freenovelworld Chapter 68 Observations on the Ship
Chapter 68 Observations on the Ship
"Who are you? How dare you try to play tricks on me!"
A huge, hard hand, as big as a hammer, swiftly clamped the young man's wrist onto the table.
The young man felt as if his hand was being crushed by a massive boulder, and he was instantly unable to move.
He cried out in pain and immediately began to beg for mercy:
"Oh dear, please let go, sir, and let me explain to you slowly."
Yin Zheng sat to the side, not stopping him. Coach Tie was always shrewd despite his rough exterior, and besides, how could one be without caution when navigating the world? If he were easily led astray by a few words from someone of unknown origin, he might not even know how he died.
"Don't give me that crap! Tell me! Why didn't you go to those other tables, but instead came to us?" Tie Liang didn't let go; instead, he tightened his grip even more.
Seeing that the two were not easily fooled, the young man immediately became obedient. He endured the pain and replied:
"Don't worry, sir, I have no ill intentions. My name is Wu Liu, and I'm a broker on the ship. Our master arranged for us to serve you so that you can conduct private transactions."
"As for why I approached you two, it's because you were sitting alone and not interacting with the other officials. I guess you two are here for the first time and may not be familiar with some of the ins and outs of the ship."
"Oh, what is the reason for this? Are there no quiet people among the passengers on board?"
"My lords, this is not a good place for idle chatter. I hope this gentleman will release me first. I will find you a quiet place so that I can tell you the whole story in detail."
Upon entering the hall, the two were immediately drawn to the group of gamblers and the stage in the center. Little did they know, the hall was full of hidden secrets.
What was thought to be a wall turned into a completely different world when the young man named Wu Liu gently pushed it open.
The interior resembled a private room in a restaurant, luxuriously decorated with tables, chairs, and tea sets. As soon as the two entered and the door closed, not a sound could be heard outside.
Wu Liu explained to Yin Zhengyi and the other man that the room was covered with snow mountain dragon silk wood. Once the door was closed, even experts with strong internal energy and excellent hearing would have difficulty hearing any sound from inside the room.
There are two ways to trade on board:
One method is to hand over the items you are carrying to the ship owner before the auction tomorrow and explain what you want to exchange them for. The transaction is considered successful if the seller's offer satisfies the buyer.
Another, and most common, method involved passengers using brokers as a bridge to exchange goods. If both parties happened to have something in need, they could directly barter.
"Guests who come to this ship must all have their own needs. Even the quietest guests will take the initiative to communicate with other guests, so I saw that you two gentlemen were just sitting quietly and observing, so I guess you don't understand the ins and outs. That's why I dared to approach you. Gentlemen, if..." Wu Liu grinned and gestured with his thumb and forefinger.
"Heavenly Fragrance Jade Dew Pill." As Yin Zheng finished speaking, a small medicine bottle containing hidden internal energy flew into Wu Liu's hands.
Wu Liu easily caught the bottle, poured out a pill, smelled it, and then poured it back into the bottle with satisfaction, knelt down and kowtowed in gratitude.
"Excellent, excellent! This Heavenly Fragrance Jade Dew Pill of yours, sir, is likely not only capable of curing all poisons, but even Gu poison. I thank you for your generous reward!"
Wu Liu thanked them repeatedly while kowtowing. After kowtowing, he respectfully presented them with a beautifully illustrated calligraphy scroll.
"I wonder what you two gentlemen desire? I have a preliminary list of items for tomorrow's auction. If it's not what you're looking for, please tell me your needs, and I will help you obtain what you require at the lowest possible cost."
Yin Zhengyi took the letter from Wu Liu and opened it while thinking to himself that this ordinary servant on the ship was no less skilled in martial arts and knowledge than the disciples who had been carefully trained in the sect. This gave him a new understanding of the ship's strength.
He and Tie Liang quickly finished reading the contents of the letter, both filled with both rage and fear. They exchanged a glance, and Tie Liang spoke:
"You go down first!"
"Yes, I will serve you in the main hall outside. Please keep in mind the time. I only have half an hour's use of this room. If you need more, you can pay with silver or items of equal value to reserve the entire room. Since this is your first time reserving a room, you can enjoy a special offer for newcomers: buy two hours and get one hour free."
Tie Liang found this strange. The fine wine and food outside hadn't cost anything, but here they were charging for just talking in the room? He couldn't help but ask:
"How much silver per hour?"
“It’s very cheap, 10 taels of gold per hour.”
...The two wondered if they had misheard. Ten taels of gold could buy a whole restaurant, but here they could only use a room for one hour?!
Could it be that the gold these five or six people are talking about is different from the gold they know? Otherwise, how could this person say that such an outrageous price is cheap?
Seeing the two's shock, Wu Liu secretly congratulated himself on his master's wisdom and explained:
"My lords, think about this. The items you are trading are all priceless treasures, beyond the measure of any value in the world. This room will absolutely guarantee that your secrets will not be revealed. Ten taels of gold buy you peace of mind and security. Money must be spent wisely, and you will definitely not lose out. If you do not have enough silver, I will give you another bottle of the Heavenly Fragrance Jade Dew Pills. I can arrange for you to stay in the room until the auction begins tomorrow."
Wu Liu left the room satisfied. In this world, nothing can be bought with money. Both bottles of Heavenly Fragrance Jade Dew Pills were of the highest quality. He could hand over only one bottle, and if he used the other one well, it might bring him unexpected benefits.
"The daughter of a third-rank official, the Dragon Spring Sword, the Marrow Cleansing Pill, the Selfless Leg of the Peach Blossom Sect, the Heaven-Shattering Arrow of Tiangong Fortress, the Three Times the Death Elder's Actions, the Appointment Letter as a Seventh-Rank County Magistrate... This is truly audacious and utterly despicable!" Tie Liang angrily slammed his fist on the ebony inlaid round table.
Ebony is the hardest and most precious wood in the world, its hardness comparable to iron. But under Iron Order's punch, the table cracked in the middle and wobbled precariously, like a frail old man who might collapse at any moment.
After finishing his inspection of the room, Yin Zhengyi turned around and saw the condition of the table, causing his lips to twitch. He nodded to Tie Jiaoling; there was no problem with the room, and they could speak freely.
"Brother Yin, don't worry, I, Tie Liang, will compensate them for the table later. As for the owner of this ship, I've never heard of such a place in Thunderbolt Fortress. I'm afraid the secret techniques of all the sects in our martial arts world have been leaked for many years. This person has even extended his reach to the imperial court. If the other party has ulterior motives, I'm afraid the danger of our family collapsing is imminent."
"Brother Tie, I won't concern myself with such minor details. There are a total of twenty-nine powerful beings around the hall, each with a strength greater than five or six from the previous one. Currently, there are sixty-five people dressed in black robes like us. We don't yet know if there are other guests or hidden experts on the ship. Putting all that aside, neither of us is a match for the Old Man of Death. Tomorrow, no matter what we see, we must remain calm and not make a move. We'll discuss this further after we disembark."
"Don't worry, Brother Yin, I, Tie Liang, am not a reckless person."
The two of them stayed in the room, analyzing the information they had gathered along the way, and the night passed quickly.
The next day, the two found Wu Liu and asked if there were any places to visit or explore on the ship.
Seeing that the two weren't in a hurry to talk to him and the other guests, Wu Liu assumed that they had seen the items they were looking for on the list and were therefore in the mood to have some fun.
Yin Zhengyi was generous, so he was naturally willing to step forward and serve him.
When the two returned to the room in the hall, Yin Zhengyi's face was as black as the bottom of a pot. Tie Jiaoling laughed heartily, but after laughing, his expression changed, and he said in a deep voice:
"Brother Yin, you noticed?"
"The woman in that room looked strange. Even the most wanton woman wouldn't be so eager for a man. Brother Tie, you may not know this, but my Qingcheng Sect disciples discovered a drug in the Crimson Tent Courtyard that can control women. I suppose those women were controlled by the drug."
Yin Zheng couldn't help but feel a pang of remorse when he thought of the pleading and longing look in the eyes of the woman who had rushed towards him. His heart was filled with both anger and pain.
The woman was about the same age as his junior disciples, and some even looked petite and youthful. He knew that he had several senior disciples in the Qingcheng Sect, and the thought of them being abducted and violated like this one day filled him with uncontrollable rage. He wanted nothing more than to whip the person behind it all to death with his whisk.
"What a vicious and insidious drug! Its poison is far more potent than castration for women. Brother Yin, have you memorized the route? Did you notice anything amiss in what you just saw?"
Recalling what he had seen and heard along the way, Yin Zheng looked at Coach Tie and uttered three words:
"The Carefree Sect!"