Xuanqing Guard

Chapter 291: Chapter 291: Trustworthy

Three days later, Ma San still went to Scar’s place at the very last moment, saying he was willing to accept the deal Zhang Lie had proposed earlier, and asked when it could start. fгeewebnovёl.com

Scar had originally thought the whole thing was about to fall through, but hadn’t expected that Ma San would actually accept such harsh terms. He secretly admired Master Zhang—he really had completely seen through this Ma fellow!

Scar then passed the news up to his own handler, who then reported to his own handler, and in the end, the news reached Flying Dragon.

This process seemed troublesome, everything getting relayed back and forth, not convenient at all, but actually, it was all intentional on Flying Dragon’s part. The more layers in between, the safer it was for those higher up the chain.

That afternoon, Scar returned with the message for Ma San: Wait for further instructions.

After all, for such a large batch of grain, even if it was old stock, getting it out wasn’t easy—especially in these tense times when everyone was on edge. Extreme caution was necessary. So Ma San wasn’t surprised at all by the word "wait."

In fact, Ma San was waiting for news as well.

Back in Xiaochuan, many had died in that encirclement. Ma San had barely escaped with his life by using a Blood Escape Talisman with severe side effects. Although he suffered brutal punishment internally after, he was so well-known that with the national Dynasty black market tightening, they didn’t dare replace him. So, he got a chance to redeem himself, dragging his still-unhealed body out to run errands.

Ma San had once deeply suspected Flying Dragon’s line, because they’d been using the Bai River-to-Xiaochuan route for years without incident, so why did something go wrong now? He suspected someone on his side leaked information and also wondered if Flying Dragon had sold him out.

But as Zhang Lie had said, the time and place of the deal back then were communicated last minute, and the final spot hadn’t been told to anyone else—he’d just led Zhang Lie over directly—yet the Xuanqing Guard still lay in ambush early. From that, Flying Dragon’s side didn’t seem very suspicious after all.

With no certainty, Ma San didn’t go to Flying Dragon directly, but poked around in Guangshun City first.

It wasn’t that he couldn’t find goods elsewhere, but for shipping into Barbarian Territory, the best route was through Jingxi; organizing supply from elsewhere was much more hassle.

But after arriving in Guangshun City, Ma San found out that in just two months, not only had Flying Dragon taken over Guangshun City’s black market, but also the black market in neighboring Lianfeng City.

Why had the whole Jingxi black market been skinned three times over, but only Flying Dragon came out unscathed—hell, he was doing even better than before?

Ma San lay low for a long time, uncertain, before finally seeking out Scar to ask for goods—really trying to probe Flying Dragon’s true intentions. This was gambling with his life; the moment he showed himself, if Flying Dragon wanted to sell him out, he was as good as dead. He couldn’t risk the side effects of another Blood Escape Talisman.

But Ma San won that bet. Flying Dragon didn’t sell him out, and the one who came to him was Zhang Lie, someone he’d crossed paths with before.

This put Ma San’s mind at ease. After paying the price of a few Great Nourishing Pills, he managed to secure the goods smoothly. Although it wasn’t the first-choice General Spirit Stone, sixty-one wagonloads of grain would do for his report.

But Zhang Lie refused to take responsibility for transportation, which gave Ma San a huge headache.

Whether by land or water, for such massive grain shipments, a perfect logistics channel was needed, and such a conspicuous target would be easily spotted en route. Plus, Jingxi was so tense that no carriage and horse shop would dare accept such business.

Left with no options, Ma San had dragged things out for three more days, only finding Scar at the last minute to agree to Zhang Lie’s proposed deal. In truth, those three days were spent on a lot of things.

He reported the grain deal’s details and difficulties up the chain and then waited for a response from his superiors.

Just before dawn today, Ma San got an answer from above: Approve the deal, but stay alert for further orders and be ready to withdraw at any time.

Meaning, Ma San should keep the goods steady; they’d continue verifying Flying Dragon’s reliability. After all, with Flying Dragon still able to get such quantities of grain, it was suspicious—another possibility was that Flying Dragon himself was being lured out.

It fit that Flying Dragon’s side wanted them to wait—probably preparing the goods. Ma San wasn’t in a rush; he waited, too.

November 28th.

After a full day of waiting, Ma San finally got news from his partner: It’s trustworthy.

Supposedly, yesterday, the official granary in Five Rams City caught fire. The warehouse structure was damaged, raising fears of grain spoilage, so half the old grain was cleared out at once, and the vacated space refitted for new stock. The old grain was then sold at a reasonable price to a local private grain merchant in Five Rams City.

Old grain was usually never used as staple food for sale. The Jingjiu Dynasty might not be flush with grain, but there hadn’t been a famine in decades; old grain typically went for brewing or animal feed. So, this grain merchant buying such a large batch triggered no trouble—the procedures were all proper, paperwork in order.

And according to Ma San’s contact, the quantity was exactly sixty-one large carts—should be the very shipment Flying Dragon had promised.

A slick maneuver to get the grain out, seamlessly done, looking entirely like a regular transaction prompted by an accident. So, it didn’t seem like anyone was deliberately trying to bait Flying Dragon. Ma San could finally wait for Flying Dragon’s delivery notice with confidence.

That same night, when Scar came to Ma San, he didn’t know if he was imagining it, but Ma San seemed far more relaxed than before, almost carefree.

"Master Ma, word from above—your goods are ready. Delivery is set for mid-3 a.m. the day after tomorrow, fifty li east of Five Rams City, inside Red Leaf Forest, in Fengri City’s jurisdiction. Also, you need to pay seventy percent upfront right now." fгeewёbnoѵel.cσm

"Seventy percent? Wasn’t it always thirty before? Why so much more this time?"

Scar rubbed his hands together and grinned, "I couldn’t say myself, that’s what the higher-ups set. You see..."

Ma San still felt a bit upset by this—like he was being bled dry. Back in the golden days of the black market, when did middlemen ever get to act so high and mighty? You could swap one out and still get the goods. But now... Flying Dragon had Jingxi all to himself!

He had no choice but to hand over seventy percent in advance in exchange for a crude receipt. When delivery came, he’d have to show it to the men escorting the goods.

Scar counted the silver notes with a smile, then excused himself with a bow. He needed to hand the money up quickly. What excited him was that this score would count as his at month’s end—a hefty commission. With it, his family would live in comfort at least until next summer.

Actually, ever since quitting gambling, Scar’s family life had been getting better overall. He was even considering, once he’d saved up a bit more, whether he should get out and start a small, legit business of his own. Staying in the mud of the underworld forever wasn’t a long-term solution, after all.