Striving for the First

"Brother Pei?"

Zhong Xuan looked at Pei Yong standing at the door, his eyebrows slightly raised.

Since Pei Wen went to the county school, he has visited the Zhang residence to copy books less and less often. In fact, the two have not seen each other for several months.

The depth of a friendship is often measured by the number of times you meet.

Even if you were once as close as family, you can still grow distant if you don't see each other for too long.

The two stared at each other for a moment.

Pei Yong then spoke somewhat awkwardly, "Brother Zhong, it's been a long time."

He secretly observed the old man in the brocade robe. He was no longer the same person as the old scholar in tattered clothes. His temperament had become refined and elegant, and he even looked better than the teacher of his son Pei Wen County School.

Seeing that Zhong Xuan had changed so much.

He couldn't help but feel a sense of emotion.

"Wealth nourishes people."

Pei Yong had naturally heard about Zhong Xuan's success in becoming a scholar.

Although his strength in the later stages of his skin-refining process might surpass that of Zhong Xuan, skin-refining was far from reaching the level where he could set the rules with force. Therefore, in terms of status, he was actually lower than a scholar who had passed the imperial examinations.

I'm not afraid of my brothers suffering, I'm afraid of my brothers being rich.

When Zhong Xuan was down on his luck, he used to look up and call him "brother," but now that they meet again, he has to lower his head.

He knew he would never be able to get it again, so even though they had a good relationship, he had no intention of seeing each other again.

Until the second young master of the Zhang family appeared...

"Brother Zhong, this is the second young master of the Zhang family. He has come to see you today."

Pei Yong stepped aside, making way for Zhang Linchun, who was standing behind him.

"Master Zhong, I have long admired your name."

"I was in seclusion during the imperial examination and was unable to witness your remarkable achievement, which is a great regret."

Zhang Linchun spoke in a way that was as refreshing as a spring breeze.

"Indeed, he bears a striking resemblance to Zhang Lie, about seven-tenths."

Zhong Xuan pondered in his heart.

They are all merchants with the temperament to be as adaptable as spring breezes in March and as scorching as winter in October.

But compared to his father Zhang Lie, he was still more immature and arrogant.

The way the title "Xianggong" is used reveals a lot; it seems respectful, but in reality, it's distant.

But it's not surprising.

After all, anyone who achieves such success at Zhang Linchun's age would have a change in mindset.

"Master Zhang, is there something you need today?"

Zhong Xuan had lived for a very long time and had seen too many people. He knew very well how to get along with people of this kind, so he went straight to the point.

Zhang Linchun stopped putting on airs: "Master Zhong, in recent years, you and I are probably the only two people in our Baisha County who have passed the imperial examination. We can work together to make progress."

"Working together?"

Zhong Xuan raised an eyebrow slightly.

Zhang Linchun: "Being classmates, having passed the imperial examination in the same year, and being from the same hometown are the three great connections for officials. Although I am not classmates with Minister Zhong, it is quite possible that we passed the imperial examination in the same year. Being from the same hometown and passing the imperial examination in the same year is an incredible fate."

Zhong Xuan remained silent, simply waiting for what was to come.

Zhang Linchun coughed lightly: "If Master Zhong is willing to pass on his swordsmanship to me, I can buy it for a large sum of money. Not only that, if I am fortunate enough to pass the imperial examination in the future, I will definitely help him."

Zhong Xuan chuckled inwardly.

Zhang Linchun had indeed come for the Nine Strikes of the Flying Eagle.

The Zijin Society possesses superior martial arts skills, and their request for help is likely to curry favor with that old man, Master Cui.

Zheng Yue could not possibly pass on his martial arts skills to Zhang Lie's son from the Zijintang, which is why Zhang Linchun approached Zhong Xuan.

As for mentorship...

In officialdom, age is not a factor; the length of time one has served in office is the determining factor.

Zhang Linchun was certain that he would pass the imperial examination before Zhong Xuan.

"This is a silver note worth five hundred taels of gold. What do you think, Master Zhong?"

Looking at the silver notes in Zhang Linchun's hand, Pei Yong, who was standing to the side, started to pant heavily.

Be nice.

Five hundred taels of gold is equivalent to five thousand taels of silver!

He could never earn that much money in his entire life.

Why were the merchants of Zijintang able to rival the Wuhui and Shabang?

It's because they have a lot of money.

"Brother Zhong..."

Pei Yong was about to speak.

Zhong Xuan calmly shook his head: "This sword technique was personally taught by the Flying Eagle Martial Arts School. I am not qualified to pass it on to outsiders."

Zhang Linchun frowned immediately.

Before he arrived, he had already investigated Zhong Xuan's background. He originally thought that an old, pedantic scholar who was afraid of being poor would be overwhelmed by the sudden windfall of wealth, but he did not expect that Zhong Xuan would refuse so decisively.

Dissatisfied.

But Zhong Xuan was, after all, a member of the Flying Eagle Martial Arts School, so it was impossible for him to be forcibly taken.

The fact that a former country bumpkin could now go against his own principles only deepened Zhang Linchun's displeasure.

"In that case, I'll take my leave."

Zhang Linchun snorted coldly, unwilling to say anything more, and turned to leave.

Pei Yong wanted to try again, but seeing that his young master had already left, he could only sigh.

"The second young master may seem respectful and courteous, but he is still too arrogant at heart."

But he was also surprised by Zhong Xuan's decisiveness. As the saying goes, "Man dies for wealth, birds die for food."

If the Zhang family hadn't been so generous with their money, he wouldn't have become the guardian martial arts master of the house. Yet, Zhong Xuan remained indifferent to the sudden wealth.

As Zhong Xuan watched Zhang Linchun and his companion's retreating figures, a strange thought inexplicably arose within him: "So, today I can be considered someone who can resist the temptations of wealth and power?"

......

......

This day.

Zhong Xuan arrived at the Flying Eagle Martial Arts School in Baisha City from Xiahe Village, and had just reached the entrance.

Then a large group of martial arts school disciples walked out aggressively.

Zhong Xuan spotted several familiar figures in the crowd. He grabbed the young Chen He and asked:

"What happened?"

Upon seeing that it was Zhong Xuan, Chen He first bowed respectfully before saying, "Mr. Zhong, it's the Sand Gang. Today, these brutes are behaving unruly, storming into our martial arts school's pharmacy and smashing everything up, even stealing a lot of precious medicinal herbs."

Zhong Xuan's expression shifted slightly.

The new emperor of Qing Kingdom called for the world to recuperate and live in peace, and the country was generally stable. However, conflicts and power struggles among various local forces never ceased.

The three major forces in Baisha County—the Martial Arts Association, the Zijintang, and the Shabang—have always been engaged in undercurrents and constant struggles.

As the leader of the martial arts tournament, Flying Eagle Martial Arts School naturally bears the brunt of the criticism.

Zhong Xuan had heard of it before.

However, he was only an instructor at the Flying Eagle Martial Arts School, so he was an outsider and naturally wouldn't get involved in such matters.

Zhong Xuan watched as the large group of young apprentices marched headlong towards the pharmacy.

He then went into the martial arts school.

Today, almost all the disciples in the martial arts school went to help out at other events, so there was no need for classes. He went straight to Zheng Yue's shop.

"Brother Zheng, what's the situation at the pharmacy?"

Zheng Yue flipped through the account book without looking up, as usual:

"It's nothing more than competing for supremacy in martial arts."

"Is it also related to martial arts combat?"

Zheng Yue sneered, "Brother Zhong, do you really think the Sand Gang is going to smash up the Flying Eagle Martial Arts School's business?"

"It's my junior brother's chance to excel in martial arts."

Zheng Yue put down the account book in his hand: "Now is a great era for martial arts. There are only three people in Baisha County who have the opportunity to break through and become the three great martial arts practitioners."

"Junior brother Qian Hong, Shi Fengsha of the Sand Gang, and Dan Yun of the Purple Gold Hall are all experts who have reached the peak of the Lesser Three Realms."

"Whoever breaks through first will gain the upper hand and become the number one force in Baisha County."

This was the first time Zhong Xuan had ever learned about the level of the strongest person in Baisha County.

His heart stirred slightly.

"Three major training sessions..."