Anti-fraud manual for the cultivation world

Chapter 102 A New Situation

A morning breeze swept across the riverbank at Hongya Gate, and the wild grass along the river nodded gently. A cargo ship carrying smuggled salt slowly approached the shore.

The members of the Demonic Sect who would usually rush to greet them did not come today.

The cargo owner was a bit bewildered, craning his neck to look towards the shore. He immediately saw that the area in front of the stilted houses of the Jiangzhou branch of the Demonic Sect was surrounded by constables and yamen runners—

The cargo owner was startled and quickly steered the boat away.

His ship was full of smuggled salt, something that couldn't be brought to light. If the imperial court caught him selling smuggled salt, it would be a serious matter. The "Salt Law of the Divine Land" stipulated that anyone who committed smuggling salt would be punished with one hundred strokes of the cane and three years of penal servitude; if he possessed military weapons, he would be punished with one hundred strokes of the cane and exiled two thousand li; and if he resisted arrest, he would be beheaded.

But having already stopped on the shore, it's not that easy to run away.

A chubby middle-aged constable flew over from the direction of the stilted house and landed on the bow of the boat with a thud. He deliberately used a heavy weight when he landed, causing the entire boat to sway slightly at the stern. The ship's owner knew he was doomed, so he could only walk onto the deck with a long face and cower in front of the constable: "Captain—"

"Enough with the nonsense." The chubby middle-aged constable chuckled. "I am Cai Xinzi, the chief constable of Jiangzhou City. I know what kind of business you're in, and I know who you do business with. Now your business partners have been uprooted by the imperial court, and you have no one to protect you in Jiangzhou."

The cargo owner had a bad feeling, but at the same time he sensed something was wrong. If the other party really wanted to take me, why would they say all this?

Cai Xinzi paced back and forth on the bow of the boat a few times, then chuckled and said, "From now on, you'll probably have to find someone else to protect you—"

Upon hearing this, the merchant suddenly realized what was going on. He quickly reached into his pocket, pulled out a money bag, and stuffed it all into Cai Xinzi's hand: "This is the profit-sharing agreement between me and the Demonic Sect. Now that the Demonic Sect is gone, this profit-sharing should naturally be handed over to you."

Cai Xinzi laughed and said, "That's good, that's good. I like people who know what's good for them."

After saying that, he swayed and flew off the boat, landing back among the group of constables outside the stilted house. The constables whispered among themselves, seemingly saying something, and then all the constables collectively ignored the smuggled salt boat.

The cargo owner brazenly moored his ship at the dock, hired laborers, and openly, in front of the constables, carried bag after bag of smuggled salt into the warehouse on the ground floor of the stilted building.

The warehouse was no longer managed by the members of the Demonic Sect; in fact, it was completely unmanaged. The owner had simply assigned a few of his men to guard the warehouse entrance, and all he had to do next was find a buyer.

Meanwhile—

A ship carrying books on the Yangtze River hadn't even reached Hongya Gate yet, and had just entered the Jiangzhou territory when it was greeted by a group of uninvited guests. Tie Cangzhou, the leader of the Jinzhu Gang, sat at the front of the deck and laughed, "Boss, the Demonic Sect is gone. No one will take your ship of books even if you transport them to Hongya Gate. Why don't you talk to our Jinzhu Gang? The Jinzhu Gang's Chaotianmen Wharf is the largest wharf in Jiangzhou. Unloading there will definitely be more comfortable than at Hongya Gate."

The bookseller was skeptical and was considering how to speak.

Just then, another person flew over and landed in front of Tie Cangzhou. It was none other than the Jiangzhou Hall Master of the Yangtze River Gang, Green-skinned Tiger: "Yo, Hall Master Tie! The Demonic Sect just suffered a setback, and you're already trying to steal their business? Aren't you afraid that when the Demonic Sect comes back, they'll cripple you as well?"

Tie Cangzhou sneered: "Since you're here, it means you also want this business. Aren't you afraid the Demonic Sect will cripple you?"

"If you're not afraid, why should I be?"

"That's right! If you're not afraid, why should I be?"

The two said the exact same lines, and tensions immediately flared up.

In the distance, several cloaked men slipped into the Black Knife Sect's money exchange. As soon as they reached the counter, they pulled out a deposit slip and said quickly, "Withdraw all the spirit stones we've deposited here, quickly."

The money exchange manager smiled and offered friendly service: "Are the Demonic Sect brothers trying to run away with the money? The Black Knife Sect Money Exchange is happy to serve you, but for large withdrawals, you need to make an appointment in advance—otherwise, our small branch doesn't have that much cash to withdraw. We suggest you withdraw a small amount first, and then withdraw the rest from another money exchange within our sect after you escape to another city."

The cloaked men exchanged glances and whispered, "Alright, give us fifty spirit stones and one hundred taels of silver first, enough for our emergency needs on the road."

Liziba, a ghost town gambling den.

Mo Xuanye clutched his injured waist, quickly walked to the front desk, gently patted the table, and put down a bag of spirit stones: "I need to go back to the main headquarters."

The pale-faced woman at the front desk said softly, "Senior Brother Mo, you'll have to pay double the price compared to others."

Mo Xuanye was slightly angry: "Don't go too far, Ghost City. Taking advantage of a crisis like this?"

The pale-faced woman said, "You showed your face when you stormed the government office, and you can't escape the label of traitor. You're now a wanted criminal, and the whole world is trying to capture you. Protecting you on a long-distance escape is extremely risky. My Ghost City is only charging double, which is already very kind. Charging you ten times would be reasonable."

Mo Xuanye suppressed his anger and took out another bag of spirit stones.

The pale-faced woman then led him into the basement, pointing to a coffin and saying, "Lie down in there!"

Mo Xuanye lay down in the coffin, suppressing his five senses. Then the coffin was nailed shut and covered with talismans that shielded his divine sense. He could feel the coffin begin to vibrate and shake—he had already established his foundation, so going without food or water for several days wouldn't be a problem, and he didn't even need much oxygen to breathe. He simply closed his eyes and focused on cultivating his technique, oblivious to the vast distances that lay ahead.

a few days later.

Li Gu walked on the streets of Jiangzhou, with Meng Ting by his side.

This was Meng Ting's first time going out since arriving in Jiangzhou.

For more than a month, she had been hiding in Hong Zhizhou's house, not stepping out of the door once. Now that the threat from the Demonic Sect has been temporarily lifted, she can finally walk freely in the sunlight.

I feel very relaxed!

"Senior Brother Li, take me to Wangjiang Tower! I've heard the food there is delicious." Meng Ting pouted, "You and Senior Sister Zhang have both eaten there, but I haven't even glanced at it."

Li Gu laughed: "Go, go, go now."

The two looked like lovers on Baidexin Street, their faces filled with pride and admiration. They had arrived at the confluence of the two rivers, and not far away was Chaotianmen, controlled by the Jinzhu Gang.

Wangjiang Tower overlooks both rivers and is decorated in a luxurious and grand style.

Meng Ting was a little scared as soon as she reached the door. Before entering Flower Valley, she was a poor child. Her mother died early and her father was paralyzed from a fall and bedridden for many years. She took care of him and never had a good day since she was a child. Until the family's land was sold off and her father died, she became an orphan and was taken into Flower Valley by Hua Qianfang.

Before coming, she was looking forward to seeing Wangjiang Tower, but when she actually arrived at the entrance of this luxurious restaurant, she was a little hesitant to go in.

She tugged at Li Gu's sleeve and whispered, "Senior Brother Li, how much does a meal cost here?"

Li Gu said in a low voice, "We won't go to a private room. We'll sit in the main hall and have a simple meal. It'll cost about one or two taels of silver."

Meng Ting whispered, "The constable's monthly salary is five taels, right? If we spend one tael on a single meal, that's terrible! Let's not eat there."

""