Exploding God

Chapter 1114 The Population Elimination Plan?

The middle-aged boss looked at Lu Ze with a seemingly casual expression.

Lu Ze remained expressionless and smiled in response, "They did move out. Is the boss someone acquainted with the Mu family?"

"My nephew is working over there, but I haven't been in touch with him lately. My younger brother is recuperating at home, and he usually calls me once a week. I'm always worried when he doesn't call, and I can't get through to him. So, as his uncle, I've been asking around." The middle-aged boss rubbed his hands together and smiled, looking quite embarrassed.

"It's just moving, don't worry, uncle."

Lu Ze comforted her, then casually moved his left wrist a little.

A glint of light flashed deep in the middle-aged boss's eyes. His smile widened, and he nodded, saying, "Now I'm relieved. Thank you."

"It's nothing, you're welcome."

The middle-aged owner suddenly seemed to remember something and quickly said, "Oh, right, young man, please wait a moment. I'll give you two 20% off cards from my stall this time. You'll get 20% off the next time you buy Jade Dew Jade Dew Jade Dew. Our Jade Dew Jade Dew is a chain store, and you can use the cards in several towns. Please don't refuse this small token of my appreciation."

Zhang Xinghuo, who had been waiting quietly to the side, suddenly brightened up and looked at Lu Ze with a hint of anticipation.

Lu Ze immediately smiled and said gently, "We've really made a profit. Uncle, your crispy mountain cake tastes really good."

The middle-aged shop owner laughed and ran back to his stall.

Lu Ze turned to look at Zhang Xinghuo, "If you eat here a few more times, you'll break even."

The implication was that the girl should stop worrying about the extra 100 white coins.

Zhang Xinghuo blushed slightly, but the thought of having a 20% discount card cheered her up again. She figured she could eat a crispy mountain whenever she felt hot and bothered... that wouldn't be a bad idea.

Out of the corner of his eye, Lu Ze saw the middle-aged boss squat down and open the cabinet when he returned to the stall. He stood up after about ten seconds and ran over.

"Please keep this safe, both of you. My family's Sushan stalls all have this bamboo and jade leaf shape, so they're easy to spot. There are a lot of people today, so I'll head back to work now."

The boss stood in front of Zhang Xinghuo, gave her the card first, and then turned to hand the card to Lu Ze.

Zhang Xinghuo happily examined the card she received, naturally failing to notice that the card given to Lu Ze was different from hers, with a unique jade-yellow background and pattern.

Lu Ze's eyes met those of the middle-aged shop owner, who smiled, nodded, and turned back to his stall.

Both of them looked normal, but there was a note between Lu Ze's palm and the card.

Lu Ze shoved the card into his pocket with his other hand, while holding the paper between his fingers.

"Pharaoh, this half is yours."

With a gentle touch of his fingertips across the jade leaf, the sharp star energy cleaved the crisp mountain in two.

The Pharaoh's voice was ingratiating, the drawn-out tone clearly indicating his extreme satisfaction, as he extended his little paw.

"Eeya..."

He immediately became excited and hugged her to lick her.

After taking a small bite, its eyes widened suddenly, its fur spread out, and it even shivered slightly, causing Zhang Xinghuo to cover his mouth and chuckle.

"Let's talk as we walk."

Lu Ze smiled and gestured, and Zhang Xinghuo nodded and followed.

Whether it was Zhang Xinghuo's earlier statement that he had reached the 8-star Gale level, or his passing the martial arts stance test with a single palm strike, Lu Ze's demeanor was casual, showing neither seriousness nor surprise. Instead, he displayed an unexpected appreciation that Zhang Xinghuo had not anticipated.

This subtly enhanced Lu Ze's image of strength in her mind.

……

The two chatted and laughed as they walked through the town. During this time, Lu Ze "casually" unfolded the note, glanced at it, and then gently crushed it into powder, his expression remaining unchanged.

The note contained very simple information, roughly written by the boss while he was pretending to squat down to look for something, but the content was anything but simple.

[Caution: Ancient lands, population, clearing.]

Eight words, each one startling.

Lu Ze instinctively sensed that this matter seemed to vaguely involve some secrets of the Wuyuan Lu plane, and his interest immediately surged.

As for being careful... the boss doesn't need to worry about that.

Lu Ze is always cautious in his actions and never fights a battle he cannot win.

The middle-aged boss never expected that his huge risk in persuading Lu Ze to quit would result in the person involved's unwavering commitment.

Having made sure he had taken the matter of being cautious to heart, Lu Ze began to ponder another matter: Lin Yunxue's family was actually able to make inroads into Wuyuan Lu.

Yunxue's father's identity is more important than imagined, and it can be concluded that there must be a national shadow behind it.

Before darkness falls, let more and more people carry the fire...

A smile appeared on Lu Ze's lips.

"Brother Lu, you seem to be in a good mood."

"Is it that obvious?"

"Hehehe." Zhang Xinghuo genuinely felt comfortable chatting with Lu Ze; that casual and natural feeling couldn't be faked.

Caught up in this joyful mood, I was actually less worried about the upcoming expedition to the Guangxi Ancient Land.

……

Half an hour later.

At the North Post Station of Chongma Town, Yan Wenchang, dressed in a blue martial arts uniform, rode a magnificent black horse and looked at the hundreds of martial artists present. He waved his hand to signal his subordinates to distribute commissions to the captains of each team.

Thirty-five teams were present, each receiving two Red Jade Coins and two bottles of Dragon Saliva Liquid. It was a prepayment model, which meant that seventy Red Jade Coins and seventy bottles of Dragon Saliva Liquid had already been paid before the expedition even began.

This would be considered a grand undertaking anywhere in the Kirihara Plains.

All the teams that received the invitation were overjoyed, even the strongest hunter team was beaming with delight.

Therefore, Lu Ze heard nothing but discussions about the Yan family's wealth, including praises such as "Manager Yan is so generous."

"Brother Lu, here you go, I'll accept those two bottles of ambergris."

Zhang Xinghuo waved her hand, and immediately handed two red jade coins to Lu Ze upon receiving the commission.

Although she liked money, she didn't care much for the two red jade coins she gave to Lu Ze.

Contentment and lack of greed are among Zhang Xinghuo's qualities, and also the reason why Zhang Yecao felt at ease letting his younger sister come out.

Lu Ze took the red jade coin, weighed it in his palm, and smiled, "Thank you."

With these two, he now possesses 193 red jade coins and 970 white coins.

Including the 35 teams present with strength at or above the eight-star Gale level, he could hire them nearly three times.

Am I a millionaire now?

While Lu Ze lamented that no one can get rich without unexpected wealth, his hands never stopped working.

However, when he threw the red jade coin into his money bag, it made a rather crisp clinking sound...

A hint of confusion flashed in Zhang Xinghuo's eyes.

If I heard correctly...

That was clearly the sound of two red jade coins colliding with a pile of jade coins!

It wasn't a brown jade coin or a white jade coin... so it was...

A pile of red jade coins?

Zhang Xinghuo shook his head vigorously.

How is that possible!

That would require hundreds of red jade coins.

Who would casually put money in such an ordinary purse?

After convincing herself that the story was plausible, Zhang Xinghuo stopped thinking about it. She had already received her reward, and getting through this adventure safely was the most important thing.

Lu Ze noticed all the changes in the girl's expression.

A person's attitude towards money determines the height of that person's potential.

She showed no reluctance when handing over money, and was unmoved by the sound of her purse... These are extremely precious qualities for a girl who even haggles over the cost of a crispy dessert.

The two red jade coins were indeed my commission.

[However, you are the employer.]

Lu Ze smiled and raised his head, his eyes calmly sweeping over his surroundings.

Several people quickly averted their wandering gazes.

Clearly, Zhang Xinghuo wasn't the only one who heard the sound of the red jade coin falling into his pocket.

Lu Ze understood the principle of not flaunting wealth, but he wasn't interested, since this wasn't the Twenty-Second Realm of the Tower.

After Yan Wenchang saw that the rewards had been distributed, a smile appeared on his lips, and he announced loudly, "Martial artists without mounts can board the Wind Dragon Cart to my left. Time's up, let's set off."

After saying this, he pulled on the reins, turned around, and spurred his horse to gallop.

Those warriors with mounts quickly followed.

Those without mounts looked on with envy at the magnificent beasts before obediently boarding the open carriage pulled by eight tall, yellow dragon horses.

There are probably forty or fifty people in this group.

Lu Ze and Zhang Xinghuo chose to sit side by side in the front row, near the edge.

"Brother Lu..." the girl said softly.

"Hmm?" Lu Ze withdrew his gaze from the backs of the hunters in the distance. The playful look in the eyes of the tall man in that group when he left... was quite interesting.

"Don't carry a lot of cash when you're out," Zhang Xinghuo said, biting her lip and glancing behind her furtively. "Someone might have bad intentions."

"It's okay."

"what?"

Lu Ze smiled at Zhang Xinghuo's bewildered gaze and said, "I will reason with them."

Reasoning?

What if the other party doesn't listen to reason?

Looking at Lu Ze's sunny expression, Zhang Xinghuo hesitated, unable to say anything.

Lu Ze's eyes were filled with tolerance, confidence, and encouragement as he nodded at Zhang Xinghuo with satisfaction.

Zhang Xinghuo felt as if Brother Lu's gaze had heard her inner thoughts, so she lowered her head shyly under his gaze.

Lu Ze did indeed guess Zhang Xinghuo's thoughts, after all, it's normal to think that way.

If Zhang Xinghuo really asked, he would answer readily. The answer is actually very simple, and there is no need to hide it.

If you're not going to listen, then there's no need to listen.

……

"drive!"

With a flick of his whip, the muscular coachman sent the carriage whizzing away.

Lu Ze rested his left elbow on the armrest, his palm supporting his cheek, his tousled hair swaying in the wind, and his angular face radiating a contented and serene gaze.

In my field of vision, a white dove flew into the sky and disappeared into the clouds.

……

"With so many people sacrificing themselves for the sealed land, it should be peaceful for a while longer, right?"

Yan Wenchang withdrew his gaze from the departing pigeon, muttered something to himself, then chuckled and resumed his slightly arrogant demeanor.

"What a pity about those red jade coins."

A sigh of regret flashed through his mind, and Yan Wenchang's figure quickly disappeared into the depths of the wilderness.

……

……

Four hundred and seventy li west of Guangxi Ancient Land.

At the foot of a misty, green mountain, a group of people met at the mountain gate, splitting into three groups. Three figures stepped forward and bowed to the front.

"The Tantai family, Tantai Dongshu."

"The Gu family, Gu Qixing."

"Longyang Fort, Zhao Feiyu."

After a pause, the three said in unison, "We request an audience with our ancestor, the Ten Jia."

(End of this chapter)