Chapter 56: Rebuilding the Sichuan Branch (5)

I was momentarily confused and asked,

"Is that token yours?"

"Yes, it definitely is. This is the token I gave to my benefactor seven years ago. Where did you get this token?"

The way Dang Xian asked, her eyes seemed sincere, as if she really was desperate to know.

'It doesn’t seem like she’s lying.'

There was no reason for her to lie, but there were too many things I couldn’t understand.

"But this is just a copper token..."

There were different grades of tokens, and as you know, the one I had was a copper token. Moreover, Dang Xian, being a direct descendant of the Dang family, shouldn’t be carrying a copper token; she should at least have a gold one.

However, Dang Xian shook her head and said,

"That’s not copper. It’s blood gold."

I was surprised by the term "blood gold" and my mouth dropped open. Looking at Wei Jiyan, she also seemed slightly surprised by the term.

Blood gold, known for its faint red color, was said to be found only in the Gansu region. It was five times more expensive than regular gold and was considered a rare treasure.

I had only seen it once, when I was working as a waiter. The innkeeper had an affair and got caught by his wife (for your information, I was the one who told her). There was a big commotion at that time.

The innkeeper had bought his wife a ring made of blood gold to appease her, and I had seen it out of the corner of my eye.

'But that one had a much deeper red color, and it was immediately clear that it was different from regular gold.'

I hastily examined the token again. Indeed, it did seem to have a faint red hue mixed in with the copper.

But I’m not a jeweler... I thought about biting it to test, but it seemed too insignificant, so I just asked Dang Xian,

"Is it really blood gold? It looks like copper to me."

"It’s been processed to look like copper. If it looked expensive, it might bring harm to the benefactor."

Hearing Dang Xian’s explanation, I understood.

'So if it’s worth 20 taels, it must be at least 200 taels. That’s several years’ salary for me.'

The thought of carrying such a large sum of money around so casually made my heart race.

"Can you tell me a bit more about the situation? I’m a bit confused."

"Um... Alright."

I had only heard from Senior Zuo Junping that he had saved a Dang family daughter a few years ago and received this token. I asked her to explain in detail, and Dang Xian, now a bit calmer, began her story.

"It happened when I was young. Xian loved flowers, so I went outside to pick some as a gift."

"Flowers?"

"Yes. There’s a poisonous flower that grows only in this area. When refined, it can produce high-quality paralyzing poison."

I didn’t think Dang Xian would like flowers, but it made sense.

"So I went to the mountains, and I saw a man trying to assault a woman. His name was Xuan Chanshemar."

"Hmm. I’ve heard that name before."

I had heard it from Zuo Junping and later from others. At the time, he was a very famous villain. I nodded in understanding, and Dang Xian continued.

"When I tried to save the woman, the villain quickly fled. It was a close call, but I managed to catch up with him."

"You could have just chased him away..."

She shook her head.

"Our Dang family is part of the righteous sect. We can’t let such wicked people go. We must root them out completely."

That made sense, so I nodded.

In wuxia stories, the Dang family is often portrayed as dealing with poisons and hidden weapons, leading to the stereotype that they are part of the evil sect. However, the Dang family is clearly part of the righteous sect.

Actually, the distinction between the righteous and evil sects is more political than based on martial arts. Given that the Dang family is a local clan dominating the Sichuan region, it would be impossible to classify them as part of the evil sect.

Dang Xian continued,

"After chasing for a while, the man started to slow down. Just as I thought I had him, an arrow flew towards my leg."

She added, "It was coated with a large amount of paralyzing poison."

Hearing this, I understood why a Dang family member like her could be caught by someone like Xuan Chanshemar.

'Trap.'

Xuan Chanshemar, realizing things were going wrong, had lured Dang Xian into a trap he had set up earlier.

Such primitive traps are hard to detect, and experience is more important than martial arts skill. It’s like getting hit from behind; once you’ve been hit, you won’t be caught again, but if you’ve never been hit, you’re more likely to be caught.

Dang Xian, recalling that moment, said with a dark expression,

"I had some resistance to the poison, so I didn’t fall immediately, but it was hard to maintain my balance. That’s when my benefactor appeared."

At that moment, Dang Xian’s expression became slightly dreamy. Understanding what that meant, I nodded slightly. She continued her story.

"As soon as my benefactor appeared, Xuan Chanshemar fled. My benefactor didn’t even tell me their name before leaving, before I could even express my gratitude."

"Senior Zuo has that kind of personality."

I nodded, and Dang Xian, leaning in, said with a pleading look,

"I just want to meet that person and properly thank them. Where are they?"

Dang Xian’s face didn’t seem to be just about wanting to express gratitude, but I pretended not to notice.

"First, let’s see..."

I paused for a moment before speaking.

"Do you know about the Mu family’s escort mission?"

Give and take.

***

The 1:1 trade of the blood gold token for the Mu family’s transportation mission ended just as evening was falling. It was a very intense negotiation.

'The levels don’t match.'

Since Dang Xian couldn’t make the decision, someone else was supposed to step in.

However, the problem was that Dang Xian, who was supposed to handle this, had gone on a trip with Pang Gui.

So, Dang Zaijian, Dang Xian’s uncle and the general manager of the Dang family, stepped in.

'The general manager himself.'

It’s like a meeting between section chiefs and managers where a vice president of a large company suddenly appears.

Dang Zaijian started by strongly pressuring us, saying that even with the blood gold token, the Dang family couldn’t hand over the pesticide transportation mission to us.

'The Dang family is known for repaying favors, but only when it’s convenient for them.'

He was so strongly opposed that I tried to provoke him a bit, but...

At that moment, I really thought I was going to die.

Suddenly, an indescribable pressure hit me, and my heart was pounding so hard I thought I was having an arrhythmia.

'Please calm down! Cheng Biao is only a second-class escort and can’t handle this kind of pressure!'

'Hmm. I thought this young man had some backbone.'

'...'

If Wei Jiyan hadn’t been there to block the pressure, I might have suffocated. I realized there were experts who could kill with just their aura.

Putting that aside, in the end, we succeeded.

I kept pushing, and the Dang family set a condition: if Senior Zuo Junping, the original owner of the token, came to the Dang family and made the request in person, they would accept it.

They used a somewhat dirty logic, saying that since Zuo Junping had given the token to me without knowing its value, his word should also be considered.

'I didn’t know he could be brought here.'

The deadline for the escort mission was the next day, so they were trying to buy time. I smiled inwardly.

After the long negotiation, as we were leaving, Wei Jiyan said with a sigh,

"Cheng Biao, you really have a lot of nerve."

"I’m known for being bold."

"It’s not a compliment..."

Why doesn’t Wei Jiyan ever compliment me?

It was a mystery.

***

When I returned to the escort agency late in the evening, I was naturally scolded by Bai Linghua. She scolded me for being absent.

"Where have you been in such a critical time?"

"Calm down. I was out on important business."

"Business?"

I approached her, hardened my expression, and whispered in a low voice,

"Madam. I have something urgent to tell you. Please clear the area for a moment."

"What?"

"It’s very confidential."

Bai Linghua, looking suspicious, led me to her office. The office, which had been a single room for the head of the escort team, now looked more like an office after a thorough cleaning.

"What is it?"

Bai Linghua asked as she sat down. I took out the Dang family token and said,

"Actually..."

...

After I told her what had happened today, Bai Linghua’s eyes widened in surprise.

"Is that true?"

"Yes. I plan to talk to Senior Zuo Junping soon."

Bai Linghua, initially pleased, suddenly fell silent. Seeing the sudden change in her expression, I wondered what was wrong.

"Madam? Are you okay?"

"Yes... Yes..."

"Why are you like this? Isn’t this good news?"

Thinking there might be a problem, I asked, and Bai Linghua, looking somewhat dejected, picked up a crumpled letter on her desk and said,

"Actually, today, the Ami Sect sent this message."

"Oh, is that the one you sent to Sister Zheng Hui?"

"Yes."

I had also asked the Ami Sect’s Sister Zheng Hui for a guarantee. I had some hope, but Bai Linghua shook her head.

"But they refused."

"..."

As expected.

While disappointing, it was a predictable outcome.

The Dang family’s influence in Sichuan was immense. They were already a large family, and after developing pesticides, they had become even more powerful, now almost untouchable.

In terms of wealth alone, they could rival the Nangong family, the richest in Anhui Province, which was the wealthiest in the Central Plains.

Therefore, even though the Qingcheng and Ami Sects were part of the Nine Great Sects, as sects based in Sichuan, they couldn’t ignore the Dang family’s influence.

I said calmly,

"I expected this. But we can resolve it with the token, so it’s a good outcome."

However, contrary to my expectations, Bai Linghua looked somewhat dejected.

"Cheng Biao has done so much, but I feel like I haven’t done anything. I’ve failed."

Bai Linghua dropped the crumpled letter on the table. Her face looked different from usual.

It wasn’t the usual strong and unyielding face of a boss.

It looked like the face of a woman my age.

A face that shows weakness and can break down when tired.

'Hmm...'

I scratched my head and said,

"Madam."

"Yes?"

"Speaking as a subordinate, it might sound a bit presumptuous, but isn’t a manager’s job more about managing subordinates well rather than doing the work themselves?"

That’s why they are called managers. Their role is to manage subordinates to keep the organization running smoothly.

Of course, that doesn’t mean they can’t do the work, but let’s set that aside for now.

I paused and pointed at Bai Linghua.

"When a subordinate succeeds, it’s also a success for the person who managed them."

So, it’s also your success, I said, trying to comfort her. Bai Linghua, after a moment of hesitation, smiled bitterly and said,

"Cheng Biao..."

"Yes?"

"Never mind, it’s nothing."

She said it hesitantly.

I looked at her quizzically, and she smiled and regained her usual confident expression.

"Alright. Cheng Biao."

"Yes."

"Tomorrow, go to the Dang family with Zuo Biao and finalize the escort mission."

"Understood."

"And when you return to the branch, I’ll promote you to a mid-level escort with my authority."

"Really?"

I had been with the agency for less than a year. Promoting to mid-level seemed a bit much.

But Bai Linghua shook her head.

"No one will say anything. You’ve done a great job."

I smiled.

Well, I guess a promotion is justified.

"Thank you, Madam! But the token’s value will be calculated separately, right?"

"..."

Bai Linghua’s face showed a calm smile, as if saying, "You’re impossible."

***

Before going to the Dang family, I decided to talk to Zuo Junping first. Dang Xian seemed to have feelings for him.

I didn’t want him to say something awkward without knowing.

When I told him, Zuo Junping showed a rare look of confusion. He fidgeted and said,

"Are you sure you didn’t misunderstand something?"

I shook my head and whispered in his ear,

"I’m sure. Dang Xian seemed to have feelings for you."

"But I only helped her for a short time a few years ago. How could she have feelings for me?"

Seeing his disbelieving face, I patted his shoulder and said,

"Your face is so charming, it’s no wonder."

"..."

Zuo Junping’s face was so charming that even if he worked a night shift at a convenience store, he would have a line of