This is what an immortal should be like

Chapter 178: Landing Point

Shao Jiling was a pure scholar. He might have some political skills, but he had long been accustomed to a life of ease. At this age, he had long since neglected the six arts of a gentleman. At this moment, he felt flustered and confused, and even couldn't help but recall his past in Xiangyang.

Having personally experienced some terrible things, Shao Jiling was now unable to remain calm.

Xiangyang was once captured and fell into the hands of foreign enemies. How many years has it been since we have been at peace? Are we going to repeat the same mistake?

Yang Tianlei frowned as he looked at the administrative official of Xiangyang, who seemed so at a loss upon hearing the military situation.

Although Yin Kuangzhi was equally astonished, he knew the urgency of the military situation and quickly reminded the prefect beside him when he saw him like this.

"Prefect! Prefect!"

Yin Kuangzhi called out a couple of times to Shao Jiling, then suddenly grabbed his wrist, which startled the latter, who instinctively looked at Yin Kuangzhi.

"What to do? What to do about Xiangyang?"

Yin Kuangzhi frowned and thought for a moment before speaking.

"Xiangyang is still far from the enemy army. The most urgent task is to immediately prepare military affairs, notify the officers of all camps in Xiangyang to come here, inspect the granaries to collect food and fodder, prepare weapons, send out fast scouts to advance a hundred miles along the roads of Xiangyang to investigate the military situation in case of any unforeseen circumstances, and at the same time contact all places in Jingzhou and Xiangyang to make preparations. Then send someone to immediately notify the imperial court."

"Yes, yes, that's it! That's it!"

Although Yin Kuangzhi had only been in Xiangyang for a short time, he was definitely a promising young man in Shao Jiling's eyes, which made Shao Jiling feel more at ease.

The Xiangyang government offices quickly began to operate, arranging their work in an orderly manner. Military intelligence was immediately sent out of Xiangyang, spreading to various parts of Jingzhou and Xiangyang, with some even being sent by fast horses straight to the capital, Jiankang.

Almost at noon that day, some changes in Xiangyang City were already quite noticeable.

Ordinary people may not have noticed yet, but some people with a keen sense of smell, especially some members of the aristocratic class, have also noticed that something might be wrong.

Not only did Xiangyang City send out a large number of troops, but Yin Kuangzhi also sent people to some large grain shops to get information, mainly to find out what grains and supplies could be quickly mobilized in the city.

At the same time, investigations were also launched into situations such as the movement of laborers and carriages, clearly in preparation for what was to come.
-
In a private room of a restaurant in Xiangyang, Zhuang Lin and his group had not yet left, and in just half a day, the changes in the city's fortunes had become obvious.

Apart from a few students who weren't skilled enough, at least Liu Hongyu could sense that something was amiss; a faint sense of impending doom emanated from the location of the Xiangyang Prefectural Governor's residence.

However, at that moment, there was a knock on the door of the private room.

"Knock knock knock, esteemed guests, the owner of our restaurant has arrived!"

The owner of this restaurant wasn't originally here; it was Liu Hongyu who specifically requested to see Zhuang Lin and the others when they arrived today.

Upon hearing this, Zhuang Lin nodded to Liu Hongyu, who then opened the door and went out.

Before long, Liu Hongyu met the owner of "Tianyun Restaurant" in the back hall on the first floor. He looked like a middle-aged man with a mustache.

With just one glance, Liu Hongyu understood that this person was just a subordinate, not the real owner of the restaurant, but at least he was there on behalf of the owner.

Upon seeing Liu Hongyu, the man noticed his handsome and youthful appearance and felt a slight stirring in his heart. Clearly, this man was from a prominent family, so he immediately greeted him warmly.

"This must be Young Master Liu. He is indeed young and promising. Although this restaurant cannot compare with the most famous place in the city, it is still well-known. It is not easy to run it to this point, and I will not sell it easily!"

Without further ado, Liu Hongyu produced a wisp of light from his sleeve, revealing a covered wooden basket in his previously empty hand.

Then Liu Hongyu carried the wooden basket to the front and placed it on the table in the room.

"Give me a straight answer: are you selling or not? If you sell, these belong to your boss!"

Yes, Liu Hongyu wanted to buy the restaurant outright, and the price he offered was one that no one could refuse.

What an arrogant tone! You think you can just buy it because you say so? And that's all you've got?
The middle-aged man frowned slightly, muttering to himself, but he was even more convinced that Liu Hongyu was from a wealthy family. He didn't respond immediately, but looked at the waiter who had brought Liu Hongyu. The waiter stepped forward and opened the wooden box, which was about the size of a food box, at the table.

When the lid was opened, a faint golden light seemed to be reflected on the waiter's face, making him gasp in surprise.

"hiss"

The middle-aged man on the side also felt a pang in his heart and couldn't help but take a few steps forward to look into the food box.

Inside the box, neatly arranged were gold bars about the thickness of a thumb. The surface of the gold bars was extremely smooth, and their golden color was without a single impurity.

Silver is already extremely valuable, and gold is far more so. High-purity gold and silver have always been priceless and unavailable. This one in front of me—the gold surface is practically a mirror!
"This is."

"There are thirty gold bars in this wooden box, weighing a total of 1,150 taels. We'll buy your boss's restaurant. If we sell, we'll sign the contract and have it notarized at the yamen. If we don't sell, I won't come back."

Liu Hongyu simply looked at the middle-aged man and said this.

This gold weighs approximately eighteen kilograms, and this amount of over a thousand taels is calculated based on the current value of over two hundred grams per jin (a unit of weight in China).

"One thousand one hundred and fifty taels of gold?"

The middle-aged man considered himself to be a man of some worldly experience, and he had certainly seen plenty of gold, but he had never seen gold like the one before him.

"May I have it checked?"

"Please!"

Liu Hongyu remained calm. This amount of gold was nothing to him, since he had just taken it directly from home, and only some marks had been removed.

The middle-aged man carefully took a gold bar. The small bar felt heavy, as if it weighed at least thirty taels. This weight made him realize that it was real gold.

Looking at the gold, which was as smooth as a mirror, the middle-aged man reluctantly opened his mouth and bit it. Upon closer inspection, he saw that the gold surface was marked with clear teeth marks.

"Hehehe, 1,150 taels of gold, which, according to market prices, is equivalent to about 100,000 coins. The price is fair, but not particularly outstanding. This is Xiangyang, not some small place. Why would I sell it?"

"Humph!"

Liu Hongyu snorted coldly; it was all too easy to guess what the other party was thinking.

And this kind of gold is worth tens of thousands of dollars? That's ridiculous! If I gave you tens of thousands of dollars, would you go and buy some of these gold bars?

"Fine, if you won't sell, then forget it. You're not the only one in town!"

After Liu Hongyu finished speaking, he reached out and closed the lid of the wooden box, picked it up and left without any hesitation.

Don't say there's more than one restaurant; it's not like he absolutely needs a restaurant. He just needs a relatively suitable property to serve as a place for his disciples to stay.

Seeing Liu Hongyu leave immediately, the middle-aged man panicked.

"Oh, Young Master Liu, please wait! I'll sell, I'll sell, I'll sell, won't you do it, Young Master Liu?"

The middle-aged man chased after the restaurant, ignoring the surprised looks from the customers, waiters, and manager in the lobby. Before he came, the owner said that he would sell the half-dead restaurant for 100,000 coins. With gold of this quality, he could easily exchange it for 200,000 or even 300,000 coins!

Although Zhuang Lin and the others were on the third floor, they could hear most of the noises coming from downstairs.

"It seems the problem with the restaurant is largely resolved, and having people from the valley stationed permanently in Xiangyang provides a place for them to stay."

As he spoke, Zhuang Lin looked at the students who had come with him; one or two of them would also stay in Xiangyang.

"However, it seems that Xiangyang is about to be involved in war again. Is that alright?"

Xi Miao looked out onto the street. Only half a day had passed, and officials were already posting notices throughout the city, carrying buckets of paste and notices.
-
At this moment, on a street in Xiangyang, several government officials went to a notice wall, applied paste to the wall, and then posted the notice on it.

People quickly gathered around, and with the explanation from the officials and the interpretation from literate people, the people nearby understood what the authorities meant.

On the street corner opposite the notice wall, Shen Qingyou also limped over to the notice wall, listening to the crowd's discussions and looking at the words on the notice.

In recent days, with the help of Master Mo Ke, Shen Qingyou has made great progress in his literacy. He was already literate, but only in the simplified characters of later generations, so he has made rapid progress in learning characters and can now understand the notices.

The above content is very simple: conscript young men into the army!

The crowd was discussing, while Shen Qingyou frowned in thought, casting aside his former impetuousness and making his mind, which was not dull to begin with, clear.

Is war about to break out?
After understanding the notice, people around were whispering among themselves. Many were worried, thinking they might be forcibly conscripted, while others had already secretly left to avoid trouble.

Shen Qingyou subconsciously glanced at her right leg, which was still bound with a wooden clamp, feeling both relieved and inexplicably frustrated.

(End of this chapter)