Chapter 251 - Chapter 251: Chapter 244 Nine out of Ten Houses are Emptyi (2/2)
“Just taking a casual look. Have you ferried Young Master Qin across the river?” “Of course, rowing boats is my forte. I watched him safely reach the shore and leave,”
Lu Zhong answered with a smile.
With the Two Silver Money given by Qin Niu, Lu Zhong felt like there was a sun shining in his heart, giving him boundless confidence.
He also had a direction for his efforts.
“He is our family’s benefactor; it’s good that you got him safely across the river. Your clothes are wet, hurry inside and change!”
“Wife, are you predicting the future? When Brother Qin Niu left, he gave me Two Silver Money, telling me to buy a set of ordinary cultivation techniques to practice. He’s right, ‘to forge iron, one must be strong oneself,’ I need to strive to be stronger, only by doing so can I protect you and our child. I’m going to Mai City tomorrow; I can ride in big brother’s horse carriage.”
“He, he gave you Two Silver Money! Young Master Qin is really too kind to our family. When you become successful, you must not forget his kindness.”
She had not anticipated Qin Niu’s generosity.
“I definitely won’t forget! Just wait, when I become strong one day, I’ll be able to repay him.”
Lu Zhong always harbored the idea of owning his own territory.
Two Silver Money was not much, but it was a great encouragement to him.
After having a goal to strive for, his entire demeanor changed. He became full of the vitality and energy of youth, no longer the same as before, spending his days only in idleness and frivolity with friends.
The Black Tiger Gang’s Luoshui Town was just approached by Qin Niu when several soldiers with torches surrounded him.
“Who goes there?”
“Insect Master Qin Niu from Shuangfeng Village, Jade Stream Town, of the
Black Tiger Gang!”
Qin Niu directly presented his Fish Talisman badge and stated his identity.
The leading captain took the Fish Talisman and carefully examined it, then shone the torch on Qin Niu’s face.
“Turns out it’s our own man. Brothers, all’s well,”
He said with obvious relief once he confirmed Qin Niu’s identity.
The other soldiers also lowered their guard.
“Did Master Qin just come over from the other side of Tian Shui?”
“That’s right. The Shennong Sect had the area heavily locked down, and I found someone to secretly get me back by smuggling.”
“Is Tianshui Town assembling a large army?”
Upon hearing this, the captain of the soldiers became tense once more.
“There was no sign of a large army gathering, but when I hired a boat to cross the river, the boatman secretly informed the officials. A large number of soldiers tried to capture me.”
It s quite good that you managed to escape safely. According to reliable information, any Black Tiger Gang member captured in Nine Insect Gang territory ends up in a sorry state. The men are used to raise insects, and the women are taken as playthings. With war upon us, it’s better for Master Qin to avoid wandering around, especially staying away from the Nine Insect Gang area.”
After giving Qin Niu a few words of advice, they let him pass.
Knowing that there was no large army assembled on the other side of the river, the soldiers on guard relaxed their expressions, looking forward to a good night’s sleep tonight.
Qin Niu entered Luoshui Town and found that aside from locusts crazily gnawing on plants everywhere, the local residents were shrouded in the shadow of war.
Many households had their doors locked tight, the inhabitants having already fled elsewhere for refuge.
In contrast, Shennong Sect’s Tianshui Town was peaceful, with people eating and drinking as usual, very optimistic about the outcome of the war.
The locust plague had already spread to Luoshui Town, indicating that the entire territory of the Black Tiger Gang might be at risk of a locust disaster. Weary from traveling for consecutive days, although he wished to return to Shuangfeng Village as soon as possible, he still decided to find an inn in Luoshui Town and rest well for a night.
In the town, several inns had closed doors.
It was with difficulty that he found an inn with lanterns lighted. Despite its old appearance, he went up and knocked.
Bang bang bang!
“Who is it?”
A voice of an old woman asked.
“I’d like to stay for the night,”
Qin Niu replied.
The door opened from the inside, and a gray-haired woman in her fifties holding a lamp evaluated him.
“Are you from the Shennong Sect?”
“I came from there; I’m from Jade Stream Town of the Black Tiger Gang.”
“Oh! I see, ‘When in Rome, do as the Romans do,’ so that explains your attire. All the rooms upstairs are empty, feel free to take your pick,”
The old woman, experienced in receiving guests, quickly understood what Qin Niu’s Shennong Sect attire implied.
“How much for one night?”
“Just give ten Wen Money! Hot water is at the back of the kitchen; you’ll need to fetch it yourself. I’m old and don’t move easily, and I can no longer carry heavy things upstairs.”
“Here! I’ll stay for one night and leave tomorrow.”
Qin Niu gave the old woman ten Wen Money; the price was indeed reasonable.
“Greedy for money!”
The old woman received the copper coins, her face breaking into a smile.
“I see that the other inns seem to have closed down, are they afraid of the war?”
“Of course they are scared. If I wasn’t so old and could move better, I would have run away with them. Since the trade operations between both sides have been halted, I haven’t had much patronage. If it were like past years during the peak trade season, with ships bustling on the river, my inn would have been full long ago.”
The old woman shook her head repeatedly, sighing.
A perfectly good business had been forcibly halted because of the war.