「Tang Mansion.」
Lin Yan sat in the main hall, drinking the tea served by a Tang Mansion servant.
As a Second-Time Skin Smoothing Martial Artist affiliated with the Tang Family, Lin Yan naturally had the right to enter the main hall when he visited.
Hearing footsteps from the steps outside the door, Lin Yan put down his teacup, stood up, and looked at the graceful figure walking in. He cupped his fist and said, "Greetings, Miss Tang."
"The steward said you wanted to see me. Is something the matter?"
Tang Tang, dressed in a white martial arts uniform, got straight to the point after entering.
"I came to express my gratitude to you, Miss Tang."
"Gratitude?"
"Miss Tang, the Elixirs you gifted me some time ago allowed me to break through to the Third-Time of Skin Smoothing. Without the help of those Elixirs, I’m afraid my breakthrough would have been a distant dream."
Before Tang Tang could respond, the steward standing behind her gaped, his face a mask of disbelief.
If he remembered correctly, when this Young Master Lin first became affiliated with the Tang Mansion before the new year, he had only just reached Single-Time Skin Smoothing. How had he reached the Third-Time of Skin Smoothing in such a short time?
’For real?’
A strange light flashed in Tang Tang’s beautiful eyes. "You’re too kind, Young Master Lin. Your breakthrough to the Third-Time of Skin Smoothing is your own accomplishment. My few bottles of Elixirs were merely the icing on the cake."
’If a few bottles of Elixirs were all it took to reach the Third-Time of Skin Smoothing, my Tang Family could mass-produce Third-Time Skin Smoothing Martial Artists.’
She was well aware of this. Lin Yan had come to express his gratitude at the first opportunity; while the gratitude was surely genuine, she knew he must have another purpose as well.
After a moment of thought, she understood. ’He’s here to discuss his compensation.’
’The compensation for a Second-Time and Third-Time Skin Smoothing Martial Artist is vastly different.’
She smiled and said, "Since you are now a Third-Time Skin Smoothing Martial Artist, Young Master Lin, your affiliate compensation will naturally increase. According to the terms the Tang Family offers its affiliated Martial Artists, starting this month, you can receive a monthly stipend of one hundred taels of silver from my family. Additionally, you will still enjoy a 30% discount on medicinal ingredients purchased from the Tang Family Pharmacy, with the exception of the Bone Tempering Pill."
"The Bone Tempering Pill isn’t eligible for the discount?"
Lin Yan frowned. He had originally hoped to use his affiliation with the Tang Family to save a significant amount on the cost of Bone Tempering Pills.
"My apologies. The Bone Tempering Pill is not an Elixir my Tang Family can refine. We ship them in from the Prefecture City, and even we don’t have a large stock. The price we sell them at leaves very little profit; we mostly use the reputation of the Bone Tempering Pill to drive sales of other Martial Arts Elixirs. If an ordinary Third-Time Skin Smoothing Martial Artist wanted to buy them, they would have to place an order in advance."
Tang Tang explained the reasoning: there were only so many Third-Time Skin Smoothing Martial Artists in the county town. Many of them had lost the ambition to advance further in their Martial Arts and wouldn’t buy Bone Tempering Pills, so the Tang Family didn’t stock too many.
’Using the high value of the Bone Tempering Pill for bundle sales... isn’t that just a standard luxury goods tactic?’
He understood what the young miss of the Tang Family was implying. They didn’t make much profit on Bone Tempering Pills, so they didn’t stock many. For a Third-Time Skin Smoothing Martial Artist to buy one, they either needed a good relationship with the Tang Family or had to be a loyal, long-time customer. He fell into the former category.
Seeing Lin Yan in thought, Tang Tang’s face broke into a smile. "If you wish for the Bone Tempering Pill to also be discounted, Young Master Lin, you could choose to become a Tributor for my Tang Family."
"A Tributor?"
Lin Yan was surprised. He had never heard that the Tang Family was recruiting Tributors.
"Martial Artists affiliated with my Tang Family, if they meet the conditions and are willing, can become a Tributor for my family. Once you become a Tributor, you’ll receive a 30% discount on all medicinal ingredients and even get to learn my family’s Top-Grade Martial Arts."
HISS!
Lin Yan’s pupils contracted sharply. If he remembered correctly, his master had said that the Tang Mansion was the only place in the entire county town that possessed Top-Grade Martial Arts.
With Mid-grade techniques, one masters momentum; with Top Grade techniques, one masters intent.
’My Mountain-Splitting Fist has reached its limit, and the Martial Arts Fruits I’ve accumulated are now useless. If I could learn the Tang Family’s Top-grade Cultivation Method, I would be able to put those Martial Arts Fruits to use.’
’However, compensation and contribution are always balanced. For the Tang Family to offer such good terms, their requirements for a Tributor must be extremely high.’
"May I ask, Miss Tang, how does one become a Tributor for the Tang Family, and what is required of a Tributor?"
"The reason I’m telling you this, Young Master Lin, is naturally because your strength already meets the requirement. As long as you don’t have close ties with any families that are entangled with my Tang Family, you can become a Tributor."
Tang Tang’s lips curved upward. "As for what’s required, the duties of a Tributor and an affiliated Martial Artist are largely the same. The difference is that an affiliated Martial Artist can leave at any time, but a Tributor’s term is calculated by the year, and the stipend is paid annually in advance. During that year, no matter what my Tang Mansion encounters, you cannot leave without permission."
’This woman is up to something.’
’She’s blatantly tempting me.’
’The allure of a Top-grade Cultivation Method goes without saying, but the advance annual payment alone targets my greatest weakness: my lack of money.’
’The better the offer, the more cautious I have to be.’
"Please rest assured, Young Master Lin. Although a Tributor cannot leave easily, if my Tang Mansion were to truly provoke an overwhelmingly powerful enemy, my Tang Family would not stop you from leaving."
Tang Tang seemed to have guessed what Lin Yan was hesitating about and offered him another reassurance.
’It sounds too good to be true.’
’Is she a version 2.0 of that Madam Qin?’
’If that’s the case, I really have no reason to refuse.’
After a few moments of thought, Lin Yan spoke up: "I have received patronage from the Lin Mansion in the city."
"The Lin Family’s Tieji Store?"
"Yes."
Tang Tang smiled faintly. "That’s not a problem. My Tang Family and the Lin Family are in different lines of business. There are no grievances between us."
"In that case, I am honored by your high regard, Miss Tang. I am willing to serve as a Tributor for the Tang Mansion."
With the conversation having reached this point, Lin Yan felt he had no reason to refuse. Both the silver coins and the Top-grade Cultivation Method were things he desperately needed.

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