Chapter 167: Chapter 90: The Demon Tortoise of Fenghai Mountain, Twin Phoenixes Contending for the Dragon
Even the surname "Six Tombs," which clearly doesn’t belong to the Great Yin or even Great Yong, is uncertain whether it’s real or not.
Just like Li Xuan’s suddenly disappearing elder sister, this "Six Tombs Xia Rong" also appeared out of nowhere.
Originally, Li Xuan regarded all of this as a joke.
But this "Six Tombs Xia Rong" unexpectedly mentioned the belief in the "Corpse Mountain Hidden Demon Nation."
His pupils contracted, fixing on that line of text: A city full of demons, their belief... Peacock Great Ming Monarch.
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Clip-clop, clip-clop...
Clip-clop, clip-clop...
Several ox carts carrying empty carts stopped at Waqian Port, south of Qing River.
In the Great Yin, north of the river is Cyan Wood Province, while south is Yunmeng Province.
At this time, the autumn air was crisp and refreshing, the golden sunlight glimmering on the river surface.
Due to the rapid current, this port named Waqian was dug out by force, thus the draft here was quite small.
To prevent running aground, boats were often guided into the port by boatmen taking advantage of the high tide.
However, entering the port during high tide was inherently dangerous, thus requiring many boatmen.
At this moment, numerous boatmen were already waiting at the port, and upon seeing the cargo ship from afar, they rushed over to take the ropes thrown from the boat. Once secured, they turned around, chanting rhythmically as they pulled.
Some commanded, some pulled, until the cargo ship smoothly entered the port.
Once docked, a person skillfully jumped down from the ship and tied the cable to a large stone pillar at Waqian Port.
Soon after, several burly men wearing "Qing River Guild uniforms" emerged from the ship’s cabin.
These burly men seemed familiar with the people at Waqian Port, greeting each other like brothers.
If Li Xuan were here, he would recognize that the leader among those burly men was Zhang Fanyang from earlier who failed to catch the Dan Fish.
Zhang Fanyang was also frustrated, unable to catch Dan Fish, so he reverted to his old trade, engaging in upstream and downstream transport.
The relationship between Qing River Guild and the Li family of Xiongshan County was almost universally known.
Although the details were unclear, it was known that these two families had an excellent relationship.
As the saying goes, when one person gains status, even the chickens and dogs rise to heaven.
With Li Xuan stirring things up in the capital, earning the title of martial armor, recognized as the "Great Yin’s strongest," and granted the title of Prince Qing, the Qing River Guild also followed suit, everyone feeling joyful and optimistic about their future.
This was especially true for Zhang Fanyang.
He was a senior member of the Qing River Guild, and while others were unaware, he knew... the Qing River Guild was, to some extent, Prince Qing’s.
With such thoughts, Zhang Fanyang was full of enthusiasm.
Yet, because of the "Dan Fish" incident, he was eager to work for the Li family, hoping to make up for the shortcomings on the "Dan Fish" matter.
Thus, these days, he actively coordinated with the Li family merchant guild to transport goods.
And today, he personally ensured the smooth passage of this ship through every part of the Qing River.
Compared to major guilds like Qing River Guild, the faction at Waqian Port was just a small local faction.
The faction leader also came to the shore, clasped his fists, and shouted, "Dock Master Zhang personally coming here today is truly an honor for Waqian Port."
Zhang Fanyang swept through the air and landed lightly.
The faction leader said, "Dock Master Zhang, let’s drink some wine later."
Saying this, he leaned in and whispered, "Flower wine, brought in from Rougu City with beautiful girls."
Rougu City, a major city in Yunmeng Province, held a political status similar to Hundred Flowers Mansion, yet... Great Yin thrived in the north and declined in the south.
Therefore, Rougu City was not developed as well as Hundred Flowers Mansion overall.
Nevertheless, it was still quite good.
However, today, Zhang Fanyang patted the faction leader’s shoulder, drew him close, and said seriously, "Not today."
He then cast a deep, cryptic look at the ship and said, "This batch of goods has an immensely important person personally escorting it. If you wish to grasp wealth, it’s best to send more people to help escort."
The faction leader was stunned for a moment, then nodded before glancing sideways, seeing two women emerge from the cabin.
One wore a veiled white hat, her face obscured.
The other was clad in soft armor, holding a long spear, looking fierce.
The faction leader wasn’t completely clueless, his mind turned, and he couldn’t resist asking, "Brother Zhang, is she from Prince Qing’s Mansion?"
Zhang Fanyang replied, "Just so you know, this is the madam of Prince Qing’s Mansion, the president of the Li family merchant guild."
The faction leader was astonished, then murmured, "It’s truly like a deity has come."
With that, he personally stepped forward, directing the dock workers to transport the goods off the carts securely and then promptly arranged a clean room, respectfully inviting the madam inside to rest.
After completing this, the faction leader pulled Zhang Fanyang along to study the route together.
Why?
Because bandits were causing chaos near Rougu City.
The bandit seemed to have come from Cyan Wood Province last year, known as Guan Fei.
Guan Fei had a large force, roaming between "Yunmeng Province" and "Bailang Province" south of the Qing River.
The two discussed for a long time before finally setting the route, then Zhang Fanyang found a female disciple to invite Assembly Leader Tian.
Once Assembly Leader Tian made the decision, everything was finally settled.
This Assembly Leader Tian was naturally Tian Yuan.
To ensure the "Firefly Fragrance" trade was foolproof, and with intentions of establishing long-term trade relations, she personally crossed the Qing River to Yunmeng Province.
...
Early next morning.
The convoy set out.
There were many in the entourage.
First were many sent by Waqian Port, second were disciples from Qing River Guild, who had hurried over in small boats last night.
Therefore, despite being only two cartloads of goods, nearly a hundred people escorted them, all of whom were burly men, making it such that no one dared to rob them.
