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Chapter 521 Young Master Luo is short of money

"Old Zhang, you're betting!"

Zhu Zhanlei's voice suddenly rose, and he said in a sinister tone, "Don't tell me you don't know who I am!"

When living people enter the old market, they all conceal their identities.

But after a while, and with so many people coming, you eventually figure out which one to call. The city is only so big.

"You think you can hide in the old market and not come out, and I can't do anything to you?"

Old Zhang looked aggrieved: "You let me name a price..."

"Give me a real price! Have you been dead for too long? Don't you know what 300,000 taels of silver really means in the Ming Dynasty?!"

The silver of the Ming Dynasty has always been very valuable.

It was worth more two hundred years ago.

After the war with the four barbarian tribes, a large amount of silver was imported from overseas, which depreciated its value somewhat.

But three hundred thousand taels...

To put it bluntly, last year in Huangming Zhengzhou, a prefect who was dismissed for corruption spent a full ten years and only managed to embezzle 350,000 taels of silver.

After being berated by Zhu Zhanlei, Zhang Laoya chuckled dryly and said, "I can ask for whatever price you want, but you can also negotiate a lower price."

Zhu Zhanlei held up two fingers.

"Two hundred thousand taels?" Old Zhang shook his head. "If I do this job, I'll pack my bags and flee Champa overnight. This three hundred thousand taels is my resettlement allowance. Two hundred thousand is too low..."

Zhu Zhanlei: "What I meant was twenty thousand taels."

Old Zhang was so angry that his beard trembled. He personally went to remove the door panel and shouted, "Get out of here! Get out of here!"

Zhu Zhanlei seemed to be angry too: "Fine, let's go! Your shady shop will be shut down sooner or later!"

He pulled Luo Bei out and walked down a street—their posture collapsed simultaneously.

Zhu Zhanlei rubbed his hands together: "Brother Luo, what do you think we should do?"

Luo Bei nodded silently.

He understood what Zhu Zhanlei meant and tried his best to help him negotiate the price, but it seemed unlikely that he could get a significant discount.

But that's a whopping 300,000 taels!
Do you really think I'm some kind of cursed son from Zhengzhou?!
Luo Bei sighed: "Let's go back first."

He was sullen and had no desire to explore the old market anymore, so Zhu Zhanlei took him out.

All the way, Zhu Zhanlei cursed Zhang Laoya in his heart: "You are too heartless."

He asked for tens of thousands of taels of silver, and after I persuaded him, Luo Bei paid up.

Adding the 80,000 taels spent on the fans, this trip has brought in over 100,000 taels in income, which is quite good!

How could you be so greedy?

It's stuck now, isn't it?

After leaving the old market, Zhu Zhanlei, fearing that the big fish had escaped, comforted Luo Bei, saying, "Don't worry, we'll think of another way. Hmm, the shop that Old Zhang pawned is actually a pawnshop. He should be able to accept it if we use crafts or treasures as collateral."

Luo Bei thought for a moment and said, "I need to ask you for help again, my brother. This matter is very important to me."

He glanced at Zhu Zhanlei, lowered his head somewhat shyly, and said, "I, your foolish brother, will also try to contribute some money. If I am short, I hope you, my virtuous brother, can lend me a hand."

Zhu Zhanlei readily agreed.

But in his heart he was wondering, "You, Luo Bei, are not being fair. Could it be that you ended up being exactly 80,000 taels short in the end?"
The two parted ways and went home to rest.

Inside the Shanhe Si Yamen (official residence of the Mountain and River Bureau), Xu Yuan stayed up all night waiting.

Since Luo Bei's "law" can restrain life cultivation, Xu Yuan must take it seriously.

But Xu Yuan was not flustered.

Firstly, it stems from self-confidence.

Secondly, it was because during the day, I saw clearly the fates of those "destinies" in Luobei.

These fates seem quite frightening at first glance.

Their numbers are even greater than those of ordinary fifth-rate life cultivators!
Moreover, they all have very good destinies.

Those who catch Luo Bei's eye and are targeted for assassination are all exceptional.

However, the destiny he obtained through this method has some problems in its operation, and his destiny appears somewhat gloomy and declining.

Compared to those with the fate of being devoured by the soul of the White-painted Soul, it is inferior.

And most importantly, Xu Yuan discovered that his "ruling the world" was shining silently.

Suppress "disobedience" from all aspects.

These "destinies" of Luobei have all been defined as "disloyal" by "Ruling the World"!
Luo Bei's repeated mistakes in Champa, and certain details that he should have noticed, were subconsciously overlooked.

This is all due to the effect of "ruling the world".

What puzzled Xu Yuan was that, besides "ruling the world," another destiny was even brighter.

It's a crime against Heaven!

"Ruling the World" suppresses Luo Bei's destiny, but what is this "Destiny of the Destroyer of Heaven" going to do?
This person's destiny is always able to find and seize opportunities in the shadows.

But now... what opportunities are there?

Upon seeing Xu Yuan, Zhu Zhanlei immediately began to complain: "Brother-in-law, that old devil under your command..."

"Ahem!" A soft cough came from the side.

Zhu Zhanlei was startled when he saw this: "It's so late, Your Highness, you haven't rested yet?"

Princess Ruicheng's expression was not good.

It wasn't because I was sleepy, it was entirely because of Zhu Zhanlei calling me "brother-in-law".

What do you mean? Right in front of me...

Xu Yuan knew perfectly well what Zhang Lao had done.

Old Zhang's divination was Xu Yuan's "ghost soldiers".

"I instructed him to do this."

"Huh?" Zhu Zhanlei was confused. Why do that?

"You don't actually think that just because he paid 80,000 taels, he can still pay another 300,000 taels, do you?"

Zhu Zhanlei extorted 80,000 taels of silver from Luobei, a matter that was also arranged by Xu Yuan.

Zhu Zhanlei had his eye on more than one item at Yin Yang Zhai, and he originally planned to spend a few thousand taels of silver.

Xu Yuan told him to choose the most expensive one.

Xu Yuan explained: "Luo Bei wants to find out the origins of the fox sisters because he wants to track down the whereabouts of the plague insect."

Just how important were the lives of this swarm of plague insects to him?
He gave 80,000 taels of silver—that's enough to show it was indeed very important.

Will they give another 300,000 taels?
If he also gives out the 300,000 taels, then it means there might be a flaw in his method!

Zhu Zhanlei didn't understand: "What flaw?"

He really is a spoiled brat. Even after Lord Xu has said all this, he still can't understand.

Xu Yuan patiently explained: "Why doesn't he go to Ghost Witch Mountain and seize a similar evil spirit again?"
"Would you rather spend 300,000 to buy a piece of information and save the lives of this swarm of plague-infested insects?"

Zhu Zhanlei finally understood, and slapped his forehead: "If the first spell isn't finished, the second spell can't be cast!"

Xu Yuan nodded.

Once this is proven, Xu Yuan can act with complete freedom in dealing with Luo Bei.

He could no longer use the magic he cultivated through self-control, and thus became a venomous snake whose fangs had been removed.

It looks scary, but it's actually not threatening at all.

Princess Ruicheng got up, preparing to rest.

Before leaving, His Highness gave Zhu Zhanlei a few words of advice: "Be more ambitious! The Zhu family of Jiaozhi is also a prominent family, and the heir cannot be so ignorant and incompetent!"

Zhu Zhanlei touched his nose and could only listen obediently.

But there was no reflection whatsoever.

He felt that His Highness was being petty and was retaliating against him for calling him "brother-in-law" earlier.

Not only that, he was also very dissatisfied.

So what if you're a princess? My sister is just as good.

I support my sister and will compete with you!

……

Luo Bei transformed into a shadow and slipped back into the inn room through the window crack.

His face was gloomy.

Xu Yuan guessed correctly.

His "deadly method" does indeed have a small flaw.

However, even Luo Bei himself hadn't noticed this loophole before this incident.

He cannot use the "Life-Taking Technique" again until the "Life of the Plague Insects" is used!
Only Luo Bei knows this technique.

He crawled out of the pile of dead bodies in the Battle of Wubao back then, and this magic was concentrated in his body.

He used his "deadly method" to replace others time and time again.

Their status also became increasingly prestigious.

Until he became "Luobei".

Because no one knows this method, others naturally won't take any specific precautions.

Every time went very smoothly.

It wasn't until this time, when his "life of the plague insect" was taken away and its whereabouts became unknown, that he realized he was stuck!
"Three hundred thousand taels of silver..."

Luo Bei cursed under his breath; the Luo family was very rich.

However, Luo Bei was not so extravagant as to carry hundreds of thousands of taels of silver with him whenever he went out.

When asked where to get money, Luo Bei immediately thought of... Wei Jinyuan.

……

Sunrise and sunset, day and night.

Daylight broke again, the evil spirits retreated, and the living regained control of the city that was rightfully theirs.

Neither Xu Yuan nor His Highness returned to the Exorcism Bureau last night; they slept in the place arranged by Miao Yu.

Miao Yu... Lord Miao is really going all out to curry favor with the Zhu family and marry the eldest sister of the Zhu family.

The courtyard where Xu Yuan and His Highness lived was separated by another courtyard.

Zhu Zhanmei lives in this courtyard.

Zhu Zhanmei, who has always been so confident and poised, has become insecure lately.

Xu Yuan spent almost the entire day yesterday at the Shanhe Division office, but because His Highness was also there, Zhu Zhanmei didn't dare to show up...

Although there are countless young women in the world, apart from Miss Jinxi, most others would feel somewhat insecure when facing His Highness.

But Zhu Zhanmei found that without Xu Miaozhi's courage, she became somewhat timid.

Zhu Zhanmei herself couldn't understand: How did I become like this?
In the past, I was someone who did whatever I wanted, full of vigor and never worried about gains or losses.

What she didn't know was that she relied on Xu Miaozhi, and Xu Miaozhi felt the same way...

The two women were inexplicably linked together.

Neither of them had even considered carefully: if they joined forces and defeated His Highness, how would they divide the spoils?
First of all, they never even considered the possibility of defeating His Highness.

Secondly...it seems like I never even considered splitting it up...

Xu Yuan learned about Miao Yu's arrangement last night.

He certainly recognized Zhu Zhanmei's courtyard.

So early in the morning, the usually audacious Lord Xu, under the pretext of having urgent official business to attend to, slipped back to the Purification Department without waiting for His Highness...

Then His Highness left.

His Highness has discovered that Zhu Zhanmei lives next door to him.

But with Xu Yuan absent, His Highness didn't bother targeting Zhu Zhanmei.

This little weakling can't take a beating.

If I make a move, she'll probably start crying. Without Xu Yuan watching over her, it's really no fun teasing her.

His Highness chased after Xu Yuan back to the Exorcism Department—by this time, he had long forgotten the man-slaying strategies his fourth aunt had secretly taught him. His fourth aunt's methods might be good, but they didn't seem to suit him.

The first attempt ended in failure.

Your Highness now only trusts yourself.

His Highness feels that he must take the initiative, be courageous and diligent, and relentlessly pursue Xu Lang!
You say you have urgent business to attend to? Let me see just how urgent it is!
Her Highness now had a mischievous streak; just thinking about how Xu Lang would be awkward and blushing as she questioned him made her laugh.

"Your Highness!" At the main gate of the Exorcism Bureau, Old Qin and the captains hurriedly greeted His Highness with great ceremony upon seeing his return.

His Highness rushed in impatiently, somewhat disregarding his decorum.

"Lord Xu, let me see what urgent business you have that you rushed back so early in the morning before I even got out of bed..."

His Highness shouted loudly even before entering the main hall of the government office.

Her voice was clear and bright, and almost everyone in the front courtyard of the government office heard her shout.

Old Qin, in particular, was so shocked that his eyes widened immediately!
Your Highness and Your Excellency, last night—Old Qin heard nothing!
But from now on, for your safety, I must be even more careful when those two young ladies come to see you again!
Behind His Highness were Mr. Wenqi and Ge Beier.

Mr. Wenqi seemed indifferent.

Ge Bei'er, however, was so anxious she was jumping up and down. She rushed forward and whispered repeatedly, "Your Highness, Your Highness! Be careful what you say—"

His Highness then realized that his words were highly ambiguous.

Two rosy clouds rose on her jade-like face.

Then, His Highness realized: I mustn't be shy!

As long as I'm not shy, it's Xu Lang who's shy!
So His Highness boldly pushed open the door and barged in.

As it turned out, Xu Yuan really did have official business!
The old master in Luocheng sent Xiang Qinghuai to deliver a message.

Xiang Qinghuai hurried along, stayed overnight in a village outside the city, and entered the city early this morning.

"Wu Tianfang?"

Xu Yuan looked completely bewildered: "Who is he? Have I offended him?"

His Highness's eyes lit up, and he felt that he had arrived at the perfect time.

She stepped forward and said, "A member of the Wu family from Hunan Province. And one of the Dragon Guards."

Both the Wu and Murong families are long-established aristocratic families, but the Wu family's biggest business is lending money at exorbitant interest rates, so it has a bad reputation.

To salvage their reputation and win over other powerful families, the Wu family has always been the most active in matters concerning the Dragon Guard—it's Murong Zunlong's death that has alarmed the Dragon Guard.

Xu Yuan frowned: "Dragon Guards? Are they the guards under the Dragon King of the Grand Canal?"

His Highness gently shook his head: "Why would Your Majesty need these mortals as guards? This is a secret alliance of the Dragon Transformation Clan, consisting of ten people, all of whom are at least fourth-level practitioners of the Dragon Transformation Technique."

The official explanation given was that they were investigating the accidental death of a member of the Hualong family.

So when Murong Zunlong died, Wu Tianfang arrived.

Xu Yuan's eyes flickered, and he already sensed that something was wrong.

His Highness smiled and said: "This alone shows the difference between a good-for-nothing like Zhu Zhanlei and Lord Xu."

Xu Yuan understood what was going on as soon as he heard the first hint.

Zhu Zhanlei needs you to break things down and explain them to him clearly.

Absolutely stupid.

He's nowhere near as good as my young master Xu!

"Is this Dragon Guard... to prevent the Dragon Transformation Clan from expanding its army?" Xu Yuan asked.

"Hehehe," His Highness laughed, "That's exactly right."

Aside from the dragon-transforming family members that Xu Yuan killed, they would almost never have any members die unexpectedly under normal circumstances.

If he were killed, it might expose some shameful act of "blasphemy" against His Majesty.

Thus, a new family of dragon-transforming clans was born.

For the existing dragon-transforming families, the fewer the number of branches, the better.

Xiang Qinghuai glanced at Xu Yuan, then at His Highness—feeling sympathy for Zhu Zhanmei and Xu Miaozhi.

He was acquainted with both women and thought highly of them.

Unfortunately, someone forcefully intervened.

Look at the tacit understanding between His Highness and Xu Yuan now!
I finally managed to get a chance to speak after half a day: "Yesterday, Wu Tianfang arrived in Luocheng and has already begun to investigate Murong Zunlong's death in secret."

My elders asked me to tell you that this matter will definitely involve you.

Murong Zunlong came to Nanjiaozhi because he admired His Highness.

Therefore, any investigation will inevitably involve you.

His Highness pursed his lips, wondering why this matter had been brought up again.
It's as if I'm attracting attention and flirting.

That's not actually the case at all.

You all keep saying, keep saying, what if my young master Xu misunderstands? What would happen then!

Xu Yuan asked, "What level is this Wu Tianfang at?"

Xiang Qinghuai took out a portrait of Wu Tianfang and then replied, "He's also fourth-rate."

His Highness said, "If one cultivates the Dragon Transformation Technique to the third level, that would be extraordinary."

They must marry princes or princesses.

They should not be mobilized lightly.

Now, among all the dragon-transforming families, very few are even above the third rank.

Speaking of this, His Highness casually mentioned it: "It's strange, the children of the Hualong family often progress very smoothly below the fourth rank, but the third rank becomes a major hurdle."

They stopped 99% of the people.

Even those who managed to break through to the third tier were already quite old.

Then they could only stay in the family and become the matriarch, unable to marry into the royal family.

“Murong Zunlong is only a fourth-rate figure, yet Wu Tianfang still dares to come; he must have something to rely on.” Xiang Qinghuai reminded him, “Be careful.”

Xu Yuan nodded, called Yu Yunhang over, handed him Wu Tianfang's portrait, and asked him to arrange for someone to secretly keep watch near the city gate.

Upon discovering that Wu Tianfang had entered the city, they immediately came to report.

Unexpectedly, at noon, a captain came to report: "Wu Tianfang has entered the city!"

The captains were paired up and kept watch at each city gate.

After discovering Wu Tianfang, one person followed him while the other returned to report.

Xu Yuan was somewhat surprised. Wu Tianfang had defeated Luo Cheng yesterday. Normally, it would take several days to investigate in Luo Cheng, but he came directly to Zhancheng without stopping.

Xu Yuan snorted coldly: "Go and meet him!"

……

Wu Tianfang had long since noticed that he had followers.

He simply went to the Department of Purification.

He casually found a teahouse by the roadside three streets away and sat down by the window, where he could be spotted at a glance.

When Xu Yuan arrived, Wu Tianfang seemed to casually turn his head, and his eyes met Xu Yuan's.

Wu Tianfang gave a cold laugh and tossed out a few copper coins.

Xu Yuan didn't move aside and stood there waiting for him.

Wu Tianfang was extremely tall and robust, with a lion-like face and a wide mouth, and a slightly hunched back.

On the contrary, it makes people feel a sense of oppression.

"Do you know why I came directly to Champa?" Wu Tianfang grinned coldly.

Xu Yuan did not answer, but just stared at him coldly.

Wu Tianfang didn't need Xu Yuan to answer, and said to himself, "Fu Shuanghui, Fu Chongjiu, the Crown Princess, and Murong Zunlong, four members of the Hualong family have died in Nanjiaozhi."

And everyone is connected to you.

I don't care if you have someone protecting you, I don't care if there's evidence pointing to you, I just don't believe this is all a coincidence!

Wu Tianfang arrogantly pointed two fingers at his eyes, then at Xu Yuan: "I've got my eye on you!"

"Be careful!"

After Wu Tianfang finished speaking, he turned and left.

The captain responsible for keeping watch on Xu Yuan asked in a low voice, "Sir, should we continue to keep an eye on him?"

Xu Yuan shook his head: "No need."

Previously, Wu Tianfang didn't want to shake off this tail, so he lured me here to meet him.

Now, a mere captain thinks he can keep an eye on fourth-rate people?
Dreaming.

Xu Yuan also turned and walked towards the Exorcism Department, pondering some things in his mind.

Back at the yamen, Xu Yuan found Xiang Qinghuai and asked, "His Highness said the Wu family's business is lending money at exorbitant interest rates. Have they expanded their business to our area?"

Xiang Qinghuai was taken aback: "You're asking about this..."

Xiang Qinghuai recalled for a moment and nodded: "It seems there really is a Wu family money shop in Luo City."

Xu Yuan laughed, "There's a handsome young man in our city who's short on cash lately."

……

Wei Jinyuan noticed that Luo Bei had suddenly become enthusiastic towards him again today.

A sense of vigilance immediately arose.

Sure enough, by the afternoon, Luo Bei started complaining about being poor, but Wei Jinyuan didn't respond.

Half an hour later, Luo Bei promised to use a shop owned by the Luo family in Beidu as collateral to borrow 300,000 taels from Wei Jinyuan.

Wei Jinyuan knew about that shop.

Located in a prime location in the northern capital, the five-room, three-story house is more than enough to be pledged for 300,000 taels of silver.

But Wei Jinyuan spread his hands: "I've been out for a long time, and I've almost run out of money."

Luo Bei sighed helplessly.

In order to borrow money, he even treated Wei Jinyuan to a meal at a restaurant, spending dozens of taels of silver for nothing.

As Luo Bei left the restaurant, feeling frustrated, a wild goose's cry suddenly echoed through the sky.

Luo Bei's expression changed, and he suddenly looked up—sure enough, he saw a flock of wild geese flying by.

Alright, I've finally caught you!
Luo Bei was in a bad mood and needed to vent his anger, so he immediately chased after him.

The geese flew in the sky, and Luo Bei chased after them below.

After walking through several streets, a surprised shout suddenly came from the side: "Brother Luo Bei?"

Luo Bei turned around and was surprised to see that he had run into an acquaintance here.

"Brother Wu!"

We're all from Hunan Province, and we've met a few times before.

Wu Tianfang strode over, the two shook hands and shook a few times, then burst into laughter together.

"Meeting an old friend in a foreign land! Come on, let's have a few drinks, my treat."

……

The next day, Zhu Zhanlei met Luo Bei again at the Shanhe Division.

"Brother Zhan Lei, could you take me to the old market again tonight?"

Zhu Zhanlei then "kindly" advised, "That old pawnbroker Zhang is like a rock in a latrine, stinking and hard. He won't even agree to two hundred thousand taels. I think it's unnecessary..."

Luo Bei firmly replied, "Brother, just take me there."

"That's...ok."

That night, Luo Bei handed over three hundred thousand taels of silver notes to Zhang Laoya.

Old Zhang, being quite cunning, carefully examined each and every one of the cards to verify their authenticity before whispering to Luo Bei, "The two little foxes you're looking for are backed by the most mysterious Black Fox Lord of Ghost Witch Mountain!"

Throughout the entire Ghost Witch Mountain, not a single evil spirit could explain the origin of this person.

Although it is also one of the brands with the name "Ye", it is said that even Master Ruan Tian has to give it some face!
"You won't find those two little foxes in Champa; you'll have to look for them in Ghost Witch Mountain."

After saying this, Old Zhang had already put the silver note in his pocket: "Alright, this old man will take his leave now!"

He actually ran away from the old town right in front of Luo Bei and Zhu Zhanlei!
(End of this chapter)