In the beginning, he was ranked alongside An Shigeng as a spoiled brat.

"Piaoxu, this is a knife I prepared for you. See if it suits your hand."

Zhang Xiaoshan raised his hand and tossed the sandalwood box directly to Liu Sheng Piaoxu 870.

A long and a short samurai sword suddenly came into view.

The scabbard, hilt, and blade were all white. As soon as the longsword was in hand, a ray of light flashed again, and in an instant, a terrifying blade aura spread five zhang away.

Amidst the falling frost and snow, an extremely cold and sinister aura of sword energy chilled Zhang Jing and Murong's eldest son-in-law to the bone.

What terrifying sword energy!

Zhang Jing felt a chill run down her spine; thankfully, the other party hadn't intended to kill her.

Otherwise, even ten of them wouldn't be enough for the opponent to kill with a single blow.

"Thank you for the sword, young master."

"Alright, you have served me for many years and have made great contributions."

"Since we're mass-producing these Wootz steel swords, we also had two handy samurai swords forged for you."

Then Zhang Xiaoshan looked at Murong's eldest son-in-law, nodded, and said:

"I happen to have something to ask for the help of the eight sons-in-law of the Murong family. Please come with me to the study to discuss the details!"

"Please give your instructions, Young Master Zhang."

The two entered the villa one after the other, and only then did Zhang Jing begin to catch her breath.

She just wanted to test what merits this young master Zhang had that made Murong Jiu willing to be his slave.

Unexpectedly, the Japanese woman who was close to Zhang Xiaoshan was so powerful.

The terrifying sword energy that followed was unparalleled in the martial arts world.

She had been traveling the martial arts world for a year or two and had seen countless masters. Even those renowned martial arts masters were no match for the woman's first strike, let alone the domineering power of her second strike.

Such a peerless master would willingly serve as a slave to any of the young masters Zhang, so a mere Murong Jiu is nothing in comparison.

Even Gu Renyu, who was observing Zhang Xiaoshan from the side, sighed.

He's not like the fiery Zhang Jing; beneath his seemingly effeminate exterior lies a meticulous heart.

Before coming, Gu Renyu knew Zhang Xiaoshan's background very well; that kind of dragon-like young master was far beyond his reach.

Chapter 173 The High Monk and the Tavern of the Buddhist Temple: Qiao Feng

Is what Young Master Zhang said true?

Books must be kept inside!

As the eldest son-in-law of the Murong family, Li Hao is also a rising star among the younger generation, and he is already a top expert in the martial arts world before he is even thirty years old.

However, he was still frightened by Zhang Xiaoshan's "instructions" and immediately invested 20 million taels of gold to supervise the construction of river dams and the dredging of river systems.

It should be noted that even in the worst years, the maintenance cost would be at most one million taels of silver.

At most, when a disaster occurs, the imperial court will allocate 100,000 taels of gold to build dikes and provide tens or hundreds of thousands of shi of grain to alleviate the disaster.

Zhang Xiaoshan intends to go all out in one go and completely renovate the entire embankment of the Longjiang and Longhe rivers.

You can't get fat in one bite, let alone two fat people.

"The Murong family should have also received news about the recent events on Ghost Street."

According to the commission agreed upon between Zhang and the Golden-Faced Buddha, Zhang could receive more than five million taels of gold.

However, this is all illicit money, and the Zhang family is not short of money, so they will not accept this money directly.

So Zhang made an agreement with the Golden-Faced Buddha that all the spoils of this operation—28 million taels of gold—would be taken from the people and used for the people's benefit!

Of the gold, eight million taels were used to build private schools, and the remaining gold was used to construct dikes and dredge waterways on the Longjiang and Longhe rivers before the spring floods.

"Young master, you are truly virtuous!"

Upon hearing the reason, even Li Hao couldn't help but marvel at the Zhang family and the Golden-Faced Buddha's boldness.

Nearly thirty million taels of gold were given away just like that.

It is evident that both of them were people of great vision and great benevolence.

"Originally, the matter of supervising Ghost Street was somewhat troublesome, but the eight sons-in-law of the Murong family are all outstanding individuals and come from prestigious families."

Therefore, upon seeing you, sir, I, Zhang, had an idea.

"We will certainly live up to Young Master Zhang's expectations!"

"But why doesn't the young master seek help from Buddhism? Buddhism also has a virtue of cherishing life, and the Zhang family has ties with Buddhism..."

"The Zhang family only trusted those eminent monks, but they were never part of the Buddhist community!"

"High-ranking monks are people of both high moral character and virtue, but there are too many greedy people in Buddhism. The amount spent on building golden statues alone is countless. For the Zhang family to send this gold to Buddhism is like throwing good money after bad."

"this···"

Li Hao did not expect Zhang Xiaoshan to belittle Buddhism so much, showing a complete lack of trust.

"Haha, Your Excellency need not doubt."

You only see the Zhang family doing good deeds together with the Buddhist community, but you don't see the Zhang family directly handing over gold and silver to the Buddhist community.

Everyone says that Buddhism is about detachment from worldly desires, but in reality, most monks are greedy for money, profit, fame, and sex. They fail to cultivate the Dharma and instead fall into demonic ways.

Ultimately, these monks are human beings, not Buddhas!

Zhang Xiaoshan smiled calmly, showing neither absolute aversion nor absolute liking for Buddhism.

The cooperation with Buddhism was merely a means to restrain those Buddhist masters. In addition, the Zhang family genuinely intended to accumulate merit and do good deeds, so naturally they would develop in a way that was advantageous to themselves.

The Buddhist teachings are like lotus blossoms, and naturally, the Zhang family has also been romanticized in many ways.

"I see.‖ !"

Upon hearing this, Li Hao couldn't help but admire the Zhang family's clear vision.

No wonder the Zhang family's business is so large; they have connections in all directions, so naturally their business is thriving.

"in addition···"

Zhang Xiaoshan found the martial arts lineage of the Great Banner Sect among dozens of volumes of secret manuals in the study.

"This scroll contains the cultivation techniques, swordplay, and lightness skills of the former Iron Blood Banner Sect. Consider it a reward for you all."

How can this be done!

This is what we chivalrous people should do; please, sir, retract your order.”

"Take it. This manual is with me, and I usually only give it to people who are decent enough."

The constables from the Six Doors, the guards of the Zhang Family Merchant Guild, and the young master of the Lin family whom I met in Fuzhou that day... these are not considered top-notch martial arts skills at all!

You all have worked very hard this time; this is just a small token of the Zhang family's appreciation!

Hearing Zhang Xiaoshan's generous gesture, even Li Hao couldn't help but curiously accept it.

After a quick glance, the tiger's lips twitched involuntarily.

Even the secret techniques of the Murong family that he practiced were only at this level.

In comparison, the Iron-Blooded Banner Sect's cultivation method is even better and more complete, making it a valuable and established method for founding a sect in the martial arts world.

Swordsmanship and lightness skills, in particular, may seem simple, but they are actually the result of countless hours of practice.

Unexpectedly, the martial arts skills that Zhang Xiaoshan casually bestowed upon others, which were not even considered basic, were so profound.

"Thank you, sir!"

"I hope the members of the Murong family don't mind."

···

Three days later, the news that the Zhang family and the Golden-Faced Buddha had donated all the huge profits they had made from Ghost Street spread throughout the entire martial arts world.

This is not a shameful secret, and besides, such things should be made a big show of.

For a time, the entertainment districts, taverns, and teahouses were abuzz with discussion.

Although they didn't know the exact size of the fortune, everyone understood that it was a tremendous act of merit for Kyushu.

In particular, the name of the Golden-Faced Buddha once again resounded throughout the martial arts world.

No one expected that the Golden-Faced Buddha, the mastermind behind Ghost Street, would have such a magnanimous side.

As for the Zhang family, everyone assumed it was the same as before, that donating 100,000 taels of gold was commonplace.

"Haha, do you all know how much we gained from Ghost Street this time?"

"There should be a million taels of gold, right?"

"One million taels of gold, that's a lot! Four or five hundred thousand taels of gold should be about right."

···

Wrong! Wrong! Wrong!

The Tianji Tower must have gained at least tens of millions of taels of gold this time, and possibly more.

If the Zhang family and the Golden-Faced Buddha were to donate all of this gold, I would admire Wentian; but if they were to just donate a million taels to fool people, then the Zhang family is nothing special!

"You should know that the Zhang family will get at least 30% of this commission, a minimum of three million taels of gold!"

Hiss...

Hearing the drunkard's boastful words, everyone was shocked.

Tens of millions of taels of gold? That much?

For a moment, many people looked at the drunken man and thought he was talking in his sleep!

"The Heavenly King himself does have some tricks up his sleeve, but you're still missing the mark."

The donation from Ghost Street this time consisted of two parts: one part went to the Zhang family, rounded up to ten million taels of gold; the remaining amount, eighteen million eight hundred thousand taels, belonged to the Golden-Faced Buddha, totaling twenty-eight million eight hundred thousand taels of gold. This is the exact amount donated by Ghost Street!

A voice echoed throughout the entire tavern, and instantly, all was silent.

The sound was like a resounding bell, and everyone's mind was filled with the specific numbers that the big man had just mentioned.

Huangdang!

The sound of a wine glass shattering brought everyone back to their senses.

At the same time, everyone looked at the burly man drinking and eating meat in the corner, a hint of doubt on their faces.

"Who are you? How do you know so much?"

Xiang Wentian, the Heavenly King, also looked at the other party with curiosity. The wild and domineering aura and the subtle pressure made him realize that the person who came was not simple.

Moreover, such specific figures are unlikely to be lies.

"The Beggars' Sect, Qiao Feng!"

"So it was Qiao Feng from the North, no wonder."

Few in the world know of the Beggars' Sect's whereabouts, yet here we unexpectedly encounter Qiao Feng, the leader of the Beggars' Sect!

At this moment, everyone suddenly realized what was happening, but they were also extremely shocked.

Unexpectedly, the Zhang family and the Golden-Faced Buddha's spending was so large, totaling nearly 30 million taels of gold, which was more than twice as much as Xiang Wentian had guessed!

"Is what Master Qiao said true?"

"This is news from Ghost Street's Ghost King: the gold will be escorted jointly by the Zhang family, the Six Doors, the Beggars' Sect, Shaolin, Wudang, Quanzhen, the Iron Palm Clan, the Murong family, the Jiangnan Escort Agency, and the Zhenyuan Escort Agency. The eight sons-in-law of the Murong family will be responsible for overseeing the construction of the dikes on both banks and dredging the waterways..."

Three months later, the spring floods arrived!

Hiss...

Every time Qiao Feng mentioned the name of a power, the tavern would be shaken once more.

With so many forces united, those outlaws who want to touch gold should at least consider whether they can withstand the wrath of these forces.

"The Zhang family is serious!"

With so many forces involved, it's impossible for Ghost Street and the Zhang family to be faking it.

Even Xiang Wentian, the King of Heaven, gasped in surprise, never expecting the Zhang family and Ghost Street to go to such lengths this time.