Chapter 400: A Heavy Consignment? Call in Reinforcements!

“Ding!”

“《Heavy Sword Technique》 has advanced from Minor Mastery to Practice Makes Perfect. Reward: +2 Strength.”

The instant the system notification sounded, Wangchuan unhesitatingly threw aside the specially made iron greatsword, heavy and broad.

Wangchuan: Male (Hunger 77/100)

(Life Profession: Blacksmith)

(Combat Profession: Fourth-Rank Martial Artist)

Strength 85; Attack 28–29;

Agility 125; Defense 25; Speed +125;

Stamina 86; HP 860/860;

Spirit 41: Inner Power 410/410.

Free Attribute Points: 0 (Distributable)

(Cultivation Methods Folded)

Someone immediately came to put away the heavy sword, while another carried over a tray of pastries.

Wangchuan picked up two pieces and ate them.

Just then, Chen Ergou strode in from outside, his steps light and his smile bright. His whole bearing seemed to have broken through to a new level...

Wangchuan looked him up and down, then smiled.

“You broke through?”

“Yes!”

Chen Ergou respectfully cupped his fists and replied, “Thanks to Hall Master’s reminder, and under Big Brother Lin’s guidance, I learned 《Meteor Hammer》 and then cultivated 《Heavy Sword Technique》. As expected, I successfully broke through to the Third Rank.” During this period, the pressure on him had not been small.

Captain Zhao had broken through to the Third Rank. Wang Yuehui had broken through to the Third Rank. Bai Yuhui had broken through to the Third Rank. Yang Feiyue had broken through to the Third Rank. There was also Lin Jiahe in the Hall. Chen Ergou had begun to feel that he had been squeezed into the second tier among the Hall Master’s close followers!

The most crucial point was that a whole group of people behind him were chasing hard.

There was Ye Baiyi, whose saber art was at Perfect Mastery and whose combat strength was formidable;

there was Chen Gang, the fist and spear instructor;

there was Li Xiangyang, whose close-range assassination methods were exceptional;

there was Li Qing, with his sharp eyes;

and Hong Kaibao was chasing even harder...

“Good.”

Wangchuan patted Chen Ergou on the arm and smiled.

“With Third-Rank cultivation, you can finally stand on your own in Sanhe Commandery. But you still cannot slack off. Keep training properly.”

“This subordinate understands.”

Chen Ergou answered with complete respect.

Just then, a disciple came in to report:

“Hall Master, the hall master of Leishui Branch Helm requests an audience.”

“Let him in.”

Wangchuan waved a hand and walked into the pavilion. Taking advantage of office hours, he ate pastries and drank tea to replenish his stamina.

Chen Ergou attended at his side, pouring tea.

“This subordinate, Chen Dongliang, greets Hall Master.”

“Rise.”

Wangchuan looked at the man before him. He was one of the old hands previously assigned out from the Hall, and he had been doing fairly well over at Leishui Branch Helm.

“What is it?”

“Recently, this subordinate received an order from the Dongfang Family. They say they have a batch of heavy goods that must be transported from here to the capital. The total cargo value is three thousand taels of gold, and the escort fee is nine hundred taels of gold! But accompanying it is also a secret consignment, said to be a Blood Jade Coral meant for an important figure in the capital. It is said to be worth a fortune. This subordinate did not dare make the call and came specially to request Hall Master’s instructions.”

Chen Dongliang made his report.

“Blood Jade Coral?”

A look of surprise flashed through Wangchuan’s eyes.

When escorting cargo, the Caobang did indeed often ran into exceptionally valuable goods. Those were treated as secret consignments, and the other party would pay an additional escort fee to ensure safe delivery.

The price of this Blood Jade Coral was likely even greater than the value of an entire fleet’s heavy cargo. No wonder Chen Dongliang had not dared accept it and had come here to ask for guidance.

“How much escort payment is the Dongfang Family willing to offer?”

“Reporting to Hall Master, the Dongfang Family is willing to offer one thousand taels of gold, and the insured value of the goods is five thousand taels of gold.”

Chen Dongliang said, “This subordinate did not dare agree rashly... Hall Master, please decide personally.”

Wangchuan frowned and asked, “How is this sort of secret consignment usually handled?”

“Seventh Master would arrange for a deputy hall master to personally lead the escort.”

“...”

The moment Wangchuan heard that, he felt uneasy.

Zhao Heiniu was one of his most trusted right-hand men.

His strength had indeed reached the Third Rank, but he still had not reached the point where he could escort heavy cargo alone. His experience was still lacking, and...

most importantly, Wangchuan could not bear the cost of losing Zhao Heiniu.

Even losing two thousand taels of gold...

would not pain him much.

But Captain Zhao...

He did not want Captain Zhao taking such risks.

Yet refusing to accept a heavy consignment like this did not really seem right, either.

After all, this was Caobang business, and the profit was enormous.

One escort run, two separate fees, for a total of nineteen hundred taels of gold.

This was the kind of business Salt Gang and the Money Gang could only dream of.

Besides, there was only a little over a month left before year’s end.

By custom, before the New Year they had to turn over a batch of gold to headquarters.

When Seventh Master left, he had drawn off quite a bit of gold from Lin Cunxin’s side. That gap either had to be filled personally by Wangchuan, or covered by the profits of the coming month and more...

“We’ll take it.”

Wangchuan said, “Invite the Dongfang Family’s manager over. We’ll sign the contract face-to-face.”

“Yes!”

Chen Dongliang withdrew.

Wangchuan quickly summoned a group of people from the Hall to discuss matters.

A heavy consignment with a total value of eight thousand taels of gold had to be treated with full force.

This time, he not only planned to assign Zhao Heiniu to lead the escort, but also intended to call in Lin Jiahe and Yang Feiyue. At the same time, he planned to pull more than twenty Second-Rank Martial Artists and over one hundred First-Rank Martial Artists from the Hall.

With a lineup like that, unless they ran into a Fifth-Rank Martial Artist blocking the road, it should absolutely be enough.

To ensure that this heavy consignment reached its destination safely, he even went offline and called Captain Bai, Bai Jingtang, whom he had not seen in quite some time...

Bai Jingtang’s voice came through, sounding slightly drained.

“Wangchuan?”

“What is it? Go ahead.”

“Captain Bai, why does your voice sound so weak? Are you injured?”

Wangchuan’s brows drew together.

Bai Jingtang gave a faint cough, then spoke in a tone as though it were nothing worth mentioning.

“I exchanged a few moves with someone over here. It’s only a light injury. Nothing serious.”

“...”

At once, Wangchuan gave up the idea of asking Bai Jingtang for help.

Captain Bai was already injured.

He could not bring himself to squeeze a wounded person. His conscience would not allow it.

“Is there business you want to throw my way? I’m fine.”

As though she had guessed his purpose, Bai Jingtang took the initiative and said, “The coastal region is packed with studios, and the gangs are constantly at each other’s throats. It’s truly too hard to quietly farm, mine, and make money here. If you’ve got good business on your side, I don’t mind making a trip! If I don’t start working soon, the two Land-Clearing Teams under me won’t even be able to keep the pot boiling. We don’t have the money to buy manuals anymore.”

Since Bai Jingtang’s studio had formed Land-Clearing Teams, its expenses were naturally not small.

Hearing that, Wangchuan wavered again.

“If you’re short on martial manuals, say the word. Captain Bai, you looked after me before. Giving you a little help now isn’t a problem. Didn’t Yuhui tell you about my promotion?”

“You’re no longer a deputy hall master? You got promoted... Hall Master?”

Bai Jingtang sounded genuinely surprised.

Wangchuan was left speechless.

“It’s only been a few days. If things are really that hard along the coast, then Captain Bai, why not just come back to Sanhe Commandery? You’re familiar with this place. Competition on my side isn’t that fierce... If you’re short on niche cultivation methods, I can arrange something for you too.”

That instantly moved Bai Jingtang.

Niche Cultivation Methods.

During the time she had spent establishing her studio along the coast, her total profit had been less than two thousand taels of gold, and she had already spent it all.

When the year-end auction came, she did not even dare hope she could get her hands on a single Niche Cultivation Method.