Chapter 54: Dialogue in the Darkness
“I have always had one question. Where does the Lord’s Mansion get so much money to buy up restaurants so extravagantly? Even if they suppress the prices, it’s still a considerable amount,” Qin Feng looked at Si Zheng.
Si Zheng put down his wine glass and calmly replied, “Of course, they can’t raise that much money, but the people behind them can.”
Qin Feng suddenly realized. How could the little lord of Jinyang know about the construction of Huarong Road and then advance and purchase the restaurants? Surely, someone in Heavenly City had leaked the information to them.
If that’s the case, it made sense for the backers to help the Lord’s Mansion buy the restaurants. Based on the previous events, it was most likely that the people behind the Lord’s Mansion were from the Tang family of the Ministry of War!
But… here was a new problem. Even if the Huarong Road extended to the outskirts of Jinyang City, bringing a qualitative leap to the city, would the prestigious Tang family of the Ministry of War go to such lengths for this minor benefit?
Remember, once the Huarong Road is built in the southern region, it will pass through more than just Jinyang City. If it were me, I would focus on the bigger cities instead of being fixated on this small town. Qin Feng fell into thought.
“The Lord’s Mansion has already put pressure on the remaining restaurants in the city. You need to speed up the takeover,” Si Zheng put down his wine glass and tapped the table, interrupting Qin Feng’s thoughts with a clear sound.
Qin Feng immediately replied, “I have arranged for Manager Peng to handle this matter. We’re just waiting for the right opportunity.”
Si Zheng nodded, “Those who persistently refuse to sell their restaurants under the pressure of the Lord’s Mansion are tough nuts to crack. It will undoubtedly cost a considerable amount of money to acquire them. I know you’re in a difficult position. However, I have received information that the Emperor has ordered the Ministry of Works to speed up the construction of the Huarong Road. They have even mobilized the craftsmen from the Imperial Capital Workshop. Therefore, the expected time for the road to reach Jinyang City may be much sooner than expected.”
“Is that so?” Qin Feng’s eyes widened.
The Ministry of Works was manageable; after all, they were funded by the emperor. Laziness was their specialty. Even if you doubled their workforce, they could still complete the task on the original schedule.
But the Imperial Capital Workshop was different. According to the original owner’s memory, these craftsmen were a bunch of maniacs who treated their work as their lives.
When the Qin family was still in Heavenly City, they once hired the craftsmen from the Imperial Capital Workshop to build their mansion. In the end, some members of the same team got into a fight, and without eating, drinking, or sleeping, they finished half the work in half the time originally planned.
Was this something humans did?
Qin Feng’s face turned grim, and he immediately instructed the waiter to summon Peng Qing.
“How is the acquisition of these small restaurants going?” Qin Feng asked with a frown.
“This…” Peng Qing looked at Si Zheng and hesitated.
Qin Feng didn’t hold back, “Master Si Zheng is one of us. You can speak freely.”
Upon hearing this, Peng Qing no longer hesitated and recounted his recent experiences.
After listening, Qin Feng thought deeply.
The remaining restaurant owners were indeed a group of stubborn individuals. They would rather suffer losses every month than sell their restaurants. Their determination was comparable to that of his own father.
However, Qin Feng also received valuable information: the lord’s mansion not only cut off their wine supply to the Moonlit Pavilion, but also to these small resturants.
He was worried about finding a solution, but unexpectedly, the lord’s mansion gave him such a generous gift.
You should know that you should always leave a way out, and don’t force people into a corner. Even rabbits will bite when they are desperate, let alone humans?
A smile appeared on Qin Feng’s lips. “Manager Peng, tomorrow, invite all the owners of these small restaurants to the Moonlit Pavilion. I have something to discuss with them.”
“All of them?” Peng Qing was somewhat surprised.
“Yes, all of them. I want to deal with them all at once,” Qin Feng said confidently.
Peng Qing didn’t understand, but he agreed anyway. The Young Master had great abilities; as a servant, all he had to do was follow instructions.
Si Zheng looked at Qin Feng in a strange way. “Do you have enough money to buy all their restaurants?”
“I don’t.” Qin Feng shrugged.
“Then why gather them here?” Si Zheng asked.
“Who said buying other people’s resturants always requires money? Sir Zheng, believe it or not, when they come here tomorrow, not only will they give me their resturants, but they’ll also pay me,” Qin Feng declared confidently.
Si Zheng stared for a moment, then pushed a plate of peanuts forward. “Kid, have some peanuts, don’t just drink. Look at yourself, drunk as a skunk.”
As he finished speaking, Si Zheng suddenly frowned. The little shadow he had sent to track those two warriors had lost contact.
The other party was skilled!
“Sir Zheng, why do you look so displeased? Is something wrong?” Qin Feng asked curiously.
Si Zheng snapped back to reality. “It’s nothing. I’m just thinking, will I still have a chance to drink this good wine for free in the future? If I have to pay for it, I can’t afford it.”
“Sir Zheng, try the dishes, try the dishes. This pork belly dipped in garlic paste is delicious,” Qin Feng pretended not to hear.
“This wine…”
“Ah, waiter, didn’t you see we’re running out of meat here? Bring a few more plates!”
…
Meanwhile, in the Lord’s Mansion of Jinyang City, in the back hall:
Qian Gui shook his hand, and the small shadow that had been crushed turned into tiny black dots, falling to the ground and blending back into the shadows.
“Hundred Ghosts, fifth rank. You’ve mastered the puppet shadow technique so well. It seems our esteemed Sir Zheng is not an ordinary person,” Qian Gui sneered. Although he said that, his tone indicated he was not concerned; rather, he seemed slightly interested.
On the side, Ye Luoting, seeing this scene, turned pale with fear. “My lord, I know nothing. It must be that Si Zheng guy’s doing!”
Seeing Lord Qian Gui not responding, Ye Luoting hurriedly sought help from his father, who was not far away.
But his father, who usually doted on him, was now indifferent, silent, and even turned his head away, staring coldly at him.
Ye Luoting shuddered.
“Alright, I know this has nothing to do with you. Leave now. I need to discuss some matters with your father,” Qian Gui said coldly.
Upon hearing this, Ye Luoting felt like he had been pardoned and hastily fled the back hall.
At that moment, behind Qian Gui, on the ground, within a peculiarly patterned circular array, a strange Buddha statue with three heads and six arms unexpectedly emitted human-like speech.
“Why didn’t you turn him into a corpse puppet? That doesn’t seem like your style,” the Buddha statue said.
Qian Gui replied, “Don’t you think a brainless and arrogant waste is the best pawn to deceive others?”
“That makes sense.”
“When will you come to Jinyang City?” Qian Gui asked.
“It might take some time. You should know we’re preparing to take another place.”
“How confident are you?”
“Hard to say. The Divine Generals in the Southern Domain are not easy to deal with. In addition, the Fate Master, for me, just escaping unscathed would be a victory,” the ghostly Buddha statue sneered.
“The Great Qian Dyansty’s power is limited. How can Divine Generals and Fate Masters stay together? Besides, with your divination skills, if you knew you would encounter the Fate Master, would you have acted?” Qian Gui exposed him directly.
“That takes the fun out of it,” the ghostly Buddha statue grumbled.
Ignoring him, Qian Gui said solemnly, “There’s another thing I need to tell you: there’s a Listen To Rain Pavilion in Jinyang City.”
The ghostly Buddha fell into silence. After a long time, he spoke again, “No wonder you’re so certain that the thing from back then would be here. I’ll need to make some preparations before I leave. Stay here and wait for our message.”
The hall fell silent once again. Qian Gui glanced at Ye Heng, and his whole body transformed into a wriggling mass of flesh, then continuously entered the latter’s body through his mouth.
After a long time, “Ye Heng” twisted his neck and made a cracking sound. Muttering to himself, he said, “This body is truly weak, but never mind, I’ll make do for now.”
This 𝓬ontent is taken from f(r)eeweb(n)ovel.𝒄𝒐𝙢