Martial Arrogance Dragon Soul-Chapter 256 - 245 Border Pass Merchants

Qin Qing and Qin Ye bid farewell and planned to leave the Qin Residence directly.

But just as they stepped out of Qin Ye’s courtyard, they found someone standing nearby.

It was none other than Qin Zhen!

"Qin Zhen!"

A surge of anger rose in Qin Qing’s heart.

Back when he was forced to leave the Qin Residence, Qin Zhen was instrumental in it.

However, although Qin Qing felt anger inside, his expression seemed unchanged.

He took a careful look at Qin Zhen.

Qin Zhen now appeared much older than last year, his hair, which was once all black, had turned salt and pepper, and without care, it was greasy and disordered.

His eyes were full of bloodshot streaks, looking extremely tired. Moreover, in his gaze, Qin Qing saw a glint of hatred.

Probably, ever since he learned of his son’s death, Qin Zhen had been living under the shadow of this hatred.

"He must be thinking about killing me every moment, but he simply has no way to start!"

Qin Qing coldly watched Qin Zhen, with Qin Qing’s current strength, Qin Zhen had no means to lay a finger on him, exhausting all his connections and resources, he still couldn’t seek vengeance against Qin Qing.

At that moment, Qin Zhen’s gaze also fell on Qin Qing.

Seeing that Qin Qing was dressed like someone from the Northern Borderlands, he snorted coldly and glared at Qin Qing.

"Who are you? What are you doing in the Qin Residence?" Qin Zhen asked angrily.

Before Qin Qing could speak, Qin Ye had already followed up from behind, "Elder brother, he is a friend from the north. He’s here to visit me and catch up on old times. There’s nothing else."

"Your friend?" A look of dissatisfaction surfaced on Qin Zhen’s face, "Fourth brother, don’t just bring anyone into the Qin Residence. The Qin Residence isn’t a common marketplace. If you want to catch up, go outside!"

Qin Zhen’s stance was one of lecturing.

However, Qin Ye couldn’t be bothered to argue with him, merely responding repeatedly, "Alright, elder brother. I will be careful from now on!"

...

After leaving the Qin Residence, Qin Qing didn’t choose to leave Tianjue immediately.

He went to a Silk Store.

Although Tianjue City wasn’t as bustling and lively as Luochuan Imperial City, it was actually quite a large city.

Tianjue City was the connector between the Northern Pass and the capital, serving as a transit point.

The Northern Borderlands required tea, silk, and even a lot of rice and grains, all of which had to be purchased in Tianjue City.

Therefore, there was always a group of people traveling to and fro between Tianjue and the Northern Borderlands, buying goods in places like Tianjue and then returning to the Northern Borderlands to resell at high prices, making a profit from the difference.

"Friend from the Northern Pass, what kind of silk do you need? We have three grades of silk here, the top grade silk is ten silver notes per bolt. The second grade is six silver notes per bolt. The lowest priced is the third grade at three silver notes per bolt."

The owner of the Silk Store was a short man with slightly curly hair that was graying, his small eyes revealed the shrewdness typical of a businessman.

"The samples are not bad!" Qin Qing examined the top, second, and third grade silk, his fingers gliding over the smooth fabric, which felt very fine and was made from natural silk.

For the nomadic tribes of the Northern Borderlands, such silk was a complete luxury.

The Northern Borderlands did not rear silkworms, and even if they did, they lacked the art of weaving.

The identity Qin Qing was disguising himself as was that of a silk merchant from the Northern Borderlands.

"Of course!" the owner of the Silk Store said with a grin, revealing a mouthful of yellow teeth, "My friend from the Northern Pass, our Fengxiang Silk Store’s goods in Tianjue City claim to be second to none, and no one dares to claim first! The goods you take from here to the Northern Pass will definitely fetch a good price!"

"I want to see the stock. If the goods aren’t as promised, that won’t do!" Qin Qing spoke in a deliberately rough voice.

Having grown up in Tianjue City, Qin Qing had seen his share of men from the Northern Borderlands.

Therefore, he was very familiar with their accent and mimicked it perfectly.

"Rest assured! Our goods are absolutely identical to the samples, with no errors whatsoever!" the shopkeeper said, patting his chest, "How much do you want, sir? I’ll have my men pull all the goods from the warehouse for you to inspect at your leisure. You may check any item."

"I want fifty bolts of top grade silk, one hundred bolts of second grade, and two hundred bolts of third grade!" Qin Qing declared.

When the owner of the Silk Store heard the quantity Qin Qing wanted, his attitude changed once again.

This was a big customer!

"Come, my Northern Pass friend, let’s sit inside. We can have tea and chat while I get my men to bring you the goods!" The shopkeeper was very enthusiastic as he ushered Qin Qing into the inner room, and quickly brewed some premium tea.

But...

These so-called premium teas were just that among the ordinary folks.

For martial artists, a better choice of tea would naturally be Spiritual Tea.

Growing in a place nourished by Spiritual Energy year-round, the tea itself contains an extremely high concentration of Spiritual Energy. The brewed tea not only tastes sweet but is also abundant in Spiritual Energy, making one feel refreshed and clear-headed.

However, Spiritual Tea is very expensive, and for common people, it is a luxury that is desirable but unattainable.

The worlds of martial artists and ordinary people are like heaven and earth—a vast disparity exists between them.

Take silk fabric, for example. For most ordinary people, it represents high-end luxury. A common family that can afford to outfit themselves in silk just once a year is already considered very wealthy.

But for martial artists, especially martial masters, the value of silk fabric is no different from that of coarse linen and cloth.

Because it’s much easier for martial masters to earn money. They can enter Tianjue Forest to hunt the lowest level of Ferocious Beasts, and the materials they obtain can be sold for hundreds of silver.

Not long after, six or seven strapping young men from the Silk Store brought over all the goods Qin Qing had ordered.

"Fifty bolts of first-grade silk, priced at five hundred silver. One hundred bolts of second-grade silk, priced at six hundred silver, and two hundred bolts of third-grade silk, priced at six hundred silver. A total of one thousand two hundred silver," said the shopkeeper with a smile, "My friend, if you take this batch to the Northern Pass, you can at least triple the price. With this trip, you’ll earn at least two thousand silver!"

"Haha, shopkeeper, you jest!" Qin Qing set down his teacup and glanced at the shopkeeper: "The business we do is like licking blood off the blade’s edge. Along the way, we’ll have to pay off many along the road... Besides, we never know if we will encounter any accidents. If we can arrive safely, indeed, there might be some profit to feed the family. But if there is any mishap, not only would this trip be in vain, but the principal might also be lost."

"Everything will go smoothly," the shopkeeper laughed, "Come, my friend, let’s go check the goods."

Qin Qing followed the shopkeeper outside the store.

This Phoenix Prosperity Silk Store was actually a sizeable silk warehouse, and indeed the largest silk trading company in Tianjue City.

Qin Qing went outside the store, which had a small courtyard.

By this time, all the silk Qin Qing had ordered had been moved over, forming three small hills.

Qin Qing meticulously inspected the silk. Since he was disguised as a silk trader, he would leave no stone unturned.

"No problem!" After checking and ensuring everything was in order, Qin Qing continued: "Shopkeeper, I’ve taken such a large amount of silk at once, you should offer me some discount. One thousand two hundred silver, you should take off two hundred silver!"

"That won’t do!" the shopkeeper chuckled and shook his head repeatedly: "I won’t even earn two hundred silver in total. Look, I’ll give you a reduction of eighty silver; that’s the biggest discount I can offer."

"Well... okay then," Qin Qing feigned great difficulty in making the decision.

After that, he stealthily took out a silver note from the Spirit Ring.

He paid for all the silk and then bought three decent horses.

However, horses like the Flame Horse with the bloodline of Ferocious Beasts were definitely out of the question.

The value of such a horse would exceed the cost of the goods.

It was impossible for an ordinary trader to use such an expensive horse to transport goods.

Three horses, with seven fully packed cases of goods.

Fortunately, these horses were all robust, and even without ferocious beast bloodlines, each had the strength to carry several hundred pounds.

All the silk that Qin Qing had purchased totaled two hundred and fifty bolts, weighing less than two thousand pounds.

Spread among the three horses, each would be carrying about seven hundred pounds.

"My friend, surely you don’t plan to go to the Northern Pass on your own, do you?" Seeing that Qin Qing had finished loading the goods and seemed to be ready to leave alone, the shopkeeper could not help but ask.

Qin Qing froze slightly.

"My friend, I see you probably aren’t new to the trade with the Northern Borderlands, right? From here to the Northern Pass, there are many bandits and desert robbers along the way. It’s more reliable to find an escort agency to travel with," said the shopkeeper, smiling amicably at Qin Qing.

"Hmm. I was just about to go out and find an escort agency. However, if you, Shopkeeper Huang, have a trustworthy escort agency, you might as well recommend one to me!" Qin Qing said.

"Hehe, as it happens, I do know a reliable escort agency. An old friend of mine founded it, and just today, their agency is about to set off for the Northern Pass. If you join them, I can get you the lowest price," the shopkeeper said.

"Then I’ll have to trouble you for that, shopkeeper," responded Qin Qing.

It wasn’t long before Shopkeeper Huang brought over an escort.

This escort seemed to be about forty years old.

What surprised Qin Qing was that he actually knew this escort.

In the past, when the Qin Residence needed to send a shipment to the nearby Mengcheng, they hired this very escort.

That time, the Qin Residence was badly cheated by him.

Qin Yi was kept in the dark at first, thinking they had been robbed.

It was later revealed that it was a collusion between the entire escort agency and bandits, who had extorted a large sum from the Qin Residence.

With a track record of shady dealings, this escort’s reputation in Tianjue City stank, and almost no local families hired him anymore.

Thus, he could only make a living by cheating unsuspecting traders from outside the city.

"This Shopkeeper Huang from Phoenix Prosperity Silk Store is also a local of Tianjue City; he couldn’t possibly be unaware of this escort’s reputation. Yet he referred this escort to me, and with great assurance claimed he was trustworthy. Does he see me as a fat sheep ready for slaughter?" Qin Qing couldn’t help sneering inwardly, but outwardly, his expression remained unchanged: "Escort Zheng, your price is quite fair. Since that’s the case, I shall rely on Escort Zheng for this trip!"

Escort Zheng smiled and bowed, but a cold sneer flashed momentarily in his eyes.