Huang Donglai’s face was filled with excitement as he began his pitch:
“Brother Ke, you should take a look at this! This is Biling Baicao Ku, a fantastic pest and weed control agent for growing heavenly materials and earth treasures. Not only is it highly effective, but it’s also super cheap!”
“And the downside? Well, the smell—it’s so strong you can smell it from a mile away.”
He produced a porcelain bottle, popped the cork, and instantly a pungent odor wafted into the air.
“Huang brother, I’m not running a farming operation in the South Border,” Ke Mo said, somewhat puzzled as to why Huang Donglai would recommend this to him.
Why would he take a bottle of herbicide outside? It wasn’t even useful…
“You don’t know, Brother Ke,” Huang Donglai said, glancing around and lowering his voice. “I have a secret formula that, when combined with the fruits of the Wisteria vine, can neutralize the pungent smell of the herbicide, turning it into a colorless and odorless poison!”
“Now that’s impressive!”
Ke Mo analyzed the properties of both substances carefully. Based on his cooking and alchemy experience, it really could work.
“Who’s this master from which temple?” Huang Donglai didn’t forget about Murong Xiao.
“Murong Xiao is a disciple from the same sect as Brother Ke.”
Murong Xiao’s expression turned serious. “You misunderstand, brother. Besides being completely bald, having to chant Buddhist scriptures, and eating vegetarian, what else is there that makes me like a monk?”
He did all this to suppress the bloodline power inside him.
Ke Mo: “…”
Is there something else to compare?
At this moment, Murong Xiao glanced around the hall, and his eyes shone brightly.
He spotted an old monk.
So, Murong Xiao walked to the side of the old monk and said, “Look, the differences are quite evident!”
“What temple do you masters represent? Want to try some wooden fish from our Hengtong Commerce? I’m also a disciple, so I can give you both a discount.”
“I’ll knock you on the head!” Murong Xiao trembled with frustration.
“Amitabha,” the old monk quietly chanted.
“Master, nice to see you again!” Ke Mo raised an eyebrow.
The old monk was Heng Yuan, and Ke Mo didn’t even know when he had arrived, but it seemed like he had been waiting there for them.
He had the feeling it was the latter.
Ke Mo asked, “Here in the South Border, do you have any insights, Master?”
“…”
Heng Yuan had mastered the silent Zen and could only speak the Buddhist scriptures and mantras.
So he started using gestures to communicate.
Ke Mo was a bit lost.
But Murong Xiao blurted out, “But good things… Never ask about the future?”
“?”
Ke Mo looked at him in surprise; hadn’t seen Murong Xiao learn sign language.
How did he understand the old monk’s meaning?
“Amitabha.” Heng Yuan’s chant still lingered in the air.
But when he lifted his head again, it was unknown where he had gone.
Ke Mo couldn’t quite grasp the intentions of this powerful Zen master from the foreign realm, but his Heavenly Fate Eye didn’t suggest any malice.
So, it seemed there was no need to worry too much.
The important matters were at hand.
“Brother Ke, I have many effective recommendations for some rare items; would you like to take another look? Or, can you tell me what you do in the South Border?” Huang Donglai, unyielding, took out a small notebook.
Inside was a record of many nifty tricks involving rare items and poison ratios.
“Actually, I’m looking to find people in the South Border,” Ke Mo said, glancing at the small notebook with a twitch of his lips.
On the cover, it boldly read “Martial Arts Preservation Rule,” and the very first line recorded was:
“Beware of the hammer!”
What’s this nonsense?
Huang Donglai pondered, considering, “Then I understand what you need most.”
“What is it?” Li Mo asked.
Huang Donglai pointed to himself: “It’s me.”
Li Mo: “?”
“The terrain and conditions of the South Border are complex; not only do we have the Da Yu stationed military in the southern region, but we also have the Monster Clan and the Huanmo Sect lurking behind the scenes.”
“The border military management is lax, the Huanmo Sect is scheming, and don’t get me started on the Monster Clan—it’s a tangled web of intrigue. This requires someone who understands the situation in the South Border quite well. I happen to be from there.”
Upon hearing Huang Donglai’s words, Li Mo fell into deep thought.
He had heard rumors about the chaos in the South Border.
It was a region the Da Yu Dynasty had yet to fully control.
Cough…
Actually, given Huang Donglai’s stable personality, one could tell he came from a not-so-peaceful background.
He and Murong Xiao had charged in like flies.
He had no idea how long it would take them to reach the Ming Jiao Clan’s territory.
Li Mo nodded, “I plan to head to the Ming Jiao Clan’s territory first; Huang brother, you still haven’t saved enough to buy your medicinal materials, have you?”
“Those medicinal materials are pricey… Brother Li, you should focus on buying what you need first, the Ming Jiao Clan’s territory is quite far away.”
Huang Donglai was a bit conflicted.
Besides poisons and unusual tricks, he didn’t know what else to recommend to Brother Li.
This also had its own issues, and thinking about that had its complexities too.
He had never fought such a rich battle before; in the past, he only bought what he absolutely needed.
“Huang brother, have you done the math?”
“What math?”
Li Mo smiled slightly. “I will clear out the stock of the commerce, and there should be a surplus.”
Huang Donglai: “…”
What kind of normal person does that kind of math?
But upon thinking about it, as long as he didn’t buy martial arts or weapons…
There really was enough.
Thus, the largest single-day sales record in the history of Hengtong Commerce appeared.
When Sun Gui learned the news, he was shocked.
He was just about to inquire about the name of this sales champion when…
He received the other party’s resignation letter.
The sales champion Huang had transformed into Little Li’s exclusive guide to the South Border.
A low-key carriage smoothly rolled out of Yunzhou city.
At first glance, this carriage looked plain, but it was actually made from extremely sturdy materials, and it had various emergency measures in place.
There was even a highly detailed map.
Huang Donglai stood in front of the map and pointed excitedly, “Brother Li, here is the habitat of the Ming Jiao Clan, located in the Black Water Marsh.”
He meticulously planned the route: “After we exit the South Pass from the Silent Sea Forest, our first stop will be here!”
Li Mo leaned over to take a look.
On the map, it boldly read: “Treasure Bottle Town.”
………
Thousands of miles away.
From above, the small town appeared surrounded by mountains on three sides, as though it were trapped inside a jar.
On the green mountains, lush rice terraces flourished.
With the sun blazing and three suns scorching the earth, the distorted figures of farmers working the fields sweat profusely, dressed in styles very different from those in the territory controlled by Da Yu.
As they toiled, the villagers exchanged casual banter.
“Hey, the harvest isn’t looking good this year.”
“With part supplied to the military, I don’t know if we’ll survive this year’s rations.”
“But if we don’t support our defenses, what happens when the Monster Clan comes to eat people?”
“Yeah… our village seems peaceful, but didn’t you hear? In a village 800 miles away, they couldn’t deliver rations, the military was pulled out, and the entire village was eaten by Disaster Beasts.”
“By the way, that girl who passed through the village looks extraordinary…”
…..
As the crowd discussed, they couldn’t help but look towards a nearby cool pavilion.
There sat a girl, clear as a cold moon, gazing into the distance.
Her delicate hand reached into a large-headed doll and pulled out a mooncake.
The design on the mooncake was surprisingly identical to that of the large-headed doll.
…..
P.S.: One more chapter coming, stay tuned!
Friendly reminder: If you enjoy this book, please remember to add it to your shelf so you don’t lose track of it next time!
