Chapter 439: Say You Have It, You Have It

Fushan Yue looked relaxed and completely unperturbed. After all, once he revealed his identity, he could easily lead the entire caravan across the border, and no one would dare inspect his belongings.

Suddenly, several people emerged from the checkpoint.

There were six or seven officers and one lowly servant.

The rare sight of a lowly servant at the checkpoint drew the attention of many merchants.

Ignoring everyone else, they walked straight towards Shimen Caravan and Fushan Yue's group and shouted, "This line, a thorough inspection!"

Shi Er, the second boss, was startled. He stepped forward, cupped his hands, and asked, "Officers, what's wrong?"

"From the Grand Duke's County Office!" an officer declared, flashing a token in front of them. "Nothing's wrong, just a routine random inspection, and you've been selected!"

Shi Er couldn't help but laugh. "No need to trouble yourselves, officers. We don't have any contraband here."

The officer, who had witnessed things firsthand yesterday, wouldn't be fooled. His face hardened. "Less talk, step aside, and don't interfere with official duties!"

"And you, and you!" he barked, stopping the caravan workers who tried to move. "Nobody moves, or you'll be clapped in irons! Alright, search them, search thoroughly."

As he spoke, the other officers fanned out to search. Not a single cart was spared, whether it was carrying goods or people.

The first ten carts had been searched; nothing was found.

So, the search continued.

Shimen Merchant Association had many carts and even more goods, making the search quite time-consuming. During this delay, He Lingchuan and Fushan Yue both arrived.

Shi Er was trying to gauge the situation. "What's going on, officers? We are all law-abiding citizens!" He pointed at the lowly servant. "What's wrong with this person? Why is he standing here?"

The chief officer glared at him. "None of your business!"

"Oh? Could it be that this lowly servant is slandering us?" Fushan Yue's gaze made the servant tremble with fear. "He used to serve me, and after I struck him a few times, he held a grudge, which is why he's now seeking revenge."

As he spoke, he sniffed twice, frowning. "This fellow even drank alcohol earlier. Are you really trusting a drunken servant?!"

As his voice rose, more curious travelers gathered around.

The officers wondered if he had a dog's nose, to be able to smell alcohol the servant drank last night. But outwardly, they replied, "It's a routine random inspection, perfectly legal and compliant!"

Fushan Yue chuckled. "And if nothing is found?"

The cold glint in his eyes made the lowly servant tremble uncontrollably.

The chief officer said indifferently, "Then congratulations, you've passed the checkpoint."

Fushan Yue gave him a deep, penetrating stare. "Do you know who I am?"

The chief officer steeled himself and said, "No matter who you are, within Lingxu City's territory, you must abide by its laws!"

Fushan Yue smiled. "Good, good, upholding the law impartially."

Uncle Da and other guards rushed over from behind, eyeing the officers menacingly. Fushan Yue waved his hand, signaling them to return to the group.

There were too many people here, and it wasn't the place for a confrontation.

By this time, the other officers had finished searching the last cart and climbed out, saying, "Nothing, there's nothing!"

Everyone's gaze immediately focused on the lowly servant.

The chief officer also felt a bit flustered.

He had clearly seen it with his own eyes last night, so why wasn't it in the cart?

Could it be that Young Master Fushan was alert and had already disposed of the item?

Fushan Yue's smile didn't reach his eyes. "So now, what do you intend to do?"

The chief officer asked his subordinates, "Did you really search every corner?"

"Oh, we even suspected trickery, so we personally climbed into and inspected every compartment! Nothing."

This was truly... The chief officer met Fushan Yue's cold gaze and could only swallow. "This, this..."

At that moment, several more people emerged from behind the checkpoint. The leader asked, "What's going on here?"

At first glance, that person's build, limbs, clothing, and proud posture resembled a human's, but their skin was faintly blue, and any exposed areas were covered in tiny scales.

Its eyes were emerald green, and its ears had fin-like spikes. He Lingchuan noticed inconspicuous webbing between its fingers.

Was that... webbing?

What kind of demon was this?

The moment Fushan Yue saw him, his eyes narrowed, and a look of realization crossed his face. "Zhongsun Mou? So it was you who tripped me up, no wonder!"

"Impudent!" A guard behind Zhongsun Mou stepped forward and sharply rebuked, "How dare you be disrespectful to the Inspector-General!"

"Inspector-General?" Fushan Yue was surprised. He had been about to step forward but drew back upon hearing that title.

"Fushan Yue? Don't judge a gentleman's heart with your petty mind," Zhongsun Mou said unhurriedly, turning to the chief officer. "Tell me, what happened?"

"A, a routine random inspection."

"Was anything found?"

"No..."

The chief officer had barely uttered a sound when suddenly someone behind him loudly exclaimed, "Inspector-General, there's contraband here!"

Everyone froze and turned to look. They saw two soldiers standing beside one of Shimen Caravan's carts. They pulled back the tarpaulin and pointed to a glass jar underneath, declaring, "This is Dragon Scale Clubmoss! It is strictly prohibited from being taken out of Twilight Plain!"

"How is this possible!" Shi Er exclaimed, losing his composure. "We've traveled this trade route for over ten years, and we've never carried Dragon Scale Clubmoss!"

He was very familiar with the route and never made mistakes. How could he possibly be carrying contraband?

Dragon Scale Clubmoss is a unique plant found in the Twilight Swamps, with leaves like dragon scales. When used as medicine, it's said to greatly enhance male vigor. Naturally, there's no shortage of demand for such a thing, as people often visit apothecaries starting with "I have a friend..." to ask for it.

However, Dragon Scale Clubmoss was previously over-harvested, and its current supply is scarce. It has become a controlled medicinal herb, with private collection and transportation strictly forbidden.

Once discovered, the penalty is severe!

So, when Shi Er saw Dragon Scale Clubmoss in his own cart, especially a large, incriminating jar of it, all the blood rushed to his head.

He was furious.

What merchant caravan smuggling valuable goods would be foolish enough to use a transparent glass jar, openly visible?

If private individuals aren't allowed to harvest it, then this must be official property.

The other party's scheme against Shimen Caravan had reached a point of absolute shamelessness and unscrupulousness!

He Lingchuan, having watched the entire scene, quietly asked Fushan Yue, "What's your relationship with this fellow?"

"An adversary," Fushan Yue whispered. "He wishes me dead."

"What did you do to him?"

"His grandfather was killed by my father, the King."

Fushan Yue rubbed his nose again. "His brother's death also has a little to do with me."

"...Right." Is that just "a little" bit?

So Zhongsun Mou had every reason to hate Fushan Yue, and even to hate everyone associated with him?

Sure enough, Zhongsun Mou's gaze swept over, landing on He Lingchuan with undiminished hatred, as if He Lingchuan deserved the same treatment as Fushan Yue.

At this point, could he kick Fushan Yue away and loudly declare, "I don't know him," and still get away with it?

"Illegally carrying Dragon Scale Clubmoss and attempting to cross the border—" Zhongsun Mou drew out his words. "What is the usual penalty?"

After all, he wasn't a professional in this field.

An official scurried over from behind. "Dragon Scale Clubmoss, two jin or more—"

He glanced at the jar. Never mind two jin; there were easily seven or eight jin in there.

"The quantity is enormous, so it can incur a ten-fold fine, which amounts to three thousand taels of silver."

"Three thousand taels..." Shi Er's forehead broke into a sweat, and his heart seized at the mention of that sum. If he had to pay such a huge fine, how much money would he have left after this trade journey? "Sir, this is too severe."

He was too disheartened to argue about the origin of the Dragon Scale Clubmoss. Common people didn't argue with officials; if they wanted to frame someone, they would succeed.

But he still wanted to minimize his losses.

The minor official had said it "could" be a ten-fold penalty, not that it definitely would be, implying some flexibility in the fine.

By now, the caravan had been forcibly moved away from the checkpoint to avoid blocking the queue behind them.

Zhongsun Mou looked at Fushan Yue, smiling lightly and contentedly: "Young Master Fushan, if you are willing to intercede on their behalf, I will still grant that favor."

Fushan Yue's face twitched.

This fellow was truly malicious! Asking him to humble himself and beg Zhongsun Mou was something he absolutely could not do.

However, He Lingchuan and Shimen Caravan would then be subjected to hardship.

"Zhongsun Mou, you're playing with fire," he warned Zhongsun Mou. "If you do too many unscrupulous things, it's best to have eyes in the back of your head."

A guard by his side shouted, "How dare you threaten an official of Lingxu City!"

Zhongsun Mou chuckled. "Young Master Fushan has refused, so you'll have to blame him."

Fushan Yue bared his teeth slightly and whispered to He Lingchuan, "Tell Shi Er to pay the fine. Whatever amount he pays, I'll reimburse him later."

He Lingchuan immediately nodded to Shi Er.

Having traveled together, they shared a certain understanding. Although Shi Er was internally furious, having been a merchant for many years, he believed in the value of harmony. So, he swallowed his anger and paid the three thousand taels fine.

"Sir, can we leave now?" Ten zhang further was the land of Chiyan, but they couldn't pass.

"What's the rush?" Zhongsun Mou asked the official unhurriedly. "Has this group been fully inspected?"

The minor official was very perceptive. "No, not yet. We're only halfway through!"

"Then what are you standing around for? Don't waste Young Master Fushan's time!"

"Yes." The minor official turned and waved to the officers. "What are you staring at? Take everything down and inspect it thoroughly!"

Fushan Yue stared at him, a smile that wasn't quite a smile on his face. "You certainly have a lot of authority."

The minor official instinctively drew his neck back, meeting Fushan Yue's grim gaze. But the order had already been given. With one or two thousand officials and common folk at the checkpoint watching, the officers immediately sprang into action, truly moving all the goods from the carts onto the ground for individual inspection.

They even drew their knives and stabbed and poked into bundles of materials. If someone had been hiding inside, there would likely have been blood spilled everywhere by now.

Shi Er watched, his heart pounding. He had originally planned to hide Xiao Taozi in the pile of materials.

Shimen Caravan's goods were numerous and varied. Seeing that the caravan members were only standing by while he and his subordinates were exhausted, the chief officer said gruffly, "What are you looking at? Everyone, come down and help move!"

The caravan members' faces fell. This fellow was making things extremely difficult for them, and now he wanted them to work hard too?

He Lingchuan spoke up at the opportune moment. "They'd demand money the moment they start working, so we'll just have to trouble the officers."

The chief officer saw He Lingchuan smiling, yet his words were so scathing. He pointed his finger at He Lingchuan's nose and said, "Boy, don't act so big here, or you'll regret it!"

"Look, I have no possessions, not even a cart," He Lingchuan said, patting himself down. "It wouldn't be easy to plant something like Dragon Scale Clubmoss on me, would it?"