A leisurely life in the world of cultivation

Chapter 80 Grass Valley

North of Qingzhou City, mountains gradually rise, but they are not very high.

Once you leave the mountains, the land to the north is almost entirely flat.

The ground was covered in snow, so much so that even the tracks made by the carts and mules of passing caravans could not expose the soil.

"drive!"

Li Weizhou, feeling a bit excited, rode the horse and whipped it into action.

He hadn't ridden a horse many times before, but with his martial arts skills at the level of the Middle Three Passes, his lifting strength exceeded three thousand catties, making it easy for him to subdue a horse.

Qingzhou City is more than 200 li away from the horse market in the north. If one does not care about the horse's strength and can change horses along the way, it will take about an hour to get there.

However, on snowy mountain roads like this, you have to take good care of the horses and control their speed. It would be good if you could get there in two hours.

We need to rest along the way. People may not need to rest, but horses do.

"Xu~~"

After running for twenty miles in one go, everyone dismounted and found a place to rest. Those who followed them were responsible for feeding the horses beans to help them recover their strength.

Li Weizhou looked around and saw nothing but a vast expanse of white, with hardly any birds in sight. On the trade route, he could see some carriages and mule carts in the distance, but he didn't know which caravan they belonged to.

He asked Li Changning beside him earnestly, "Fourth Brother, martial artists have amazing physical strength, much stronger than horses. Why don't you run by yourself? Running in one go would be much faster than a horse."

"..."

Upon hearing this, Li Changning glanced at his cousin, slowly exhaled, and sighed again…

A snowball suddenly came flying at him. Li Changning turned his head and glared at it, only to hear Li Weizhou remind him, "Speak properly. Who are you looking down on with all that sighing and lamenting?"

Li Changning retorted angrily, "Can't I joke with you?"

The two noble ladies beside them were pleasantly surprised. Not to mention Zhao Yuanzhi, even Zhang Wanyi whispered to Li Weizhou, "This is the first time I've seen A Ning joke with someone."

Li Weizhou clicked his tongue and scoffed, "Truly remarkable."

Li Changning calmed down, hesitated for a moment, and then looked at his cousin and asked, "Third brother, do you... still hold a grudge against me?" He spoke with difficulty.

The two women stopped laughing, their expressions instantly turning solemn as they both looked at Li Weizhou.

In fact, if they put themselves in Li Weizhou's shoes, they would also find it difficult to let go.

Li Weizhou smiled and said, "It's not that serious. I generally don't think about the past, and even if I do, it has nothing to do with you. I occasionally give you a few words of advice just to tell you not to be so arrogant. People who are too arrogant will inevitably fall down."

Your uncles and the others don't want to scold you, and the princess and Miss Zhang are even more reluctant, so I'm just giving you a few more words of advice. What, you don't want to listen?"

He was extremely worried, but if Li Xiaosi, the powerful figure in the Li family's officialdom, fell, then Li Weizhou would have to start a real life of hardship, and all his social connections would have to be built from scratch.

Although I'm busy now, I'm busy pursuing my own goals.

I can be busy, or I can be not busy.

If Li Xiaosi falls from grace, then all he'll be busy with is surviving, and he'll have no choice but to keep busy.

Zhao Yuanzhi was moved and said, "Third Brother, you are so good to Aning."

Li Weizhou chuckled and said, "If only he were as sensible as you, Yuanzhi, he might be cursing me in his heart."

Li Changning lowered his eyes and said, "No, it won't happen." He added, "The internal energy contained in the acupoints is limited. Long journeys deplete this energy. If we encounter a powerful enemy who can ambush us, we'll lose the first round. In a battle between experts, losing one step means losing the whole game, so no one dares to gamble."

Furthermore, to quickly restore one's strength, one needs a Qi-Nourishing Pill. Those are far more expensive than horses…”

Li Weizhou understood, nodded, took out four milk candies wrapped in oil paper from his sleeve, gave one to each person, and said, "Use these to make up for it. They're not expensive."

Although Zhao Yuanzhi and Zhang Wanyi came from noble families and had never lacked milk or sugar since childhood, and their families always had desserts, they had never tasted concentrated milk candy before. They took it and looked at it, not understanding its meaning.

It wasn't until Li Weizhou peeled one open and popped it into his mouth that he realized it was actually edible.

Li Weizhou was quite sensible; he kept his distance and let the three of them share the sweetness.

Damn it!
……

The caravan behind them stopped far away, clearly waiting for Li Weizhou and his group to leave before proceeding.

It's understandable. Even without getting a close look, just looking at the sheer size of Li Weizhou's group, most people wouldn't dare to mess with them.

Needless to say, they had several fine horses, and even set aside several horses to carry their luggage. This was a sight that ordinary people couldn't possibly have.
It's important to understand that those packhorses were clearly not slow horses, because slow horses can't keep up with good horses.

Li Weizhou glanced at him from afar but didn't pay any attention. He walked up to a burly man who was tending to the horses and greeted him, "Brother Zhang, you've worked hard. The princess told me that Brother Zhang is an old man of the royal palace, has participated in the horse market several times, and is also very skilled in martial arts. I admire you greatly."

The man surnamed Zhang was rather taciturn, and upon hearing this, he simply said, "You flatter me, sir."

Li Weizhou was quite straightforward. He rummaged through the large bundle on his packhorse and pulled out a jar of wine and a stack of rough porcelain bowls. He then called out to those around him, "Brothers, come and have some strong liquor to warm yourselves up."

Without waiting for a response, he poured a row of wine bottles and placed them on the ground, boasting, "My restaurant is called Drunken Immortal's Pavilion. As the name suggests, even immortals would get drunk here. If any of you gentlemen have a low alcohol tolerance, please take a small sip and don't try to overindulge. If you can't handle it, you don't have to drink."

That's true... In this day and age, men don't have many games to play. Their entertainment activities, besides whoring, gambling, and drinking, are limited to drinking.

Saying a man can't hold his liquor is no different from pointing a finger at him and saying his penis is weak.

Especially the one who really can't handle it, they can't stand being provoked...

Sure enough, one of the hesitant people strode forward, grabbed a bowl, and gulped down a mouthful. He intended to make a threat after finishing the bowl, but as soon as he swallowed the first sip, his whole body turned red, and his face visibly contorted...

Li Weizhou chuckled, picked up a bowl, tilted his head back, and drank it all in one gulp. Although his face looked somewhat ferocious, it was alright.

It's alright, the drinks were spilled in the secret room of that villa, so we can use it as disinfectant...

He wiped his mouth, proudly showed the bottom of his bowl, compared it with the first person who drank, and even smacked his lips rather rudely.

The other four were probably good drinkers, and they all stepped forward to serve bowls, but after the first sip, their expressions changed.

Li Weizhou chuckled inwardly. The 95-degree vodka burned upon entering his mouth, a fiery and stimulating sensation that would delight even a god...

Each of their stern, dark faces suddenly became more lively, contorted in various ways.

Li Weizhou calmly downed another cup, drawing even more attention and finally enlivening the atmosphere...

"Third Young Master, don't really think that the horse market is just us buying and selling with the Donghu Tartars. No! Let me tell you, there's a lot more to it than meets the eye!"

The Zhang brother that Li Weizhou had been looking for was as silent as gold, but the others were not. The guard who drank first, surnamed Qiao, was now a chatterbox thanks to the vodka. He patted his chest and said, "For a single transaction, two royal mansions and the Imperial Execution Bureau have to be mobilized? Two royal mansions and two Martial Saints who have broken through to the eighth level. Is such a large force just for doing business? Do you know why the Donghu haven't invaded our borders for decades? It's because the eight royal mansions and the eight sects have been taking turns suppressing them."

Li Weizhou blinked and asked, "What kind of suppression method is this? A battle between martial saints?"

The guard surnamed Qiao scratched his head and said, "I don't know about that... but the younger generation will definitely have to fight. Not only will they have to fight against the little Tartars of the Donghu Shaman Temple, but they'll also have to compete in magic among the Eight Kings and Eight Clans, and among the various royal tents of the Donghu. It'll be exciting!!"

Others who had been there echoed this sentiment, confirming that it was indeed a series of entertaining events.

Li Weizhou asked, "Then... is it dangerous?"

Old Qiao took another sip of strong liquor, grimaced slightly, and then said with great satisfaction, "Martial arts competitions are dangerous; swords have no eyes. Staying home to look after the kids isn't dangerous. Especially the fights with the Tartars, almost every match results in bloodshed. But it's not a big problem. Not to mention our own Imperial Punishment Division, Yuanjian Mountain, Leiyin Temple, Jinghong Valley, Shangqing Palace... Oh dear, Shangqing Palace probably won't be able to hold out this year. The Demonic Sect's attacks are too fierce, and the casualties are too terrible. This year, the princess and the other division commanders are under a lot of pressure."

A guard surnamed Jiang chuckled and said, "The princesses are highly skilled in martial arts, so there shouldn't be any major problems. Young Master Li's master will also be coming this time, so he naturally won't let anything happen to the young master, so there shouldn't be any issues. It's just that Grass Valley is going to be quite lively this year. If Shangqing Palace is absent, they'll be giving away a huge piece of the pie this year..."

Li Weizhou asked curiously, "What is Grass Valley?"

"Hehe, let's go to the place where the Donghu Tartars are raiding! Of course, they also come here."

Guard Qiao lowered his voice and said, "Behind the surveillance, the Tartars secretly exchanged ginseng for the Immortal Herb, and sometimes for gold and silver... It was a transaction conducted in the dark!"

"Qiao Hui!!"

Old Zhang, who had been silent until now, suddenly lost his drunkenness and muttered a rebuke in a low voice.

However, Qiao Hui was the first to drink, and also the one with the lowest alcohol tolerance. He was really a bit tipsy at this point, and wouldn't listen to anything anyone said. He even twisted his neck and said, "Third Young Master isn't an outsider, so what's wrong with saying this? Which of the Eight Princes and Eight Clans doesn't do this? Do you really think they're all respectable people who have come from afar just to serve the court? We also want to exchange the ginseng for some and sell it for a high price..."

Before he could finish speaking, someone next to him covered his mouth.

Before the awkward atmosphere could spread, Li Weizhou clicked his tongue and scolded, "Aren't you being too polite? You all know who I am... the owner of Baibaolou, a legitimate businessman! Besides, it's not like we didn't get the ginseng back, so we're not at fault."

Ok? !

The roughnecks stared wide-eyed. How could someone say something so shameless?
The man surnamed Zhang, presumably the leader of the group, asked in a low voice, "What do you mean?"

Li Weizhou laughed and said, "If the imperial court bans the trade in ginseng and immortal grass, then doing so would be aiding the enemy. But the imperial court itself is trading extensively with the Donghu royal court, and it still accounts for the vast majority of the trade, right? If you trade with the various royal tents, then it can't be called aiding the enemy; it's just fueling the possibility of internal strife on the other side."

Although the hope is slim, what if one of the Hu chieftains gains power because of this and overthrows the Eastern Hu royal court? That would be a great achievement! Otherwise, do you really think the higher-ups are unaware of these dealings? They probably turn a blind eye; too much clarity leaves no room for trouble. Of course, as long as it doesn't come to light, it's fine.”

"Hey!"

Old Qiao's usually unassuming face lit up with a newfound radiance as he gave a thumbs-up and said, "If the young master were to meet you, Third Master, he would surely be delighted! And speaking of which, several royal camps in the Donghu region have indeed grown stronger over the years... Third Young Master, would you also like to get involved?"

Li Weizhou laughed and said, "I don't have much capital, so I can't do anything big. It's good enough if I can come along and broaden my horizons."

"Hehe, no problem!"

The guards put down their bowls and prepared to set off again.

When Li Weizhou returned to Li Changning and the other two, he saw that all three of them were looking at him strangely.

Li Weizhou asked, puzzled, "What's wrong?"

Zhao Yuanzhi said admiringly, "Zhang Duanzheng is a personal guard of the Prince's mansion. He is very strong, but apart from my grandfather and father, he doesn't usually talk to my brothers and me. Actually, these people are very arrogant. I guess only my eldest brother is a little better... Third brother, you are really good. You can get along with them."

Li Weizhou chuckled upon hearing this. He was a genuine social phobia back on Earth, and many of his social skills were crude and learned on the spot. He never expected that he could become a social expert here.
However, Grass Valley... this time, his trip might not have been in vain.

……

PS: Yesterday, the average daily subscriptions reached 7,000, which completely exceeded my expectations. Thank you everyone, I will continue to work hard.

(End of this chapter)