My name is Wei Qing, and I want to fight the Xiongnu.

It's not like the Xiongnu barbarians have the right to flaunt their power in front of the human race.

Wei Qing said to Xu Youdao, "If you had served in the border army for three years, you wouldn't be saying these things now."

Xu Youdao did not refute. He nodded generously and admitted, "Perhaps you are right, young master. Unfortunately, no matter what, there is no way for our lineage to turn back."

If the two clans go to war, Xu Youdao's lineage's business will be halved, to put it mildly.

In slightly more serious cases, it can lead directly to imprisonment.

Even the entire lineage was to be used as a typical example of treason, to make an example of them.

As for withdrawing?

Is it possible for Xu Youdao to simply walk away whenever he wants?

He's just a young man in his twenties, how much influence can he possibly have?

The leader of his lineage came to the royal city of Chang'an more than two hundred years ago, a period when the human race and the Xiongnu barbarian tribes had the most frequent trade and exchanges, and their relationship was relatively harmonious.

A large number of Xiongnu barbarian geniuses came to the Imperial Academy and swept aside human geniuses in the martial arts competition, giving this generation a deep-rooted understanding of the Xiongnu barbarians.

They believed that it was impossible for the human race to wage war against the Xiongnu barbarians, and that only through other means could the human race's weak position be changed.

If you want to persuade this group of people, you'd be better off waiting until their generation can't hold on any longer and they hand over power to the next generation.

People eventually grow old and die. Even heroes of Cao Can's generation were already getting old, only dying a few hundred years later than ordinary people.

Furthermore, even if power were truly handed over to Xu Youdao, he probably wouldn't be capable of cutting his losses to survive.

His lineage now has a lot of business with the Xiongnu barbarians. If these businesses are lost and income is cut in half, how can he compete with the other lineages and resist being swallowed up by other sword-making families?

Even without external pressure, what about internal pressure?

From frugality to luxury is easy, from luxury to frugality.

Having grown accustomed to a life of luxury, who would be willing to tighten their belts and work themselves to the bone every day, just like when they first arrived in Chang'an?

Therefore, in Xu Youdao's view, there was no turning back for his lineage.

All he could do was to have multiple escape routes, like a cunning rabbit with multiple burrows, to prepare some backup plans for his own faction.

Xu Youdao shook his head and said, "Actually, the reason I stayed was only to discuss some business with Young Master Wei. I did not intend to discuss matters of state, which is not something I can presume to discuss."

"What kind of business?"

Xu Youdao smiled and said, "Young Master Wei, as you spend more time at the Imperial Academy, you will inevitably need some odds and ends. Some of these can be bought in Chang'an, but others are only available in the Xiongnu barbarian realm and are prohibited from being sold to the human realm. If you need such items, Young Master Wei, you may send someone to let me know. I have some channels that might be able to meet your needs."

In any era, there are people willing to risk their lives to smuggle goods for money.

They exist on the human side, and they also exist on the Xiongnu barbarian side.

Xu Youdao's lineage had dealt with many Xiongnu tribes and was therefore more experienced in this regard.

After a few seconds of silence, Wei Qing said, "I prefer to rob things from the Xiongnu barbarian realm rather than buy them. But you're not wrong either; when you urgently need something, having multiple ways to obtain it isn't a bad thing."

"Then I will not disturb Your Highness and Young Master any further."

Xu Youdao bowed respectfully and left; he had gotten what he wanted.

There will be many more opportunities to deal with him in the future. Xu Youdao had no intention of making money off Wei Qing; he simply wanted to make more business partners among the human race.

I'm not looking to make money, I just hope to sell well.

A cunning rabbit has three burrows, and Xu Youdao considered himself to be a bit smarter than a rabbit.

Even if there's no turning back for this lineage, shouldn't we at least find a way out for our family members?

He also has parents, two older sisters, three younger brothers, and two younger sisters who have just learned to walk.

We can't just follow this line of thought and go down this dark path, can we?

Chapter 54: From Selling to Employing

Wei Qing could understand people like Xu Youdao, but understanding didn't mean he would approve of them.

Of course, this doesn't affect the possibility of him helping to promote products in the future. More connections mean more opportunities; even if friendship doesn't work out, business can still be conducted.

There's no need to escalate the conflict to the point of no return yet, because if that really comes to that, Wei Qing won't need to take action.

After leaving the Hundred Weapons Pavilion, seeing that it was still early, Liu Yangxin decided to first check out the soft armor and then the mounts, according to the plan he had set beforehand.

Having unexpectedly gained 100,000 gold coins, the two of them felt much more confident.

The so-called armor was not the same as the outer armor. According to the regulations of the Han Dynasty, people who did not hold special positions were not allowed to purchase armor privately.

What Liu Yangxin called armor was actually inner armor, which was soft armor worn inside clothing.

In terms of defensive capabilities, it's not that all soft armor is inferior to hard armor, but the cost-effectiveness must always be considered.

Soft armor, even at the same price, is simply not as strong as hard armor.

The soft armor purchased for 100,000 gold coins may not even provide the same level of defense as the hard armor worth several thousand gold coins.

There's no other way; soft armor is worn inside clothing, so comfort has to be the primary consideration.

Secondly, the thickness of the soft armor is also required, which are key factors limiting the defensive capabilities of soft armor.

That's obvious. Even if the defensive capabilities of soft armor weren't limited, the imperial court wouldn't allow it to enter the market.

Therefore, after years of modifications, the effect of soft armor has evolved from perfectly defending against enemy attacks to saving the life of the attacked in critical moments.

As long as it can ensure that a person doesn't die in a life-or-death situation, this soft armor is already considered qualified.

Wei Qing originally wanted to use the same trick again to get a bunch of soft armor for free, but Liu Yangxin dissuaded him.

Xu Yun was willing to provide swords for free primarily because she urgently needed to open up the market. Soft armor was worn under clothing, and its effectiveness could only be seen when someone was injured.

Furthermore, the market for soft armor is very small. Many people can afford swords, but very few are willing to spend money on soft armor. Soft armor is something only the truly wealthy can afford; not everyone is qualified to be a sucker.

Therefore, the soft nail market has remained stable from beginning to end, and there is no need for so-called spending money on advertising.

Wei Qing and Liu Yangxin arrived at the armor shop, picked out a close-fitting soft armor priced at 20,000 gold, and paid with two jade tokens from the Hundred Weapons Pavilion. The shopkeeper did not refuse upon seeing that the tokens were from the Hundred Weapons Pavilion, and the transaction was thus completed.

As Wei Qing left the shop, he touched his chest. Despite wearing soft armor, he felt nothing at all, as if he were wearing a layer of gauze instead of soft armor.

Liu Yangxin, who was standing next to him, explained, "This was designed on purpose, firstly for comfort, and secondly to make the person wearing the armor forget that they were wearing soft armor."

Wei Qing understood Liu Yangxin's meaning: soft armor is different from hard armor, and you cannot rely on it.

It's not equipment that can enhance your combat power; it's just a talisman that can save your life in a critical moment.

With the armor issue resolved, only the mount remained.

Unlike weapons and armor, the place where mounts are sold is the West Market in the Hong District, a rare and spacious area in the prime location of Chang'an Royal City.

On the way to the West Market, Liu Yangxin told Wei Qing, "The prices of mounts vary, from tens or hundreds of gold coins for the cheapest to millions or even tens of millions of gold coins for the most expensive."

Of course, those millions or tens of millions of gold coins wouldn't enter the market; they were mostly consumed internally. Besides purchasing, one could also spend money to hire someone, which was relatively cheaper and more convenient.

The most expensive mount is undoubtedly the dragon. Dragons are not exclusive to emperors or even royalty; generals, ministers, and nobles can also tame dragons to use as mounts.

However, dragons are usually quite powerful, and given their extraordinary status, there are very few openly selling dragon mounts; most transactions are based on hiring relationships.

Below the dragon are naturally the phoenix and the dragon, both representing powerful mounts.

In addition, many of the mounts that have gained sentience can speak and communicate smoothly with people.

Besides the type of mount, age is also an important factor in determining its price.

Generally, the more powerful the race, the more likely the cubs will cost more than the adult mounts.

Conversely, for weaker races, the price of an adult mount is higher.

The price of long-lived varieties varies depending on the species.

These mounts are not all captured by humans themselves. On the contrary, more than 80% of the mounts on the market, especially rare ones, are captured by powerful races and sold to humans.

Especially powerful clans like the Dragon and Phoenix often capture weaker races and sell them to humans, who then domesticate and sell them again.

To get a mount like that, you first need to have the skill to tame them.

There are many methods for taming, and in the past, most of them relied on violent means. Later, the School of Beast Taming emerged and directly reversed this inefficient and traditional approach.

The initial taming evolved into cooperation, with beasts serving humans in return for the resources and living environment provided by the beasts.

As a result, the job market suddenly boomed, with a large number of intelligent beasts even coming to Chang'an Royal City to look for work.

Even mythical beasts need to eat.

Upon arriving in the western district, Wei Qing found it to resemble a farm, somewhat out of place with the environment of Chang'an, the capital city.

However, Liu Yangxin was not taken directly to the West Market by Wei Qing. Instead, they went around in circles and arrived at a quiet and elegant thatched cottage.

Liu Yangxin explained, "The West Market is actually managed by the Grand Master of the Palace, who is none other than the Marquis of Ruyin. Therefore, the managers of the West Market have been members of the Xiahou family for generations. However, since we have come to the West Market, we may take this opportunity to introduce you to a senior figure."

After a few seconds of pause, Liu Yangxin added, "It was arranged."

Senior? Was it arranged?

Just as Wei Qing was wondering what was going on, he saw a young Taoist boy come out from inside and bow to Liu Yangxin, saying, "Greetings, Your Highness. The master has been waiting inside for quite some time."

Liu Yangxin nodded upon hearing this, then pulled Wei Qing into the thatched hut.

Inside the thatched hut, an elderly man with gray hair was chatting with a handsome middle-aged man.

Seeing that Liu Yangxin didn't speak, and then seeing Wei Qing, the middle-aged man nodded, a satisfied smile appearing on his lips.

He then bid farewell to the old man and left.

Liu Yangxin looked at the middle-aged man and felt that he looked familiar, but he couldn't remember where he had seen him before.

Wei Qing gently tugged at her hand, signaling her not to get distracted.

Liu Yangxin then realized what was happening and quickly greeted the old gentleman, asking, "How have you been, Mr. Su?"

Mr. Su rose, stroked his beard, and smiled, "Thanks to the blessings of Prince Dai and His Highness, everything has been going well lately. Your Highness has come today, presumably for this young master, hasn't he?"

Chapter 55: An aura of Nobility

Upon hearing this, Mr. Su looked at Wei Qing and soon his eyes showed admiration and amazement: "This young master has bright eyes and a noble air about him. He is indeed a dragon among men and a man of outstanding talent."