Wei Tao's expression remained contemplative as he listened to Wang Lianshan. "Junior Brother Wang means that the inner courtyard's direct disciples complete their apprenticeship without being promoted further?"
"Yes, that's the truth," Wang Lianshan replied with a laugh. "But they have more options outside, such as the renowned Changle Market in the outer city. Seventh Uncle, who has two disciples that were taught by two teachers, relies on them as his right-hand men..."
"Of course, Senior Brother, don't worry. After being expelled from the Martial Arts Hall, you can join my gang. Although the status and treatment may not be as good as those two senior brothers in the inner courtyard, we can ensure that you have food and drink without worry. And every time you perform a gang task, you'll earn silver."
Wang Lianshan then took out a silver ingot from his pocket and placed it on the table. "If Senior Brother Wei is willing, you can take these five taels of silver now, and we can all be good brothers in the Silver Wolf Gang in the future."
Wei Tao lowered his gaze, moved away slightly, and broke open another steamed bun. "Junior Brother Wang, go and ask the others first. I'm not considering joining a gang at the moment."
Wang Lianshan maintained his smile. "Even if Senior Brother doesn't want to join the gang, there are other options. For example, there's a young girl who entered the Martial Arts Hall with me. Her grandfather is the principal of the Iron Alley in the Northern Part of the City. If you can catch her attention, you'll have the choice to live a luxurious life."
Wei Tao glanced at the female disciple who was surrounded by a group of people not far away and slowly shook his head. "Right now, I just want to focus on my martial arts training. We can discuss other matters later."
"Senior Brother Wei, you should know that the path of martial arts requires innate talent," Wang Lianshan remarked. "And most of the time, making the right choices is more important than blind effort. You must seize the opportunities that come your way. Growing up in this rough environment outside the city, Senior Brother should understand this better than I do."
Wang Lianshan gently clapped his hands, producing a crisp sound like that of gold and iron. However, upon closer listening, there was a slight discordance in the sound. Sensing Wei Tao's sidelong gaze, Wang Lianshan slowly spread his hands. His palms were bright red, resembling blood, and had a hard, stone-like texture.
A moment later, he dispersed the qi and blood in his palm and smiled faintly. "Senior Brother Wei, I suddenly felt a breakthrough when absorbing medicinal power this morning. The operation of my qi and blood no longer had the initial stagnation and difficulty. However, I am still a little short of meeting the teacher's entry requirements. It will take some time to stabilize."
"In the evening, I'll be hosting a dinner for a few brothers who are joining the gang. Senior Brother Wei, I strongly urge you to consider participating. One month may not be short, but it's not very long either. Don't regret it later if you miss the opportunity I'm offering you."
Thoughts raced through Wei Tao's mind, and just as he was about to decline, there was suddenly a commotion at the door. He looked up and saw Fifth Senior Brother Peng Yue striding inside, paying no attention to the honorary disciples who stood up to greet him. He went directly to Wei Tao and said, "Junior Brother Wei, the teacher wants to see you."
Wei Tao stood up, surprised. "Senior Brother Peng, if the teacher is looking for me, is there something wrong?"
Wei Tao subconsciously counted the time and realized that it had not been more than three months since he started his training.
Peng Yue casually grabbed a bun from the table and spoke with his mouth full, "The old steward of the martial arts hall is retiring, and the teacher mentioned that Junior Brother Wei has a good grasp of reading and can handle accounts. It seems like he's considering assigning you to take over the management of the affairs."
Wang Lianshan's expression turned slightly ugly upon hearing this.
Wei Tao finished his last bite of broth, placed the bowl and chopsticks on the table, and offered an apologetic smile. "Junior Brother Wang, you see, it's rather unfortunate. If I have time later, I'll treat you to a meal and apologize personally..."
Before he could finish his sentence, Wang Lianshan snorted coldly and abruptly stood up, leaving the room without acknowledging Peng Yue, who was standing nearby.
At nightfall, inside a private room at a restaurant outside the city, a group of people gathered around a table, enjoying drinks and lively conversation.
"Come on, everyone, let's have another drink for Junior Brother Wang."
Several wine glasses clinked in the air and were quickly emptied.
Wang Lianshan picked up a piece of stewed meat and savored it, exhaling a satisfied breath. "Rest assured, my fellow brothers. After joining my Silver Wolf Gang, we'll earn money together and eat meat together. We won't let anyone down."
"Thank you, Young Gang Lord, for your guidance."
"With Young Master Wang's words, we can feel at ease."
"We are all people without innate talent, unable to become official disciples. It's thanks to Junior Brother Wang for taking us in; otherwise, we wouldn't know how we would make a living in the future."
"Young Gang Lord, rest assured. In the future, wherever you point, we'll fight without hesitation."
"Yes, this is called brotherhood and shared profit. We're all in this together."
"That Wei kid didn't even give Young Gang Lord any face. I'd like to see if he can become an official disciple in the inner courtyard within another month. Even if he becomes the steward of the martial arts hall, will he still be beneath Young Gang Lord?"
Wang Lianshan toyed with the wine glass in his hand, wearing a faint smile. "Forget it, that kid has a good relationship with Senior Brother Peng in the inner courtyard. He doesn't want to associate with us honorary disciples."
"But I can't understand why the teacher chose him to manage the Martial Arts Hall. The situation in the outer city is getting more chaotic. Let's see if he can handle it."
............
In the room diagonally across from the private room, Peng Yue tore into a smoked chicken on his plate, relishing the oily bites. His eyebrows relaxed in satisfaction.
After devouring most of the smoked chicken in one go, he finally freed his hand, picked up the large wine bowl, and took a big gulp. "Junior Brother Wei, I suspect you chose this restaurant on purpose and deliberately sat across from them."
Wei Tao refilled Peng Yue's drink and chuckled in a somewhat helpless manner. "Senior Brother Peng, you mentioned that you wanted to eat smoked chicken, and I thought the smoked chicken at the White Building was the best. So, Senior Brother Peng reserved this private room. I had no idea we would run into them."
Peng Yue laughed and changed his tone. "Shall I take you over to have a drink or two with them?"
"Forget it, it's better not to meet and avoid any unpleasantness."
The two clinked their glasses again, and Wei Tao lowered his gaze, concealing a glimmer of determination in his eyes. "I didn't hear what they were saying. After all, Junior Brother Wang is a lively young man, and he's not a bad person. It's not worth souring the relationship between senior and junior brothers over these things."
Peng Yue flashed another mischievous smile. "Junior Brother Wei is right. Honorary disciples come and go, and the teachers hardly remember their names. In the end, you still have to work hard in your cultivation, become an official disciple, and receive the true teachings of the teacher."
As he spoke, Peng Yue had already nibbled on various items on the table, pushed it away, and stood up. "The food was delicious. I'll go settle the bill."
"I invited Senior Brother Peng to enjoy the chicken, so it's only right for Senior Brother to settle the bill."
Wei Tao reached under the table and pulled out a jug of liquor and two wrapped smoked chickens. "I brought these back for Senior Brother Peng as a late-night snack."
"That's too kind of you."
"Senior Brother has always taken care of me. I should be the one apologizing."
"Very well, thank you for the hospitality today, Junior Brother Wei. I thoroughly enjoyed my meal." Peng Yue patted his belly, carried the wrapped wine and meat, and went straight out of the room and down the stairs.
Standing on the darkened long street, he looked up at the still lively private room above. "You may not be aware, as you're not an official direct disciple yet, but Wang Lianshan has an adopted elder sister."
Before Wei Tao could respond, Peng Yue continued, "Her name is Second Senior Sister Wang Yingxue, and she's one of the most talented disciples in the main sect, second only to the teacher and Eldest Senior Brother...
Before the old steward resigned, Senior Sister Wang seemed to have recommended someone to take over as the steward of the martial arts hall. The teacher was already interested, but I'm not sure why he suddenly thought of you and asked me to bring you over for questioning."
"Also, apart from Eldest Senior Brother and me, who come from humble backgrounds, Third Senior Brother runs an escort bureau in his hometown. Fourth Senior Brother Suo Yunhai is the nephew of Boss Suo Qi from the Outtown Casino. And Sixth Junior Brother's family practically monopolizes the leather business in several towns outside the city. You see?"
Wei Tao nodded thoughtfully. "I see. Thank you for informing me, Senior Brother."
"Understanding these things won't be of much use. You'll realize that, even if you climb desperately to the top, you'll find that some people were born there. But if you don't climb, you'll only be trampled in the mud, fighting to snatch a meager and cold piece.
Peng Yue waved his hand and staggered along the long street, quickly disappearing into the dark depths where the lights could not be reflected.