Chapter Sixty-three: The Token's Power Unleashed

It seems that no matter the era, there are always these ruffians and scoundrels out to disgust honest folk.

In his later life, he was just a humble rural schoolteacher, without power or wealth, and when faced with such people, all he could do was avoid them from afar.

But now, there was no need to endure the insolence of these scoundrels any longer.

“One thousand strings of cash…” Wei Renshi said with a smile on his face. “That should be more than enough for your medical bills.”

As he spoke, he called out to the crowd, “Good men passing by, many of you are just traveling through Luoyang and won’t be staying long—no need to fear these local bullies causing trouble for you later. If any of you would like to earn some money as my hired hands, I’ll pay twenty strings of cash to each man who helps me teach these ruffians a lesson!”

There was quite a crowd of passersby, many simply there to watch the commotion. But upon hearing that each man could earn twenty strings, and seeing that these bullies were unarmed, many began to feel tempted.

After all, they could simply beat these fellows and leave—since they didn’t live in Luoyang, the bullies wouldn’t be able to track them down, and they could pocket twenty strings of cash for their trouble. Twenty strings was no small sum!

Moreover, these ruffians were truly infuriating—beating them would be a relief.

So, in a moment, a number of men stepped forward with a shout.

“Who dares? I want to see who dares come at us!” barked the leader, clearly unprepared for someone so bold and unafraid, who would hire strangers on the spot to deal with them.

And indeed, these travelers could take the money after beating him and simply vanish—there was little he could do about it.

Seeing so many people step forward, he began to panic. He forced himself to keep up a fierce front and shouted, “Fine! Fine! You lot must have a death wish! We’ll go fetch our boss—none of you will be able to make a living on these two canals again!”

With that, the gang began to back away.

“Wait.” Just as the ruffians were preparing to flee, a voice called from behind.

Everyone turned to see Zhang Gan emerge from the back. He walked up to the group of bullies and asked, “Just now, you said no one would be allowed to make their living on these two canals—who is your boss?”

The bullies, thinking he was intimidated, regained some of their bravado and answered smugly, “In all of Luoyang, anyone even slightly involved with canal affairs knows our boss. On these two canals, without his approval, who dares dock to unload goods? Who dares to earn their bread here?”

Zhang Gan stared at them coldly for a moment, then turned to Wei Renshi. “Brother Wei, did you bring the token?”

Wei Renshi nodded.

“Show it for a moment,” Zhang Gan said.

Wei Renshi took out the black wooden token left by Zhang Gan and handed it over.

Zhang Gan accepted it and tossed it at the feet of the lead bully.

The ruffian looked down. Instantly, his whole body shuddered and his face went deathly pale.

Terror filled his eyes as he slowly raised his head to look at Zhang Gan, his body beginning to tremble.

“Pick it up with your mouth,” Zhang Gan said coolly.

The man immediately bent down as if to pick up the token.

“I said, pick it up with your mouth,” Zhang Gan repeated in a calm voice.

The ruffian shook so hard it was as if he had malaria; in a heartbeat, he fell to his knees and, like a dog, started to open his mouth to fetch the token.

“Forget it,” Zhang Gan interrupted as the man was about to bite the token. “Pick it up with your hand. Your mouth is too filthy.”

The bully hurriedly picked up the token and presented it to Zhang Gan with both hands.

Zhang Gan took the token, returned it to Wei Renshi, and said, “Brother Wei, here’s your token back.”

The ruffian’s legs gave out, and he collapsed at Wei Renshi’s feet, banging his head on the ground and crying, “Spare me, sir! Spare me! I was blind and failed to recognize greatness. Please forgive me, sir! Please have mercy!”

Wei Renshi looked at the token in his hand in surprise, then at Zhang Gan—so this was the notorious boss these bullies spoke of!

“Who sent you?” Wei Renshi asked. “Was it a tavern or a distillery here in Luoyang?”

As he kowtowed, the ruffian replied, “Sir, it was Drunken Cloud Tavern! The manager gave each of us a string of cash and told us to stir up trouble here! I didn’t know, sir! If I’d known you were connected to our boss, I wouldn’t have dared for anything! Please, sir, spare me!”

Wei Renshi understood at once. When he’d heard these bullies shouting about the wine being poison, he’d already suspected they weren’t just after money.

“I see,” Wei Renshi nodded. “Since that’s the case, you can all leave now. You’ve already made your scene—don’t forget to go back to your patron for your pay. But one string per man is rather stingy; Drunken Cloud Tavern isn’t very generous. It should have been a hundred strings each, don’t you think?”

The bully froze for a moment, then hastily kowtowed again, “Thank you for your mercy, sir! Thank you! I know what to do now! Thank you for sparing us!”

With that, he scrambled to his feet and led the rest of the ruffians away in a panic, tripping over themselves in their hurry.

The crowd erupted in cheers as the bullies fled. Wei Renshi turned to the bystanders and called out, “Just a false alarm, nothing more! If any of you still wish to challenge our ‘Three Bowls and You Can’t Enter the City’ wine, step forward!”

The crowd quickly gathered around again. Old Sun and his two companions called out to them, while Wei Renshi invited Zhang Gan back into the thatched hut.

Once seated, Wei Renshi poured a cup of wine and said with a smile, “Many thanks for your help, Brother Zhang! Allow me to drink a cup to you.”

After they drank, Wei Renshi asked, “Brother Zhang, are you the boss they spoke of?”

Zhang Gan shook his head. “Not at all. I simply have a connection and was given this token.”

“Such a powerful token—if you gave it to me, wouldn’t you be left without support in Luoyang?” Wei Renshi said, holding up the token. “I didn’t realize its value; I should return it to you.”

Zhang Gan shook his head with a laugh. “Keep it, Brother Wei. I have no need to rely on such things.”

Wei Renshi looked at him for a moment. Since Zhang Gan wasn’t willing to reveal his identity, he decided to play along and pretend not to know.

“Today I benefited from your authority, Brother, so I must toast you again,” Wei Renshi said, pouring another cup and drinking it.

Zhang Gan understood his meaning but said nothing, the two of them tacitly agreeing to keep the matter unspoken. He simply let Wei Renshi drink his cup.

When Wei Renshi had finished, Zhang Gan said, “Keep that token with you. All sorts of people in Luoyang will give you some respect for it, which will make things much easier.”

“Thank you, Brother Zhang!” Wei Renshi replied.

“You’re new to Luoyang, and in business. With your excellent wine, once you get established, you’ll certainly disrupt others’ profits. You must be careful. The larger establishments all have their own backing,” Zhang Gan warned.

“Don’t worry, Brother Zhang, I can handle it,” Wei Renshi replied with a smile.

“Good!” Zhang Gan laughed at Wei Renshi’s confident demeanor. “I knew you weren’t an ordinary man. Come, don’t let these ruffians spoil your mood—let’s drink!”