Lord of the Desert

Chapter 535 Decent
"Is the equipment I requested going smoothly?"

Hong Fan took a sip of pork bone soup and looked at Qian Hong.

"Following the routine, there's no pressure."

The latter replied.

"I've reserved half of the production capacity for firearms, which is about 200 per month. If we squeeze it out a bit more, we can definitely finish by the end of September. The breech-loading field gun is still in trial production, but the tapered threads of the breech and breechblock are too precise. Our lathe capabilities are insufficient, so I'm afraid we'll have to rely on the craftsmen to make them by hand in the short term."

Hong Fan showed no dissatisfaction upon hearing this.

He's been doing research and development for more than a year or two, and he knows best that haste makes waste.

"How many full-time martial artists have we hired so far?"

Hong Fan asked.

"Tiannan has few members, Junchi has twelve, and Kaiming has over fifty, most of whom are at the Guantong realm."

The answer was Hong Fu.

"It seems the atmosphere has changed?"

Hong Fan seemed to be deep in thought.

"Yes, it's much better now."

He sighed upon hearing this.

"Two years ago, we would be turned away nine times out of ten when we tried to recruit martial artists. After all, after years of martial arts training, they still had to work. Who would be willing to do that if they weren't injured or disabled? It's just that the price we offered was really high, and although the work was less respectable, at least their lives weren't in danger."

"The first person to eat crab will inevitably attract attention."

Hong Fan smiled.

"It's not respectable now, but it will be respectable when there are more people doing it."

"The underlying logic of this world is violence, but above that, it's mostly driven by economics; in the past, it couldn't be said that martial artists weren't entirely to blame for not working. To be honest, besides fighting and risking their lives to live off offerings, this world really didn't offer martial artists any other path..."

The group chatted and ate, covering the latest developments of several major trading companies during the meal, their mouths never stopping.

To this day, Hong Fan has personally founded six trading companies, spanning fields such as elixirs, arms, steel, textiles, and rail transportation. In addition, he is responsible for approving all clan decisions, making his affairs far more complex than ordinary people can imagine.

Even though he was a naturally gifted martial artist with boundless energy, he often felt overwhelmed and stressed.

Before taking office in Zhenbeiwei, it will probably be necessary to establish a holding group company.

After seeing off the heads of several major merchant houses, Hong Fan thought to himself on his way back to Asahi Prefecture.

······
July 2nd, morning.

Hong Fan traveled south alone, flying over Liangzhou, and arrived at the three prefectures before noon.

From Tingshan East to Jingming County, the fertile plains that once belonged to Huaiyang Kingdom rolled up beneath him like a scroll painting.

Three years have passed, and the laborers have all returned to their fields, while the hundred-foot-long scars of the windstorm have faded into the lush greenery, disappearing gently with time.

At noon, Hong Fan landed outside Lingbo City, reuniting with Yao He, whom he had not seen for half a day, two thousand miles away.

Even the same river can display different styles depending on its shape.

The Yao River in Xijing is calm and steady, but the section near Lingbo City, with its many bends, is more turbulent. Whenever the wind blows, the river surges and roars, creating a majestic and awe-inspiring spectacle.

Wanghewan, an unnamed alley.

Hong Fan strolled deeper in and found a quiet and well-organized three-courtyard house.

Tap, tap.

After knocking for a while, the wooden door was opened a foot.

What brings you here?

The man who opened the door was a muscular man with dark skin, rice grains stuck to the corners of his mouth, probably eating.

But as soon as he recognized the visitor outside, his rather impatient expression immediately turned into incredulous joy. "Could it be that I've mistaken you for someone else? Is it really Young Master Hong?"

"It's me. Is your general here?"

Hong Fan also smiled warmly.

"Yes, yes! Please come in, young master. I will go and inform him right away!"

The man warmly invited him.

Passing through the first courtyard, Hong Fan met Xu Yuntao, the former general of the Hundred Victories Army, who was living in seclusion there, and Yi Hong, the general of the Left Army. Compared to before, Xu was thinner, and the scars on his face seemed to have faded a lot. At this moment, he was having a meal with more than a dozen personal guard officers around the table.

With the arrival of the distinguished guests, the guards quickly rose from their seats and busied themselves, soon setting up a small table in a separate hall, where they laid out new wine and dishes, and invited Hong Fan, Xu, Yi, and the other two to sit down.

The comrades who had risked their lives together were suddenly reunited, and all three of them had undisguised joy on their faces as they talked about the past and their current situation.

"When I saw the headmaster personally invite you to take up your post in Yunlan City, I felt that you were destined for great things. But in just three years, I heard that you turned the tide in Shengzhou, captured the trickster, killed the Iron Demon, subdued the Azure Emperor True Sect, and even defeated Yi She on the Heavenly Platform. You are much more impressive than I imagined!"

Xu Yuntao was filled with emotion.

"In comparison, Yi Hong and I have lived a simple life here for the past three years, so there's not much to say about it."

He smiled and held up the rough porcelain rice bowl in his hand, making a self-deprecating remark.

"Since receiving guidance from the abbot three years ago, Master Baisheng has been in seclusion within the sect, and finally made a breakthrough at the end of last year, successfully upgrading the 'Heavenly Spirit Pure Yang Skill' to the second grade."

Yi Hong ate his braised pork with preserved mustard greens and ate large mouthfuls of rice, adding.

"At the beginning of this year, he made another great step forward, becoming the first Yuan Magnetic Grandmaster of the Tianling Chunyang Sect. After fulfilling his long-cherished wish, he even held a banquet in February, but you didn't go."

His tone carried a joking complaint.

"I know about this, and it was really my fault."

Hong Fan explained.

“After the New Year, Mr. Baisheng sent me an invitation, and I said I would go; but in February, the headmaster suddenly assigned me an important task, so I really couldn’t go in person and could only send a congratulatory letter and a gift in my place.”

At that time, the emergence and the theft of the "Divine Fiend Codex" caused a huge uproar in Kyushu. Although Xu Yuntao and other outsiders were not clear about the final outcome, they had heard that Hong Fan was in charge of handling the matter, so they would not really blame him.

Halfway through the meal and drinks, after some pleasantries, the conversation finally got down to business.

"General, I have come here today because I have a favor to ask of you."

Hong Fan carefully considered his words before speaking.

"Now that you have earned the title of the world's number one innate talent, and your influence among the younger generation is second to none, what else can I possibly do to help you?"

Xu Yuntao asked in surprise.

Hong Fan recounted the details of heading north to Fengsui City, including Xiao Ce's private assurances.

"As expected of the top genius on the list, His Majesty has granted you permission to establish your own residence!"

Yi Hong was taken aback, and then became excited.

"Everyone says that the giant spirits are born strong and that their individual combat power surpasses that of all other races, but I, Yi, have never seen one and therefore do not believe it."

"You all know a little about the situation in Zhenbeiwei. That person in Shenjing is just using me as a test."

Hong Fan said modestly, then immediately sat up straight and respectfully asked to speak.

"Although I have experienced many military affairs, I have never personally led troops, whether in the three prefectures or Shengzhou; I am not confident about going to the northern frontier, so I have come to ask the general to come out of seclusion and help me."

Upon hearing this, Yi Hong turned to look at Xu Yuntao.

The latter remained silent for a moment, not answering immediately, but instead recalling the past.

"I served in the army for half my life when I was young. I first trained soldiers for the Feng family. After losing my family due to a typhoon, I joined Baisheng Gong in a rebellion. I stumbled for three years until Duan Gong came and things started to improve."

He gazed at the bluebirds hopping on the wall, a slight smile playing on his lips.

(End of this chapter)