Chapter 43

The key point is that after a period of contact, it became clear that Cheng Shanping couldn't make the decision to kill him. Here, it was still Tie Miaqing who had the final say. Moreover, he deliberately handed the "victory" to Tie Miaqing, giving her the confidence to weigh the pros and cons. He was confident that Tie Miaqing wouldn't kill him now.

Daring to contradict him face-to-face, Cheng Shanping was furious, "I see you're really tired of living!" He reached out to grab.

Yu Qing dodged and leaped back, *clang!* drawing his sword, ready to fight to the death.

Tie Miaqing frowned, seeing the situation was wrong, and indeed intervened, grabbing Cheng Shanping's outstretched wrist, stopping his attack, and pressing his hand down.

Seeing Yu Qing openly draw his sword and challenge, Cheng Shanping felt embarrassed, his face turning grim. He said in a low voice, "Madam, this fellow's mysterious and confusing tricks are hard to understand. Those who make things mysterious must have ulterior motives; we can't be deceived!"

"Spoken well!" Yu Qing shouted, waving his sword, "If you don't trust me, why force it? You might as well let us go. Once we leave, you won't have to worry about us, and we won't owe each other. Isn't that a good deal?"

Since it involved 4,000 taels of silver, and he was confident, he wouldn't easily back down. He was determined to do his best to get the master and servant out of there.

Xu Fei was stunned, surprised that Yu Qing would go to such lengths to protect them. He was indeed a man who valued money over life. Xu Fei was so shocked that he almost ran over to urge Yu Qing to shut up. His flustered appearance was actually an attempt to ask Yu Qing to lower his stance and talk calmly.

Chong'er bit her lip, her eyes filled with excitement as she looked at Yu Qing. She didn't expect Yu Qing to risk his life to protect her. She knew Yu Qing wasn't the person her young master thought he was, and he wouldn't let her down.

"..." Cheng Shanping was so angry that he was fuming, but the other party's words were all reasonable, leaving him speechless.

Tie Miaqing nodded to Sun Ping, who waved her hand. Her husband, Zhu Shangbiao, immediately moved to Yu Qing's side, gently persuading him and waving to Xu Fei and Chong'er, quickly leading the three away to defuse the tension.

Tie Miaqing's eyes followed Yu Qing as he left, filled with surprise and admiration. She had already questioned the three about their relationship and knew they hadn't known each other long and weren't close friends. She didn't expect Yu Qing to be so loyal and willing to risk his life for his companions in such a situation, which was rare in a world where people's intentions were hard to discern.

"Madam, do you really believe he can help you find the fire cricket?" Cheng Shanping asked angrily.

The green cloak fluttered in the wind as Tie Miaqing turned to look at him, "Old Cheng, treat a dead horse as if it were alive. It won't hurt to try. If he dares to deceive me, I'll hand him over to you to deal with as you see fit. What do you think?"

Sun Ping frowned and interjected, "Old Cheng, what's wrong with you? Why are you always angry with this young man? You weren't like this before."

Hearing this, Cheng Shanping's anger seemed to dissipate instantly, his face becoming calmer. He huffed, "I just don't believe this guy's identity. He even dares to show me a bad attitude. Wouldn't you be angry? Besides, the master is still on his deathbed, and his life is in danger. Now we're letting this guy lead us around, wasting time. Time is precious, and we're even bringing two burdens along. Aren't you worried? I'm in a hurry." He flicked his sleeves.

Tie Miaqing's expression softened, and she said gently, "Old Cheng, think about it from another angle. This person is so loyal and refuses to abandon his companions, even at the cost of his life. Doesn't this prove that his words are more reliable and worth trying?"

Sun Ping was slightly stunned, then nodded in agreement.

"..." Cheng Shanping was speechless again, then flicked his sleeves, "Fine, since Madam is so broad-minded, it's useless for me to be in a hurry. I'll follow your orders."

Thus, the two parties, who had been at odds, formed a team and set off again. Sun Ping grabbed Chong'er's thin arm, while Zhu Shangbiao grabbed Xu Fei's arm, and the group quickly moved through the complex mountain terrain with the two burdens.

After not long, less than half an hour, the group stopped in a relatively open area to rest and wait.

After about an hour, Zhu Shangbiao, who had been sitting on a large tree, jumped down and pointed in a direction, "Madam, they're here."

Everyone looked in the same direction and saw a small mountain moving on a distant hill. As it got closer, they realized it was a wooden house that seemed to be a pavilion. As it got even closer, Xu Fei was amazed to see a person carrying the entire wooden house, walking as if it were flat ground.

Xu Fei whispered to Yu Qing, "Shiheng, is this the legendary 'Mountain Carrier'?"

"Um." Yu Qing nodded.

The so-called 'Mountain Carrier' is a term used in the martial arts world to describe a type of merchant, like the one in front of them, who seems to carry a mountain.

In simpler terms, they are mobile merchants who operate between the demon world and the human world.

Due to the 'Fifty Li Agreement' between the demon world and the human world, most demons and humans cannot freely travel between the two realms. However, both sides have demands for things from the other realm.

Demons, who want to look human, need clothes, for example, and can't run around naked and be laughed at.

However, becoming a demon is difficult, and few of those who can transform into human form would waste their cultivation time on manual labor. In contrast, the human world has a wide range of industries and a large population, capable of producing various items needed by demons.

On the other hand, the human world also needs things from the demon world, such as various mountain delicacies, leading to the emergence of the 'Mountain Carrier' profession.

Seeing the heavy load approaching, Zhu Shangbiao went over to greet the 'Mountain Carrier' and led him over.

A wooden pavilion was carried to the group, and the carrier, a strong man with a gentle smile, pulled the four horizontal bars at the bottom of the house, causing four legs to drop and stabilize the pavilion. He then pushed the bars back, locking the legs in place.

The process was simple and convenient, even on a slope, where the legs would adjust their length to level the pavilion, making it stable.

The 'Mountain Carrier' didn't need to lower his head; he simply loosened his shoulders and walked out from under the house.

Xu Fei, who had never seen such a thing before, couldn't resist going closer to observe. He found it amazing to have a house that could be carried around, allowing one to rest or sleep anywhere in the wilderness or mountains.

Chong'er stood aside, not daring to get close, always acting like a servant who didn't deserve to be involved, and seemed uninterested in what was happening.

Sun Ping approached the 'Mountain Carrier' and asked with a smile, "Do you have incense for rituals?"

"Of course." The 'Mountain Carrier' pointed to Zhu Shangbiao, "If I didn't, I wouldn't have come with him. Wait a moment!" He jumped onto the small balcony of the pavilion, unlocked the door with a key, and pushed it open, then went inside.

From outside, one could see various items stacked inside, a vast array of goods.

The walls of the wooden house were also hung with signs advertising items for purchase, drawing the attention of the group.

800 taels for blood ginseng over 30 years old, 10,000 taels for purple cliff immortals, and various other items for purchase.

Those who understood knew that these were not items the 'Mountain Carrier' was purchasing but items he was purchasing on behalf of others.

According to the rules of the 'Mountain Carrier' profession, if the employer makes a purchase request and the 'Mountain Carrier' agrees, they set a purchase deadline. The employer then pays a deposit. If the 'Mountain Carrier' successfully purchases the item, they must adhere to the rules and not transfer it to a higher bidder. When delivering the item to the employer, the employer must pay a commission as the 'Mountain Carrier's' fee. If the employer refuses, the 'Mountain Carrier' has the right to refuse delivery.

If the item is not purchased within the deadline, the 'Mountain Carrier' returns the deposit without charge.

Inside the wooden house, the 'Mountain Carrier' pushed a sliding ladder to the back, climbed up, and after some searching, pulled out a package. He then jumped in front of the group and opened the package, revealing the incense they wanted to buy.

The 'Mountain Carrier' pointed to the spread-out goods, "Two-foot-long thick incense, one-foot-long thin incense, which one do you want?"

Tie Miaqing looked at Yu Qing, leaving the decision to him.

Yu Qing cleared his throat, "The thin incense will do."

The 'Mountain Carrier': "The thin incense costs ten taels of silver per stick. How many do you want?"

Upon hearing this, everyone's eyes widened. Sun Ping, responsible for the purchase, scoffed, "All the incense here, combined, probably costs no more than two taels. You're selling a thin incense for ten taels, which is almost like robbery." He squatted down, picked up a thin incense, examined it, and handed it back to the 'Mountain Carrier', "Look, it's already damp from being stored for so long."

The 'Mountain Carrier' took it, lit a fire, and burned the incense, sniffing the smoke. He chuckled, "We sell things honestly, no cheating. It is a bit damp, but it can still be used or dried. It shouldn't affect anything.

As for calling it robbery, that's a bit much. We do business based on mutual consent, and we don't force anyone. The rules of this profession are clear. I admit the purchase price is low, but I've been carrying this item for a long time, which is a cost. Yes, it's damp, so I'll lower the price to nine taels per stick, no haggling, take it or leave it."

He directly lowered the price by one tael.

Sun Ping glared, "It's still too expensive, lower it more."

The 'Mountain Carrier' shook his head, stuck the burning incense in the ground, and started to pack up the displayed items, muttering, "It's rare to see someone buying this in the wilderness. Could it be related to the death of the Qixia demon? Yes, it's used for rituals. It seems a bit of persuasion will help me sell these stocks."

Tie Miaqing's lips tightened, and she asked Yu Qing, "How many do you want?"