My older brother said I'm invincible.

Chapter 191 The Foreign Merchant
Wu Mansion.

Mr. Wu has been quite worried these past few days.

After Liu Shanbo left, he disappeared without a trace. He sent people to search for him, but they found nothing. Fearing that Liu Shanbo had been murdered by thieves, he sent someone to report to the authorities, but so far there has been no news.

His sons could only reassure Old Man Wu, telling him not to worry, perhaps Liu Shanbo had already obtained the horses and gone to deliver them to that nobleman, and would return in a few days.

That day, as soon as Old Man Wu got up, he summoned his sons and asked if they had any news about Liu Shanbo.

As they were talking, a servant came to report that a guest had come to visit and handed over the guest's name card.

The business card indicated the person's place of origin and name; he was a merchant from Mayi named Shi Shu.

Old Master Wu felt the name sounded familiar, so he asked his sons. His eldest son suddenly remembered something and quickly said, "Grandpa, I remember now! It's that famous Western Region merchant! He often brought fine horses to the market in Mayi. Because of his fair prices, he also sponsored many monks, and he has an excellent reputation."

Old Wu thought for a moment, then suddenly realized, "Is that the Hu merchant who cleverly captured the bandits of Mayi?"

His son nodded, "It's him!"

This foreign merchant was quite famous among merchants. His most famous achievement was capturing a group of bandits who specialized in robbing traveling merchants with minimal effort, which amazed the people of Mayi.

Because of its treacherous terrain, Mayi was home to many vicious bandits, among whom a particularly ruthless group left no survivors. These bandits were numerous, had many horses, and arrived like the wind, causing immense harm.

It is said that once, when this man was escorting horses, he encountered these bandits. He hoped to speak with the bandit leader and said to him: "If you continue to plunder merchants like this, you will either be wiped out by the government troops or the merchants will be too afraid to travel through here, and it will not last long."

Instead of robbing merchants, we would like to escort them. We are willing to pay to hire you. In this way, everything will be legal and compliant, the government will not send people to punish you, and the merchants will be at ease to pay you. You can avoid risks and have a long-term plan to make a living. In the future, you can grow stronger, take on more protection work on the roads, and become very wealthy in the area.
The leader was fooled by his words and actually believed his story. He then gave these people a lot of money and asked them to escort him to the outside of the city. He also agreed that they would escort him back.

What happened next was quite simple. When the appointed time arrived, the thieves were excitedly waiting for him outside the city. Instead of the merchant, a group of fully armed knights appeared and wiped out the ruthless band of thieves who had been robbing passing merchants for a long time.

Upon learning the other person's identity, Old Man Wu's eyes lit up. "Quickly, let this person in!"

A moment later, his eldest son, Wu Qi, brought the Western Region merchant to Old Man Wu.

This was the first time that Old Man Wu had met this legendary merchant from the Hu region.

He wasn't very old, about the same age as his eldest son. His appearance was indeed different from that of people from the Central Plains, with curly hair and blue eyes. However, no matter what he wore or what he said, he didn't look like a barbarian. He smiled and bowed to greet him.

"I am too old to go out and greet you properly. I am truly sorry for not being able to welcome you properly. Please sit down, Mr. Shi."

Old Wu chuckled and invited the other person to sit down, and then had food prepared, but he didn't ask about the other person's background.

Shi Shu sat down and exchanged a few pleasantries with Old Man Wu, mostly flattering his character and virtues.

The two chatted for a while, and then Shi Shu explained his purpose for coming.

"I was selling my goods along the way, heading to Taiyuan. Just as I entered Loufan Prefecture, I saw an excellent horse at Wushankou. I was in the business of trading horses, so I was very surprised to see this horse and had it captured."

“I think this horse is not a wild horse, but more like a Turkic horse. When I came to the city, I heard some merchants say that Old Master Wu had sent someone to inquire about a lost horse, so I brought the horse here. Old Master Wu can go and take a look. If it is indeed your lost horse, I will leave it here.”

Old Wu paused for a moment, then sighed deeply.

"It wasn't me who lost the horse, but Liu Shanbo from Mayi. Do you know him, sir?"

"Could it be Liu Kuang's son? I know him, is it his lost horse? How come it's in Loufan?"

Old Wu explained everything that had happened, and said with great concern, "Since he left, there has been no news of him. I have also reported it to the authorities, but it seems that the authorities have not found anything. I am very worried."

Upon hearing Old Man Wu's words, Shi Shu frowned. "Could something have happened? Alas, thieves in these places are becoming increasingly rampant."

He hesitated for a moment, then said, "I intend to send the horses to Mayi, but I'm going to Taiyuan this time, and I'll be heading west directly from there. I won't be returning to Mayi for a while. Why don't you ask Old Man Wu to deliver the horses to the Liu family for me? I don't need any reward money; everyone encounters difficulties sometimes."

As Shi Shu finished speaking, he prepared to rise and take his leave. Old Man Wu, however, was deeply moved, exclaiming, "Mr. Shi, you are truly virtuous!"

"Lord Shi, please don't be in such a hurry to leave. Just for your character, I can't let you suffer a loss. How about this, I'll buy fifteen of the horses you brought this time! Wu Qi, take some men to see them now."

Shi Shu was flattered and quickly thanked him.

Just as Shi Shu was about to leave, a servant rushed in in great fear.

This rude behavior angered even the kind-hearted Old Master Wu, but before he could reprimand him, the servant hurriedly said, "Master! Something terrible has happened! Lord Qu has arrived! Lord Qu has brought the Marquis of Bocheng with him! They are right outside the gate!"

"what?!"

Old Wu was so frightened that he hurriedly got up. "Marquis of Bocheng?"
His sons were also quite frightened at this moment. Such an important person suddenly came to their door, and they were more frightened than surprised.

What merit do they possess to deserve a marquis's visit?

Even though Old Man Wu was a man of great experience, he was somewhat bewildered at this moment. He looked at the children around him and said, "This, this..."

He was somewhat at a loss, so Wu Qi quickly said, "Grandpa, your friendship with Master Qu shouldn't be a bad thing. Please go out and greet him!"

Old Man Wu then gathered everyone together and marched out in a large group. Shi Shu also seemed somewhat uneasy at this moment. He grabbed Wu Qi's hand and asked, "Where should I go?"

"Why hide? Come and pay your respects with us!"

As everyone came out, Qu Qiusheng was smiling as he introduced the Wu family's situation to Li Xuanba. He stopped when he saw the Wu family members come out, and everyone naturally saw the young man standing next to him.

The young man was quite strong, probably because he was wearing a lot of clothes, which made him look rather robust. He was dressed luxuriously, with a golden mace at his waist, a military crown on his head, and his clothes embroidered with fierce beasts and birds. His face was quite handsome, and he looked harmless.

"Greetings, Marquis of Bocheng!!"

"Greetings, Marquis of Bocheng!!"

The group paid their respects together. Li Xuanba stepped forward and helped Old Man Wu and the others up. "I hope you will not take offense at my sudden arrival today."

"How dare you, how dare you!"

Qu Qiusheng then spoke, "Brother Wu, today I was showing the Marquis of Bocheng around the city, and when we passed by your residence, I mentioned you to him. Upon hearing this, the Marquis decided to meet you, so I brought him here."

"Your presence is an honor to my humble abode! Wu Qi! Bring me a broom; I wish to sweep it myself."

"No need! It's windy outside, there's no need for that."

Li Xuanba followed the crowd inside. The Wu residence was in an uproar. Upon hearing that a distinguished guest had arrived, everyone was at a loss. Fortunately, Old Master Wu's children were worldly-wise. Although they were frightened, they still began to make arrangements to properly entertain this distinguished guest.

The group returned to their previous spot. At Li Xuanba's request, Old Man Wu finally offered them seats, and the two sat down together, with Old Man Wu's seat being slightly lower.

Qu Qiusheng then introduced the Wu family members to Li Xuanba. As he spoke, his gaze fell on a Hu man.

Qu Qiusheng was stunned for a moment and looked at Old Man Wu.

Old Wu hurriedly introduced Shi Shu to Li Xuanba.

"This is a merchant from the Western Regions named Shi Shu. He has been doing business here for many years. He found Liu Shanbo's lost horse and brought it here."

Qu Qiusheng's eyes widened. "Huh?"

(End of this chapter)