620: Chapter 619: The Storm is Brewing 4 620: Chapter 619: The Storm is Brewing 4 The two won treated Hou Niao as one of their own, conversing with great openness.
Naturally, Hou Niao was ready to reciprocate,
“Seeking Geng Ore?
There’s no need to rush; just wait a bit longer, and there will be changes in Zhongqing City.
I can’t promise anything for others, but leave the volu of goods you need to —I guarantee you’ll be satisfied.”
He didn’t reveal his identity as it wasn’t necessary; he had yet to make a final decision on how to handle all the troubles in Pingliang State, but it would co soon.
Lan Ting hesitated slightly but still pleaded, “Brother, I heard that the Zhongqing Chamber of Comrce will sell their Geng Ore stock in a few days.
I wonder if you could ask the relevant people to allocate a share for us?
We don’t ask for much, but the urgency from Three Rivers Prefecture…if the delay is too long…”
Hou Niao thought for a mont, “Yes, to alleviate the distribution of Geng Ore, the three prefectures of Zhongqing have unanimously decided to use the stockpile to offset the impact of the robbery to the greatest extent.
The stockpile will be divided into three parts: one will be under the jurisdiction of the central military prefecture, one under the control of Mu Shuai Prefecture, and one with the Capital Commandant Prefecture.
“I can’t speak for the others, but for the portion assigned by the Capital Commandant Prefecture, I can figure sothing out—it’s not a problem to allocate a share to you, but the quantity won’t be too large.
You should know there are many who want to get their hands on the goods.”
Lan Re was very grateful, “Thank you for your help, Brother.
You have no idea, ever since Anhe Daoist Sect split, our lineage in North An has had a difficult ti in these areas.
Other aspects are manageable, but supported by the Wu Sect from behind, South An strives relentlessly to besiege us in the comrcial field, particularly by restricting key resources.”
The three had their plan settled, and Lan Re and Lan Ting didn’t see much difficulty in it; since Brother Hou was from the Capital Commandant Prefecture, he must have so ability, which was far better than their own confusion.
Zhongqing City continued in calmness, and the impact of the great robbery gradually beca invisible—at least on the surface.
Only those truly involved knew it was all a facade, as undercurrents surged, ‘and the trees wished to stay still while the wind would not cease.’
Several days later, under the unified coordination of the three prefectures, the Geng Ore stockpile was divided to et the increasing demands from various channels.
Such planning was seldom seen in the normal comrcial activities of Zhongqing Prefecture; usually, Mu Shuai Prefecture managed mining, the central military prefecture took care of distribution, and the Capital Commandant Prefecture oversaw it nominally—this was when supply was abundant.
Now, that was no longer the case.
The main export direction for Geng Ore had been monopolized, leading to many disputes over resource distribution—who got and who didn’t, who got more and who got less—equality was hard to achieve.
The central military prefecture was no longer able to control the entire distribution process.
It had to draw in Mu Shuai Prefecture and the Capital Commandant Prefecture, using their power to balance the increasingly dissatisfied voices in Zhongqing’s comrcial sector.
In such a climate, sharing the load was the best way to deal with the pressure.
Everyone showed their capabilities, striving to bite into this part of the stockpile.
Generally, the most powerful rchants were the ones who received the goods, with few exceptions—apart from the two won from North An, they were still novice rchants.
Lan Re and Lan Ting obtained their long-awaited goods from the Capital Commandant Prefecture, even more than they had imagined.
In their hearts, this was a sign of friendship, but to others, it looked completely different.
They said the unforgiving Capital Commandant predictably gave the resources to the beauties, and God knows what unspeakable deals were made behind the scenes…
Bearing the envious and jealous gazes of many, the two swiftly handled their business in Zhongqing Prefecture; once the Geng Ore issue was resolved, getting the other materials beca easy.
In a few days, a fully loaded raft was ready for departure.
When loaded with goods, the raft could no longer be retracted, so it remained at a cargo field, and the two were ready to set sail back ho imdiately.
“Aren’t you going to say goodbye to your senior brother?” Lan Ting was in a good mood, the buying trip had gone smoother than expected, having encountered a benefactor.
Lan Re shook her head, “Next ti.
With the raft filled to the brim like this, I’m always uneasy.
You see the way those people look at us, in a different situation, I’m afraid many would turn into bandits on the spot.”
While the value of their boatload of resources was far from being worth a fortune, so of the Geng Ore they carried was scarce and thus very eye-catching.
The best strategy was to leave imdiately, instead of dawdling here and unnecessarily testing so people’s fragile nerves.
The raft rose into the air, slowly picking up speed, and soon vanished above Zhongqing City—a re blip among the many rchant rafts to this border trade city of Shan Country.
The two won focused intently on navigating the raft, not daring to relax even a little.
They knew all too well that the journey ahead might not be safe, especially with the recent discovery of ore-thieving gangs in Pingliang State.
They hadn’t flown long when both won sensed sothing amiss, as if there was sothing not quite right in the cargo hold.
How could this be?
The cargo raft wasn’t large, and they had placed each type of goods by hand.
It was impossible for soone to have sneaked in without their notice.
Divine Sense was of no help.
The two exchanged a glance, slowed down the raft, braced for any contingencies, with Lan Ting reaching out to violently yank open the cargo hold door…
where a man lay sprawled out on the floor, fast asleep.
Lan Ting covered her mouth in surprise, “Senior brother, are you eloping with us?”
Hou Niao comfortably shifted position, laughing with a ‘hehe’, “Just escorting you a bit, I was worried it might not be safe for you along the way.”
Lan Ting’s eyes glead, “Senior brother, are you doing this to protect us, or are you just taking the opportunity to visit our master?”
Hou Niao just chuckled, “My dear sisters, friends are hard to co by in the Cultivation World, and that’s even more so the higher you go.
That’s just how I am; as soon as I hear news of an old friend, I can’t help but want to visit them, really it’s nothing serious, just drinking, chatting…”
Lan Re looked at him with a playful expression, “You make it sound like you’re rely fair-weather friends, but is that truly all there is to it?”
Hou Niao replied earnestly, “What if there’s a chance that fair-weather friends are the true friends?
They don’t care whether you’re successful or powerful, only if you are available at any ti to co out for a drink?”
The three of them giggled and laughed.
With Hou Niao on board, the two won felt much more at ease.
They knew that no matter the reason, at least their senior brother cared about their safety.
Lan Re pondered, “Do you think we’re definitely going to encounter danger, senior brother?
Is there sothing we don’t know about?”
Hou Niao sighed, “I simply think, since the last batch of Geng Ore that was headed for South An was intercepted, there are probably those who would not want to see you from North An succeed in getting your hands on Geng Ore, hmm, just a hunch.
What’s important is, I need to et with your master to clarify exactly what I should do to assist you.
It’s to help myself as well.”
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