Water Margin: I am Zhu Biao

Chapter 127 Can a dog change its nature of eating shit?

Rencheng was the most deserted county town Zhu Biao had ever seen.

Besides being a small town with few people and little business, it was already remote, and the shortcut to Qingzhou to the west was blocked, so it became even more desolate.

However, a new Rongjin Goods Store that opened in the southern part of the city two years ago was quite bustling.

The front shop only sold mountain products and animal hides, while the backyard housed animal fighting, gambling dens, and brothels, gradually becoming one of the city's premier luxury destinations.

The manager of this warehouse is named Yu Fugui, nicknamed "Smiling Tiger," and was originally the head constable of the yamen.

However, those in the know understand that the owner behind it is surnamed Zhou and named Rong, who is the head of Zhoujia Village in the west of the city.

This was the information Su Fang had just gotten from the restaurant. Not only that, the fat manager personally led them to Rongjin Goods Store.

There were few merchants from outside Rencheng, and wealthy people like Zhu Biao were even rarer. He was still thinking about earning a commission.

Just now, in order to lure the fat shopkeeper into a trap, Zhu Biao deliberately showed off a few gold leaves, almost making his mouth water.

"My lord, this is Rongjin Goods Storehouse."

The chubby shopkeeper pointed to a shop on the street and said with a fawning expression.

"This mountain has everything you could want, and it also has plenty of places to have fun."

Zhu Biao raised his eyes and glanced at the shop in front of him. It was more than ten zhang long and wide, and the main entrance was one zhang high. There were two Pixiu squatting at the entrance.

Above the door hangs a gilded plaque with the words "Rongjin Goods Storehouse" written in bold, elegant strokes.

"Tsk!"

Zhu Biao curled his lip.

"What a grand and imposing place! If you didn't know better, you'd think it was the residence of some high-ranking official."

"Oh! Isn't this Manager Xu? What brings you here today? Are you craving Peach Blossom again?"

At this moment, a tall, thin man who looked like a manager walked out of the door. His face was fairly decent, but there was a long scar at the corner of his eye, which made him look somewhat sinister.

Hey~

The portly shopkeeper, surnamed Xu, chuckled upon hearing this, "Manager Wang, don't joke around. I've brought you a few gods of wealth."

"Oh?"

Upon hearing this, Steward Wang raised an eyebrow and glanced at Zhu Biao and the others.

This guy has a sharp eye; in an instant, he locked his gaze on Zhu Biao and even clasped his hands in a fist salute to him.

"This young man possesses an extraordinary air about him. May I ask where he came from and what brings him here?"

Zhu Biao glanced at him sideways but didn't speak. Su Fang, ever perceptive, stepped forward and took over the conversation: "We came from Nanjing. We heard your family has a full range of mountain products. Do you have pheasant feathers or fox tails?"

Wang Er frowned slightly, but didn't get angry: "Of course I have some. How much do you want?"

"Take as many as you have!"

Upon hearing this, Wang Er's brows furrowed even more.

"Pheasant feathers, fox tails, what you want are rather unusual, and in such large quantities. What are you planning to do with them?"

Su Fang was about to reply when Zhu Biao grabbed his arm, stepped forward, and said calmly, "It's just a transaction, nothing illegal. I won't shortchange you on your money, so why do you need to tell me what I need it for?"

"Hehe~"

Wang Er smiled and replied with a meaningful remark.

"My lord, these two items are indeed not prohibited, but pheasant feathers can be inserted into helmets and fox tails can be used to wipe blood. If used in large quantities, they will inevitably cause people to have doubts."

Zhu Biao said impatiently, "What's the point of thinking about it? Enough with the nonsense. Just tell me if you're selling or not!"

Wang Er's face darkened, and his eyes flickered, but he immediately grinned and bowed to Zhu Biao, gesturing for him to enter.

"Your Excellency is right. It was indeed I who was too talkative and meddlesome. Please come into the shop and take a look at the goods."

moment.

Zhu Biao glanced disdainfully at the more than two hundred pheasant feathers and dozens of fox tails displayed on the counter.

"So much rambling, and all you get is this little bit of stuff."

Before Wang Er could reply, he didn't even ask the price, but directly threw out a few gold leaves and slapped them on the table.

Upon seeing the gleaming gold leaves, Wang Er's eyes narrowed, and he subconsciously licked his lips.

A single gold leaf weighs one tael and can be exchanged for twelve taels of silver, or twenty-four strings of cash. Zhu Biao just casually tossed out five leaves, which amounted to one hundred and twenty.

Ten strings of cash.

The value far exceeds that of this batch of goods, enough to offset the net profit of the entire warehouse for ten days.

Before Wang Er could react, Zhu Biao had already turned and walked towards the door.

"What bad luck! Pack your things and let's go."

Zhu San and Zhu Wu remained silent, found two pieces of rags in the shop, casually rolled up their pheasant feathers and fox tails, and prepared to go out.

Just as Zhu Biao was about to cross the threshold, Wang Er finally snapped out of his daze, quickly put away the gold leaf, and ran to the door to block his way.

"What do you want to do?"

Su Fang immediately gave a low shout and placed his hand on the hilt of the short sword at his waist.

Wang Er almost instinctively took a step back, his hand reaching into his sleeve. Clearly, he had been through many battles, and it had become a habit.

However, he reacted quickly, pulling his hand back abruptly just as it touched his sleeve, and even took the opportunity to clasp his hands in a fist and bow.

"Please do not misunderstand, esteemed guest. I have no ill intentions, but I have something to say."

"explain."

Zhu Biao patted Su Fang on the shoulder and said coldly.

A few thin gold leaves, yet they weighed heavily on his chest. Wang Er's tone was noticeably warmer, and his posture became much more humble.

"The items needed by our distinguished guests are not commonly purchased, so the store has little stock. However, the hunters in the surrounding area have plenty in stock."

"and then?"

Zhu Biao frowned slightly, showing increasing impatience.

"In just two days, I can gather another five hundred pheasant feathers and two hundred fox tails for our distinguished guest."

"cut!"

Zhu Biao scoffed dismissively, offering no further explanation. He simply reached out and pushed Wang Er aside before stepping out the door.

"Distinguished guest~"

Wang Er got anxious and tried to dissuade him, but Su Fang pushed him again.

"Stop yelling like that. Your paltry sums aren't even enough to fill our teeth."

Watching Zhu Biao and his group gradually disappear into the distance, Wang Er gritted his teeth, a fierce glint flashing in his eyes.

"Seventh Brother, Lai San!"

He summoned two men and instructed them, "Go, follow them and see where they go. If they leave the city, come back and report immediately."

He then turned around and strode quickly toward the back room.

"Young master, there are two tails following us, what should we do?"

A few hundred steps away from the warehouse, Su Fang leaned close to Zhu Biao and whispered.

"Heh~" Zhu Biao's lips curled up slightly: "It's getting late. Let's find an inn to stay in and get some rest. Walk slowly, and don't lose them."

Zhu Wu was unusually clever for once: "Young Master, this is their territory after all. These bastards are all from mountain bandits. What if they take advantage of the night to do something sneaky?"

"Hmm, that's right."

Zhu Biao nodded, his smile widening.

"You're not going to sleep tonight; you're staying at the door the whole time."

"what?"

Zhu Wu's face immediately fell. Su Fang felt a little sorry for him and whispered in his ear with a smile, "Fifth Brother, Young Master was just teasing you. This is still the city, after all. These guys have connections and influence, they wouldn't dare to do anything reckless."

At this point, he looked at Zhu Biao with great admiration.

"Besides, we're not made of clay. We've seen it all, and with the young master personally overseeing things, how could we possibly fall for a trick?"

Zhu San felt as if he was being excluded because he was silent. He racked his brains for a long time before finally managing to squeeze out a question.

"Young Master, that bastard Zhou Rong has really made something of himself now, opening such a large shop. Is it really possible to fall for his tricks?"

"Haha! Zhu San, that's a great question!"

Zhu Biao laughed, a particularly hearty laugh.

"I'm asking you, can a dog stop eating shit?"

"It can't be changed!"

Zhu San replied without hesitation.

"If a thief saw gold, could he resist taking it?"

"I couldn't resist!"

Su Fang frowned, deep in thought, and said, "Young Master, what if Zhou Rong only sends his men out of the city to intercept us, while he himself stays inside? How should we deal with that?"

Zhu Biao patted his little head with satisfaction, then asked instead of answering, "Su Fang, if you were that thief Wang Er, how much gold would you think we have?"

"Uh~"

Su Fang looked slightly surprised and pondered for a while before tentatively asking, "Just now, the young master casually tossed out five taels of gold leaves. Judging from his posture, he was carrying at least two hundred taels of gold."

Zhu Biao nodded noncommittally: "Even if it's only two hundred taels of gold, that's four thousand strings of cash. That's enough to build another Jinrong Trading Company."

"If you were Zhou Rong, with all your men being former bandits, would you feel comfortable sending only them to carry out the operation?"

"Young Master, you're simply amazing! You've got a complete grasp of people's hearts!"

Su Fang's eyes lit up, and her face flushed red.

"If he dares to leave the city, no matter how many men he brings, our archers, spearmen, and strongmen will slaughter them all!"