dmims Page 449
Page 449
Lin Pingzhi felt saddened when he mentioned Lin Zhennan and his wife, but he quickly rallied.
“I have already asked about this for you. My nephew Jiang Ning said that the Huashan Sect will not interfere with your efforts to revitalize the escort agency. But now I have a question for you.”
Lin Pingzhi quickly replied, "Grandpa, please ask."
Wang Yuanba asked, "What are your plans for revitalizing the escort agency?"
Lin Pingzhi looked bewildered and shook his head.
He hasn't decided yet.
"How about this, since Ping'er has the idea of revitalizing the escort agency, then your grandfather will lend you a hand."
Wang Yuanba continued, "If you're short of money right now, your grandfather will pay for it. If you're short of people, we'll send people from the Golden Saber Sect first. After you've recruited the head镖师 (bodyguards) and镖子手 (escorts) for the镖局 (escort agency), we'll come back. As for the镖局's business in Luoyang, you don't need to worry. I'll talk to the others about it. You can run it with peace of mind."
Hearing Wang Yuanba's words, Lin Pingzhi was stunned, then moved and knelt down to kowtow.
"Thank you, Grandpa."
Wang Yuanba not only provided money and effort, but also used the influence of the Golden Saber Sect to open doors of convenience for Lin Pingzhi in Luoyang, which deeply moved Lin Pingzhi.
"You're welcome, we're all family."
Wang Yuanba waved his hand and said, "But you should think it through. Once the escort agency is up and running, will you still want to operate like before?"
Lin Pingzhi was taken aback, not understanding what Wang Yuanba meant.
Wang Yuanba explained, "In the past, Fuwei Escort Agency didn't have any powerful backers, so Yu Canghai of the Qingcheng Sect could act with impunity. If you open an escort agency in the future, what if other people or sects want to attack it? You are just a disciple of the Huashan Sect, and the escort agency has no connection with the Huashan Sect. What will you do then?"
Lin Pingzhi listened in a daze, as if what Wang Yuanba said made a lot of sense.
Lin Pingzhi couldn't help but ask, "Grandpa, what should I do?"
Wang Yuanba replied, "Of course we should learn from past lessons and find a powerful backer for the escort agency."
Lin Pingzhi frowned and asked, "A powerful backer? Where can we find one?"
Wang Yuanba laughed and said, "It's far away, yet right before our eyes."
Chapter 611: This was said for Sect Leader Yue's ears.
Lin Pingzhi understood this time.
"Does Grandpa mean to seek refuge with the Huashan Sect?"
"good."
Wang Yuanba nodded and said, "If you want to revitalize the escort agency in the future, you will inevitably have to deal with some forces. With the Huashan Sect's backing, the escort agency's business will be easier."
"This……"
Lin Pingzhi hesitated for a moment.
To be honest, Wang Yuanba is right. The Fuwei Escort Agency was wiped out because it had no powerful backing and was easily destroyed on some pretext. He must learn from this lesson.
Lin Pingzhi is currently a disciple of Mount Hua, and his fellow disciples of this generation will help him. But what about a hundred years from now? What if all the other Mount Hua disciples of his generation have passed away? Will the Mount Hua Sect still take care of his escort agency then?
“Grandpa is right, but I’m afraid my master won’t agree.”
After hesitating for a moment, Lin Pingzhi said.
Wang Yuanba said, "You don't need to worry about that. Since your sect doesn't refuse your decision to resume the family business, they will take care of you. All you need to do is repay your sect after the escort agency makes a profit. I believe Sect Leader Yue will not disagree."
Lin Pingzhi was somewhat tempted, but still seemed hesitant.
“But my family’s Fuwei Escort Agency was built up by my great-grandfather’s generation over several decades to reach the scale my father was still alive. If I want to rebuild the escort agency now, I don’t know how long it would take to reach the level my father did.”
Lin Pingzhi's fear was that the escort agency would be difficult to operate and unprofitable in the early stages. After all, an escort agency needs a good reputation to succeed. The Fuwei Escort Agency did have one in the past, but that was several years ago, and its old customers might not recognize it anymore.
Lin Pingzhi was afraid that he would have worked hard for several years but achieved nothing, and that he would have had to ask his fellow disciples from the Huashan Sect for help. He would feel guilty about that.
"Then you have even less to worry about."
Wang Yuanba said, "Grandpa has already made all the preparations for you. He has already contacted and given gifts to the local powers in all the prefectures and cities in Henan. There will be no obstacles for you to open a security escort agency in Henan. As long as you get the business up and running, you won't have to worry about not having business. And you don't have to worry about Shaanxi either. With your sect, Huashan Sect, there will be no one who dares to make things difficult for you. At that time, your security escort agency business will be smooth sailing in both Shaanxi and Henan provinces, and you will be able to establish the agency very quickly."
Lin Pingzhi was taken aback by Wang Yuanba's long speech.
It turned out that Wang Yuanba had already planned everything out for him; all he had to do was nod in agreement.
Lin Pingzhi remained silent.
Wang Yuanba patiently waited for his reply.
Wang Bofen, Wang Zhongqiang, and the Wang brothers, who were standing to the side, also watched Lin Pingzhi nervously. They all wanted to persuade Lin Pingzhi to agree, but they dared not speak and could only hold back.
Feeling the gazes of his maternal grandfather and two uncles and cousins, Lin Pingzhi hesitated before finally speaking.
"My grandfather and uncle have helped me so much, what does my grandfather want me to do?"
Lin Pingzhi was no longer the naive young man he once was. In his heart, apart from his master, mistress, and senior brother Jiang Ning, no one in the world would help him unconditionally, even if that person was his maternal grandfather.
Lin Pingzhi also didn't believe that Wang Yuanba would be so selfless.
Wang Yuanba smiled and said, "Ping'er, your grandfather doesn't need much from you. Just give 30% of the profits from your escort agency business in Henan to the Golden Saber Sect every year."
Lin Pingzhi pursed his lips but did not reply.
"Pingzhi, say something! Do you agree or not?"
Lin Pingzhi remained silent, so Wang Zhongqiang couldn't help but urge him on.
Wang Bofen also said, "Pingzhi, do you think 30% is too much? 20% is also acceptable."
Upon hearing this, Lin Pingzhi said, "Uncle, that's not what I meant. Thirty percent isn't much, and if Grandpa wants fifty percent, that's fine too. But I don't understand, is that really all Grandpa intends to do?"
Lin Pingzhi looked at Wang Yuanba, wanting an answer.
"Ping'er, there are some things your grandfather will no longer hide from you."
Wang Yuanba said, "Actually, your grandfather and uncle are helping you so much not because they want anything from the escort agency, but because they want the protection of the Huashan Sect."
Wang Yuanba finally revealed his purpose.
He did all this in order to establish contact with the Huashan Sect.
After the incident in Luoyang, Wang Yuanba realized that although the Golden Saber Sect was a powerful force in Luoyang, it was no different from an ant in front of the Demonic Sect, and he needed to find a backer.
Wang Yuanba set his sights on the Huashan Sect and wanted to curry favor with them.
Before coming, Wang Yuanba had also investigated. Although the Huashan Sect was a large sect with great strength, due to historical reasons, it had no industries to sustain its development. At most, the sect had promised to protect the villagers at the foot of the mountain a few years ago, and the villagers had made offerings in return.
However, this method can only solve the immediate problem and is only applicable to the Huashan Sect in the past. After all, the Huashan Sect only had a few dozen people a few years ago, and the villagers did not have any burden. But as the number of people in the Huashan Sect increases, the villagers will definitely not be able to support them in the future. The Huashan Sect still needs to have some businesses to operate.
Wang Yuanba wanted to curry favor with the Huashan Sect, but he couldn't openly declare his allegiance, as Yue Buqun would refuse. That's why Wang Yuanba thought of Lin Pingzhi.
It just so happens that his grandson Lin Pingzhi's Fuwei Escort Agency was destroyed, so Lin Pingzhi can rebuild it. With the help of his Golden Saber Sect, and since Lin Pingzhi is a disciple of Mount Hua, the escort agency he built will have the background of the Mount Hua Sect. And since the Golden Saber Sect and Lin Pingzhi have this kind of relationship, in this way, his Golden Saber Sect will have a connection with the Mount Hua Sect.
If anything happens again, like the time when the Demonic Sect tried to destroy the Golden Saber Sect, Wang Yuanba can directly send someone to ask the Huashan Sect for help, without worrying whether the Huashan Sect will lend a hand.
“Ping’er, the Wang family doesn’t really care about the division. Whether it’s 30% or 10%, it doesn’t matter. The Golden Saber Sect doesn’t lack this money. It’s just that with this, the Golden Saber Sect will have a connection with the Huashan Sect. Consider it as the Golden Saber Sect’s surrender.”
After Wang Yuanba recounted everything, he waited quietly for Lin Pingzhi's reply.
Lin Pingzhi remained silent.
Seeing his reaction, Wang Yuanba said, "Ping'er, if this matter is causing you trouble, then so be it. The Wang family and your two uncles will still help you establish the escort agency. As for the share, the Wang family will not take a ten percent. After all, we are family, so saying such things is just being formal."
Wang Bofen, Wang Zhongqiang, and Wang Jiaju sighed inwardly, realizing that they could not reach an agreement.
"Grandpa misunderstood."
Lin Pingzhi quickly replied, "Since Grandfather has said so, I will definitely agree. I just don't know if Master will agree. I will inform Master and ask for his consent when Master returns."
A smile appeared on Wang Yuanba's face.
"That's good."
Having finally accomplished this important task, Wang Yuanba was able to put his mind at ease for the time being and got up to leave. Lin Pingzhi quickly got up to see him off.
"Father, weren't your last words a bit superfluous?"
On the way out, Wang Zhongqiang couldn't help but say, "What you said to Pingzhi at the end made my Golden Saber Sect sound too humble. I'm afraid Pingzhi will look down on us in the future."
Wang Yuanba glanced at him.
"Those words weren't meant for Ping'er, they were meant for Sect Leader Yue."
Chapter 612: The Nameless Letter
Wang Yuanba knew that Yue Buqun would know everything about what happened today, including every word he said.
If possible, Wang Yuanba really wanted to personally surrender to Yue Buqun, but he couldn't say these words himself; they could only be said through Lin Pingzhi.
"Let's go. Whether we succeed or fail depends on what Sect Leader Yue does."
Wang Yuanba said.
He's done everything he could; if that still doesn't work, then there's nothing more he can do.
Not long after Wang Yuanba left, Lin Pingzhi got up and went to his residence in Jiangning.
"Senior brother."
When Lin Pingzhi arrived, he saw Jiang Ning teaching Liu Zhao to read.
"what happened?"
Jiang Ning glanced at Lin Pingzhi and asked.
It's getting late. Normally, Lin Pingzhi should still be catching up with Wang Yuanba's family at this time. Why is he here?
"Uncle-Master Lin."
Liu Zhao quickly put down his book and bowed.
Lin Pingzhi nodded to Liu Zhao, then looked at Jiang Ning with a hesitant expression.
"Senior brother, I have something to tell you."
Jiang Ning asked, "What is it?"
Lin Pingzhi did not answer, his expression hesitant as if he had something difficult to say. Jiang Ning looked at him, then said to Liu Zhao, "Let's stop reading here for today."
"Yes, Master."
After Liu Zhao respectfully finished bowing, he left without asking any further questions.
Lin Pingzhi spoke only after Liu Zhao left.
"Senior brother, today my maternal grandfather's family mentioned to me the idea of revitalizing my family's security escort business."
Jiang Ning nodded.
“I already know about this matter. Sect Leader Wang just told me today that this is your private matter, and as long as you have no objections, the Huashan Sect will not interfere too much.”
Lin Pingzhi continued, "Senior brother, besides this, my maternal grandfather has another request that concerns the Huashan Sect. He wants to obtain our master's permission, but I don't know how to do it, so I have to ask you for advice first."
"What request?"
Lin Pingzhi then recounted his conversation with Wang Yuanba in detail.
After listening, Jiang Ning looked at Lin Pingzhi.
"What do you think?"
Lin Pingzhi cautiously said, "Senior brother, my maternal grandfather's family was threatened by the Demonic Sect not long ago, so it is understandable that they want to seek help from my Huashan Sect in this way."
Jiang Ning nodded upon hearing this, without saying anything more.
Looking at Jiang Ning's expression, Lin Pingzhi had no idea what Jiang Ning was thinking.
Lin Pingzhi himself was a disciple of the Huashan Sect, so he knew more about the sect's situation.
Currently, the Huashan Sect has virtually no assets to sustain its operations. Its expenses are mainly from the bounties earned from bandit suppression in previous years, as well as gold and silver from bandit strongholds and silver obtained from the Iron Palm Sect. However, most of these funds are used to help the people and care for children. But there will come a day when these funds will run out. Does this mean that the sect will be short of money again and Yue Buqun will have to go down the mountain to suppress bandits?
However, the bandit strongholds within Shaanxi have already been wiped out, so the only option for further suppression would be to target other areas.
For the Huashan Sect now, developing its power is important, but finding an industry that can sustain the sect's operation is also very important.
“Senior brother, I originally thought that I would revive the escort agency’s business. Once the agency opened a branch and made a profit, it would make annual donations to the sect. However, it would take an unknown amount of time if I relied solely on you. Now that my maternal grandfather’s family is willing to help, it will greatly shorten the time. Moreover, my maternal grandfather and his family are very willing, so it’s a win-win-win situation.”