I am about to die of old age, and I have awakened the character of longevity.

Chapter 19: Being courteous for nothing

Just like last time, Xie An covered half of his face with a black cloth, but Zhang Lin still recognized him at a glance.

There's no way, white hair is eye-catching.

When Xie An saw Zhang Lin again, he was no longer as vigilant as before.

After making inquiries in recent days, Xie An learned that the Tiger and Wolf Sect was not a gang in disguise, but a legitimate sect that was determined to take root and develop in the Qingwu County area for a long time, and therefore attached great importance to reputation and inheritance.

Xie An felt that there was no problem in choosing Hulangmen as the target, and the next step was to increase the investment in it.

I'm not young anymore, if I join in and just do odd jobs, that won't work...

Xie An bowed, "Deacon Zhang."

Zhang Lin respected Xie An very much and didn't put on airs. "Yes. Come to buy bear hearts?"

Xie An did not hide it, "I bought a bear heart to nourish my body."

Zhang Lin gave him an "I get you" expression. "Bear heart is indeed a tonic. The medicinal power is strong and powerful. Not only does it strengthen the body, but it also keeps you awake all night. This old man knows how to live... Lao Liu, this is my friend. You can find a discount."

The second half of the sentence was directed to the stall owner.

The stall owner was over forty years old and well versed in the ways of the world. He glanced at Xie An in surprise, then smiled and said, "So, you are Deacon Zhang's friend. I was shortsighted before, please forgive me. I'll give it to you at cost price. Thirty taels."

Just one word "friend" saved him thirty taels of silver.

The world of the big guys is really not something that ordinary people can understand.

Xie An readily agreed and bought the bear heart. The stall owner, Lao Liu, packed the bear heart and handed it to Xie An with both hands. "Brother, whenever you come to my place from now on, I'll pay you this price."

Old Liu had long wanted to curry favor with Zhang Lin, but he had never had the chance. Now that the opportunity had come, he naturally knew how to seize it.

Zhang Lin also accepted Lao Liu's flattery, saying that he would reduce Lao Liu's stall fees in the future and give priority to the black market for any good goods. Lao Liu was very happy.

"Brother, you left in a hurry last time. It's still early today, why don't I take you to the black market?"

Since he had received a favor from Zhang Lin, it was difficult to refuse him, so Xie An agreed and said, "Then I'll have to trouble Deacon Zhang."

"Don't be polite, old brother. Just call me Zhang Lin."

Xie An just smiled and naturally would not really call Zhang Lin directly.

The Blood Ridge black market spanned five or six towns, encompassing over 100,000 people. The status of the Guard Deacon was undoubtedly impressive.

They were just being polite, how could you take it seriously?
After a while of strolling around, no matter where they went, everyone was very respectful to Zhang Lin. This also led to a bit more respect for Xie An. However, Zhang Lin was used to this and enthusiastically introduced the situation of the black market.

"The Blood Ridge Black Market is the largest black market in the six towns. They sell everything here. Weapons, medicinal herbs, secret manuals..."

"The stalls along this street all sell weapons, including knives, swords, guns, bows and crossbows... Many of them are valuable items that the imperial court has banned from sale. There's also a blacksmith shop on this street. The blacksmith is quite famous and can even customize weapons according to your needs."

"The stalls along this road mainly sell medicinal herbs, and there are also pharmacists who can prepare medicine for you according to prescriptions..."

"The stalls along this road mainly sell martial arts manuals..."

After listening to Zhang Lin's story, Xie An finally had a more comprehensive understanding of the Xueling black market.

It's more like a big village than a black market.

Looking at the endless stream of merchants, Xie An estimated that the annual transaction volume of this black market was probably much greater than the output value of the entire Wuqiao Town.

No wonder the Tiger and Wolf Sect didn't need to resort to robbery to make money; they could reap huge profits every year just from this black market. Furthermore, for the Tiger and Wolf Sect, this black market was just the tip of the iceberg.

Sects and gangs are essentially different.

If I could join the Tiger and Wolf Sect and become the manager of this black market, wouldn't it be easy to get resources for my own cultivation in the future?
The key is to be in charge...but I can't do that.

After the stroll, Zhang Lin invited Xie An to the courtyard for a chat.

Xie An thought it was a good opportunity to learn more about the Tiger and Wolf Sect, so he agreed. Zhang Lin was actually very happy to hear Xie An agreed. He took Xie An to a small courtyard near the black market and even offered to make tea for him, showing his courtesy.

After some pleasantries, Zhang Lin reiterated his intentions, "Brother, you've seen the prosperity of the Blood Ridge black market. We have all the cultivation resources you could want, and they're even discounted. It's definitely better than struggling on your own."

Xie An held the teacup in his hands, said nothing, and looked somewhat moved.

Zhang Lin saw that there was a good chance, and he became more enthusiastic. "I'll tell you about the general situation of our Blood Ridge..."

After listening carefully to Zhang Lin's story, Xie An learned:

The Blood Ridge Black Market is affiliated with the White Feather Hall.

The Baiyu Hall is one of the seven halls under the Tiger and Wolf Sect.

The Baiyu Hall is naturally presided over by the hall master Fang Baiyu, who is a warrior at the second level of the Jingrou realm.

In addition to Fang Baiyu, there are two deputy hall masters.

Under the deputy hall master are four great incense masters.

The Blood Ling Black Market was governed by Wei Dianxiang, the incense master. Zhang Lin was one of Wei Dian's three stewards, responsible for maintaining order and security around the market. He was accompanied by a dozen or so sword-wielding guards.

"I saw my elder brother easily draw a crossbow with a single finger and shoot two arrows in quick succession. It's clear that he's still going strong, lifting 400 kilograms with one arm is no problem. This is already a feat required of a Bronze Skin Realm warrior. If you're willing to join the White Feather Hall, you can first become my deputy, or deputy deacon. The monthly stipend is eight taels of silver. You can also get discounts on various resources purchased on the black market. When a deacon position becomes vacant in the future, I'll find a way to get my elder brother the position."

After talking about the treatment, Zhang Lin looked at Xie An with anticipation.

Eight taels a month, one hundred taels a year.

It’s really not a small amount.

It was five times more than Xie An's current income as a pawnshop assistant. There were also various other benefits.

It would be unrealistic to say that Xie An was not a little moved.

It’s just that… the position of deputy deacon is too low, right?

Above them are deacons, incense masters, deputy hall masters, hall masters...who knows how many levels they are away from the top of the Tiger and Wolf Sect.

It’s not that Xie An was too picky, but who doesn’t want to get better status and treatment when applying for a job?

If you can be the big brother, who would want to be the little brother?
Xie An looked embarrassed.

Zhang Lin was sharp-eyed and immediately noticed that Xie An disliked the low position of deputy deacon, so he began to increase his offer, "Actually, with my brother's ability, he can directly become a deacon, but there are three deacon positions under Wei Xiangzhu right now. However..."

When the conversation reached the key point, Zhang Lin suddenly fell silent, showing that he knew how to keep people on edge. When Xie An looked at him, Zhang Lin continued, "Recently, a deacon has caused dissatisfaction with Master Wei Xiang. I speculate that Master Wei Xiang wants to replace him, but he can't find a suitable candidate at the moment."

Xie An finally became interested, "What do you mean?"

Zhang Lin lowered his voice and said, "Zhang Biao, my fellow deacon, is addicted to gambling and has neglected his duties. His temperament has also changed drastically, and he frequently contradicts the Xiang Master. However, he has someone behind him, and for a while, Xiang Master Wei couldn't do anything about him. If anything happens to Zhang Biao, his position as deacon will be vacant. It's just right for my brother to take over."

When Xie An heard this, he was shocked and became alert.

As the saying goes, if you show courtesy for nothing, you are either committing adultery or stealing.

Zhang Lin had twice extended an olive branch to him, and now he had pointed out Zhang Biao without leaving any trace...

Xie An felt that it was probably not just Wei Dian who was dissatisfied with Zhang Biao, but also that Zhang Lin and Zhang Biao had a feud. He was hinting that he wanted to use him to get rid of Zhang Biao.

This makes perfect sense.

However, Xie An didn't think there was anything wrong with this. In the martial arts world...it's always about me messing with you and you messing with me.

Since he was masked at the moment, Zhang Lin didn't know his identity, so he asked, "How are the deacons treated?"

(End of this chapter)