20
‘Chen Linyao, are you living with your boyfriend?’
At the Ye Bin Construction Materials Company, the usual morning chaos reigned.
On top of that, the boss had just tasked her team with an especially challenging project: figuring out how to expand sales overseas despite the warehouse being located far from major waterway transport routes.
As the company’s costs had increased, Ye Bin’s prices were now slightly higher than those of nearby competitors.
Not long ago, they had engaged in a fierce price-cutting war for months, which ultimately left both sides battered.
Eventually, they agreed to a truce.
Chen Linyao had seen Tang Beibei’s message as soon as she arrived at work, but she only managed to read it around noon.
The morning had been consumed by a meeting with a client from Country K.
Given the current tense international climate, she worried that if another trade war broke out, all her efforts might be wasted.
Maybe I should focus on clients from Country T instead.
Country T was more amicable and less aggressive in price negotiations.
Moreover, many people there spoke her language.
However, this also meant that competition for clients from Country T was particularly fierce.
With Ye Bin’s higher costs, negotiations often made little progress.
Why do they always give us tough assignments during turbulent times?
What this month’s sales share will look like?
Stress made Chen Linyao lose her appetite during lunch, so she decided to check the messages her friends had sent.
Tang Beibei had texted her the night before, as had Ru Yi, both asking the same thing.
They must have seen Xie Zhengjie when I left the store yesterday.
She hadn’t expected the two to have the exact same thought.
‘He’s not my boyfriend, but we’re living together,’ she replied.
Within moments, Tang Beibei called her.
“Chen the Beautiful, why are you doing this? This kind of relationship only puts women at a disadvantage. You’ve been refusing to date for so long, and now you’re suddenly okay with living together? I know it’s your personal choice, but this isn’t a good idea,” Tang Beibei rattled off.
“It’s a long story, but we’re not what you think,” Chen Linyao replied, glancing at the clock.
She then added.
“I have to get back to work now. I’ll explain when I have more time, okay?”
Chen Linyao didn’t dare message Ru Yi just yet, fearing she might call as well.
If Ru Yi called, her workday might be entirely derailed.
At a public park in City H, Xie Zhengjie wandered for hours, increasingly realizing how difficult earning money would be.
Here, no one practiced cultivation, nor did they craft spiritual elixirs or pills, severely limiting his expertise.
He couldn’t even exchange the treasures he carried for money.
Inside his robe, he had several banknotes worth tens of thousands of taels, but there were no shops here that would accept them.
Aside from that, he only had some miscellaneous items like silver needles for detecting poison and golden needles for treating specific ailments.
Sitting by a pond and watching ducks, Xie Zhengjie mulled over his predicament.
Just then, an elderly man in an elegant suit walked by.
“You’re still young; don’t give up,” the old man remarked with a smile, noticing his demeanor.
Xie Zhengjie glanced around with the corner of his eye, noting that he was the only one sitting there.
The man must have been speaking to him.
However, he wasn’t exactly disheartened—just slightly annoyed.
The old man must have poor eyesight, he thought.
But as he observed the elder more closely, his brow furrowed in surprise.
The man’s footsteps were steady and powerful, his face lined with age yet retaining a healthy glow.
Xie Zhengjie could even sense a faint energy emanating from the old man.
Taoist Arts.
Xie Zhengjie immediately recognized that the elderly man practiced Taoist martial arts—a form of cultivation that had been passed down through generations.
It was the first time he had sensed another cultivator in this place, sparking a faint hope within him.
But after a moment of thought, that hope dissipated.
It’s just Taoist martial arts.
In the Xie Kingdom, immortal cultivation techniques had advanced far beyond these older methods.
Historically, Taoist martial arts were precursors to the more refined and powerful techniques of immortal cultivation.
As cultivation practices developed over centuries, Taoist martial arts had been relegated to a less prominent role, with their inherent weaknesses often left unaddressed. Read this novel at novelping(.)com for the best experience.
Thus, those who practiced Taoist martial arts were often people of limited means.
In kinder terms, they were individuals who lacked better opportunities.
People lacking opportunities rarely had wealth.
However, the man’s gait revealed something else to Xie Zhengjie—the old man’s left knee bore the marks of chronic injury, a condition untreated for years.
It fits.
A man with few opportunities unable to treat even a simple injury.
In an instant, Xie Zhengjie discerned the old man’s background.
As the elderly man sat on a nearby bench, the prince of the Xie Kingdom sighed and said, “The techniques you practice put too much strain on your left knee, which has led to chronic injury. Maintaining such a steady gait despite that injury must not have been easy.”
The elderly man froze in shock.
This man was Lu Biang, a retired steward of a prominent family in City H.
For years, he had faithfully protected the family head, putting himself in danger countless times until his body could no longer bear the strain.
Though retired, his decades of loyal service earned him great respect from the family.
Lu Biang had trained in ancient martial arts but had left his sect midway through his studies.
Even so, his mastery had reached a level nearly equal to that of the current sect master.
However, the dangerous nature of his duties had led to accumulated injuries.
“How do you know that?”
The elderly man stared with alarm, wondering if this young man was an assassin hired by one of his old enemies.
Lu Biang’s retirement wasn’t widely known yet, but the names of some potential adversaries began flashing through his mind.
Xie Zhengjie noticed the intensity of the old man’s gaze but remained unfazed.
To him, this reaction was an amusing display of the man’s limited perspective.
In the kingdom, such observations were rudimentary knowledge among cultivators, something even a low-ranking practitioner could easily identify.
He sighed softly.
Today, I should perform a good deed for someone less fortunate.
His imperial grandmother often reminded him to accumulate virtue whenever possible, hoping it would one day return to him.
A golden needle then materialized in his hand.
“Sit still,” Xie Zhengjie commanded before the man could react, swiftly inserting needles around the old man’s left knee.
By now, much of Xie Zhengjie’s strength had returned.
Compared to the day he was hospitalized in critical condition, his agility and precision had improved dramatically.
Even if the entire hospital staff were to attempt restraining him now, they would stand no chance.
The old man was initially startled, but soon, he felt a wave of warmth coursing through the needles into his body.
The pain that had been accumulating in his left knee subsided, almost disappearing entirely, leaving him stunned.
The ancient Chinese art of acupuncture was a renowned branch of medicine.
Having lived a long life, the old man was unsure whether these techniques were genuinely effective or merely folklore.
Western medicine, which he had encountered more frequently in recent years, dismissed acupuncture due to a lack of scientific evidence.
But he wasn’t entirely swayed by Western medicine either.
For example, his mastery of ancient martial arts differed significantly from modern sports.
He had cultivated a level of inner strength far beyond ordinary human capabilities.
Moreover, his former sect master had demonstrated profound internal energy levels that far surpassed his own.
Acupuncture was still just a rumor, shrouded in mystery and difficult to verify.
At least up until now, Lu Biang had never met anyone truly skilled in the art.
He had only heard vague stories.
“Are you from the Hua family?”
Despite being highly respected, Lu Biang had to humble himself when mentioning a family known for ancient medical arts.
The Divine Healers, as they were called, were said to have inherited the knowledge of the legendary physician Hua Dou, treating only the most elite leaders.
Though the family was shrouded in mythical stories, they rarely revealed themselves to the public.
“No,” Xie Zhengjie denied immediately.
His surname was Xie, and he didn’t care to explain further.
After a moment, he retrieved the golden needles he had used for treatment and discarded them casually.
These needles were disposable and of basic quality—he reserved his finest ones for the imperial palace.
But Xie Zhengjie frowned and corrected him.
“The pain has only been greatly alleviated. I corrected some of the abnormalities in your knee, so you feel better now. However, it will take time to fully recover.”
Acupuncture wasn’t a miracle cure, after all.
Such naive thinking—how fitting for someone with limited opportunities.
“My benefactor,” Lu Biang stood and bowed respectfully before hurriedly asking, “Does this mean this elder’s knee has a chance to recover completely?”
“That depends on you. The major issues have been addressed, but the rest is up to how well you rehabilitate it. Even if it doesn’t return to full strength, you should still be able to use it effectively for years to come.”
Lu Biang stood in quiet contemplation, pondering how his restored knee might allow him to extend his service for a little longer.
When he saw Xie Zhengjie rising to leave, he quickly followed, desperate to ask something.
“My benefactor, please, may I know your name?”
The young man didn’t even glance back.
Raising a hand dismissively, he strode away.
He had no time to get entangled in others’ affairs—his focus was on finding a way to earn money for himself.
By late afternoon, as the sun dipped toward the horizon, the young man finally started making his way back to the apartment.
To save time, he chose an isolated shortcut but unexpectedly stumbled upon a gang of thugs viciously attacking a person.
“You want a piece of this too, huh?!” One of the ruffians sneered drunkenly, his bloodshot eyes a clear sign of inebriation.
Nearby, the young man lay curled up on the ground, clutching a bag tightly to his chest.
The thugs turned their attention to Xie Zhengjie.
His handsome and refined features, far beyond the average standard, only served to irritate them further.
“Pretty boy, huh?! Bet you’ve got plenty of money on you…” Before the thug could finish, a loud bang echoed as his body was sent flying several meters.
The other thugs were stunned, but some, driven by their aroused aggression, charged forward to attack.
Then, many of them experienced the sensation of “flight” firsthand.
Once he had dealt with the troublemakers, he went over to help the young boy who had been assaulted, waking him up.
Once again, he found himself playing the role of a benefactor.
Xie Zhengjie pondered for a moment, realizing he had been doing good deeds quite often today.
He wondered idly when the karma his grandmother always spoke of would come back to bless him.
The young man walked over to the leader of the thugs, the first one he had sent flying.
Initially intending to ask for directions back, he was surprised when the thug hastily handed him some money.
“What is this?” Xie Zhengjie asked.
“Brother—no, Big Brother—please don’t hit us again. We can’t take it anymore,” the thug pleaded with a muffled voice, clutching his nose, which was still bleeding.
“You think you can bribe me?”
“No, never,” the thug hastily retracted his hand.
He realized he had grossly misjudged the noble intentions of this powerful man.
Unexpectedly, his wrist was gripped tightly by the young man, making it impossible for him to move.
The handsome man calmly stated.
“Today, you hurt others and were punished.
Do you understand your wrongdoing?”
“Yes, yes, we understand.
We won’t dare to do it again—we’ll turn over a new leaf.”
“Good,” Xie Zhengjie nodded approvingly.
Then, his gaze fell on the cash still in the thug’s hand.
“And this money?”
The thug quickly interpreted the hero’s intention.
Realizing this heavy-handed hero cared for his reputation, he cleverly replied, “Big Brother is a guiding light, and we offer this as a token of gratitude.
Please, accept it.”
“This isn’t a bribe?”
“Of course not.
Big Brother is a good man, while we’re scoundrels.
It’s only right for us to give this to you.”
“Is that the truth?”
“Absolutely,” the gang leader replied fervently, though his wrist, still gripped tightly, throbbed with pain.
Xie Zhengjie nodded in agreement.
In the Xie Kingdom, it was customary for him to accept bounties for capturing criminals.
Receiving money from wrongdoers felt similarly justified.
The young man went around asking the same question to each thug, and all of them, without exception, admitted their wrongdoing and willingly handed over money.
Counting the money in his hand, he found he had collected over 10,000 yuan.
He considered the outcome satisfactory.
It seemed his grandmother had been right: doing good deeds brought its own rewards.
Society needed peace and order, and evildoers disrupted that harmony.
By punishing them, he was restoring balance to the community.Seeing the efficiency of this method—both in obtaining monetary rewards and building karma—Xie Zhengjie turned to the gang leader once more and asked, “Are there any other villains in this area?”