Modern Swords and Sabers

Lin Shan immediately understood that Liu Ye must have arranged for someone to be here in an attempt to win him over. The girl on the bed looked like a freshly blossomed, dewdrops-laden flower, simply waiting to be picked.

However, Lin Shan managed to restrain the impulse and spoke up, "I appreciate the kind intentions you and Brother Liu have... but let's pass."

It wasn't that he considered himself particularly virtuous, nor that his willpower was unbreakable—had he not already been conquered by Luo Bing previously? It was simply that this girl was a complete stranger he was meeting for the very first time, and he genuinely could not bring himself to engage in such intimacy with someone he had just laid eyes upon.

Hearing this, the young woman on the bed showed a hint of panic. She adjusted her sitting posture, and the quilt covering her slowly slipped down, revealing everything in full view.

"President Lin, do you not like me?"

With an expressionless face, Lin Shan pulled the quilt back up to cover her and said, "You are very charming, it's just that I am not fond of this arrangement. Don't worry, I will explain things to Brother Liu; he won't blame you."

Seeing that Lin Shan had made up his mind, the girl did not press further. She silently got dressed and walked out.

And so, Lin Shan spent a peaceful and undisturbed night.

The next morning, Lin Shan headed out early and took a stroll around the estate. Upon returning, he happened to run into Zhang Zhi, who was sporting two heavy dark circles under his eyes. Lin Shan chuckled and said, "Old Zhang, looks like you put in quite a lot of effort last night."

Zhang Zhi gave a knowing grin and retorted, "What, are you telling me you didn't?"

Lin Shan shook his head.

Knowing Lin Shan's character well, Zhang Zhi was well aware of what the outcome would be, and teased, "I certainly don't have your level of self-control. When something is delivered right to your doorstep, how could I possibly resist?"

After exchanging a few words, Xiao Bai—the person who had transferred the money to Lin Shan a few days prior—walked over gracefully. Spotting the two of them, she said, "Brother Shan, Brother Zhang, Sixth Master has asked me to invite you both over for lunch."

Lin Shan nodded and followed behind Xiao Bai, heading into the exact same private dining room as the day before.

During the previous day's brawl, the furniture in the room had been knocked over and overturned. Now, however, everything had been restored to its place. The mess from yesterday had been cleaned up so thoroughly that there was no trace left to suggest a bloodshed had taken place here just a day ago.

As soon as Lin Shan stepped into the private room, he was surprised to find it packed with people. Their expressions varied, but the moment they saw Lin Shan enter, they stood up in unison. Liu Ye also rose from his seat and laughed aloud, "Hahaha, my savior has arrived!"

Lin Shan quickly said, "Brother Liu, you flatter me; I don't deserve such praise."

With great enthusiasm, Liu Ye walked over to Lin Shan, pulled him toward the seat of honor, and firmly pushed him down into it. Turning to Lin Shan, he said, "These brothers here are all my business partners, and some of the younger ones are folks I've mentored and helped out in the past. We're all good brothers. When they heard I got into trouble, they insisted on coming over to check on me. I figured I owed them a meal anyway, and since they were all so curious about my savior, I decided to make the introductions."

Then, turning to the others, Liu Ye announced, "Everyone, this younger brother Lin here is my savior. Since we're all gathered today, let's get acquainted. From now on, if this brother ever needs anything, I hope you'll all grant me the favor of helping him out."

Hearing this, Lin Shan instantly understood.

The people sitting here today were all part of Liu Ye's inner circle of interests—either those he had nurtured or individuals with deeply intertwined business ties. By doing this, Liu Ye was actively helping him expand his personal network...

The people present were extremely warm and enthusiastic, chorusing, "Of course, absolutely," before taking turns stepping forward to add Lin Shan on WeChat.

Sitting in his seat, Lin Shan felt a sense of surrealism. Just a few days ago, any single one of these people would have been entirely out of his reach; yet now, they were standing in line just to add his contact information.

Once the rounds of adding contacts were complete, the banquet resumed. People continuously came up to toast Lin Shan. Eventually, having no other choice, Lin Shan had to use his inner Qi to force the alcohol out of his system, narrowly avoiding making a fool of himself.

Liu Ye, on the other hand, was already somewhat drunk. Clasping Lin Shan's shoulder, he slurred, "Look at this, everyone! Not only is this brother of mine skilled in martial arts, but his tolerance for alcohol is also peerless. He's downed two catties and acts like nothing happened at all."

The drinking session lasted all the way until three o'clock in the afternoon.

While Lin Shan was still holding up quite well, Zhang Zhi was completely gone to the world. Left with no alternative, Lin Shan stayed behind to help Zhang Zhi sober up.

After supporting Zhang Zhi back to his room and getting him onto the bed, Zhang Zhi muttered with a sigh, "Ah Shan, you've really made something of yourself now. That guy sitting right next to me just now—do you have any idea who he is?"

Frowning, Lin Shan tried to recall. The person sitting next to Zhang Zhi had been a bald man with a scar running across his head, though he had seemed remarkably amiable.

"Who was it?"

Flipping over with a drowsy, alcohol-fogged gaze, Zhang Zhi said, "Remember that Lidu Club I always go to?"

Lin Shan nodded. "I remember. It's a pretty large-scale club."

Zhang Zhi continued, "Right. I happen to know the boss there, and I remember it clearly—one day, that boss was actually kneeling right in front of the bald boss who was sitting next to me today. Back then, that bald guy wasn't nearly as friendly as he was today, Ah Shan. At today's banquet, literally every single person was a heavyweight figure. This time, we've truly saved face in grand style."

Lin Shan smiled faintly, "We've barely scratched the surface."

Rubbing his face with both hands, Zhang Zhi looked at Lin Shan with a complex expression and said, "Ah Shan, I don't know what you've been through these past few days, but you're truly different now. I'm happy for you, brother."

A warm feeling welled up in Lin Shan's chest. Following his divorce, if there was one person who had helped him the most, it was undoubtedly this brother of his, Zhang Zhi. He had always kept this debt of gratitude deeply etched in his heart. Patting Zhang Zhi's shoulder, Lin Shan said, "Old Zhang, I really need to thank you for everything during this period. From now on, the two of us brothers will make a fortune together."

With a silly grin, Zhang Zhi closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.

Zhang Zhi slept all the way until the next day before fully recovering. Eagerly惦念 (yearning for/fixated on) the matter of the blacksmith, Lin Shan bid farewell to Liu Ye the next morning and headed straight to the blacksmith's workshop.

Located once again in the outskirts, Lin Shan followed the GPS directions for quite a while before finally finding a row of low-slung single-story brick houses. At the entrance hung a sign that read: "Red River Workshop."

Stepping inside, Lin Shan nearly bumped into a long-haired man wearing work clothes. Spotting Lin Shan, the man asked, "Who are you looking for?"

Lin Shan replied, "Sixth Master recommended me. I'm here to look at some weapons, armor, and things of that sort."

A look of realization dawned on the man. "Oh, so you're Brother Shan! Hello, hello, my name is Geng Hao, just call me Old Geng."

Clearly, Liu Ye had already given Geng Hao a heads-up beforehand.

Glancing around, Lin Shan could see various swords and sabers hanging from racks inside the shed. He walked over. Most of these weapons featured designs frequently seen in television dramas. Picking up a goose-feather saber and swinging it a couple of times, Lin Shan asked, "Old Geng, would you say our modern swords and sabers are sharper, or were the ones from the old days sharper?"

Without a moment's hesitation, Old Geng replied, "There's no comparison between the two."

Taking the saber from Lin Shan's hand, Old Geng continued, "If you placed this saber back in ancient times, it would undoubtedly be considered a divine weapon of legend. But blades like this? I can churn out a dozen of them a day."