Old Mister Yao was not someone from the living world. When he was alive, he must have been a high-level Inebriate Cultivator. As for why his soul still lingered in the mortal realm after death, this remained a mystery.

Yu Nan changed the conversation. "Master Qi, let's not talk about that. Trader Qin's spell has already been lifted. He ate a few bowls of rice and then fell asleep." As she spoke, she felt more and more that Li Banfeng was not as simple as he appeared.

Chubby Qin was already sleeping comfortably, and Li Banfeng chose not to disturb him.

That night, he told the others he would stay in the east-side room with Chubby Qin. In reality, he hid the key outside the courtyard and slept inside his Pocket Dwelling.

When Li Banfeng woke up the next day, he checked his pocket watch and saw that it was still early. It was only seven o' clock, so he thought about going back to sleep. But then, he was feeling a bit thirsty, so he stepped out of the Pocket Dwelling to find water.

The moment he left the Pocket Dwelling and entered the courtyard to find water, he spotted twenty to thirty people gathered there, exuding murderous intent.

At first, Li Banfeng thought the Jiangxiang Gang had come for revenge. But when he looked closer, he saw a mix of the young and strong with the old and frail, all carrying daggers, machetes, iron clubs, and every kind of weapon.

Li Banfeng realized they were clerks from the Yu Family Cloth Shop and even recognized two familiar faces.

What are they planning?

he thought.

At the center of the group stood Yu Nan, wearing a gray fedora with a matching vest. She clenched a dark red lady's pipe between her lips, while a revolver was fastened at her waist.

Li Banfeng thought in surprise,

There are guns in Puluo Province?

It was his first time seeing one, and he wondered if Feng's General Store sold them.

Li Banfeng stepped forward to ask what was going on. Yu Nan answered, "Geng Zhiwei, the eldest young master of the Geng Family Medicinal Trading House, sent me an invitation. He asked me to dine with him so that we can talk things out. I'm taking the brothers to this banquet today. If we can reach an agreement, the matter will be settled once and for all."

There's really room for negotiation? So this is a rule of the jianghu?

Li Banfeng thought. Looking at the lineup before him, he couldn't hide his surprise. "It's just a meal. Do you really need this many people?"

Yu Nan bit down on her pipe and explained with a faint smile, "If we're going to discuss matters openly, then the knives and guns must also be laid out in the open. Even if we're in the right, we still need that display of force. Without a show of force, I would have no right to speak."

Li Banfeng understood the meaning behind this explanation. Basically, if they could talk it out, they would;if not, they would fight.

He glanced again at the clerks. "Your shop hands are unusual. They earn little, yet they're willing to risk their lives for you."

Yu Nan's face shone with pride. "We all kowtowed and swore to be brothers and sisters. They are my flesh and blood. If I have a bite to eat, they will not starve. If I have a single garment, they will not be left cold. In their hardship, I take the burden. In mine, they stand with me."

Even now, Li Banfeng did not understand the bond they shared. That was one of the reasons he had been unable to find work in Puluo Province.

The Yu Family Cloth Shop was not just a store. Instead, it was a gang that Yu Nan had personally built and managed on her own. One could even call it the Yu Family Gang.

On most days, Yu Nan played the shopkeeper while the rest acted as clerks. But when danger struck, she was the gang leader and they were her followers.

How could a shop like this ever hire a stranger and outsider like Li Banfeng?

The Yu Family Gang was weak. The only power they could show was Yu Nan, a level-one Smoking Cultivator. Still, being in a gang was better than having none.

In all of Puluo Province, gangs stood behind every business. From great trades worth fortunes to small deals of only a few coins, each had its gang. Even the bun shop Chubby Qin often visited was backed by the Bun Gang.

For someone like Li Banfeng, who had no gang and worked alone, the only way to earn extra money was by taking life-threatening jobs in places like Mount Bitterfog.

Yu Nan cupped her fists. "Master Qi, stay here with Trader Qin and help him recover. I'll be taking my leave."

Li Banfeng turned to her and asked, "Shopkeeper Yu, can you not go?"

Yu Nan lifted her pipe and inhaled deeply. "Master Qi, I understand why you asked. I know Geng Zhiwei may harbor ill intent. If he struck from the shadows, I could escape by staying out of sight. However, he sent me an open invitation. If I don't accept, it would be as if the Yu Family banner had fallen, and from then on I would never again be able to hold my head high in Medicine King Gully."

"You're right," Li Banfeng said with a nod. "Even so, can you not go?"

Yu Nan laughed bitterly. "If I alone admitted to being afraid, it would not matter. But what about my brothers and sisters? Am I to discard their dignity as well as my own?"

"Dignity matters," Li Banfeng agreed with her. "So, can you not go?"

Yu Nan pulled the cigarette from her pipe and pushed it into Li Banfeng's mouth. "Master Qi, I must go today, whether I want to or not. This is the jianghu."

With that, she led the clerks out of the courtyard.

Today, she didn't bother binding her chest. Two buttons on her vest gaped open, though it was hard to tell if she had loosened them or if they had come undone on their own.

Her trousers fit loosely, but the shape of her hips still traced elegant curves that caught the eyes of every man behind her.

"She certainly speaks as though she holds all the authority," Li Banfeng murmured as he watched her back. "But what is jianghu?"

***

With thirty-three clerks behind her, Yu Nan arrived at the Spring-Gazing Pavilion.

The Spring-Gazing Pavilion was the biggest restaurant in the Medicine King Gully. At this moment, over twenty clerks from the Geng Family Medicinal Trading House were waiting at the door to welcome her.

Seeing that the other side had fewer people than her own, Yu Nan felt somewhat reassured. Still, the absence of Geng Zhiwei at the door to welcome her made her feel a flicker of displeasure.

Still, she knew all too well that Geng Zhiwei did not see her as an equal. A little humiliation at today's banquet was inevitable, but it was of no importance. All that mattered was things could be settled with a clear resolution.

With only two guards following, Yu Nan walked boldly into the restaurant. The Geng Family's bookkeeper came forward. "Shopkeeper Yu, please hand over your weapons!"

Recognizing the bookkeeper, Yu Nan gave a smile. "I'm just a weak woman. Surely a single pistol for self-defense won't terrify Young Master Geng."

The bookkeeper smacked his lips. "Shopkeeper Yu, we're here to settle things peacefully, not to stir up trouble. You know the rules of the jianghu."

Yu Nan knew the rules well, but she also knew that she could not go upstairs without her pistol.

"Your young master picked the place, set the meeting time, and even came earlier than us. How can I be sure he isn't carrying a weapon himself?"

The bookkeeper frowned. "Shopkeeper Yu, we're considered long-time acquaintances. If you put it that way, it's unreasonable. You are a first-level Smoking Cultivator, while our young master has not even reached the first level of cultivation. If a fight broke out, we would be the ones who would suffer!"

Yu Nan gave a cold laugh. "This pistol will not leave my side. Otherwise, I won't be stepping into this restaurant."

"Well, about this…" The bookkeeper was clearly troubled when a voice suddenly rang out from upstairs.

"Don't make things difficult for her. If Shopkeeper Yu wishes to bring a pistol up here, then so be it."

Geng Zhiwei had spoken.

The bookkeeper turned toward Yu Nan. "Shopkeeper Yu, our young master has already made a compromise. You may carry your pistol, but as for the two men who came with you…"

Yu Nan cast a glance at her two guards, and they promptly handed their weapons over to the clerks.

Both sides had compromised and neither made things difficult for the other. To Yu Nan, this showed that Geng Zhiwei was a man who abided by the rules.

When Yu Nan and the two guards reached the second floor, only a single table stood in the spacious hall. Geng Zhiwei had reserved the entire Spring-Gazing Pavilion. The moment he saw Yu Nan, he rose to greet her, holding a slice of watermelon in hand.

Two guards stood at Geng Zhiwei's side, and beside them was Jia Quansheng, the very Young Master Jia who had once tried to force a Speckled-Snake Pill out of Chubby Qin. He was the cause of everything that had followed.

Judging by the current situation, Yu Nan was confident that she could handle it.

"Shopkeeper Yu!"

"Young Master Geng!"

"Please!"

Once they were seated and had spoken a few pleasantries, Geng Zhiwei signaled a clerk to pour Yu Nan a cup of wine before saying, "Shopkeeper Yu, drink this, and let us put aside the grievances of the past."

However, Yu Nan knew that things would not be settled in such a simple manner. With the cup in her hand, she said, "Young Master Geng, let's put everything on the table. You ask to set our grudges aside, but what are the conditions?"

There were two plates of watermelon on the table. Geng Zhiwei picked up another slice and took a bite. "Shopkeeper Yu, if it were just up to me, I would have settled it like this out of respect for you. However, Rong Jin'an was one of the Geng Family Medicinal Trading House, and now he is gone. If he is alive, we have no sign of him. If he is dead, we have no body. This concerns our banner.

"With over a hundred mouths depending on us, your name alone will not be enough to explain things. This also made my younger cousin Quansheng suffer. Several of his men were beaten up by that fatty Qin. And so, I cannot decide this on my own."

With his oily hair neatly slicked back and his creamy face shining, Jia Quansheng ate a slice of watermelon. After wiping his mouth, he said, "Shopkeeper Yu, I must also give my men an explanation."

Since Jia Quansheng was just here to flatter Geng Zhiwei, Yu Nan felt really reluctant to even spare Jia Quansheng a glance.

"Young Master Geng, no need to beat around the bush. State your conditions directly," Yu Nan said.

Geng Zhiwei picked up another slice of watermelon and ate as he spoke. "Shopkeeper Yu, you are straightforward, so I will be straightforward with you as well. I have only three conditions. If you can agree to them, I will consider the matter of Rong Jin'an and Chubby Qin never happened before!

"First, you may remain as manager of the Yu Family Cloth Shop, but you must hand over fifty percent of the shares to our trading house. I won't be taking this for free. If you agree, your shop's troubles are ours. Whoever dares provoke Shopkeeper Yu will be provoking our Geng Family. Our banner will fly at your front door from now on. Shopkeeper Yu, what do you think?"

Yu Nan's cheeks twitched. It was clear that Geng Zhiwei meant to devour the Yu Family Cloth Shop.

It was very difficult to agree to such a condition, but if she said no, her shop would not survive in Medicine King Gully. Giving away fifty percent was far too much, but she could try to bargain it down later.

Yu Nan gave no answer. "Young Master Geng, please continue."

Geng Zhiwei smiled, set down the watermelon rind, and said, "I'll take the silence as your agreement. After all that's happened, I find myself admiring you. I like your handsome looks, but even more, I admire your straightforward way of settling grievances. I want to take you as my sixth concubine. Say yes and we will hold the wedding banquet here at Spring-Gazing Pavilion and go into the bridal chamber tonight. What do you think?"

Yu Nan bit down on her lip as her face went pale. "Keep talking."

"Very well. I will take that as your agreement. Thirdly, my family is upset about what happened to Rong Jin'an, and I worry your life will be difficult going forward. So how's this? After we perform the wedding rites today, you will take off your clothes and I will publicly lash you with a whip. If that can be done, my family's anger will subside and you will no longer have to suffer in the future. I'm doing this for your own good. What do you think?"