Chapter 444: A Grand Display, A Great Harvest

The Sanhe Commandery Hall made an enormous show of its spring departure.

The major halls in Rongcheng County, Water Stronghold Island, Huishui County, and Heilong County each detached one hundred and fifty martial artists to provide escort protection along the route.

The Sanjiang Branch Helm also assigned two one-hundred-man patrol escort teams to handle convoy protection along the way.

Captain Zhao Heiniu joined up with Bai Jingtang, who had come from Weihai Commandery, as well as Constable Captain Yu, Constable Captain He, and their people. From Rongcheng County, they escorted the Ouyang Family convoy and linked up with the local Dongfang Family convoy and several other family fleets before sailing in grand formation toward Qinghe Commandery...

As the spring departure began...

all the dock plazas in Sanhe Commandery became lively once more.

Large and small boats and fleets began filling the river.

After personally presiding over the convoy’s departure ceremony, Su Wangchuan returned to the hall.

With a large number of elite men joining the spring departure operation, roughly half the hall’s forces had gone with them. Su Yun, Su Qi, Lin Jiahe, and Zhao Heiniu had all left.

At present, only Chen Ergou, Wang Yuehui, Ye Baiyi, and Yang Feiyue remained behind to guard the hall as third-rank martial artists.

Still, all of them had been training well lately.

With the help of the Thousand-Forged Battle Armor, they had pushed 《Wudang Sanshou》 almost to the realm of Integration, then piled up enough progress to bring 《Dragon-Elephant Body-Protection Technique》 to Integration as well.

Each of them had improved considerably. At the very least, they were now somewhat stronger than the former Deputy Hall Master Zhao Jinshan had been.

Most of the remaining martial artists stayed in the training grounds to practice.

After making a round of the training grounds, Su Wangchuan silently turned around and returned to his own courtyard to cultivate 《Three-Yin Qi-Circulation Art》.

The experience value of 《Three-Yin Qi-Circulation Art》 had already reached 275/300. In just a few more days, it would break through.

Time passed little by little...

Night fell.

Wang Yuehui came in to report:

“Hall Master.”

“Hong Kaibao sent word that today’s net profit was two hundred and thirty-seven taels of gold. On the Main Helm side, even excluding the convoy’s revenue, the profit still came to more than two hundred and seventy taels of gold. Monk Dalong has also sent over the figures from the Leishui Branch Helm—two hundred and twenty taels of gold. And last is Helm Leader Zhao Zuo, with two hundred and twenty-five taels of gold.”

At this point, Wang Yuehui smiled and said,

“Counting the convoy’s earnings, the first day of our hall’s spring departure brought in a total of five thousand taels of gold!”

“And in addition...”

“The mineral stockpiles accumulated over this period by the Four Islands—now including Water Stronghold Island—and the Seven Caverns have already been sold for three thousand taels of gold.”

“On the Weapon Room and blacksmith workshop side, following your instructions, Hall Master, we’ve recently stockpiled a large quantity of weapons, including ordinary weapons, Hundredfold series weapons, and Thousand-Forged series weapons. At present, the total value of those stockpiled weapons already exceeds twenty thousand taels of gold...”

At that point, Wang Yuehui’s smile grew even broader.

“Hall Master, you guessed correctly. Right now, the prices in many of Sanhe Commandery’s weapon shops have already risen by ten to twenty percent, and demand still exceeds supply. The batch of weapons we held back has appreciated by twenty percent simply by waiting half a month before selling!”

“And furthermore...”

“As more people in our studio switch their profession over to Blacksmith, the blacksmith workshop is now generating three hundred taels of gold in daily revenue. Add in the profits from the Weapon Room, and our daily income can already exceed six hundred taels of gold.”

Wang Yuehui admired the Hall Master more and more by the day.

“At this point, the Weapon Room’s earnings already match the combined revenue of our three branch helms. In the future, it may even exceed the total revenue of all four branch helms combined.”

...

Su Wangchuan listened carefully, smiling from ear to ear.

The blacksmith workshop had gradually begun expanding and increasing production, and it was now already generating considerable profit.

Although what was being produced there was mostly ordinary weapons and only a small number of Hundredfold weapons, the workforce was large.

At present, one hundred and twenty people had already switched their profession to Blacksmith.

Its future earnings could still continue to multiply.

Given enough time to operate and develop, its monthly profits would absolutely surpass the combined income of the four branch helms.

Barring any surprises, Sanhe Commandery’s annual income from this point on would be more than twice what it had been in its former peak period.

That was also why he had been determined from the beginning to eliminate Lin Cunxin.

The changes in the Weapon Room could not be allowed to reach Yin Xingtian’s ears, nor could they be allowed to reach Caobang headquarters.

The Weapon Room’s future profits would be monopolized entirely in his own hands, becoming a hen that laid golden eggs!

“Good.”

“You’ve compiled everything very clearly.”

“You’ve worked hard as well.”

“Go get some rest.”

“And none of these figures are to be disclosed to outsiders.”

After giving that reminder, Su Wangchuan dismissed Wang Yuehui.

Then he resumed circulating his energy and cultivating.

Chen Ergou stood guard with his men.

The night deepened.

...

Li Qing was sitting inside the tallest restaurant near the hall, leaning against the wall with the window open, giving him a full view of the hall.

From here, he could clearly observe everything inside and outside the hall.

As the person in charge of the Dark Hall, Li Qing normally conducted himself with great restraint. His primary duty each day was to teach his subordinates how to read people, while also doing more general inspection of the Dark Hall’s operations.

Under his supervision, the Dark Hall had already developed a certain degree of real fighting capacity.

With the spring departure underway...

every member of the Dark Hall had become even more cautious and careful.

That was because, in the restaurants, brothels, and gambling houses, the topic of conversation had shifted from when the spring departure would begin to whether the Beggar Sect would come seeking revenge.

The Jianghu people who haunted those fringe places often had some ability of their own. Dogs had dog-holes, rats had rat-paths. Very often, such places provided advance traces of what was to come.

For instance, over the past two days...

some people had already speculated that the Caobang hall’s spring departure was being carried out on a grand scale and in conjunction with Qinghe Commandery...

The escort force for the spring departure exceeded seven hundred men. It was enough to attack even one of the famous sects and great schools.

Under such circumstances, who would dare make a move?

But others, speaking loosely over drinks, had pointed out that with both halls mobilizing so heavily, their rear positions had been left hollow. If someone chose this moment to storm the hall, the consequences would be unthinkable.

The speaker might have meant nothing by it, but the listener took it to heart.

After nightfall, Li Qing could not sleep at all.

He led the Dark Hall’s men and quietly laid down a ring of warning posts all around the hall, watching with utmost vigilance.

Even though it was already deep into the night...

Li Qing could still see that at several positions near the hall, the Dark Hall disciples were keeping themselves alert, watching in pairs.

Li Qing himself kept his ears pricked, not daring to doze.

Since the establishment of the Dark Hall, whenever it wanted money, it received money. Whenever it wanted people, it received people. Whenever it wanted martial arts manuals, it received martial arts manuals. The Hall Master had placed great expectations on the Dark Hall.

He could not allow the Hall Master to be disappointed!

Time passed little by little.

Drowsiness crept over him.

Without changing expression, Li Qing slowly moved his hand above the candle flame.

The intense pain from the heat instantly cleared his mind.

His eyes became as sharp as an eagle’s, fixed unwaveringly on the hall and on the night.

He did not know how much time had passed...

Then the watchman’s cry announced that midnight had arrived.

Li Qing lowered his head and glanced at the moon.

A patch of dark cloud was drifting closer.

The moon was covered.

The light around the hall dimmed and blurred...

It was at that moment.

A black shadow leapt up and dropped soundlessly, flipping over several high walls in succession as it darted toward the Sanhe Commandery Hall.

Behind that first shadow, seven more black figures appeared on a nearby rooftop, each one carrying an extraordinary presence.

Li Qing’s eyes instantly sharpened!

Hoo! Hoo! Hoo!

The low cry of a night bird sounded from outside the hall, its position shifting constantly, urgent and concealed.