Lu Sui knew that Ganzi Gang was the old name. Ever since Lu Yulin took over, it had long since been renamed the "Dacheng Trading Firm," after his father, Lu Dacheng.
The Dacheng Trading Firm dominated Changle County and expanded rapidly, soon gaining a firm foothold in Yongning Prefecture.
Over a dozen years, the shops it had absorbed and the businesses it had involved itself in were too numerous to count!
Lu Yulin had specifically appointed eight head shopkeepers to manage its operations and conduct its business.
He had also laid down a rule: accounts were settled and profits distributed every six months.
The "Shopkeeper Luo" Xiaotang mentioned was named Luo Youxian. He was both Lu Yulin's right-hand man and an old hand who had joined the Dacheng Trading Firm at its founding.
"Anyone who dares rob the Ganzi Gang's goods is either a reckless greenhorn or... someone coming with ill intent!"
Lu Sui narrowed his eyes, unable to help thinking of that enemy lurking in the shadows.
"This servant heard that all the missing goods were precious mountain products, including 'big leaves' and 'old clubs,' worth several thousand taels of gleaming silver."
"Good heavens, several thousand taels! How many bowls of mutton soup could that buy?"
Xiaohuan cried out.
All this girl thinks about is food!
Lu Sui's brows knitted tightly. "Big leaves" and "old clubs" were trade jargon.
The former referred to top-quality pelts, such as sable and tiger skins; the latter meant mountain products such as aged ginseng and deer antlers.
Five full cartloads of such precious goods being worth several thousand taels was no exaggeration.
The wind and rain are coming. I wonder if my ready-made father can weather them.
Lu Sui's heart tightened slightly.
The biggest headache in this affair was not the loss of several thousand taels of silver.
It was the impact of the damage to the Ganzi Gang's reputation, and how to handle the aftermath.
A "client" who could order five cartloads of valuable goods at once had to be someone of standing in Yongning Prefecture.
If the goods failed to arrive on schedule, the first thing smashed would be the Ganzi Gang's good name.
Those dealing in mountain products on a large scale sold one thing: trust. When someone handed over thousands or tens of thousands of taels of silver, if the job was botched, there would hardly be a next time.
It might even shake his ready-made father's seat at the head of the trading business.
"By the firm's rules, lost goods must be compensated for at their full value. If delivery is delayed, there's another payment on top of that..."
Concern surfaced in Xiaotang's eyes as she looked at Lu Sui.
"Right now, the head shopkeepers from every region have gathered at headquarters, and everyone is unsettled. The master has to be there to steady the situation. He hasn't been home in days."
Xiaotang was quite perceptive.
Lu Sui nodded, but there was one thing she had not anticipated. Given Lu Yulin's way of doing business, he would surely do everything to protect his commercial reputation, sourcing replacement goods everywhere to fulfill this order.
Pelts and medicinal ingredients were hard currency beyond the pass, in exceedingly short supply.
To assemble five cartloads exactly matching the originals, he would have to buy at inflated prices and get ruthlessly fleeced.
Between one thing and another, the silver sunk into this would probably be no less than ten thousand taels, enough to leave anyone scorched and frantic.
"I've only enjoyed a few days of being a young master, and already everything is swaying in the wind and rain."
Lu Sui sighed softly.
He resolved to supervise the little turtle more and feed the little snake more, bringing the Turtle-Snake Stance to great perfection sooner.
In the Land Beyond the Pass, only fists and wealth carried the most weight.
Everything else was hollow!
Several more days passed.
Lu Sui did not rush out to fool around and seek pleasure just because his legs had fully recovered.
He patiently drew up a martial training plan: breathing exercises early in the morning, stance training at noon, and richly nourishing medicinal meals three times a day.
His unshakable dedication to this hard training astonished both Xiaohuan and Xiaotang.
[Seeing you rise at cockcrow and nourish Qi through breathing exercises, the Turtle-Snake Stance felt deeply gratified!] [Thus, it guided your breathing through cycle after cycle, gradually increasing your strength...] [Seeing you eat medicinal meals for ten consecutive days, the Turtle-Snake Stance feasted heartily, eating until it burped!] [Your breath grew thicker than two fingers, approaching fullness...]
"Finally."
That day, Lu Sui sat before the long writing desk and let out a long breath.
He closed his eyes slightly, his consciousness slipping into the ancient temple.
The stick of white incense before the shrine burned out, and at the instant its final wisp of blue smoke rose.
The little turtle with its ink-black shell and the little snake, tender green all over, both shone with light.
The former slowly raised its head, while the latter slithered onto its back. The two entwined, emanating a boundless presence.
"The turtle and snake entwine?"
Watching this scene, Lu Sui thought of the key principles of the Turtle-Snake Stance that Uncle Wen had spoken of.
Then the tiny, tadpole-like characters flickered and quietly appeared.
[Turtle-Snake Stance (Mortal)] [Perfection attained] [Available talents are as follows] [Qi Recovery, Longevity, Hibernation]
So perfecting a martial art unlocks talents.
Lu Sui's mind stirred as he absorbed the effects of the different talents.
Qi Recovery improves recovery. It can provide some healing for fatigue, injuries, illness, and even poisoning, though the effect is relatively slight...
Longevity is simpler. The longer I live, the more my essence, Qi, and spirit improve accordingly. It's the late-bloomer choice, outliving everyone of my generation...
Hibernation is even more interesting. Turtles and snakes lie dormant and sleep when winter comes. While asleep, my breathing will circulate on its own, with breathing exercises continuing uninterrupted. It essentially turns sleep into training, though at half efficiency...
After pondering for a long time, Lu Sui decided to choose Hibernation.
This talent offered the most significant short-term improvement, making it just right for him, newly embarked on the martial path and still in his developmental stage.
Once he made up his mind, the pitch-black wooden tablet enshrined in the main shrine immediately changed.
[Lu Sui] [Art: Turtle-Snake Stance (Mortal)] [Method: None recorded] [Talent: Hibernation]
Now my training can progress even faster. I'm not far from the "blood renewal and bone strengthening" Uncle Wen mentioned.
His consciousness dispersed, withdrawing from the ancient temple.
Lu Sui remained seated. The benefits of perfecting the Turtle-Snake Stance went far beyond a single talent.
A gentle, warm current overflowed from three inches below his navel like water from a brimming vat, slowly pouring into his limbs and every bone.
"This feels... pretty good!"
Lu Sui felt his whole body relax.
It was like being bundled up tightly in the depths of winter, then suddenly shedding those cumbersome clothes, his entire body becoming light.
Then he heard an exceedingly faint sound from within his body.
Whoosh!
It sounded like river water repeatedly striking the bank, forming wave after wave.
"My breath is transforming! It's merging into my blood!"
The gentle, warm current flooding his limbs and bones gradually dissolved like ice and snow entering water.
"It's seeping bit by bit into my sinews, bones, skin, flesh... Qi joining with blood? So that's why it's called 'Qi and Blood'!"
Understanding welled up in Lu Sui's heart. He looked around the writing desk, and his gaze fixed.
He reached out and picked up the weighty bronze paperweight, slowly closing his five fingers.
A strand of scorching Qi coursed through his palm!
Crack!
Like soft mud, the heavy paperweight actually yielded beneath his grip, taking several distinct fingerprints.
"Bolstering the limbs with Qi and Blood grants boundless strength? So this is why martial experts can shatter stone tablets and tear tigers and leopards apart alive!"
Lu Sui's eyes gleamed. With a strand of Qi and Blood poured into it, his hand was like a hydraulic clamp. If he seized an opponent's shoulder with this, he could probably crush the bone!
After nearly a month of martial training, he had finally witnessed its power firsthand!
"My palms, arms, limbs, chest, abdomen, waist, back... how fierce would I be with all of them covered in Qi and Blood? Could I kill an ox with one punch?"
As Lu Sui pondered, he thought again of the Fetus Embracing Dou Xiaowen had mentioned.
The first level of the Fleshly Body Realm was called Internal Nourishment and was divided into several stages.
Qi Sensation, Qi and Blood, Force Tempering.
He had only just touched the threshold, yet he could already knead bronze and iron with his bare hands.
It was difficult to imagine just how powerful the Fetus Embracing experts Uncle Wen spoke of would be.
Could they truly "reach through heaven and earth"?
As Lu Sui pondered, more tiny, tadpole-like characters rose into view.
[Seeing you gain so many insights, the Turtle-Snake Stance felt great joy and revealed the mysteries of its transformation.] [First, extend Qi and Blood throughout your limbs!] [Second, grind a hundred-year-old turtle shell into powder, mix it with the blood of a thirty-year-old snake, and swallow it!] [Third, absorb a strand of Calamity Qi!] [Upon completion, it can advance into the Panwu Great Strength True Art!]