Chapter 54. Rebuilding the Sichuan Branch (3)

After the meeting, I stepped outside and sighed as I surveyed the branch.

"Really, I have no idea where to start. What do you think, Senior?"

"…Me too."

The Sichuan Branch was in such a state that it was hard to know where to begin. It had been almost abandoned, and the chaos was at its peak.

I immediately hired some laborers and instructed them to clean, but without a proper manager, they were all floundering, unsure of which halls to clean and which to leave alone.

The doors were also broken.

‘There’s nothing I can do about it.’

Endless tasks like this only tire people out and are inefficient. It’s important to see the end of a task to keep things interesting.

I took out a pencil I had made during my free time. It was a rather primitive design, with a piece of graphite tied to a stick, but it was often useful.

When he saw it, Senior Zou Junping asked curiously, "What is that?"

"It’s just a portable writing tool."

I placed a piece of paper on the wall of the hall and wrote down everything that came to mind. Next to each item, I assigned a person in charge.

It was a checklist to make the work more efficient.

[1: Fix the door ( ) - Guo Dushan]

[2: Clean ( ) - Yang Zhenpo]

...

Since Senior Zou Junping couldn’t read, I summarized the content and explained it to him, and he nodded.

"I see. You’ve organized the tasks in advance, and when they’re done, you mark them to let others know the task is complete."

"Yes. Plus, seeing the tasks decrease makes the work more enjoyable."

"Hmm. Good idea."

Unfortunately, Senior Zou Junping, who was usually unresponsive, didn’t give me the enthusiastic reaction I was hoping for.

Some people get praised for just roasting meat, but I felt it was a bit unfair.

If only it had been a fantasy setting.

"Then, let’s assign the tasks."

After creating dozens of checklists, I selected the ones that could be completed by today and wrote them neatly on a large piece of paper with a brush.

‘It’s important to see the end of a task to keep things interesting.’

Tasks without a clear end are bound to be tedious and difficult. That’s why I separated the tasks that could be completed by today.

"It’s all done. Now, let’s gather everyone."

"Alright. Go ahead."

Once everything was ready, I called all the people from the Meiyang County Branch, including Guo Dushan and Yang Zhenpo. I cleared my throat and spoke loudly to the gathered crowd.

"According to Chief Bai’s instructions, each of you must take one of these tasks and complete it by today. This is Chief Bai’s order."

I was selling Bai Linghua hard. As a hot-blooded person, I couldn’t just suggest things casually. Fortunately, the story of selling Bai Linghua worked well.

"So, when you’re done, you just mark it, right?"

"Yes, that’s right."

"What kind of mark should I use? A circle? Or a line (一)?"

"Whatever you prefer."

"I only have one arm, so cleaning is difficult..."

"Having only one arm makes everything difficult. Just do it."

I explained everything in detail and sent everyone to their assigned areas.

"Why do I have to do this? The door is completely broken and can’t be fixed."

"It’s Chief Bai’s order."

Guo Dushan, who was assigned to fix the door, grumbled, but I ignored it.

***

Over the next three days, I organized the branch, supplemented the staff, and handled the backlog of tasks.

We held meetings every morning, but the situation didn’t change. The reality of the Sichuan Branch was becoming increasingly heavy.

Today, the atmosphere in the meeting room was very gloomy.

"Ultimately, Elder Shangqing refused."

"…I see."

Bai Linghua, folding the rejection letter from Elder Shangqing of Qingcheng, spoke with a heavy voice.

We had sent people to various places, and Bai Linghua had even gone to some places personally to ask for help, but everyone declined, citing difficulties. They didn’t want to cross the Tang family.

Bai Linghua sighed, drawing a line through the name of Qingcheng. She then pointed to the name of Ami Sect with her brush and asked,

"Qingcheng is out of the question. Has there been a response from Master Zhenghui of Ami Sect?"

"Not yet."

"…I see."

Bai Linghua put down the brush weakly. I thought to myself,

‘It’s unlikely that Ami Sect will help us.’

Ami Sect had never been keen on getting involved in martial world affairs. They were somewhat isolated.

Perhaps because they were a Buddhist sect, they preferred to mediate rather than intervene.

‘At least Qingcheng was reliable.’

On the contrary, Qingcheng was very active in martial world affairs. They had even clashed with the Tang family over the dominance of Sichuan in the past. Now, they seemed to have a somewhat strained relationship.

We had pinned our hopes on Elder Shangqing of Qingcheng, but he declined, citing recent busy affairs.

This left us with no other options.

‘We should consider the costs incurred so far as sunk costs and just clean up the branch now.’

Timing is crucial in such situations. Continuing to invest because of sunk costs is as foolish as trying to level up a poorly chosen Chicorita.

‘But it’s hard to say that out loud.’

A strategist should avoid saying things the ruler doesn’t want to hear. For example, Yang Shu was executed for criticizing Cao Cao, and Xun Yu received a gift of a lunch box for opposing Cao Cao’s ascension to King.

After saying all this, I realized it was all about Cao Cao. Anyway, one shouldn’t say unpleasant things to superiors at any time. It’s best to speak only when it’s truly necessary or when asked.

"Then, I’ll take my leave first."

"…Alright. Get to work."

Senior Zou Junping and I left the meeting room to handle other tasks. Thanks to our efforts over the past four days, the Sichuan Branch had improved significantly.

"Alright, today’s tasks are as follows. First, …"

After assigning tasks to everyone, I headed to my area. My task was to check the inventory and items in the warehouse.

While organizing the warehouse with Senior Zou Junping, the Tang Family Favor Token in my chest kept jingling.

‘Hmm…’

I had forgotten about this.

‘I should ask how to use it.’

I touched it for a moment and decided to ask Senior Zou Junping.

As usual, Senior Zou Junping was focused on the task, with a serious expression and a tight-lipped mouth.

‘This senior is really quiet.’

Maybe it’s because he has a good-looking face. People with such faces often don’t feel the need to speak.

I approached him and said,

"Senior?"

"Hmm? What is it?"

"Yes. I have a question."

"Go ahead."

I took out the Tang Family Favor Token that Senior had given me earlier and asked,

"How do I use this?"

Senior Zou Junping looked at it silently for a while and then said,

"This is the favor token I gave you earlier."

"Yes. I want to know how to use it."

"Hmm… How to use it."

Senior Zou Junping, as usual, took a long time to respond, tilting his head and saying, "Hmm…" I couldn’t wait and asked,

"Should I just take it to the Tang family?"

"Not exactly wrong. But what do you plan to use it for?"

"I was thinking if it could help with this escort mission."

This was a method I had been considering for a while. Senior Zou Junping closed his eyes for a moment and then shook his head.

"That would be difficult. It’s a favor token."

"Oh."

So, it can’t be used for that.

As light shone through the window frames of the warehouse, a strangely red light reflected and flickered. Feeling a bit disappointed, I listened as Senior Zou Junping continued,

"Favor tokens aren’t very valuable. I’ve never used one, but I think you might get some silver coins."

So, it’s not that impressive. When Senior gave it to me, he said he received it for saving a member of the Tang family, but it seems the person wasn’t of high rank in the Tang family.

I scratched my head and asked,

"Can I use it to learn martial arts instead of silver coins?"

"Maybe. If it’s not too advanced, they might give you one. The Tang family has a mountain of third-rate martial arts manuals."

"I see."

There was a martial art I wanted to learn. As if reading my thoughts, Senior Zou Junping asked,

"Do you have a specific martial art in mind?"

"I’m thinking of learning lightness art."

Lightness art was my top choice. Upon hearing that martial arts were possible, lightness art immediately came to mind.

How many times had I regretted not knowing lightness art? If I had known it, I could have stopped Sima Yu from introducing me to a widow. Thinking about it now, it’s still a regret.

However, there was a reason I had postponed learning lightness art until now. It was a matter of priority.

Lightness art uses internal energy to increase stamina and speed, so it’s not very useful without a certain level of internal energy.

With two years of internal energy, the best I could do was reduce my 100-meter sprint time from 15 to 14 seconds and increase my 5km run to 6km.

Of course, even a small improvement would be beneficial, but learning other martial arts was more urgent.

Now, with five years of internal energy, I no longer had a reason to delay. It was finally time to learn lightness art.

However, Senior Zou Junping advised against it.

"Do you plan to ask for a lightness art manual? I don’t think it’s a good idea."

"Why not?"

"Intermediate guards are taught lightness art by the escort company."

"Really?"

This was unexpected information. Seeing my surprise, Senior Zou Junping continued,

"Intermediate guards use lightness art frequently, so the company teaches it. Junior guards usually don’t have enough internal energy, so they aren’t taught."

"Oh, I see."

This escort mission might be a failure, but if I return and complete a few regular missions, I should become an intermediate guard without much difficulty. Personally, I think I’ll reach that level by next year.

So, there was no need to use the favor token to learn it immediately.

‘I almost made a mistake.’

I put the favor token back in my chest. Then, what should I ask for? I was at a loss.

At that moment, Senior Zou Junping muttered to himself,

"Looking at the favor token again, I miss those days."

"Do you have a story with the Tang family?"

"It’s nothing much."

This senior always leaves things unsaid, which is a problem.

"Tell me, please."

"Hmm…"

After a long pause, Senior Zou Junping began to speak.

"Let me tell you…"

Senior Zou Junping started to tell the story with a serious expression.

***

"It happened during an escort mission to Sichuan a few years ago."

"Yes."

"During the mission, I saw a daughter of the Tang family fighting a lecher in the mountains. She seemed to have injured her leg."

"A lecher?"

This was getting exciting. Lechers! Villains!

They are the main contributors to the popularity of deer symbol martial arts novels, aren’t they?

I swallowed my saliva and focused on Senior’s story.

"Yes. At the time, a famous lecher named Xichuan Lecher was causing trouble in Sichuan. He seems to have been caught and killed, as there’s been no news of him recently."

"Wow…"

"The situation was very unfavorable for her. She had an injured leg."

"Was the lecher’s martial arts very advanced?"

If the daughter of the Tang family could travel alone, she must have been a skilled martial artist. Otherwise, she would have had bodyguards. So, the lecher must have been a skilled martial artist to injure her leg.

However, Senior Zou Junping shook his head.

"I’m not sure. He fled as soon as I approached, spouting curses."

"That’s a relief."

"He didn’t seem to have engaged in a direct confrontation. He probably used some cheap tricks. Lechers are good at that, aren’t they?"

I nodded. As Senior Zou Junping said, lechers generally have lower martial arts skills than their reputation suggests.

Instead, they are skilled at using underhanded tactics. Common ones include poisons, hidden weapons, traps, and the dream-inducing drug we encountered recently. They rely heavily on such despicable means.

In fact, such types are the most challenging for new martial artists with high martial arts skills. They are ineffective against experienced masters but can easily trick inexperienced newbies.

Senior Zou Junping continued,

"After chasing him away, I temporarily treated her. The wound wasn’t deep, so it stopped bleeding quickly and she was fine."

"That’s fortunate."

I nodded. Being saved by a prince on a white horse when in danger from a lecher. It’s a fitting prologue for a romantic martial arts novel.

"So, what happened next?"

"She thanked me and gave me this favor token."

Senior Zou Junping spoke with a nostalgic look. I waited for the next part of the story, but Senior Zou Junping didn’t continue.

After about five minutes of silence, I couldn’t hold back and asked,

"And then?"

"And then what?"

"Is that the end?"

"Is there supposed to be more?"

Senior Zou Junping looked at me as if to say, "What’s the problem?"

"Well, didn’t you ask her name or something?"

"I did, but I was young back then and said, ‘I’m just a nameless warrior,’ and left."

"…"

He said that line in his twenties?

Now I understand why it’s a blessing for middle school syndrome to appear in middle school.

"So, how did you get the favor token?"

"When I left, she insisted on giving it to me and asked me to visit the Tang family. I agreed, as I would need to go to the Tang family to use it. But I never had the chance to go."

That wasn’t what I meant.

My interest waned. I looked at his face for a moment, then sighed.

‘Yes, there are people who can’t live up to their looks, and that’s why people like me can breathe and live.’

It was a small comfort.