In the beginning, he was ranked alongside An Shigeng as a spoiled brat.

Even if Zhang Xiaoshan didn't say anything, they wouldn't dare to be negligent.

"The second thing is about the Zhang family; we can try to make contact with them."

"Zhang family?"

Upon hearing this, everyone's expressions turned serious.

Recently, the young master of the Zhang family, who was studying away from home, returned, and he made a generous donation, directly donating tens of thousands of bushels of grain to the disaster area.

In less than three days, the Zhang family's good deeds spread throughout the entire Lin'an Prefecture.

The imperial court gave it the green light.

It should be noted that due to the disaster in the south, grain prices have skyrocketed, with even the grain prices around Lin'an Prefecture reaching two to three hundred wen per dou.

Compared to the usual price of 800 coins per stone, the price has increased by more than two or three times.

Meanwhile, the price of affordable grain in the disaster-stricken areas is as high as four or five hundred coins per dou, and there is very little of it available, with prices but no market. The price of grain on the local black market has been driven up to an astronomical price of one liang and two or three qian per dou, and that is not the peak.

Those unscrupulous merchants hold large amounts of stockpiled grain, hoping the price will double again.

For the Zhang family, even if it doesn't double, but increases by one qian per dou, one shi is one liang, and tens of thousands of shi would amount to tens of thousands of liang.

Besides, the price of grain changes every day these days.

In their eyes, that young master Zhang was the biggest spendthrift!

"What does Master mean?"

"Once the Zhang family's grain is transported to the disaster area, their business on the black market will inevitably be greatly affected."

However, this has little to do with us, and angering the Zhang family could cause serious trouble for Ghost Street as well; it would be a losing proposition.

Everyone lowered their heads and fell into deep thought.

They understood this perfectly well; the Zhang family's development over the past few years was not something anyone could arbitrarily suppress.

Besides, this is life-saving grain, and the government is keeping an eye on it.

In the face of natural disasters, even the government allocated 30,000 ingots (50 taels per ingot) in relief funds, and a high-ranking official of the third rank was appointed as an imperial envoy to go to the disaster area for relief.

Once they touch the disaster relief grain, the government will absolutely not ignore it.

"The Buddha's reminder to us must have a profound meaning. Please enlighten us, Buddha."

"Fighting will harm both sides, while cooperation will benefit both."

"cooperate?"

The group exchanged bewildered glances, their eyes filled with even more confusion as they looked at Zhang Xiaoshan.

These days, grain prices are not something you can just give up on. Even if you don't sell directly, the profit from reselling in between is more than double the price.

A 100% profit margin is enough to make them take the risk.

The benefits are exciting!

Such opportunities to make a fortune are rare, and they would do it even if it meant fighting the Zhang family to the death.

"Although grain is extremely profitable, it is only a temporary business."

Besides, you're just middlemen, or taking a small cut. The real big profits go to the major grain merchants, like the Anjia and Lujia families...

Once the Zhang family sets an example, the An family and the Lu family will inevitably follow suit.

Once the disaster subsides and grain prices return to normal, the grain you bought at high prices will be stuck in your hands.

If we cooperate with the Zhang family and sell their glassware and soaps to foreign lands, we can easily reap huge profits. This is a long-term business.

Upon hearing this, everyone burst forth with divine light.

You should know that glass and soap are the two golden goose hens of the Zhang family.

On the market, a bar of ordinary soap costs one tael of silver; soaps mixed with floral essential oils are worth their equivalent volume of gold but are in short supply and only available to royalty and nobility.

"But how could the Zhang family possibly cooperate with us?"

"That's something you'll have to discuss with Young Master Zhang."

As far as I know, in three months it will be the eighteenth birthday of the young master of the Zhang family. The Zhang family will definitely hold a grand banquet at that time. This is your opportunity.

The Zhang family wants fame, while we want profit. As long as the two don't conflict, there's a possibility of cooperation between us.

The black market exists like black and white; the Zhang family is not omnipotent.

"Having more friends means having more options; does the Zhang family know which to choose?"

"I'll understand later!"

The group immediately nodded, understanding that this was an opportunity.

As for how to do it? If they can't even handle this, they don't deserve to be sitting here.

Chapter Six: Three-Foot Spear Blade, Meteorite Iron, Folding Fan, Mysterious Meteorite Co

"Who?"

In the dark passageway, Zhang Xiaoshan looked at a dark place, his eyes gleaming.

This is a hidden passage in Ghost Street, known to only a handful of people. Zhang Xiaoshan never expected that someone would follow him here.

However, the man remained silent, assuming that Zhang Xiaoshan was trying to scare him.

~！

With an almost imperceptible whooshing sound, Zhang Xiaoshan shot out dozens of tiny, invisible spikes.

These are all animal hairs that have shed. They are soaked in a medicinal solution for several months to make them more flexible. Then, they are injected with powerful internal energy and feel like silver needles, making them extremely vicious.

Because once the needle is inserted into the body, it will release the poison contained within the pores as it flows through the bloodstream.

Although not fatal, it is extremely troublesome.

Of course, there were also deadly poison needles, but Zhang Xiaoshan only wanted them alive.

With a single, decisive strike, Zhang Xiaoshan arrived at the location of the shadowy figure, only to find it had vanished.

Ran?

Zhang Xiaoshan frowned as he looked at the darkness surrounding Ghost Street.

It wasn't an illusion, nor was it just his caution; someone was genuinely following him. Zhang Xiaoshan could even smell a subtle, refreshing fragrance from where he stood.

This is a woman's natural fragrance!

"interesting!"

Zhang Xiaoshan did not give chase, but turned and disappeared into the darkness.

This method of disappearing without a sound, like a Taoist earth-遁 (earth-遁 is a technique used in Taoist magic), is extremely strange.

However, this martial arts world is a complex mix of forces, including the Ming Dynasty in the north, the Tang Dynasty in the Central Plains, and even many strange and extraordinary people from other lands. Among them, Taoist escape techniques, Japanese ninjutsu, and other unique skills can all achieve this.

···

Bang!

In a base on Ghost Street, a dark figure stumbled and fell in the hall.

Beneath the black clothes and veil was an exceptionally beautiful face, deathly pale.

"messenger!"

Seeing the woman in black's condition, the manager was immediately shocked.

The woman in black was a skilled spy sent by his master to monitor the Golden-Faced Buddha, but now that she was in such a disheveled state, wouldn't her identity be exposed? If...

"Take me back to the An family. I was poisoned by the Golden-Faced Buddha's needle and need an antidote immediately."

"Yes!"

At this moment, Ji Yaohua felt difficulty breathing and weakness in her limbs.

The fact that the fine, poisonous needles inside her body were flowing along her blood vessels horrified her.

Such bizarre and insidious hidden weapons are unprecedented.

···

"Master!"

At the other end of Ghost Street, Zhang Xiaoshan did not leave immediately, but instead returned to Tianji Tower.

At this moment, the short, stocky, and burly Lei Laowu and a burly middle-aged man in black robes looked at Zhang Xiaoshan, who had regained his original appearance, with respectful expressions, heads bowed and eyebrows lowered.

As a tomb raider, Lei Laowu's previous profession was shady.

Of course, the same is true now.

But compared to the resounding title of "Grave Robber," the latter undoubtedly satisfied him more.

It even surpasses titles like "Master Thief" and "God of Thieves".

The former still couldn't shake off the reputation of being a thief; his very name screamed "thief."

Especially with Zhang Xiaoshan's support and integration, the tomb raiders under Lei Laowu's command all acquired resounding names—

The ever-growing group of tomb raiders, the bandit gang of the Unloading Ridge Warriors, and the extraordinary individuals forming the Mountain Moving Taoists have raised the banner of tomb raiding in the underworld, rather than the lowly creatures like the Rolling Rat and the Drilling Dragon from before.

"Lei Wu, Uncle Gui, I just encountered the An family's surveillance in the secret passage. You two should be more careful in the future."

The An family has many extraordinary individuals, proficient in Japanese invisibility techniques and spiritual disguise techniques, making them extremely difficult to guard against.

"settle down?"

Upon hearing this, the two men immediately became serious. They knew that the An family's power was in no way inferior to that of the Zhang family.

Moreover, compared to the Zhang family, the An family's background is not clean either.

"The An family is on par with the Zhang family, and they harbor wolfish ambitions; they are likely to be the young master's greatest enemy."

“The An family has grand ambitions and will not do anything without certainty, so now is not the time for the two families to fight each other.”

Zhang Xiaoshan was well aware of the An family's strength. Even though the Zhang family now had the head of the Shaolin Arhat Hall and four of the eighteen Arhats in charge, he still dared not be careless.

The two sides are currently evenly matched on the surface, and the final battle will be between him and An Yunshan.

"Let's go in and talk."

Zhang Xiaoshan led Lei Laowu and Ghost King into the dark place, which was the core of the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion—the treasure chamber.

This is also the most heavily guarded place on the surface of Ghost Street, full of traps and lurking dangers.

Without three people to guide you, entering this place will surely result in certain death.

Upon entering the secret chamber, one finds mountains of treasures, a dazzling array of items.

A set of bronze chimes no less than those of Marquis Yi of Zeng; a bronze sword still sharp and capable of cutting through iron like mud; a jade burial suit made of pure mutton fat jade... large bronze tripods, fine jade and gold artifacts, countless in number.

These are all from the collection of Tianji Tower, and are also divine artifacts that Lei Laowu excavated from all over the Divine Land.

Because the item is too conspicuous, it becomes difficult to handle.

However, Zhang Xiaoshan looked at the treasure box on the side, which contained a spearhead that was nearly four feet long.

The three-foot-long, dark-colored spear blade, with its faintly visible sharpness, is truly a peerless divine weapon.

It weighs at least 30 or 40 pounds when you hold it in your hand.

This is the tip of a spear; there's no such thing as a sword moving with agility.

However, holding the blade end, it looks like a heavy iron sword, and with its unparalleled sharpness, it would surely kill anyone who gets in its way.

"Young master, this is an iron fan made from the leftover materials. It has a silkworm silk surface and can be used for self-defense."

The black iron folding fan, about a foot and a half long, was extremely heavy.

The fan surface is a landscape painting of a thousand miles of rivers and mountains, painted by a top artist, and woven from silkworm silk, with a clear distinction between black and white.

"Not bad!"

Having cultivated the Golden Cauldron Iron Shirt technique, Zhang Xiaoshan also possessed the power of a hegemon.

At this moment, picking up the iron fan was not only extremely convenient, but also perfectly suited to his image.

He is the young master of the Zhang family, and it's impossible for him to carry swords with him normally.