My Aloof Lord Ex-Husband Begs for Remarriage
Chapter 268 - 269 Cooperation

Chapter 268: Chapter 269 Cooperation

Chu Yi couldn’t glean any information from Xingshan Temple, which didn’t particularly bother Chu Nanli.

The most important thing at present was to amass strength as quickly as possible.

Only then, when her stomach could no longer be concealed, would she have the ability to protect herself.

So, after resting for a day, Chu Nanli, accompanied by her people, went to search for Zhuang Lin.

"Shopkeeper Zhuang, have you found the people and the place I asked for?"

Chu Nanli’s requests were not to be taken lightly by Zhuang Lin.

Well before Chu Nanli came to him, he had already prepared according to her instructions.

He was just looking for an opportunity to seek out Chu Nanli.

"Miss Chu has come at just the right time. The people and place are all arranged. If it’s convenient for you, shall we go and take a look today?"

"Good."

Chu Nanli nodded.

She followed Zhuang Lin to the gate of an unoccupied residence in the west of the city.

From the outside, the courtyard appeared dilapidated, with the red walls patchy and faded; it seemed untouched by residents for a long time.

"This property was originally occupied by a merchant family, but they had a bad reputation and managed to drive away their neighbors, so when their business went bankrupt, they were eager to sell. I took the opportunity to secure the neighboring courtyards as well."

Because it was in the west of the city, the three properties didn’t cost much silver.

"You mentioned before about opening a martial arts school?"

Zhuang Lin had been curious about Chu Nanli’s proposal for a long time.

He really wanted to see how Chu Nanli intended to set up this martial arts school.

"Yes," said Chu Nanli. "This place is indeed suitable."

"As long as Miss Chu is satisfied. As for the people you need, given the urgency, I was worried that outsiders wouldn’t be loyal enough, so I transferred a few bodyguards from the Xuanbao Pavilion, all skilled in martial arts."

The Auction Pavilion’s bodyguards often dealt with troublemakers.

They were much better than those outside who only knew flashy, ineffective moves.

"Thank you."

Chu Nanli hadn’t expected Zhuang Lin to go to such lengths to help her.

She had thought she would have to search for the right people herself, but Zhuang Lin had already set up the foundations for her plans.

Zhuang Lin waved his hands dismissively. He had done so much only to curry favor with Chu Nanli.

He hasn’t had the chance to inform a certain someone yet.

Had that person known, they might have already offered assistance to set up the martial arts school.

"However, Miss Chu, just these few people won’t be enough for a martial arts school."

"Of course, I’m aware of that. I will need Shopkeeper Zhuang to buy some slaves later on. I’d prefer strong limbed boys, no older than ten," Chu Nanli replied, already having a plan in mind.

She intended to use the method she learned in the army for training child soldiers and develop a group of skilled individuals.

These people could serve as bodyguards and, in their spare time, they could take on private work such as escorting deliveries.

However, the physical condition of common people in this backward era certainly couldn’t compare with those in the year 2090 that she had once lived in.

The military’s method for training soldiers couldn’t be applied directly, either.

But who was Chu Nanli?

She had already devised a modified training program when she decided to open a martial arts school, and she had written it down on paper.

"This is the training method I have drafted. With this method, while not everyone may become a master, being able to fight ten at a time will definitely not be a problem."

If it were not for the lack of resources right now, Chu Nanli could have formulated a potion to unlock human potential.

She almost succeeded in creating it in the year 2090.

She still remembered the unfortunate individual who drank her incomplete potion. Indeed, his strength greatly increased, but his intelligence significantly decreased in turn.

He became a big, silly fool who could only babble away.

In the end, it took her half a month to help restore his intelligence.

Zhuang Lin, who had been present, had his eyes glued to the stack of training diagrams as soon as Chu Nanli took them out.

His thoughts were completely different from Chu Nanli’s.

If this training method could indeed enhance a person’s physical condition as Chu Nanli claimed,

what if it was used to train an army?

Soldiers who could each take on ten foes, wouldn’t they be invincible?

Of course, he still retained some sanity and did not disclose this cunning thought.

"Ahem, Miss Chu, this material, could I perhaps take a look?" After Zhou Lin spoke, his face quickly turned red with embarrassment.

He knew that his request was somewhat improper.

But who could blame him when the thing Chu Nanli brought out was so tempting?

Chu Nanli looked at Zhuang Lin with a smile that was not quite a smile: "Mr. Zhuang, surely you understand the principle of ’business is business’?"

She admitted that she had intentionally brought out the item in front of Zhuang Lin.

She had deliberately said so much, just to catch Zhuang Lin’s attention.

Now, hadn’t the fish taken the bait?

"To let you see this item is not impossible, but don’t you wish to own a share in this martial arts school?" Chu Nanli shook the item in her hand at him, all being communicated without words.

"If Miss Chu had been born a few years earlier, there wouldn’t have been a place for Zhuang to make a name for himself in the capital."

Zhuang Lin opened his folding fan, his expression seemingly calm, while his mind was ceaselessly pondering.

Joining Chu Nanli in operating a martial arts school was indeed all benefit and no harm for him.

But to agree so readily, wouldn’t it seem like he was lacking in dignity?

"Mr. Zhuang is unwilling? Then I..."

"Willing! Who said I wasn’t willing?"

The moment Zhuang Lin heard Chu Nanli’s words, he became anxious.

He hastened to say, "Cooperating with Miss Chu is, of course, my wish. In that case, consider this mansion and the servants as my investment capital, and additionally, I’ll put in another one thousand taels of silver."

"For the split, let’s go with forty-sixty."

In truth, Zhuang Lin had already planned to offer the mansion as a moving-in gift to Chu Nanli.

Now, being able to use it as the capital for cooperation, he didn’t feel it was a loss.

"That’s acceptable, but for the day-to-day management, I will have Chu Yi assist you Mr. Zhuang. After all, my energy is limited and there might be times when I cannot oversee everything," Chu Nanli agreed with a slight nod, confident that she would still make a profit.

On the surface, Zhuang Lin was providing both the silver and the location in this partnership.

Yet, he only ended up with a forty percent share of the profits.

It indeed seemed like a bit of a disadvantage.

But Zhuang Lin knew well that the training method Chu Nanli had brought out was what truly held value.

He could easily start a martial arts school, but if the trained recruits were all of poor quality, how could he recoup his investment?

Though he hadn’t seen the material in Chu Nanli’s hands, he knew that, given Chu Nanli’s abilities, whatever she produced would be excellent.

Selecting Zhuang Lin as a partner for the martial arts school was also a deliberate choice by Chu Nanli.

She had known Zhuang Lin for quite some time and was well aware of his character.

He would certainly not cheat her.

Moreover, having operated Xuanbao Pavilion for many years, Zhuang Lin naturally had his connections in the capital.

Whether it was to help attract potential customers or to run the martial arts school, he was a good choice.

Indeed, it was a win-win strategy.

"I will have to trouble Mr. Zhuang in the future. Although I have moved out now, there are many matters I still find inconvenient. Thus, for the operational direction of the martial arts school, please put in more effort, Mr. Zhuang."