Translator: Myuu Editor: Myuu
By the time Yan Liqiang was back at the store, the chores were almost complete. Attendant Huang had already left, but Gu Zexuan and Zhao Huipeng were still there, waiting for Yan Liqiang.
“Leader, why did Manager Qiu want to see you?” Gu Zexuan was the first to ask. He blinked at Yan Liqiang, “Why did I feel that Attendant Huang was looking at me and Huipeng with weird eyes? He even let out a sigh before he left. I feel like he had something to tell us, but he held back.”
Yan Liqiang glanced around to make sure nobody was around before he spoke in a low volume, “Manager Qiu met me just now to give us a task. Tomorrow, we will escort our Four Seas Courtyard acquaintances as they deliver the stocks up north to the Storm Army. This might take a while…”
Both Gu Zexuan and Zhao Huipeng were stunned to hear this from Yan Liqiang. Gu Zexuan was the first to respond, “What the hell is this? We are just three little nobodies in the Divine Sword Sect. Who are we to escort valuable stocks? Shouldn’t they be sending experts? This is such a long journey, and what can we help them with? Even if we put aside the fact it will be a rough journey, we are surely going to get ourselves killed if we encounter any danger. Also, let’s not forget that there are disciples in the Divine Sword Sect who sacrifice their lives trying to accomplish missions every single year…”
“Manager Qiu said that we are only tagging along to get some feedback or opinions from our customers…”
“If it’s really for such a simple reason, then the Four Seas Courtyard can do it. There’s no need for all the three of us to go through such trouble…”
Yan Liqiang smiled at his two companions with guilt, “I’m really sorry. I did not intend to drag you both into this.”
“Manager Qiu was intentionally screwing you over!” Gu Zexuan suddenly realized.
Yan Liqiang nodded.
“But… Leader, you haven’t been meeting with Manager Qiu lately. There was no chance for you to even piss him off. Why is he doing this to you?” Gu Zexuan was dumbfounded.
“I don’t know which part of me he does not like either. I’ve only met him once before this — when I went to seek permission from Hall Master Su to enter the Hall of Scriptures. I had a very short conversation with him, but I don’t remember being rude to him.” Yan Liqiang shook his head as he recalled the event. “During our lifetimes, we will get along well with some people without any reasons, but at the same time, haters don’t need a reason to hate us. Just now, I was trying to ask Manager Qiu to let me complete the task alone without involving both of you, but he chased me out without even giving me a chance at all.”
“I think Manager Qiu is jealous of your looks. Hahaha! Compared to that old grumpy man, Leader, you are like a blooming flower!” Gu Zexuan laughed. “Life in the Divine Sword Sect is getting boring anyway, I was just thinking about taking a break to travel. Now we have been given a chance to explore the world with Leader. It is better to travel ten thousand li than read ten thousand books. What do you think, Huipeng?”
“Right, I would like to explore the world too and gain some experience,” Zhao Huipeng answered with a monotonous tone and gave Yan Liqiang an amiable smile.
Yan Liqiang was moved by their responses. He placed his arms firmly on Gu Zexuan and Zhao Huipeng’s shoulders, “Since we can’t avoid it, let’s get everything ready this afternoon. We leave tomorrow with the people of Four Seas Courtyard. There is nothing much we can do if we stay in the Divine Sword Sect every day. Let’s take this as a getaway!”
“Okay!” Gu Zexuan and Zhao Huipeng both nodded their heads.
“There you are…” A voice could be heard from afar right after they finished their conversation. The voice was followed by the appearance of a bald, chubby, and jovial man who seemed to be a little younger than twenty, “Liqiang, I have been looking for you. The things you ordered are ready, but they are too heavy. I had to deliver them up here using a cart and they make me sweat like a dog. You must treat me to dinner at Meteor Tower.”
The chubby man was Sun Weizhen, a disciple of the Divine Sword Sect. Unlike the other disciples, Sun Weizhen was a disciple of an artisan of the Divine Sword Sect. His duty was to learn craftsmanship from Hall Master Su and others at the Tianqiao Peak artisan workshop. Sun Weizhen was one of the disciples Hall Master Su thought highly of as he was clever and talented; he did not have other shortcomings except that he was a foodie and liked to loaf around. Yan Liqiang did not know Sun Weizhen when he first came to Tianqiao Peak. They got to know each other naturally after crossing paths several times on Tianqiao Peak. Since Sun Weizhen, Yan Liqiang, Gu Zexuan, and Zhao Huipeng were similar in age, they had a lot in common to talk about. Just like that, Yan Liqiang gained another friend on Tianqiao Peak.
Sun Weizhen was talking in such excitement that he was oblivious to the mood that the trio was in. Only after he finished speaking did Sun Weizhen sense that something was not right. He carefully observed the trio’s faces before he curiously asked, “What happened?”
Gu Zexuan repeated the story to Sun Weizhen.
“What? That’s ridiculous!” Sun Weizhen yelled in disbelief. “Liqiang, since when did you piss off Manager Qiu?”
Yan Liqiang shrugged, “Do I look like a fool who would do such a thing?”
“That’s weird…” Sun Weizhen frowned, trying to make sense of what happened. Before long, he suddenly yelled out loud and clapped his hand, “Oh! I know what happened!”
“What?” Gu Zexuan asked curiously.
“He wants to make sure that you will not be able to take part in the Sect Tournament at the end of the year.” Sun Weizhen looked at Yan Liqiang in all seriousness, “Tianqiao Hall has come up last in the tournament for years without fail. But you, Liqiang, might be a game-changer. You have progressed as a Martial Warrior at such a young age. Even Hall Master Su was impressed. Plus, you have such a handsome face that will put everyone to shame. With your image, as long as you take part in the tournament and get yourself a good rank, you will surely be famous in the Divine Sword Sect. All the elders and the hall masters will instantly remember you. However, if you take this job, it will take you at least five months before you can come back. You will surely miss the tournament and your chance to make a name for yourself.”
“Damn. This must be the reason. That pig!” Gu Zexuan cursed before he turned to Sun Weizhen, “Can you do us a favor and talk to Hall Master Su? If someone must take the job, let it be Huipeng and me. Count our Leader out. Let him take part in the year-end Sect Tournament. With his skill and image, it will be a piece of cake for him to come out at the top among the other external disciples.”
Sun Weizhen helplessly looked at Gu Zexuan, “Hall Master Su is on a business trip. He is not in the Divine Sword Sect. I heard that he will only be back after two weeks. There’s nothing I can do…”
“Forget it. It is useless to say anything at this point!” Yan Liqiang shook his head. “He does not dictate my future here in the Divine Sword Sect. He can stop me from entering the tournament this year, but I bet he can’t do the same thing again next year. After all, he is not the only decision maker here…”
“Liqiang, you are such an optimist!”
Yan Liqiang smiled, “Let’s go and see the things I ordered!”
“Leader, what things did you order from him?” Gu Zexuan asked curiously.
“You will know once you see them…” Sun Weizhen smiled mischievously.
The four of them left the store and in no time, they were in one of Tianqiao Peak’s courtyards.
The things Yan Liqiang ordered from Sun Weizhen were on a three-wheeled cart. They were four metal poles which were exactly the same design as the ones he ordered from Deer Villa. The only difference was that the metal poles he ordered from Deer Villa were free of charge, whereas in the Divine Sword Sect, every disciple had to pay for custom-made items from Tianqiao Hall. Those four poles were made from thick iron, and they cost Yan Liqiang eighty taels of silver even after a discount.
“Wow! Leader, what is this for?”
“This is for building stamina!”
Gu Zexuan and Zhao Huipeng could only stare at Yan Liqiang with their eyes wide open, baffled upon hearing this.
Gu Zexuan tried lifting up a pole; no matter how hard he tried, he could barely lift it a few inches off the cart. Zhao Huipeng tried too, and it was the same for him. After all, each pole weighed 350 jin — it was indeed too heavy for them to lift.
“Each pole here is 350 jin. It is really a difficult task to lift them up. I don’t know how is this possible for Liqiang,” Sun Weiqing chuckled.
Yan Liqiang was aware that Gu Zexuan and Zhao Huipeng were both skeptical, but he remained silent. He simply held one pole in each hand and lifted the two poles in a breath before he put the poles back onto the cart.
This stunt was enough to bewilder all three of them as they were left there with their mouth wide open.
“Let’s go. We should store these at my place.”
Yan Liqiang sighed a little. He had waited for quite a while for these poles to be made; now that they were finally ready, he was assigned a job and could not use them. Ultimately, it would be an inconvenience to carry such heavy items with him throughout the long journey.
Tianqiao Peak was a place full of gossipers. At such a time when Manager Qiu had his eyes on him, it would be a wiser choice for Yan Liqiang to keep a low profile. They pushed the cart straight to Yan Liqiang’s place and placed the poles there.
For the rest of the day, the trio packed for the trip. Clothes, weapons, and medicine were extremely important, so they had to make sure they brought enough for the journey. At night, Yan Liqiang reserved a private room at Meteor Tower for a banquet. He invited Sun Weizhen, Huo Bin, Ma Liang, Hu Tiande, and Li Kai for a simple farewell dinner.
These people had made quite a fortune ever since they started working together with Yan Liqiang on the earth vinegar. Therefore, they formed a strong bond. They were a team now, and this restaurant was their usual hangout place.
Upon finding out that Yan Liqiang had been set up by Manager Qiu, every one of them felt unfair for him.
Hu Tiande was sitting next to Yan Liqiang. After a few cups of wine, he squinted his eyes and leaned over to whisper to Yan Liqiang, “Liqiang, you need to gain Manager Qiu’s trust. Otherwise, life will be tough for you here at Tianqiao Peak.”
“Manager Qiu oversees Tianqiao Peak, and I’m only his subordinate. I can only do whatever he commands,” Yan Liqiang replied calmly.
Hu Tiande smiled bitterly, “You know what I mean, Liqiang. If you ever need help, just tell me. The Divine Sword Sect is a big name, but there will always be politics like any other place.”
“I’ll thank you in advance then, Brother Hu.” Yan Liqiang smiled as he toasted with Hu Tiande.
“The earth vinegar is indeed a short-term business. Price for the earth vinegar had been plummeting since the third batch. There is not much to profit out of this anymore. Many in the Divine Sword Sect jumped on the bandwagon, so there’s no way to increase the price. Luckily, I heeded Liqiang’s advice and sold off my third batch early, so I earned a little more. Now that we have some cash in our pockets, we wanted to discuss some potential business plans with you, Liqiang. Who would have guessed you would be dispatched for a job, and we will not be able to meet you for the coming half of the year.” Hu Bin said in disappointment.
“Once we are back from the job, there will certainly be another opportunity. Worry not, my friend, there will always be money for those who want to earn.”
“Fine. Let’s toast. We wish Liqiang, Zexuan, and Huipeng a safe journey…”
“Cheers…!”
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