The next morning, Meng Fan was invited to the living room for a talk.
Only Zhao Feng and his father Zhao Chuxiong were in the living room. After dismissing the maid who came to fetch water, Zhao Chuxiong began to inquire about Meng's well-being: "Young Master Meng, I wonder if you had a comfortable stay at the manor last night?"
Meng Fan wasn't going to waste time with pleasantries with him; having power meant having the right to be capricious!
“Uncle, I’m sure Brother Zhao has already discussed this with you last night. I can only stay in Sunset City for a few days. Please feel free to tell me what’s on your mind.”
"Haha, very well. Since you speak so frankly, young master, I won't mince words. My Meng family wishes to ask you to help protect the Zhao family's foundation. Please state what you desire. I, Zhao Chuxiong, am not a stingy person. As long as I can offer it, I will not renege!"
Last night, Zhao Feng told him that not only the Wang family were chasing him, but also the Sun family from the prefecture. This made him feel desperate, because since the old man was poisoned, the Wang family had become powerful enough to challenge the Zhao family!
With the addition of the Sun family from the prefecture, the Zhao family no longer had the power to resist!
No wonder the old man's friends all declined his request for help; it must have been the Sun family's doing!
Thinking of this, Zhao Chuxiong decided to tell the truth: "Young master, I don't want to hide it. My Zhao family is currently in a critical moment of survival! The Wang family has reached a cooperation agreement with the Sun family of Zhanzhou Prefecture, intending to seize my Zhao family's foundation. The Sun family is all-powerful in the prefecture, like local emperors, and they also have a lot of influence in the dynasty!"
Meng Fan thought for a moment: "What is the strength of the strongest member of the Sun family?"
"In the dynasty, martial artists at the late stage of the Acquired Realm are already treated with royal courtesy, and innate masters can be worshipped by the royal family. As for the Grandmaster Realm, that is the foundation of the dynasty, and it is beyond our reach!"
Zhao Chuxiong thought for a moment, then said, "Young master, if things are not possible, I have only one request: I am willing to offer you the cash that the Zhao family has accumulated over the years, in order to ask you to spare my son's life!"
Meng Fan looked at Zhao Chuxiong in surprise, thinking to himself that sincerity is always the ultimate weapon. The ancients were right. Zhao Chuxiong seemed to have resigned himself to his fate, but in fact he was using retreat as a strategy to advance!
Meng Fan smiled and said to Zhao Feng, "Brother Zhao, it seems that your uncle values you highly. Why don't you join my sect? You are a young genius, with your cultivation reaching the Acquired Realm at such a young age. You also have a lot of money in your family, and you are kind and honest. You have already met the requirements for joining!"
Zhao Chuxiong and his son almost jumped up, unable to hide their excitement: "Is what you say true, young master?"
He realized that Meng Fan still dared to invite Zhao Feng to join the Gold and Silver Sect at this time, so how could he be afraid of the Sun family? There was hope that the Zhao family could be saved!
Meng Fan became serious, took a sip of tea, and said, "I am the number one holy son of the sect, so I do have this much power."
He thought of gradually developing his power, absorbing as many people as he could. With people came money, with money came the ability to exploit, and with exploitation came strength. Becoming stronger allowed him to develop his power, and with power came even more money. It was a virtuous cycle!
After thinking for a moment, he continued, "I paid quite a few favors when I joined the family. I wonder what kind of dowry... oops! What kind of gifts, Uncle, can prepare for Brother Zhao!"
"These are easy to agree to. As long as my Zhao family can afford them, you may ask for them, young master!"
"Let me make this clear: the people in our sect are not interested in martial arts manuals or rare treasures; they are only interested in cash. Therefore, our sect's motto is that money makes the world go round, and we are on the road to making money every day, improving a little bit every day!"
Zhao Feng completely understood this, mainly because he was immune to it: "Brother Meng, isn't our motto 'money is everything'?"
As soon as he finished speaking, Zhao Chuxiong kicked him away. Fearing that Meng Fan would change his mind, he immediately stepped forward and pulled him out of the living room. After several twists and turns, they entered a courtyard. There were two members of the Zhao family guarding the gate. Upon seeing the head of the family arrive, they immediately took out a key and opened the gate.
Meng Fan and Zhao Chuxiong entered the courtyard. There was only one room in the courtyard, which occupied a large area. Zhao Chuxiong took out a golden key, opened the inner room, and led Meng Fan into the inner room.
Before Meng Fan was a warehouse of about 3,000 square meters, similar to the one in his previous life. It was dark and dry, with bundles of weapons, armor and other battlefield supplies on the outermost layer. He estimated that it could assemble tens of thousands of people without any problem.
In the middle was a very neatly stacked grain, and there was a lot of it. It was obviously for military use, otherwise it would be enough for a family to eat for many years. They weren't grain merchants, so why would anyone hoard so much grain?
Inside were more than forty large wooden boxes. Zhao Chuxiong stepped forward and opened them one by one. Inside were silver coins. Meng Fan's eyes gleamed with silver light!
"Young master, this is all the cash my Zhao family can offer! Each box contains one thousand taels of silver, totaling forty thousand taels! I wonder if this is enough for Feng'er's apprenticeship fee?"
Zhao Chuxiong asked nervously.
The purchasing power of silver in the Fire Maple Dynasty is still enormous, and it retains its value very well. One tael of silver is enough for a family of five to eat and dress well for more than two months. You can imagine how huge a sum of 40,000 taels is!
Meng Fan suppressed his excitement and remained outwardly calm: "Although it's a little less, it's full of sincerity. Let's start with the basics and make up for it later! Don't worry, once Junior Brother Zhao joins my sect, you won't regret it!"
"Young master, I still have many properties, jewelry, and gold certificates in my mansion that have not been cashed out. Once I have transported these 40,000 taels of silver to you, I will cash them out!"
He was absolutely sincere!
Meng Fan nodded in satisfaction and said, "Forget about the real estate, jewelry, and receipts from your residence. Just give me all their cash after we destroy the Wang family! As for the cash here, there's no need to transport it!"
Zhao Chuxiong didn't quite understand what this meant. Did they mean that these forty large wooden crates were going to be placed in his mansion? Then he saw a scene he would never forget for the rest of his life!
Meng Fan silently thought to himself: System, recharge all!
Then, a mysterious energy swept over, and all the silver in the forty boxes vanished without a trace. Zhao Chuxiong watched as it happened. When he looked at Meng Fan again, he saw him as a ghost or a demon. In broad daylight, he felt a chill run down his spine!
Meng Fan deliberately showed off his skills, leaving Zhao Chuxiong to imagine what methods he used!
After leaving the warehouse, Meng Fan glanced at the mountain of grain and weapons and asked Zhao Chuxiong, "I'm afraid the Sun family's designs on you aren't just for a little money!"
Zhao Chuxiong is now increasingly cautious: "Young master, my Zhao family is a private merchant family that is stationed in Sunset City under the command of the Eastern General. My father established this relationship five years ago. A power like the Sun family would not normally have any reason to covet my Zhao family's assets. I suspect they have a deeper conspiracy!"
Meng Fan wouldn't think about such brain-draining things; right now, all he could think about was having a seizure!
"I'm going back to my room now. Don't call me at noon. I'll hold the initiation ceremony for Junior Brother Zhao tonight!"
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