Giving Money in Private

"Ah, not only is Li City in chaos now—the south is even worse. My escort business is doing better than before, but it's also far more dangerous.

If I didn't have a whole household to support, I'd truly like to wash my hands in a golden basin and be done with it!" Zhuo Xingji said, deeply sympathizing after hearing their conversation.

"My restaurant has its tables overturned several times every day. If this keeps up, sooner or later the whole place will be torn down!" Jiao Yongbao said with a face like a bitter melon.

"Various gangs are constantly fighting over territory now. Master is worried the martial arts school will be drawn into the gang conflicts, so he has already stopped recruiting new apprentices. Our income has plummeted as well!" Yuchi Xiao sighed.

For a time, the atmosphere in the private room became oppressive and heavy, devoid of its earlier fragrant revelry and festive cheer.

"If things truly don't work out, then we'll move somewhere else!" Xia Daoming said openly.

"Moving somewhere else is hardly that easy! Besides, the great battle around the provincial capital is now in full swing. It may well spread throughout the entire southern region.

"If we leave, we can only go north or head to another province. But the north is a bitterly cold land, and it is frequently raided by the Tianhe people. It is even worse than here.

"As for the other provinces, they are far away. On such a long journey, who knew how many calamities we would encounter along the way? And once we arrived, we would be strangers in a strange land. Starting anew would certainly be difficult." Liu Xiaoqiang sighed softly.

"Exactly. Neither of us is taking sides anyway, so we might as well wait and see, staying where we are," Yuchi Xiao said.

Xia Daoming merely smiled without committing himself.

If upheaval came, swept along by the tide of the greater situation, it would probably no longer be up to them whether they took sides or not!

Still, Xia Daoming was confident that by then, he would likely have stepped into the Eighth-Rank realm.

With his strength, he was fully qualified to take the people of the Hidden Dragon Martial Arts School away.

Thus, he did not object to Yuchi Xiao's suggestion of waiting and watching.

"Oh, right, Daoming, are you interested in escorting a few shipments with me? So long as you nod, you won't need to make any preparations. I'll arrange everything properly. You only need to come along, and I'll give you seventy percent of the escort profits!" Zhuo Xingji suddenly said.

"Seventy percent of the escort profits!" Yuchi Xiao and the others were all shocked, Xia Daoming included.

"That's right, seventy percent!" Zhuo Xingji nodded. "Master said it himself—Junior Brother's true strength can rival a Sixth-Rank Great Martial Master. With you helping escort shipments, they'll be much safer.

"And with the situation so chaotic, Junior Brother is the hope for the rise of our Hidden Dragon Martial Arts School. You must raise your cultivation as quickly as possible, which will certainly require a great deal of silver."

Only then did everyone understand that Zhuo Xingji was willing to concede so much profit not only for the escort agency, but also for the Hidden Dragon Martial Arts School.

"Thank you for your kindness, Senior Brother, but I'm not short of silver at the moment. Still, if you truly have any troublesome shipments that need my help, so long as they don't travel too far, I will certainly lend a hand," Xia Daoming said with a cupped-fist salute.

After failing to make the trip to the provincial capital last time, he still had sixty to seventy thousand taels of cash on hand. How could he possibly be short of money?

"We're fellow disciples, so why thank me? Since Junior Brother isn't short of money, then forget it!" Zhuo Xingji said with a smile, waving his hand.

Perhaps because they had begun discussing the current situation in Li City, tonight's visit to listen to music at the pleasure house was exceptionally pure. No one had any mind for seeking flowers and asking willows.

Very soon, the music ended and everyone dispersed.

Before leaving, Liu Xiaoqiang deliberately kept Xia Daoming behind, pulled him aside, and stuffed a brocade pouch into his arms.

"Senior Sister, what are you doing?" Xia Daoming asked, utterly puzzled.

"Senior Brother Yuchi and the others are all rough men, single-minded as iron rods. They never stopped to think that you only hold the position of instructor under Master—how much income could you possibly have?

"You might fool them by saying you have money, but how could you fool me? Senior Sister has accumulated some silver over the years running this pleasure house.

"Take it and use it. Buy more medicinal pills to nourish yourself and raise your cultivation as quickly as you can. You are the hope for the rise of the martial arts school now. My pleasure house will need you to watch over it in the future too," Liu Xiaoqiang said.

Xia Daoming was dumbfounded.

What was this?

Could it be that I possessed some extraordinary talent for living off a woman?

Getting to visit a pleasure house for free was one thing—ptui, ptui—getting to listen to music here for free was one thing, but now she was actually throwing money at me!

Was this selling herself to support me?

"Senior Sister, it wasn't easy for you to earn this money. How could I..." Xia Daoming reached into his robes, intending to take out the brocade pouch.

"What? Do you think Senior Sister's money is unclean? Are you looking down on me?" Liu Xiaoqiang grabbed Xia Daoming's hand and stopped him from taking it out.

"Senior Sister, what are you saying? You didn't steal or rob this money. It's hard-earned money, your blood and sweat. What is unclean about it?" Xia Daoming said with righteous indignation.

"Then why won't you take it? If you want to raise your cultivation quickly, you need to spend money!" Liu Xiaoqiang said.

"I really do have money!" Xia Daoming said.

"Oh, cut it out. You came from a small northern city, and apprenticing under Master cost you a huge sum. Even if you had some savings to begin with, after this past year, you must have spent nearly all of it. Where would you get any money?" Liu Xiaoqiang said irritably.

"I robbed it," Xia Daoming blurted out.

Liu Xiaoqiang froze slightly, then gritted her pearly teeth. "Are you taking it or not? If you don't, then don't ever come here to listen to music again!"

This... Xia Daoming was dumbfounded again.

Other people could not listen to music without paying.

As for him, if he refused to take money, he would not be allowed to listen to music.

"Fine, I'll accept this silver for now. But Senior Sister, don't give up on martial cultivation either. Buy more medicinal pills when you should and nourish yourself. You're still young, and the road ahead is long. Even Senior Brother Jiao managed to cultivate Hidden Strength again. You can definitely do it too," Xia Daoming finally said, accepting the silver.

The matter had been put this plainly. If he still refused it, it really would mean he looked down on someone for running a pleasure house.

"You don't need to tell me that. Who wouldn't want to keep cultivating if they could? It would save them from being bullied! It's just that Senior Sister can't compare to Senior Brother Jiao," Liu Xiaoqiang sighed softly.

"As the saying goes, live until old and learn until old. Where there is a will, there is a way. Senior Sister will definitely make it," Xia Daoming said.

"Alright, Senior Sister knows! Hurry home, or that Lian'er of yours will worry," Liu Xiaoqiang said with a smile, poking Xia Daoming on the forehead.

"Hehe! Then I'm off," Xia Daoming said.

With that, Xia Daoming turned and left.

As she watched his departing back, a trace of loneliness appeared in Liu Xiaoqiang's eyes.

"Master, you're back. Lian'er will draw your bathwater right away," Liu Qiaolian said with a curtsy as soon as Xia Daoming returned home.

"No rush. I still need to go out again," Xia Daoming said, heading straight for the inner room in the rear courtyard.

Beneath the bed in the inner room was an underground secret chamber.

This secret chamber was where he stored his treasures.

Only he and Liu Qiaolian knew of it.

He took out the brocade pouch from his robes, poured out the banknotes, and counted them. Finding that there were actually six thousand taels, he could not help staring blankly.

"Ah, eating this soft rice really doesn't sit well with me!"

After a long while, Xia Daoming sighed and placed the banknotes, along with the brocade pouch, into a money chest.

Then he took two small jade bottles from another chest.

One was empty, while the other contained Longevity Jade Liquid.

This bottle of Longevity Jade Liquid had been obtained from Lin Lu, the Shi Family's chief steward. Its contents were less than half of the bottle Xu Zhiji possessed.

Even so, it was worth at least thirty thousand taels. Moreover, it was something with a price but no market. Xia Daoming had no idea where Lin Lu, merely a chief steward of the Shi Family, had acquired it.

Xia Daoming poured half of it into the empty bottle, then placed the remaining half back into the chest for safekeeping.

Half of it was worth nearly twenty thousand taels, which was no great sum to Xia Daoming now.

The main thing was that Longevity Jade Liquid was currently something with a price but no market in Li City. Xia Daoming felt he should keep some on hand for unforeseen needs.

Carrying the small half-bottle of Longevity Jade Liquid, Xia Daoming quickly returned to the Jade Flower Pavilion.

PS: The main element of this book is immortal cultivation, though some relaxed daily-life moments of showing off will be added in moderation. I hope it can bring everyone a different reading experience.

Thanks to World Affairs Are Like a Chessboard, Half a Page of a Book for the ten-thousand-point reward, and thanks to readers Xiaohe005, ricky007, Night Rain Thousand Searches, 20211216094838620, and others for their rewards.