29. Interests

In these turbulent times, there are far too many people constrained by the lack of money. As the saying goes, even the greatest hero can be brought to his knees by a single penny, and many a fine man has been undone by financial hardship. This is no exaggeration. Xie An, despite possessing the strength to easily crush a warrior who has just entered the Copper Skin Realm, found himself having to scramble and plead for a mere hundred taels of silver.

"What I lack most is still money..."

Under normal circumstances, it would be against the rules for someone who hasn't even joined the White Feather Hall to demand six months of salary in advance. Xie An had prepared himself for Zhang Lin’s refusal, only asking on the off-chance that it might work. To his surprise, Zhang Lin was thrilled to hear the request and agreed immediately. "As long as you are willing to join the White Feather Hall, brother, everything else is a trivial matter. Six months' salary... one hundred and twenty taels. I will lend it to you personally. You can pay me back whenever the hall issues your pay."

Zhang Lin had become a martial artist ten years ago and had been with the White Feather Hall for many years. His salary was already substantial, and with various side incomes, he had naturally accumulated quite a nest egg. Even so, Xie An was taken aback by his readiness to lend such a large sum. It seemed that Zhang Lin’s regard for him was perhaps a bit excessive. Or was there another reason? Perhaps an attempt to win his favor?

Xie An had no better options at the moment, and since borrowing money wouldn't entangle him in any debts of gratitude that couldn't be settled, he accepted the gesture. "My thanks, Deacon Zhang."

"Hahaha, we’re all on the same side, no need for formalities. Just call me Old Zhang." Zhang Lin was in high spirits and immediately ordered Zhou Xing, "Ah Xing, go to my room and fetch one hundred and twenty taels of silver."

Zhou Xing nodded and trotted toward the room, returning shortly with a cloth bag in his hand. Zhang Lin took the bag and handed it to Xie An with both hands. "Take this, brother, and don’t worry about interest. You can pay me back whenever you are more flush with cash."

Xie An hadn't expected Zhang Lin to be so straightforward, not even asking for an IOU or mentioning interest. In these times, charging exorbitant interest on loans was the norm. It was clear that Zhang Lin was deliberately trying to make him feel indebted. Given that he was still living under the status of a servant, Xie An didn't mind being owed favors. Having someone want to curry favor with him wasn't necessarily a bad thing; at the very least, it showed he was valued. However, he still felt that Zhang Lin’s actions were more of a calculated investment. He felt no particular gratitude—he would simply pay back the favor in time. If Zhang Lin were to make any unreasonable demands later, Xie An would not hesitate to push back. Therefore, he had no intention of revealing his true self to him.

"Thank you, Brother Zhang." Xie An did not hesitate and took the purse.

Zhang Lin smiled warmly. "From now on, we are colleagues. It is only right that we help one another. Oh, right, Division Master Wei has gone home to visit family and will return in a while. I will write a letter to him shortly to explain your situation. Once we receive a reply and you finish the procedures, you can officially take up your post."

Xie An caught the key point. "Procedures?"

Zhang Lin explained, "The Tiger-Wolf Gate will send someone to assess your strength. You only need to demonstrate combat power comparable to the Copper Skin Realm. With your abilities, it will be a simple matter."

Xie An felt relieved, finding this perfectly reasonable. He cupped his hands and said, "I leave it to you, Brother Zhang."

"No need for thanks between colleagues. You will have your answer in two days; come back then. Rest assured, with me smoothing the way, the assessment will be nothing more than a formality."

"Understood." Xie An agreed, exchanged a few more pleasantries, and took his leave.

"Brother, let me see you out." Zhang Lin, accompanied by Zhou Xing, personally walked Xie An out of the black market canyon. Only after Xie An was far away did Zhang Lin turn back.

On the way back, Zhou Xing was still puzzled. "Boss, the old man agreed to join our White Feather Hall, but you seem happier than you would be for the New Year."

Zhang Lin laughed heartily. "For years, I’ve been working with Zhang Biao to manage this black market, and he’s been plotting against me at every turn. He not only blocked my path to advancement but left me walking on thin ice day and night. Now that I’ve found someone easy to get along with, I can finally live in peace and look forward to the future."

While relieved for his boss, Zhou Xing asked, "But the old man kept his face covered even when he was about to take the job. Don't you want to ask about his background?"

Zhang Lin chuckled. "The man is naturally cautious. Since he has no intention of revealing his identity today, why should I force him? If that created bad blood, it wouldn't be worth it. Besides, the White Feather Hall has never asked about the origins of the talent we recruit."

...

Clutching the large sum of money, Xie An hurried toward the town. His trip to Blood Ridge had been unexpectedly smooth. He had correctly guessed that Zhang Lin was trying to win him over, which was a good thing for him. He also felt that, once he was about to take office, he should have shown his true face, but Zhang Lin’s keen eye had noticed his caution and avoided the subject—a sign of a man who was sophisticated and tactful.

Upon returning to the small room at the back of the pawnshop, Xie An did not rush to use the money to buy his freedom from the Li estate. He planned to wait until he had secured his position as a deacon at the Tiger-Wolf Gate to ensure he had a fallback. Once he held that position, even if the master of the Li estate wanted to go back on his word or make things difficult, he would be powerless to do so.

With this in mind, Xie An went into the storage room and began to practice his health-nourishing arts with renewed intensity, preparing for the assessment at the Tiger-Wolf Gate in two days. After buying his freedom, he would resign from his position as the master at the pawnshop and move on to his next chapter.

This made Xie An somewhat nervous. After all, he had spent the last thirty years living a quiet life at the Li Family Pawnshop. Having no background and no strength, he had long suffered from a deep-seated lack of security. Now, as he prepared for his first "job change," he took it very seriously and did not want any mishaps. Although Zhang Lin had said the assessment was a mere formality, Xie An felt he needed to possess overwhelming strength to be safe, lest he encounter an unexpected crisis he couldn't handle.

Two days passed quickly. On the afternoon of the third day, after a half-day of extra practice, Xie An paused to rest and pulled up his status panel.

[Five Animals Frolic: Strengthening the Internal Organs (7/100)]
[Fetal Breathing Technique: Yin-Yang Convergence (1/100)]
[Remaining Lifespan: 30 years]

"The improvement isn't significant, but I can feel my strength has increased slightly."

Xie An found a five-hundred-pound stone lock, lifted it easily above his head with one arm, and swung it for several seconds before feeling any strain. After setting the lock down, he threw a punch. The extreme speed of the strike compressed the air with a loud "crack."

"My one-armed lifting strength should be around six hundred and fifty pounds. Combined with years of practicing the Five Animals Frolic, my limbs are supple and my bones and tendons are iron-strong. The power of a single punch... it should be quite monstrous."

"Zhang Lin said that a four-hundred-pound lift is the threshold for a warrior in the Copper Skin Realm. Although I have never practiced martial arts, my lifting strength exceeds that standard by more than fifty percent. Even in an unarmed brawl, I should easily be able to crush an average warrior who has just entered the Copper Skin Realm."

During this time, Xie An had carefully consulted Chen He to understand the strength of Copper Skin Realm warriors, so he had a clear benchmark. Only a warrior who had reached the pinnacle of the Copper Skin Realm could lift six hundred pounds with one arm. Xie An was already beyond that.

"This assessment should be flawless."

Having made up his mind, Xie An bid his two apprentices farewell and hurried off toward the Blood Ridge black market.