Nine Yang Life and Death Transformation

On closer reflection, if this trouble were caused by competitors, they would undoubtedly have tampered with the formula first. After all, for those profit-driven individuals, profit is the ultimate goal. However, so far, they haven't taken any action on the formula, which is quite suspicious. Could they have a deeper conspiracy or some other ulterior motive?

Looking at his own situation, given his shallow cultivation and weak strength, dealing with this crisis alone would be an impossible task. At this critical moment, he needed to find reliable help as soon as possible. Suddenly, an idea flashed through his mind like lightning—the Zhang family! As one of the ten most renowned merchants in the Zhou Dynasty, the Zhang family must possess a complex and extremely powerful network of relationships. If he could cooperate with them and leverage their strength to solve the current problem, perhaps he could turn danger into safety.

Wu Feilong approached Zhang Hao with a mysterious air and said in a low voice, "Brother Zhang, I have a business deal here that can make a lot of money. Would you be interested in hearing about it?"

Zhang Hao glanced at Wu Feilong sideways and replied disdainfully, "Hmph, if it's just a small business worth three or five taels of silver, then don't bother me!"

Wu Feilong quickly waved his hand and hurriedly explained, "Oh dear, Brother Zhang, what are you saying! It's certainly not a small business. I wonder if you remember tasting the steamed buns before? Actually, that Sun's Steamed Bun Shop was opened by my friend and me. Now we want to use the Zhang family's influence to open steamed bun shops all over the country!"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Hao's eyes lit up, and he exclaimed in surprise, "Oh? These delicious buns are actually made by you? I was searching everywhere for the recipe, and I never imagined this treasure had been right beside me all along!" It's worth noting that Zhang Hao had been deeply influenced by business acumen since childhood and possessed an extremely keen insight into business opportunities. At this moment, he understood that this business deal was definitely very promising.

Seeing that Zhang Hao was interested, Wu Feilong pressed his advantage, saying, "Brother Zhang, you certainly have a discerning eye! However... I have another request. If you agree to help me rescue my friend's family, I will gladly offer you the recipe for these steamed buns!"

After a moment's thought, Zhang Hao readily nodded and replied, "Of course! Our Zhang family has branches in various places. How about we go to the Ankang branch first and see how things are going?"

So, the group quietly left the Heavenly Sword Sect and hurried towards Ankang County. Soon after, they arrived at Zhang's Cloth Shop in the center of the county town. The shop was bustling with people, business was booming.

The shopkeeper was extremely busy when he suddenly noticed a group of distinguished young men approaching. Upon closer inspection, he discovered that the leader was none other than his own young master, Zhang Hao, followed by several unfamiliar faces. The shopkeeper was startled and quickly stepped forward, greeting them with a beaming smile, "Gentlemen, what kind of fabric would you like to buy from our humble shop?"

At this moment, one of Zhang Hao's bodyguards calmly took out a token from his pocket and handed it to the shopkeeper. A large character "Zhang" was prominently engraved on the token. Upon seeing this, the shopkeeper's face turned deathly pale, his legs went weak, and he knelt down with a thud, stammering, "This humble servant greets the young master! I was unaware of your esteemed presence and have failed to greet you properly. Please forgive me!"

"Get up, let's find a quiet place to have a good talk." The shopkeeper nodded slightly, gesturing for the two to follow him. So, they walked together towards the inner hall.

Upon entering the inner hall, Wu Feilong carefully took out two ledgers from his robes: one detailed the accounts of the steamed bun shop, and the other recorded the income and expenses of the restaurant. He handed the ledgers to Zhang Hao and said softly, "Brother Zhang, please take a look."

Zhang Hao took the ledger but didn't immediately open it. Instead, he gave the shopkeeper a meaningful look. The shopkeeper, understanding the signal, quickly stepped forward, respectfully took the ledger, and began to carefully review it.

A moment later, the shopkeeper looked up, a hint of surprise on his face, and reported to Zhang Hao, "Young Master, after careful calculation, the profits from this restaurant and steamed bun shop are actually much higher than our fabric shop. It's just a pity that we don't have much cash left in the books right now."

Hearing this, Zhang Hao nodded thoughtfully, then looked at Wu Feilong and slowly said, "The reason there's so little left in the accounts is because we gave some money to the former magistrate. If the Zhang family could open branches all over the country, the amount of gold and silver they could earn would certainly be considerable."

At this moment, Zhang Hao suddenly turned his gaze to the shopkeeper, a barely perceptible sharpness flashing in his eyes. Sensing his master's gaze, the shopkeeper trembled, quickly lowered his head, and tactfully withdrew from the room.

Seeing that only he and Wu Feilong were left in the room, Zhang Hao raised an eyebrow and asked directly, "Alright, now that there's no one else here, just tell me, what are your conditions?"

Wu Feilong took a deep breath, composed himself, and then solemnly replied, "My requests are simple. First, I hope you can help rescue Tiesheng and the entire Li family; second, after it's done, I only need five percent of the profits as payment."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Hao's eyes widened, seemingly incredulous at Wu Feilong's meager offer. He frowned and thought for a moment before readily agreeing, "Alright, I can agree to this condition for now. However, the written agreement still needs my father's approval."

Wu Feilong smiled slightly, indicating his understanding: "It's alright, then let's wait for good news."

Zhang Hao carefully wrote down the details of the incident on a note, then gently and skillfully tied it to the slender leg of the Gale Bird. This Gale Bird was light and graceful, resembling a pigeon, but its flight speed was incredibly fast. With a gentle flap of its wings, it flew a hundred meters in an instant and disappeared into the horizon in the blink of an eye.

Time flew by, and half a day had passed in the blink of an eye. The swift bird flew back like lightning, carrying a letter in its beak. Zhang Hao took the letter with great anticipation, quickly opened it, and saw several large characters written on the letter: "Come home with me."