The Martial God who started at Mantuo Manor

Page 143

Madam Ruan's smile appeared somewhat awkward, clearly recalling what had happened that day. She quickly tried to smooth things over, saying, "Master Wang is too kind. Please have a seat."

Come, let me introduce you.

This is my distant cousin, who came from Dadu (Beijing).

His surname is Zhao, and his given name is Zhao, which means to announce to the world.

"Zhao'er, this is the new master of Mantuo Manor, Master Wang Meng."

"Master Wang, I have long admired your name."

This young master Zhao extended his hand and clasped his hands in a gesture of respect, mimicking the manner of martial arts practitioners. However, the smile in his bright eyes deepened, as if to say: Our game has only just begun.

As soon as Madam Ruan finished speaking, the inner door of the private room was pushed open again, and several well-dressed middle-aged men filed in.

The leader was a slightly overweight, ruddy-faced man in his fifties with a warm, businessman-like smile plastered on his face.

"Oh dear, Madam Ruan, Master Wang, I'm so sorry to have kept you all waiting!"

Madam Ruan rose with a smile and introduced Wang Meng: "Master Wang, this is Mr. Qian from Fuyuanji Restaurant in the south of the city, and this is Manager Sun from Guanghe Trading Company..."

As the introductions were made, several grain shop owners, whose mere presence in Jiaxing Prefecture could shake rice prices, stepped forward to greet Wang Meng.

They were all very enthusiastic and full of flattery, but what Wang Meng saw in their darting eyes was shrewdness and calculation.

Wang Meng remained as gentle and polite as ever, exchanging pleasantries with everyone, like a naive and inexperienced young master from a wealthy family.

The "Young Master Zhao" remained silent throughout, simply sitting quietly to the side, holding a teacup. Her long eyelashes drooped, obscuring the expression in her eyes, making her resemble a beautiful jade statue, yet her presence was impossible to ignore.

After everyone was seated again, food and drinks were served in a continuous stream.

After a few drinks, the atmosphere seemed to become more harmonious, but the conversation inadvertently took a different turn.

The first to speak was Mr. Qian, the owner of Fuyuanji. He held his wine glass, sighed heavily, and his smile turned bitter: "Master Wang, to be honest, we grain traders may look glamorous, but we're all living off the whims of fate."

This year's situation is truly indescribable!

His words were like a floodgate being opened.

Manager Sun, who was standing nearby, immediately chimed in. He was a lean and capable man with a gleam in his small eyes: "Brother Qian is right!"

There was little rain in spring, and then locust plagues struck in summer and autumn. The little grain that was harvested was of much worse quality than in previous years.

There's a food shortage everywhere, and we're barely managing to gather the agreed-upon batch for Mantuo Manor.

"Yes, yes, the wages for hiring people to collect and transport grain have doubled. Everything, inside and out, is a cost!"

"Our families have a long-standing relationship. We've worked with Mrs. Wang for so many years, so we shouldn't bring this up."

But... alas, there's really nothing we can do; even the landlord's family has no surplus grain!

For a time, the private room was filled with the constant complaints of the shopkeepers.

They all looked worried and were pounding their chests in frustration, as if their rice granaries were about to be emptied by rats.

The gentle smile on Wang Meng's face did not disappear at that moment; instead, it became even brighter.

But the smile had lost all its warmth, replaced by a chilling and icy demeanor that seeped into the very bones.

He still held the cup of tea, but his wrist tilted slightly.

"Wow..."

Instead of drinking the scalding hot tea, he slowly poured it all onto the smooth mahogany table.

The steaming tea flowed meanderingly, like a dying venomous snake, leaving dark water stains on the table and dripping onto the expensive silk robes of the shopkeepers.

The entire private room was deathly silent.

Everyone's smiles froze on their faces as they stared in disbelief at Wang Meng's inexplicable actions.

"Dear shopkeepers!"

Wang Meng finally spoke, placing the empty teacup heavily but silently back on the table. His eyes, sharp as knives, slowly swept across the faces of Boss Qian, Manager Sun, and everyone else: "You acted quite well."

These five words were like five resounding slaps to everyone's faces.

"only……"

Wang Meng leaned forward slightly, his hands clasped on the table. An invisible, suffocating pressure instantly enveloped the entire private room. "Do you all think of me, Wang Meng, as one of those fools you can manipulate at will?"

The smile on his face vanished completely, replaced by an almost cruel mockery: "The harvest is bad."

Too high a cost?

You old fogies think I'm young and easy to fool, right?

Or have you forgotten that Mantuo Manor has never been involved in just the grain business?

Before he finished speaking, he moved.

No one saw how he got up; they only felt a blur before their eyes and a gust of wind rushing towards them.

The next moment, Wang Meng appeared beside Boss Qian like a ghost.

Mr. Qian's obese body was still trembling with shock, and he had no time to react.

"You...what do you want to do?"

He stammered, his voice filled with fear.

"You just said that the price would be increased... by 20%?"

Wang Meng's voice was very soft, yet it sounded like a devil's whisper in Boss Qian's ear.

"No...no...Master Wang, let's talk this out, let's talk this out!"

Mr. Qian's back was instantly soaked with cold sweat.

"Pfft!"

A faint yet incredibly clear sound, like flesh being pierced, rang out.

"what!"

Boss Qian let out a bloodcurdling scream that was so shrill it was inhuman.

Wang Meng then used that hard ivory chopstick to pierce through Boss Qian's thick palm without any mercy or hesitation!

The tip of the chopsticks pierced his palm, dripping blood that seeped out from the back of his hand, pinning his arrogant hand firmly to the cold, hard mahogany table!

Blood gushed out instantly, staining the tablecloth red and splattering onto the pale faces of the shopkeepers around them.

"Noisy."

Wang Meng uttered two words expressionlessly, not even bothering to glance at Boss Qian, who was writhing on the ground in pain, his hands pinned down and unable to break free.

He slowly straightened up, his gaze shifting to the other grain shop managers who were already terrified and pale-faced.

Those businessmen who were just moments ago eloquent and complaining endlessly were now silent as cicadas in winter, their teeth chattering, their bodies trembling like leaves in the wind, not daring to even breathe.

"Now, let's talk about the price."

Wang Meng casually walked back to his seat, as if he had just casually swatted a fly.

He picked up another pair of clean chopsticks, took a bite of food, chewed slowly, and then spoke again in a silence that could drive anyone mad.

"The price of the remaining 400,000 dan of grain will be reduced by another 30% from the original price."

"Within three days, I want to see all the grain delivered to my dock, not a single grain missing."

"If someone is a minute late, or a pound is missing..."

He paused, raised his eyes, and swept his cold gaze across the room before saying, word by word, "I will personally visit his residence!"

The entire private room was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Only Mr. Qian's suppressed, painful sobs could be heard.

Sitting in the corner, Madam Ruan was pale, and her hand holding the teacup was trembling slightly.

Looking at the young man before her, who seemed to have the power to turn the world upside down, a storm raged within her.

But the "Young Master Zhao" who had been protecting her all along reacted quite differently at this moment.

There was no fear on her face.

His lips involuntarily curved upwards, forming an arc full of excitement and appreciation.

Suddenly, "Young Master Zhao" chuckled, breaking the deadlock.

"Master Wang, what skill and what power you have!"

The voice was clear and pleasant, completely out of place with the surrounding atmosphere of fear. It seemed to carry a faint fragrance that drifted into Wang Meng's nose: "For a mere 20% profit, you would cripple someone's hand."

It seems that from now on, the Wang family will be in charge of this Jiangnan region.

These words, though seemingly complimentary, actually contained a hidden barb, defining Wang Meng's behavior as driven by selfish desires to bully the weak.

Wang Meng's gaze slowly turned to her, the fierceness in his eyes not dissipating, but instead adding a hint of amusement: "Young Master Zhao, you flatter me."

I don't have any grand ambitions; I just want to break the claws of anyone who tries to take food from my bowl.

A life for a life, a debt for a debt—that's only right and proper!

I paid the full price they agreed upon at the time, without paying a single penny back.

This means they owe me money now.

His reply was blunt and crude, completely ignoring the trap in the other person's words.

"It's only natural and right?"

Young Master Zhao stood up and slowly walked to the center of the field.

Her white brocade robe stood out starkly against the backdrop of the blood.

"Does Master Wang know that if you push them too hard today, they will not be able to hand over the grain, and then... tens of thousands of people around Jiaxing Prefecture will starve?"

Whose "right" is it to disrupt people's livelihoods for personal gain?

Her words were forceful and instantly occupied the moral high ground, firmly placing the label of "righteousness" on Wang Meng's head.

Even the few shopkeepers who were terrified stood by with a glimmer of hope in their eyes, looking expectantly at this "noble young master" from an extraordinary background who could uphold justice for them.

Upon hearing this, Wang Meng chuckled softly as if he had heard the biggest joke in the world.

"The common people?"

People's livelihood?