Chapter 49

After the incident at Yonghe, Wei He visited the person involved and then went to the security agency to visit Cheng Zhengxing, who had fallen ill.

Unfortunately, he couldn't help much with the matters at the security agency.

Cheng Zhengxing was an elderly man with three levels of qi and blood, though old, he still had a solid foundation and was not lacking in martial prowess.

For this incident to have even made him fall ill, it was now up to Cheng Shaoju's skills.

He asked repeatedly, and each time he was told there was no problem.

Cheng Shaoju seemed to be confident.

Wei He, slightly relieved, continued his hunting life on the mountain.

He had now stopped the process of condensing the Nine Dawn Flower, and his Five Ridge Palm had reached perfection, only needing the Boundary-Breaking Pearl to be fully perfected.

As expected, after stopping all qi and blood-consuming exercises, the accumulation of qi and blood far exceeded the usual rate.

At least twice as fast as usual.

He could clearly feel a continuous flow of qi and blood entering the Boundary-Breaking Pearl, being absorbed, integrated, and stored.

Two days later.

Wei He returned from the mountain, this trip was fruitless, not even encountering any bandits, it was truly a stroke of bad luck.

In the past, if he didn't find any prey, he could at least rob a few bandits for some food.

But today, his luck was bad, and he got nothing.

Wei He decided to rest for a while at the Natural Residence and then returned, sitting in the wine shop for a bit.

The wine shop was called Guest Seat Shop, a name that seemed ordinary yet had a hint of uniqueness.

Though it was a wine shop, it was actually a teahouse, where people often came to sell themselves for a living, setting their prices and waiting.

But in these times, everyone was barely making ends meet, and no one had the spare resources to take someone home.

Wei He lifted the curtain and immediately saw a long-haired girl sitting in the corner.

The girl was sitting on the ground with red, swollen eyes, wearing a simple, patched gray dress, but her delicate skin and beautiful features were hard to miss.

The customers, who usually paid no attention, now gathered around, frequently glancing at the girl.

But no one spoke up to buy her, and the scene became somewhat awkward.

Wei He sat at an empty table and ordered a pot of tea.

"What's the story with that girl?" he asked the wine shop girl who brought the tea.

"She's also a pitiful person," the wine shop girl sighed.

"Tell me more," Wei He said.

The wine shop girl carefully examined Wei He, sensing that he might have the means to buy her, and began to explain in detail.

"That girl is named Shangguan Lin. Her family was once a scholarly household, and her grandfather even served in the court. Now, the family has fallen on hard times, and her parents offended a manager of the Blood Robe Gang, leading to their family's ruin.

With no other choice, Shangguan Lin has come out to sell herself for a living."

She sighed again.

"Everyone is hesitant to buy her because they fear offending the Blood Robe Gang's manager. You see, anyone who can serve as a manager in one of the three major gangs is not ordinary, whether in personal strength or the power of their subordinates.

Moreover, the Blood Robe Gang is known for its ruthlessness..." She didn't finish her sentence, but the meaning was clear.

Everyone was tempted to take this beautiful girl home, but they were afraid of offending the Blood Robe Gang's manager.

Wei He understood.

He had seen a Blood Robe Gang manager before, when the three gangs and two sects tried to recruit him. That manager was only at the second level of qi and blood, just like him now.

He never imagined that a mere manager would have such a significant deterrent effect.

He thought about the Mountain Fist Academy, where he and a few other core disciples at the second level of qi and blood were considered important figures.

"Sir, if you want to buy her, be careful. The Blood Robe Gang's manager is someone even the Copper Mountain Gang and the Green Wolf Gang dare not provoke," the wine shop girl warned kindly.

"Thank you, I understand," Wei He replied with a smile, appreciating her good intentions.

But the Copper Mountain Gang and the Green Wolf Gang? Could such small gangs, with only a dozen ordinary members, have such a reputation?

In these small gangs, the leaders were just strong men who knew some basic martial arts, had broken through to the first level of qi and blood, and gathered a group of ruffians through their ferocity and talent.

Such small gangs would be replaced periodically, like weeds in this chaotic world.

Though Wei He was tempted, he had no intention of buying the girl.

He wasn't interested in a delicate girl; he wanted to find a martially skilled girl to protect his sister.

But such a person was hard to find. He planned to hire a junior or senior sister from the academy when the time was right, or...

A shadow flashed before his eyes.

'The time isn't right yet,' Wei He sipped his tea and finished it in one go.

He came here to gather information about strange beasts. After hunting for a while, he had gained enough experience to try hunting them.

The black madman he encountered on the bridge during the security escort left a deep impression on him.

To prevent any accidents, he planned to gather as much information as possible before making a move.

After sitting for a while, he found no new leads on strange beasts. Wei He finished his tea, got up, and left the wine shop.

Suddenly, he saw the new recruit, Ouyang Zhuang, passing by with a servant.

"Hey? Senior Brother Wei!" Ouyang Zhuang looked surprised. "Aren't you going to the Yonghe Security Agency today?"

"Security Agency? Why should I go today?" Wei He was also surprised.

"Didn't you know? This morning, it was reported that the Yonghe Security Agency couldn't afford to compensate the Zhao family in the inner city. They borrowed money everywhere but still lack 700 taels of gold.

If they can't pay it back now, they will have to close down and go bankrupt," Ouyang Zhuang replied.

"Owe money? 700 taels of gold?" Wei He was stunned.

Only 700 taels?

His heart sank.

"What's wrong, Senior Brother?" Ouyang Zhuang asked cautiously, seeing Wei He's expression.

Without a word, Wei He turned and ran back home. He needed to get the money and go to the security agency.

Cheng was being overly dramatic, asking him several times but not mentioning the problem earlier. If he had known it was just this amount, he would have lent him the money to get through the crisis long ago!

...

...

...

At the Cheng family's living room.

A redwood square table, Cheng Shaoju and a middle-aged man in a black horse jacket sat facing each other.

Behind each of them stood a group of people.

One side was larger, the other smaller.

Cheng Shaoju's side was smaller.

His hand rested on the table, his fingers pressing on a yellowish paper, his face grim.

The paper contained the terms of the previous security escort and the compensation clause.

"Speak up, today you should give us an explanation," the middle-aged man in the black horse jacket said sternly.

Sunlight slanted through the windows, casting specks of dust floating in the air.

"Loss of the escort has made my Zhao family lose credibility. How do you plan to resolve this? You should come up with a solution," the man continued.

Silence.

Cheng Shaoju's lips were dry, his face dark.

He had been trying hard for the past few days, borrowing money from everywhere, but still lacked 500 taels of gold.

This was his best effort.

"Can you give us a few more days?" he asked softly.

"More days? Headman Cheng, we have already been lenient based on our past cooperation. We have been patient enough," the middle-aged man said coldly.

"Speak up, how about the final shortfall of 500 taels of gold? If you can't come up with it, why not take my previous suggestion and exchange it for your method of raising the Silver-Kissed Black Snake?"

The people behind Cheng Shaoju showed signs of suppression and anger.

The method of raising the Silver-Kissed Black Snake was worth far more than just 500 taels of gold. The other party was clearly taking advantage of the situation!

But over the past few days, Cheng Shaoju and the others had been borrowing money everywhere, but still couldn't gather the 500 taels of gold.

Those who usually spoke of generosity and kindness now closed their doors to them.

Not even one tael would they lend.

Everyone knew the Yonghe Security Agency was in trouble, and no one was willing to lend money, fearing it would be a waste.

Now, the Cheng family understood that someone was setting a trap for them, aiming to get the method of raising the Silver-Kissed Black Snake.

Cheng Shaoju was silent for a long time. The Silver-Kissed Black Snake was the foundation of the Cheng family, something his uncle Cheng Zhengxing had worked hard to obtain.

But in these critical times, if he didn't let go of these external possessions, the entire security agency might not survive.

He sighed deeply.

"I understand... Fine, I agree, to use..."

"Wait!"

A low shout.

The middle-aged man in the black horse jacket raised his hand to stop him.

Beside him, a short, dwarfish man had appeared, seemingly just telling him something.

The middle-aged man's expression was calm as he stood up.

"Our family has decided. We don't want the Silver-Kissed Black Snake. If you can't pay the money, the Yonghe Security Agency must dissolve and is not allowed to operate in the outer city!"

He had just received instructions from his family. His family had secretly reached an agreement with another security agency. If they could completely force the Yonghe Security Agency to shut down, the other side would pay a price far exceeding the value of the Silver-Kissed Black Snake.

Moreover, once the Yonghe Security Agency was completely shut down, how could they hide the method of raising the Silver-Kissed Black Snake?

With a little effort, it would all be theirs.

"You!" Cheng Shaoju was startled and stood up abruptly.

The security guards and headmen behind him also glared angrily.

"You...!"

Someone couldn't hold back and started to curse but was quickly restrained.

"What?" The middle-aged man in the black horse jacket sneered. "Want to fight? Do you think only your Cheng family has people? We are the Zhao family of the Seven Family Alliance. A few mud farmers from the outer city, try your luck?"

Cheng Shaoju looked at the eyes of everyone around him, waiting for his decision.

He raised his hand to calm the agitated people behind him.

"Whatever happens, as long as people are still here, everything is still possible."

He took a deep breath, his voice trembling slightly.

That's right, losing the Silver-Kissed Black Snake is no big deal.

The security agency shutting down is no big deal.

As long as people are still here, everything can be rebuilt.

But these words, besides comforting himself, what effect could they have?

The Yonghe Security Agency, of this scale, was something even the young Cheng Zhengxing had to struggle hard to establish, fighting for territory and market, to build such a large business.

If it collapses now, will people really still be here?

Cheng Shaoju's hand was trembling.