"Grandpa!?"

"Elder!?"

The elder's actions shocked the two young men and Chang-Yue deeply. They knew the elder very well—he was someone who would never ask for help from anyone. Even in life-threatening situations, he would always face them alone. But this time, the elder pleaded with Zheng-Fu to help save this tavern, the place of his dreams and a shelter for orphans.

"Well! Since you're begging me like this, I'll help you!" Zheng-Fu said with a sly smile at the corner of his mouth before stepping forward to help the elder up. "First of all, you've got to tell me the whole story. Otherwise, I won't know how to solve it!" Zheng-Fu wanted the elder to tell him the whole story, so he could know where he should fix it.

"All right, Young Master. Here's what happened: After you gave me a high-level Purple Heaven Crystal that day, I exchanged it for a hundred thousand low-level Purple Heaven Crystals. Then I quit my job, returned the carriage to the business owner, and came back to this poor neighborhood. I used the crystals to buy this building, open the tavern of my dreams, and take in Xiao-He and Xiao-Lei—two orphans—to help with the tavern."

"After opening for two days, this tavern became well-known in the neighborhood. It wasn't just the poor and ordinary people who came to eat and drink, but even wealthy members of low-ranking clans. Because of this, the thug chief controlling this area saw it as an opportunity to increase his livelihood. They're trying to force me to sell the tavern to them and work for them!"

"But I refused. Since yesterday, they've been sending people to threaten me. And today, they came again. You probably saw the group sitting at the entrance. They're waiting for my answer. If I don't give them what they want, they'll destroy this tavern!"

Elder King recounted the entire story in detail, trembling with anger and dissatisfaction as he spoke.

"Hmm! They're just ordinary thugs, right? Or is there a powerful group backing them?" Zheng-Fu asked after understanding the situation, wanting to know more about the gang.

"I'm not sure. But it's said they work for one of the low-ranking clans in this area, which happens to be the most powerful clan in the area. They're trying to elevate their status to a medium-ranking clan by increasing their financial power!" The elder wasn't sure about who was backing the thugs, but from the news he heard, they worked for a low-ranking clan.

"Ah! I understand. Today, I'll stay here to help you. And I believe that they won't dare do anything to your tavern. Let's eat first!" Zheng-Fu nodded in understanding. He could tell that today, nothing would happen and the elder would be safe since the thug leader's hesitation was evident.

"Yes, Young Master!"

Half an hour passed…

After finishing his meal, Zheng-Fu felt like going for a walk. At first, he intended to take Chang-Yue with him, but upon reconsideration, he decided against it, as she might be in danger. He thought it was better for her to stay with Tai-He.

"Tai-He, I'm going for a walk in the city. I entrust Little Angel to your care. Here, take this dimensional ring, it has twenty high-level Purple Heaven Crystals. Use these to buy whatever you need, including a flying monster beast. That way, you'll have your own beast to ride on the way home." Zheng-Fu handed Tai-He the ring, which contained twenty high-level Purple Heaven Crystals, and told him to take care of Chang-Yue.

"No! I'll go with you. Please let me go with you, Brother!" Chang-Yue protested, pleading with Zheng-Fu to take her along.

"Are you disobeying me? Didn't you promise to obey me in everything?" Zheng-Fu asked, not rejecting her outright but standing firm. He simply asked her whether she still remembered the promise she had made to him...

"But... I'm just... All right! I'll listen to you. But next time, you must take me with you, or I won't talk to you anymore!" she insisted, her eyes sparkling as she tried to win him over. Despite her efforts, Zheng-Fu remained unmoved, forcing her to relent. Still, she managed to extract a promise from him.

"All right! I promise to take Little Angel for a walk next time!" Zheng-Fu said with a faint smile, unable to refuse her completely.

"Yay! Yay! Yay!"

"Master, do you have a specific destination in mind?" Tai-He asked after pocketing the dimensional ring. He was familiar with almost every alley and lane in the capital and could guide Zheng-Fu anywhere.

"I want to visit the Mercenary Association. Do you know where it is?" Zheng-Fu asked after some thought. He wasn't even sure if such a place existed.

"Mercenary Association!?"

Everyone was startled by Zheng-Fu's words, especially Elder King, who was visibly shocked.

"Master, do you want to go to the Mercenary Association, sir?" Tai-He asked, emphasizing his words, not sure if he had heard wrong.

"That's right! I want to go to the Mercenary Association. Why? Is there something wrong there? Why does everyone look so shocked?" Zheng-Fu nodded, repeating his words, surprised by everyone's expressions.

"Because I didn't think Master would want to go there. The Mercenary Association is a place where high-level cultivators who have graduated from the Heavenly Command Sect's academy but did not join any forces gather together. For the most part, they take on jobs as bodyguards. As for the price, it is said that each person's wages are quite high, sir!" Tai-He explained briefly to Zheng-Fu about the Mercenary Association.

"That's why everyone looks shocked. I'd like to go to the Mercenary Association because I want to hire two Heavenly Golden Core stage cultivators or one Heavenly Star Stage cultivator to escort this place. For I've decided to venture with Elder. And I'll fund the renovation and expansion of this tavern as well. What do you think?"

Zheng-Fu stated his intention of going to the Mercenary Association, which was what everyone had guessed. However, more than that, he wanted to hire mercenaries to support the expansion of the tavern.

"Young Master!"

"All right! No need to say anything else. I'm going to continue my business. You continue to do your duty. I hope nothing happens during my absence!" Zheng-Fu cut off the conversation, excused himself, and prepared to take care of his errand at the Mercenary Association.

After leaving the special room, Zheng-Fu once again scanned the tavern to check if the thugs were still there. They had left because they wanted to observe how Zheng-Fu was involved with Elder King.

"Looks like they're gone. But tomorrow, they'll definitely come back. Therefore, I must hurry and recruit good people to watch over this tavern!" Zheng-Fu realized the urgency of hiring mercenaries. If the thugs decided to cause chaos, he might not be able to handle it, as the thug chief had energy at the sixth level of the Heavenly Foundation Building stage—far beyond his ability to fight.

At the horse carriage parking lot next to the tavern...

"Driver, take me to the Mercenary Association. You know where it is, right?" Zheng-Fu instructed the driver immediately after arriving at the carriage.

"Yes, Master. I'll take you there right away!" the young man responded promptly.

The Mercenary Association was located near the statue of the Founding Ancestor Statue that Zheng-Fu had previously visited. Its location was chosen strategically, as it was a hub where many people gathered, and the area was filled with the mysterious energy of the statue.

The distance from Gratitude Tavern to the Mercenary Association was only two kilometers.

Half an hour passed...

"We've arrived, Master. This is the Mercenary Association!" the driver announced as the horse carriage stopped in front of the Mercenary Association entrance.

"Thank you very much! Here's your reward. Park the carriage and wait for me. I think I might spend at least half an hour in there!" Zheng-Fu took out a lump of low-level Purple Heaven Crystal and tossed it to the driver before instructing him to find a place to park.

"Yes, sir, Master!"

The driver accepted the low-level Purple Heaven Crystal with a glad expression and drove the carriage to park in the designated area.

"Is this the Mercenary Association? It's quite large. And it's also right next to the statue of the Founding Ancestor. What a truly excellent choice of location. Hmm! Let me have a look inside." Zheng-Fu couldn't help but praise the owner of the Mercenary Association for choosing such a strategic location. He then walked inside.

Creeeak!

As soon as Zheng-Fu opened the large door and entered the building, he saw many tables, a reception counter at the end of the room, and numerous cultivators seated at various tables, including at the reception counter. All of these cultivators possessed energy levels higher than the Heavenly Foundation Building stage.

Zheng-Fu's appearance caused all the cultivators in the Mercenary Association to turn and look at him in unison. However, after a moment, they lost interest and resumed focusing on their own activities.

***Starting from the next chapter, there will be adjustments to the Purple Heaven Crystal exchange rates.***

The previous rate of 1 medium-level crystal = 100 low-level crystals will be changed to 1:1000.

As for the high-level crystals, the rate remains the same at 1:100.

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