The Heavenly Court is gone, I don't want to be a True Lord.

The next day.

At the entrance of Linjiazhuangzi.

Shadows were everywhere.

The manager of the fabric shop was instructing the shop assistants to pack the floral fabric.

Zuo Qi, dressed in a gray short-sleeved shirt with a half-length cloak tied behind his back, a cast iron cleaver at his waist, and a small "Lin" character embroidered on his chest, stood at the entrance of the manor, looking around.

He Xiao and Cheng Yun, along with six or seven others, were dressed similarly to him.

They were all tall and strong, from the courtyard where Li Gang practiced martial arts.

"Brother Xiao, when you and Brother Qi were outside the city, did you encounter any bandits or thugs?"

A young man approached He Xiao and asked in a low voice.

He Xiao was somewhat surprised. "You've never left the city?"

The young man lowered his head somewhat embarrassed.

"I don't know either. We brothers were really poor back then, what bandit would even look at someone like us?"

He Xiao said casually.

The young man nodded and then looked at Zuo Qi.

Actually, he would rather strike up a conversation with Zuo Qi. If something really happens, he'll have to rely on a tough guy like Zuo Qi.

However, Zuo Qi's appearance was too intimidating, and he was somewhat afraid to get close.

Soon, all the cloth was loaded, a total of two carts of patterned cloth, forty bolts of cloth in each cart.

A single bolt of cloth is no light matter, weighing at least sixty or seventy pounds. A cartload of cloth weighs over two thousand pounds, and the mules and horses pulling the cart look rather listless.

Moreover, Zuo Qi knew the price of these fabrics: a piece of printed fabric cost two thousand five hundred coins!

To put it bluntly, the price these three brothers paid for themselves was less than ten bolts of cloth.

There's no way around it; that's just how technology has developed in this era. It takes about four months to completely dye a piece of cloth.

Productivity is very low. The cloth workshop in Linjiazhuangzi is already quite large, with the most workers among the village's various industries, but it only produces a little over a hundred bolts of cloth a year.

The group consisted of more than thirty people, including the manager of the cloth shop who was responsible for coordinating with the dock, and each person was carrying a weapon.

It took them a whole morning to walk thirty miles.

We arrived at the East City Wharf close to noon.

Nothing happened.

He Xiao looked somewhat disappointed. After practicing martial arts for half a month, he was hoping to encounter some petty thieves and test his skills.

However, the thought of seeing Chunniang soon brought a rare silly smile to his face.

Zuo Qi could only shake his head as he watched.

But he didn't say much. Although Chunniang was a widow, she was trustworthy. Since He Xiao liked her, he would let him be.

The handover took place at the dock. It wasn't raining, and the canal dock was bustling with people coming and going, with shouts and calls filling the air.

"Five people come to move the goods."

"I'll do it."

"I was here first."

When people saw Zuo Qi and his group, they all gave way, partly because they outnumbered them, and partly because of the "Lin" character on their chests.

The Lin family of Fushan City is quite famous.

The handover was done by a cloth shop owner from Yuncheng, and it was past noon by the time the handover was completed.

The cloth shop manager breathed a sigh of relief, smiled, and distributed some money to everyone, saying, "Everyone, go out for a stroll, grab a bite to eat, and then meet back here around 1-3 PM to go home together."

This can be considered a small perk.

Having come all this way, Zuo Qi naturally wanted to see his nephew.

He bought some things at the dock with the money and headed towards Chunniang's tavern.

……

Although the canal wharf was built by the local people, it has become quite prosperous over the years, roughly the size of a town.

Chunniang is twenty-two years old this year. She comes from an ordinary family at the dock. She used to depend on her father for survival. Later, her father fell seriously ill and found her a husband. Unfortunately, her husband was a gambling addict. Last winter, after leaving the gambling den, he was killed by a water ghost by the river.

"You rascal, are you even capable of doing this? If you can't get it right, I'm going to find someone else."

She was extremely feisty, but then again, a widow running a small tavern couldn't survive without being a bit feisty.

"Chunniang, I'm not trying to be mean, but your wine jar has been uncleaned for years. It's only because it belongs to us villagers that it's cleaned. Otherwise, you wouldn't pay ten coins to clean it for anyone else."

Chunniang snorted coldly, but didn't say anything.

Erlaizi crawled into the wine vat and shouted, "Have your nephew help me get the hammer down; the lees are all hardened inside."

After emptying the wine jar, Er Laizi drank the water Chen Xun handed him and whispered, "Has Feng Yuan been looking for you lately?"

There's a reason why Chunniang, a widow, managed to do business at the somewhat chaotic dock without any trouble.

Feng Yuan, the official in charge of the dockworkers' office, had always wanted to take Chunniang as his mistress, which was no secret in the area.

Upon hearing this, Chunniang glared at Erlaizi and said, "What business is it of yours? Finish your drink and get out of here."

Erlaizi, realizing he'd made a fool of himself, shrank back and turned to leave.

Just then, a man entered from outside, dressed in official robes.

It was Feng Yuan, a man in his thirties, who was a minor official in the government office. He was greeted by Chunniang, who had a smile on her face.

"Chunniang, it's been almost half a year since Old Man Liu died. When are you coming back with me?"

Chunniang's smile froze. "Lord Feng, I still have to observe mourning. It will take a year before I can remarry."

Feng Yuan's smile vanished. "So, you were just playing me?"

His voice turned colder.

He suddenly took a step forward, shouting, "Today I'm going to make you observe mourning for your mother!"

He then reached out to hug Chunniang.

Chunniang immediately shouted outside, "Axun, go to the government office and find someone to come over. Lord Feng has drunk too much."

Feng Yuan stopped what he was doing, looking at her with a cold gaze. "Fine, very well indeed!"

Walk away.

Not daring to truly offend him, Chunniang quickly said, "Lord Feng, please give me some more time. Once I'm ready, I will definitely give it to you."

Feng Yuan left without saying a word.

Chunniang's eyes were filled with confusion.

Suddenly, Chen Xun shouted excitedly.

"Uncle, you're back?"

Zuo Qi did not answer, but squinted at Feng Yuan's back.

Life Points: 31

[Spiritual Essence: 8]

Chunniang suddenly looked up at Zuo Qi, who was standing in the shadows at some point.

He quickly turned around, looked around, and only when he saw He Xiao did a look of joy appear on his face.

"You...you're back?"

Zuo Qi simply looked at her and asked, "Is this the 'backer' you were talking about?"

Chunniang blushed. Previously, Zuo Qi and the other two had nowhere to go because they didn't have household registration. She said that she had a powerful backer in the government office and could solve the problem.

Their meeting was somewhat accidental. Some time ago, Chunniang went to a village outside the village to buy grain for brewing wine and was harassed by a few thugs. He Xiao, who was usually calm, took action that time. Zuo Qi later stepped in and dealt with those thugs.

We met again at the dock later, and we got to know each other after a few times.

Especially He Xiao and Chun Niang, the two of them are like a pair of peas in a pod, they've hit it off.

The two of them became inseparable as soon as they met.

Zuo Qi didn't bother looking at the two of them and took Chen Xun aside to chat.

"Your Uncle Xiao, Uncle Heng, and I work in the city. After we've made some money, we'll buy a house and bring you over."

Seven-year-old Chen Xun frowned. "What about Aunt Chun?"

"Have your Uncle Xiao tell her."

"Then she'll definitely agree," Chen Xun said with a shrewd smile, despite his young age.

Zuo Qi felt a pang of sadness watching this. Chen Xun was only seven years old when he experienced the death of his parents before his eyes and the process of fleeing thousands of miles away.

"Ah Xun, what do you want to do in the future?"

"I want to be a great general, specializing in capturing demons and bad guys."

Zuo Qi said earnestly, "You definitely will in the future!"

Chen Xun just grinned foolishly.

……

He Xiao's expression was a little off after he returned from Chunniang's tavern.

"Brother Qi, I want to kill someone."

Zuo Qi could understand the impulsiveness of young people.

Having finally found a girl he liked, only to have her almost snatched away by someone else, He Xiao, who had seen bloodshed before, naturally resorted to the most violent means immediately.

He neither agreed nor disagreed.

He suddenly looked into the distance.

As Feng Yuan was walking out of a house, he heard the sound of people crying and wailing from inside the courtyard.

Immediately afterwards, someone was heard saying something.

"That Feng Biaozi is bullying people again, he's a real devil."

"Say less. People harmed others a few years ago and got away with it. If you hear about it, you'll be in trouble."

Zuo Qi sighed inwardly.

So he was a bully.

It just so happens that he has now begun to practice martial arts and needs to know some things about demons and monsters. As a member of the Public Affairs Department, Feng Yuan should know some of these things.

"Xiao'er, come with me to scout the location. I'll handle the operation. After all, we're government officials; it wouldn't look good if someone got killed."