Chapter 127: A Temporary Measure

Everyone at the table was stunned. Even Monk Ruhui looked astonished, frowning as he said, "Young Master Zhao, your appetite is far too large."

"Not large at all. Before you arrived, I was planning to clear every bit of Cloud Mountain Temple's influence out of the city," Zhao Jin answered in a ringing voice.

Monk Ruhui looked Zhao Jin up and down several times, and finally nodded with a smile. "Since Young Master Zhao has such a plan, this humble monk will return and speak with the abbot and the overseer. This humble monk feels they will agree to Young Master Zhao's request."

Inside the room, Zhao Jin's companions all wore expressions of excitement. Earlier, when Zhao Jin pressed for more after gaining an inch, they had all thought he was going too far, asking for too much, and that it would backfire. They never expected that as they pushed step by step, the other side retreated step by step, and this demand had actually been granted.

"Men of the cloth who do not chant sutras or worship Buddha, who do not perform good deeds or ferry souls to salvation, but instead spend their days learning the ways of the jianghu — they should have learned this lesson long ago. This is no bad thing." The voice was not loud, but everyone at Zhao Jin's table heard it clearly. To their surprise, the words had come from Monk Ruhui himself.

"Dalei, go outside and invite Clerk Li in," Zhao Jin turned his head and said. This Clerk Li had never come inside, presumably waiting for the discussion inside to finish.

A moment later, Clerk Li walked in with a grin, a waiter carrying a wine jar following behind him.

Once Clerk Li sat down and opened the wine jar, a rich aroma of liquor instantly filled the air. The waiter poured a full cup for each person. When he reached Monk Ruhui, the waiter hesitated, but Monk Ruhui smiled and pointed at his cup — he did not seem to care much about the precepts.

It had to be said, Monk Ruhui's graceful bearing turned what should have been a tense peace negotiation into something relaxed. Seeing him disregard the precepts made the atmosphere even more cordial.

Zhao Jin looked at everyone at the table, raised his wine cup, and said, "From this moment on, all that came before is wiped clean. I hope your esteemed temple will honor its promises."

"Please rest assured, Young Master Zhao. This temple never goes back on what it agrees to." Monk Ruhui, also smiling, raised his cup in return.

Even without hearing the earlier conversation, seeing this scene, Clerk Li of the Punishment Office knew the peace had been made. He raised his cup with a grin and chimed in, "Harmony is precious, harmony is precious."

From childhood to now, this was the first time Zhao Jin had ever drunk alcohol. As the liquor went down his throat, it felt as if his chest had caught fire, burning all the way down to his stomach. Zhao Jin's face instantly flushed bright red, and he hurriedly ate some food to suppress it. Monk Ruhui, however, after downing his cup, looked perfectly normal.

"Fine liquor is fierce. Xiao Jin, eat more food." At this moment, Clerk Li finally placed himself in the role of an elder.

Zhao Jin buried his head and ate a few bites, but inwardly he was puzzled. In his past life, he had been a regular at drinking parties. Though he was never fond of alcohol, he had drunk enough to tell good liquor from bad. The wine he had just tasted was not very pure, with many off-flavors — how could it be called fine liquor?

And both Clerk Li and Monk Ruhui were clearly seasoned drinkers, yet the expressions on their faces after drinking were exactly those of men savoring fine wine. It was truly strange.

He kept this question buried in his heart. The banquet that followed was thoroughly enjoyable. After that first cup, Zhao Jin and his companions drank no more and focused on eating. Monk Ruhui and Clerk Li, on the other hand, exchanged cups freely and drank with great pleasure.

Butcher Zhang's braised pork ribs were excellent, and with someone else treating, the youths all let loose and ate their fill.

As time went on, Zhao Jin found Monk Ruhui more and more remarkable. His conversation was elegant, yet he could attend to everyone's mood. His knowledge was broad — he had quite insightful opinions on yamen affairs, scholarly matters, and even martial skills. He could exchange a few words with everyone, making each person feel as if bathed in a spring breeze. This performance reminded Zhao Jin of certain public relations talents from his past life, and he even felt Monk Ruhui surpassed them.

Having eaten and drunk their fill, Zhao Jin had Butcher Zhang's manager hire a large cart. They loaded the chests of gold and silver onto it, and everyone walked out at a leisurely pace.

Clerk Li had left a little earlier. As Zhao Jin and Monk Ruhui walked out, taking advantage of the distance between them and the others, Zhao Jin smiled and said, "Listening to you, Master, it sounds as though things at Cloud Mountain Temple are not entirely to your liking?"

This question made Monk Ruhui's expression stiffen for a moment. He then smiled and said, "Young Master Zhao must have misunderstood. As a monk of the temple, how could there be anything not to my liking?"

From the moment he met Monk Ruhui until now, Monk Ruhui had grumbled about Cloud Mountain Temple only a few times, and even then, the resentment was only faintly implied in his words. But Zhao Jin had not overlooked these remarks. For a monk who was perfectly smooth and worldly-wise from start to finish, and who was speaking in front of Zhao Jin, an enemy of Cloud Mountain Temple, there was no way he would say such things out of carelessness or oversight.

Hearing the other man deny it, Zhao Jin did not press further. He simply changed the subject and asked with a smile, "May I ask what position you hold at Cloud Mountain Temple, Master?"

"This humble monk is the guest prefect of Cloud Mountain Temple." A smile returned to Monk Ruhui's face.

The guest prefect is responsible for a temple's external reception, a position of considerable status. Given Cloud Mountain Temple's power, the position of guest prefect should bring ample status and benefits — there should be no cause for resentment.

But this was, after all, their first meeting. Zhao Jin did not ask more. He simply smiled, clasped his fists, and said, "The days ahead are long, and there will be many opportunities to deal with each other. Master Ruhui, if you ever need anything, do not hesitate to speak to me."

Zhao Jin stopped walking as he said this — it was his farewell. After he spoke, Monk Ruhui stared at Zhao Jin for a moment, then shook his head and smiled. "Young Master Zhao, those words sound like something a forty-year-old veteran of the jianghu would say. Truly a young hero. The days ahead are long — I take my leave first!"

Monk Ruhui's words were somewhat disjointed, yet they contained many layers of meaning. But at a first meeting, both knew where the boundaries lay. They exchanged salutes and parted ways.

On the way back, everyone walked behind the large cart, their spirits high.

"Big Brother, those bald donkeys from Cloud Mountain Temple came begging us for mercy — they're definitely scared!" Ji Xiang said excitedly.

Liu Yong's face was bright red; he might have had a little to drink, or it might have been sheer excitement. He chimed in, "Usually, when Cloud Mountain Temple people come into the city, every faction in the southern district treats them with the utmost respect. But in front of Big Brother, they were the ones showing utmost respect. Big Brother is truly awe-inspiring."

Sun Dalei climbed onto the cart, opened a lid to take a look, his face full of intoxicated delight. He closed the lid, jumped down, and laughed heartily. "So much money, so much money!"

"What's this? Didn't you hear during the meal? Cloud Mountain Temple is going to pay us protection money from now on too," Shi Manqiang said dismissively.

Among them, Dong Bingfeng was the youngest and came from a wealthy family. These words meant little to him, but he still felt happy and simply smiled along.

Compared to the excitement of the few in front, Zhao Jin, Chen Sheng, and Wang Zhaojing, walking at the back, were far more composed.

They could hear Liu Yong shouting up ahead, "Why was Yan Blackface the biggest before? Wasn't it because he had Cloud Mountain Temple backing him? Now those Cloud Mountain Temple people are afraid of us..."

"Brother Zhao, can a treaty signed under duress like this be trusted?" Wang Zhaojing said in a low voice.

Zhao Jin laughed and shook his head. "Of course it can't. The moment they can move against us, they'll forget all about any peace agreement. But right now, they're constrained by the Smelling Incense Sect and can't keep focusing on us. And that bloody battle we fought scared these monks badly too."

Wang Zhaojing nodded. Chen Sheng cut in, "These incense-burners are everywhere. If they really are the ones making a move, Cloud Mountain Temple truly won't dare to act recklessly."

Cloud Mountain Temple was merely a local hegemon in Xuzhou, while the Smelling Incense Sect had a presence throughout Shandong, Southern Zhili, and even Henan. With the Smelling Incense Sect pressing them, Cloud Mountain Temple certainly dared not make a move.

Watching their jubilant companions up ahead, Wang Zhaojing hesitated, then said quietly, "Brother Zhao, is this truly a complete reconciliation?"

Zhao Jin slowed his pace, and Chen Sheng and Wang Zhaojing slowed with him. Zhao Jin said in a deep voice, "Reconciliation? With such a menace right next to us, we can't even sleep soundly. We've only just started — we can't even hold this small patch of the southern district firmly yet. We need to grow strong first, then we'll talk."

Hearing this, the three exchanged glances and shared a knowing smile.

On the way, Zhao Jin once again urged his companions to train hard in the drills, and beyond drilling the household guards, not to slack off in martial practice. He also told them to be extremely careful, to avoid moving alone as much as possible. He spoke to Dong Bingfeng separately — Dong Bingfeng now rode back and forth on horseback every day, spending too much time alone. Zhao Jin suggested he stay with Sun Dalei, since Sun Dalei's parents were not in Xuzhou anyway.

Everyone found it strange. The greatest threat, Cloud Mountain Temple, had already made peace — why was Big Brother Zhao even more cautious than before?

But after all these years, the companions had grown used to Zhao Jin always being right. Even if they did not understand, they knew to listen and obey. He was never wrong.

When they returned to the goods yard, they saw the household guards training under the direction of Lu Da and Li Wu, all crooked and twisted. The formation was already a chaotic mess. Lu Da and Li Wu were frantic, drenched in sweat, but had no solution. Many of the household guards in the ranks were laughing and joking around.

Someone spotted Zhao Jin approaching and alerted the others. The household guards immediately turned serious, and the formation regained some semblance of order.

"Xiao Yong, you and Shitou go train them. Beat anyone who doesn't obey, and beat them hard." Zhao Jin assigned the two to oversee. Shi Manqiang and Liu Yong quickly agreed and ran over, somewhat excited.

The reason he did not take the field himself was that Zhao Jin had spotted three people standing in front of the trading company's door. Two were dressed as attendants, and the one in the middle looked like a person of wealth and status.

Beside these three were two loads of gifts. When the wealthy-looking man saw Zhao Jin, his face broke into a smile and he walked over quickly.

Zhao Jin looked at the companions beside him. Everyone was shaking their heads — no one knew this man.

"I am Wang Jizhong, the manager of Jade Willow Abode. I have come today especially to offer congratulations on the opening of Young Master Zhao's trading company." The man bowed deeply with clasped fists from a distance, his courtesy impeccable.

None of them had heard the name Wang Jizhong, but they all knew "Jade Willow Abode" — it was the most famous pleasure quarter in Xuzhou city.

Xuzhou was impoverished, yet the magistrate's yamen and the Ministry of Revenue branch office housed no small number of officials, great and small, and there were plenty of scholars and wealthy men inside and outside the city. Such people always needed a place to recite poetry and admire the moon, so there were a few courtesan houses in Xuzhou that catered to such refined tastes. Jade Willow Abode was the largest of them all.