In front of the martial arts school.
The two of them walked out of the school gate and boarded the carriage that had been waiting for some time.
At the same time, two men who had been staking out the martial arts school for days saw Jiang Ning appear and immediately exchanged glances.
One of them said excitedly, "Finally, the kid has come out! Should I go inform Boss Xu?"
"Go ahead! I'll keep waiting here," the other replied.
These two men both had a small green snake tattooed on their arms.
Anyone in Luoshui County with a bit of knowledge would recognize that a green snake tattoo meant they were members of the notorious Green Snake Gang.
Moonlit Pavilion.
Cheng Ran, Jiang Ning, and the old man Cheng Ran referred to as "Old Zheng" arrived at the entrance of the Moonlit Pavilion.
This was the place where Liu Zhixiang of the Sihe Chamber of Commerce had invited Cheng Ran to a banquet.
As soon as Cheng Ran appeared, a man in his thirties immediately approached.
He came up to Cheng Ran and gave a slight bow. "You must be Young Master Cheng Ran, right?"
Cheng Ran nodded. "That's right, it's me."
"Young Master Cheng, please follow me. My master has been waiting for you in the private room on the second floor for some time," the middle-aged man said respectfully, bowing slightly.
"Lead the way," Cheng Ran gestured.
"Yes!" The middle-aged man bowed again.
As he spoke, his gaze lingered on Jiang Ning for a brief moment before quickly looking away.
After a moment of thought, he couldn't recall any memory of Jiang Ning, so he didn't pay much attention to him.
Thud Thud Thud
The three of them walked up the stairs to the second floor.
A moment later, the middle-aged man led Cheng Ran to a private room on the second floor.
Knock Knock Knock
He knocked on the door.
"Master, Young Master Cheng has arrived."
As soon as his voice fell, the sound of hurried footsteps could be heard.
In less than two breaths, the door was suddenly opened.
Standing before Jiang Ning and Cheng Ran was Liu Zhixiang, who had visited the Canglang Martial Arts School the day before.
He had his signature goatee, which was gray, indicating that he was already advanced in age.
At this moment, Liu Zhixiang's gaze fell on Cheng Ran, and a look of delight appeared on his face.
"Young Master Cheng, please come in! I've been waiting for you for quite some time!" He quickly stepped aside and gestured for Cheng Ran to enter.
Cheng Ran smiled. "Manager Liu, I've brought my junior brother along to the banquet. I hope you don't mind?"
Hearing this, Liu Zhixiang's gaze shifted to Jiang Ning.
After a brief moment of thought, he recognized Jiang Ning's identity.
As one of the managers of the Sihe Chamber of Commerce, how could he not know about the person the third young master of the Cao family was targeting?
He quickly shook his head. "Of course, I don't mind! Young Master Cheng's presence alone is already a great honor for me. Whoever you bring, I welcome them wholeheartedly."
Hearing this, Cheng Ran smiled and turned to Jiang Ning.
"Junior Brother Jiang, let's go!"
With that, he stepped over the threshold of the private room.
At the same time, Liu Zhixiang said to the middle-aged man who had led the way, "Go and tell them to serve the dishes quickly."
Inside the private room.
After Cheng Ran and Jiang Ning took their seats, Liu Zhixiang finally sat down.
As he sat, his gaze couldn't help but linger on the Ebony Longsword at Jiang Ning's feet.
At this moment, the sword was placed at Jiang Ning's feet, leaning against the leg of the dining table.
Liu Zhixiang poured a cup of wine for Cheng Ran.
"Young Master Cheng, please have a drink. The dishes will be served shortly."
Then, he poured a cup of wine for the old man named Zheng who was sitting beside Cheng Ran.
"Old Zheng, please try this. It's a fine wine from the Moonlit Pavilion!"
As he spoke, Liu Zhixiang was extremely respectful.
He knew exactly who Old Zheng was.
This was the same man who, years ago, had single-handedly defeated three martial artists of rank and killed them all.
This man was also the foundation of the Cheng family's stability.
However, Liu Zhixiang didn't know Old Zheng's exact background. What he did know was that this man was incredibly powerful.
Cheng Ran's father had once done Old Zheng a great favor, which was why Old Zheng was repaying the debt.
Old Zheng shook his head slightly. "Just give me a pot of wine. You don't need to worry about me."
After dealing with Old Zheng, Liu Zhixiang hesitated for a moment before pouring another cup of wine and pushing it toward Jiang Ning.
"Young man, please!"
"Thank you," Jiang Ning said politely.
Seeing this, Cheng Ran spoke up. "Manager Liu, let's get straight to the point. I don't like beating around the bush."
"Very well," Liu Zhixiang said, taking out a folded piece of white paper from his pocket and placing it in front of Cheng Ran. "Young Master Cheng, you already know the situation. I won't say more. These are the terms offered by the Sihe Chamber of Commerce. Please take a look. If there are any issues, we can discuss them further."
Cheng Ran opened the paper Liu Zhixiang had placed in front of Jiang Ning, glanced at it, and then handed it to Jiang Ning.
Jiang Ning also took a look and compared it to the terms Zhou Xing had offered in the invitation the day before. He couldn't help but shake his head inwardly.
The terms offered by the Sihe Chamber of Commerce were inferior to Zhou Xing's, amounting to only about 70-80% of what Zhou Xing had proposed.
At this moment, Cheng Ran spoke up. "These terms are not as good as what my senior brother Zhou Xing offered."
Liu Zhixiang forced a smile. "If the terms are unsatisfactory, we can discuss them further."
Cheng Ran shook his head and said slowly, "I can accept the terms offered by the Sihe Chamber of Commerce without further discussion."
"Really?" Liu Zhixiang's expression froze for a moment before a look of delight appeared on his face.
Cheng Ran continued, "But I have an additional condition."
"Young Master Cheng, please speak," Liu Zhixiang said.
Cheng Ran gestured toward Jiang Ning. "This is my junior brother, Jiang Ning. He is also my closest friend! His martial talent surpasses mine!"
Liu Zhixiang's gaze fell on Jiang Ning, and upon hearing this, a look of surprise appeared on his face.
Cheng Ran continued, "My additional condition is simple. The Sihe Chamber of Commerce must offer another list of terms, with the same conditions, to my junior brother. If you agree to this, I will accept all the terms proposed by the Sihe Chamber of Commerce."
Jiang Ning also stood up and said, "If the Sihe Chamber of Commerce is willing to believe in me, I, Jiang Ning, will not disappoint you. In the future, I will repay you, and I will owe Manager Liu a favor."
A favor?
Hearing these words, Liu Zhixiang couldn't help but laugh inwardly.
Being targeted by the third young master of the Cao family, what future could Jiang Ning possibly have? The so-called favor was nothing more than an empty promise.
Having been in the business world for so many years, how could he believe such pie-in-the-sky talk from Jiang Ning?
However, he kept all these thoughts hidden in his heart.
Then, Liu Zhixiang put on a troubled expression.
"Young Master Cheng, this isn't something I can decide on my own."
"You don't believe me?" Cheng Ran's gaze was sharp as he looked at Liu Zhixiang.
"Of course, I believe Young Master Cheng's words!" Liu Zhixiang said, his gaze shifting between Jiang Ning and Cheng Ran. "I also believe that this young brother Jiang Ning has outstanding martial talent. Otherwise, he wouldn't have become Young Master Cheng's friend."
"But..."
Liu Zhixiang let out a long sigh. "But in the Sihe Chamber of Commerce, I am merely a manager. My voice carries little weight. This matter is truly beyond my authority!"
"Please forgive me, Young Master Cheng!"
Hearing such a blatant refusal, Cheng Ran's expression darkened, and he looked visibly upset.
"Manager Liu, are you saying that in the Sihe Chamber of Commerce, your voice carries little weight? Do you take me, Cheng Ran, for a three-year-old child?"
Cheng Ran struggled to contain his anger. In his eyes, Liu Zhixiang's words were nothing more than an attempt to deceive him like a child.
A manager of Sihe Chamber of Commerce couldn't possibly have such little authority.
A small investment like this was well within his power to approve.
This made Cheng Ran feel as if he had lost face in front of Jiang Ning.
In the next moment, Cheng Ran stood up and flicked his sleeve.
"Junior Brother Jiang, let's go!"
Jiang Ning sighed inwardly and picked up the sword at his side.
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