At the Li Mansion, in the family disciples’ quarters.
Inside a classically furnished study, Li Changgui recounted every detail of his grievances and entanglements with Chen Yuan to the man sitting across from him. He had tossed and turned all night, growing increasingly convinced that Chen Yuan was not a simple figure, which was why he had come seeking help.
The man sitting opposite him was naturally his biological older brother, Li Changfu, who currently managed the Li Family’s Treasure Tower business. He was slightly plump with a ruddy complexion. However, it would be a grave mistake to assume Li Changfu was inept at martial arts because of his appearance. He was a bona fide Muscle-Joint Hidden Force Martial Artist; otherwise, he could never have secured such a position.
Li Changfu took a sip of tea and evaluated the situation.
"Changgui, you’re still not mature enough in handling matters. Spending a little over a hundred taels of silver to eliminate any risks to your Vice Steward position is a great bargain.
"Chen Yuan must have agreed because he didn’t want to make an enemy out of you. For you to brood over a mere hundred taels of silver is truly unwarranted."
As a spectator, he could see the situation far more clearly than his brother. Coupled with the fact that Li Changfu’s horizons and resources were far beyond what Li Changgui could compare to, he could easily pinpoint the root of the problem.
Li Changgui sighed.
"Brother, giving away over a hundred taels of silver for nothing... I really wasn’t happy about it at the time.
"Besides, I had investigated Chen Yuan. I knew he had no background, and his attitude wasn’t particularly firm when we discussed the price. So, I thought I could squeeze some benefits out of him.
"I never expected his Martial Dao talent to be so high. It completely caught me off guard."
Things had gone so smoothly that it had gone to his head.
Li Changfu’s eyes narrowed slightly as he spoke bluntly.
"That makes it even more inexcusable. You already knew Chen Yuan had no background, so why didn’t you stop to think about how he was able to compete with you for the Vice Steward position in the first place?
"He obviously earned Uncle Song’s favor. Fortunately, he didn’t speak ill of you in front of Uncle Song; otherwise, it would have put me in a difficult spot as well."
Li Changfu had used his personal favors to secure this Vice Steward opportunity for Li Changgui. If Changgui failed to perform well, it would be hard for him to explain himself.
Having it pointed out to him, Li Changgui finally realized how reckless his actions had been. Breaking out in a cold sweat, he hurriedly asked, "Brother, what should I do now? Yesterday, Chen Yuan asked me to help him process a Black-Scaled Leopard. There should still be room to salvage the situation."
Li Changfu nodded slightly. "That much is true. Chen Yuan is also a smart person who knows what benefits him. Since you’re the one in the wrong, take what you extorted from him earlier and double it as compensation, adding it to the payment for the Black-Scaled Leopard."
As a businessman, he could see through Chen Yuan’s intentions at a glance.
Li Changgui committed this to memory and asked again, "Do I need to do anything else to smooth things over?"
He still felt uneasy.
Li Changfu smiled faintly.
"Changgui, this Chen Yuan does have some talent, so it’s best not to make an enemy of him. But truthfully, that’s all there is to it.
"You are my brother; there’s no need for you to bow and scrape. Just don’t intentionally target him anymore."
Currently holding a high position, Li Changfu naturally possessed the confidence and composure to handle such trivial matters. Seeing his brother so assured, Li Changgui breathed a sigh of relief. That was right—even if Chen Yuan had talent, he was far from a monstrous prodigy. After all, he was of the same generation as a genuine genius: their cousin, Li Changqing, who possessed a Grade-A aptitude. His older brother could easily handle a mere Chen Yuan!
In the afternoon, Li Changgui followed his brother’s instructions, carrying a money pouch to the Fourth Medicinal Garden to find Chen Yuan.
Approaching with considerable confidence, he spoke to Chen Yuan, who was in the middle of practicing his fist techniques. "Brother Chen, your fist technique is truly sharp. No wonder you could single-handedly beat a Black-Scaled Leopard to death."
Chen Yuan pulled back his fists and stood upright, smiling faintly. "Steward Li praises me too highly. It’s just an insignificant skill. May I ask if your visit today means there is news regarding the Black-Scaled Leopard?"
He knew Li Changgui had an older brother, Li Changfu, who was the manager of the Li Family’s Treasure Tower. A mere Black-Scaled Leopard would likely be sold off very quickly.
Li Changgui nodded slightly, took out the money pouch, and handed it to Chen Yuan.
"Exactly. The Black-Scaled Leopard Brother Chen killed was of excellent quality and sold for 120 taels of silver. I have offended you many times in the past, so please consider the extra amount inside as my apology. I hope you will accept it."
Normally, if a Black-Scaled Leopard sold for 120 taels of silver, after deducting the processing and sales fees, Chen Yuan would be lucky to receive 100 taels. Giving the full amount to Chen Yuan showed his sincerity.
Chen Yuan gladly accepted the pouch. The moment it landed in his hand, he knew Li Changgui was being sincere; it contained at least 150 taels. He smiled and said, "Steward Li is too polite. The past is in the past. Why would I still hold a grudge?"
Li Changgui smiled back. "Then I wish Brother Chen a good position, so you can continue to contribute to the family, and may your Martial Dao prosper."
Just as his brother had said, Chen Yuan was indeed easy to talk to.
Chen Yuan cupped his hands slightly. "Thank you for the good wishes, Steward Li."
After exchanging a few more pleasantries, Li Changgui left.
Chen Yuan then opened the pouch and carefully assessed its contents, finding a total of 160 taels of silver. An extra 40 taels had been added. Not bad at all. His "deposit" had doubled in value after just a short time. However, Li Changgui made no mention of the favor he had used up.
"It seems I’m still too weak," Chen Yuan murmured to himself with a smile.
Overall, it was a very good outcome. With these 160 taels of silver, along with his monthly allowance of 80 taels and 10 Bone Strengthening Pills, he was finally qualified to begin his Dragon Sinew cultivation. However, it would only be enough to sustain a single month of training. If he wanted to keep it up, he would have to think of other ways to make a fortune.
Hunt another mutated beast? If he encountered one, he could give it a try, but such things were entirely a matter of luck and couldn’t be actively sought out. As for venturing deep into the mountains to hunt, that was even more impossible—it ran completely counter to his philosophy of playing it safe.
For the moment, Chen Yuan couldn’t think of any good ideas, so he could only set the matter aside.
The next day, at the Huo Courtyard.
Chen Yuan finally saw Senior Brother Fang Minghai after a long absence, but his senior brother’s complexion looked rather poor. A thought stirred in Chen Yuan’s mind. He walked over and asked with concern, "Senior Brother Fang, have you been worrying about the He Family’s affairs these past few days? Have they made a move recently?"
Fang Minghai sighed and briefly explained the recent situation. Unwilling to clash head-on with the powerful He Family, the Fang Family had chosen to search for another mine elsewhere. Their hard work paid off when, a few days ago, they finally discovered a rather rich mine near Wankou Mountain. However, the He Family came sniffing around. Using twisted logic, they forcefully claimed they had discovered the mine long ago and ordered the Fang Family to get lost as soon as possible. Naturally, the Fang Family refused. The two sides argued endlessly, inevitably leading to conflict, and they finally decided to settle the matter through a martial arts competition.
Fang Minghai had been busy with the competition these past few days. However, even after spending a hefty sum to hire experts, they were still at a disadvantage with only one win and two losses. In one of the matches, the top prodigy of the Fang Family’s younger generation had actually been beaten to death on the spot by someone from the He Family, sending their morale plummeting to rock bottom. It was a best-of-five format. Completely disheartened, the Fang Family was already considering forfeiting the remaining matches. Not wanting to stay in the lifeless, gloomy atmosphere of his family, Fang Minghai had run off to the Huo Courtyard to clear his head.
After listening to the story, Chen Yuan raised an eyebrow and asked, "Senior Brother Fang, what is the strength of the He Family’s young prodigy?"
Fang Minghai sighed. "His name is He Yunhan. He possesses a Lower Grade-B Root Bone and quite impressive Comprehension. He’s been practicing martial arts for less than a year, yet he has already achieved Great Success in Bone Refining and has even comprehended Hidden Force."
The competition had its rules: prodigy against prodigy, and old-timer against old-timer. The matches could only proceed if both sides agreed. The prodigy from the Fang Family who was beaten to death had already been the strongest among their younger generation.
Chen Yuan spoke frankly, "Senior Brother Fang, perhaps I could fight him."