Chapter 581: A Fight Breaks Out
Li Daoxuan set up a rattan chair in the corner of the fertilizer store and reclined in it.
The moment he settled back, the rattan chair groaned, creaking under the strain, clearly struggling with the unexpected weight.
His true weight far exceeded that of an ordinary human.
The rattan chair, never expecting to bear such an anomaly, protested with mournful creaks: *Squeak, squeak...*
"Fertilizer for sale, come get your fertilizer!" Wang Tang, the temporary manager of the fertilizer store, bellowed into a tin megaphone, addressing the street. "Used correctly, it's guaranteed to double your fields' yield next year! Winter's nearly over, spring is coming soon—if you don't act now, it'll be too late! Buy now and receive a free gift! Every customer who buys fertilizer gets a gift!"
News of a free gift finally emboldened a few brave villagers to approach. "What kind of gift?" someone ventured.
Wang Tang declared, "An invoice."
The villagers were thoroughly baffled. "What's an invoice?"
"It's a document proving you bought this item," Wang Tang explained. "It details the transaction price, and it comes in two copies: one I keep, and one you take home."
Wang Tang adopted a stern expression. "How can you say it's useless? This document proves your purchase. If there's an issue with the product, you can use the invoice to demand a refund or exchange. Furthermore, if everyone insists on an invoice for their purchases, we'll have a verifiable record of how much merchants sell. This prevents them from falsely reporting their earnings and cheating the imperial court."
The villagers grumbled, "Still doesn't sound very useful."
Wang Tang was speechless.
From his swaying rattan chair, the Heavenly Lord couldn't help but burst into laughter. "Hahaha, Wang Tang, a bit too early, a bit too early. Don't rush it."
"Ugh, fine, fine," Wang Tang sighed, throwing up his hands. "No more tricks. Let's just change the free gift to flour."
The instant he mentioned flour, the eyes of the villagers outside lit up.
Yet, no one dared to step inside the store to buy fertilizer.
They hadn't forgotten the ongoing dispute between the Prince of Qin's household and this very shop. To enter and buy something now would be a direct affront to the Prince of Qin's authority...
Sure enough, just as that thought crossed their minds, a junior steward from the Prince of Qin's household arrived, flanked by over a dozen retainers.
"Clear the way, clear the way! What are you gawking at?" the junior steward shouted twice. In a flash, the onlookers scattered, retreating to a safe distance. They no longer dared to loiter by the storefront, instead peeking from behind distant walls and trees.
The street in front of the fertilizer store instantly became deserted.
Li Daoxuan remained reclined in his rattan chair, unmoving. Wang Tang, however, took two steps forward, standing at the entrance of the fertilizer store, his gaze peculiar as he watched the newcomers from the Prince of Qin's household.
The steward swaggered forward. "Shi Kefa is quite sensible, it seems. Sending more fertilizer to our Prince of Qin's household, eh? You, men! Go and move it!"
Wang Tang smiled. "You're a steward from the Prince of Qin's household, correct? You've only brought ten men. You won't be able to move it all, you know. We've delivered dozens of cartloads this time. Perhaps you'd like to bring more people if you intend to take everything?"
At first, the steward assumed Wang Tang was conceding defeat. But upon closer inspection, something felt off. *Damn it all,* he realized, *this fellow is mocking me.*
His eyes narrowed, fixing on Wang Tang. "The new manager, are we?"
Wang Tang smiled. "Just arrived, I hope for your kind consideration."
The steward sneered, "Cut the snide remarks, old man. Get out of my sight before you get hurt."
Wang Tang chuckled. "Steward, you dare strike people here, don't you, because you presume the Emperor won't punish the Prince of Qin over such a minor incident? Then let me ask you this: if *you* were to be beaten here, do you think the Emperor would punish a civilian official for such a trivial matter?"
A flicker of alarm crossed the steward's mind. *This fellow!*
He scrutinised Wang Tang again. Young, fair-faced, he appeared refined and scholarly—the classic type with a silver tongue but no real fighting prowess. *What the hell am I afraid of?* he thought.
Without warning, the steward lunged, aiming a punch squarely at Wang Tang's face.
However, despite Wang Tang's refined appearance, he was a logistics soldier from Gao Family Village. And any soldier, whether in logistics or on the front lines, underwent "military training"—including military grappling, submission techniques, and the introductory forms of the Ghost God Fist.
To Wang Tang, the steward's punch seemed to move in slow motion.
He reached out, twisted the steward's arm, then spun his body, swinging the man around like a giant pinwheel before slamming him to the ground with a resounding *thud*.
It was a heavy fall. The steward felt as if every bone in his body had nearly shattered. Agony paralysed him on the ground, making it impossible to even stir.
The dozen or so retainers behind the steward instantly erupted in fury. "How dare you! Striking a man from the Prince of Qin's household? You're defying heaven itself!"
With a roar, the group surged forward.
They intended to overwhelm by numbers, but unfortunately for them, the shop was far from empty.
Padi Tu, who had been waiting in ambush in the back room, was the first to burst out. He reached for his sword, but Zheng Gouzi, following close behind, pressed down on his wrist. "Hold on, don't kill anyone yet. If we go straight to killing, we'll lose the moral high ground."
Padi Tu understood. He withdrew his hand from his sword hilt, clenched his fists, and charged.
One of the retainers was aiming a punch at Wang Tang's side. Padi Tu intercepted, kicking the man clear off his feet with a thunderous shout, "Even the Prince of Qin's household must adhere to reason!"
The Prince of Qin's steward, clearly fuming, roared back, "When have *we* ever bothered with 'reason' when dealing with the likes of you? Damn it all, fight!"
With that outburst from the steward, the fertilizer store's side firmly established its claim to "reason."
Any fool could see which side the onlookers would favor.
With reason now firmly on their side, they could afford to strike a little harder.
Zheng Gouzi rushed forward, grabbed a retainer, and landed a punch to his stomach that doubled the man over like a shrimp. Then, he raised his knee and slammed it against the retainer's chin with a sickening *thump*.
It was a devastating blow. The retainer's head snapped back violently, and he toppled over, instantly unconscious.
The dozen or so militia soldiers hiding in the back room now sprang out.
They deliberately matched the numbers, ensuring that for every retainer from the Prince of Qin's household, a militia soldier appeared – roughly one-on-one. However, while the numbers were equal, their fighting capabilities were anything but.
Fists and feet connected with a flurry of *thuds*, punctuated by screams, furious roars, and desperate shouts.
One retainer took a heavy kick from Padi Tu, stumbled backward, staggering several steps before collapsing with a *thud* right beside Li Daoxuan's rattan chair.
He braced his hands on the ground, attempting to push himself up.
From his rattan chair, Li Daoxuan clenched his fist and tapped the man squarely on the head...
"Thwack!"
Although his hand was covered in a thin layer of silicone, the steel skeleton beneath was unyielding. The blow to the retainer's head was excruciatingly painful.
The retainer shrieked, clutching his head with both hands, and crumpled to the ground.
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