After leaving Knowing Hall, Zhang San displayed his Qinggong (lightness skill) and circled around the city a few times to avoid being tracked.
Although Knowing Hall claims to absolutely keep customers' identities confidential, Zhang San has never trusted any Jianghu (martial world) organization. Hence, caution should always come first.
After making sure no one was tailing him, Zhang San returned to his store and started pondering. He also inferred many things from the information obtained at Knowing Hall.
JinWan Pavilion collaborated with the prefect to eradicate the local underground gang Black Dragon Hall. They even took out bases of powers like Black Heaven Gate and Dark Building. Their means were swift and ruthless, even the Pavilion master made a move.
Clearly, judging from these events, JinWan Pavilion’s purpose is definitely beyond just Tian Ruo City, but the entire Tian Ruo Prefecture.
This was good news to Zhang San.
No matter if it’s Black Heaven Gate or Dark Building, with JinWan Pavilion taking them out beyond Tian Ruo Prefecture, it is undoubtedly beneficial for Zhang San to continue staying in Tian Ruo City.
The only problem was whether Black Heaven Gate and Dark Building would sit back as JinWan Pavilion expands its power.
Unfortunately, with just two hundred taels left, let alone whether Knowing Hall had such information, Zhang San knew asking about the distribution of Black Heaven Gate’s and Dark Building’s influences in Tian Ge Prefecture was impossible.
Moreover, just the act today of asking Knowing Hall for information already carried risks itself.
The so-called information, as you obtain information, you also leave information behind.
Simply put, don’t think that just asking for information carries no risk at all. For example, after deliberation, Zhang San believed he had left Knowing Hall two messages today:
First, he approached Knowing Hall with the identity of an orthodox disciple.
So Knowing Hall knew an orthodox disciple had appeared in Tian Ruo City. And who knows if Knowing Hall, claiming to absolutely keep customers' identities confidential, would sell information about Zhang San's sect? Zhang San was uncertain.
Second, he asked about underground societies and assassins.
Knowing Hall could infer his identity was not a professional killer.
But these risks were still under control, so Zhang San believed he could ask.
The main reason Zhang San eventually didn't choose to ask about Ming Qing, Bai Fang, Lu Gaosheng and other people was still because of ‘risk’.
Going to an information-selling organization to ask about a particular person's information carried tremendous risk itself.
Let alone whether Zhang San could afford the information or if Knowing Hall even had it.
The problem was, as long as Zhang San asked, it represented Zhang San having contact with these three people, or understood them to some degree.
Otherwise, who would spend money to buy information on strangers with absolutely no relation whatsoever?
As long as Knowing Hall connected this with Zhang San’s previous questions about Tian Ruo City’s underground societies and assassins, an image would immediately emerge of someone newly arrived in Tian Ruo City, likely versed in orthodox martial arts, had contact with or some understanding of Ming Qing, Bai Fang and Lu Gaosheng, but was not a professional killer.
Thus, despite being very curious and wanting to know about Ming Qing, Bai Fang and Lu Gaosheng’s relations and details for his own job safety, Zhang San endured.
At night, after removing his disguise and mask, Zhang San laid in bed pondering his next plan.
He just went to ask about assassins today. It would be too eye-catching to go to JinWan Pavilion's territory for missions the very next day.
Zhang San decided to refrain from taking jobs temporarily.
Because Knowing Hall was just too mysterious, nobody knew which power this organization belonged to. Zhang San indeed needed their information, yet also had to be extra cautious.
But JinWan Pavilion's assassin business was reputably lucrative. Now that JinWan Pavilion had gained a foothold in Tian Ruo City, after another few months when they establish their fame, some non-professional killers in Tian Ge Prefecture should flock to Tian Ruo City.
"Wait two months first. The money on hand should still last me a while."
"Also that Bai Fang... got to probe her background if there’s anything shady. If I earn enough money, I can just sell this shop as a last resort and open another one in the east district."
"And there's also..."
Finally gazing out the window towards the other room in the backyard where Wang Xiaoer should still be asleep, Zhang San sighed.
Now that he found a place to stay, he had to get Old Man Huang in Baiyun Prefecture to send over the letters from Wang Xiaoer’s mother that Zhang San had been collecting over these days, otherwise Wang Xiaoer might get suspicious.
After all, Wang Xiaoer still knew nothing about what happened to his parents.
Zhang San knew Wang Xiaoer would have to face the truth eventually, yet didn’t know how to console his only disciple once everything got revealed.
The issue was, according to what Old Man Huang said previously, Wang Xiaoer’s mother’s letters should be running out soon.
What should be done then?
With a sigh, Zhang San felt restless from all these nagging concerns.
Just what’s so troublesome about living?
...
Over the next few days, life remained fairly peaceful.
Wang Xiaoer would occasionally run off to the bean curd shop. Zhang San roughly guessed what the brat was thinking about. He understood it was time to step up the sex education.
As for anything else noteworthy, not really, except that Ming Qing fellow came two more times in these few days. He would buy some paintings and secretly gaze at Bai Fang from the window.
But Zhang San didn’t interfere and pretended not to notice anything.
Just when Zhang San thought life could continue being so tranquil, that morning a gang came to collect protection fees, unexpected yet not unexpected.
Unexpected because with Black Dragon Hall eliminated, the rich and powerful JinWan Pavilion should be prioritizing developing brothels, gambling dens, and peddling their Wushishi San (Five Stone Powder). Why would they come collecting protection fees so soon?
So Zhang San scrutinized the three men before him.
They looked brutish and fierce, dressed similarly to Black Dragon Hall members, basically matching ordinary people’s stereotypes of “bad guys”. Their hands also bore some calluses. But...
Zhang San didn’t think they knew any martial arts. Even if they did, it would just be inferior stage. Possibly even worse than previous bandit leader Li Dahu. Moreover, these men appeared muscular yet had unsteady footsteps and pallid complexions, clearly unwell.
Not poisoned or sick, just addicted to Wushishi San.
Zhang San naturally leaned towards the latter. After all, even if from JinWan Pavilion, those sent to collect protection fees shouldn’t be this pathetic. Junkies daring to fraudulently collect protection fees while gangs in the city were in chaos did make sense though.
When the gang leader saw Zhang San hesitating, he slammed the table. “Damn bookworm! What, you dare disobey?!”
Enduring the urge to slap these fools dead, Zhang San forced a smile and handed over five taels.
Couldn’t tarnish his scholar identity over these idiots.
“That’s more like it.” The gang boss sneered and left the art store.
But before Zhang San could even sit back down, a commotion erupted from the neighboring bean curd store.
Zhang San wasn’t even going to look, but to his surprise Wang Xiaoer charged out from nowhere!
This startled Zhang San.
“This Wang Xiaoer’s Qinggong has actually reached the person level? His Neili (internal energy) shouldn’t be lacking either. I haven’t taught him much, yet the brat has skills!”