"Did you encounter bandits on the road? It seems our journey here wasn't very peaceful either?"
Qi Yue pretended to respond casually, guiding him to reveal more.
Sure enough, as soon as she said this, several people's spirits perked up, and they began talking more animatedly.
"Bandits would have been easier to deal with," the thin-faced man lowered his voice, "they were soldiers! We almost got drafted into the army!"
"Was it the Nanyue Army?" Qi Yue feigned surprise.
"Of course, aren't we from Nanyue?" At this mont, the man with the mutton-chop beard opened up, "Fortunately, this ti we were entrusted by the Liu Family to transport a batch of goods, otherwise we would definitely have been conscripted."
The fat man also murmured in fear.
"Exactly, we can't return until the Four-Nation Alliance is over this ti!"
Four-Nation Alliance?
Qi Yue glanced at Zhao Chong without any change in expression, and he imdiately understood, filling the cups of the three n in front of him with wine.
"My brothers, my sister rarely goes out and loves to hear about unusual happenings, please do tell us more."
Zhao Tai also enthusiastically added, "Yes, Big Brother Hu, you just ntioned the Liu Family seems very influential?"
"I, for one, haven't heard of any powerful Liu families in Nanyue!" Qi Yue added.
What she really wanted to know about was the Four-Nation Alliance.
But the fat man didn't seem to want to let others know when he spoke earlier.
If she asked bluntly now, she feared she would not be able to obtain any information, so she had to take a roundabout approach.
Indeed, spurred by their conversation, the three couriers let down their guard, not even bothering to inquire about Qi Yue's origins clearly before they continued with the conversation.
"Miss is unaware that in our Nanyue, there has always been a saying about 'Shen of the martial world and Liu of the households.' This Shen is the renowned owner of the Deathblade, Shen Gong, and this Liu, is the Liu Family we just ntioned!"
When talking about our Nanyue, the fat man with a large face even bowed respectfully towards the south.
The gesture seed to show respect for the Emperor of Nanyue, but Qi Yue inexplicably felt he was offering his respects to Shen Gong!
She deliberately frowned.
"Everyone in the martial world knows Shen Gong, the undoubted number one Deathblade wielder, acknowledged by all. But what is so special about the Liu Family, that they dare to be ntioned in the sa breath as Shen Gong?"
Upon hearing this, the big-faced man's face broke into a mysterious smile, about to speak, when the thin-faced man chuckled and interjected, "These are not things to be spoken of here, if overheard by others, we all could be unfortunate!"
The man with the mutton-chop beard also downed a cup of wine and whispered persuasively.
"Indeed, we're in no rush to leave, let's not talk recklessly and attract unwanted attention."
Their concealed talk only made Qi Yue more suspicious.
Her intuition told her that tackling this Liu Family would bring great benefits.
However, given the deanor of the three n, it was clear she couldn't ask anything more.
So Qi Yue tactfully changed the subject and imdiately treated the three couriers to good food and drink, while Zhao Chong tactfully went out to make arrangents.
Ever since the three n arrived in Yindu, there had been brothers of Rishengchang following them around.
The mont Zhao Chong stepped out, soone ca forward to talk.
Of course, the eting was secretive.
If it was in the past, once Qi Yue arrived in Yindu, she could have just gone to Rishengchang's turf.
But now, the Western Chu Court had co to know that Zhao Xiyan was behind Rishengchang, yet due to Rishengchang's imnse influence, they dared not take any rash action.
After all, half of the economic lifelines of the world were controlled by Rishengchang, essentially controlling half of the world's economy.
This was also one of the reasons why the Four-Nation Alliance hesitated to move against Zhao Xiyan.
Unless these four nations collaborated to take control of Rishengchang, any single move from Zhao Xiyan could result in imasurable losses.
Thus, nowadays, other than their own territories like Longnan and Yecheng, Rishengchang's other branches primarily operated under the surveillance of the courts of the four nations.
Zhao Chong instructed soone to prepare another lodging yard, then returned to the gathering.
With a glance exchanged, Qi Yue imdiately understood.
She imdiately raised her glass, warmly inviting the three couriers.
"My three elder brothers, it is my fortune to make your acquaintance today. My brothers and I also plan to venture into Nanyue for business, and there are many questions we would like to ask you. How about we move to another place and continue drinking rrily?"
The n with beards and the others, being simple couriers, didn't engage in much subtlety. Hearing Qi Yue speak so sincerely and with such a valiant air, how could they refuse? They imdiately agreed.
The six of them left the tavern and soon arrived at an inn.
"Qiushan Residence?"
The man with the beard noticed the na of the inn, and half of his drunkenness dissipated imdiately.
"May I ask, miss, is this where you are staying?"
"Yes," Qi Yue replied with a gentle smile, "Please, my elder brothers, the arrangents for your accommodations have already been made by my brother."
The bearded man, the thin-faced man, and the chubby man with a large face all appeared flattered and astonished at once.
"How can we accept this? A night here costs twenty taels of silver."
Zhao Chong imdiately stepped forward with a smile.
"My elder brothers, do not worry. My younger sister holds the heroes of the Martial World in high regard. Because of her, our ho supports hundreds of brave soldiers. Each person earns hundreds of taels of silver per month, so this is nothing!"
Hearing this, the faces of the three n were shocked again.
It was absolutely unheard of!
They did not know that the brave soldiers Zhao Chong referred to were their own escorts.
Soone had already co up to lead each person to their respective courtyards.
After freshening up, Qi Yue guessed that the three couriers had beco familiar with their surroundings and the alcohol had mostly worn off, she slowly strolled to the courtyard next door.
"Big brother, this young lady, could she be from the Dongjiang Zhou Family? This grandeur is truly impressive!"
"It's hard to say, nowadays other than Miss Qi, there's only the Zhou Family!"
"Perhaps the young lady with whom we drank and dined could actually be Miss Qi!"
"Hahahaha... Little brother, stop dreaming. How could Miss Qi co alone to such a perilous place?"
"Exactly, this lady looks as ethereal as a celestial being, unlike the Miss Qi we know from paintings!"
"..."
Qi Yue listened from outside the courtyard with interest for a while, and when their topic shifted, she deliberately *coughed* and walked in at a leisurely pace.
"My elder brothers, does this residence et your satisfaction?"
Upon seeing her, the three n imdiately rose from the long bench under the porch.
The bearded leader promptly clasped his fists in a formal gesture.
"Thank you, miss, our brothers could not have had such good accommodations!"
The chubby man with the large face and the thin-faced man also eagerly ca forward to join the conversation.
"Miss, to speak the truth, we brothers have been guarding couriers for many years but have never stayed in such fine lodgings!"
"Yes, indeed, we owe this stroke of good fortune to eting you!"
She didn't know whether these three were truly fortunate, but she was certain that her trip to Western Chu was not in vain.
Just now when resting, she had not been idle, imdiately having Zhao Chong gather information on the Liu Family of Nanyue.
After understanding the situation, she was even more convinced that the Liu Family was undoubtedly an excellent ally in securing the foundation of Nanyue.
Thinking of this, Qi Yue smiled slightly.
"We're all children of the Martial World, my elder brothers, there's no need for such formalities."
The group exchanged pleasantries for a while, and soon returned to the conversation that had been interrupted at noon.
By this ti, the bearded n had completely let their guard down, and their talk flowed unceasingly.
"Speaking of the Liu Family, there is no other family under the heavens more unassuming than them," the chubby man said, arching his short eyebrows mysteriously.
"...Not just in Nanyue, but even across the Four Nations, no other household has managed to achieve such a blend of the utterly common and the suprely elegant!"
"The utterly common and the suprely elegant?" Qi Yue was a bit perplexed, "What do you an by that?"
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