I have a martial arts panel.

Xu Ning held the Green Willow Pill in his hand, looking thoughtful.

Yu Xinghe looked at Xu Ning and thought he was just thinking about how to accept the Green Willow Pill without losing face.

He had seen this scene many times before.

"They're young after all; the allure of the Green Willow Pill is just too great..."

Just now, Xu Ning gave Yu Xinghe a sense of being out of control that was hard to fathom, but now, that feeling has disappeared.

"Lord Xu..."

Seeing that Xu Ning remained silent, Yu Xinghe prepared to help Xu Ning out of the predicament.

"Deputy Steward Yu."

At this moment, Xu Ning also spoke.

"This Green Willow Pill is truly too precious..."

With that, Xu Ning gently placed the pills back into the box: "I won't accept them."

Yu Xinghe's expression was originally smiling, but when he saw Qingliudan put the box back, his smile became somewhat stiff.

He looked at Xu Ning with a hint of confusion in his eyes.

Xu Ning met Yu Xinghe's gaze with composure.

In fact, Xu Ning was very tempted by these three Green Willow Pills.

Although I don't use the Green Willow Pill much, as long as I accept it, I can naturally find a way to exchange it for equivalent silver, and then use that silver to buy spiritual medicine, which will still allow me to make a fortune.

One thousand five hundred taels of silver—that's enough to exchange for over ten points of energy.

The temptation is too great.

Unfortunately, Xu Ning felt that once she got the gift, she might not be able to live in peace.

During his interactions with Dayuan Trading Company, Xu Ning clearly realized that Dayuan Trading Company wielded too much power and had too much confidence in Fengliu Lane. They were only superficially polite to the Black Armor Guards.

Maple Willow Lane became the Maple Willow Lane of the Great Far Merchant Guild, and the Black Armor Guards became the opportunists.

Can the higher-ups of the Black Armor Guard really tolerate this kind of behavior indefinitely?

Xu Ning refused the Green Willow Pill because he genuinely didn't want to get into trouble.

Xu Ning understood very well that even though Fengliu Lane belonged to Dayuan Trading Company, it was still originally part of Kangyun County.

The top controllers of Kangyun County are still the Black Armor Guards.

The weakness of one Black Armor Guard post station does not mean that the entire Black Armor Guard will compromise with the Great Far Merchant Guild's overstepping of authority.

If they settle scores later, it would be too unfair to have been implicated now.

"Lord Xu, you don't need to worry too much about the value of this item; it's just a token of our appreciation."

Yu Xinghe felt that this young man was still difficult to handle.

Xu Ning waved her hand, still refusing, but her attitude was gentle.

What I need to do now is not to confront, but to keep my distance.

It's not too late to decide whether to establish a relationship after I've truly understood the Black Armor Guard's attitude towards the Great Far Merchant Guild.

I don't want to be dragged into this mess without knowing why.

"Deputy Steward Yu, I appreciate your kind offer, but please leave the gifts behind."

Xu Ning didn't give Yu Xinghe another chance to persuade him. He gave Feng Sigua a look and said, "Let's go, Lao Feng."

"this……"

The head manager stood aside, unsure whether to try to stop them or see them off.

He subconsciously looked at the deputy steward, Yu Xinghe.

Yu Xinghe hesitated only slightly before smiling again: "In that case, we won't insist for now. We'll visit you with gifts when the opportunity arises."

"Wait a moment."

Xu Ning cupped his hands in greeting and left with Feng Sigua.

Yu Xinghe stood at the second-floor window, watching the two figures disappear into the distance.

"Deputy Steward Yu, this Xu Ning is completely unyielding..."

The head manager stood behind Yu Xinghe, his body slightly bowed.

Yu Xinghe stood with his hands behind his back, his eyes filled with contemplation.

"Impossible to reason with?"

Yu Xinghe sneered, "Even Chen Ren, the garrison commander of Fengliu Lane, can be controlled by our chief steward, let alone a mere guard like him?"

"Yes, yes..."

The head manager flattered from the side.

"but……"

Yu Xinghe changed the subject: "This Xu Ning is indeed somewhat beyond my expectations..."

"According to the information from the trading company, this Xu Ning is actually from outside Tao Family Village. Generally speaking, people who have experienced displacement and dependence on others should value money and resources immensely. Moreover, they are inherently sensitive and insecure..."

"However, I didn't find these flaws in Xu Ning." Yu Xinghe squinted his eyes. "He seems very confident and self-assured. What I find most hard to understand is his calmness when it comes to money."

"Three Green Willow Pills, a resolute refusal. This Xu Ning is either too principled, or too clever..."

The head manager stood to the side; it was the first time he had ever heard the deputy manager praise a young man like this.

"So you mean Xu Ning is difficult to deal with?"

The head manager moved closer.

"What's so difficult to deal with?" At this moment, Yu Xinghe's tone changed again. "No matter how firm your bottom line is, he can still break through it. No matter how smart you are, you still have to assess the situation and know when to submit..."

"He has no choice but to accept these three Green Willow Pills, whether he likes it or not."

Yu Xinghe said confidently, "He won't accept it openly today, but he'll have to accept it privately another day. He has no choice but to accept it if he wants to, and he has no choice but to accept it if he doesn't want to..."

"After all, he's just a lowly... black-armored guard."

……

"What a pity, what a real pity..."

As Xu Ning stepped out of the herbal medicine shop, he gently shook his head and muttered to himself.

Feng Sigua stood to the side, not saying a word.

I've only just become a little closer to this Lord Xu, so it's best if I don't say anything about anything that directly affects his finances or interests.

However, deep down, Feng Sigua still admired Xu Ning very much.

Those are three Green Willow Pills, worth 1,500 taels of silver!

My monthly salary is ten taels, which is not bad in Kangyun County, but even if I don't eat or drink, I can't save up 1,500 taels in ten years.

"Old Feng."

Xu Ning seemed somewhat nonchalant: "Is the connection between this Dayuan Trading Company and our Fengliu Lane Garrison Station... very close?"

Feng Sigua understood the deeper meaning in Xu Ning's words. He hesitated for a moment, then finally nodded: "Very close..."

He paused, then gritted his teeth: "Captain Chen has an excellent relationship with the head steward of Dayuan Trading Company. Because of this connection, other officials in the garrison have also received a lot of help from Dayuan Trading Company."

Xu Ning glanced at Feng Sigua.

That's quite a blunt statement.

At this moment, Xu Ning also understood Feng Sigua's intentions. This old sly soldier of the city guard wanted to climb into his lap.

Although he was a city guard, he was just an ordinary person with some martial arts skills. If he wanted to make a name for himself or even advance further in the future, he would have to get on the good side of the Black Armor Guards.

That's exactly right; Feng Sigua had always had this idea.

Previously, the guards in the post station did not take him seriously at all, but now, he happened to run into Xu Ning. This opportunity was rare for Feng Sigua, so he answered whatever Xu Ning asked, which was also a way of expressing his attitude.

"I heard that after arriving at the garrison, I have the right to choose a few deputies from the city guards to help me with miscellaneous tasks?"

Xu Ning spoke, and Feng Sigua's heart skipped a beat at what he said.

"Sir, yes, that's true..."

Feng Sigua felt his heart leap into his throat.

"I'm new here and don't know anyone else. How about you come with me?"

Xu Ning's words hit Feng Sigua right where it hurts.

Feng Sigua's face flushed red, and disregarding the fact that they were on the road, he immediately pledged his loyalty: "I am willing to go through fire and water for you, sir!"

Xu Ning smiled; this expression of loyalty was a bit old-fashioned.

"Let's go back to Weiyi. Tell me about our Maple Willow Lane and the Black Armor Guard."

Xu Ning waved his hand and started his return journey.

Feng Sigua quickly followed.

……

Over the next two or three days, Xu Ning found Tao Qingyuan and others and asked them to help inquire about the attitudes of other Black Armor Guards towards the Dayuan Trading Company in other alleys.

During this time, Xu Ning walked around Fengliu Lane, and he also learned a lot about Fengliu Lane from Feng Sigua.

In addition, Xu Ning also met two or three other colleagues.

However, they only occasionally came to Weiyi to make a formality, and they only smiled at Xu Ning on the surface.

Everyone behaved exactly like Chen Ren, the garrison commander of Fengliu Lane, living a carefree and complacent life.

That day, Xu Ning, as usual, took a stroll around Fengliu Lane with Feng Sigua.

Just as he returned to his study at Weiyi, he heard someone at the door requesting an audience.

"Come in."

Xu Ning agreed from inside the house.

A city guard walked in, bowing his head respectfully, and said, "Sir, Captain Chen wants to see you."

"Captain Chen?"

Xu Ning seemed to be deep in thought.

He pursed his lips and replied, "I'll go right away."

"Your subordinate takes his leave."

The city guard withdrew.

Xu Ning stood up. He had a premonition that Chen Ren's visit this time was most likely related to Dayuan Trading Company.

"What exactly do you want to say to me...?"

Xu Ning left the room and walked towards Chen Ren's study.