A sickly fellow ridiculed by the entire army? I'll be the most beautiful woman in the barracks!

Zhang Youfu wiped the fine beads of cold sweat from his forehead, and looked at Zhao Daxuan, who had a meaningful expression on his face, with a wry smile.

"Lord Zhao, I understand what you're saying, but this is a matter of such importance that it's beyond my control."

Zhang Youfu tentatively suggested, "How about I take you to talk to the young master who manages our Bailian Workshop?"

Zhao Daxuan nodded indifferently.

"No problem, lead the way. And have someone bring over the rest of my weapons and equipment so my men can take them with them later."

Zhang Youfu nodded in agreement and, after instructing the apprentices at Bailianfang, left with Zhao Daxuan.

"Shishi, get ready and take the steam engine and those two sets of weapons to the Wangbei Village resettlement site outside the city. Manager Zhang and I are going to talk to you about something."

After giving instructions to the Li sisters, Zhao Daxuan added another sentence as he passed by Li Erlong and the others.

"Erlong, I'm going to talk to someone about something. Manager Zhang will arrange for some weapons and equipment to be delivered later. Please keep them safe and wait for me to return."

Li Shishi and her sister, along with Li Erlong and the others, nodded in agreement and watched Zhao Daxuan leave.

Zhang Youfu led Zhao Daxuan to the east side of Bailianfang, turning left and right, and after passing through a corridor, they arrived at the gate of a courtyard filled with bamboo.

Zhang Youfu instructed the two servants standing at the door to announce, "Tell the young master that Commander Zhao of the Wangbei Camp of the City Guard has come to discuss some matters!"

A servant took the order and left, returning shortly after, "The young master requests your presence!"

Zhao Daxuan nodded and stepped into the courtyard first.

He immediately felt a refreshing coolness wash over him, shutting out the lingering smell from yesterday outside the courtyard, making him feel invigorated.

I never expected that there would be such a secluded paradise in Bailianfang.

"Manager Zhang, your young master has quite the refined taste. I never expected your Bai Lian Fang to have such an elegant place."

Zhao Daxuan joked with Manager Zhang beside him. Manager Zhang smiled. Zhao Daxuan wasn't the first person to say that.

"The young master is indeed quite different from us roughnecks; Lord Zhao will find out soon enough."

After leading Zhao Daxuan through the bamboo forest, Zhang Youfu arrived at a bamboo house in the center of the courtyard, where they saw a young man with long, flowing hair standing at the door.

Although the man was tall and slender, he was extremely thin, with slightly sunken cheeks and very white skin, but it was a sickly pale color.

The man's eyes lit up slightly when he saw Zhao Daxuan and his companion arrive, and he greeted them with a smile.

"Lord Zhao, I have long admired you! I am Zhang Shijun, the young master of Bailianfang. I have heard of your illustrious reputation for a long time, but unfortunately I have never had the chance to meet you."

Zhang Shijun, the young master of Bailianfang, took the initiative to introduce himself, and Zhao Daxuan returned the greeting with a smile.

"Young Master Zhang, you flatter me! It's a pleasure to meet you!"

After exchanging a few pleasantries at the door, the two entered the bamboo house at Zhang Shijun's invitation.

The bamboo house is not large, with only two rooms, and a faint scent of ink wafts through the entire house.

The inner room of the bamboo house is a study. Through the doorway, you can see that the bookshelves are filled with books, and there is a desk covered with writing brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones.

The outer room of the bamboo house is the reception area, where a tea table is set up with a tea set.

Zhang Shijun led Zhao Daxuan to sit down at the tea table. Zhang Youfu automatically stood behind Zhang Shijun and then whispered Zhao Daxuan's purpose in Zhang Shijun's ear.

After Zhang Youfu finished speaking, Zhang Shijun nodded slightly, picked up the boiled water to brew tea in the teapot, and after a moment of contemplation, looked at Zhao Daxuan.

"Shijun already knows Lord Zhao's purpose. What Lord Zhao said is indeed correct. My Bailianfang would never shamelessly take advantage of Lord Zhao."

"I've witnessed the power of that enormous device your wife created, so I'm more than happy to cooperate with Lord Zhao!"

"But I wonder what Lord Zhao's thoughts are on our cooperation?"

After saying that, he poured the boiling tea from the teapot into a cup and casually handed the fragrant tea over.

Zhao Daxuan smiled and nodded, took the tea, took a sip, and felt a unique aroma linger in his mouth.

"Excellent tea! You probably couldn't buy this kind of tea on the market even if you had the money. Bai Lian Fang's resources are truly extraordinary!"

Zhang Shuxuan smiled slightly, "If Lord Zhao likes it, we can take a jar back later."

Zhao Daxuan gave a thumbs up, "Young Master Zhang is so magnanimous! I love dealing with magnanimous people like Young Master Zhang!"

Then, changing the subject, he said with a smile, "In that case, how about we split the profits from our steam engine collaboration fifty-fifty?"

While the steam engine could speed up the forging of weapons at Bailianfang, it was merely icing on the cake. Zhao Daxuan's demand for 50% of the profits was already an outrageous request.

Sure enough, as soon as he finished speaking, Zhang Shijun shook his head.

Zhao Daxuan frowned, just as he was about to come up with an explanation, when Zhang Shijun spoke first.

"No, I think a 10/90 split would be more appropriate!"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Daxuan's face darkened. "Young Master Zhang, isn't a 1:9 split going too far?"

Zhang Shijun laughed heartily, "Lord Zhao, you misunderstand. What I meant was, I'll be number one, and you'll be number nine!"

Zhao Daxuan was taken aback upon hearing this, and couldn't help but lean forward slightly, supporting himself on the table with both hands as he stared at Zhang Shijun.

"Young Master Zhang, you're not joking, are you?"

Zhang Shijun laughed heartily, "Don't worry, Lord Zhao, I'm not joking! There is one condition, but if you agree, everything is negotiable."

Zhao Daxuan frowned, looking at Zhang Shijun. "What are the conditions?"

"I heard that Lord Zhao was just a sickly man a month ago, but in the past month or so, he has undergone tremendous changes and even made great contributions."

Zhang Shijun's smile vanished, and he looked at Zhao Daxuan with a serious expression.

"How did Lord Zhao manage to do that? Could you share your methods with me? I don't aspire to be as capable as Lord Zhao; I only wish to return to normal!"

Zhang Shijun's words were like a warning bell ringing in Zhao Daxuan's mind; these words had touched upon Zhao Daxuan's core secret.

Zhao Daxuan narrowed his eyes, carefully observing Zhang Shijun's expression, trying to figure out if he knew something.

But I only saw a hint of expectation and longing in Zhang Shijun's eyes.

After a long pause, Zhao Daxuan took a deep breath and slowly spoke, "I'm afraid I'll have to disappoint Young Master Zhang. I don't know what happened, but I regained my strength overnight, and it's getting stronger and stronger."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Shijun's face immediately showed disappointment.

Zhao Daxuan then carefully spoke, "I wonder why Young Master Zhang has such a request?"

Zhang Shijun gave a bitter smile and pointed to his pale face.

"Lord Zhao, to tell you the truth, I have been frail and sickly since childhood. You can tell by looking at my wretched appearance. My family has searched for famous doctors all over the country, but none of them could cure me."

"If things don't improve, I'm afraid I don't have many years left to live. So after hearing about Lord Zhao's deeds, I instinctively felt that Lord Zhao was my hope for returning to normal!"

Zhao Daxuan nodded calmly.

"I'm afraid this will disappoint Young Master Zhang, but I will keep an eye out for you. If I find a way to solve Young Master Zhang's troubles in the future, I will let you know as soon as possible."

Zhang Shijun sighed softly, a slight smile returning to his face. "Thank you, Lord Zhao!"

Zhao Daxuan waved his hand and continued to press for answers.

"No need to be so polite. Since that's the case, I wonder what Mr. Zhang's opinion is regarding splitting the profits from this steam engine fifty-fifty?"