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

Chapter 43 The opportunity has come
Squeak.

The door opened.

The one who came was the chief deacon Lin Yun.

Lin Yun was wearing a light green robe today. Although he was in his forties, he had a reserved aura and a natural dignity. However, the attentive Xie An noticed a hint of sadness between Lin Yun's brows, and he was not in high spirits.

Lin Yun simply nodded to Xie An and the other man as a greeting, and then said, "The Xiang Master is injured and is recuperating. Please keep your voices down."

Xie An nodded and followed Lin Yun into the courtyard. As he surveyed his surroundings, he wondered, "Is Master Wei injured?" No wonder Lin Yun wasn't in high spirits. Judging by the look on his face, Master Wei seemed to be seriously injured.

In the past month, Xie An has focused on understanding this Master Wei Xiang from other aspects.

He started out as a poor man, worked his way up, and eventually rose to the position of incense master. Finally, at the request of the Tiger and Wolf Sect, he opened the Blood Ridge Black Market, and built it from scratch to its current size.

He has been in charge of the Xueling black market for more than ten years and has never made any major mistakes.

His strength is top-notch, yet he was seriously injured?
Since Xie An had just arrived, he didn't ask too many questions.

It was Zhang Lin who asked first, "Wasn't Master Wei Xiang fine a while ago? How did he suddenly get injured?"

Zhang Lin wasn't a warrior with big ambitions; for years, he'd been following Wei Xiangzhu's lead, hoping for a stable and prosperous life. If anything happened to this powerful figure, Wei Xiangzhu, Zhang Lin would naturally feel insecure.

Eh.

Facing the two deacons, Lin Yun didn't hide anything and sighed, "A while ago, bandits from Dayin Mountain came down and plundered the Chen family mansion in Shuideng Town. Master Wei Xiang was sent by the hall to suppress the bandits. He suffered a heart injury and is currently recuperating. This is a secret, and as deacons, you must not disclose it. Otherwise, it will cause panic among the people below."

Xie An nodded in agreement.

Then Lin Yun led the two to the bedroom. As soon as Xie An entered the room, he smelled a strong and pungent smell of medicine. Through the curtains, he vaguely saw a white-haired old man lying on the bed and heard him coughing softly.

Based on Xie An's experience with the stroke, this Wei Dianxiang master was seriously injured, possibly even to the point of dying. Even though he had practiced martial arts and was a master, it was unknown whether he could recover.

Wei Dian coughed twice and said weakly, "You are here."

"Master Wei, how did you get injured like this..." Zhang Lin leaned forward and asked with concern through the curtain.

Wei Dian said weakly, "A while ago, when I was suppressing the Dayin Mountain bandits at the Chen Clan's Mansion, I was injured by the Plum Blossom Monster... Well, let's not talk about the past. This is the new deacon appointed by Elder Tang, right?"

Xie An stepped forward with a bow: "Yes."

Then Xie An felt a sharp gaze looking at him through the curtain, as if he was looking through him. After a moment, the gaze slowly softened and turned into a light sigh.

After some pleasantries, Wei Dian began to speak, "Ever since I was injured, Xiangzhu Zhang Hengshui has been eyeing our Blood Ridge Black Market. You are all my people, and you must manage the Blood Ridge Black Market well. Don't give Zhang Hengshui any opportunities to exploit us, and don't leave him with excuses to attack us. If we keep the Blood Ridge Black Market stable, everyone will be better off. If there is any problem with the Blood Ridge Black Market, and he attacks us, no one will end well."

Xie An and Zhang Lin nodded in agreement, and Wei Dian exchanged a few pleasantries before dismissing them. However, what surprised Xie An was that Wei Dian actually asked Lin Yun to personally escort him out.

After seeing Zhang Lin and Xie An off, Lin Yun returned to the bedroom and took the initiative to boil medicine for Wei Dian. While he was boiling the medicine, Wei Dian asked Lin Yun, "Lin Yun, what do you think of this new deacon?"

Lin Yun said, "It stands to reason that this person shouldn't cover his face when meeting the Incense Master for the first time. But since he's the one hand-picked by Elder Tang, I can't say much. I just assume he's cautious and doesn't fully trust us."

I've been observing him from the side for a month. Although he's old, he's very steady in his approach. He took up his post a full month, becoming familiar with all aspects of the black market before finally coming to the hall to receive martial arts training and medicinal supplements. This kind of mentality is truly rare."

Lin Yun then added, "I heard from Zhang Lin that when Elder Tang was testing this man, he was able to lift 700 kilograms with one arm and even accurately shoot a small sparrow from a hundred meters away. He's just a little old..."

Eh.

Wei Dian sighed and said, "If you can help, then do so. Go and see what martial arts and medicinal supplements he wants. If you can provide convenience, then provide it."

"Yes, Master Xiang."

……

However, after Xie An and Zhang Lin left the villa, they went straight to the library.

The six-story wooden building is particularly magnificent.

Many children entered and exited with badges. However, they had to pay a fee. However, the deacons were exempt from the fee.

After seeing the tokens of Xie An and the other man, the doorman immediately became more respectful and said, "Two deacons, please come in."

He led the two of them in and introduced the rules of the library.

"You can freely browse the martial arts and notes on the first floor. Borrowing them costs two taels of silver per time, and the period cannot exceed three months. If you want to go to the second floor, you need to pay five taels of silver, and the martial arts notes cost ten taels of silver per time, and the period cannot exceed one month. As for the third floor...you two do not have the permission yet."

Xie An was secretly shocked.

This is simply a money grab.

As expected of a gang, their approach is wild.

Zhang Lin was familiar with the route and paid five taels of silver to go to the second floor. He also suggested that Xie An not waste time on the first floor. After flipping through the martial arts manuals on the first floor, Xie An felt that it was not very interesting and prepared to pay five taels of silver to go to the second floor.

Although five taels of silver is not a small amount, it is not something that Xie An would feel bad about at the moment.

At this moment, a voice was heard.

"The second floor isn't very interesting, I'll take you to the third floor."

(End of this chapter)