Gou Zai Wu Dao Chao Shi Xing Nian Da Gong

The next day, Zhou Fugan handed over the tailor shop business to his son Zhou Guangcheng and went out.

He arrived at Shanhetang, the largest pharmacy in the southern district!

Upon entering, a strong smell of medicine wafts through the air. The pharmacy's main hall is quite spacious, with several clerks arranging medicinal herbs, and an elderly doctor with gray hair and beard sitting behind the counter, seeing patients in a line.

A shop assistant approached, "Grandpa, are you here to see a doctor or to pick up some medicine?"

Zhou Fugan glanced around and, seeing that no one was paying attention, asked in a low voice, "I'd like to ask if we have any tonics for martial arts practitioners here?"

The shop assistant looked him up and down and replied, "Yes, we do. But you have to buy this medicine from the shopkeeper. We don't sell it outside."

Zhou Fugan was secretly delighted upon hearing this and quickly asked, "How much is one set?"

"I've heard the shopkeeper mention that it costs at least one tael of silver per set. The effect is no worse than what the martial arts school provides itself," the shop assistant replied.

Zhou Fugan's heart sank.

This isn't cheap; it's the same price as the secret medicine from Hammer Cloud Martial Arts School. However, its efficacy is definitely not as good as the school's secret tonic, making it less cost-effective.

"Should I go and call the manager?" the waiter asked again.

"No."

Zhou Fugan gave a perfunctory answer and turned to leave. Actually, he really wanted to buy a pair right now to try them out, but his wallet wouldn't allow it.

However, he had indeed confirmed his guess; the pharmacy did indeed have tonics for martial arts practitioners. He couldn't afford them now, but he might need them when he had the money in the future.

...

"Silver, silver, all we need is silver!"

Zhou Fugan was racking his brains trying to figure out how to make money, but unfortunately, he was at a loss. None of the ways he could find to earn money were as lucrative as his tailoring business. As for other truly profitable methods, aside from stealing and robbing, none of them were within his reach.

As for stealing or robbing, his strength doesn't allow it yet, and since he has no grudge against anyone, he can't let go of his psychological burden to rob them.

As he was pondering this, he turned the corner and saw two fierce-looking men staggering towards him. Both were bare-chested, with a grotesque snake head tattooed on their chests.

Zhou Fugan frowned—he knew both of them. The leader was Zhang Hu, a minor leader of the local Black Snake Gang; the other was his henchman, Wang Gou.

These two men were notorious for extortion, petty theft, and murder on this street; they had committed countless evil deeds. People usually avoided them.

Zhou Fugan was about to turn back and take a detour when Zhang Hu saw him.

"Hey! Old Zhou, where are you going? Why are you trying to avoid us brothers? Have you forgotten about us now that you've made a fortune?" Zhang Hu said with a forced smile.

"What are you saying, Tiger? How could a poor tailor like me get rich? I just happen to have something to do." Zhou Fugan had no choice but to turn around and respond with a forced smile.

Hearing this, Wang Gou pointed at his nose and shouted angrily, "Hmph! Old Zhou, you're still not being honest. You sent your son to the Hammer Cloud Martial Arts School to learn martial arts, and the tuition was twenty taels of silver. You still dare to say you haven't made a fortune?"

"Just as I thought."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Fugan's heart stirred. He had long known that Zhou Sheng's martial arts training couldn't be kept secret for long, so he immediately brought out the excuse he had already prepared, "Master Tiger, it was because Master Liu of the Hammer Cloud Martial Arts School was so kind as to speak on my behalf to Master Chen and reduce the cost by most of the silver. That's how I managed to scrape together a few taels of silver and send Zhou Sheng to learn martial arts."

"hehe."

Zhang Hu smiled enigmatically, patted Zhou Fugan on the shoulder, and said in a sinister tone, "Old Zhou, don't be afraid. Sending your grandson to learn martial arts is a good thing. If a martial arts master emerges in the neighborhood, I, Zhang Hu, will have face too."

He used an unusually strong force, and Zhou Fugan almost fell over.

He was faking it. He already possessed considerable body tempering skills. Although he hadn't broken through the skin barrier and couldn't be considered a true martial artist, his physical strength far surpassed that of ordinary strongmen. He wasn't so easily defeated.

Moreover, he took the opportunity to assess Zhang Hu's strength. Judging from the force he exerted, Zhang Hu was only slightly stronger than an ordinary strong man. Even if he possessed martial arts skills, he could not possibly be as strong as himself.

However, Zhang Hu had the Black Snake Gang backing him up, which he couldn't afford to offend, so he had to pretend to be subservient on the surface.

Zhou Fugan forced a smile, "Thank you for your kind words, Tiger Lord!"

Zhang Hu scoffed, "Tch! Learning martial arts isn't that easy. I heard that Hammer Cloud Martial Arts School has some kind of six-month period. Let's see how it goes in six months."

"Also, the insurance premium has increased by 30% this month, so remember to prepare in advance."

After saying that, Zhang Hu turned and left.

"Security fee? It's gone up again!"

Zhou Fugan remembered that these past few days were indeed the time when the Black Snake Gang collected protection fees.

Every household in this neighborhood has to pay a fee, priced according to the number of people and the business they run, and it's paid monthly.

If they didn't pay, the Black Snake Gang wouldn't provide protection, and then one dark and stormy night, their house would be robbed, leaving no one alive. As for whether it was a real robbery or a premeditated act of revenge, that was hard to say.

People already have to deal with all sorts of exorbitant taxes and levies, and after paying the household security fee, their remaining income is barely enough to make ends meet. Now, with an additional 30%, many families will probably have a very hard time.

This neighborhood was under the protection of Zhang Hu and his men. Each time they collected the protection fees, they would hand them over to the higher-ranking Black Snake Gang leader. There were over a hundred households in this area, and the protection fees added up to a considerable sum each time.

Zhou Fugan stared at the two figures as they walked away, his face expressionless.

He knew a bit about these two men's methods. If any small family on the street showed signs of wealth, they would first come to their door to borrow money. If they borrowed, they would never repay it, only asking for it back every few days. If they refused to lend, they would then cause trouble at their door, secretly beating family members who were out alone, or even kidnapping children. If they still couldn't get the money, they would chop off hands and feet, or even kill the hostage.

Once they get involved, ordinary families will only face ruin and death.

Zhou Sheng is currently under the protection of the Hammer Cloud Martial Arts School, so Zhang Hu doesn't dare to provoke him easily. However, if Zhou Sheng fails to break through the skin barrier and is expelled from the martial arts school in six months, Zhang Hu probably won't let it go easily.

"Instead of waiting for trouble to come to you, you should solve it first."

Zhou Fugan looked thoughtful.

......

"Father, something's happened!"

As soon as Zhou Fugan arrived home, Zhou Guangcheng walked over with a nervous expression and whispered something.

"What is it?"

Zhou Fugan's heart skipped a beat, and he quickly asked.

"Do you remember Qiangzi, the guy who works as a laborer at the docks on the front street?"

"Hmm. Didn't he go to do corvée labor with your older brother?" Zhou Fugan asked, frowning.

Zhou Guangcheng slapped his thigh. "That's right. After he left, his father was supposed to be there to support them, but last month his father broke his leg while carrying goods and lost his livelihood. To pay for his medical treatment, his family borrowed money from Zhang Hu and couldn't pay it back. Just now, that heartless Zhang Hu forcibly dragged his wife away and sold her to a brothel. What a tragedy."

"This world..."

Zhou Fugan sighed.

He learned martial arts, and sent his grandson to learn martial arts, just to prevent his family from going down this dead end, didn't he?

Thinking about this, a certain decision in his heart became even more resolute.

"Father, that Zhang Hu..."

Zhou Guangcheng remained indignant and continued rambling on, only to be interrupted directly by Zhou Fugan.

"Alright, that's enough. Zhang Hu just told me that the security fee has increased by 30%."

"What? It's gone up again, by another 30%? Why don't they just rob it?" Zhou Guangcheng shouted immediately upon hearing this.

Zhou Fugan waved his hand impatiently, "Stop talking nonsense. We don't have enough money at home, go and sell that bolt of fine cotton cloth. Let's get through this crisis first."