Demon Sword Sect’s Undercover
Chapter 614 - 614 613 Intricate and Confusing 2

614: Chapter 613: Intricate and Confusing 2 614: Chapter 613: Intricate and Confusing 2 “Jinxiu Continent apparently also produces Geng Essence in places other than Pingliang State?” Hou Niao had some inkling of these matters.

Li Shipeng listed them like family treasures, “There are only three places with the same quality.

Apart from here, there is one in the Northern Territory and one at the edge of the heavens.

The same situation prevails there, with the output all flowing mysteriously, causing the prices of various magic artifacts on the market to rise…”

“How do you know?”

“I’ve been to the Northern Territory and the edge of the heavens.

Buying Geng Essence is just as difficult as it is here.

This is not something one Wu Sect can do, but rather a collective action of the entire Daoist Sect, so, I infer they are preparing for something.”

Hou Niao was somewhat surprised.

If it was just speculation, he wouldn’t be surprised; there are always those with keen observation and an innate talent.

But if it was not just in thoughts but also put into action, such a person would be highly regarded.

“That’s a very farsighted judgment.

As far as I know, the output of Geng Essence on the continent has always been low?”

Li Shipeng nodded, “Yes, because it’s a material for Divine Sense communication, it’s not the main material for magic artifacts, but plays a crucial role in perfecting them.

Thus, once someone hoards it, it will cause a shortage.

And if there’s some kind of special large Array application, then the expenditures are unimaginable.”

“Why not report it to Sikong Mansion?”

“There’s no avenue for reporting, and besides, these are all conjectures, I can’t produce tangible evidence, nor can I prove it; and even if I can prove it, so what?

They just like hoarding, what can you do about it?”

Hou Niao chuckled inwardly.

This fellow was full of desires, probably seeing this as an opportunity for upward mobility, waiting to sell at a higher price.

He wasn’t put off by it; at least the fellow had picked the right master.

“I want to know the channels of Geng Essence in Pingliang State.

Who is mining it?

Who is selling it?

Who is buying it?

Who is running the operation?

If I want to make a move, where is the best place to do so?”

Li Shipeng’s eyes lit up.

He knew that this Capital Commandant hadn’t come here to waste his days; he was exactly the person Li was looking for.

“It’s like this, I’ve been watching them for ten years…”

…After the grand banquet at Langzhong Tower, the various circles within Zhongqing Mansion gradually understood what kind of agenda the new Commandant had, which was the same old pattern.

There were those who rejoiced secretly, and those who couldn’t avoid disappointment, as well as those who were covertly cautious.

But as time passed, everything became clear; this Commandant Hou, after initially going through the motions, gradually revealed his greedy nature, no longer satisfied with mere gifts, even going so far as to extort under various pretexts from everyone, including all the merchants and even including the Mu Shuai Mansion and the Central Army Mansion!

In one word, if you don’t please me, I’ll make things difficult for you!

Zhongqing City’s three mansions had utterly surrendered; the Mu Shuai Mansion represented the local forces, the Central Army Mansion was both the merchants’ backer and enforcer, and the Capital Commandant’s mansion had turned into the number one criminal syndicate in the city!

Riding helter-skelter, calling cats and teasing dogs, forcing sale and purchase, inventing various pretexts—actually plundering—turning the entire Zhongqing City’s business district into an area full of grievances and constant lament.

Then there was that theater troupe, still not content, implying that the great courtyard behind the Commandant’s mansion was quite spacious, fully able to accommodate a whole troupe, and not fussy about whether the actors were playing young female roles, matronly roles, or military roles.

In short, the message was simple: the more, the merrier.

This wasn’t just for appearances.

According to information obtained from various sources, as well as firsthand accounts from these dancers, this Commandant Hou was practically the most diligent gardener, intent on pruning each person into a word to form a poem?

Everyone would line up, with white on black under the light; that imagination…

He started with a five-character quatrain, then changed to seven characters; later, it was said he planned to compose an ode?

…Zhongqing wine market connects to Ping Mountain, and eighteen demon maids drift below the lamps.

Tighten the frosty silk to adjust its harshness, and the nine twists of the stream’s path bring delight to your journey.

Over the course of a year, everyone’s on edge, unable to find peace in sleep or at meals.

Although secret reports had snowed into Yujing like flurries, not a single piece of news came back, all dropping like stones into the ocean…

This suggests that the capabilities of the Capital Commandant Hou are far from ordinary.

However, no matter what, in terms of the volume of trade in the direction of resources, such expenses hardly count for anything, and if they can achieve stability, it seems worthwhile, doesn’t it?

Time can smooth everything over, can dispel people’s concerns, until they become completely indifferent, treating everything as normal.

…Wild Duck Crossing, a ferry at the border between Pingliang State and Anhe Country; two floating rafts skimmed across the void.

Refining Geng Ore is more complicated than most imagine, as it involves control via Divine Sense, which places high demands on the purity of Geng Essence.

Ordinary merchants struggle to achieve such refinement, hence the crude ore mined in Pingliang State can’t be handled by a mere Spatial Bag despite its reduced volume compared to the raw ore.

Floating rafts are needed, to be taken to the Great Daoist centers for further processing.

Like those two floating rafts in the sky this time, no one knew to which merchant or power they belonged, where they were destined, or the specifics of their transportation journey.

The rafts slipped over the river, thus entering Anhe territory.

Two opposing rafts flying towards each other is a common sight over these plains.

As the busiest trade route between the two countries, rafts like these always pass by, maintaining the normal operation of the entire commerce system.

All that is needed is to maintain a safe distance, and there’s no problem.

Although the relationship between the two countries has been tense, it has significantly improved over the last few decades, and it’s been many years since any serious incidents have occurred.

A thousand zhang apart, safety is just a quick glance away.

Just as the four rafts were about to cross paths, the two on top suddenly flashed with array light at their prows, tightly seizing the two merchant rafts below.

The next moment, the prows dipped, and they bore down upon them.

The attack was sudden, catching everyone off guard.

The two merchant rafts hadn’t anticipated any malice, and being suddenly gripped by the array light, they found themselves unable to escape.

The distance of a thousand zhang gave no time to react to the oncoming rafts.

One or two breaths later, the four rafts collided head-on.

Only then did the merchant rafts realize that the others were not real merchant rafts but battle rafts, designed not for carrying but for plunder.

At the tremendous speed of impact, the two merchant rafts were shattered, and the Daoists guarding them, taken completely by surprise, were thrown from the rafts.

Dazed and disoriented, they were met with the fierce and violent bandits.

In the Lizhi Sea, such raiding tactics involving ramming rafts are common, but on the Continent, few are aware of such ferocity.

The calculating preying on the unsuspecting, the suddenness under the elbow, the complacency born from a long peace—all these elements combined lead to an inevitable outcome.

The battle concluded quickly, with the Daoists either dead or escaped, leaving Geng Ore scattered everywhere…

The raiders acted like the wind, swiftly gathering up the dropped ore, and within a moment, they vanished without a trace.

This was the worst incident on this trade route in decades, and news of it spread to all sides, causing tremors in the nearby Cultivation World.

Who could it be that dared to strike so boldly between great powers like the Shan Sect and the Anhe Daoist Sect?