Chapter Twenty-Five: The First Bucket of Gold

  Xiao Fan's tears were all coming down.

  At the critical moment of life and death, you were suddenly pulled back by someone. Who has ever experienced this feeling of being one step away from heaven and then suddenly falling into hell?

  Xiao Fan didn't need to turn around to hear the voice.

  Too fake, that old cheat who claims to be one hundred and thirty years old and is also Zhang Sanfeng's junior fellow apprentice.

  Xiao Fangzhen regretted it, why didn't he just stab that old cheat to death the day they met?

  The two shop assistants from the Drunken Immortal Pavilion behind were getting closer and closer in their pursuit, and Xiao Fan could already hear the chaotic sound of their footsteps.

  The old scoundrel still grasped his arm and wouldn't let go, while the other hand stroked his whiskers with a refined air, saying: "This young man runs very fast, but... you really have an ominous sign!"

  Xiao Fan turned his head and faced Tai Xu with his handsome face that was still twitching.

  "Yes, I have a bad omen. If you don't let go now, I will immediately suffer a bloody disaster."

  Tai Yu blinked his eyes in surprise and then exclaimed: "Xiao Lao Di, how is it you?"

  Now is certainly not a good time for small talk.

  The pursuers are getting closer and closer, Xiao Fan is a bit anxious: "Are you here for business or to be a hero?"

  "Pull in business." Tai Yu said without hesitation, he was only interested in things that could generate profits.

  "Then let's just drop it, this matter is over! I'll treat you to dinner, on me!"

  Tai Xul loosened his grip on the horse's reins, and Xiao Fan didn't say a word as he shot out like an arrow that had been released from its bowstring.

  The two guys behind had caught up, panting and cursing as they ran.

  "Halt! Son of a turtle..."

  "Despicable scoundrel! Return our money!"

  The two companions flew quickly past Tai Xuzi's side, and a cloud of dust rose from the ground.

  Tai Yu hesitated for a moment, thought about it, and immediately stuck the "Iron Mouth Straight Cut" flag under his arm, then chased after him.

  It was strange that Tai Yu ran faster than the three young men and soon overtook two of them like a speeding car.

  The two partners saw a sixty or seventy-year-old old man running away with his legs spread apart, and they were stunned. The two of them looked at Tai Xuzi's back, which was already far away, and discussed while running.

  "Is this old man also after that son of a bitch?"

  "I guess so..."

  "Runs faster than us, how much silver did that bastard snatch from the old man?"

  "Definitely not a small number... it's necessary!"

  On the main street of Jiangpu County, four people were divided into three groups, chasing each other, and for a time became a spectacle.

  Can't help but say that Tai Xiao's speed is very fast, so fast it's a bit eerie. Before long, he caught up with Xiao Fang, then he slowed down his pace, and the two ran shoulder to shoulder.

  Xiao Fan ran without thinking and glanced sideways, seeing Tai Xu running beside him, his handsome face immediately becoming more bitter than a bitter melon.

  "What's the point of chasing me again?"

  Running as if nothing had happened, running as leisurely as a stroll in the courtyard.

  "I have something I don't understand and have come specifically to ask for your guidance."

  "Stop messing around! I'm busy here!"

  "I don't understand, why did you want to run?"

  "Somebody's after me, of course I have to run... Do you think this is a good time for a chat?"

  The two sentences were enough, and the two accomplices behind him caught up a bit more.

  Xiao Fan was anxious, he felt that if he didn't get rid of this old cheat quickly, he would soon have a bad omen.

  Don't look at his old age, but he has a stronger desire for knowledge than young people.

  "Why are they chasing you?"

  Xiao Fan panted heavily as he ran and said: "...... I lost a lot of silver."

  "That's even more wrong, you lost the silver, why are they chasing you?"

  "...and I got back the silver that I had lost."

  Tai Xū's face was filled with a look of sudden realization, and this answer fully satisfied his desire for knowledge.

  Four people ran for a long time, with one in front and one behind, until Xiaofan finally saw the clouds open and the moon shine brightly. —— The two partners couldn't run anymore.

  Of course, Xiao Fan couldn't run anymore either. The two of them were about 40 to 50 meters apart, panting heavily with their hands on their waists. Only Tai Xu was calm and unruffled, not even breaking a sweat, still stroking his majestic whiskers with an air of profundity that was beyond comprehension, ethereal and elusive...

  The two men couldn't catch up with him, and they felt resentful, so after panting for a while, they pointed at Xiao Fang from afar and scolded loudly, using all sorts of foul language.

  Xiao Fan couldn't help but laugh, panting with a pleased smile, a triumphant smile...

  Tai Yu looked on from one side and suddenly asked: "Who are those two people?"

  Xiao Fan got a great deal and said with a pleasant mood: "They are partners of the Drunken Immortal Building."

  "How did you end up going to Zui Xian Lou to gamble?"

  "Because I am the boss of Drunken Immortal Pavilion..." Xiao Fan blurted out, and then his smile gradually solidified.

  He now finds out things aren't as simple as they seemed...

  He came back to his senses and realized he still had to go back because he was the boss of Drunken Immortal Building...

  The shopkeeper embezzled his partner's money, and this matter has caused a big stir...

  "Indeed, it's true that you can run away from a monk but you can't run away from a temple..."

  Too ashamed to be pleased, he stroked his beard and glared at him with a scowl.

  Xiao Fan had no choice but to change his words: "You can run away from a Taoist priest, but you can't run away from the Taoist temple..."

  Tai Xū turned grievances into joy, nodding in approval without end.

  Inside the Drunken Immortal Building, Tai Xuan lazily leaned against a table in the main hall, listlessly digging out earwax.

  Xiao Fan's face was stern as he stared at the four people standing in front of him.

  These four people are: two shop assistants, the two who just won money and were robbed earlier, a former shopkeeper, the one who was lazily playing with the abacus beads on the counter when Xiao Fan first entered, and a cook.

  This is the current lineup of Zuixian Building.

  It's hard to imagine a three-story building with only four people taking care of it inside and out.

  "Is it just the four of you? Isn't there anyone else?" Xiao Fan couldn't help but ask in surprise.

  The former shopkeeper, surnamed Cai, has been demoted to a wine house manager due to Xiao Gu's promotion. Old Cai stepped forward and said honestly: "Among the four of us, there were originally more than four, but recently, the business at Zui Xian Lou has been bad, with almost no customers coming in, and the old master let many people go."

  Xiao Fan responded with a "hmm" to indicate that he understood. Then, he turned his head and looked at the two unlucky guys who had gambled with him and then ran a marathon.

  The two friends' eyes were very resentful, and Xiao Fan's eyes flashed with a hint of embarrassment.

  He still had more than ten taels of silver on him, in addition to his own ten taels, he also had a few taels of loose silver from two partners.

  He had stolen someone's money, but then he couldn't help but come back to face the victim again. This was something Xiao Fan hadn't anticipated, and his thin skin made him feel very embarrassed.

  After some thought, he still thinks that robbing money is not wrong, after all, gambling is not right.

  Xiao Fan was justified and confident again.

  Looking at the two of them with a slanted gaze, Xiao Fan said in a low voice: "Do you know what's wrong?"

  The two men looked worried and said: "Xiao Gu Ye..."

  "Call the shopkeeper!"

  "Yes, Xiao Zhang, we were wrong, we shouldn't have gambled..."

  "No, gambling is not wrong, but you shouldn't be doing it in the Drunken Immortal Building, this is a workplace, attitude is everything!"

  "Yes!" The two apprentices cleverly responded in unison.

  Anyway, you're the boss, whatever you say is right.

  Xiao Fang was thrilled, this was his first time being qualified to train others since crossing over, and he felt a sense of pride and satisfaction.

  "There's no square without rules, and the first rule I'm setting for everyone today is: no gambling allowed within Drunken Immortal Pavilion. Offenders will be fined!"

  "How much is the fine?" The former shopkeeper Cai nodded in agreement while also giving a stern glance to the two apprentices.

  "Fine...". Xiao Fan scratched his head, took out his purse, removed ten taels of silver from it, weighed the remaining amount, which was quite heavy, probably around three to five taels. This was the gambling stake of those two unlucky fellows who had been robbed.

  "A fine of three taels and five coins." Xiao Fan's tone was firm, then he calmly put the silver he had seized into his own pocket, and the ill-gotten gains were transformed into legitimate income.

  The two partners' faces fell, and they let out a sigh of disappointment.

  Admit it, the shopkeeper who fines with both zeros and integers is not to be underestimated.

  Xiao Fan laughed happily, three or five coins, this is the first bucket of gold he earned since crossing over. ——Although it was looted.

  Now, Xiao Fan's savings have made a qualitative leap, from ten taels of silver to thirteen taels and five mace.

  Turning his head, he saw Tai Xū still lazily digging his ears and Xiao Fang asked: "What are you still doing here?"

  Tai Xū Hǎo zhěng yǐ xiá de liǎ le liǎ zuǐ, lù chū quē le bàn biān de huáng bǎn yá, wàng zhe Xiāo Fán dào: "Nǐ shì zhè Zuì Xiān Lóu de zhǎng guì?"

  Xiao Fan nodded: "Right, just took office."

  Tai Yu's face was filled with pain and regret: "You've finally fallen! Why did you have to become a merchant!"

  Xiao Fan couldn't help but rub his nose, he was at a loss, had the status of merchants in Ming Dynasty fallen to such a degree? Being scolded by an old Taoist priest who looked like a beggar and being pointed at with his finger, this feeling...

  "You're staying here just to tell me I've fallen?"

  "Besides this, there is another..."

  "What else do you want to do?"

  "You once said you'd treat me to a meal when you ran away with the money, have you forgotten?"

  Division line

  Hurry up and throw it to me...