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Chapter 48: Martial Arts Resources
Chapter 48: Martial Arts Resources
At the front courtyard of the Martial Hall.
Upon seeing Zhou Xing and Zhang Tiesheng, who resembled an iron tower, entering the courtyard, the crowd greeted them one after another.
Hearing the voices behind him, Zhao Hu turned around and instantly caught sight of Zhou Xing and Zhang Tiesheng.
At that moment, Zhou Xing also looked in the direction of Cheng Ran and Zhao Hu, a smile on his face, and walked straight towards them.
"All of you are here! It's me who's late!" What's going on? Why did I hear that Zhao Shidi wants to spar with Cheng Shidi?"
He then glanced at Li Qing, the only red among the green, "Li Shimei is here too! Has Li Shimei officially entered the ranks of the Ninth Tier of Martial Dao?"
"Zhou Shixiong!" Zhao Hu spoke up.
Li Qing also said, "It went quite smoothly. Yesterday, I officially entered the ranks of the Ninth Tier of Martial Dao."
"Congratulations!" Zhou Xing said with a smile.
Then his gaze shifted back and forth between Cheng Ran and Zhao Hu.
"As soon as I stepped into the Martial Hall, I vaguely heard the words between the two of you. Is Zhao Shidi going to spar with Cheng Shidi?"
Zhao Hu spoke up, "Hmph! Cheng Ran has been unhappy for a long time! I just don't know if he dares to accept the challenge."
Cheng Ran immediately showed a look of helplessness, his gaze turning towards Zhou Xing.
Zhou Xing couldn't help but smile in understanding, then he said, "Zhao Shidi asking Cheng Shidi to spar with you is a bit of bullying!"
"Cheng Shidi has been in the Martial Hall for less than half a year, and Zhao Shidi has reached the Minor Mastery of the Ninth Tier of Martial Dao. Moreover, he has already mastered the Tiger Power, having achieved perfection in Tiger Shape Fist. How can you expect Cheng Shidi to accept the challenge?"
At this moment, Li Qing also had some understanding. She wasn't foolish; how could she not know that Zhao Hu had always been interested in her?
She looked at Zhao Hu with a hint of disgust in her eyes.
"Zhao Shixiong, you're going too far!"
"Me?" Zhao Hu's eyes blazed with anger as he glared at Cheng Ran, "Very good! Cheng Ran, I'll remember you!"
Seeing this, Cheng Ran's face showed a hint of helplessness.
Jiang Ning's heart couldn't help but marvel.
"A beauty is a disaster, the ancients did not deceive me!"
"It's good that it's Cheng Ran Shixiong who's being targeted, not me!"
At this moment, Jiang Ning had already made up his mind in his heart to stay away from women, especially those like Li Qing, who had both beauty and grace.
At that moment.
Watching Zhao Hu leave, Zhou Xing turned to Cheng Ran and smiled.
"Alright, Cheng Shidi, you're safe now!"
Cheng Ran clasped his fists, "Thank you, Zhou Shixiong, for helping me out of this situation."
"It's nothing!" Zhou Xing smiled, "Zhao Hu is stubborn and unyielding, only believing in his own principles. In the future, Cheng Shidi will have to be more careful!"
"I understand!" Cheng Ran responded with a fist clasp.
Zhou Xing smiled in response.
Regarding Zhao Hu, he had already tried to recruit him privately, but with no success, Zhou Xing naturally chose to side with Cheng Ran today.
In his opinion, Cheng Ran came from a well-off family and had good martial talent.
His chances of competing with Xiao Peng for the position in the Patrol Bureau were also not low, with both of them having about a fifty-fifty chance.
Therefore, he naturally didn't plan to give up on recruiting Cheng Ran.
For him, the most important thing about entering the Patrol Bureau was power. The Patrol Bureau held immense authority.
They could inspect the common people, patrol the entire realm, and from the highest nobles to the lowest commoners, they could execute first and report later.
How could he not understand the magnitude of such power?
If the Zhou family wanted to thrive and become a powerful family like the Cao, Liu, and Xie families, or even surpass them and become the local overlord of Luo Shui County, the key lay in the Patrol Bureau.
The special times in Daxia had given rise to a unique government institution.
Therefore, he intended to befriend anyone who had the potential to enter the Patrol Bureau.
However, recruiting Zhao Hu was truly difficult. Zhao Hu came from a humble background and had a deep-seated resentment towards Cheng Ran and himself, who were from wealthy families.
Zhou Xing then took out several invitations from his pocket.
"Cheng Shidi, in three days, would you be willing to come to the Wind Glory Pavilion?"
"What is this?" Cheng Ran's face showed hesitation.
Zhou Xing smiled, "Three days later, the Patrol Bureau will open. I have high hopes for Cheng Shidi, and I want us to become colleagues! Inside are the conditions I've offered, Cheng Shidi, feel free to take a look!"
Cheng Ran smiled in understanding, "Zhou Shixiong, please give me some time to consider!"
"No rush! No rush!" Zhou Xing shook his head with a smile, "There's three days for Cheng Shidi to consider!"
He then turned to Li Qing and took out another invitation from his pocket, "Li Shimei, your family background is quite wealthy, and although you might not be interested in the conditions I've proposed, I still want us to advance and retreat together.
Li Qing took the invitation and glanced at it before closing it.
"I understand your good intentions, Brother Zhou. As fellow disciples, we should rise and fall together!"
Upon hearing these words, Cheng Ran understood Li Qing's meaning, and he smiled.
"Since that's the case, these words from Junior Sister Li are enough!"
Then, Zhou Xing spoke, "Junior Brothers and Sisters, I have something to attend to, so I'll take my leave first."
"Take your time, Brother Zhou," Cheng Ran said.
Li Qing nodded.
At this moment, Jiang Ning bowed and said, "Brother Zhou, please wait a moment."
"What is it?" Zhou Xing stopped in his tracks.
Jiang Ning said, "I wish to purchase several Ginseng roots from you to replenish my body's consumption."
"So, that's the matter!" Zhou Xing's face lit up with a smile. "Usually, I give other junior brothers ten taels of silver for a ten-year-old Ginseng root. May I ask how much you're willing to spend, Junior Brother Jiang?"
Jiang Ning took out the silver notes from his pocket, along with two twenty-tael silver ingots that Li Li had entrusted to him: "Brother Zhou, here are fifty taels in silver notes and twenty taels in silver. I intend to exchange all of this for Ginseng."
Zhou Xing took the silver notes without inspecting them and directly put them away, appearing straightforward.
"Since it's Junior Brother Jiang asking, I naturally can't sell them to you at ten taels per root. I'll have someone deliver ten Ginseng roots, and the extra three will be a token of my goodwill."
"Thank you, Brother Zhou!" Jiang Ning expressed his gratitude with a bow.
Zhou Xing smiled warmly, "As fellow disciples and with me being your senior brother, we share a bond. As your senior brother, it's only natural that I look out for you. There's no need to thank me so formally."
After saying this, he glanced at Jiang Ning, pondering for a moment. Then, he abandoned the idea of investing in Jiang Ning.
Jiang Ning had also made an impression on him. On the first day they met, Jiang Ning had surprised him, not a small feat.
So, he had remembered Jiang Ning and his name.
However, in his eyes, it was merely a surprising moment.
At that time, Jiang Ning's performance was only memorably outstanding in his eyes.
Now, in his opinion, Jiang Ning's martial arts training was too brief, and his strength was limited. He had no connection to the upcoming opening of the Patrol Bureau.
Missing this opportunity to soar like a dragon, the chance to hold power in his hands had slipped away.
In Zhou Xing's eyes, even if Jiang Ning had some talent, his future achievements would still be limited.
So, although he had some hope for Jiang Ning, a simple gesture of goodwill was enough! The current Jiang Ning wasn't worth him investing such a significant amount.
After all, although his family business was quite prosperous, his expenses were also high. Moreover, to recruit and invest in the people he valued required an enormous amount of wealth and resources.
If he didn't place a substantial bet, how could he gain favors? Once the investment succeeded and the invested person seized the opportunity of the Patrol Bureau, rising to prominence in the future, the Zhou family would also benefit from this success.
The goodwill of powerful martial artists and those in authority couldn't be measured by mere material possessions.
Investing in someone during their weak and undeveloped stage, if successful, would naturally yield extremely rich rewards.
Even if they couldn't soar to prominence in the future, as a fellow member of the Patrol Bureau, if they were to rise in rank, he would have a trustworthy person to rely on.
Therefore, he naturally wasn't willing to waste his wealth and resources on someone with no chance of success.
In his eyes, a person's opportunities in life were limited. Once missed, they were truly gone, and their future fate would be drastically different.
Luck and opportunities were also a part of one's strength, a saying Zhou Xing firmly believed in.
After making his decision, he waved his hand and turned to leave.
Seeing this, Li Qing spoke up, "Both junior brothers, I'll go pay my respects to our master."
"Take your time, Junior Sister Li," Cheng Ran said.
Jiang Ning also spoke, "Take your time, Junior Sister Li!"
(End of Chapter)
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