After the two left, Cheng Ran couldn't help but click his tongue softly.
"Senior Brother Zhou Xing sure knows how to win people over with small favors!"
Jiang Ning smiled noncommittally. Zhou Xing was a smart and ambitious person, and Jiang Ning had already noticed that.
However, he didn't dislike Zhou Xing.
Being able to buy wild ginseng at a price lower than the market rate and even getting three extra ginseng for free essentially gaining dozens of taels of silver for nothing why would he dislike such a person?
Cheng Ran then opened the invitation in his hand, glanced at it, and handed it to Jiang Ning.
"Junior Brother Jiang, take a look. Zhou Xing sure has a bold vision."
Jiang Ning took the invitation and opened it, his eyes scanning the contents.
As he read, he couldn't help but feel impressed.
The invitation contained some polite words from Zhou Xing, expressing his confidence in Cheng Ran's future success in joining the Inspection Bureau and his desire to invest in Cheng Ran in exchange for a favor.
The terms of the investment were also listed.
A thousand taels of silver, ten boxes of high-quality skin-refining ointment, and three-hundred-year-old wild ganoderma.
These investments came with no excessive demands, merely a request for a favor a favor that might never be called upon.
Jiang Ning's gaze moved downward.
Three days from now, at the fourth mark of the Xu hour (around 8:00 PM), I will be waiting at Fenghua Tower for Junior Brother Cheng to join me for a banquet.
"What do you think, Junior Brother Jiang?" Cheng Ran asked.
Jiang Ning replied, "Very generous. Just for an uncertain favor and an unpredictable future, Senior Brother Zhou is willing to offer so much."
Jiang Ning understood perfectly why Zhou Xing was so generous.
Members of the Inspection Bureau had the authority to execute first and report later, wielding immense power.
At Cheng Ran's age, achieving the rank of a martial artist and joining the Inspection Bureau meant that no one could predict how far he might go in ten or twenty years.
If Cheng Ran reached the eighth rank of martial arts and climbed the ranks, that favor would be worth its weight in gold, far exceeding the investment of two to three thousand taels of silver.
Cheng Ran said, "It does seem very generous, and it would be a great help to me. But my family's wealth is nothing compared to Senior Brother Zhou's, and I'm not the type to be swayed by money."
"I'm in no rush. Besides Senior Brother Zhou, there should be others in Luoshui County who see potential in me!"
As he spoke, Cheng Ran's face showed a confident expression.
Jiang Ning handed the invitation back to Cheng Ran and said, "Senior Brother Cheng, you have great vision."
Cheng Ran laughed. "You have to compare offers. Besides, with my current chances of competing with Xiao Peng for that spot being at least fifty-fifty, I have every reason to be confident."
He then looked at Jiang Ning with a hint of frustration. "Speaking of which, Zhou Xing is blind. Junior Brother Jiang, with your exceptional martial talent and current lack of resources, he didn't even think to send you an invitation?"
Jiang Ning replied, "Senior Brother Cheng, don't tease me. Senior Brother Zhou clearly understands the importance of the Inspection Bureau."
As he spoke, he pointed toward Zhou Xing, who was currently talking to Xiao Peng in the distance.
"That's true," Cheng Ran sighed. "It's a pity Junior Brother Jiang started martial arts training a year or so late. You've missed the chance to join the Inspection Bureau."
"The Inspection Bureau offers the backing of the Great Xia Empire, an official status, the authority to execute first and report later, and a smooth path for future martial arts advancement, with no shortage of techniques or resources."
Jiang Ning nodded in agreement. "Indeed."
He couldn't help but feel a sense of regret for not catching Zhou Xing's attention.
What he lacked now was time and resources.
Zhou Xing's recognition and investment could have solved his current resource shortage.
With the resources worth thousands of taels of silver mentioned in the invitation, his fist techniques could improve faster, he could train more intensively each day, and his daily source energy points could increase significantly.
Currently, his Woodchopping Saber Technique has already reached perfection, and the 1,000 experience points needed for the first breakthrough have long been accumulated.
The only thing holding back the breakthrough was the lack of source energy points, which were directly related to the energy he consumed daily.
For example, the day he gained the most source energy points 0.6 was when he consumed a third of wild ginseng.
With sufficient resources and within the limits of proper medicinal absorption, he could gain more than 1 source of energy points per day.
Now, he only gained 0.4 source energy points per day, showing the significant gap between the two scenarios.
With enough resources and energy intake, the daily gain in source energy points could double.
Backyard of the Martial Arts School
Li Qing passed by the disciple guarding the school gate.
Then, she approached Wang Jin.
"Greetings, Master!" she said, bowing respectfully.
"Greetings, Deputy Head Shen!" she also bowed to Shen Congyun.
At this moment, Li Qing felt somewhat nervous.
From the moment she saw Shen Congyun, she had been filled with tension.
She was well aware of Shen Congyun's status.
In Luoshui County, anyone with some status or a decent background knew about Shen Congyun.
As the deputy head of the Wanhua Tower branch in Luoshui County, and with Wanhua Tower being a superpower spread across the nine provinces of the Great Xia Empire, Shen Congyun was a true big shot in the county.
Although there was a head above Shen Congyun and another deputy head at the same level, Shen Congyun's status commanded respect from everyone in Luoshui County.
Li Qing was also well aware of Wanhua Tower's occasional investments in martial arts geniuses.
For any martial arts genius, being recognized and invested in by a wealthy and powerful organization like Wanhua Tower was a life-changing opportunity.
Even for someone like her, whose family background was no less impressive than Zhou Xing's, being recognized by Wanhua Tower would be a transformative experience, completely altering her future.
At that point, her future would no longer be confined to the small county of Luoshui but could extend to becoming a dazzling martial arts prodigy in Guangning Prefecture.
It was precisely because she understood this that she felt so nervous.
She hoped to be recognized by Shen Congyun and knew that she likely didn't deserve such recognition.
"Qi and blood circulating throughout the body, with skin and membrane fully formed this girl is quite impressive!" Shen Congyun praised as he looked at Li Qing.
Hearing these words of praise, Li Qing's emotions surged, filled with hope and tension.
"Deputy Head Shen, your discerning eye sees through my martial arts level at a glance."
Shen Congyun smiled at Li Qing.
Seeing this smile, Li Qing suddenly understood.
A sense of disappointment welled up in her heart.
"Li Qing, are they all here?" Wang Jin asked at this moment.
Li Qing snapped out of her disappointed state and replied respectfully, "All the senior and junior brothers have arrived!"
"Good," Wang Jin nodded slightly.
He then turned to Shen Congyun. "Brother Shen, would you like to come out and take a look at my less-than-stellar disciples?"
Shen Congyun chuckled. "Brother Wang, are you asking me to give my opinion?"
Wang Jin laughed. "It seems nothing escapes Brother Shen!"
Shen Congyun smiled. "Since Brother Wang has asked, I must give you this face. I have nothing else to do anyway, so I'll come out and take a look."
"Brother Shen, after you," Wang Jin gestured.
"After you."
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