Exploiting the System

As the first light of dawn broke, the Blood Ridge Black Market closed for business.

Merchants and stall owners departed in succession, marking the busiest time for the black market attendants. There was sweeping to be done, garbage to be cleared, and so on.

Li Shaoyun slumped his shoulders, busy hauling away the discarded boxes left behind at various stalls.

Wang Xiang, noticing his sluggish pace, snapped at him, "I'm talking to you. Why are you dragging your feet like that? If you tick off the new deacon, you'll be in deep trouble."

"Understood, Brother Wang. I'll pick up the pace right away." Although deeply resentful, Li Shaoyun dared not show the slightest bit of dissatisfaction. Instead, he forced a fawning smile, swallowed his humiliation, and sped up his work.

After three months of merciless whipping, he was no longer the high-spirited young master he once was.

He had come to know the ruthlessness of this world.

His fiery temper was gone, and his ambitions were shattered.

His numerous requests for an audience with the new deacon had all been rejected. He no longer held any expectations for this new deacon, nor did he dare dream of borrowing the martial arts resources of the White Feather Hall to practice martial arts and pass the imperial examinations.

During this period, he had thought about resigning from this damn deputy deacon position and going back home to live the comfortable life of a young master. But no matter how many times he submitted his resignation letter, the new deacon simply ignored them.

He deeply regretted ever coming to the Tiger-Wolf Gate.

This place was nothing more than a den of thieves.

Once you stepped inside, you could never escape.

By now, he no longer dared to think about the provincial examination three years away; simply figuring out how to extricate himself from this exhausting and demoralizing Tiger-Wolf Gate was already troublesome enough.

"Sigh, I was too naive after all, thinking too well of the Tiger-Wolf Gate... But come to think of it, all of this is because that new deacon is deliberately screwing with me, damn it..."

Li Shaoyun cursed the new deacon fiercely in his heart.

Just at that moment, Liang Zhi hurried over.

"Young Master Li, stop what you're doing."

Thinking Liang Zhi had come to reprimand him for slacking off, Li Shaoyun immediately grabbed several large discarded boxes and put on a show of working extremely hard. Only then did he squeeze out a flattering smile. "Old Liang, what are your orders?"

Liang Zhi could naturally tell that Li Shaoyun was pretending to work hard, but he couldn't be bothered to argue about it right now. "Put those boxes down quickly. The new deacon wants to see you."

Hiss.

Li Shaoyun shuddered violently, his mind going completely blank.

If the new deacon had wanted to see him three months ago, he would certainly have been overjoyed, thinking it was probably to grant him the promised martial arts resources. But now... he was worried the new deacon was coming to settle scores with him...

After all, he had submitted resignation letters time and time again.

At this thought, a chill ran down Li Shaoyun's spine, and his voice trembled. "Old Liang, did the deacon mention what this is about?"

Liang Zhi gave Li Shaoyun a tug. "I reckon the deacon is in a pretty good mood today. Seeing you must be a good thing."

Li Shaoyun breathed a sigh of relief, though he still decided to voice his lingering doubts. "But I've asked you many times before to submit my resignation letters to the deacon..."

Liang Zhi replied, "It's fine. The deacon has been busy with official duties before, so I never actually forwarded your resignation letters to him."

Hearing this, Li Shaoyun was overjoyed. He immediately dropped the box in his hands, cupped his fists, and bowed to Liang Zhi. "Thank you, Old Liang. I will forever keep this kindness in my heart."

Liang Zhi chuckled, focusing only on leading the way without saying anything further.

Entering the courtyard parlor, Li Shaoyun finally laid eyes on the masked new deacon.

Xie An sat high in the seat of honor, dressed in an official brocade robe, and tapped his fingers lightly against the table. Liang Zhi caught the hint instantly, stepped forward with a bent waist, and poured Xie An a cup of tea.

Xie An took a sip of the tea and asked in an official, measured tone, "Liang Zhi, how has Li Shaoyun performed over the past four months?"

Liang Zhi glanced at Young Master Li, noticing the pleading look in the young man's eyes, undoubtedly hoping Liang Zhi would put in a good word for him.

Understanding the situation, Liang Zhi chose not to offer any empty praise, speaking only the truth: "His performance has been acceptable. Although his morale has been low and he has occasionally slacked off, overall he is quick with his tasks and hasn't spoken out of turn."

These were all facts. Even if Xie An were to ask others later, the accounts would be identical.

Xie An gently blew away the tea leaves floating in his cup. "Li Shaoyun, if I recall correctly, you are the young master of the Li residence in Wuqiao Town, and a martial scholar to boot. You came to my Blood Ridge Black Market to register as a deputy deacon specifically to secure martial arts resources so you could take the provincial examination in three years. Am I right?"

Feeling the overwhelming majesty exuded by the new deacon, Li Shaoyun trembled and replied, "Yes."

Xie An nodded. "It's good that you harbor dreams. When I had you do menial labor before, it was merely to temper your temperament, to strip away your impatience so that you could go further in the future. Do you understand this deacon's deep and sincere intentions?"

Though Li Shaoyun cursed Xie An's entire ancestral lineage eighteen generations back in his heart, he dared not show it on the surface. He could only say submissively, "The deacon's teachings are wise. This subordinate is deeply moved and grateful."

Knowing full well that Li Shaoyun was likely cursing him inwardly, Xie An was nevertheless satisfied with the attitude displayed. He abruptly changed the subject. "If I remember correctly, in order to seize this position of deputy deacon, you previously bribed Zhang Bang with five hundred taels of silver, didn't you?"

Upon hearing this, Li Shaoyun was so frightened that he dropped to his knees, trembling uncontrollably. "I, I..."

He assumed the new deacon was finally going to settle old accounts.

Instead, he heard Xie An say, "You don't need to be so nervous. I am a reasonable person. Zhang Bang was a deacon, and I am a deacon too. We are all working for the good of the Tiger-Wolf Gate, aren't we?"

Li Shaoyun was completely bewildered by these words and could only nod mechanically. "Yes, yes."

"Alright, this deacon is feeling tired. Liang Zhi, take him out." Without saying more, Xie An waved his hand to signal their departure.

Xie An knew that Liang Zhi would handle the rest properly.

Since he was currently short on money, it was time to shear some wool off Li Shaoyun. Didn't he come to the black market precisely to use resources to cultivate and grow stronger?

Who asked him and his father to treat him with such callousness and difficulty back then?

The ways of heaven are cyclical; whom has heaven ever spared?

Out in the courtyard, Li Shaoyun was still dazed. "Old Liang, what did the deacon mean by that?"

Liang Zhi offered a timely hint. "You gave Zhang Bang five hundred taels, and the new deacon holds the same position as Zhang Bang... Don't you understand yet?"

Hiss.

Li Shaoyun's eyes widened in shock.

The new deacon had already taken nearly four hundred taels from him and still wasn't satisfied? He wanted five hundred more?

Sensing that Li Shaoyun was getting cold feet, Liang Zhi timely dangled a carrot. "Let me be honest with you. The new deacon was personally appointed by Tang Qingyun, the elder of the Examination Hall of the Tiger-Wolf Gate. His future prospects far surpass Zhang Bang's. The kind of future you want depends entirely on your next choice."

With that final remark, Liang Zhi walked away.

From beginning to end, Liang Zhi never explicitly told Li Shaoyun to bribe Xie An, yet every word carried a heavy implication.

Both were deacons, so naturally you should give five hundred taels.

Furthermore... since the new deacon had a brighter future than Zhang Bang, the statement served not only as intimidation but also as a subtle warning to Li Shaoyun: if you are sensible, five hundred taels won't be enough.

Li Shaoyun wasn't stupid; he naturally caught the underlying meaning.

Five hundred taels wasn't enough?

Did it have to be six hundred?

They said a lion opens its mouth wide, but this wasn't a lion... this was a pure demon.