Xuanqing Guard

Chapter 290: Chapter 290: Magnanimity

Zhang Lie slowly rose to his feet, his hands suddenly ablaze with a scorching red glow, and his aura surged rapidly, as if he would pounce at Ma San in just the next second.

Here we go, about to fight! freēwēbηovel.c૦m

The killing intent was real, not faked at all. Scar, who stood nearby, quickly shrank back, and outside the door, over a dozen cultivators had already surrounded Scar’s house. If a fight broke out, Ma San would definitely be forced to stay.

But unlike the tension in the air, Ma San was grinning brightly, not panicked in the slightest.

"Looks like Brother Zhang’s cultivation is fully restored. Unlike me—I struggle just to eat and drink now, and if I were to fight, probably couldn’t even use half my usual strength. But Brother Zhang, don’t rush; what I said just now is the truth. That incident really was just an accident."

"Accident? The other side clearly set up a trap just waiting for us, and both the deal location and timing were arranged by your people. And you’re telling me it was an accident? Ma San, saying this is asking to die!" Zhang Lie’s hands went into a fighting stance, his aura cresting toward its peak.

"Hold on! I’m willing to compensate Brother Zhang according to the rules of the trade! What do you say, Brother Zhang?"

If you’d said that earlier, things would’ve been easy. Why waste so many words? Zhang Lie’s aura was still there, but his killing intent had clearly eased up.

"Speak!"

"Five Great Nourishing Pills!"

"Ten!"

"Brother Zhang, six at most."

...

In the end, Ma San handed over seven Great Nourishing Pills on the spot, settling the grudge with Zhang Lie. By the rules of the trade, not only did their issues end, but Ma San was once again connected to Brother Feilong behind Zhang Lie.

With benefits in hand, business could continue. But the initiative was still firmly on Zhang Lie’s side.

"Brother Zhang, I didn’t expect your boss to be so capable. The whole black market of Jingxi has been skinned three times already—the bigger you are, the quicker you die. Yet you all seem untouched."

Zhang Lie snorted coldly and cut him off: "None of that’s your concern. Before I came, Brother Feilong said—there’s no General Spirit Stone. From this year until the middle of next year, there won’t be any sellers. If you’ve got the skills, go find it yourself. We can’t swallow this deal, anyway."

Ma San’s expression didn’t change. Zhang Lie being willing to meet him likely meant two things: he wanted compensation, and he wanted to negotiate this business. The black market was a mess; with so many people to feed, Feilong would be in trouble without income. Ma San was sure Feilong had more to say through Zhang Lie.

"What about besides General Spirit Stone? You folks must have other ways to move goods, right?"

"Only grain. And only two-year-old stock."

"How much?"

"Big carts, sixty-one carts." ƒгeewebnovёl.com

Ma San’s eyes lit up instantly. Sixty-one carts, and big ones at that—not a small amount. So what if it’s old grain? As long as it’s edible, it’s not a problem.

But Zhang Lie’s next words made Ma San frown deeply.

"Normally, pay five times the price and you can take the lot. But this time, you have to organize your own transport. We just broker the deal."

"What about the seller?"

"Seller’s already taking a risk selling; you think they’ll help with the delivery too?"

"But right now the Carriage and Horse Shop won’t even touch business like this. How am I supposed to move it myself?"

Zhang Lie shook his head, insisting, "That’s not our concern. We only broker. We can get you the goods, but it’s five times the old price, and you’re responsible for transport. Anything else, we don’t get involved."

By his earlier plan, Zhang Lie had used the "trade rules" to force seven Great Nourishing Pills out of Ma San. Loose cultivators mostly just heard about this stuff, rarely saw it in their lifetime. Yet Ma San could produce seven at once, seemingly without much effort.

At the very least, it showed that Ma San’s backers provided plenty of elixir supply.

Then, according to plan, Zhang Lie kept pressing, to see if Ma San would drop the deal or pull out another trump card.

Sure enough, Ma San hesitated for a moment, then said, "Brother Zhang, I know how capable your Brother Feilong is. If he can get this much grain at a time like this, surely he can also arrange transport channels. How about this, I’m willing to add a twenty percent commission—could you make a trip for me?"

It’s already five times the price, and you want to add another twenty percent?

Zhang Lie narrowed his eyes. He guessed if he agreed, whatever price he quoted, Ma San would accept instantly. Just how wealthy is this sickly-looking guy’s backer? Does he really have mountains of gold?

Seeing Zhang Lie shake his head but stay silent, Ma San actually started to get anxious.

"Brother Zhang, help me out!" he said, pulling a small bottle from who knows where and setting it in front of Zhang Lie. Zhang Lie had seen this bottle before—it was the kind that holds Great Nourishing Pills.

Such boldness—even Zhang Lie, a cold-faced guy, couldn’t help missing a heartbeat. Even being a member of Xuanqing Guard and with Jiang Cheng’s personal guard background, he’d only seen a Great Nourishing Pill a handful of times, let alone watching someone produce so many with barely a frown.

Too bad, can’t take it!

"You don’t have to do this. There’s no room on the goods. Brother Feilong made it clear—delivery is your responsibility, or the deal’s off. Think it over. In the next three days, you can contact... Scar, anytime." With that, Zhang Lie got up and left.

Ma San sat gloomily in his chair for a long while, then slowly hobbled off under Scar’s curious gaze.

This meeting between Zhang Lie and Ma San was reported in full—down to every detail—on the Copper Rod before Shen Hao just an hour later.

The report was submitted by Wang Jian, didn’t pass through anyone else; everything was Zhang Lie’s dictation, Wang Jian’s own writing. No embellishment, just facts.

"Heh, generous indeed. He’s handing out Great Nourishing Pills by the bottle—must have an alchemist backing him," Shen Hao said after reading the Copper Rod, then looked to hear Wang Jian’s opinion.

"Sir, I think the same as you. Truth is, I’ve never seen a Great Nourishing Pill. Even the old man back home only got one as a reward in the past. Usually, we rely on Small Nourishing Pills for cultivation. For Ma San to pull out so many Great Nourishing Pills at once, he must have a steady elixir channel behind him."

"Go on."

"In my opinion, to avoid shortages of elixirs, you’d need an alchemist and stable medicinal supplies. Barbarian Race has abundant medicinal herbs. If you follow that line, couldn’t the circle be completed?"

Wang Jian spoke briefly; with just a few words, he left much unsaid. But Shen Hao caught all the hidden threads, and it even made his eyes brighten.

"You’re saying... Evil Cultivators control this group of Pseudo-Evil, forming a circle of shared interests with Barbarian Race. The Barbarians get goods and pay with herbs, while Pseudo-Evil and Evil Cultivators get the elixir, and incidentally stir up chaos for the Dynasty?"

"That’s how I see it."

Shen Hao nodded. Wang Jian’s idea was insightful, but Shen Hao didn’t believe the ’circle’ Wang Jian described was truly closed. There was still a missing piece—the mysterious ones who first linked Evil Cultivators and Barbarian Race together. What are they after? Who are they, really?