Chapter 27

One day, an elderly man dressed as a merchant arrived at Wangjia Village.

Seeing the prosperity of Wangjia Village, the old man was shocked and thought to himself, "Wangjia Village has developed too quickly. In just a few years, it's already filled with gold. These lowly villagers have all become wealthy. If I could get the recipe for soy sauce and five-spice seasoning, the wealth in my hands would skyrocket."

Although the old man knew that soy sauce and five-spice seasoning were selling very well, even entering every household in the Song Dynasty, he was truly amazed when he saw the large workshops in Wangjia Village.

"Sir, this Wangjia Village is a great place," a middle-aged man behind the old man whispered.

The old man nodded and said, "It's not that Wangjia Village is good, but that Wangjia Village has produced a Wang Yue. Let's go and meet this village chief."

...

"A village chief, a merchant has come from outside. He calls himself 'Yan Longyuan,'" a servant walked into the room and said to Wang Yue.

Wang Yue put down the book in his hand and asked, "Yan Longyuan?"

The name "Yan Longyuan" was very unfamiliar to Wang Yue; it was the first time he had heard it.

Wang Yue looked at A Bi and asked, "A Bi, do you know this Yan Longyuan?"

A Bi nodded and said, "Yan Longyuan is a big businessman with many businesses in Kaifeng. He's here to seek cooperation with our Wangjia Village."

Wang Yue nodded, understanding that those who came to Wangjia Village were either merchants or martial artists.

The merchants all wanted to buy soy sauce and five-spice seasoning, while the martial artists all wanted to learn from Wang Yue.

"Have Yan Longyuan go to the hall; I'll be there soon," Wang Yue said to the servant.

"Yes, village chief," the servant nodded.

Wang Yue smiled at A Bi, "A Bi, we no longer manage the sales of soy sauce and five-spice seasoning. For Yan Longyuan to come directly to us, it seems he is indeed a big businessman. Let's go and meet him, and see what kind of person he is."

Wang Yue and A Bi arrived at the hall, where Yan Longyuan was already sitting and waiting.

"I assume this is Yan Longyuan, sir? I am Wang Yue, a young man. Your visit to our Wangjia Village is a great honor," Wang Yue bowed and smiled.

Although Wang Yue spoke politely, he was inwardly surprised. Yan Longyuan was a super expert.

Although Yan Longyuan had hidden the true energy in his body very well, Wang Yue's sensitive perception still clearly felt it.

"True energy liquefied, Yan Longyuan is a grandmaster-level martial artist!" Wang Yue thought to himself.

Yan Longyuan stood up, returned the bow, and the sharp light in his eyes disappeared quickly, "I am indeed Yan Longyuan. I came uninvited, and I hope Village Chief Wang will forgive me."

Yan Longyuan's heart was like a storm. Although Wang Yue looked sunny and friendly, he felt a threat of death from him.

"I am a grandmaster-level martial artist, and this young Wang Yue has cultivation no less than mine. It's incredible. If I were to make an enemy of such a person, I would be restless day and night."

Yan Longyuan put away his contempt and communicated with Wang Yue on equal terms. Wang Yue's strength was enough to make anyone take him seriously, even the haughty Yan Longyuan.

After they sat down, Wang Yue smiled, "What brings Yan Longyuan to our Wangjia Village this time? If you need to buy soy sauce and five-spice seasoning, there are people in our village responsible for these matters. You don't need to come to me, Yan Sir."

Yan Longyuan smiled, "I came to Wangjia Village for soy sauce and five-spice seasoning, but this matter can only be decided by Village Chief Wang. No one else can make the decision."

Wang Yue was a bit curious. Only he could make the decision?

"Oh, Yan Sir, please speak directly. If I can agree, I won't refuse," Wang Yue smiled.

Yan Longyuan smiled, "I need a lot of soy sauce and five-spice seasoning, enough for the entire Liao Dynasty."

Wang Yue looked at Yan Longyuan. He wanted to be the distributor for the entire Liao Dynasty? That was not a small amount, even more than the Song Dynasty. With Wangjia Village's production capacity, it was insufficient, but Wang Yue didn't want to expand further. After all, Wangjia Village was already very wealthy. If it reached the point of being as rich as a country, the Song Dynasty court might not tolerate him. The fate of Shen Wansan might be the future of Wangjia Village.

Wang Yue thought for a moment and said, "With Wangjia Village's production capacity, I can only give you ten thousand jars of soy sauce and ten thousand jars of five-spice seasoning each month. How you sell them and how much profit you make is none of my concern."

Ten thousand jars each? Yan Longyuan was very satisfied. He originally thought he could get five thousand jars, but it turned out to be twice as much as he expected.

However, Yan Longyuan's face still showed a bitter smile, as if he was not satisfied, "Village Chief Wang, can you give me a bit more? The entire Liao Dynasty, this amount is not enough at all."

Although soy sauce and five-spice seasoning were available in the Liao Dynasty, the quantity was very small, and only the nobility could enjoy them. The common people couldn't afford them.

Ten thousand jars seemed like a lot, but spread across the entire Liao Dynasty, it wouldn't even make a ripple.

Wang Yue shook his head and said, "This is the maximum amount I can provide. Any more, and I can't."

Yan Longyuan said, "If that's the case, then it's settled. However, let's sign a contract. I'll pay half the deposit now, and the other half when I come to pick up the goods next month."

Wang Yue nodded, "Agreed."

After signing the contract, Yan Longyuan left with his servant.

...

A Bi said, "Brother Wang Yue, there's something wrong with Yan Longyuan. He doesn't seem like a merchant at all, but rather a high-ranking official. I felt the aura of a superior on him."

Wang Yue smiled, "Yan Longyuan is more than just a merchant. His martial arts are not inferior to mine. If we were to fight now, I would only have a fifty percent chance of winning. I think Yan Longyuan is not his real name. A Bi, tell the people below to keep an eye on Yan Longyuan. Report any developments to me immediately. I want to see who he really is. If he threatens Wangjia Village, I will do everything to eliminate him."

A cold light flashed in Wang Yue's eyes. No one could threaten Wangjia Village and his family.

A Bi nodded, "Brother Wang Yue, don't worry. I'll have the people below take care of it."

...

Yan Longyuan returned to Suzhou City. The middle-aged servant asked, "Sir, Wang Yue is just a young man. Why did you show him such respect? And you didn't even ask him about the recipe."

Yan Longyuan's face was serious, "I didn't expect Wang Yue's martial arts to be even better than the rumors. He is stronger than Fu'er. I originally planned to use force to subdue Wang Yue and then slowly interrogate him for the recipe of soy sauce and five-spice seasoning. But when I saw Wang Yue, I realized I had no confidence."

The middle-aged servant was shocked, "What, Sir, Wang Yue's martial arts can match yours? How is that possible? He's just a young man. How could he have such strong martial arts? Even if he started training from birth, it would be impossible to achieve such a level."

Yan Longyuan said, "You haven't reached the grandmaster level, so you can't feel the threat and power from him. This internal martial arts is truly amazing. There is no true energy fluctuation on his body. If I hadn't recently made a breakthrough in my cultivation, I might not have noticed that Wang Yue has supreme martial arts and has already reached the grandmaster level. It seems we need to find another way to get the recipe."

Yan Longyuan thought to himself, if he could get the recipe and eliminate Wang Yue and his people, he would control the entire soy sauce and five-spice seasoning trade. With such immense wealth, recruiting soldiers and buying horses would be no problem.

However, these were his deepest secrets, and even his most loyal middle-aged servant didn't know.

...

Outside Yanmen Pass, twenty miles away, there was a ten-thousand-foot-deep abyss.

A beautiful woman sat on the edge of the cliff, lost in thought, looking at the distant mountains.

This woman was A Zhu, who had recovered from her injuries.

"Big Brother Qiao, I know you will come here. I will wait for you every day until you come. I will wait for you every year until you come. Until you arrive."

A Zhu thought to herself.

Now, whenever A Zhu was quiet, the image of Qiao Feng's towering figure would appear in her mind. A Zhu knew she had fallen in love with Qiao Feng.

Five days later, A Zhu heard an explosion on the cliff wall and saw a golden true energy fluctuation.

"The Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms! Big Brother Qiao has come." A Zhu was delighted.

A Zhu ran forward and shouted, "Big Brother Qiao, I knew you would come."

Hearing A Zhu's voice, Qiao Feng was surprised and happy, "A Zhu, why are you here?"

A Zhu said, "I knew Big Brother Qiao would come here. So, after I recovered, I came here to wait for you."

Qiao Feng looked at the ten-thousand-foot-deep abyss and said painfully, "My father jumped from here. But the words he left on the cliff wall have all been worn away. Even now, I still don't know who the murderer is."

A Zhu comforted him, "Big Brother Qiao, don't be anxious. Since the murderer has killed again, they will eventually slip up. The truth will come to light. No matter what the world thinks of you, I know you are innocent. Even if the whole world doubts you, I will believe in you."

Qiao Feng held A Zhu's hand and said, "A Zhu, thank you. From now on, I, Qiao Feng, will no longer live for the martial world or for others. I will only live for A Zhu and for myself."

A Zhu leaned into Qiao Feng's embrace and said happily, "Big Brother Qiao, after you take your revenge, let's go to the grasslands beyond the border, raise horses, and live a peaceful life. Don't worry about the affairs of the martial world anymore."

Qiao Feng nodded, "A Zhu, I promise. I will take you to the grasslands, away from the martial world, and live a simple life."

A Zhu closed her eyes. She finally understood the happiness A Bi felt. It felt so good to be loved. A Zhu truly hoped time could stop, and she could stay with Qiao Feng forever.

...

After making a deal with Yan Longyuan, Wang Yue and A Bi went to the Beggar Sect to find Kang Min.

"Time is running out. I hope Kang Min really knows about the Purple Yang Bamboo. Otherwise, my only hope will be shattered." Wang Yue really hoped Kang Min knew the whereabouts of the Purple Yang Bamboo.

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