Chapter 787
You dare talk to me like that? Leaving the city
"Young Master Li, you've finally arrived."
Bai Wanxi smiled, then looked at everyone and said, "Now that we have a late-stage Xuanxian expert, do you have any objections?"
The shifty-eyed man sized up Zhang Lingshan and said, "This young man certainly doesn't have much experience in trade. Even if he's a late-stage Xuanxian, he's not very useful and can't handle important tasks. Unless we can find an experienced peak Xuanxian expert like Elder Chen, it will still be impossible for him to trade smoothly."
"Yes, miss, this person's background is unknown, and he can't be trusted at all."
"We still have to find experts from our own Bai family; we can't rely on outsiders."
"I think Miss is too concerned about saving face. Why don't you go and ask Old Chen for help? Didn't Old Chen work for Miss before? As long as Miss is sincere, Old Chen will definitely agree."
The words spoken by the crowd made Bai Wanxi's face turn pale, and she trembled with anger.
She had long sensed that these misfits were useless, but she never expected that not only would they be useless, but they would also have to teach Bai Wanxi how to do things.
"who are you?"
Before Bai Wanxi could get angry, Zhang Lingshan looked at the shifty-eyed fellow and asked.
With his shifty eyes and head held high, he said, "My name is Yin Guangnian. I've been a merchant for many years and have a lot of experience. I'm a few years older than you, so you can call me Brother Nian."
"What is your identity?"
Zhang Lingshan asked again.
Yin Guangnian said, "I am the captain of our trading team, and everyone recognizes that."
"Are you the head of the merchant convoy?"
Zhang Lingshan laughed and looked at Bai Wanxi, saying, "He's the head of the merchant caravan, and what are you, Miss Bai?"
Before Bai Wanxi could answer, Yin Guangnian interrupted, "How dare you speak to Miss like that?"
"How dare you talk to me like that?"
Zhang Lingshan glanced at him briefly, then turned back to Bai Wanxi and asked, "Can I kill him?"
"what you up to!?"
Yin Guangnian was both shocked and furious, and quickly took a step back.
Is this guy who suddenly appeared crazy?
He threatened to kill the moment he opened his mouth.
We are members of the Bai family. How dare you, an outsider, interfere in the affairs of the Bai family and even lay a hand on us?
What a huge order!
Bai Wanxi was also startled by Zhang Lingshan. Although she was unhappy with Yin Guangnian and the others' perfunctory attitude, she was not sure that they would kill her.
Although these people were all slaves who had sold themselves to the Bai family, the Bai family could kill them, but Bai Wanxi could not.
Because she doesn't have enough power, if she were killed, Bai Lingfeng and the others would definitely cause trouble, and she would definitely suffer a great loss.
They might even take this opportunity to strip them of their right to trade.
and so.
Bai Wanxi shook her head and said, "Young Master Li, we're all teammates, so it's best to keep things peaceful and make money together."
"understood."
Zhang Lingshan smiled slightly, then looked at Yin Guangnian and said, "Although I can't kill you, as the captain of the caravan, I should have the right to teach you a lesson. If you dare to continue babbling in front of me, don't blame me for being impolite."
"What did you say?!"
Yin Guangnian was taken aback.
What's wrong with this guy? He actually proclaimed himself the captain of the caravan, and he does it as if it's his due.
"You're an outsider who suddenly appeared out of nowhere, and you want to be the caravan leader? Even if Miss agrees, the Bai family won't. This is against the rules!"
Yin Guangnian shouted, rallying the crowd: "Isn't that right, everyone!"
No one answered.
An eerie silence fell over the entire courtyard.
A sudden gust of cold wind blew up, making Yin Guangnian shiver involuntarily.
He turned his head in surprise and saw that the caravan members who had previously echoed him had all turned into ice sculptures.
Everyone's face was frozen in terror, but their bodies didn't even tilt in the slightest, showing that they couldn't even run away when they were frozen in place.
Yin Guangnian couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat.
Did I see a ghost in broad daylight?
This scene is too bizarre; I've never seen anything like it in my life.
Of the twenty caravan members, only he was not frozen.
Is it because I am better than others?
of course not.
The other party's decision not to freeze you was intentional.
If I dare to say anything more, what awaits me will be an ending even more terrifying than being frozen in an instant.
"Any more objections?"
Zhang Lingshan asked with a faint smile.
Although Yin Guangnian was not frozen, he dared not move at all and quickly nodded.
"Did I ask you to nod?"
Zhang Lingshan snorted coldly.
Yin Guangnian's eyes widened in horror. He felt his head begin to freeze from top to bottom, and his neck, along with his head, became stiff and he could not move at all.
But the body can still move, which is even more uncomfortable than being frozen solid.
The whole body was frozen, and I was frozen stiff.
Now you must keep your body actively stiff to match the stiffness above your neck, otherwise you might accidentally break your neck and then who will you complain to?
My head is getting heavier and heavier, and they're still adding ice to it?
Yin Guangnian now only wants to beg for mercy.
If I add any more, it will become so heavy that I can't control it, and I'll lose my life.
"Young Master Li."
Bai Wanxi couldn't help but exclaim.
Zhang Lingshan smiled slightly and said, "Don't worry, I know what I'm doing. Now that no one is bothering us, tell me, where are we headed next on our trade route, and what's the map?"
Bai Wanxi said, "We won't go to Anning City. It's quite chaotic there right now. They're constantly sending grain and people to Beijiang City. If something happens to us there, it'll be troublesome. So, we'll take this route, passing through two cities, Taiyuan City and Taifeng City, and finally arriving at Qingfeng City."
"Is it that far?" Zhang Lingshan asked in surprise. "When you went through Anning City before, you only went through one city. This time you're going through three cities. Isn't that very risky?"
The reason we know that Bai Wanxi only went through Anning City is because if she went any further, there would be either cliff valleys or desolate wastelands, with no way to go at all, so she could only go through that one city.
Bai Wanxi sighed, "I know the risks are great, but the greater the risk, the greater the reward. If we continue to take it one city at a time, when will we be able to carve out our own niche? I don't have much time left."
Zhang Lingshan nodded and said, "I understand. Since you've made your decision, I won't say anything more. Do you have a map? I'm not very familiar with this area. If we can buy some geography books from the Qingyun Chamber of Commerce, it will definitely be helpful for our trip."
"The History section of the Six Treasuries of Qingyun Chamber of Commerce not only records the history of the Daqing Dynasty, but also the geographical changes of the relevant areas. Does Young Master Li need it? I can have someone buy it for him."
Bai Wanxi said.
Zhang Lingshan said, "Then let someone go and buy them. Whether they're expensive or not, I have spirit stones here too."
"It's not expensive. Just buy the relevant geographical and historical collections for our area. It won't cost much."
Bai Wanxi said with a smile, then casually called over a maid and told her to go to the Qingyun Chamber of Commerce to buy books immediately.
Zhang Lingshan asked, "Is this all the people we have? Are there any others?" "No."
Bai Wanxi smiled sheepishly, "If Young Master Li hadn't arrived in time, I wouldn't have been able to manage so many people. None of them wanted to work or take any risks; they just wanted to coast along. Sigh, if there wasn't a real reason, who would want these people? They were all rejected by other caravans."
Zhang Lingshan said, "It's more than just being eliminated. I think that Yin Guangnian was sent by someone to sabotage you. Even if the others weren't bribed, they're no good either. But don't worry, I have my own ways of dealing with them."
"any solution?"
Bai Wanxi asked curiously.
Zhang Lingshan laughed and said, "No rush, we'll talk about it after we leave the city. Since there's no one else here, we'll set off immediately after we buy the geographical and historical records. Is there anything else you need to pack?"
"Oh, we're setting off right away?" Bai Wanxi asked in surprise.
Zhang Lingshan said, "Didn't you say there was no one left? What are we waiting for if we don't set off now? Delay might cause unforeseen changes. You yourself said that your situation is not good. If we delay any longer, we may not even be able to leave the city."
Bai Wanxi whispered, "It can't be that scary, can it?"
Although they didn't quite believe what Zhang Lingshan said, just as Zhang Lingshan said, there was nothing else to do, and they couldn't recruit any more people, so they decided to set off.
Whether it will work or not, let's just do it first and see.
Anyway, her father gave her a treasure, so even if she encountered danger, she could escape.
If all else fails, I can escape to another city.
For example, Taiyuan City.
The reason I chose this route was because I was already prepared to flee.
There are relatives on my mother's side in Taiyuan City. Although we are not very close, it shouldn't be a problem for them to take me in.
While Bai Wanxi was packing her things, Zhang Lingshan waved his right hand, removing the ice from Yin Guangnian and the other twenty people, and said, "Come and assemble."
"Yes!"
Everyone was terrified, and no one dared to disobey. They all rushed over in a hurry.
“I heard from Miss that there’s a traitor among us. To prevent anyone from secretly revealing our whereabouts and causing everyone’s deaths, you all need to hand over your storage rings. I’ll count them, and you’ll have to throw the rings on the ground immediately. If you don’t, you can forget about getting your fingers. If anyone secretly hides anything else, I will kill them.”
"one!"
Zhang Lingshan uttered the word "one" almost without giving anyone time to think.
Everyone was horrified and hurriedly tore off the ring and threw it on the ground.
Some people, hoping for the best, didn't throw it away, or were a step too slow. They saw their finger, adorned with the ring, freeze instantly, then crack open with a snap, shattering into pieces that fell to the ground along with the ring.
But no one cried out in pain.
Because the pain is frozen.
They only screamed in terror when they heard the ring clatter to the ground and looked at the ground in confusion.
pity.
Zhang Lingshan froze the screams.
This is Zhang Lingshan's icy domain, where snow falls from all directions, and all sounds are drowned out by the cold snowflakes.
Zhang Lingshan ignored their cries of pain and asked calmly, "Are the horses and carriages ready?"
"There is only one carriage, and not enough horses. Besides the ones pulling the carriage, there are only ten horses."
Yin Guangnian hurriedly said.
Although it was only a brief encounter, he could tell that the person in front of him was a man of his word.
Moreover, their methods were even more terrifying than those of the Xuanxian experts he had ever seen. Not only did they act silently, but they could also control all of them at once.
Such methods are truly terrifying.
This person would rank among the top young talents in the entire Anyuan City.
Although it's unclear why someone like her would insist on boarding Bai Wanxi's sunken ship, with her around, this business venture isn't entirely hopeless.
Yin Guangnian immediately had an idea: if he could curry favor with this person and follow him around, he might be able to get a share of the benefits.
Although following Bai Wanxi would offend the second young master, Bai Lingfeng.
But I don't have a choice right now.
I'll try to please whoever I can; a lackey like myself is just trying to survive in the cracks.
Therefore, he is cooperating now.
In response to Yin Guangnian's reply, Zhang Lingshan said, "That's enough. I'll be the coachman, Miss will ride in the carriage, and the other ten horses can be shared by the two of you. It seems that everything is the best arrangement, and we should set off immediately."
Everyone was stunned.
Was this decision made so hastily?
How can two people ride one horse at a certain speed?
Furthermore, carriages shouldn't be used like that. They should be stored in a storage ring and only taken out when there are wounded or other needs.
Using horse-drawn carriages from the start, how slow would that be?
That's so unreliable.
Just as Yin Guangnian said, this young man had absolutely no experience.
Not only are they inexperienced, but this place is also a one-man show, extremely domineering and autocratic.
All talk and no action, but a complete idiot.
If you follow this guy on trade routes, you'll probably die without even knowing how.
"team leader."
Yin Guangnian couldn't help but ask, "Could we speak in private?"
"No need, just say it. Didn't you say you're experienced? I'm appointing you as the deputy captain now. If you have any opinions, just say them. I'm always happy to hear criticism."
Zhang Lingshan said.
Yin Guangnian was overjoyed. He hadn't expected that although the captain was gone, he had become the vice-captain. He immediately said, "Captain, then I'll get straight to the point. Based on past experience, the carriage is initially kept in the storage ring and only taken out for use when there are wounded or other special circumstances."
"I see, that's perfect. No need for a carriage, Miss and I can each ride one of those two horses, perfect!"
Just then, Zhang Lingshan saw Bai Wanxi come out of the room and said, "Miss Bai, everything is arranged. We will set off immediately once the books are returned."
As they were talking.
The maid hurriedly brought back a storage bag containing the geographical and historical records that Zhang Lingshan needed.
"Mount up and let's go!"
Zhang Lingshan waved his hand, mounted his horse first, and ordered everyone to move.
Bai Wanxi was still a little dazed.
The maid who had been carrying the book stood there, unaware of what was happening, as Zhang Lingshan's horse walked past her.
"What are you all standing there for? Keep up!"
Yin Guangnian shouted.
Seeing this, the others did not dare to hesitate and hurriedly rode their horses to follow.
There are many caravans in Anyuan City, and they have special routes for merchants to leave the city without disturbing ordinary residents, so they can travel very quickly.
Moreover, thanks to Zhang Lingshan's swift and unexpected actions, and the fact that no one reported the loss of everyone's storage rings, the situation was resolved quickly.
Thus, they traveled smoothly and unimpeded out of the city! (End of Chapter)