Seventy years old is the age to take risks!

That night, thunder roared.

Raindrops pattered on the tiles of Jiang Yuan's residence, creating a pitter-patter sound.

Liu Mang, holding an umbrella and carrying a wooden box, stepped into Jiang Yuan's residence with a cheerful expression.

"Brother, I'll give you the indenture you wanted..."

Before he could finish speaking, Liu Mang's eyes widened, and he was so shocked that his jaw almost dropped.

Jiang Yuan was sitting on a blue stone platform in the courtyard, with an iron pillar surrounded by an iron chain behind him. The two ends of the chain were held in his hands.

Boom!

The next moment, a deafening roar resounded in the sky, and a thick bolt of lightning struck the iron pillar in an instant, emitting a blinding light.

Jiang Yuan's white hair stood on end, but his body remained unmoved. His true energy, mixed with lightning, surged wildly around him, making him look extremely intimidating.

The next moment, the lightning seemed to have been absorbed by Jiang Yuan, and the violent aura gradually subsided.

Upon seeing this, Liu Mang was nearly scared to death.

My goodness, is this how you usually train, brother?

No wonder he was able to forge a body of copper and iron, impervious to swords and spears. How many martial artists can achieve this ability of tempering their bodies with lightning?

He had originally wanted to learn this skill from Jiang Yuan, but now he plans to give up.

Damn it, he wants to live a few more days!

In fact, although the scene looked frightening, it was far less dangerous than Liu Mang had imagined.

Throughout the entire process, Jiang Yuan did not actually use lightning to temper his body.

Instead, he stored the power of lightning in a special way, condensing it into a lightning seal and keeping it in his palm.

This is called, Palm Thunder!

The power of this lightning seal is extraordinary.

According to Jiang Yuan's judgment, if all the lightning power were released at once, it would be enough to instantly kill a martial artist in the Meridian Opening Realm.

Caught completely off guard, even a martial arts master would likely be in a sorry state.

Unfortunately, this lightning seal can only be replenished during thunderstorms, making it a consumable martial skill.

It's enough for self-defense.

After the palm lightning was condensed, Jiang Yuan suddenly opened his eyes, untied the iron chains on his hands, and couldn't help but smirk.

Seven Kill Sword Box, Palm Thunder...

Although he was just an old man, his methods were truly terrifyingly cunning; anyone who messed with him would be in big trouble.

"Brother Jiang... have you finished your cultivation?"

Liu Mang's slightly trembling voice came from afar as he looked at Jiang Yuan.

Jiang Yuan had noticed Liu Mang long ago, but now he acted as if he had just discovered him, feigning surprise:

"Oh, Brother Zhang, what brings you here in person?"

Liu Mang breathed a sigh of relief and quickly stepped forward, exclaiming, "Brother Jiang is truly a genius! I've never heard of such a cultivation method before!"

"I originally wanted to learn this method from you, elder brother, but now it seems I was truly ignorant and presumptuous!"

"Hahaha....."

Jiang Yuan laughed, neither confirming nor denying, "Brother Zhang, what brings you here tonight?"

Liu Mang quickly handed the wooden box to Jiang Yuan, solemnly saying, "Brother, this contains the indentures of Chunlan and Qiuju. This matter must be kept a secret under any circumstances!"

Jiang Yuan took the wooden box, raised an eyebrow, and asked, "Brother Zhang, what exactly are the identities of these two maids?"

He never understood why Liu Mang made such a big deal out of simply releasing two maids and servants.

Just so I could thank him?

There's really no need for that.

Liu Mang said helplessly, "To be honest, it's not the fault of these two maids, but rather that they've broken the rules!"

"rule?"

Jiang Yuan was even more puzzled.

Liu Mang leaned closer to Jiang Yuan and whispered, "Brother, I came tonight specifically to tell you this, so that you won't break the rules in the future."

"Tell me more about it," Jiang Yuan said.

Liu Mang's expression turned serious, and he lowered his voice, saying, "Brother, as I said before, our black market is a place for doing business. The four main halls of the Jiangning branch are clearly separated and must not interfere with each other."

"The Qinglong Hall runs a casino business, also known as a 'pig butchering scam,' which specializes in swindling rich people into gambling and then lending them money until they are bankrupt."

"Our White Tiger Hall manages the assassin business; we handle all kinds of killings in the underworld."

"The Vermilion Bird Hall is in charge of the flesh trade. They basically control all the brothels in the outer city. Even these two indentures were obtained from them. They are not allowed to redeem people easily."

"Xuanwu Hall runs an auction business, and most of the items sold there are prohibited, such as contraband salt, slaves, forbidden drugs, demon cores, and so on."

"Of course, these are all underground businesses. Obviously, we should just maintain order in the market and do some ordinary business. We absolutely cannot break the rules!"

Liu Mang recounted the story in detail, making Jiang Yuan's heart pound with fear.

He had long heard that the black market was not a respectable place, but he never expected that it was involved in such shady dealings. No wonder even the government was having a headache with it.

"I understand, thank you for reminding me, Brother Zhang."

Jiang Yuan let out a soft breath, but was already making plans in his mind.

The black market was not a place to linger. He originally only wanted to escape the Blood Robe Cult's pursuit and earn some cultivation resources along the way.

If the timing is right, it's best to run away sooner rather than later.

But if it were a reputable sect, they probably wouldn't accept such a white-haired old man as a low-level disciple, would they?

Unless, of course, his cultivation level is high enough to serve as a guest elder or senior member of a sect.

That's difficult.

Liu Mang grinned: "Brother Jiang, you're too kind. We're practically family!"

After exchanging pleasantries, Liu Mang reluctantly left Jiang Yuan's residence.

This scene tonight has further convinced him that Jiang Yuan is a master, and perhaps he can lead him to great success in the future.

His investments now are truly a lifeline in times of need.

Jiang Yuan took the wooden box back to the room and summoned the two sisters, Chunlan and Qiuju.

"I've gotten your indentures for you."

Jiang Yuan smiled.

The two sisters were shocked and incredulous as they accepted their indentures, immediately kneeling down on the ground:

"Thank you, sir!"

After Jiang Yuan made that promise that day, they turned around and forgot about it, not taking it seriously at all.

You can't trust what a man says in bed!

Unexpectedly, the old gentleman actually took their matter to heart, and I couldn't help but feel touched.

Jiang Yuan waved his hand: "Ah, it is fate that we meet. I was once down on my luck, and it was a kind-hearted woman who helped me."

"You should leave now, and don't stay in the black market anymore."

"Huh? Sir, are you sending us away?"

Upon hearing this, the two sisters exchanged a glance, their pretty faces turning pale with fright.

"What's wrong? You still don't want to leave?"

The two women remained kneeling on the ground, refusing to get up or leave, which puzzled Jiang Yuan.

After a long silence, Chunlan hesitated for a moment, then bit her lip and said, "My lord, there is nothing you know."

"As far as I know, none of the women who came out of the Vermilion Bird Tower, even after being redeemed, had a good end. They...they all seem to have been killed."

When she said this, Chunlan trembled all over, as if she was very scared, and couldn't help but kowtow.

"My lord, this servant is willing to serve you forever."

Qiuju, also looking frightened, kowtowed and said, "Please, sir, do not abandon us. We sisters are willing to serve you forever."

"this...."

Jiang Yuan was dumbfounded. Even if he was redeemed, he would still die?

This black market is definitely not a benevolent place.

Looking at the two sisters who were kneeling on the ground, Jiang Yuan felt a pang of pity and sighed, "Fine, you can stay if you want. But consider it as me hiring you, and I'll pay you a monthly salary, okay?"

"Take the indenture back. You can leave whenever you want."

"what?"

The two sisters were even more surprised, feeling that happiness had come too suddenly, and they couldn't help but cry tears of joy:

"Thank you, sir! Thank you, sir! You are such a kind person!"

Is he a good person?

Jiang Yuan gave a self-deprecating laugh.

If rescuing a wayward girl counts as being a good person, then there are far too many good people out there.