Chapter 1 An Outpost Adjacent to the Heavenly Fracture Mountains

A Ming rode his horse, dressed in a black formal suit.

From time to time, he pulled out a handkerchief and gently wiped the non-existent beads of sweat from his forehead.

Behind him, a team of laborers pushed a few small carts, loaded with various flowers.

These flowers were all picked from the Heavenly Fracture Mountains.

Outside the outpost, a man like an iron tower stood with a girl sitting on his shoulders.

The man wore a white jacket, long black trousers, and extra-large thickened cloth shoes, embodying the epitome of rustic charm.

The girl was dressed in a long purple dress, holding a sword in her hand.

A Ming saw the large and small figures stacked together in front of him.

He couldn't help but shake his head, waved to signal the laborers behind him to enter the outpost, and then spurred his horse forward, arriving in front of them.

"Waiting for me?" A Ming asked.

Fan Li nodded.

Jian Bi said, "We were searching for bandits nearby when the outpost sent a message that you had entered the mountains from here a few days ago. We figured you'd be returning soon, so we planned to wait for a couple of days. You came back after only one day."

A Ming looked at Jian Bi and said, "No respect for elders."

Jian Bi leaned to the side, almost horizontally off Fan Li's shoulder, a truly difficult move.

She reached out and took a water skin from the large basket behind Fan Li.

Sitting up straight, she tossed the water skin to A Ming.

A Ming caught it, pulled out the stopper, and the fragrant aroma of fruit wine wafted out.

He loved blood, and he loved wine.

He usually didn't eat.

Jian Bi said, "Fruit wine brewed by a monkey troop in the forest."

This was a treasure.

A Ming took a sip, nodded, and to use a rather cliché phrase, it was filled with the fragrant aroma of nature.

But it was indeed delicious.

He said, "I forgive your disrespect."

Then, A Ming put away the water skin and asked, "What's the matter?"

The expansion project of Fengxin City and the construction of the Marquis's residence had been completed. Fan Li, the construction team leader, finally had free time, and Jian Bi had finally reached the age to practice her swordsmanship, so they simply took her out to train.

The so-called training was to draw blood.

Dancers in the red tents could make sword dances pleasing to the eye, but a true sword edge needed human blood to open.

In short, Fan Li was taking Jian Bi to kill people.

The targets were easy to find.

Because of the need for land reclamation and various city sieges, many industries under the Marquis's residence were in urgent need of manpower. Previously, the population was deliberately suppressed to keep an eye on the potato reserves.

Now, as the autumn harvest approached, the most difficult hurdle had passed, and the problem of labor shortages had once again emerged, severely restricting the development of Jindong.

Unfortunately, after Xu Wenzu had set his goals, he began to focus on governing the region, allowing the people to return to their homes, live and work in peace, and heal the wounds caused by war and taxes.

This made it impossible for the Marquis's residence to continue to absorb refugees from east of Wangjiang as it had done before.

First, the people were reluctant to leave their homes unless they really had no choice.

Second, given the relationship between the Marquis's residence and Xu Wenzu, forcibly poaching people from his territory and damaging their relationship would not be worth the cost.

Fortunately, Jindong had a poor neighbor, the Snow Plains.

Under the manipulation of those two old foxes, Blind Man and the Barbarian King, the evil black slave trade that had appeared in another timeline descended on Jindong in a similar form.

What the Marquis's residence had to do was to instigate disputes between some tribes in the Snow Plains, in short, to make them fight.

With the Barbarian King in charge of this, it was simple.

Then, they would purchase prisoners of war with silk, tea, jewelry, and various goods other than ironware.

It must be said that after the Barbarian King's generation's "revival" failed, the Snow Plains barbarians lost the essence of an entire generation or even two.

The remaining chieftains and nobles were either timid as mice or short-sighted.

In short, batches of barbarian slaves began to be trafficked into Xuehai Pass, enriching the various industries under the Marquis's residence.

In the past, because the Marquis's residence had not been established, the situation was tense, and ethnic conflicts were acute, the early barbarian prisoners of war were exploited as laborers. The construction of the fortifications along the Xuehai Pass line and the accumulation of barbarian bones at the foot of the city walls were testaments to this.

Now, the Marquis's residence was taking them in by registering them as households. Some of the young and strong who were skilled in riding and shooting were selected to join the standard households as an example to the other barbarian slaves.

Most of the barbarian slaves who were trafficked in found that, in Jindong, although life was a bit tiring, it seemed better than in their old homes in the Snow Plains, so overall, their emotions were stable.

From time to time, they would look at those barbarian soldiers who had joined the Marquis's residence early on, and their hearts were filled with hope.

But there were always exceptions. Some people loved their homeland too much, or some barbarian tribal nobles who had been defeated and captured, and they were unwilling to live this kind of "ordinary" life, so they chose to escape.

It was impossible to leave from Xuehai Pass, and they couldn't get through it anyway, so they could only go into the Heavenly Fracture Mountains. As long as they headed north and didn't starve to death or get eaten by wild animals in the mountains, they could always return to the Snow Plains.

These people were called "bandits" by the Marquis's residence and were the target of hunts.

And Fan Li was bringing Jian Bi to find these bandits to draw blood.

Facing A Ming's question, Jian Bi said, "We were originally planning to go back, but we happened to discover the tracks of a group of bandits. There are quite a few of them, twenty or thirty, and there are also two or three barbarian experts who deliberately concealed their strength when they were captured.

So, they killed two guards while working in the workshop and escaped."

Generally speaking, slaves with special skills would eagerly report them during the initial review to obtain better treatment.

Although Gou Moli's garrison didn't have many regular soldiers, with Zheng Houye's tacit approval, he was allowed to select from the trafficked barbarian slaves first.

This group deliberately concealed their strength, which meant that they had planned to take the opportunity to escape from the moment they were captured and trafficked.

It was certainly easier to escape while working than in the military camp.

"Go kill them if you want, why wait for me?" A Ming asked.

Jian Bi smiled and said, "I didn't think it was safe enough. Since you're nearby, we'll wait for you to come along."

"I don't have time."

A Ming pointed to the carts that the laborers were pushing in front of him.

"I have to go back and develop new types of perfume."

Saying that, A Ming looked at Fan Li again.

"Just transfer some soldiers from the nearby outpost to wipe them out."

Fan Li shook his head and said, "This is training."

How could they train with soldiers?

A Ming almost laughed in anger when he heard this.

"Take a little girl, with a sword, to kill twenty bandits, some of whom are quite skilled, and there must be a leader.

What is this?

A Li, are you bored and doing a newbie village quest?

After the target is killed, will you get gold coins or wait to return to Fengxin City to turn in the quest at the Sword Saint's place?"

Jian Bi didn't understand this.

Fan Li still succinctly asked, "Going or not?"

A Ming smiled.

"Only a fool would go."

"There's still fruit wine."

"Heh."

"A vat of it."

"I can't leave you alone."

.........

Along the Heavenly Fracture Mountains, there was a trade route where many merchants came to the Xuehai Pass market, then to Zhennan Pass, and back through Fengxin City.

The route naturally differed depending on the goods being transported.

Relatively speaking, this area was a blank area in the Marquis's current territory.

Because at this stage, the Marquis's actual control and development area was located in the triangular coverage area between Fengxin City, Zhennan Pass, and Xuehai Pass.

There was no intention to develop and restore other places for the time being, but some outposts would be set up to send some scout cavalry to sweep from time to time to declare their sphere of influence.

Places that the government couldn't control seemed free, but in reality, they would evolve into another kind of survival of the fittest.

Some Jianghu forces were entrenched here. Some people's hands were inevitably dirty. Petty theft was fine, but they would even commit murder and robbery. However, because of the Marquis's deterrent force, nothing too outrageous had happened yet.

Most of the Jianghu people here were hired as bodyguards for caravans.

A similar situation had occurred in Tiger Head City in the past, and Fan Li had once been hired to join a caravan into the desert.

In order to further stimulate commercial trade, the Marquis's residence did not prohibit caravans from the Snow Plains and the Kingdom of Chu from entering, nor did it prohibit caravans from entering the former two from its own territory. Of course, taxes had to be collected.

At the same time, if they found it troublesome, they could directly transfer the goods to the Marquis's residence at a lower price. The Marquis's residence also had the largest commercial firm responsible for trade with these two places.

In addition, the monster beast business in the Heavenly Fracture Mountains and the production of some special products had also resumed due to the end of the war.

In short, this area, relying on the Heavenly Fracture Mountains, was far from Fengxin City and quite close to Wangjiang. For the time being, it was a three-no-one's-land.

These Jianghu people took on jobs here, in a rather "mercenary" mode.

Of course, they wouldn't be foolish enough to build a town or fort here, as that would make them too conspicuous. And no matter how highly the Jianghu outlaws regarded themselves, they wouldn't be stupid enough to slap the face of the prestigious Marquis of Pingxi.

Therefore, although there were inns and buildings here, the distances between them were very far.

It didn't look like a town, but rather like scattered post stations.

At this time, A Ming, Fan Li, and Jian Bi were standing in front of a "Leopard Gate Inn."

"It's good it's not called Dragon Gate Inn," A Ming laughed. "Otherwise, I'd have to write a letter in a few days to mobilize troops to level it."

Because if it were called Dragon Gate Inn, it would infringe on the patent of the Demon Kings and the Master. When they used to chat, everyone would often say that they might as well just flip the table and open a new Dragon Gate Inn in a place where no one knew them.

"Yo, guest, staying or eating?"

The waiter was a hunchback, came out to greet them, with a flattering smile on his face.

Fan Li reached out, took his axe from the basket behind him, and directly chopped it down at the waiter!

The waiter immediately dodged to the side and avoided it.

"Buzz!"

The axe missed.

"Brother, what do you mean!"

The hunchbacked waiter showed a fierce look.

Fan Li looked at Jian Bi sitting on his shoulders, then turned his face to look at A Ming.

He said, "Knew he'd have some skill."

In this environment, a relatively remote inn, a waiter, a hunchback, a flattering smile; a classic routine.

Therefore, Fan Li wanted to prove his guess, so he chopped with his axe.

Sure enough, the waiter knew Kung Fu and dodged it.

Of course, if the waiter didn't know Kung Fu and Fan Li guessed wrong, then the waiter's head should have been split open by now.

But who cared?

A Ming rolled his eyes at Fan Li. This guy usually looked the most honest and simple, but no one dared to really treat him as an honest man. An honest man couldn't do the kind of thing like taking out the remains of the Grand Pillar Kingdom and doing a Yangko dance in front of the Chu people.

"Staying."

A Ming took out a silver ingot from his arms and threw it to the waiter.

The waiter weighed the silver in his hand and immediately put on a smiling face again, as if nothing had happened before. He immediately bent his back, which was already hunched, even more.

He said, "Three sirs, please come inside."

The inn was large, but at the same time, it was also very simple.

Carved beams and painted rafters did not exist, and neither did the finer details.

The first floor was the lobby. A swordsman was sitting there, eating and drinking alone, with a large knife beside him.

The swordsman's clothes were very broken, with leggings, and the knife was wrapped in cloth, only revealing the hilt.

He sat there inconspicuously.

Fan Li silently reached out to the basket behind him again.

A Ming kicked Fan Li's calf.

Fan Li frowned slightly, and his hand retracted again, but he still seemed to feel uncomfortable that he hadn't tested it out.

Behind the counter, there was a woman, about thirty years old, with a mole on her face. She couldn't be considered charming, but she was still the type who wouldn't have to worry about repeat customers in those red tents.

It was hot.

Her chest was exposed quite a bit.

When she saw A Ming walking in, she didn't say anything to greet him, but she stuck out her tongue and licked the corner of her mouth.

Okay, A Ming often did this action too.

"Three sirs, please go upstairs."

The hunchbacked waiter led the three of them upstairs.

"Two sirs, how many rooms do you want?"

"One room," Jian Bi said.

After speaking, Jian Bi specially looked at A Ming and Fan Li beside her.

She said, "Jianghu children travel the Jianghu and don't need to care about these trivialities."

A Ming "Heh"了一声.

This girl had been brought up by Yuan Zhenxing in her early years. After Yuan Zhenxing was ordered by his master to be shot into a hedgehog by the Bian River, she had been living with A Ming and the others.

What did she know about the Jianghu?

After entering the room, the hunchbacked waiter was about to ask if they wanted to prepare food, but A Ming directly blinded his eyes with a gold ingot.

Jian Bi was also surprised.

A Ming directly asked, "There's a group of barbarians, are they also staying at your place?"

The hunchbacked waiter picked up the gold ingot, bit it, and nodded. "Yes, they are, but they're staying in the back horse pen. Our shop provides food, and they seem to be waiting for someone to pick them up, perhaps waiting for a barbarian caravan coming from Xuehai Pass."

A Ming threw out another gold ingot and asked, "How many people?"

"Eighteen people, all with knives."

A Ming threw out another gold ingot and asked, "Any services?"

The hunchbacked waiter blinked.

A Ming reached into his arms again.

The hunchbacked waiter quickly said, "Sir, sir, don't take it out again. The more and faster you take it out, either it proves that you are indeed rich and generous and don't care about this little bit of money, or that you are absolutely confident that I will spit out what I ate today in the future. Anyway, it's just being kept by me for a few days, you don't feel bad."

A Ming smiled.

The hunchbacked waiter put two of the three gold ingots he had taken back on the table, pointed to the remaining one, and said, "Sir, this one is enough. Tonight, I'll put medicine in their dinner and drug them all. Then, you can dispose of them as you please."

"........." Jian Bi.

A Ming pushed another one of the two gold ingots on the table in front of the waiter.

He said, "With this one, you call some more people, drug them, and tie them up, so we don't have to bother."

"Sir, do you want them alive?"

A Ming shook his head and said, "Tie them up so they're easier to kill."

"........." Jian Bi.

"Sir, you're too kind, okay, leave it to me. Actually, I've been looking at those barbarians for a long time.

You wait, I'll arrange some food for you three first. When it's night, you wait for me to report back after it's done.

By the way, what would you three like to eat?"

Fan Li opened his mouth and said, "Naan."

"Okay."

The hunchbacked waiter went down.

Jian Bi said angrily, "What kind of travelling the Jianghu is this? You wasted the fruit wine I finally found!"

A Ming glanced at Jian Bi.

He said, "This is the true appearance of the Jianghu."

"This isn't, this isn't, when I used to travel the Jianghu with my master..."

"Your master was a poor bastard."

"........." Jian Bi.

A Ming stretched.

He said, "The Jianghu has many rules, but 99% of the rules are because of poverty."

Jian Bi gritted her teeth.

Pointing to the remaining gold ingot on the table, she said, "You don't even understand the principle of not revealing wealth when travelling the Jianghu? Do you believe that the waiter won't attack those barbarians tonight, but will attack us?"

A Ming smiled.

He said, "Flip the gold ingot over and take a look."

Jian Bi reached out and flipped the gold ingot over. It was printed with four characters: Pingxi Marquis's Residence.

A Ming yawned.

He said, "This is a new batch of gold ingots made by the Marquis's Residence. What I'm revealing isn't wealth, it's power.

See if the shopkeeper and waiter of this shop dare to have any ideas about us."

Jian Bi pouted.

So angry!

She looked at A Ming resentfully.

She complained, "Relying on wealth and power, you've made my Jianghu tasteless. Give me back my Jianghu, give me back my Jianghu. Do you know how long I've been waiting for this opportunity, how long I've been waiting!"

Fan Li reached out and touched Jian Bi's head.

He said, "He's right."

"No, you're talking nonsense, big guy, you're talking nonsense, this isn't it. The real Jianghu is like my Sword Saint master, carefree and not afraid of power..."

Fan Li asked, "Where does your master live?"

"........." Jian Bi.

The master lived next door to the Marquis's Residence.

Fan Li said again, "Jianghu, that's the taste."