Martial Sage from the Vajra Skill

"It must be the Cyan Snake Gang behind this."

Zhou Shunchang said, "The Cyan Snake Gang is a local gang based in the southern part of the city. After our business expanded, we opened a few shops in their territory, and they set their sights on us."

Xu Qing, knowing Zhou Shunchang wasn’t getting to the most critical point, added, "The Cyan Snake Gang’s leader is Yan Qingqiu. He’s rumored to have reached the Qi Cultivation Gang realm. He also has several subordinates with Qi Gathering Cultivation, so their power in Qingyuan County is considerable.

Brother, if you haven’t reached the Qi Cultivation Gang realm, I’ll go ask Master for help. He should be willing to intervene."

’So little faith in your own brother?’

Just as Xu Yang was about to speak, a knock came from outside.

"That must be Senior Brother Qiu. I’ll get the door."

Xu Qing left the room. Xu Yang heard the door open, followed by Xu Qing’s cry of alarm, "Senior Brother Qiu, you’re injured?"

"It’s just a minor injury, nothing serious. I exchanged a few blows with the Cyan Snake Gang’s deputy leader, Zhang Xu. I was no match for him," Qiu Wenjie said, shaking his head.

His injuries weren’t serious. The real problem was the Cyan Snake Gang’s insistence on getting a piece of the Qiu Family’s business. If they weren’t given a cut, what happened today would happen again.

"Junior Sister Xu, let’s go to Weiyuan Hall now and beg Master Lin for help. Let’s see if he’s willing to step in. That Zhang Xu has summoned us to Jufu Building tonight to negotiate. If we don’t hand over half our profits, they’ll shut down all our stores."

Xu Qing said, "We can talk about Master Lin in a moment. First, I want you to meet someone."

Qiu Wenjie looked confused, but followed Xu Qing anyway.

As he stepped into the room, he saw a handsome young man sitting beside Zhou Shunchang, looking at him with a broad smile.

"Xu... Senior Brother Xu Yang? You’re back?" Qiu Wenjie’s face lit up with joy.

’Senior Brother Xu Yang is back! No wonder Xu Qing wasn’t in a hurry to see Master Lin.’

’With Xu Yang here, the issue with the Cyan Snake Gang didn’t seem like such a big deal.’

"Wenjie, you got pushed around again," Xu Yang said with a smile.

Qiu Wenjie immediately looked ashamed. "That Zhang Xu has been at Qi Gathering Great Success for many years and is just a step away from the Qi Cultivation Gang realm. I’m truly no match for him. If he hadn’t been thinking about the business deal, I would’ve been seriously injured at the very least."

’He had gone to demand justice for Zhou Shunchang, only to be beaten and sent running back. He was too ashamed to face Xu Yang.’

’Xu Yang had helped the Qiu Family so much, yet he couldn’t even protect his uncle.’

Xu Yang beckoned. "Come over and tell me exactly what happened when you went to the Cyan Snake Gang."

Qiu Wenjie nodded and sat down beside Xu Yang. "I went to demand justice for what they did to Uncle Zhou, but the Cyan Snake Gang claimed they had already shown mercy. They even said one of their men broke a fingernail and demanded we either give up half our profits or pay one thousand taels in compensation."

"I was so furious that I exchanged a few blows with Zhang Xu, but I never expected to be so completely outmatched."

’They broke a fingernail beating up my uncle?’

’They’re not even bothering to come up with a plausible excuse, are they?’

Xu Yang’s gaze turned cold. "Will Yan Qingqiu be at the negotiation?"

Qiu Wenjie shook his head. "I don’t know. I never saw Yan Qingqiu, only the deputy leader, Zhang Xu."

Xu Yang tapped his fingers on the table. "Send a letter to the Cyan Snake Gang in your father’s name. Tell them they can have half the profits, but only if Yan Qingqiu comes to discuss it with your father in person."

A sharp glint flashed in Qiu Wenjie’s eyes as he nodded. "Got it!"

Zhou Shunchang interjected, "Absolutely not! We can’t just give them half our profits." 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

Xu Qing smiled. "Don’t worry, Uncle. My brother doesn’t really intend to give half the profits to the Cyan Snake Gang. You just rest and recover. You don’t need to worry about this anymore."

...

"Everyone, Jufu Building has been booked out by our Cyan Snake Gang. Please find somewhere else to eat."

At dusk, which should have been the restaurant’s peak hour, Jufu Building was instead guarded by a group of burly men with an intimidating aura. Anyone who got close was driven away.

"What’s going on? The Cyan Snake Gang booked the entire Jufu Building."

"I heard they’re here to negotiate with the Qiu Family, so they booked the whole place."

"So they finally couldn’t resist making a move on the Qiu Family’s tea business? Aren’t they afraid Xu Yang will come back to settle the score?"

"Xu Yang? He’s been gone for two years with no sign of his return. For all we know, he’s already dead out there."

...

After asking around for a bit, the people who were driven away had no choice but to leave.

"A bunch of worthless scum. Give them a beating, or they’ll start thinking our Cyan Snake Gang is a bunch of pushovers."

Zhang Xu chuckled, rising to refill the tea for the perfectly composed Gang Leader, Yan Qingqiu.

The Cyan Snake Gang had long coveted the joint tea business run by the Qiu and Zhou Families. However, because Zhou Shunchang’s nephew was a Dragon Ascending Genius, they had held back. Even though the business was profitable and they were tempted, they had only resorted to threats and bribes, never making a direct move.

But recently, who knows what kind of dumb luck Qiu Yongqiang stumbled into, he managed to secure a supply channel for medicinal ingredients. At that point, the Cyan Snake Gang could no longer sit still.

Medicinal ingredients weren’t just incredibly profitable; they were essential for Martial Venerables. In the Jianghu, to control the supply of medicinal ingredients was to control the very lifeblood of all Martial Artists.

Yan Qingqiu took a sip of his tea. "You didn’t hurt that Zhou Shunchang too badly, did you?"

As a Martial Artist at the Qi Cultivation Gang realm, he knew things ordinary people didn’t.

Although Zhou Shunchang’s nephew was a Dragon Ascending Genius, he knew that disciples of the Purple Sun Sect absolutely could not return before their tenth year. Therefore, he wasn’t particularly wary of Xu Yang.

’Ten years from now, Xu Yang might already be dead within the Purple Sun Sect anyway.’

Of course, he was still cautious enough to order his men not to inflict any serious injuries—just in case Xu Yang did manage to return in ten years.

Zhang Xu smiled. "Rest assured, Gang Leader. It’s just a few broken ribs."

Yan Qingqiu nodded. "After we reach an agreement, have the man who did it apologize to Zhou Shunchang. We’ll need him to make money for us in the future, so we can’t have him holding a grudge."

Zhang Xu looked over at a brawny thug with a brutish face. "Tiger, you heard the Gang Leader. Be proactive about it later."

The man called Tiger grinned viciously. "I guarantee he’ll obediently make money for us."