Chapter 188 - Remote Depths
Chapter 188 – Remote Depths
After exiting the town, Song Wei insisted on sending them off. Outside the door, Song Wei suddenly asked: “I heard that Yang Cunzheng has set up a caravan in the Xishan Village?”
Yang Junshan was startled, he was a little confused, but upon thinking about it, he realized that the amount of people smuggling people was not small in the Mengyu County, and could avoid collecting taxes at the borders. This could be considered an open secret in the Mengyu County, even in the whole of Yuxian.
Therefore, he said: “That’s right, but the trading road is sealed now, so I’m afraid that in the future, I will have to go to the neighboring counties such as Jinyu and Chen Yu to do business. These towns belong to the same kind of Yuxian, so if you want to make the same kind of profit as the merchants in Zhang County, you can no longer do so. My father is currently considering whether or not to temporarily dissolve the trading team foeriod of time.”
Song Wei laughed and said: “It’s best not to dissolve it.
Yang Junshan’s eyes lit up, and said: “Is the border martial law about to end?”
Song Wei looked at him and said: “I’m afraid that the border martial law cannot end in a short period of time. Even if we close down the trade routes and reopen them, do you think those smuggled secret passages will be left for you?”
Yang Junshan laughed embarrassedly, and asked while thinking about it, “Then how does Master possibly open the business routes to the borders of Zhang County and Yao County?”
Seeing Song Wei smile without saying a word, a thought flashed through Yang Junshan’s mind, and he suddenly recalled the scene from his previous life, and said: “Exchange market? The border exchange market? ”
Song Wei was slightly taken aback, and the gaze which looked up and down at Yang Junshan was filled with probing intent, as he asked in a deep voice, “Where did little junior hear this news from?”
Yang Junshan blinked his eyes, and could only continue lying, and said: “I just suddenly thought of this possibility, what, does Master really have that intention?”
Song Wei’s eyes still flashed with suspicion when he looked at Yang Junshan, but he had still admitted Yang Junshan’s conjecture, and said: “Little junior brother’s thinking is sharp, I am impressed, and my thinking is the same as little junior’s. Master intends to set up a field at the border, and let this county’s and Huyao County’s caravan exchange among the field, and at that time, we will collect ten percent of the tax.”
Yang Junshan’s eyes lit up as he praised, “With such a sight, it will definitely attract the attention of all the merchants of the three nations. I’m afraid the size of the other market will be extremely grand, and its income will also be extremely substantial.
Song Wei laughed as he looked at Yang Junshan: “No matter how much of a genius you are, didn’t little junior brother think the same way? How could I hear little brother praise himself?”
The two of them looked at each other and laughed. Song Wei asked: “What is Junior Brother planning to do next, are you going to return to Xishan Village now, or are you planning to stay in this county city for two days?”
Yang Junshan suddenly thought of something, and said: “Senior, your words areminder for me, I’m afraid there really is something that I need to trouble senior brother for.”
Song Wei knew that the restoration of the Spirit Origin grounds required a large amount of spirit materials, but after hearing that there were still a few high grade spirit materials that had yet to fall, Song Wei began to mutter to himself.
Yang Junshan said: My father has recently been collecting materials to repair spirit sources, and spirit materials are still okay, but first of all high grade spirit materials are precious, and second of all, he has no way of knowing, even if he has some Jade Coins s with him, I do not know where to exchange them for.
Song Wei laughed: “This matter isn’t too difficult, in fact, there is already a way to do it in this county, I just don’t know how good junior brother’s luck is, and whether or not you can come across the things you need, and even if you do, if you do not have enough money, I’m afraid it will be difficult to do so.”
Yang Junshan was overjoyed: “Senior Brother, you really have a way? This is great! ”
There was naturally a place for merchants to trade in the county city, but every year, these shops would have to pay a high tax to the Heaven-Shaken Sect, and the more precious the item, the higher the tax would be charged. Thus, in this county city, there was a kind of underground black market that could hide from the officials of the county magistrate, and most of the cultivators who knew of it would call it dark market.
Just like a secret passage used to smuggle, the dark market was also considered an open secret among the cultivators who knew about it. There were many types of things that could be found inside, and even inner disciples like Song Wei would often find other things to trade for them.
Yang Junshan naturally knew that the Mengyu County existed, and the reason why he asked Song Wei was because he wanted to enter the dark market. It was because if one wanted to enter the dark market, they needed to be recommended by people with status and position, and as the head disciple of the Mengyu County, Song Wei naturally had the qualifications.
Song Wei merely gave him a keepsake, and told him the address and how to enter the dark market. However, he did not go to the dark market with Yang Junshan because he had matters to attend to.
In fact, Yang Junshan had already entered the dark market several times and thus was extremely familiar with the dark market. There was no need for him to be led, what he needed to do was to act freely on his own.
Watching Yang Junshan’s back figure gradually disappear into the crowd, Song Wei had a face full of contemplation. He originally said that he had urgent matters to take care of, but now he turned around and returned to the back of the county magistrate’s hall.
Spiritual Master Chen Ji seemed to have already expected that Song Wei would return. He closed his eyes and casually asked: “He left?”
Song Wei laughed: “Junior brother asked foiece of dark market’s keepsake from me, and has already headed towards the west side of the city. Xishan Village has only just succeeded in merging with the village, and that Yang Cunzheng is also very ambitious, I’m afraid that even though Xishan Village is rich, he still does not have the means to find some things to help them.”
Spiritual Master Chen Ji laughed: “Originally, I was optimistic about Yang Tiangang stirring up the Mengyu County’s muddy water, but now, I am more optimistic about this child.”
Song Wei laughed: “Isn’t this simple? Little junior brother is originally my master’s honorary disciple, and since master thinks highly of my junior brother’s future, he can just directly take him in and pass him down to my Heaven-Shaken Sect. I heard that under Senior Uncle Qing Shu’s tutelage, there is a disciple who is equal in age to my junior brother, but his cultivation has already reached the second level of martial arts realm.
Spiritual Master Chen Ji shook his head and said, “Could it be that you haven’t noticed that Master’s honorary disciple isn’t really interested in joining the Heaven-Shaken Sect.”
Song Wei said in surprise: “How is that possible? Let alone the Yuxian, even in the entire Yuzhou, among those who have heard of my Heaven-Shaken Sect’s reputation, who would be willing to refuse the opportunity to join our sect?”
Spiritual Master Chen Ji shook his head without saying a word, his expression changed slightly, and after a long while, he said: “Being unwilling to enter the Heaven-Shaken Sect is also good, since it can be considered as leaving a path for us master and disciple outside the Heaven-Shaken Sect!”
“Backway?” Song Wei’s expression became even more astonished, and couldn’t help but ask: “Why does Master say that? My Heaven-Shaken Sect has only suffered a slight setback, but in the entire cultivation world of the Yuzhou, what sect or sect would dare to challenge the dignity of my Heaven-Shaken Sect?”
Song Wei smacked his lips, as if he was not yet satisfied, and said: “Besides, little junior brother has only just entered the martial arts realm, even the Xishan Village behind him, in my eyes, is nothing, even if teacher was just taking precautions, how can a small shoulder of the Yang family be able to withstand a mountain like Master?”
Spiritual Master Chen Ji’s eyes were misty. It was unknown whether he was muttering to himself or explaining to Song Wei, but he only heard: “You don’t understand, the cultivation world is too big, only the higher your cultivation is, the higher you stand, and the higher you stand, the more you understand your own insignificance. What does a Yuzhou matter?”
Song Wei asked in shock, “Master, you mean the danger may have come from outside the Yuzhou?”
Spiritual Master Chen Ji did not respond to Song Wei’s question. Instead, he said, “This junior of yours originally only inherited Master’s teachings on the path of body forging. Master can see now that his physical body far surpasses cultivators of the same level.
Song Wei didn’t understand why his teacher would ask about his own cultivation, but he thought about it anyway: “Disciple still needs three to five years before I can truly touch the bottleneck at the peak of the martial arts realm.”
Spiritual Master Chen Ji shook his head and said: “With your current potential, even if you really touch the barrier of the realms of life, it is hard to say when you will be able to take that final step. It is possible that the moment you touch the barrier, will require even more years of accumulation, waiting for the day when you will accumulate enough energy.
Song Wei laughed, “This disciple knows master’s good intentions, but the cultivation of the body forging will only involve a large amount of disciple’s time and energy. Today, disciple still wants to push his cultivation to the limits of his martial arts realm first, if he is unable to break through the bottleneck of the realms of life after a few years, then it would not be too late for disciple to turn around and train in the body forging.”
Spiritual Master Chen Ji shook his head and sighed, “The body forging is nothing special to you seniors. It seems like your master’s attainments in the body forging can only be passed on to your juniors.”
When Yang Junshan left the county magistrate, the sky had already darkened. It was the opening season of the dark market, and when Yang Junshan arrived at an inn in the west side of the city, a waiter had already welcomed him with a smile on his face.
Song Wei laughed and said: “Take me to see your shopkeeper.”
The younger brother did not seem surprised. The smile on his face did not fade as he said, “Alright, please, follow me.”
Behind the counter of the inn, the fat shopkeeper laughed like a steamed bun, but the restrained energy in his body clearly told Yang Junshan that he was a genuine Martial Realm Cultivator. The shopkeeper then asked: “I wonder what this old one has that can help little big bro?”
Without leaving a trace, Yang Junshan shone the keepsake in his hand in front of the shopkeeper’s eyes and said: “I heard that your esteemed inn has two famous dishes that surpasses all the other Mengyu County s. I don’t know if I can take them with me to experience them.”
The shopkeeper’s smile didn’t change in the slightest. He stretched out his hand and pointed behind him, “Please.”