Chapter 616: Compensate and Profit

Cui Tik received the deed, and after much thought, he confirmed that it was real. The peddler had indeed paid him.

He wanted to return the deed to the peddler. "I don't want this land," he said, "I only want one person." The peddler snorted, "What kind of talk is that? I'm not a human trafficker!"

Cui Tik hastily explained, "You misunderstood me. I have a friend who lost his life, and I want to bring him back." The more anxious Cui Tik became, the more his ability to articulate suffered.

The peddler, however, understood. "You want to bring someone back from the dead? That's difficult." Cui Tik held out the deed. "Here, take this. I'm willing to pay an even greater price."

The peddler shook his head. "I have a method, but it's not the resurrection you're looking for. You'll have to find that method yourself." "It's too late," Cui Tik shook his head. "He might already be..."

"As long as you can find a way, it's definitely not too late," the peddler said, looking at Cui Tik. "That flower shouldn't be kept in your clothes. Wildflowers from the mountain need to be aired out frequently."

Cui Tik took a tin box from his pocket; it seemed to be some kind of hint. Li Banfeng nodded at Cui Tik, confirming it was indeed a hint.

Cui Tik hadn't yet understood Li Banfeng's meaning when he heard the peddler say, "There's an urgent matter to attend to. Not everyone in Desongya has died yet, but they will soon. I'll give you a proper land. If you let it turn into old soil, I will absolutely not spare you."

This was a difficult situation to handle.

To prevent Desongya from becoming old soil, people had to be sent there. However, in its current state, not even grass grew, let alone people. Cui Tik had an idea: "I have a group of friends with strong resistance; they should be able to settle here."

The peddler shook his head. "Dao Laogui won't do, neither the ones on Dao Gui Ridge nor those you have with you." Cui Tik pointed to the Dao Laogui beside him. "They aren't really Dao Laogui in the true sense; they are my..." The peddler still shook his head. "No matter where they come from, they must be sent back to Dao Gui Ridge!"

The peddler was not open to negotiation, so Cui Tik quickly went to find a solution.

Li Banfeng was still pondering the cause and effect of the matter when the peddler started pushing his cart away. "Junior Brother, wait a moment," Li Banfeng quickly called out to the peddler.

The peddler pulled out a feather duster and asked, "What is it?" Li Banfeng quickly corrected himself, "Senior Brother, don't be in such a hurry to leave."

"Why stay? There's no business to be done here!" The peddler couldn't even bother to shake his rattle drum.

"Who said there's no business? Am I not still here?" Li Banfeng took out his wallet. "I'll buy a box of matches!" "Five cents," the peddler replied.

Li Banfeng had no small change and handed over a hundred-yuan note. The peddler pursed his lips, displeased.

But that's how business was; money had to be earned, no matter how much. He gave Li Banfeng a box of matches and returned a handful of change.

Li Banfeng seized the opportunity to ask, "I didn't quite understand what you meant by 'gains and losses.' How exactly do you do business? And was your business with Cui Tik a loss or a gain?" "Didn't I just say?" the peddler replied. "It was a loss, but not a significant one."

"Desongya has been completely wiped out, and that's not a significant loss?" Li Banfeng offered the peddler a cigarette and lit it with a match.

The peddler put down his cart, took a puff of his cigarette, and said, "Different businesses, different approaches. There's no business that guarantees a profit without any loss, but you have to have a general idea of what kind of business it is.

There are small-scale businesses, stable businesses, volatile businesses, and businesses where you lose everything.

The business at Yaowang Valley is stable. Yao Xin fell, but Yaowang Valley's foundation remains, so I handed the business over to Xu Han. Old Xu doesn't need to play any tricks; simply maintaining the status quo is a profit.

The business at Haichi Ridge is volatile. If the insect plague could be stopped, it would mean saving a righteous land and countless lives, which would be a huge gain. If it couldn't be stopped, Haichi Ridge would be doomed forever, leading to a terrible loss.

These kinds of businesses are the hardest to do. I intended to handle it myself, but after finding Cui Tik, I got tied up with other matters. It just so happened that I saw you doing disaster relief in Haichi Ridge, so I sent Cui Tik to find you. I didn't expect you to actually succeed.

You dared to think and you dared to fight. Everyone thought Haichi Ridge was beyond saving, yet you, along with Cui Tik, fought to the very end. From then on, I trusted you and wanted you to handle all the volatile businesses.

I thought Desongya was in the same situation as Haichi Ridge back then, so I wanted to approach you for this business too. Even if you didn't agree, I would have found a way to make you agree. But once I understood Desongya's situation more clearly, I realized this business wasn't suitable for you. Desongya was rotten to the core.

What happened here was no longer a simple struggle for power and profit. The actions of these people had nothing to do with the word 'virtue.' They wanted to incite a war that would engulf the entire Puluo Province.

This kind of business had no chance of profit; you couldn't even protect your capital. When encountering such a business where you lose everything, you have to find someone else to do it.

The situation at Qianliangfang was very similar to Desongya. Cui Tik did that business very well, so I still chose him. Although this business at Desongya still resulted in a loss, the matter never went beyond the scope of Desongya, which is why I said the loss wasn't significant. The payment still had to be given. Do you understand now?"

Li Banfeng thought for a moment and said, "Then you should have explained things earlier. That way, Cui Tik wouldn't have been so constrained, pushing himself into this situation."

The peddler chuckled. "Brother, you don't run a household, so you don't feel the pinch. You think it was inappropriate for me to make Cui Tik constrained? If I had let Cui Tik act freely, he could have massacred Puluo Province tomorrow!

I let him decide who should be killed because I wanted to preserve some capital for Desongya. But now, nothing is left. That's how business is, and I can only accept it." The peddler pushed his cart, about to leave again. Li Banfeng called out, "Senior Brother, wait a moment."

"What else are you waiting for?" the peddler said impatiently. "Am I just going to stand here chatting with you and not do business?" "Business has to be done. I'll buy a candle."

"Twenty cents."

Li Banfeng handed over another hundred-yuan note. The peddler angrily counted out the change.

"Senior Brother, I've given you business twice now. Let's talk about something else!" The peddler picked up his feather duster. "What else is there to talk about? Speak quickly!"

"I have a way to break through the boundary."

The peddler put the feather duster back and rolled a cigarette for Li Banfeng. "Junior Brother, sit down and let's talk slowly."

The two sat side by side. The peddler struck a match and lit Li Banfeng's cigarette. "Tell me in detail, how did you break through the boundary?" "I built a bridge across the boundary. People can walk across it."

Li Banfeng wanted to seriously explain the principle of the hidden bridge to the peddler, but the peddler impatiently asked, "How many people can cross your bridge at once?" "Three to five people, I think," Li Banfeng replied.

The peddler's smile faded. "Is that so?"

Li Banfeng became displeased. "What? Is that too few? Do you look down on me?"

The peddler stood up and tidied his cart. "It's not that I look down on you. Any means of breaking through a boundary is rare, but three to five people is too few. Besides, you're a balancer now; you don't need to go through all this trouble just to send three to five people across the boundary, do you?"

Li Banfeng said, "I'm not sending just three to five people. I want to bring out all the Three-Headed people from Three-Headed Fork."

Hearing this, the peddler's interest was piqued. "This is big business, a volatile business, and a very difficult one. Do you want to do it?"

"Yes! But the way in is hard to find, and I know nothing about Three-Headed Fork."

The peddler took a medicinal candy from his cart and handed it to Li Banfeng. "I know quite a bit about Three-Headed Fork. We can do this business together, but the bridge across the boundary must be able to accommodate at least two hundred people at once."

Li Banfeng thought for a moment, then nodded. "Give me some more time."

The peddler pushed his cart. "You have plenty of time, but that foreigner doesn't have much left. He made Desongya like this; let's see where he'll find people now."

Cui Tik went to a new land, a very remote one.

On this new land, there were endless farmlands, diligent farmers, and a constant stream of hunters. Upon reaching the village, Cui Tik inquired along the way and finally found Zhang Wanlong.

"Mr. Zhang, I've finally found you!" Cui Tik was very excited.

Zhang Wanlong looked closely at Cui Tik and smiled, a bit surprised. "Foreign friend, have we met before?" Cui Tik was taken aback. "Of course we have. I bought seeds from you."

Zhang Wanlong shook his head. "You must have mistaken me for someone else. I never sell seeds to anyone."

This attitude was unacceptable to Cui Tik. He took a few seeds from his pocket. "These are what you sold me back then. You can't possibly have no memory of them, can you?" Zhang Wanlong carefully examined the seeds for a long time. "The quality of these seeds is somewhat similar to what I cultivate, but I truly didn't sell them to you." "Then who else could have sold them to me?" Cui Tik asked.

"It might have been them," Zhang Wanlong said, gesturing towards the cornfield. Two people, identical to Zhang Wanlong, approached. Zhang Wanlong introduced them, "These two plants were cultivated by me. They might occasionally impersonate me and do some improper business."

As he spoke, Zhang Wanlong's face darkened, and he said to the other two Zhang Wanlongs, "Did you sell seeds to others?" The other two Zhang Wanlongs shook their heads repeatedly. "We haven't sold any. Brother Long has rules; seeds cannot be sold externally."

Since these two Zhang Wanlongs denied it, Zhang Wanlong called over a dozen more Zhang Wanlongs. "Did any of you sell seeds to him?" All of them shook their heads, denying it. "We haven't sold any seeds."

Cui Tik frowned. "Mr. Zhang, what exactly do you mean by this? Do you have a specific price in mind?"

Zhang Wanlong shook his head repeatedly. "I don't sell seeds, so how can there be a price? It's just that I cultivate too many crops, and it's inevitable that someone might have broken my rules and sold seeds to you.

This matter needs to be investigated slowly. Please wait a while in the village. I'll have my wife light the fire and cook. Once the hunters return, we'll compare them one by one. This matter must be thoroughly investigated until the truth is revealed."

Cui Tik didn't have time to investigate this with him.

Even if he found out, it wouldn't help Cui Tik at all. Helpless, Cui Tik left the village.

Xiao Genzi approached and asked Zhang Wanlong, "Brother Zhang, why aren't we doing this business?"

"Business needs to be done, but it depends on who you do it with," Zhang Wanlong said. He took an antenna from a drawer. "I got this from a friend at the radio station; it's a good thing!" He then took a pumpkin, found a syringe, and gave the pumpkin an injection.

After the injection, he took a drill and made a hole in the pumpkin. The pumpkin hummed twice.

Zhang Wanlong quickly reassured it, "No pain, no pain. I've given you anesthetic." The pumpkin calmed down a little.

Zhang Wanlong picked up the antenna and said to the pumpkin, "This antenna is a bit cold; just bear with it."

When the antenna was inserted, the pumpkin trembled again. Zhang Wanlong adjusted the antenna's position, and a faint sound emerged from inside the pumpkin. At first, the sound was noisy, but after several adjustments, it gradually became clear.

Xiao Genzi looked bewildered. "What is that?"

"It's a radio!" Zhang Wanlong said, wiping pumpkin juice from his hands. "Let me tell you, this is technology. You can't just study 'golden liquid' every day; you also need to study science and technology." Xiao Genzi still didn't quite grasp the concept of technology. In Puluo Province, very few people could listen to radio broadcasts.

He squatted beside the pumpkin and listened attentively for a while. It happened to be commercial break, and the host was recommending a newly launched cleaver.

Xiao Genzi snorted. "This science and technology is all a sham. If this cleaver can cut through iron like mud, why would anyone use a machete to kill?"

The host happened to be saying, "With this cleaver, one second you're cutting vegetables in the kitchen, and the next you can take someone's head, ensuring a surprise attack." Xiao Genzi snorted again. "I can stir soup one second and pour sauce the next, and that also guarantees a surprise attack! What's the use of this science and technology?"

Zhang Wanlong laughed. "Why are you arguing with an advertisement? Wait a bit; the real stuff hasn't come on yet."

After half an hour, the commercials ended, and a sweet voice emanated from the pumpkin: "Dear listeners, A Hui here bringing you the latest news from Desongya. According to informed sources, Desongya has suffered a rare plague, leaving tens of thousands of residents' fates uncertain. Further investigation is needed for detailed information..."

Zhang Wanlong looked at Xiao Genzi. "Did you hear it this time?"

Xiao Genzi nodded. "The sound of this science and technology is really sweet."

"Sweet, isn't it! Ah Hui's voice... Who's talking about that! Something happened in Desongya, didn't you hear? There's a plague there, who do you think did it?" Genzi shook his head. "No matter who did it, it shouldn't concern us, right?"

"That's hard to say," Zhang Wanlong said with a serious expression. "Plague is very likely related to disease cultivators. Green Flower is the ancestor of disease cultivators, but he hasn't appeared for a long time. Wan Jinxian was also a disease cultivator, and there's no news of him now.

That foreigner who just came was also a disease cultivator. Now he's looking to buy seeds from us; who knows what he intends to do? We must be careful about this. If it gets linked to the Desongya incident, we won't be able to bear the responsibility."

Xiao Genzi looked intently at the radio pumpkin, silently remembering Zhang Wanlong's words.

He felt he didn't know Zhang Wanlong very well, and there was much to learn in the future.

The next day at noon, someone else arrived in the village. A man placed a box of silver dollars before Zhang Wanlong. "Brother Zhang, I've come to buy something from you." Zhang Wanlong was startled. "Brother, what's your name?"

The man introduced himself. "My surname is Sun, and my name is Sun Yusheng. I'm from Moxian Store, and I'd like to buy some good seeds from you." Zhang Wanlong smiled. "You want to buy seeds too?"

The man was surprised. "Has anyone else been here?" "Yes," Zhang Wanlong replied.

"Who?"

"Never mind who it was for now. Let's talk about the rules. If you fancy grain, or fruits, or new land specialties, you can pick whatever you like. But I never sell seeds."

The man frowned. "You really don't sell them?" "No," Zhang Wanlong stated.

"Alright then, I guess I've come to the wrong place." The man picked up his box and left. Xiao Genzi asked, "Can't we do business with this person either?"

"Absolutely not," Zhang Wanlong chuckled. "This person isn't surnamed Sun; he's surnamed He. He's He Jiaqing, the eldest young master of the He family. He used a disguise, but it can't fool my eyes. He Jiaqing and Li Qi are at odds, and we can't afford to offend our old customer for one business deal with him."

"That's true," Genzi nodded repeatedly. "Seventh Master is one of us."

Zhang Wanlong looked outside the door. "This person isn't easy to send away; he'll definitely come back."

Genzi said with disdain, "Let him come; we just won't sell to him."

"If we don't sell to him, he'll just take them himself. He Jiaqing is a rogue cultivator; most people don't actually know this."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Genzi picked up a spoon. "Tomorrow, I'll guard the house. If he dares to come, I'll give him a spoonful, and from then on, we'll be able to smell him whenever he shows up."

"There are a thousand days to be a thief, but never a thousand days to guard against one. That trick won't work," Zhang Wanlong said with a smile, adding another lock to the cellar. The next day, after they returned from farm work, Zhang Wanlong's two wives were cooking.

"Has anyone been here today?" Zhang Wanlong asked. "No one!" both wives answered in unison. The two went to the cellar and took a look.

Xiao Genzi examined the lock and said to Zhang Wanlong, "The lock hasn't been touched; He Jiaqing didn't come." "That may not be true," Zhang Wanlong said, taking out a medicine bottle and dripping two drops of liquid onto the lock.

After a moment, a vine emerged from the keyhole, and a palm-sized rose blossomed on it. A finger-sized woman stood in the center of the rose, bowing to Zhang Wanlong.

Zhang Wanlong asked, "Has anyone touched you today?"

"Yes, a man came. He was dishonest with his hands and touched me several times." Zhang Wanlong asked again, "Did he take the seeds?"

"He took them. I didn't dare stop him."

"No need to stop him. Let him take them!" Zhang Wanlong gently waved his hand. The woman bowed again, the petals closed, the flower retracted into the vine, the vine retreated into the keyhole, and the lock returned to its previous state.

Genzi wasn't too surprised. Having followed Zhang Wanlong for so long, he was used to such things.

What he was worried about now was the seeds. "Brother Zhang, let's first check how many seeds He Jiaqing stole."

"No need to check. Let him take whatever he wants. Those are all good seeds. You reap what you sow; he won't be able to grow what he wants." The next evening, Zhang Wanlong and Genzi had a couple of drinks and were about to go to bed when someone else came to buy seeds.

Zhang Wanlong smiled. "How strange, why are people coming to me to buy seeds these past two days?" No matter how much money the other party offered, the seeds were not for sale!

The man didn't press the issue and got up and left. Zhang Wanlong asked Genzi, "A few days ago, we went to Lushui City and bought a lot of newspapers. Do you remember where you put them?" Genzi remembered; Seventh Master had told him to read more newspapers.

He brought a stack of newspapers from the backyard, and Zhang Wanlong meticulously flipped through them page by page.

His gaze stopped on a photograph. "It's this person, Du Wenming!"

Genzi had learned quite a few characters from Zhang Wanlong. He read the news aloud. "Is this person from another province?"

"Yes, from another province," Zhang Wanlong said with a grave expression. "Why is he also coming to me to buy seeds?"

In Lushui City, at Yetang Teahouse, Mr. Kong Fang poured Du Wenming a cup of tea. "Are you sure you haven't come to the wrong place?"

Du Wenming said, "The place is absolutely right. Cui Tik did visit here. The Chu and He families both have land parcels in the vicinity, and I've heard some rumors from them that this cultivator's methods are quite powerful. Li Qi bought many seeds from him."

Mr. Kong Fang pondered the connection. "What does that foreigner want to do with the seeds? He caused such a huge mess in Desongya; does he intend to cover it up with a cultivator's seeds? That's too absurd."

Du Wenming offered a speculation: "Is it possible that the peddler doesn't want to get involved?"

"He couldn't possibly ignore it. Desongya is a righteous land; he can't just stand by and watch it disappear!" Mr. Kong Fang was very confident in his judgment. "Moreover, even if the peddler ignores it, Neizhou can't. I heard they also invested a lot in Desongya, so the matter can't simply be left unresolved."

Neizhou, Wujiang City.

Yue Congde, Song Demei's second son, was recounting his experiences in Desongya to Lord Fan, Lord Lu, and Lord Bi. He had told this story many times; over the past few days, eleven people had asked him about the incident.

Due to the involvement of the plague, Yue Congde was initially confined to a cell, questioned by specialists through a wall. Neizhou people had unique physical structures and strong resistance to plague, but because Cui Tik was a disease cultivator's disciple, they took full precautions.

After several days, no abnormalities appeared on Yue Congde's body, and the precautions against him were somewhat relaxed. Some people began to question him face-to-face. Now, Yue Congde finally met the cabinet ministers. Today was an important opportunity for him to prove himself.

However, while proving himself, he absolutely must not exaggerate. He had recounted the story over a dozen times, and if he messed up the details today, things would be troublesome. The three cabinet ministers sat on one chair, a single body topped with three heads, watching Yue Congde.

Lord Fan was the first to speak. "Did that foreigner wipe out everyone in Desongya?" Yue Congde nodded repeatedly. "As far as I know, not a single one was left."

"How did you return?"

This matter could not be told truthfully.

The truth was, he admitted his identity to Cui Tik and showed him the entrance to Neizhou, and Cui Tik let him go.

Merely revealing the entrance to Neizhou was a crime that could cost him his life. Fortunately, before returning, he had already prepared his narrative, repeating it over a dozen times in the past two days, memorizing it well.

"That foreigner's plague doesn't affect our physique. I used a disguise, pretending to have rashes on my body, and played dead among the corpses. At the time, too many people had died in the village, and that foreigner didn't check them one by one, so he didn't notice me.

After he left, I walked around the village and found that there were no, no survivors within the village." Yue Congde suddenly paused, which made the three cabinet ministers suspicious.

Lord Lu sternly asked, "Why did you hesitate just now?"

Yue Congde quickly explained, "I only didn't see any survivors in Deyuan Village. The situation in other villages was my inference."

What he said was not problematic. The exact number of deaths in Desongya could still be investigated by spies, and even if Yue Congde's statement was inaccurate, the impact wouldn't be too significant.

The three lords were very satisfied with the interrogation results. Although the turmoil in Desongya had subsided, they had two important gains: first, the foreigner Cui Tik had defied the peddler and would certainly face severe punishment; second, the foreigner Cui Tik's techniques were ineffective against Neizhou people.

Lushui Gai and Wan Jinxian were already missing. If Cui Tik died at the peddler's hands, Puluo Province would no longer have the ability to resist the plague. Even if the peddler spared Cui Tik, his plague wouldn't harm Neizhou people, so Neizhou didn't need to worry about plagues from Puluo Province.

Yue Congde received his reward. As he took the silver and was about to leave Lord Fan's residence, he suddenly felt an itchy sensation on his back. He scratched it with his hand, feeling that his back wasn't smooth.

What was wrong?

Yue Congde's entire body tensed instantly. He felt his back getting itchier and itchier. He mustn't scratch, absolutely mustn't scratch again.

Were these rashes?

Nothing had happened before, so why were there rashes today? He mustn't let anyone see them, absolutely mustn't...