Chapter 18: If You Don't Use Your Brain, You'll Be a Low-Level Thug for the Rest of Your Life

Lin Zhennan felt his face flush as Lin Pingzhi stared at him with astonishment. After all, in this day and age, martial arts techniques were the highly guarded core assets of every sect.

Lin Pingzhi had always been a young man of upright character. For Lin Zhennan to suddenly ask such a thing felt akin to asking one’s own son, who was currently serving in the military, for the specific unit designation and secret stationing coordinates of his division. That Lin Pingzhi didn't immediately run off to Wang Jingyuan’s guest room to report his own father was already a testament to his commendable filial piety.

Lin Zhennan quickly explained, "I'm not asking you to memorize the whole thing, just the opening lines. What happened today is truly beyond belief, and I have some suspicions about those two..."

Lin Pingzhi nodded, and after a moment of consideration, recited the first two lines of the Huashan internal cultivation method. Lin Zhennan, being a martial artist himself, could tell from just those two lines that the technique was indeed upright, balanced, and lofty in its intent.

Having confirmed that the two were indeed disciples of Huashan, he immediately ordered his servants to book the largest restaurant in Fuzhou City. He intended to host a grand banquet that day to announce to all his guests that Lin Pingzhi had been accepted into the Huashan Sect. As for himself, he took his wife to their ancestral home on Xiangyang Lane, claiming he needed to inform their ancestors of this good news at the family shrine.

In the guest room, Wang Jingyuan sat at the table, munching on fruit. The fruit of this era truly didn't taste very good, but Wang Jingyuan was chewing on it out of boredom.

Suddenly, a knock sounded at the door. "Junior brother, are you available?"

Yue Lingshan had never knocked before when coming to see Wang Jingyuan, but after the many surprises they had encountered along the way, she had finally developed the good habit of knocking before entering.

Wang Jingyuan put down the fruit pit. "I'm dressed; come in."

Yue Lingshan pushed the door open. "Junior brother, who did you learn that initiation ceremony from? It was so bizarre. And why were you in such a rush to take the junior apprentice brother into the sect? Was it Father’s instruction?"

Wang Jingyuan replied casually, "No, it was my own decision."

Yue Lingshan was startled. She quickly leaned in close to Wang Jingyuan and whispered, "When you say it was your decision, do you mean the ceremony or the act of accepting a disciple on behalf of the Master itself?"

"Both."

Hearing this, Yue Lingshan was left dumbfounded. "Are you crazy?! You dared to act on your own for something like this?"

"Before I left, Master told me to act with confidence and decisiveness when faced with situations, and this is the result of my judgment. When I joined the sect, Master asked me to help him revitalize Huashan, and I accepted. Since I’ve taken on such a high-difficulty task, it’s not too much to ask for a little bit of discretionary power, right? Accepting Lin Pingzhi is the first step toward revitalizing Huashan. In my view, Lin Pingzhi is more useful as a disciple of Huashan than any of the other disciples currently on the mountain."

Yue Lingshan didn't get angry; instead, she narrowed her eyes and looked at Wang Jingyuan. "Including you?"

Wang Jingyuan looked at her in disbelief. "Why would you bunch of 'oxen and horses' compare yourselves to a partner like me? Of course, it doesn't include me."

"You’re asking for a beating!"

"I’m dodging!"

"How far do you think you can dodge in such a small room?"

"If you keep chasing me, do you believe I’ll scream that you’re molesting me?"

"You scoundrel!"

"Just tell me, would it be effective or not?"

Yue Lingshan sat back down at the table, sulking. She picked up a pear from the fruit platter and bit into it fiercely, as if she were biting Wang Jingyuan himself. She asked, her mouth full, "Why do you think the junior apprentice brother is the most useful disciple?"

Wang Jingyuan sat opposite her. "Answer me this: what does it take to revitalize Huashan?"

Yue Lingshan was stunned; she was stumped by his question. Although she was the daughter of the Huashan Sect leader, she spent her days thinking about how to slack off and sneak away to play; she had never considered such a heavy question.

Wang Jingyuan could see that Yue Lingshan was a desert of wisdom regarding the Huashan Sect. He didn't play games and said bluntly, "In this world, success depends on strength and background. In common terms, that means money and power. Given the martial arts context here, it can be further broken down into: martial prowess, financial power, and political influence."

"Martial prowess generally requires time to accumulate. Fortunately, our Huashan possesses the precious legacy left by our predecessors; with a little development, it’s quite substantial."

"As for financial power, that is what I am currently seeking. Our Huashan cannot achieve great things just by relying on collecting rent from the farmland at the foot of the mountain—especially since Master carries the shackle of being known as the 'Gentleman Sword.' If we encounter a bad harvest, we have to subsidize the farmers, and we end up collecting nothing."

"But accepting Lin Pingzhi is different. He is the young master of the Fuwei Escort Agency. Our Huashan Sect has plenty of martial power but lacks a management team and grassroots staff, and the Fuwei Escort Agency is exactly the opposite. We can perfectly complement each other’s shortcomings, form a joint venture, and make the Fuwei branch under the Huashan Group bigger and stronger to create new glory. The income and job opportunities generated by this are far beyond what a landlord rotting in a corner could ever compare to."

"As for political influence... in the current climate, the only thing worthy of that title is the imperial court. There is no other option. If we want to take this path, Huashan actually has a unique advantage. Look at the other leaders of the Five Mountains; they are all oddities and failures. Only our beloved Master has the credentials of a scholar. If I push him hard enough, do you think his old self might even pass the provincial examinations?"

"Once he passes the provincial exams, he becomes 'Master Yue.' It doesn't matter if he gets an official post; the title of a provincial graduate is what matters most. With money and a title, we can open schools. In this world, there are too many people who are naturally gifted but lack the money to study. If the Hengshan Sect can be a music academy, why can't Huashan be a civil service cram school?"

"Other schools are too expensive for ordinary people. But our Huashan school can waive tuition and miscellaneous fees, provide room and board, and offer subsidies, selecting students solely based on their talent and effort. In a few years, we will have cultivated a batch of scholars, then a batch of provincial graduates. If we get lucky and one of them passes the imperial examinations, then we have a real background."

"By then, the command flags of the Five Mountains Sword Sect won't be worth a damn. A single petition to suppress bandits sent directly to the Emperor, and three thousand armored soldiers would be enough to raze any sect to the ground. By that time, the name 'Huashan Academy' might just ring louder than 'Huashan Sect'..."

Although Yue Lingshan didn't understand much of what he said, she grasped the general idea. Once Wang Jingyuan had finished his eloquent, rapid-fire explanation and started drinking tea to rest, Yue Lingshan looked up, dazed, and asked, "Is it really that simple?"

"Even though we might face suppression from other bureaucratic factions once we gain some influence, my mission is to revitalize Huashan, not to control the imperial court. As long as we know when to stop, dealing with these small-time martial arts cliques is more than enough—it’s like a dimension-reduction strike."

"Why haven't the predecessors of Huashan and other sects done this before?"

Wang Jingyuan shook his head in disdain. "If they knew how to use their brains, they wouldn't be 'martial artists.' Take the Fuwei Escort Agency: I managed to trick their young master into joining Huashan in just a few words. In truth, even without us, they could have easily solved the threat from the Qingcheng Sect. It’s just that with their brains, they probably couldn't think of it."

Yue Lingshan pressed, "What should they have done?"

"When harassed by a criminal organization, they could have reported it to the authorities."

"Huh?!"

"Even though 'martial arts matters are settled in the martial arts world' and 'officials don't investigate unless the people complain,' in a city as prosperous as Fuzhou, if the victim reports it to the officials and the perpetrators still dare to wipe out the family, are they trying to revolt? This isn't the chaotic end of a dynasty; the Ming Empire is in its prime. If they really dared to do that, the Qingcheng Sect wouldn't be far from being wiped out."

"Furthermore, what is the advantage of the Fuwei Escort Agency? They have money! Even our Huashan Sect can't compare to them, let alone the even more pathetic Qingcheng Sect. With money, they could have bought people off and bribed officials. As long as they are willing to stuff enough silver, they don't have to worry about the government not doing their job. Besides, this is a coastal region, often harassed by pirates. If the silver is placed correctly, it wouldn't be impossible to cooperate with the government to form a local militia. By then, the escorts from the agency would all be officially registered as government personnel. Who among the common martial artists would dare to touch them?"

"Even if they were riding on the heads of the Qingcheng Sect, crapping and pissing, Yu Canghai would have to endure it. After all, corruption is part of the Ming political ecosystem; if you don't like it, don't play. It’s just that Lin Zhennan’s ancestors were martial artists; even after opening the agency, his thinking hasn't changed. He still thinks like a martial artist. That’s why, if you don't use your head, you’ll be a martial artist your whole life and never be able to come ashore."