Translator: Ink Hub
Editor: Yoog

The news that the wine had been seized spread back to Cangqi quickly. If not for Lü Qingyun holding him back, Meng Hu would have nearly rallied the troops to march straight to Fengchuan City.

Luo Yu was currently on the mountainside with Gongshu Bai, searching for iron ore. Having no time to deal with the matter, he had left it to Xiao Shaoyou. Xiao Shaoyou had gone to the City Lord’s Manor immediately, hoping to see if he could reclaim the shipment of wine.

The so-called City Lord’s Manor was the center of supreme power in Fengchuan City, equivalent to a county magistrate’s office. In name, it honored the Imperial Court’s edicts, but in reality, the entire city—along with the surrounding townships and villages—obeyed only the Yao family’s commands.

In this world, whoever had the biggest fist held the final say, and the Yao family was undoubtedly the biggest fist in the Fengchuan region.

“Xiao Shaoyou of Cangqi pays his respects to City Lord Yao.”

Seated in the somewhat imposing main hall was a middle-aged man with a stern expression, dressed in fine silk. This was Yao Lin, the city lord of Fengchuan and the sworn brother of Du Gang, the manager of Dingxiang Residence.

It was said that both men had come from military backgrounds in their youth before retiring from the service. Du Gang had gone into business, while Yao Lin had gathered a group of men to run rampant around Fengchuan City, acting exactly like bandits and mountain rebels. Relying on Du Gang’s financial support, Yao Lin had gradually risen to power, eventually killing the previous city lord to take his place and securing a sixth-rank official title from the Imperial Court. That was how the two of them had reached their current status.

“Heh, Cangqi. I’ve heard of it. City Lord Luo’s reputation for beheading Wanyan Chang in battle has already spread far and wide.”

Yao Lin sipped his tea nonchalantly.

“I wonder what brings you all the way from Cangqi to Fengchuan City?”

“City Lord Yao’s subordinates have seized a shipment of our wine. I have come to ask what is going on.”

“Didn’t my men explain it to you? They suspected that military weapons intended for the Qiang were hidden within the wine, so they had to seize it for inspection.”

“The wine was shipped directly from Cangqi City. Does City Lord Yao mean to imply that we in Cangqi are colluding with the Qiang?”

Xiao Shaoyou raised an eyebrow. “Some words should not be spoken lightly.”

“I didn’t say that.”

Yao Lin spread his hands, putting on a helpless expression.

“But as the city lord of Fengchuan, I bear the responsibility for the safety of the people within my borders. Hearing of such potential collusion, I must investigate it thoroughly. I hope City Lord Luo understands. Please rest assured, as long as there is nothing wrong with the wine, it will certainly be returned to you.”

“Then may I ask City Lord Yao if the investigation has been completed? When can you return the wine to us?”

“Not yet. It will be a while. Inspecting two hundred jars of wine will take at least ten days or half a month.”

Yao Lin said dismissively, “Go back and wait. You will be notified once there is news.”

“Since City Lord Yao says so, I shall not be a nuisance.”

Xiao Shaoyou’s gaze tightened, and he dropped a cold parting shot.

“I offer City Lord Yao a piece of advice: business is business, and it is unwise to go back on one’s word. Do not go too far in your actions!”

“Hmph!”

As soon as the fuming Xiao Shaoyou left the manor, Du Gang walked out from the inner chamber with a smile on his face.

“It seems they’ve guessed it. They know it was a trap set by the two of us to swindle their wine.”

“So what if they guessed? Does a tiny little Cangqi City dare to oppose my Yao family?” Yao Lin mocked.

“Forget about a mere centurion under him; even if Luo Yu came himself, he would be met with a cold shoulder. This is not Yunyang Pass, and I am not Wanyan Chang. It is not his place to be arrogant here. For an outsider to dare compete with your Dingxiang Residence for business? Dream on.”

In name, they were both city lords, but in Yao Lin’s eyes, Luo Yu was nothing more than a lucky upstart.

“Haha, this time, I owe it all to you, Big Brother.”

Du Gang no longer wore the gentle facade he had shown Luo Yu. Instead, he revealed a sinister smirk.

“Six hundred taels of silver for two hundred jars of fine wine. With this, we will surely crush Tingyu Restaurant during the upcoming wine market. Hahaha!”

“We are brothers, why bother with thanks?”

Yao Lin’s lips curled up.

“Use these two hundred jars to get through the wine market first. Later, we’ll find a way to get the secret brewing recipe from Luo Yu. Once we sell Sanguotou across all three provinces of Longxi, our brothers will make a fortune!”

Du Gang chimed in, “With the silver, Big Brother can recruit more men and expand your influence. When the time comes, replacing the Li family of Que Prefecture might not be out of the question.”

“Hahaha!”

The empty hall echoed with the brothers’ sinister, ambitious laughter.

* * *

“Iron ore, it really is iron ore!”

“My goodness.”

Gongshu Bai stood on the mountainside of Chiqi Mountain, his eyes glazed over.

“Such a massive mountain, and the ground is filled with iron ore. Some of it is even exposed on the surface. My Gongshu family has been blacksmithing for generations, and this is the first time I have ever heard of such a thing. This… this is a mountain tailor-made for me! Hahaha!”

Although Gongshu Bai had spent a period wallowing in despair and self-pity, the spirit of craftsmanship that flowed through the Gongshu family’s blood had never vanished. At this moment, he felt an inexplicable sense of excitement.

A land chosen by heaven!

“I knew you would like this place.”

Luo Yu smiled slightly.

“I leave Chiqi Mountain to you. You are in full charge of the smithing. I need you to forge weapons and armor for me. How long will it take?”

Gongshu Bai answered almost without hesitation, “Turning iron ore into ironware requires many steps: mining, smelting, forging, and quenching. Every step takes time. It depends on how much armor you need.”

“I don’t need much for now—enough for three hundred men. Be fast, the faster the better!”

“Two months, two months at most!”

Gongshu Bai held up one finger.

“But I have one condition. You must provide me with manpower. The seven or eight helpers in my smithy are far from enough.”

“You can rest easy on that.”

Luo Yu gestured with his hand.

“Brother Han, the matter of coordinating labor is up to you. From now on, you will assist Gongshu Bai. Prioritize selecting people from among the commoners. If that is not enough, you may mobilize the soldiers. In short, only one word matters: fast!”

“This subordinate obeys!”

Han Shuo gave Gongshu Bai a thumbs-up.

“Now that’s how it should be. You should have been this obedient earlier, and you would have been spared a beating.”

“Heh heh, that means Uncle Han has to take orders from me now.”

A strange smile appeared on Gongshu Bai’s face, which made Han Shuo shudder. “What are you planning?”

“I heard that the Sanguotou brewed by City Lord Luo is excellent and very tasty.”

Gongshu Bai waved his hand.

“Go, bring me a jar to taste. I don’t have the energy to work without a good drink.”

Han Shuo was so angry that his nose was almost crooked. This kid was really pushing his luck.

Just then, Xiao Shaoyou hurried over, his expression grim.

“I went to the City Lord’s Manor. I didn’t get the wine back, and Yao Lin was just giving me the runaround. It seems this was indeed a trap set by Du Gang and Yao Lin together.”

“I knew it.”

Luo Yu’s eyes turned cold.

“There is no merchant who isn’t treacherous. We won’t be getting that wine back, and there is no point in going back to suffer further humiliation. That fellow Du Gang, he swindled our wine for six hundred taels of silver. A fine scheme indeed. The two of them are colluding like jackals!”

“What should we do, then?”

Han Shuo was full of worry. “The wine we worked so hard to brew has been intercepted by Yao Lin, and Tingyu Restaurant has broken their contract. I fear it will be difficult to do business with them in the future. Who will we sell our wine to now? Without income, we cannot support so many people.”

“Do not worry.”

Luo Yu sneered.

“Do they really think I, Luo Yu, am so easy to bully? Three days from now, at the wine market, I am going to watch a good show!”

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