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Chapter 64: Lacking Influence
Chapter 64: Lacking Influence
At the front of the martial academy.
The two emerged from the academy's main entrance and boarded a carriage that had been waiting at the gate.
At that moment.
The two men who had been keeping watch outside the academy for days caught sight of Jiang Ning and exchanged a glance.
One of them exclaimed excitedly, "Finally, this kid has come out! Should I go inform Master Xu?"
"Go ahead! I'll wait here at the entrance," the other replied.
Both of these men had a small green snake tattooed on their arms.
Anyone from Luoshui County with some knowledge would recognize the green tattoo as a mark of the infamous Azure Serpent Gang.
Bright Moon Tower.
Cheng Ran, Jiang Ning, and Master Zheng, whom Cheng Ran had mentioned, arrived at the entrance of the Bright Moon Tower.
This was the place where Sihe Merchant Guild's Liu Zhixiang had invited Cheng Ran to a banquet.
At that moment, a man in his thirties immediately approached upon seeing Cheng Ran.
He came before Cheng Ran, bowing slightly, "Are you Young Master Cheng?"
Cheng Ran nodded, "Indeed, it's me."
"Please follow me, Young Master Cheng. My lord is already waiting in a private room on the second floor," the middle-aged man bowed slightly, showing respect.
"Lead the way," Cheng Ran said, raising his hand.
"Yes, sir," the middle-aged man bowed again.
As he spoke, his gaze lingered on Jiang Ning for a moment before quickly withdrawing it.
He thought for a moment, trying to recall if he knew this person named Jiang Ning, but he couldn't place him.
Knock, knock, knock—
The three climbed the stairs to the second floor.
A moment later.
The middle-aged man led Cheng Ran to a private room on the second floor.
Knock, knock, knock—
He knocked on the door of the private room.
"My lord, Young Master Cheng has arrived."
As his voice trailed off, rapid footsteps sounded.
In less than two breaths.
The door suddenly swung open.
The person who appeared before Jiang Ning and Cheng Ran was none other than Liu Zhixiang, who had visited the Waveflow Martial Academy yesterday.
His jaw was adorned with his signature goatee, now gray, indicating his advanced age.
At that moment, Liu Zhixiang's gaze fell upon Cheng Ran, and his face lit up with joy.
"Please come in, Young Master Cheng! I've been waiting for you here," he quickly stepped aside and gestured for Cheng Ran to enter.
Cheng Ran smiled, "Manager Liu, I've brought my junior brother with me. I hope that's not a problem."
Upon hearing this, Liu Zhixiang's gaze also shifted to Jiang Ning.
After a brief moment of thought, he recognized Jiang Ning's background.
As one of the managers of the Sihe Merchant Guild, he was well aware of the person the third young master of the Cao family intended to deal with.
He shook his head repeatedly, "Of course not! Young Master Cheng's attendance at the banquet is already a great honor for me. I welcome anyone you bring."
Hearing this, Cheng Ran smiled and turned to Jiang Ning.
"Let's go, Junior Brother Jiang."
As his words fell, he finally lifted his leg over the threshold of the private room.
At that moment.
Liu Zhixiang also instructed the middle-aged man who had just led the way, "Go and tell them to serve the food quickly."
Inside the private room.
After Cheng Ran and Jiang Ning took their seats, Liu Zhixiang finally took his seat.
As he sat down, his gaze couldn't help but linger on the ebony longsword leaning against the table by Jiang Ning's feet.
At that moment, Jiang Ning had placed the ebony longsword by his feet, leaning it against the table's leg.
Liu Zhixiang poured a cup of wine for Cheng Ran.
"Young Master Cheng, please have some wine. The food will be served shortly."
Then he poured a full cup for the elder named Master Zheng.
"Master Zheng, please have a taste. This is Bright Moon Tower's fine wine!"
As he spoke, Liu Zhixiang was quite respectful.
He knew exactly who Master Zheng was, the man who had accompanied Cheng Ran.
A few years ago, he had single-handedly taken on three ranked martial artists and killed them.
This man was also the foundation that kept the Cheng family's business as solid as a rock.
However, Liu Zhixiang didn't know his background, but he was aware of his formidable strength.
Manager Liu's father had once received a great favor from this person, which is why he could receive this person's gratitude.
Master Zheng shook his head slightly, "Just give me a pot of wine, and don't worry about the rest!"
After dealing with Master Zheng's matter, Liu Zhixiang hesitated slightly, but still poured a cup of wine and placed it in front of Jiang Ning.
"Please, young master!"
"Thank you!" Jiang Ning thanked him.
Seeing this, Cheng Ran spoke up, "Manager Liu, let's get straight to the point! I don't like beating around the bush!"
"Alright!" Liu Zhixiang immediately took out a folded white paper from his pocket and placed it in front of Cheng Ran, "Young Master Cheng knows the situation, and I won't say more. These are the conditions offered by Sihe Merchant Guild. Feel free to take a look, and if there are any issues, we can discuss them further."
Cheng Ran opened the white paper placed by Liu Zhixiang in front of Jiang Ning, glanced at it, and then handed it to Jiang Ning.
Jiang Ning also took a look and compared it to the resources mentioned in Zhou Xing's invitation from the previous day. He secretly shook his head.
The conditions offered by Sihe Merchant Guild were not as good as those offered by Zhou Xing, and were only about seven or eight out of ten compared to Zhou Xing's offer.
Cheng Ran also spoke up, "These conditions are not as good as those offered by my senior brother, Zhou Xing!"
A smile appeared on Manager Liu's face, "If you're not satisfied with the conditions, we can negotiate further!"
Cheng Ran shook his head and slowly said, "I can choose not to discuss the conditions, and I can also accept the conditions offered by Sihe Merchant Guild!"
"Really?" Manager Liu's expression became serious, and then he showed a pleased look.
Cheng Ran said, "But I have an additional condition."
"Please, Young Master Cheng, speak!" Manager Liu said.
Cheng Ran raised his hand to signal Manager Liu to look at Jiang Ning, "This is my junior brother, Jiang Ning, and he is also my most talented disciple in martial arts!"
Manager Liu's gaze fell on Jiang Ning, and upon hearing these words, he showed a look of surprise.
Cheng Ran continued, "My additional condition is also simple. I want Sihe Merchant Guild to offer the same conditions to my junior brother. With these conditions, I will agree to all of Sihe Merchant Guild's proposals!"
Jiang Ning also stood up and said, "If Sihe Merchant Guild is willing to trust me, I, Jiang Ning, will not let you down. I will repay you in the future, and I also owe Manager Liu a favor!"
A favor!
Upon hearing these words, Manager Liu felt like laughing inside.
Being targeted by the third young master of the Cao family, what future could there be? This so-called favor was just an empty promise.
After so many years in the business world, how could he believe in Jiang Ning's pie in the sky?
However, he kept these thoughts hidden in his heart.
Manager Liu's expression turned difficult.
"Young Master Cheng, is this something I can decide on my own?"
"You don't trust me?" Cheng Ran's gaze burned into Manager Liu.
"Of course, I believe what Young Master Cheng says!" Manager Liu spoke, his gaze shifting between Jiang Ning and Cheng Ran, "I also believe in this young martial arts talent, Jiang Ning. That's why he is friends with Young Master Cheng."
"But..."
"Sigh..." Manager Liu sighed again, "But I'm just a manager at Sihe Merchant Guild, and my word doesn't carry much weight. What I say doesn't really count!"
"Please forgive me, Young Master Cheng!"
Hearing such an obvious rejection, Cheng Ran's expression darkened, and he became somewhat displeased.
"Manager Liu, you say that your word doesn't count at Sihe Merchant Guild. Do you think I, Cheng Ran, am a three-year-old child?"
Cheng Ran suppressed his anger, as he felt that Manager Liu's words were treating him like a child.
A guild manager's word should hold weight.
For such a small investment, he had the authority to make the decision himself.
He felt that he had lost face in front of Jiang Ning.
The next moment, Cheng Ran stood up and flicked his sleeves.
"Junior Brother Jiang, let's go!"
Jiang Ning sighed inwardly and grabbed the sword that was placed beside him.
(End of Chapter)
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