Ah Gu frowned slightly. He felt as if someone was watching him.

Jia Liangcai whispered in Qin Ziwen’s ear. Qin Ziwen nodded, then spoke quietly with Luo Gang.

Luo Gang said to the merchant in the blue silk robe on the left, "Shopkeeper Gu, my friend here would like to have a private word with you."

Ah Gu frowned and subconsciously waved his hand. ’What is there to talk about?’

While waiting, he had already reached a private consensus with the other four merchants. They had decided to use this opportunity to drive the price down hard.

This place might be magical, but no amount of magic was going to stop them from making money!

He subconsciously glanced at Jia Liangcai, and his brow furrowed. For some reason, he sensed the air of a Great Yong official about the old man.

Ah Gu quickly picked up the wooden cup in front of him and took a sip of water.

Jia Liangcai made a welcoming gesture.

Ah Gu’s pupils contracted. That was clearly a refined gesture of courtesy from his homeland. ’How does this old man know it?’

"I’ll go see what tricks he’s up to," Ah Gu said and stood up.

Moving to the side, Ah Gu wore a displeased expression. He’d see just what this old man had to say.

"You’re one of the Rouruo Tribe, aren’t you?" Jia Liangcai’s voice was like a devil’s whisper.

Ah Gu put on a righteous expression. "You can’t just say things like that!"

"Go on, speak a little louder. It would be best if they all heard you," Jia Liangcai said, glancing at him. "I spent twenty years in Yingzhou. I can smell that gamey scent on you from a mile away."

Ah Gu’s brows knitted together, and he said nothing.

He secretly studied Jia Liangcai’s face. ’Has there really been a high-ranking official like him in Yingzhou in recent years?’

"You’ve hidden your identity to infiltrate the Great Yong, presumably to make it easier to gather supplies for the Rouruo," Jia Liangcai said softly. "We have a large batch of refined iron here, which should be something you want. If our cooperation goes well, we can continue to trade in the future. We can give you what you desire."

Qin Ziwen used Insight on the Traveler’s Tea House.

[Level 1 Traveler’s Tea House: Level 1 Business Solicitation, Level 1 Temporary Residence]

After frowning for a long time, Ah Gu said, "There are too many eyes and ears here. If we buy iron from you, we’ll never be able to keep it a secret. In recent years, people like you have been appearing all over the Great Yong. The Government Office has decreed that anyone who comes from a Home must report to them. Other goods might be fine, but iron must be sold to the Government Office. I’d have no way to get it back."

"Are your guards all your own men?" Jia Liangcai asked.

Ah Gu didn’t answer.

"As long as they’re your men, it’s simple." Jia Liangcai revealed a cold smile. "You find a way to trick all the other merchants’ guards in here. We’ll help you take care of them. Then, you can trade their goods with us. We’ll be the ones who do the killing and silence them. That way, no one will report your purchase of this iron to the Government Office."

Ah Gu’s head snapped up, his pupils contracting violently. He had thought himself a ruthless man, but he never expected the seemingly amiable old man before him to be so vicious!

"You’re threatening me," Ah Gu blustered.

Jia Liangcai said sinisterly, "You can consider it a threat. If you dare to refuse, the fact that you’re one of the Rouruo People will spread to all the merchants immediately. Do you think you’re clean? Can you withstand an investigation?"

Ah Gu lowered his head, his mind in turmoil and his eyes filled with panic.

He even suspected that after killing the others, the old man might silence him too and steal all their goods.

Ah Gu said, "Let me think about it."

"I’ll give you the time it takes to drink a cup of tea. My lord’s patience is limited." Jia Liangcai said this, then returned to stand behind Qin Ziwen.

Qin Ziwen watched Jia Liangcai’s entire performance without offering any opinion.

Jia Liangcai’s heart settled. ’What is not forbidden by law is permitted; what is not authorized by law is forbidden.’

He was willing to bear the consequences, no matter how much infamy it brought him.

Ah Gu walked over. He seemed to have made a decision, as even his posture was much more relaxed. "I’ve made up my mind. The goods we’re transporting this time are mainly cotton, cloth, and medicinal herbs. You can have them all."

"I also want your guards’ Bows."

"What Bows!" Ah Gu denied it instinctively. The moment he spoke, he saw Jia Liangcai staring at him with a smile.

His cheek twitched.

"You’re a Rouruo, doing business inside the Great Yong on such an important matter, yet you’re not using your own people? According to the customs of your Rouruo Tribe, I don’t believe for a second you haven’t hidden some Bows."

"Only two. Bows are contraband in the Great Yong. Carrying too many would expose us easily," Ah Gu said.

Jia Liangcai smiled faintly, then walked out and found Cao Biansheng chatting with his classmates in the hallway. "Cao the Brave, there’s something I need your help with."

Cao Biansheng turned to look at Jia Liangcai. He knew this old man. It seemed he’d been recruited by the President. He was usually kind and gentle—a good old man.

"What is it? Go ahead."

"I’d like to ask you to kill some people."

Cao Biansheng frowned and looked at Jia Liangcai. "Is this you talking, or the President?"

"I am relaying the order," Jia Liangcai said, then proceeded to explain the pros and cons.

After listening, Cao Biansheng’s expression was grim and uncertain. Even though they were people from the Otherworld, he still found it hard to accept killing them all without reason. He considered himself a man with principles. ’What’s the difference between this and slaughtering a group of unarmed civilians?’ He asked again, "Do we really have to kill them all?"

"We want their goods and their Bows," Jia Liangcai said simply. "This is a rare opportunity. Longbows are not easy to make. The coming-of-age ceremony for the Rouruo Tribe is to craft a Longbow suited for oneself. Their Bows are good."

Cao Biansheng closed his eyes. A moment later, he opened them. "I know what to do."

Inside the room, Zou Jianghe had also joined the haggling.

But the haggling was difficult. The merchants, confident they held the upper hand, had originally planned to sell their goods in the north. The products already had their own profit margins. Selling a portion ahead of time wasn’t out of the question, but they would naturally be the ones to set the price.

Zou Jianghe asked if the price could be a little lower.

Shopkeeper Huang said leisurely, "How can the price be changed so easily? That’s against the rules of our trade!"

Just as both sides were locked in a heated discussion, a large number of figures suddenly appeared inside the Traveler’s Tea House.

The caravan guards rushed over.

"Why are you all here?" Shopkeeper Huang sensed something was wrong.

"Ah, sir, we heard there was danger here."

The guards, speaking over each other, pieced together the story.

The several shopkeepers noticed something was amiss. "Who said that?"

"It was Shopkeeper Gu’s men."

BANG!

The door was suddenly burst open.

A large group of people swarmed in, holding Long Spears, and completely surrounded them. Looking back, they saw their escape route was already blocked.

"What do you think you’re doing!?" the other four merchants exclaimed, shocked and angry.

"Gentlemen, since you aren’t sincere about this trade, then we’ll just have to choose someone who is!" Cao Biansheng stepped forward.

Hearing this, the four merchants looked at each other in dismay and hurriedly said, "The price is negotiable! Don’t be rash!"

...

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