Daqin Zhentiansi

Chapter 63: Master Kong, don’t you think the wheel tracks are too deep?
Fifty miles outside Luyang Prefecture is Qingma Mountain.

On the mountain path, Yao Gao, the leader of Qingshan Village, strode forward holding a sword.

Beside him, there were seven or eight strong men from the mountain stronghold.

At the rear, there were sixty or seventy people, carrying wooden boxes, pushing wheelbarrows, and following slowly.

A green wooden carriage pulled by two old horses was at the end of the team.

In the carriage, Master Tao, who was wearing a thick half-white robe, walked side by side with Zhang Yuan. Opposite him was Qin Yuqing, the chief officer of the Black Ice Platform of Luyang Prefecture, who was wearing a men's martial arts robe, and Qi Yue, who was holding a long sword in his hand.

The person driving the carriage was the chef of Chengfeng Tower, Wang Qinian, the former chief officer of the Black Ice Tower in Luyang Prefecture.

"Don't mention it, Old Wang is also a good driver." Master Tao chuckled, picked up the teapot on the small table in front of him, poured tea, held it up himself, and gestured to Qin Yuqing and Qi Yue opposite to drink tea.

"That's right. I, Old Wang, may not be good at other things, but I do know a little about driving a coach." Wang Qinian's proud response was heard outside the carriage.

Qin Yuqing smiled as she picked up her teacup and looked at Master Tao. "I've been looking through the files of the Black Ice Platform in Luyang Prefecture over the past few days. As long as you were involved, you handled them beautifully."

“Most of the times Wang Qinian intervened, he ended up cleaning up a mess.”

"Bam—"

The carriage wheels rolled over the stones, causing the carriage to shake and the tea in the cup on the table to spill all over the floor.

Zhang Yuan's expression remained unchanged. He picked up the teacup in front of him and drank it all in one gulp.

Master Tao on the side chuckled and shook his head.

Across from him, Qi Yue, with a long sword pressed against his knee, glanced out the car window, his expression somewhat cold.

"Are these people all bandits?"

"Their words and actions are all those of bandits."

Looking at Zhang Yuan, Qi Yue said coldly, "If anyone reports that the Black Armored Captain of the Black Ice Platform in Luyang Prefecture is raising bandits, all of us will suffer."

Zhang Yuan put down the teacup and said nothing.

"They are called the Qingshan Eighteen Villages Caravan. They are a caravan registered with the government office and are engaged in short-distance freight business." Master Tao's smile remained on his face.

"They are all doing legitimate business. Miss Qi, you can't judge people by their appearance."

Before Qi Yue could speak, Master Tao spoke up, "Miss Qi is worried that Brother Erhe might be too involved with the underworld, and someone might find something to hold against him."

Turning to look at Zhang Yuan, Master Tao smiled and said, "Miss Qi may appear cold on the outside but be warm-hearted at heart. Brother Erhe, you should appreciate her kindness."

"Thank you." Zhang Yuan said indifferently.

This is too perfunctory.

Qi Yue on the opposite side tightly gripped the scabbard of the long sword in her hand, straightened her waist, and stared at Zhang Yuan.

Qin Yuqing raised her hand and pressed down her arm.

Qi Yue can't stand Zhang Yuan.

From the first time I saw it, I have become more and more disgusted with it these days.

A 21-year-old Xiantian realm cultivator is actually more talented than her brother?

When she saw Zhang Yuan, Qi Yue wanted to challenge him, but unfortunately Zhang Yuan did not respond and was suppressed by his sister-in-law.

A few days later, she and Qin Yuqing discovered that in the Black Ice Terrace of Luyang Prefecture, the real power lay in the hands of Black Armor Captain Zhang Yuan.

Although Zhang Yuan doesn't care about anything, Master Tao behind Zhang Yuan arranges everything.

Qin Yuqing, the chief officer, could do nothing except being the shopkeeper of Chengfeng Tower and collecting some irrelevant information.

Mobilizing the Black Cavalry, the Black Armor, and the Secret Agents all require the approval of Zhang Yuan and Master Tao.

From beginning to end, neither Zhang Yuan nor Master Tao went against their wishes.

If you need to transfer people, just assign them; if you assign tasks, just carry them out so that they can't find any faults.

There is no way to intervene.

Just like Wang Qinian, the chief officer of the Black Ice Platform in Luyang Prefecture, was dispensable before, Qin Yuqing and Qi Yue were also dispensable.

Even for this transaction, the original arrangement was for Qin Yuqing to stay in the provincial capital, but she decided to come at the last minute, and Zhang Yuan and Master Tao agreed.

"You are so righteous, but this reputation in the martial arts world will not benefit your official career. You will understand it later." Qi Yue leaned against the carriage and said in a deep voice.

"Yes, yes, Miss Qi is right." Master Tao agreed.

After a pause, Master Tao raised his head and looked at Qi Yue: "Miss Qi, you are not married yet, right? I, Tao, am not married yet either..."

Qi Yue was stunned and subconsciously tightened the scabbard in his hand.

Master Tao quickly turned his gaze to Qin Yuqing: "Ahem, Commander Qin should also consider this. After all, it has been four years since General Qi died in the line of duty—"

"Bam—"

Qi Yue kicked the small table in front of her, trying to kick it towards Master Tao. Zhang Yuan reached out and pressed the table back to its original position.

This instantaneous confrontation made Qi Yue a little dazed.

Qin Yuqing, however, looked calm, leaning forward to look at Master Tao. "I've heard Master Tao is very good at matchmaking. If there's a suitable match, I wouldn't be reluctant."

She and Master Tao were only separated by a small table, their eyes meeting, and the clear smile in her eyes made Master Tao turn his head away unconsciously.

Qin Yuqing's smile grew even wider.

This Master Tao only looks like a teacher in front of others, but in fact, he is just a young man.

That look, full of panic.

"Second Master, we've arrived at Mananpo." Yao Gao's voice rang out from outside the carriage.

Zhang Yuan stepped out of the carriage, and Master Tao followed him out.

Qin Yuqing turned her head to look at Qi Yue, who was sitting there blankly with her eyes blank.

"what happened?"

Although Qi Yue has a somewhat arrogant personality, that is because she has the capital to be proud.

The eldest daughter of the Qi family, at the age of 25, is in the Xiantian realm and her talent is no less than her brother Qi Liang.

Qi Yue's expression was complicated, and she reached out to touch the small table in front of her.

"He just easily dispelled the force of my kick."

"This control of power—"

Before she could finish her words, the teapot on the small table cracked and shattered into pieces the size of fingernails, and half of the teapot spilled out.

This scene made Qi Yue and Qin Yuqing's eyes widen.

"He, his cultivation..." Qi Yue didn't know how to describe her shock.

She had no idea how Zhang Yuan had managed to transfer the power of the table to the teapot, keeping the small table intact and making the teapot solid and unbreakable until this moment.

"Don't think too much, he won't bother with you." Qin Yuqing patted Qi Yue's shoulder and spoke in a low voice.

Stepping out of the carriage, Qin Yuqing saw Zhang Yuan and Master Tao standing side by side on the hill, with Yao Gao, the leader of Qingshan Village, standing respectfully beside them.

The people from Qingshan Village scattered the boxes aside and surrounded them with wheelbarrows.

Ahead, on the hillside, a convoy was slowly approaching.

More than ten large carts covered with black cloth followed more than ten guards and came to the hilltop.

"Second Master, Master Tao, you are truly a trustworthy person." Kong Baitang, the head of the Kong family, who was wearing a silver-white cloak, smiled and bowed, striding forward.

His gaze shifted from Zhang Yuan and Master Tao to the large boxes.

"Master Kong, please inspect the goods first." Master Tao raised his hand with a smile.

In the back, the people from Qingshan Village took crowbars and pried open the big boxes one by one.

Inside the box, the green pulleys glowed with a golden halo.

There are also rolls of iron chains, each as thick as a finger, made from dozens of twisted steel wires.

This method cannot be forged in ordinary workshops.

Kong Baitang stepped forward to check for a moment and nodded with satisfaction.

He waved his hand, and several guards came forward carrying a large wooden box.

When the wooden box was opened, silver ingots were found inside.

"Three hundred taels of silver—"

Before Kong Baitang finished speaking, Master Tao looked at him and asked, "What about those two Buddhist women?"

Kong Baitang laughed heartily and waved his hand. Two guards climbed onto the carriage and lifted the curtain. Two women with their faces covered with veils and wearing bright red cloaks got off the carriage, walked up to Master Tao and Zhang Yuan, and bowed slightly.

"Haha, the money and goods are settled. I hope we can do business together often."

Kong Baitang bowed and looked at Yao Gao.

"Brother Yao, maybe let the brothers help load the truck. I don't have many people with me."

There were indeed a dozen guards behind him.

Yao Gao smiled and nodded, waved his hand, and the men behind him carried the wooden boxes and headed towards the carts brought by Kong Baitang.

Zhang Yuan's eyes fell on the frames and he said calmly, "Master Kong, don't you think the ruts are too deep?"

His words made Kong Baitang's face darken instantly.

Yao Gao, who was standing next to Zhang Yuan, was even more distraught. He shouted, "There's a black man—"

"Bam—"

From those carriages, teams of warriors in tight-fitting clothes rushed out, holding swords and knives, and surrounded the hillock.

(End of this chapter)