Chapter 16

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That night.

Wang Shouzhe's carriage returned to the main residence, where he wrote several letters to be delivered to various families.

He promptly informed the families with closer ties to avoid any resentment if they were affected by the disaster while the Wang family remained unscathed. Even if they had already discovered signs of the insect infestation, the Wang family's gesture of goodwill would not be hindered.

Apart from this, Wang Shouzhe set out at night with only two family guards on horseback. After arriving at the Dingpu ferry, they secretly crossed the An River using the family's fishing boat. By the time they reached Changning Garrison City, the sky was just beginning to brighten.

The walls of Changning City, under the sunlight, appeared majestic and radiant.

The city walls were over ten zhang high, constructed entirely of thick black stone bricks, with soldiers in full armor and equipped with bows and crossbows stationed on the battlements. Every few dozen zhang, there was a giant crossbow.

Although Changning Garrison was only a county-level city, it was more imposing and formidable than many famous cities on Earth.

There was no way this world was like ancient China. In the dangerous outer regions, many powerful beasts and monsters lived. Once a beast tide occurred, high walls and strong cities were the only barriers for humans.

Ping'an Town also had city walls, but they were far inferior to those of the garrison city.

Wang Shouzhe and his two guards slowly stopped their horses at the city gate, dismounted, and joined the queue of people entering the city early in the morning. Most of those entering the city at this time were farmers, small merchants, and artisans.

Upon seeing Wang Shouzhe and his guards, who were leading tall horses and dressed in fine clothing, they instinctively made way out of respect.

In the Great Qian Kingdom, the Xuanwu families were a privileged class. Even the most destitute small families were not comparable to commoners.

At the East City Gate.

Two fully armored soldiers approached, checked Wang Shouzhe's family token, and then respectfully invited him into the city.

After entering the city, he did not delay, leading his horse directly to the Qian Family Trading Company. The Qian Family Trading Company had a vast business network across Longzuo Prefecture, with substantial strength and excellent reputation. The insect-killing powder produced by the Zifu Academy was primarily managed by the Qian Family Trading Company.

Just this one item alone brought the Qian Family Trading Company substantial profits, let alone their other businesses.

Wang Shouzhe took out the Wang Family token, and the guards waited outside. He was led by a doorman into a side hall of the trading company, where a servant brought fruits and tea before leaving.

Wang Shouzhe calmly drank his tea and looked around. Even a side hall of a branch of the trading company was luxuriously decorated, with various precious wood screens and furniture, and antique decorations placed casually, each of which was of great value.

Even with Wang Shouzhe's relatively "shallow" knowledge, he could tell that the value of the decorations in this side hall was at least several hundred to thousands of gold, showcasing the Qian Family Trading Company's substantial financial power, truly one of the dominant clans in Longzuo.

As a穿越者 (穿越者 means "穿越者" in Chinese, which can be translated as "time traveler" or "transmigrator"), Wang Shouzhe naturally understood the psychological tactics of the Qian Family Trading Company.

After waiting for about a quarter of an hour.

A plump, middle-aged man with a face full of amiability walked in: "The head of the Ping'an Wang Family has personally arrived, and I, Qian, have failed to welcome you properly. Please forgive me."

Wang Shouzhe's eyes narrowed. The casual words of the other party revealed a significant amount of information.

He had only been the clan leader for a few days, and the Ping'an Wang Family was in decline. Even the change of the clan leader would not attract much attention. However, the Qian Family Trading Company not only noticed but also confirmed his identity within a quarter of an hour.

Truly, one of the dominant commercial giants in Longzuo, with extremely strong information-gathering capabilities. Moreover, the man's surname was Qian, and he had an extraordinary demeanor, likely a member of the Qian family.

"Where, where, it is a great honor for me, Wang, to be personally received by Mr. Qian," Wang Shouzhe responded with courteous humility. This man could not possibly be the manager.

The Qian Family Trading Company was enormous, and even the manager of the Changning branch was a significant figure who would not personally receive a clan leader of a declining family at the Qi Gong realm.

After a few pleasantries, they both sat down.

After sitting down, they did not immediately start discussing business. The Mr. Qian and Wang Shouzhe talked about the old ancestors Zouxuan and Longyan, and then about Wang Shouzhe's achievement of passing the initial test of the Zifu Academy, showcasing his excellent preparation.

Wang Shouzhe, with his grand ambitions, naturally could not show any weakness. He accompanied him in idle chat, casually displaying his superior logical and thinking abilities compared to the natives.

"Pity, pity. With your knowledge, Brother Shouzhe, if you were to participate in the Zifu Academy's second test, becoming a disciple would be a sure thing," Mr. Qian said, showing a bit more respect and admiration, "The Zifu Academy values not only cultivation talent but also the vision and perspective of its disciples. I believe that under your leadership, the Wang Family will eventually return to its peak, and even surpass it."

"Brother Qian, don't tease me," Wang Shouzhe said with a bitter smile, "The Ping'an Wang Family only seeks to survive peacefully, nothing more."

In the polite exchanges, the two had already started addressing each other as brothers.

"Too modest, too modest. Speaking of which, Brother Shouzhe, you came to our Qian Family Trading Company in such a hurry. Could it be that you have some big business to discuss?" After some small talk, Mr. Qian could no longer hold back and brought the conversation back to the main topic.

Hearing this, Wang Shouzhe gently placed his teacup down, his eyes calm: "To be honest, this matter does require Brother Qian's help. I need five thousand bags of insect-killing powder."

Upon hearing this, Mr. Qian's hand trembled, and he looked at Wang Shouzhe in disbelief, suppressing his dissatisfaction after a moment: "Brother Shouzhe, are you joking with me?"

"Why would I joke, Brother Qian?" Wang Shouzhe said calmly, "The Qian Family Trading Company, being so large, surely has more than five thousand bags of insect-killing powder, right?"

"Brother, do you know how much five thousand bags of insect-killing powder is? One bag weighs about a hundred pounds, and when diluted, it is enough for a hundred acres of farmland. Five thousand bags are enough for five hundred thousand acres of farmland," Mr. Qian said with a frown, "The total farmland in Changning Garrison and its subordinate towns is only about one and a half million acres."

"I know," Wang Shouzhe's expression did not waver, his eyes serious.

Mr. Qian's expression became increasingly interesting: "Brother, you're not joking, right?"

"Of course not," Wang Shouzhe said, "The Ping'an Wang Family, though a low-ranking ninth-grade family, is not so ignorant as to make such a light decision."

"Good, good, good, Brother, you've given me a great surprise. I'll take this deal," Mr. Qian said with a pleased expression, "However, the Changning branch of the Qian Family Trading Company only has two thousand bags in stock. The remaining three thousand bags need to be transferred from other branches, which will take at least ten days."

"Why is the stock so low?" Wang Shouzhe asked with a slight frown.

"That's not a small amount. In previous years, the stock was almost depleted," Mr. Qian said seriously, "Due to the planting and production of raw materials, the annual production of insect-killing powder is planned. Last year, the raw materials had a good harvest, and production increased by more than ten percent. We originally planned to sell it at a low price to various families, but only a few families were willing to buy and stockpile. As a result, we still have two thousand bags left from last winter in Changning Garrison."

"Brother, why were those families unwilling to stockpile at a low price?" Wang Shouzhe asked casually.

"Well... Alright, this isn't much of a secret, and many families already know. Telling you won't violate any clan rules," Mr. Qian said hesitantly, "The herbs used in the insect-killing powder are grown in the fields of many noble families. Because the profits are good, more and more noble families have invested in herb fields. In recent years, production has increased, and we have been lowering the prices of raw materials. This year's batch of insect-killing powder, the production... you know, the larger the family, the more informed they are."

Ha ha, Wang Shouzhe understood. This was overproduction, and the market was saturated. Although he was not an economics expert, his perspective and awareness still surpassed those of the natives in this fantasy world.

"Since that's the case," Wang Shouzhe said after a moment of thought, "I'll take the two thousand bags in stock and the three thousand bags of futures."

"Brother Shouzhe, what do you mean by 'futures'?" Mr. Qian, completely unfamiliar with the term, asked with a puzzled look on his round face.

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