Chapter)
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