I am dying of old age, and I have awakened to the character of longevity.

Squeak.

The door opened.

It was the head steward, Lin Yun.

Today, Lin Yun was wearing a light green scholar's robe. He was around forty years old, but his aura was restrained, and he carried a natural air of authority. However, the observant Xie An noticed a hint of worry between Lin Yun's eyebrows, and his mood didn't seem high.

Lin Yun simply nodded to Xie An and the other man as a greeting, then said, "Chief Wei is injured and is recuperating. Please keep your voices down later."

Xie An nodded in agreement and followed Lin Yun into the courtyard. While taking in the surroundings, he muttered to himself, "Chief Wei is injured? No wonder Lin Yun's mood is low. Judging by the look on Lin Yun's face, Chief Wei's injuries must be quite serious."

Over the past month, Xie An had focused on learning about this Chief Wei from various angles.

Starting from humble beginnings, he had climbed the ranks step by step to reach the position of chief. He had established the Blood Ridge Black Market at the request of the Tiger Wolf Gate, building it from scratch to its current scale.

He had been in charge of the Blood Ridge Black Market for over a decade without any major incidents.

His strength was also top-notch, yet he had suffered serious injuries?

Xie An was new here and didn't want to ask too many questions.

However, Zhang Lin took the lead in asking, "Chief Wei was fine just a while ago, how did he suddenly get injured?"

Zhang Lin wasn't an ambitious martial artist. He had been following Chief Wei for years, seeking stability and wealth. If something were to happen to Chief Wei, his safety would naturally be compromised.

Sigh.

Facing the two stewards, Lin Yun didn't hide anything and sighed, "Some time ago, bandits from the Great Yin Mountain descended to plunder the Chen family mansion in Water Lantern Town. Chief Wei was sent by the branch to suppress the bandits and injured his lungs. He is currently recuperating. This is a secret matter, and you, as stewards, must not disclose it, or it will cause panic among the subordinates."

Xie An nodded in agreement.

Then, Lin Yun led the two to the bedroom. As soon as Xie An entered, he smelled a strong and pungent medicinal odor. Through the curtain, he could vaguely see an old man with white hair lying on the bed, and he could hear him coughing softly.

Based on his experience from his stroke, Xie An knew that this Chief Wei Dian was seriously injured, perhaps even on the verge of death. It's just that he practiced martial arts and was still an expert. It was unknown whether he would recover.

Wei Dian coughed lightly twice and weakly said, "You've arrived."

"Chief Wei, how did you get so injured..." Zhang Lin leaned forward and asked with concern through the curtain.

Wei Dian weakly said, "When I was suppressing the bandits from the Great Yin Mountain at the Chen family mansion some time ago, I was injured by the Plum Blossom Demon... But let's not talk about the past. Is this the new steward appointed by Elder Tang?"

Xie An stepped forward and cupped his fist. "Yes."

Immediately, Xie An felt a sharp gaze looking at him through the curtain, as if trying to see through him. After a moment, the gaze softened and turned into a sigh.

After some polite greetings, Wei Dian began to speak slowly, "Since I was injured, Chief Zhang Hengshui has been eyeing our Blood Ridge Black Market covetously. You are all my people and need to manage the Blood Ridge Black Market well, so as not to give Zhang Hengshui an opportunity, and even more so, not to leave him with any excuses to attack us. Stabilize the Blood Ridge Black Market, and everyone will be better off. If something goes wrong with the Blood Ridge Black Market, and he attacks and targets us, none of us will have a good ending."

Xie An and Zhang Lin nodded in agreement. Then, Wei Dian exchanged a few more pleasantries before dismissing the two. However, to Xie An's surprise, Wei Dian actually had Lin Yun personally escort him out.

After seeing Zhang Lin and Xie An off, Lin Yun returned to the bedroom and took the initiative to decoct medicine for Wei Dian.

During the time it took to decoct the medicine, Wei Dian asked Lin Yun, "Lin Yun, what do you think of this new steward?"

Lin Yun said, "Logically speaking, this person shouldn't have covered his face when meeting the chief for the first time. But since he was appointed by Elder Tang, I can't say much. I'll just assume he's cautious and doesn't fully trust us.

I've been observing him from the side for a month. Although this person is old, he is very prudent in his actions. He took a full month to familiarize himself with the various operations of the Black Market before coming to the branch to collect martial arts manuals and medicinal supplements. This kind of temperament is rare."

Then, Lin Yun added, "I heard Zhang Lin say that when Elder Tang tested this person, he lifted seven hundred pounds with one arm and accurately shot a small sparrow a hundred meters away. It's just that he's a bit old..."

Sigh.

Wei Dian sighed and said, "Help him if you can. Go see what martial arts manuals and medicinal supplements he wants. Provide convenience where you can."

"Yes, Chief."

...

Meanwhile, Xie An and Zhang Lin left the villa and headed straight for the Scripture Pavilion.

The six-story wooden building was particularly impressive.

Many disciples were entering and exiting with tokens. However, disciples had to pay a certain fee to enter and exit, while stewards were exempt from this fee.

After the gatekeeper saw Xie An's and Zhang Lin's tokens, his attitude immediately became much more respectful. "Please come in, stewards."

He led the two inside and introduced the rules of the Scripture Pavilion.

"The martial arts manuals and notes on the first floor can be browsed freely. Borrowing costs two taels of silver each time, and the duration cannot exceed three months. If you want to go to the second floor, you need to pay five taels of silver, where borrowing martial arts manuals and notes costs ten taels of silver each time, and the duration cannot exceed one month. As for the third floor... the two of you do not yet have permission."

Xie An clicked his tongue in amazement.

Just then, a voice came.

"The second floor isn't very interesting either, I'll take you to the third floor."