noffsinger Chapter 38: The Town
Chapter 38: The Town
After chatting about some trivial matters, Li Wu finally steered the conversation back to the main topic and said:
"I've heard that we seem to have clashed with the forces of Guang'an Prefecture? Brother Zhao, what exactly happened?"
Zhao Qianyuan's expression also turned serious, a few strands of worry appearing on his brows, and he said in a deep voice:
"As we transported large quantities of goods to markets in other regions for sale, coupled with their good quality, low prices, and novelty, we dealt a blow to many local forces to some extent."
"Those Foundation Establishment forces are alright, they are large and powerful, so they are not too affected. But those Qi Refining forces have seen a significant drop in revenue, so they set up an ambush on our only route, and many of our teams suffered losses."
Upon hearing this, Li Wu immediately understood, but it seemed to be inevitable.
If you go to someone else's territory to steal their business and block their path to wealth, conflict is bound to occur.
Li Wu nodded and then asked:
"What's the situation like now? Is it having a big impact?"
Zhao Qianyuan shook his head, his brows furrowing slightly:
"It's hard to say. If it's just some Qi Refining forces causing trouble, the impact won't be too great. The real concern is that they might have Foundation Establishment forces behind them."
He paused, then continued:
"However, Brother Li, rest assured, Guang'an County is weaker than us, so they certainly won't dare to break ties with us."
The reason they chose Guang'an County as their first stop for their trade was not only because of its proximity, but more importantly because the other side was weaker.
If a conflict or even a fight breaks out in the future, they will have a significant advantage.
"That's good."
Li Wu lowered his head in thought. Although the situation seemed to be under control, the strength of his Qing Shi Sect was relatively weak.
Niu Er is only at the sixth level of Qi Refining, and has not yet broken through to the late stage of Qi Refining. It seems a bit dangerous for him to travel as a merchant alone.
"I'll go with them this time. It'll be good to see what's going on there. It would be best if we could make contact with the Foundation Establishment forces there."
Li Wu has always upheld the idea of cooperation and win-win in the Qi Refining world.
If they could cooperate to earn greater profits, he was willing to temporarily give up some immediate gains.
After all, the Qi Gathering Realm is dangerous enough. If we live in constant fear here, how can we cultivate immortality?
…………
Several days passed.
Several horse-drawn carriages were parked at the foot of Qingshi Mountain.
Most alchemy factions rely on horse-drawn carriages to transport goods and people.
There's no way around it. If we were to use flying shuttles, we'd need at least three shuttles and two storage bags, including people and cargo.
This is something that most Qi-refining forces would find difficult to withstand.
However, this horse is no ordinary horse. It is called the Azure Horse and is a beast that has gained sentience. Compared with demonic beasts, it is only different in terms of realm.
"Alright, everything's packed, we can hit the road!"
After inspecting the goods in the two middle carts, Zhang Zai jogged over to Li Wu, cupped his hands in greeting, and said:
"Sect Leader, shall we set off now?"
Li Wuwei nodded slightly and said:
Let's set off.
Having said that, he summoned his flying shuttle, stepped onto it, and said:
"I'll go ahead and clear the way, you all follow behind."
Watching Li Wuyuan's departing figure, Niu Er and the others, who had been invited by He Yu to escort the caravan, had a hint of envy in their eyes and said:
"This Sect Leader Li is truly a hero. Not only did he rise from a rogue cultivator to become the head of this sect, but he is now at the late stage of Qi Refining and even owns his own flying shuttle."
Niu Er looked up, then looked away and said in a deep voice:
"Sect Leader Li is a magnanimous and generous man. We must escort him well this time, do you understand?"
"clear!"
Although they were only at the early stage of Qi Refining, they had been "mountain walkers" and fighting against monsters for more than ten years since they arrived at Pukou Market.
Their combat abilities go without saying; ordinary cultivators of the same realm are no match for them.
Therefore, they are very confident about this trip.
…………
This Qingxuan horse could travel day and night for three days without rest, and three days was just enough to reach Guang'an County.
Guang'an County borders Youyang County and has a lake.
There is a small town near the lake, where most traveling merchants will rest for the night.
Zhang Zai, on horseback, looked at Li Wu in mid-air and hurriedly reported:
"Sect Leader, our men and horses have been traveling day and night for three days and are exhausted. There is a small town by the lake ahead. Let's rest there."
Li Wuwei nodded slightly and said:
"Can."
Having said that, he flew ahead first.
A moment later, a lake came into view, where fishermen were rowing small boats to catch fish.
Not far from the lake shore, there is a small town.
The area is not large; it is estimated to have fewer than a thousand households.
Li Wufei arrived above the town, scanned the area below with his spiritual sense, and pondered:
"There are quite a few cultivators, some from merchant caravans, and some hiding in the shadows."
"Interesting, have they set up an ambush here?"
Li Wu smiled slightly. The strongest of these cultivators hiding in the shadows was only at the seventh or eighth level of Qi Refining.
For him, killing someone was nothing more than a casual act.
"I hope you behave yourselves."
Li Wu naturally didn't want to get into a conflict, but if the other party was blind to the danger, he wouldn't mind sending them off decades earlier.
Soon, Zhang Zai led his caravan to catch up. Li Wu then put away his shuttle and landed on the carriage, reminding him:
"There are rats hiding in the town, so be careful at night."
Upon hearing this, Zhang Zai and Niu Er's expressions immediately changed.
Zhang Zai unconsciously lowered his voice and said:
"Sect Leader, are the enemies strong?"
Li Wu smiled slightly, indicating that they could rest assured:
"Don't worry, none of them are a match for me. You just need to keep an eye on the goods and make sure they're not damaged."
Niu Er immediately patted his chest and guaranteed:
"Don't worry, Sect Leader Li, I, Old Niu, will protect these goods with my life!"
After giving his instructions, the carriage slowly drove into the town and headed towards a restaurant.
Zhang Zai explained:
"The manager of this [Eight Directions Restaurant] is named Liu Wenxie. He is a rogue cultivator at the sixth level of Qi Refining. He has been operating here for decades, mainly serving visiting cultivators, hence his great reputation."
The carriage slowly came to a stop outside the restaurant. Immediately, a waiter came forward, and upon seeing Zhang Zai's face, he shouted:
"Oh my, it's Master Zhang Zai! Come in, please!"
Zhang Zai alighted from the carriage and said:
"Go, prepare good wine and food, and open another small courtyard."
"Alright, gentlemen, please come in!"
Zhang Zai and Li Wuxian went in first, while Niu Er and the others followed the waiter to properly arrange the goods on the carriage.
Upon entering the restaurant, Li Wu noticed that it was quite crowded, with almost all the patrons being cultivators.
"Sect Leader, there are too many people and too many eyes down here. Let's go to the second floor," Zhang Zai said in a low voice.
He was somewhat worried about the hidden cultivators.
Li Wu waved his hand and said:
"No, we'll eat right here down here."
This place, where people drink and eat meat, has always been a hub for information; you might just hear some important news there.
So the two of them found an empty table and sat down.