Chapter 552 - 318: The Mantis Stalks the Cicada!

Zhang Dabao understood the cue. He straightened his robes, took a deep breath, and led the way.

Despite his composed demeanor along the journey, he still felt a surge of nervousness now that the moment had arrived. A million piculs of grain—worth tens of millions of silver coins at current market prices! If anything went wrong, selling him wouldn’t be enough to cover the loss. Even though Chen Yi had said some reassuring words to him earlier, his heart still THUMPED wildly in his chest.

Liu Lang, on the other hand, seemed completely unfazed.

Last night, to ensure the transaction went smoothly, he and Zhang Dabao had specifically instructed Lin Zhenghong and the others to bring fewer guards. The excuse was that too many people would attract unwanted attention. In reality, it was just to make it easier for them to hijack this batch of grain.

Before long, Zhang Dabao, Liu Lang, and the others arrived at the front of the convoy. Looking at the quiet mountain forest in the distance, Zhang Dabao shouted loudly, "Guests from afar, halt your carriages at the pass!"

His voice echoed all around. Then, from the distant woods, a voice replied in an even thicker Poshisu Country accent than Liu Lang’s, "The mountain path is treacherous, harder than scaling the heavens."

Hearing this, Zhang Dabao cupped his fists in a salute. "Li Sanyuan has come to keep the appointment! I hope the heroes of the tea route will show themselves."

As soon as he finished speaking, three figures walked out from the forest. Over a hundred dark shadows could also be seen darting among the branches. RUSTLE, RUSTLE. A flock of birds took flight in alarm.

The three figures quickly approached. All of them had the appearance and attire of Poshisu Country men. The leader glanced at the horse-drawn and camel-drawn carts on the mountain road, as well as the hemp sacks piled on them. In stiff, broken Wei Language, he said, "L-let’s trade."

Zhang Dabao exchanged a glance with him, gave a subtle nod, and then gestured behind him invitingly. "Come, esteemed guests. Please inspect the goods first."

Understanding his look, the leader stepped forward as a sampling rod slid out of his sleeve. He went from cart to cart, randomly inspecting the grain inside the sacks. He even made a show of biting a few grains of rice to check their quality.

Seeing them act so cautiously, Lin Zhenghong was pleased rather than annoyed. He leaned close to Zhang Dabao and whispered, "Sir, it seems they take this transaction very seriously."

"Naturally. It is a massive sum of silver coins, after all. If anything goes wrong, they wouldn’t have enough heads for King Landu to chop off."

"You are absolutely right, sir..."

Zhang Dabao ignored him and stealthily shifted his feet closer to Liu Lang, figuring that if things went south, he at least wouldn’t be instantly killed. Liu Lang had also dropped his earlier cynical demeanor. His left hand gripped his long blade, and his right arm hung naturally by his side, maintaining a posture ready to draw the blade at a moment’s notice.

About fifteen minutes later, the three "Poshisu Country men"—who were actually disguised Celestial Sect disciples—completed their rounds and returned.

"The Trading Company is very trustworthy!"

Zhang Dabao smiled. "You flatter us, sir. Business is business. We certainly wouldn’t dare play tricks in front of the Peacock King Banner." He paused for a moment before asking, "Shall we proceed with the trade?"

The leading "Poshisu Country man," Jin Peng of the Celestial Sect, nodded. "Wei Dynasty, silver notes."

He waved to the distant forest. Another Poshisu Country man, also dressed in black, walked over carrying a large chest.

Lin Zhenghong stared eagerly at the chest, unable to suppress the joy on his face. Although this transaction was only for ten million silver coins—which still constituted a significant loss for them—compared to the pressure from the Governor’s Office, this minor loss was nothing. Furthermore, they had brought the Liu Family’s stale grain this time; sooner or later, they would make up for this deficit through Liu Hong.

There was no rush.

Seeing the Poshisu Country man approach with the chest, Lin Zhenghong was just about to step forward to inspect the silver notes when Zhang Dabao cut in diagonally, blocking his path.

"I’ll do it," Zhang Dabao said.

Lin Zhenghong froze for a second. Once he recovered, he offered an awkward smile. "Sir, this... this is against the rules."

According to the rules of the Ji State Trading Company, a Wind Patrol Envoy could not directly intervene in business deals. Only if the Trading Company’s Shopkeeper—namely, him, Lin Zhenghong—died could the Wind Patrol Envoy temporarily take charge. This was also the reason why he had been the one to formally visit Cui Qingwu earlier.

Zhang Dabao didn’t care about his rules. He scoffed, "I was the one who facilitated this deal. Are you trying to steal the credit?"

"N-no, I wouldn’t dare..."

"If you know better than to dare, why haven’t you stepped back?"

"Yes, yes."

Once Lin Zhenghong retreated a few steps, Zhang Dabao inwardly sighed in relief and stepped forward to open the chest. How could he possibly let Lin Zhenghong handle this? Forget picking up the silver notes to examine their authenticity one by one—even a single glance would guarantee they’d be exposed.

Liu Lang knew exactly what was going on. He casually blocked Lin Zhenghong’s line of sight, leaned in, and said impatiently, "Silver notes. Wei merchants. Brought them. Not fake."

Zhang Dabao laughed and voiced his agreement while quickly picking up and putting down the stacks, preventing the people behind him from seeing the authenticity of the silver notes. A few breaths later, he shut the chest with a loud CLACK and locked it. He picked it up and smiled.

"The amount of silver notes is correct. We look forward to our next trade with your esteemed King’s Banner."

Jin Peng gave a grunt of affirmation. "Then, we part here."

He waved his hand again, and nearly a hundred men in black poured out of the forest, heading toward the horse and camel carts. Playing along, Zhang Dabao turned and signaled for the guards to step back. Holding the chest, he watched as the men drove the carts away along the mountain path toward the west. Liu Lang, Jin Peng, and the others all remained standing in place.

Lin Zhenghong watched for a while before glancing at the chest. Still unwilling to give up, he shuffled over.

"Sir, you are a man of noble status. Why don’t you let me hold on to the silver notes for safekeeping?" As he spoke, he reached out his hands.

Zhang Dabao thought for a moment before handing the chest over to him with a warning. "Don’t flash your wealth. It’s best if you wait until we get back before opening it."

Lin Zhenghong agreed profusely. He took the chest and hugged it to himself, unable to contain his wild joy. Now that the money was safely in the bag, he and "Li Sanyuan" would no longer have to suffer the Trading Company’s punishment.