601: Chapter 420 601: Chapter 420 The Marquis was in his twenties the first time he tasted such delicacies; he felt it was worth making the trip.
No wonder people outside constantly fought over them, with money one could enjoy good food, with money one could do many things.
At this very moment, the Marquis’s heart was slightly shaking, but he wouldn’t do evil deeds to gain these riches and enjoyments.
Instead, he only thought about selling some medicinal herbs or food from the mountains.
This outing was also exploratory in nature; he was always followed when he ventured out and did not dare to bring more people for fear of being unable to protect them.
He didn’t know who those people were, or why they were tracking him; they might want to uncover his secrets, and of course, he did not wish his stockade to be exposed.
Aside from that person who intended to harm them and entered their stockade to cause harm, everyone was on high alert, uncertain if the culprit had been caught or had divulged their location.
Thankfully, Jiang Tang had captured that individual, ensuring the safety of those in the stockade.
Other security concerns loomed, such as the escaped fox which might return to raid the stockade after healing, thus he dared not bring the young practitioners of their best cultivation techniques along.
The Marquis contemplated a lot whilst eating.
As the beef and mutton were almost finished and the rice was consumed, he started feeling dizzy.
It felt strange; he hadn’t drunk any alcohol, so why the dizziness?
It was like being drunk, and illusions appeared before him, making a single wine pot seem like many.
By then, the Marquis realized he might have been poisoned and attempted to grab his magic wand, intending to escape.
He then felt completely weak, unable to use his magic wand, feeling a bit of despair.
He knew something was wrong with the shopkeeper; he had noticed something off in his smile but still ate the food provided.
He had believed the plant-based dishes from the restaurant would be safe, as long as he didn’t drink alcohol.
Yet, he hadn’t expected such maliciousness from others.
He didn’t know why the shopkeeper would do this, but at that moment, he might not even be able to save himself, hoping someone from Jiang Tang’s people would be in the establishment.
He was aware when Jiang Tang opened the establishment and had even come to see it himself, knowing that it was his but the staff inside could belong to others or the City Lord’s Mansion.
He remembered that Jiang Tang had also entered a partnership, which the partner did not currently occupy, somewhat hoping the partner’s people would realize his predicament.
Using all his strength, the Marquis managed to lift the bowl and dishes from the table, slamming them onto the ground, hoping to draw attention from outside.
Unexpectedly, this act did not bring any outsiders; the only person who entered was the same shopkeeper from before.
“Guest, what happened to you?” The shopkeeper feigned surprise, as if he knew nothing.
“You, why do you want to harm me?” The Marquis thought he’d rather die with understanding rather than in ignorance.
“What?
I harm you, when did I ever harm you?” The shopkeeper still wouldn’t admit it, confident that he could do as he pleased if he just denied it and locked the door.
The poison he administered wasn’t something a typical martial artist could resolve, with their Spiritual Power gone, they were at his mercy.
“You still won’t admit it?
The food that your people brought — I ate it, and it’s because of the poison you slipped in, why!” The Marquis was livid, his face alternating between shades of blue and white.
“Oh, you’re talking about that?
It was merely to make you completely weak.
Besides, who says I did it?
The food was brought by the restaurant, it has nothing to do with me, oh.
You just didn’t tell the truth, became a glutton, so now you can hurry along on your way,” he said.
“So you’re saying you’re blaming me, or that it’s my fault, should I be thanking you?” The Marquis finally realized the limitless shamelessness of people.
“Ha ha, who makes you so mysterious?
Surely you have treasures on you, right?” The shopkeeper took step after step towards him, a sly smile plastered across his face, unafraid now.
“Don’t come any closer, if your boss finds out, you’ll definitely die,” the Marquis said alternating between fright and alarm, now only able to use his words in futile resistance.
“Ha ha, the boss has been away from here for over a month, the partner doesn’t come here often, I’m the one who calls the shots in this shop, and besides, there’s a Formation here.
Just like the dish you just threw, nothing can be heard from outside, don’t waste your effort yelling, it’s just a waste of energy,” the shopkeeper said, smirking arrogantly as he walked closer.
As the shopkeeper advanced, the Marquis found himself with no place to retreat to, his body devoid of strength, unable to use his magic staff.
If his magic wand fell into the hands of another, the consequences were unimaginable, and he couldn’t explain it to his family.
His own death was one thing, but he couldn’t let this beast snatch away the magic wand.
He also knew that the other two bags of medicinal herbs on him were very important.
Jiang Tang had said that some of the herbs were quite precious.
Especially the herbs of the Blood Clan’s resources; he absolutely couldn’t let other people find out about them.
This was why he came to seek out Jiang Tang again instead of just paying someone else to do the alchemy.
“Hand over your belongings, no one will save you.
The most powerful person here is me, and you can’t escape!” The shopkeeper laughed with satisfaction, believing he had this person under his control, and would rather have them surrender and tell him more secrets—at the hint of fear, maybe he would spare them.
The shopkeeper just wanted to hear more secrets from this person’s mouth—why people who tracked him would disappear, why everything that died and buildings that collapsed would return to their original state.
All of these were definitely some people’s secret abilities.
Although this person seemed to be an ordinary martial artist, he must possess some magical treasures.
Treasures like these were not something ordinary people could use; they may require spells or curses.
Acquiring the treasure without knowing the related spell would be like holding a protective charm that was actually useless to him.
The shopkeeper’s slow actions and reluctance to strike were due to his ulterior motives.
He wanted to own this person’s secrets and possessions, not to work for the City Lord.
If he really acquired the treasure, he wouldn’t want to be a shopkeeper anymore; he could flee far away.
Being a shopkeeper here had brought him a substantial amount of wealth, and he could possibly gain even more in the future, but after all, he would be working for someone else.
With a valuable possession in hand, why would he worry about not having money?
The Marquis felt terrified and dizzy, only able to bite his lip to keep himself awake a little longer.
Hearing what the shopkeeper said, a sliver of despair formed in his heart.
Was he truly going to be schemed against and caught here?
If so, his only option was to delay, in hopes that someone would notice something wrong here and come to give him a chance to escape.
The Marquis also felt it was nearly hopeless, but he had to do it.
He thought of an attendant in the store who had been warmly hospitable to him before—perhaps that person was not one of the shopkeeper’s men.
He hoped that someone else in the store could figure it out and help find the owner or partner to rescue him.
The shopkeeper’s patience had run out.
In the end, he used his spell to knock out the Marquis.
He didn’t rush to take his belongings either.
After all, having captured the man, he would take him to a secret place for imprisonment.
He had plenty of drugs to make the man talk, so he stuffed him into a storage bag that held living things and walked out as if nothing had happened.
He then instructed the store’s staff to work well, saying he had things to take care of outside.
The other staff members in the store showed no emotion, and those who were part of the shopkeeper’s gang obediently asked no questions.
Only two attendants in the store looked up as the shopkeeper left, revealing unusual expressions.
They exchanged glances, and the attendant who served customers made an excuse about needing to urinate urgently, intending to use his magic treasure to send a message.
As this attendant mentioned needing to use the restroom, someone followed him.
The attendant seemed to notice the footsteps behind him.
To ensure his safety and to avoid detection, he really went into the privy.
Another attendant followed him in as the privy could accommodate two people.
The first attendant, who had entered, understood that the person who came in was monitoring him, so he pretended to be struggling with constipation, groaning continuously.
The privy was foul-smelling, and after the person who followed relieved himself, he covered his mouth and nose with his hand while waiting outside.
His ears, eavesdropping, only caught the attendant inside making the same noises: “Hnn, hnn hnn hnn.”
He thought nothing was amiss, unaware that the attendant, to prevent the man outside from suspecting anything, took out a communicator and painfully only said “hnn hnn hnn.”
This was an urgent method—an emergency code among their modes of contact.
If they encountered a critical situation but couldn’t let others know, this was their secret signal for help.