Granting her wish

The Li Clan sold more than seven hundred mu of land at the foot of Little Moon Mountain to the Zhang Clan. This caused quite a stir, and word soon reached the Wang Family.

Wang Fang had been gloomy lately.

Ever since Zhang Lingfeng had Master Hong beaten to death, the Li Clan had been like a deflated ball, unable to puff itself up again. Even the normally arrogant and overbearing Li Hongwei was scared to death at the mention of Zhang Lingfeng's name.

Using the Li Clan to deal with the Zhang Clan was clearly no longer feasible.

Wang Fang had been pondering how to vent her anger.

Back then, Li Hongwei had come to propose several times, asking her to become his concubine, but she had refused every time. To become his principal wife, she had secretly approached a matchmaker and arranged for the Zhang Clan to propose, hoping to force Li Hongwei's hand.

She had never expected Li Mingtian to refuse so adamantly.

In the end, through a strange twist of fate, she had become engaged to Zhang Lingfeng instead.

Otherwise, how could the Zhang Clan ever have attached itself to the Wang Family? She had never expected the Wang Family to fall on hard times because of Wang Biao, while the Zhang Clan's chickens and dogs alike ascended to heaven with Zhang Lingfeng's rise. They had actually come to her door to break off the engagement.

The matter had nearly infuriated Wang Fang to death.

She had consequently come to resent both Li Hongwei and Zhang Lingfeng, wanting the Zhang Clan and Li Clan to fight until their heads cracked and blood flowed.

Seeing the Li Clan lose its water source and have to pay the Zhang Clan for water every year had made her both happy and miserable. She was happy the Li Clan had received its retribution, but miserable that Zhang Lingfeng had gained another advantage.

"Wasn't the water source issue already resolved? Why did Li Mingtian sell those seven hundred-odd mu to the Zhang Clan?"

Wang Fang could not make sense of it, no matter how much she thought.

"With the Zhang Clan's current resources, there's no way they could buy those seven hundred-odd mu from the Li Clan at the normal market price."

Wang Fang sensed something was wrong.

She quickly sent someone out to make inquiries.

Soon, she learned the reason.

"Warm Breeze Hall? Baile Ward?"

"Well... Zhang Lingfeng, you really do keep surprising me. But you shouldn't have let me down."

Wang Fang was furious, yet she also admired Zhang Lingfeng greatly. He had originally been her husband-to-be. With her assistance, perhaps he could have climbed another level.

"Brother, I'm going away for a while. Have Father give that courtyard of yours in the county town to Zhang Lingfeng."

Wang Fang spoke to Wang Biao.

She knew that after suffering such a heavy fall, the Li Clan would certainly name her. She could no longer stay with the Wang Family. Fleeing was the wisest choice.

She had to run now, through the night, without lingering another moment.

"Why?"

Wang Biao was baffled.

The Wang Family had fallen on hard times, and that courtyard in the county town was the last of his savings.

"If you don't give the courtyard to Zhang Lingfeng, you and Father will never see me again."

Wang Fang kept it brief, telling Wang Biao how she had previously instigated the Li Clan to cut off the water source. Then she took her maid and slipped away overnight without any hesitation.

"Sister, how could you still dare provoke Zhang Lingfeng?"

Wang Biao could have cried himself to death.

After experiencing such great rises and falls, he had reflected painfully on his mistakes. Lately, he had been tending to the family's remaining few hundred mu of land.

The next day, Xu Laiyi brought Zhang Fugui and Zhang Fukang to Warm Breeze Hall.

After Warm Breeze Hall took control of Baile Ward, seized the gambling houses, and occupied many of the Baile Gang's former businesses, it had gained more than two thousand taels of silver in its accounts.

Some had gone toward gifts for Huang Jiefu and smoothing the way with the authorities, while some had been used to reward the brothers and win their loyalty.

Several hundred taels remained in the accounts, and with the gambling houses opening for business, there would be a steady income to follow. Thus, Zhang Lingfeng arranged for Zhang Fugui and Zhang Fukang to practice martial arts in the county town.

"Send Fugui to the Elder Zheng Martial Arts School and Fukang to the Xu Clan Martial Arts School."

Zhang Lingfeng did not intend to have Zhang Fugui and Zhang Fukang train alongside him at the Guo Wei Martial Arts School. For one thing, he had already established himself there. Though his two younger cousins could enjoy every advantage by joining, it would no longer mean much.

To gain a foothold in the county town and truly establish themselves, they needed to spread their people out.

Like Guo Wei, Elder Zheng was an expert at Transformation Force Great Perfection, his name resounding like thunder throughout Baiyang County. The fist technique Elder Zheng taught was called the Black Baleful Intent Fist, and Wei He trained there.

Zhang Lingfeng had experienced the power of the Black Baleful Intent Fist and knew it was a fist technique no weaker than the Twelve-Routine Iron Mountain Fist.

Once Zhang Fugui went there, Wei He could look after him. And when he achieved success in his training someday, he could also help Zhang Lingfeng understand the routines of this fist technique.

As for the Xu Clan Martial Arts School, it taught the Flowing Cloud Saber Technique. Dong Wenhan had previously studied there, and Xu was also an expert at Transformation Force Great Perfection.

Moreover, saber techniques were more lethal than fists, especially before Transforming Jin, when Jin force had yet to turn into Gang.

Having Zhang Fukang join the Xu Clan Martial Arts School could not have been more suitable.

Zhang Lingfeng paid a year's tuition each for Zhang Fugui and Zhang Fukang, along with three months' worth of Qi and blood replenishing soup, so they could receive at least some preferential treatment.

Zhang Pingping opened the envelope Xu Laiyi had brought.

It was a letter in Zhang Laochong's own handwriting.

The letter stated that five hundred taels of silver had been spent to buy the Li Clan's seven hundred and sixty-three mu of farmland at the foot of Little Moon Mountain. The deed had already been drawn up and submitted to the authorities for registration.

The Zhang Clan's original seven hundred and twenty-eight mu of farmland, together with the forty mu reclaimed in Stone Village, the three hundred and sixty mu acquired from the Wang Family, and the seven hundred and sixty-three mu just obtained from the Li Clan, now totaled one thousand eight hundred and ninety-one mu.

High-grade paddy fields accounted for more than fourteen hundred mu, while medium-grade fields and barren dry fields each accounted for over two hundred mu.

Income from this land alone had gone from around two hundred taels a year to more than six hundred, a full threefold increase.

This was mainly thanks to the important role played by the thousand-odd mu of high-grade paddy fields at Little Moon Mountain.

Not only did the Zhang Clan control the water source, ensuring abundant harvests every year, but it could also collect additional water fees from tenant farmers or other local gentry.

Compared with Warm Breeze Hall's income, however, the roughly six hundred taels earned annually from nearly two thousand mu of farmland was clearly a pitifully small sum.

But Zhang Lingfeng, Zhang Laochong, and even Zhang Da, Zhang Pingping, and the others all understood that only by holding enough farmland could their lineage stand undefeated.

With farmland came grain. Once famine and disaster struck, even having silver in one's pocket would not necessarily mean being able to buy grain. Even if some could be bought, the quantity would be pitifully small.

Thus, Zhang Laochong still wanted to buy more farmland or reclaim more wasteland in the future.

After describing the successful acquisition of the Li Clan's seven hundred and sixty-three mu, Zhang Laochong urged Zhang Lingfeng to look after Zhang Fugui and Zhang Fukang, admonishing him that the lineage must remain united at all times.

Finally, at the end of the letter, he mentioned that Wang Fang had incited the Li Clan to cut off Little Moon Mountain's water source. Zhang Laochong told Zhang Lingfeng to handle it as he saw fit. Whatever he did, he would not interfere.

"Grandfather said to handle it as you see fit."

Zhang Pingping handed the letter to Zhang Lingfeng to read.

Had some other gossiping woman instigated the Li Clan to cut off Little Moon Mountain's water source, she could have had Chen Sanshi sell her to a brothel at once. But this woman had once been Zhang Lingfeng's fiancée, so Zhang Pingping had to consider his feelings.

After learning the whole story, Zhang Lingfeng sighed. "Wang Fang is proud by nature. Back then, she lured Father into coming to propose mainly to force Li Hongwei's hand. Instead, she ended up becoming my fiancée, only for me to break off the engagement and tarnish her reputation."

"Then what do you intend to do?"

Zhang Pingping asked curiously.

"She's a pitiful person too." Sympathy filled Zhang Lingfeng's face, but his gaze was firm as he said, "As the saying goes, every pitiful person must have something hateful about them. Grant her wish!"

"All right."

Zhang Pingping was somewhat surprised, but she agreed with Zhang Lingfeng's approach.

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