"So, can you do math? Can you understand the account book?"
As soon as Niu Meng finished speaking, the atmosphere suddenly became oppressive.
No one dared to speak, and the silence was so profound that even the sound of a falling pin could be heard.
Because they had already realized that this matter was not simple!
At this moment, almost everyone instinctively turned their eyes to Wei Ping, wanting to see how he would respond.
Although Wei Ping was appointed as the market manager by Ma Lixing, he was still too young and inexperienced, and he was a newcomer to the sect with no qualifications.
In contrast, Niu Meng was "an old man" in the market!
If Wei Ping didn't handle it well, he would be difficult to establish himself in the market, let alone manage it.
By then, Wei Ping would only have two outcomes.
Either he would be marginalized by Niu Meng and become a mascot, a nominal leader.
Or he would be driven away by Niu Meng like a stray dog.
"Smack!"
Just then, the crisp sound of a slap broke the silence, bringing everyone's thoughts back to the present.
Niu Meng's tall and sturdy body stumbled and almost fell. His eyes were wide open with disbelief, and his face was full of incredulity.
And on his face, there was a clear red palm print.
It was Wei Ping who had hit him!
"I am the market manager appointed by the big boss Ma Lixing. You doubt me, which is doubting the decision of boss Ma Lixing? You have a lot of guts to doubt boss Ma Lixing!"
Wei Ping shook his hand and sneered.
He had just arrived and really didn't want to cause trouble.
But not wanting trouble didn't mean he was afraid of trouble!
Niu Meng's words were almost as insulting as shitting on Wei Ping's head. How could he tolerate it?
Besides, in this is a sect-like-gang, being low-key and tolerant will only make others look down on you even more.
So, Wei Ping decisively took action!
"You...you hit me?"
Niu Meng's shock on his face turned into anger, with his face turning red.
He didn't expect Wei Ping to dare to make a move.
Although he was not a small leader, after years of cultivation, he was already a martial artist who had entered the realm of refining the tendons, far beyond an average person's strength.
In contrast, Wei Ping, as far as he knew, was only in the initial stage of refining his body.
Otherwise, he wouldn't dare to headbutt Wei Ping!
Who would have thought that Wei Ping would make a move as soon as he said so?
The key point is that he never expected Wei Ping to make a move so quickly that he couldn't react in time.
But Niu Meng didn't know that Wei Ping had a praying mantis avatar, and even though he had only been practicing the Shadowless Blade Technique for half a month, he had already reached the "beginner" level of proficiency.
Although Wei Ping didn't use his knife just now, his technique was just as fast as if he was using his knife, emphasizing the word "fast". In addition, Wei Ping suddenly made a move, catching even a higher-level cultivator like Niu Meng off guard!
"What did I do to you?" Wei Ping glanced at Niu Meng and sneered, "I am the person in charge of the market, and you are from the market, so you are under my command. You question my ability, and I can let it go, but if you question even the decisions of the boss, I naturally have to teach you a lesson!"
"Wei Ping, don't try to lord over me with the boss! It won't work on me!" Niu Meng glared at Wei Ping, his eyes almost spitting fire.
"I'm telling you the truth, I just don't accept you. Because I joined the gang earlier than you, I have higher cultivation, and more experience... I'm more suitable to be in charge of the market!"
"You, Wei Ping, are nothing but a beggar who was lucky enough to pass the praying mantis trial. You have no right to show off in front of me. If you want to be in charge of the market, fine! But first, you have to defeat me!"
After speaking, Niu Meng roared and charged towards Wei Ping like a wild bull, his right hand even shaped into a knife and quickly attacking Wei Ping's head.
"Brother Wei Ping!" Yu Fei and the others' faces changed as soon as Niu Meng made a move.
Because they had already noticed that Niu Meng was also a cultivator in the Tendon-Refining Realm, and he was proficient in his cultivation and possessed astonishing strength.
In terms of strength, Wei Ping was no match for Niu Meng.
However, surprisingly, Wei Ping didn't show any fear in the face of Niu Meng's attack.
Because Niu Meng made a fatal mistake, he attacked with his bare hands.
In contrast, Wei Ping had his hand on the hilt of the knife from the beginning.
When Niu Meng's fist was only a step away from Wei Ping, Wei Ping finally moved.
"Clang!"
The precious knife came out of its sheath and quickly swept upward.
Silver light flashed, like a shooting star crossing the sky.
Immediately after, everyone heard Niu Meng's miserable scream.
"Ah... my hand! My hand..."
Looking closely, everyone saw that Niu Meng's right hand was cut from the wrist, the severed edge smooth and even.
As for his hand, it was covered in blood and the entire palm had fallen off a yard away. The pain was so severe that Niu Meng was rolling on the ground. In contrast, Wei Ping's body maintained the same posture as when he had just drawn his sword.
It wasn't until the battle was over that he slowly put away his sword and returned it to its scabbard, as if he had just done something insignificant. When everyone saw this, including Yu Fei and the sect members in the market, they were all dumbfounded.
Although Niu Meng's cultivation and strength were higher, Wei Ping had completely dominated the fight from start to finish. Wei Ping had emerged victorious, while Niu Meng's right hand was practically useless, as his palm had been cut off.
They couldn't understand how Wei Ping had accomplished this feat. It was almost impossible to win against a stronger opponent, yet Wei Ping had done just that. At that moment, everyone's eyes on the scene looked at Wei Ping differently.
But from Wei Ping's perspective, all of this was just a matter of course. Both the praying mantis technique and the shadowless sword technique emphasized speed, and Wei Ping had combined the advantages of both to excel and increase his speed to the utmost.
Especially when he made his first move, his spirit and body were in their best state. If he wasn't fast, there would be something wrong with him. In addition, the sharpness of his iron knife had helped him defeat Niumang, who was unarmed.
"Niu Meng, if you attack me again, I'll cut off more than just your hand to punish you!" Wei Ping stood with his knife, looking down at Niumang.
"But if there's a next time, I won't just cut off your hand. Give me the account book and get lost!"
Although Niu Meng was sweating profusely from the pain, he was already scared and didn't want to make things worse. He quickly took out an account book from his pocket and threw it on the ground before turning and walking away.
"Wait!" Wei Ping suddenly spoke, stopping Niu Meng in his tracks. Niumang's body froze, half in pain and half in fear. "What...what do you want?"
"Nothing! I just want to ask, your last name is Niu, and Crazy Bull Niu Dashan also has the last name Niu. What's your relationship?" Wei Ping raised an eyebrow.
Although he had already guessed the answer in his heart, Wei Ping couldn't help but ask.
"Niu Dashan... is my uncle, we are from the same clan." Niu Meng's face was full of bitterness, afraid that Wei Ping would change his mind and not let him go.
But he couldn't hide the fact that he was related to Niu Dashan.
If he lied, he was afraid that Wei Ping would become angry.
"Oh, get out of here!" After nodding indifferently, Wei Ping waved his hand, as if shooing away an annoying fly.
Upon hearing this, Niu Meng felt as if he had been pardoned, and quickly left while holding his broken hand.
Until Wei Ping turned around and looked at the group of helpers from the market, they couldn't help but feel a chill, and their lazy attitude disappeared.
"Greetings, Boss Wei!"
The six helpers quickly bowed and saluted, their faces full of respect.
Because Wei Ping had just demonstrated his strength by crushing Niu Meng, he had completely conquered them.
They didn't want to follow in Niu Meng's footsteps.
And thus, Wei Ping's authority was established.
"Okay!"
Wei Ping scrutinized the group, making them tremble in fear.
However, Wei Ping did not pursue their previous perfunctory behavior.
It is human nature to rely on the strong.
And before demonstrating his strength, they all thought that Niu Meng had a slightly better chance of winning.
Not to mention, Niu Meng also had the support of an elder uncle!
However, although Wei Ping could overlook the past events, he had to set some rules for the future.
So he stood with his knife, solemnly saying to everyone, "Since you have called me boss, you are now my brothers. As long as I have a bite to eat, you won't go without a sip of soup. If anyone is bullied in the future, you can come to me, and I will help you seek justice."
However!!!"
With a sudden increase in his voice, Wei Ping lowered his tone and said, "Anyone who tries to play both sides, be disloyal, or not follow orders, I, Wei Ping, won't consider you as a brother from the same clan, and my knife won't recognize you either!"
Upon hearing this, the six people couldn't help but shiver and quickly agreed.
When Wei Ping learned that there was still a considerable amount of silver in the accounts of the market, he generously gave each of his men a gift of one or two taels of silver, which made them extremely happy.
With a combination of carrot and stick and his authority already established, Wei Ping had finally gained some initial control over the market.
Meanwhile, news of the conflict between Wei Ping and Niu Meng in the market quickly spread to the ears of the head of the big shop, Ma Lixing, and the senior of Niu Meng, Mad Bull Niu Dashan.