Chapter 14
“Junior Martial Brother Han, there are too many people in that carriage. Please ride with us.” Xu Ling suddenly said.
“Okay.” Han Zhao nodded and got into the third carriage.
Along the way, Xu Ling looked like she wanted to say something but hesitated.
Han Zhao could roughly guess what she wanted to say, but he didn’t take the initiative to speak.
When they were about to reach Splendid Cloud Pavilion, Xu Ling finally couldn’t take it anymore.
“Junior Brother Han, I want to invite Eldest Senior Brother to register his name at the Xu family’s rice store. It’s best if he can become a nominal expert of the Xu family. Can you speak up for me? Don’t worry! The treatment will definitely not be bad.”
“This…” Han Zhao pondered and said, “I can only mention it to Eldest Senior Brother. I can’t guarantee if he will promise me or not.”
“Xu Ling, what’s the point of telling Junior Brother Han about this? Just tell Eldest Senior Brother! We’re from the same sect. If the conditions are similar, he’ll definitely choose the Xu family.”
Su Yun couldn’t help but remind her. Even if Han Zhao had a good relationship with Zhao Yuantu, how could a Skin Tempering martial artist like him make the decision for Zhao Yuantu?
If not for Xu Ling’s situation, she would have invited Zhao Yuantu to join the Su family. If she were to bid, at least Xu Ling and Zhang Tianwen would not be able to compete with her. After all, she was her father’s only daughter.
Han Zhao smiled and didn’t say anything.
Xu Ling was a little helpless. Even if her eldest senior brother chose the Xu family, being invited in by her and being invited in by her second brother were two different concepts.
If she could afford it, her second brother could give more.
…
Soon, the group entered the Yonghe District. The carriage stopped in the empty space behind the Splendid Cloud Pavilion. Every area was divided by a white line.
There were people coming and going near the restaurant, and the surrounding shops were even more dazzling to Han Zhao.
Rouge shop, medicinal herb shop, ready-made clothes shop, pawn shop, wedding shop, gold shop, and all kinds of other shops.
Hmm?
Gold shop!
Han Zhao’s pupils constricted.
[If you are a Force Tempering Martial Master now, I strongly suggest you rob a gold shop!]
“Junior Brother Han, what’s wrong?” Xu Ling asked in confusion when she saw Han Zhao in a daze.
“Ah, I’m fine.” Han Zhao came back to his senses and retracted his gaze with great determination.
In order to make money, this system was shameless!
If it could instigate him to rob the gold shop today, it could instigate him to rebel for money tomorrow.
“That’s my family’s gold shop,” Su Yun said indifferently. “The cloth shop next to it belongs to the Xu family.”
Han Zhao glanced at Su Yun and remained calm.
The three of them entered the hall on the first floor of Splendid Cloud Pavilion.
Zhang Tianwen looked displeased and was talking to a middle-aged man.
From the looks of it, he was the shopkeeper.
It turned out that the private room on the third floor was already full and they had not booked a table.
Although the second floor was also a hall, there was a screen between each table.
However, Zhang Tianwen felt that he had lost face in front of Zhao Yuantu, so he questioned the shopkeeper.
Businessmen naturally did not want to offend anyone, especially in the case of a mere worker. Therefore, the shopkeeper could only say some good words.
“Junior Brother Zhang, it’s fine as long as there’s a seat. It doesn’t have to be a private room,” Zhao Yuantu advised. He didn’t like Zhang Tianwen’s overbearing attitude.
“Alright, for Eldest Senior Brother’s sake, I’ll forget about it today. Give me two jars of your best Linghua Drunken Wine. Don’t tell me you don’t have any?”
Seeing that Zhao Yuantu was speaking, Zhang Tianwen relented.
“Yes! Yes! Young Master Zhang, please sit for a moment. The food and wine will be delivered soon.” The shopkeeper was full of smiles as he shouted to the side, “Waiter, hurry up and bring the masters up!”
“Coming! Sirs, please!” The waiter bowed 90 degrees.
The group went upstairs and sat by the window.
Zhang Tianwen sat beside Zhao Yuantu and chatted with him ‘familiarly’.
After a while, a young man dressed in luxurious clothes and holding a folding fan in his hand went upstairs. Behind him were a few young men dressed similarly.
The young master looked around the second floor as if he was looking for someone.
When he noticed Zhao Yuantu’s conspicuous bald head, he walked up with a smile. “Senior Brother Zhao.”
“You are?” Zhao Yuantu was stunned.
When Xu Ling saw who it was, her expression became a little unnatural. The other party was his second brother, Xu Jin. She did not think that Xu Jin’s arrival was a coincidence.
“I’m Xu Jin from the Xu family’s trading company. I’ve long heard of Senior Brother Zhao’s name. I’ve booked a private room on the third floor. I wonder if Senior Brother Zhao can do me the honor of having a few drinks with me?” Xu Jin smiled and said, “Brother Tianwen is also here. Su Yun, why don’t you join us?”
“I want to eat with my junior brothers and sisters. Forget it.” Zhao Yuantu directly refused.
Zhang Tianwen and Su Yun did not agree either.
Xu Jin raised his eyebrows and glanced at Xu Ling. His smile remained unchanged. “In that case, let’s do it another day. I won’t disturb you anymore.”
“Alright.” Zhao Yuantu nodded.
Xu Jin turned around and went upstairs. His face instantly darkened.
The moment he received the news, he sent people to the Splendid Cloud Pavilion and the Drunken Moon Pavilion. In particular, he booked the remaining four private rooms of the Splendid Cloud Pavilion.
This was because he knew that if Xu Ling wanted to treat him, she would definitely go to the Splendid Cloud Pavilion. However, he did not expect Zhao Yuantu to not give him face at all.
Once Zhao Yuantu chose Xu Ling, the Blood Tempering martial artist behind both sides would be two to two, and his advantage would be gone.
In terms of aptitude and business talent, he was inferior to Xu Ling.
However, his biggest advantage now was that he had money.
If Xu Ling could afford the price, he could give 50% or even double it.
The greatest pursuit for a Blood Tempering martial artist was to grasp Internal Force. If he wanted to join the Xu family’s trading company, either sibling was fine.
…
After this small interlude, the waiter quickly served the dishes on the table.
Roasted lamb chops, crispy duck, braised meatballs, fried prawns…
There were more than ten meat dishes and even more vegetables.
There were many dishes that Han Zhao had never eaten in her previous life.
“I came in a hurry today and neglected Eldest Senior Brother. I’ll definitely prepare in advance another day. I’ll punish myself with a cup first.” Zhang Tianwen poured himself a cup of wine and drank it in one gulp. Then, he filled it for Zhao Yuantu.
“Junior Brother Zhang, you’re being too serious.” Zhao Yuantu was not used to his sudden enthusiasm.
“Come! Everyone, let’s raise our glasses to celebrate Eldest Senior Brother’s breakthrough.” Zhang Tianwen was all smiles.
Everyone also raised their glasses to congratulate Zhao Yuantu.
After three rounds of wine, the waiter brought over a large pot of soup and a small plate of braised pork.
[A dish made from the meat of an underage tiger demon. After eating it, it can increase one’s blood qi. With your current strength, if you don’t charge money, the first thing you should do when you encounter a tiger demon is tidy your hair and choose a handsome posture to lie down. This way, you will die with more dignity.]
“This system only talks about money.” Han Zhao’s mouth twitched.
Zhang Tianwen explained, “This is deer antler soup. It’s a great tonic to increase blood qi. Eldest Senior Brother, drink two more bowls! Also, this plate is braised tiger meat. I heard that it’s the meat of a hundred-year-old tiger that’s about to become a demon. It’s always been frozen in the ice storage. This bit is worth twenty taels of silver. Usually, I can’t bear to eat such an expensive thing!”
Other than Su Yun and Xu Ling, everyone present sucked in a breath of cold air.
It was only a few pieces of meat. Twenty taels?!
Zhao Yuantu picked up a piece of tiger meat for Han Zhao.
Han Zhao ate it and finally understood why it was so expensive.
After eating a piece of meat and a mouthful of soup, the blood qi in his entire body surged, and the true qi in his body became a little more active.
If he could eat this meat every day, his cultivation speed of the Life Nurturing Technique would definitely double again.
Of course, it was just a thought.
Han Zhao stopped drinking after two glasses of wine because drinking too much would affect his cultivation.
Seeing this, Zhang Tianwen ordered a portion of green spirit rice for him.
The green spirit rice was made by mashing and soaking the rice with the leaves of the south candle herb. After steaming it, it was dried. The fragrance of the rice mixed with the fragrance of the south candle’s leaves had a different flavor.
Han Zhao tried the soup of the braised meatball.
Zhao Yuantu was tempted, but unfortunately, he was entangled by Zhang Tianwen.
The meal quickly came to an end.
At this moment, Xu Jin brought a few people downstairs.
Seeing that Zhao Yuantu was about to finish eating, he invited him to the Drunken Moon Pavilion for another round.
Zhao Yuantu refused again.
Xu Jin felt a little embarrassed and glanced at Xu Ling.
“Second Brother, since Eldest Senior Brother doesn’t want to drink anymore, we can invite him next time. There’s no need to do it tonight, right?” Xu Ling said.
Xu Jin frowned. It seemed like Zhao Yuantu was prepared to join Xu Ling.
In this way, not only would they not be friends, but they would also be enemies in the future.
Seeing this, Xu Jin’s sidekick, Fang Hongyun, had a thought and wanted to help him regain his dignity. He noticed that everyone else had stopped eating except for Han Zhao, who was sitting beside Xu Ling and eating with his head lowered. He said sarcastically, “You’re eating so loudly. Didn’t your family teach you manners?”
Hearing this, Han Zhao paused and looked up at him. “Are you talking about me?”
“Oh, I was wondering who it was. So it was you, the medicine jar?!” Fang Hongyun had a mocking expression: “No wonder, your family seems to be…”
“Fang Hongyun, don’t go too far!” Xu Ling’s voice suddenly rose by an octave.
“I was just joking, don’t mind me.” Fang Hongyun smiled and looked at Han Zhao: “Brother Han, you can’t take a joke, right?”
“No.” Han Zhao was expressionless.
“Hmph!” Xu Jin flicked his sleeves and left. The few people behind him also followed.
Before leaving, Fang Hongyun sneered at Han Zhao.
Zhao Yuantu frowned and was about to get up.
“Forget it, Eldest Senior Brother. There’s no need to argue with such a person. Let’s go to the night market later.”
Han Zhao stopped him.
Just bear with it for a while.
[If you don’t charge gold now, you’ll regret it later.]
…
Slap!
In the back alley of the Drunken Moon Pavilion, Fang Hongyun was slapped in the face by a large hand, instantly losing two teeth. Blood mixed with saliva flowed down the corner of his mouth.
“Who… are you?” Fang Hongyun covered his face and glared at the masked man in black in front of him. His left teeth were all loose. The piercing pain made his facial expression completely distorted, and he instantly lost most of his drunkenness.
“How dare you hit me? You know I’m…”
Han Zhao punched Fang Hongyun’s abdomen heavily.
“Ah!” Fang Hongyun almost fainted, instantly losing the ability to resist.
Clap, clap, clap!
Han Zhao tightened his grip on his neck and went on a few more rounds.
Fang Hongyun’s eyes became much clearer, his body went limp, he held his stomach and knelt on the ground.
“Brother, no, hero! Hero! If you need money… I’ll give you money. Stop… stop!”
He quickly took out the money bag hanging from his waist.
[This is also a way to make a fortune, but be careful not to get caught.]
Han Zhao took the money and slapped him a few more times.
Fang Hongyun’s face was swollen like a pig’s head, and his eyes were narrowed into slits.
Han Zhao lowered his voice and said fiercely, “You’re the only one who likes to snatch women?! Challenge me? Do you have the ability?”
“Ah? Hero! What did you say?” Fang Hongyun was stunned.
Although he had drunk a lot at night and was not sober just now, he was still a Bone Tempering martial artist after all. He was not helpless against a sneak attack.
It could only mean that the person in front of him was much stronger than him!
Fang Hongyun suddenly quivered. Could it be that he had offended a Blood Tempering expert without him knowing?
Snatching a woman?
He couldn’t remember at all.
“Don’t let me see you in the Drunken Moon Pavilion in the future, or I’ll beat you up every time I see you!” Han Zhao kicked Fang Hongyun’s chest.
Fang Hongyun suffered consecutive injuries, he fainted before he could catch his breath.
Seeing this, Han Zhao kicked the other party’s calf again.
Then, he weighed the money bag in his hand and smiled. It was enough as compensation for his insult earlier.
As long as he didn’t kill anyone, they wouldn’t be able to trace it to him.
Furthermore, he was a weak Skin Tempering martial artist, how could he deal with Fang Hongyun?
With a few flashes, Han Zhao blended into the night.