Chapter 20: Lin Dong's "Bravery"

The grand blueprint he had envisioned for the middleman’s profit was shot down before it even had a chance to take shape. It was inevitable that Zhang Ze felt somewhat dejected at that moment.

“Hold on, then tell me, why can’t we do business with pills?” After a moment’s silence, Zhang Ze fixed his eyes on Wang Chao, waiting for an explanation.

Huang Ming, however, was quick to side with Zhang Ze. “About the pills, I think Zhang Ze isn’t wrong. We’ve got a source through Wei Hu; passing them on to the townships is entirely feasible.”

But neither of them had expected Wang Chao to be so resolute about the matter. “No.”

“It’s understandable that Zhang Ze doesn’t know, but Huang Ming, aren’t you aware of the recent dealings between the Qian family and the Lin family? Besides, to save you, I’ve already handed Wei Hu over to Lin Ziwei.”

Though Zhang Ze didn’t fully grasp the ongoing strife between the Lin and Qian families, as Wang Chao mentioned, he could sense the latter’s concerns. After a brief silence, he ventured, “What if I said I had my own source for the pills?”

“And where would you get your supply?” Everyone knew what pills meant to martial artists. Otherwise, how could the Lin family have gained such influence in Anqing Province in less than a decade?

“Don’t concern yourself with my source. I’m just asking: are you willing to do the pill business or not?” Eyes alight with a fervent glow, Zhang Ze stared unflinchingly at the two.

The only discordant note in their heated debate was the fat man gnawing on an ox tendon at the side.

...

“If you insist, all I can say is that at first, you’ll need to stay clear of Mengyang County,” Wang Chao eventually relented. Perhaps, in his mind, the feud between the Lin and Qian families might play out differently this time.

Yet Zhang Ze was clearly unconcerned with such intricacies—he probably didn’t even know who Lin Ziwei really was.

“In that case, come with me to the countryside,” Zhang Ze declared. “I know two brothers with some influence in the townships. We can see what’s happening on their end.”

Hearing this, Wang Chao realized the young man before him had thought things through more thoroughly than he’d guessed. “Alright, then when do we set out?”

Fat Liu, who had been silent for a long while, was quick to interject as he saw the group preparing to leave. “The dishes are already here! Let me finish eating first…”

Zhang Ze simply smacked him on the back of the head. “All you do is eat.”

Turning to Wang Chao and Huang Ming, he said, “I’ll make a call. We’ll set out in a moment.”

With that, he took out his phone and stepped aside to make the call.

“You know, I like the way this kid handles things. Decisive, no dithering, and, most importantly, he’s got connections,” Huang Ming muttered to Wang Chao as he watched Zhang Ze’s retreating figure.

Fatty looked on with a measure of disdain but, with his mouth full of tonic food, said nothing.

Wang Chao, however, still appeared worried. “The way the pill company has been operating these last few years has rubbed a lot of people the wrong way. Now that the Qian family wants to step forward, conflict is inevitable. If something goes wrong with our current standing…”

Huang Ming, used to Wang Chao’s caution, was not surprised by his misgivings.

...

While Zhang Ze and his group were preparing to head out to the countryside, someone else had already taken action.

“Young Master, are you really going to do this? Dealing with these paupers is one thing, but lately, Miss has been working with them. I’m worried…”

The middle-aged man spoke hesitantly.

“Damn it! When have I ever been bullied?” Lin Dong snapped, annoyed by the reminder. “If these yokels dare block my path and lay a hand on me, why shouldn’t I kill them?”

He was in no mood for further talk. “Do it. If anything happens, I’ll bear the consequences.”

With that, Lin Dong led his men straight towards Chen Family Village.

“How many martial artists from the Lin family have died in battle? Only now, with control over the pills, are we barely regaining our strength. Qian family, Wang family—today I’ll show them! The Lin family is not to be trifled with!”

Cursing as he walked, Lin Dong’s anger was clearly more than just a moment’s impulse—charging into Chen Family Village this time was no rash act.

...

By the time Fatty had finished nourishing himself, it was already dusk.

After a quick phone call with Baldy, Zhang Ze and his group of four grabbed a quick bite and set out, driving towards the outskirts of Mengyang County.

Curious, Huang Ming, who was at the wheel, asked, “This Baldy you contacted, is he familiar with the situation in the villages?”

“Baldy hasn’t personally helped the village youth with their martial training,” Zhang Ze replied. “But Erlong is a reliable man. He’s been organizing the martial training for forty or fifty young people in the villages around Changping.”

Huang Ming nodded, satisfied for now.

But Wang Chao, sitting nearby, couldn’t help but reflect, “Everyone wants to be a martial artist… People in different social classes always see the other side as better off.”

The sudden remark left Zhang Ze puzzled. “What do you mean by that? Society favors martial artists these days—everyone wants to walk that path. What’s the problem?”

Wang Chao smiled ambiguously. “No problem at all. It’s just that those outside the circle only see the perks of becoming a martial artist.”

Shaking his head as he spoke, Wang Chao seemed lost in thought. Zhang Ze, still at a loss, asked after a moment’s pause, “By the way, what did you do before all this?”

“Raised pigs in the army,” Wang Chao laughed. “Otherwise, how could a country bumpkin like me end up with a second-rank cultivation?”

...

After half an hour of swift driving, the group met up with Baldy and Li Tian around eight in the evening.

Zhang Ze and Wang Chao got into Baldy’s car.

“To be honest, when you mentioned this to me before, I asked Erlong and the others about it. You know how it turned out,” Li Tian said as soon as the car started.

Baldy, sitting in the passenger seat, immediately turned to Zhang Ze, clearly regarding Wang Chao as the pill supplier. He asked quietly, “Currently, the Lin family’s offering first-grade Body Strengthening Pills at forty-six thousand each. That’s already a low price. Can you go any lower?”

Wang Chao caught his meaning and shook his head. “I don’t have any pills. I’m just running errands for this guy now,” he said, pointing at Zhang Ze beside him.

Baldy was obviously surprised—he hadn’t expected that Zhang Ze, barely in his twenties, would have his own supply lines for pills. And the man beside him was probably more than just a first-grade martial artist.