Seeking good fortune and avoiding misfortune: Starting with death row inmates

The two left the inn and then came to a ferry crossing.

The ferry crossing was overgrown with weeds, with a cracked boxwood plank standing on the bank. There were no other distinguishing features. If Wei Xiong hadn't said it was a ferry crossing, Shen Chen would have thought it was just a patch of overgrown grass where people could relieve themselves.

"I entrusted someone to transport the goods to the Northern Barbarians back then, and judging by the time, they should have arrived by now." Wei Xiong said, taking out a fishbone whistle from his pocket and blowing it.

"call out!"

A slightly shrill whistle echoed in the air, and after a while, a fishing boat drifted leisurely down the river.

The boatman looked at Wei Xiong and Shen Chen and called out, "Send a vine and get on the boat, step onto the wide plank."

Wei Xiong and Shen Chen replied, "Side by side, tumbling along, we drift along the current with our hard work!"

After exchanging coded language, the boatman brought the boat to shore and took the two men aboard.

"Hero Wei, it's been a long time!" The boatman recognized Wei Xiong and said with a smile, "You must have made quite a bit of money on your trip to the Northern Barbarians!"

"What a load of crap! Ji Sansheng's brain must have been kicked by a donkey. How can you do business with barbarians? Those bastards are ruthless and almost swallowed all my money." Wei Xiong cursed.

Ji Sansheng was an old acquaintance of Wei Xiong and a notorious river pirate. It was Ji Sansheng who came up with the idea of ​​going to the northern barbarians. After the business failed, Wei Xiong entrusted Ji Sansheng to transport the goods back to Nanjiang.

After sailing for a while, the boat arrived at a riverside inn.

The post station was bustling with people, and a dozen porters were carrying wine barrels onto the boat, but what came out of the barrels was the clanging of metal.

A man with a blue turban wrapped around his head was standing on the steps, pointing at his subordinates: "Hey, move the stuff further away, that bucket is leaking, replace it."

The man caught sight of Wei Xiong, and a smile immediately spread across his face. He jumped down the steps, spreading his arms wide: "Hey, Brother Wei, I've been so worried about you for the past two weeks! I'm so happy to see you back safe and sound."

Wei Xiong's response was indifferent: "Ji Sansheng, has my batch of goods arrived yet?"

Ji Sansheng rubbed his hands together: "Things have been a bit unsettled in Jiujiang lately, so the goods might arrive later."

"That will take some time, damn it, I need the money urgently, hurry up!" Wei Xiong urged, cursing.

"Alright, Mr. Wei, please wait a moment, three days. The goods will definitely be delivered to you within three days," Ji Sansheng said.

Shen Chen stood on the riverbank and looked at the ships on the river. There were at least three cargo ships, and judging from their style, they were official ships of the Great Yan Dynasty.

"Boss Ji's business is quite large," Shen Chen remarked.

The fact that Ji Sanxing was able to seize the Da Yan post station and these official ships demonstrates his courage and skill, and also proves that Da Yan's fate is probably truly sealed.

"Hehe, not bad." Ji Sansheng chuckled, then turned his attention to Shen Chen. "I've neglected this brother. May I ask who you are...?"

"Shen Chen, Wei Daxia's henchman, is just a nobody, not worth mentioning," Shen Chen said. "Brother Ji, you're truly resourceful to have managed to procure these official ships. These ships must be able to carry tens of thousands of kilograms, right?"

"Hehe, these are all small boats, how could they possibly carry that much? They can only carry a maximum of three thousand catties," Ji Sansheng said.

Ji Sansheng said a few more casual words before seeing Shen Chen and Wei Xiong off.

After the two walked a hundred meters away from the post station, Shen Chen said to Wei Xiong, "I think Ji Sansheng wants to steal our goods."

Upon hearing this, Wei Xiong was immediately startled: "Brother Shen, where did you see the clue?"

Shen Chen said, "Those ships can carry a weight of three thousand catties, but when I went to see them today, the ships were drafted very deep, so they must have been fully loaded with cargo."

"Moreover, I observed the manpower under Ji Sansheng. At most, these manpower can manage three ships. Any more than that and the ship's load-bearing capacity will reach its limit. So, Ji Sansheng is lying to us," Shen Chen said. "Brother Wei, your goods are already on those ships. He deliberately said they hadn't arrived so he could skim some profit while we wait."

He was very certain because the divination result also indicated that Ji Sansheng had secretly taken 30% of Wei Xiong's goods and lined his own pockets.

Upon hearing this, Wei Xiong flew into a rage: "Fine! That old devil Ji has dared to bully me! Let's go back and settle the score with him!"

Wei Xiong wants to go back and break ties with Ji Sansheng. What is your choice?

[Good fortune: Advise Wei Xiong and offer better suggestions; auspicious outcome]

[Winning prediction: Advise Wei Xiong to be patient and avoid unnecessary complications; Draw]

[Bad Fortune: You and Wei Xiong put pressure on Ji Sansheng, leading to a complete breakdown in relations and a conflict. You are injured in the conflict. Ominous.]

Shen Chen advised Wei Xiong, "Brother Wei, there's no need to go back and cause him trouble so openly. I have a better idea."

Wei Xiong suppressed his anger, listened carefully to Shen Chen's suggestion, and his expression became interesting: "Haha, your idea is brilliant."

At the post station, Ji Sansheng ordered his men to unload several boxes covered with silk from the ship.

"Be careful, these things are very precious, don't damage them," Ji Sansheng carefully instructed.

He lifted a piece of silk, revealing the contents of the box: a series of fine crossbows made of fine iron.

The military repeating crossbow of the Great Yan Dynasty was designed and manufactured by Zhu Yiqing, the first prime minister of the Great Yan Dynasty. The crossbow has an extremely fast firing rate and huge destructive power. Even an ordinary person who has never practiced martial arts has the opportunity to shoot and kill a martial artist who has been practicing true qi for many years. Qin Pi was injured and imprisoned by this weapon.

The first prime minister, Zhu Yiqing, was a rare genius in the world. He was well-versed in both civil affairs and military strategy. Together with the founding emperor of the Great Yan Dynasty, he created the prosperous era of the Great Yan Dynasty. People from all over the Great Yan Dynasty spontaneously erected thousands of statues in his honor.

The golden age has passed, and the man is gone, but the divine weapons he created still exist in the world, attempting to restore the crumbling dynasty.

"Wei Xiong is really capable; he actually managed to get his hands on goods of this quality," Ji Sanxing exclaimed.

He counted them; there were twenty-five boxes in total, and each box contained two crossbows.

He ordered his men to move eighteen boxes down, keeping seven for himself.

Ji Sansheng had already sensed Wei Xiong's condition; the man had clearly been injured in the Northern Barbarian lands. Recently, countless banks in the Great Yan Dynasty had gone bankrupt. Ji Sansheng and Wei Xiong were close friends, so he was aware of Wei Xiong's current financial situation.

It would be unreasonable not to take a bite out of a brother who is going through a tough time.

"Send a letter to Wei Xiong the day after tomorrow, saying that a batch of his goods was lost on the way. We did our best to help him save them, and then squeeze some more money out of him," Ji Sansheng instructed his subordinates.

After saying that, he hummed an unknown tune and walked lightly back into the house.

night.

The evening breeze rustled through the grass.

A deep voice echoed from the bushes: "Brother Shen, shall we make our move?"

Shen Chen observed the lights in the post station and, seeing that they were dim, drew another fortune stick.

[Good fortune: You sneaked into the post station under cover of night and easily knocked out the guards protecting the warehouse. Auspicious!]

Seeing that it was a favorable lot, Shen Chen no longer hesitated and immediately said, "Let's do it!"