Longzang

Chapter 162 Business (Bonus Chapter 16)

In fact, it hasn't been long since Wei Yuan first arrived in the Western Regions, but after experiencing so many things, it feels like a long time has passed.

Wei Yuan tilted his head slightly, glanced at the shopkeeper, and said, "I've found some good jobs and made quite a bit of money!"

As he spoke, Wei Yuan took out a piece of immortal silver, revealing a small section of it. This piece of immortal silver looked to be at least ten taels, and the shopkeeper's smile immediately appeared. He was even more certain in his heart: this guy is still a poor wretch after all.

Although the sword cultivator was poor, he was also thin-skinned. Therefore, the shopkeeper wouldn't let Wei Yuan see his true thoughts, and said with a fawning smile, "Then what about our matter..."

"Of course, we'll continue! However, I've returned this time on the orders of a certain lord, who wants to do business with you!"

"Please speak, Immortal!"

"That lord wants all the information about the Xu family in the surrounding area, especially information about the caravans."

The shopkeeper was taken aback and hurriedly said, "The rule in our business is that we must never get involved in the affairs of powerful families! This is absolutely forbidden, or you'll lose your head!"

Wei Yuan sneered, "If you don't take this job, you'll lose your head!"

The shopkeeper smiled bitterly: "Immortal, please don't joke. Even if I had the greatest courage, I wouldn't dare to interfere in the affairs of aristocratic families! We can only bully ordinary people. If we really encounter someone with a powerful background, whether it's an aristocratic family, a celestial sect, a bandit, or the government, they could crush us at will."

"There are government offices here?"

The shopkeeper pointed upwards: "Isn't the Xu family the government? The government in name only is gone, but the Xu family is still here."

Wei Yuan sneered, then took out another item and waved it in front of the shopkeeper, saying, "So you do remember the Xu family! Take a look at this."

The shopkeeper, with his sharp eyes, quickly spotted what was in front of him and was immediately taken aback. He hurriedly led Wei Yuan to the backyard, found a secluded courtyard, carefully closed the gate, and then asked, "Immortal, are you now working for the Xu family?"

Wei Yuan's eyes widened: "Otherwise what? Is that token fake?"

The shopkeeper asked cautiously, "Then what is the purpose of your gathering this intelligence, sir?"

Wei Yuan rolled his eyes at him and said coldly, "Knowing so much, what do you want to do?"

The innkeeper smiled obsequiously, "I have some connections and acquaintances, and some brothers in the wilderness who are waiting for food and drink. We do all sorts of things on a regular basis. But with all this war and chaos, I've heard there have been several major battles on the border, and the Wu tribe here is secretly capturing people. My brothers are barely surviving. Since you, Immortal, are acting on the orders of the Xu family and investigating their intelligence, do you need any followers?"

Wei Yuan's heart skipped a beat, and he said coldly, "How many of you are there? I don't want to be a burden!"

Upon hearing this, the shopkeeper immediately patted his chest and said, "More than a dozen of them, all with years of experience in the Dao, and their skills are excellent!"

Wei Yuan pondered for a while before reluctantly saying, "Send ten of your best fighters over. Our first deal is to rob the Xu family's caravan."

The shopkeeper continued, "The Xu family has many caravans; which one should we rob?"

Wei Yuan slammed his hand on the table: "Of course, it's the fattest one!"

The shopkeeper was startled: "Could it be..."

"It's the one that sends tribute to the interior!" Wei Yuan didn't hide anything.

The shopkeeper was unsettled, feeling a mix of fear and anticipation. He asked, "If I may ask, since that gentleman is also a member of the Xu family, why did he do this?"

"Some people are old and useless, yet they always cling to their positions and refuse to leave. Do you understand?"

The innkeeper understood and even guessed the identity of the important person. His impression of Wei Yuan improved slightly; he thought the man was shrewd despite his rough exterior and might be capable of accomplishing something. Wei Yuan stayed at the inn for half a day, then the innkeeper quietly entered the courtyard and handed him a piece of paper detailing the Xu family's merchant caravan's travel plans for the next few days. Seeing this information, Wei Yuan knew that the innkeeper likely had many spies within the Xu family's mansions.

Wei Yuan received the intelligence, placed ten taels of silver on the table, and said, "Have your brothers stand by. I'll go back and report now. Oh, by the way, have any new storybooks been released? Bring me a few; a friend of mine wants to read them."

The shopkeeper immediately picked up all the storybooks from the book box and whispered, "These are all new works, and two of them are quite original!"

Wei Yuan calmly put the storybook into his pocket.

After Wei Yuan left, the shopkeeper slowly walked out of the courtyard. A waiter emerged from the shadows beside him and said, "Shopkeeper, is this some kind of scam?"

The shopkeeper stroked his fine beard and squinted, saying, "Whether it's a scam or not, we're going to do this job anyway. Let them be the first to test the Xu family's mettle."

Within the realm, Xu Jingfeng stepped out of the bathtub, circulating his Dao power to dry himself off. This was the first time in days that he had been able to use his Dao power, and the first time he had ever cleaned himself.

He let out a comfortable breath, waved his hand in the air, and a round mirror formed from Dao power appeared before him. Although the person in the mirror looked haggard, he had vaguely regained some of the former elegance of the Jade-Faced Immortal Sword.

Xu Jingfeng picked up the brand-new robe and put it on, but the friction of the clothes caused a stinging pain in his groin and body, making him frown.

At that moment, the door opened, and Wei Yuan walked in.

Xu Jingfeng, who had just regained his elegant gentlemanly appearance, instantly sprang to the corner of the room and shrank back.

Wei Yuan smiled, placed a letter on the table, and said, "I originally wanted a thousand, but your father was only willing to offer five hundred, so we settled on seven hundred."

Xu Jingfeng slowly stood up and said, "Father is afraid that giving too much might cause further complications."

Wei Yuan said, "You're not entirely stupid. Oh, there's one more thing. I thought we'd be attacked on the way back, but we weren't. It seems you have no other choice."

"Did someone originally not want me to go back?" Xu Jingfeng asked tentatively.

"If that's the case, it's actually a good thing for you. It's about time, let's go."

A moment later, Xu Jingfeng and a group of cultivators flew out of the boundary and arrived at a desolate hill five hundred miles away. A group of people were already waiting there, and the exchange of money and people occurred without any commotion.

Even as Xu Jingfeng walked into the Xu family mansion in Quliu Town, he still felt like he was in a dream, unable to believe that he had really returned.

Upon returning home, Xu Zhiyuan immediately summoned Xu Jingfeng and inquired in detail about his experiences over the past period. However, Xu Jingfeng could not say anything, as he had been imprisoned since the first day.

Xu Zhiyuan examined his injuries again and his expression changed when he saw that the injuries were concentrated on his lower body. Fortunately, he saw that the injuries had not caused any serious damage and that he could still have children, so his expression improved. He then instructed Xu Jingfeng to have Master Mu Shang take another look to see if the other party had left any hidden injuries on him.

After giving his instructions, Xu Zhiyuan told him to go and rest.

Xu Jingfeng returned to his courtyard, where everything seemed the same as before, with his two beloved maids whispering to each other in the room.

I'm finally back...

Returning to his old haunts, Xu Jingfeng reverted to his old ways, excitedly barging into the house and embracing the two women. His hand immediately slipped inside, and he was immediately struck by their fullness, laughing, "How come you've gotten bigger while I've been away these past few days?"

The two maids exclaimed in surprise. When they turned around and saw that it was Xu Jingfeng, their bodies stiffened and their expressions were not very natural.

Xu Jingfeng immediately sensed something was wrong and slowed down his movements. The two women quickly put on fawning smiles, but Xu Jingfeng looked at them, his gaze sweeping across the room, and his expression grew increasingly gloomy.

(End of this chapter)