Chapter 2

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

After putting away the herbs, An Jing could not help but stretch.

“Now that there’s no one around, it’s a good time to go next door and have some tea and listen to some storytelling.”

An Jing kept the account book and the abacus. Then, he picked up the small wooden stool beside him and walked out of Ji Shi Hall.

Opposite the Ji Shi Hall was Yuzhou River. As soon as he stepped out, he could see the exquisitely carved railings and the sparkling Yuzhou River.

Both sides of the Yuzhou River were filled with shops, and there was a teahouse beside the Ji Shi Hall.

“Aiyo, isn’t this Doctor An?”

“Doctor An, come in quickly.”

…….

Seeing An Jing arrive, everyone in the teahouse smiled and greeted him.

After exchanging greetings with everyone, An Jing carried a small wooden stool and sat at the back.

The teahouse worker first heated the fire until it was red, then placed the copper pot filled with well water on the iron plate that had holes dug in the surface of the furnace. Then, he placed the wooden table, bamboo chairs, and placed some ordinary flower tea into the white porcelain tea bowl.

A faint fragrance drifted out, refreshing the mind.

“Doctor An, please have some tea.”

The waiter placed a bowl of flower tea on the table.

“Thank you.” An Jing took out ten copper coins and handed them over.

The clerk put away the copper coins, thanked him and left.

Everyone in the Datong Teahouse knew that Doctor An liked to come to the teahouse to drink tea and listen to storytelling.

At this moment, the tea drinkers, be they farmers, merchants, or people from all walks of life, were drinking tea and discussing daily trifles, discussing international affairs, and reporting business information.

Whether they came or left, they were free to do whatever they wanted. They smoked and drank tea.

An Jing sat on the small wooden stool he was holding, tidied his clothes, then took a sip of the flower tea.

“I really enjoy the happy ordinary life.”

On the high platform of the teahouse, there was only a table, a folding fan, a wooden block, and a cup of tea.

A middle-aged Confucian scholar stood on the platform. He was the storyteller of the Datong Teahouse, Mr. Zhou.

Mr. Zhou took a big gulp of tea and rinsed his mouth before he picked up the wooden block on the table.

Pa!

Everyone fell silent at the sound of the block.

“I heard that the top ten on the ranking list are all top-notch experts. Their strength is comparable to a Rank One and they are rare. Today, let’s talk about the five gangs and seven sects in Great Yan.”

Mr. Zhou’s voice was powerful and resonant, and his expression was even more captivating, making people immersed in it.

When everyone present heard this, they all sat upright and listened attentively.

Mr. Zhou continued, “The Five Gang and Seven Sects are the 12 most powerful forces in Great Yan. We will start from the Three Lake Gang today.”

“The Three Lakes Gang has its own name. Hundreds of years ago, it was established by a group of good men from the green forest with the backing of White Lake, Tianxing Lake, and Jinshan Lake. After hundreds of years of development, they now have tens of thousands of disciples. There are countless experts in the gang. They enjoy an illustrious reputation in Jianghu. As long as they stand on the Three Lakes River and shout ‘Three Lakes Gang’, basically everything can be resolved.”

“There are many experts in the Three Lakes Gang. There is the Incense Master, the Branch Master, and the Head Master. The system and class are very strict.”

Someone asked loudly, “Mr. Zhou, didn’t you say that Rank One experts are extremely rare? Are there any Rank One experts in the Three Lake Gang?”

Mr. Zhou said in a low voice, “Rank One experts are extremely rare. They are all top-notch experts in Jianghu. The leader of the Three Lakes Gang should be at the peak of Rank Two. He has not reached Rank One yet.”

When the people below heard this, they started discussing.

“The Three Lakes Gang doesn’t have a Rank One expert. Can it be considered one of the Five Gang’s Seven Sects? Tian Liu from the Cao Gang is a Rank One expert. Why doesn’t Jiangnan give Cao Gang some face?”

“I thought that the Three Lakes Gang was very impressive. I guess they should be the lowest of the five gangs.”

……..

The folding fan in Mr. Zhou’s hand opened and closed as he said with a soft laugh. “Those who dare to look down on the Three Lakes Gang will not have a good ending. You only know that the Three Lakes Gang has many people and think that their gang is weak. Do you know who is backing the Three Lake Gang?”

“There’s someone behind the Three Lake Gang?”

Everyone gasped.

One had to know that the Three Lake Gang was already one of the Five Gangs and Seven Sects. If they still had someone supporting them, just how terrifying would they be?

An Jing took a light puff of his tobacco pipe as curiosity surfaced in his eyes.

“Beyond the Heavens.”

When Mr. Zhou said this, he slammed the table.

A thunderous voice resounded throughout the teahouse and the entire place fell silent.

“What kind of power is that?” someone asked in confusion.

“You don’t know about Beyond the Heavens, but if I change the name, you’ll probably know.”

Mister Zhou smiled and slowly said, “Demon Sect.”

Whoosh!

The teahouse was silent. Everyone was stunned.

Just hearing these two words was enough to make people shudder in fear. It was enough to make Great Yan’s Jianghu tremble.

“Demon Sect?”

This was an inauspicious name. The people from the Demon Sect were being hunted down by the entire martial world and even the family members of the Demon Sect were implicated.

An Jing took a sip of tea and sighed in his heart. It was hard to imagine that the families of these Demon Sect members could not even live like ordinary people. He wondered how miserable their lives were.

“Doctor An, Wang Zhiping from the Red Mansion is here to pay his respects.”

At that moment, a rough voice came from outside the door.

“Wang Zhiping?”

An Jing’s eyes narrowed. The Red Mansion was a brothel in Yuzhou City, and it was a place of livelihood in Cao Gang. Moreover, the person in charge of this livelihood was precisely the recently popular Altar Master Wang He of the Cao Gang.

Cao Gang was also one of the Five Gangs and Seven Sects. In a short thirty years, it had become one of the largest gangs in the world. After annexing the Furious Whale Gang last year, its power and influence were even more monstrous. Its development was so fast that everyone was dumbfounded.

As for Wang He, he was one of the most outstanding members of the Cao Gang, they were the most prominent members of the gang. Because of his outstanding abilities and vicious means, he was quickly promoted to be the owner of the altar and managed the brothel.

Before Wang He became the Altar Master, the main business he was in charge of was Cao Gang’s medicinal garden. The medicinal herbs in Ji Shi Hall were mainly purchased from Cao Gang’s medicinal garden, so the two of them were quite familiar with each other.

However, ever since Wang He became the Altar Master, the connection between the two of them had become weaker and weaker.

Everyone looked at Wang Zhiping. They all knew that this person was the nephew of Wang He.

“Why are you looking for me?”

An Jing stood up slowly.

Wang Zhiping took out a piece of white paper and smiled. “Doctor An, this is the prescription for the last month. Take a look at it first. If there’s nothing wrong with it, I’ll get someone to send the herbs over later.”

“Okay.”

An Jing took the prescription but did not rush to check it. Instead, he looked at Wang Zhiping, who did not move an inch. “Is there anything else?”

“This time, I have something to ask Doctor An.”

Wang Zhiping smiled and said, “I wonder if Doctor An is willing to sell this title deed? My uncle said that if you are willing to sell it, he will help Doctor An find another piece of land to build a bigger medical center.”

“Oh!?”

An Jing’s expression was calm. “Go back and tell your uncle that I haven’t thought about it yet. I’ll tell him when I make up my mind.”

Wang He liked to play dirty tricks. Normally, he liked to take advantage of the medicinal herbs and play dirty tricks. He said that he wanted to build a bigger clinic because he wanted to gain something without risking anything of his own.

Wang Zhiping lowered his voice and said, “Doctor An, Uncle is willing to pay Doctor An another three hundred yuan.”

An Jing was 100% sure when he heard this.

The title deed was not big but its location was excellent. It was located by the riverside of Yuzhou. If Wang He wanted to build another brothel here, he would definitely earn a lot of money.

“I don’t care how much it costs.”

An Jing shook his head and refused.

“Alright, sorry to bother you, Doctor An.”

Wang Zhiping took a deep breath and forced a smile. He cupped his fists at An Jing and left.

Although he did bit say anything, everyone could tell that Wang Zhiping would not let this matter rest.

“Doctor An, Cao Gang is not to be trifled with…” Someone whispered.

More people shook their heads and sighed, not saying a word.

“What a bummer.”

After Wang Zhiping’s words, An Jing was no longer in the mood to listen to books. He carried the wooden stool and left.

A moment later, Cao Gang sent a few herbs to the Ji Shi Hall.

“Doctor An.” The steward weighed the silver in his hand and smiled bitterly. “It says that the money for the medicine has increased by 33%. I’m afraid the money you’ve given is not enough..”