Chapter 586: Revealing Their Trump Cards |
The waiter was overjoyed—these could all go to feed the poor in the back alleys now. But as the assistant manager now, having shouldered greater responsibility for the tavern, he asked: “Then what will we feed our pigs?”
Ground Rabbit gave a wicked smile, radiating the aura of a powerful tavern boss: “Kill them. Hand out the pork to the poor folks. Treat it as a grand opening celebration event… free rewards.”
The waiter was delighted, but then promptly voiced his concern as an assistant manager: “But then we won’t have pigs in the future! What about when customers order twice-cooked pork, braised pork, stir-fried shredded pork, and such?”
Ground Rabbit: “Huh? This…”
Wang Tang, standing nearby, burst into laughter: “Don’t you worry! We plan to build a pig farm in the outskirts of Xi’an. From then on, the tavern will get regular supplies of pork from there. No need to raise pigs ourselves anymore.”
The waiter—no, the assistant manager—finally breathed a sigh of relief.
With arrangements set, the tavern would temporarily operate under the assistant manager’s oversight until Gaojia Village could select an exceptional talent from its middle school graduates to take over as formal manager. That could come later.
Ground Rabbit and Wang Tang strode out of the tavern, Ground Rabbit grinning widely. “So what should we buy next? The Deity told us to buy up every possible business in the city… but where do we even start?”
Wang Tang’s gaze locked onto the “Mule & Horse Yard” nearby. “Mr. Rabbit,” he murmured, “food, clothes, shelter, transport—those are the four essentials. Let’s begin there. Look—there’s a mule and horse yard over there.”
Playing the part of wealthy patrons, the two walked toward the mule and horse yard…
……
While Ground Rabbit and Wang Tang dashed around the city, spending money like water…
Li Daoxuan himself, carrying a birdcage, appeared outside the Qin King Mansion.
The main gate of the Qin King Mansion was imposing and austere. Yet the street before it lay deserted, utterly lifeless.
Common citizens avoided this place—no one wandered here without good reason.
Keeping his distance, Li Daoxuan entered a tavern diagonally opposite, securing a private room on the second floor. From its window, he gazed across at the distant Qin King Mansion.
The conflict with the Qin King Mansion had entered its second phase.
Time to play dirty.
Li Daoxuan refused to let his little people suffer from underhanded tactics. So he decided to handle the dirty work himself.
Since ancient times, intelligence was key in underhanded games. Knowing your opponent’s hand left them powerless. This time, Li Daoxuan came to uncover exactly that hand.
The Qin King Mansion remained outside his viewing range; he couldn’t use his box’s “gaze” function to see within from the outside. But he still had his “shared sense”… and anywhere inside the mansion holding a Dao Xuan Deity Statue, in whatever form, was permeable to him.
Focusing on the estate ahead, he activated “shared sense.”
Instantly, Li Daoxuan sensed numerous potential mediums—far and near, large and small. Yet he couldn’t grasp specifics—what they were, their location, or surroundings. His consciousness needed to traverse them first. He’d have to test them individually.
Best to start with the nearest.
Choosing the medium immediately ahead and to his right, Li Daoxuan triggered a shared sense connection.
His view abruptly shifted…
He found himself in a rundown small house, likely servant quarters. Sparse furnishings; stark poverty. He lay upon a table…
Then he realized—on the table sat Dao Xuan Deity’s Demon Elimination Tale. His awareness had linked to the Dao Xuan Deity illustration on this comic book’s cover.
So this book had already reached the servants of the Qin King Mansion? Li Daoxuan mused internally. The impoverished masses would surely be the first readers.
Just then, the door screeched open. A maid entered—rough hands, sturdy frame; unmistakably a country girl recently sold into the Qin King Mansion. None of the refinement of established household maids.
This comic book belonged to her. Barely inside, she began stripping off her burlap clothing. Swiftly—before a second passed—her outer garment slipped down, revealing an undershirt.
Li Daoxuan: Oh, damn! Not appropriate to see this. The girl had been sold into servitude; he would not further compromise her dignity. Swiftly switching his shared sense, he jumped to the next medium.
Now he hung across the back of a horse. Other horses stood nearby, heads lowered as they nibbled from a trough.
This saddle bore a piece of “Chengcheng embroidery”—that intangible cultural heritage painstakingly crafted by girls of Chengcheng County, then sold to Xi’an’s wealthy nobles.
Traditionally featuring tigers, steeds, qilin, or phoenixes, Chengcheng embroidery in recent years had incorporated Dao Xuan Deity figures. Blending anonymously among embroidered pieces, they escaped notice… now serving as ideal conduits for Li Daoxuan’s senses.
Yet a stable offered little of interest compared to… well, even the maid.
He readied to relocate when a group strode into the stables. They wore standard martial arts attire yet radiated an “officials” air—heavy with menace.
One muttered with suppressed tension: “The Young Master’s truly furious. Sending us, the guard unit, disguised as rebel bandits…”
Another chuckled coldly: “Those meddling civil officials. Where’d they find those martial arts guys to guard that fertilizer store? And they dared strike our men—of course the Young Master is incensed.”
The first voice asked: “Where are we setting the ambush?”
Their leader spoke: “On the road linking Chengcheng County to Xi’an Prefecture. We hide in a wooded stretch. When the fertilizer store’s stock runs low, the Li Family will resupply from Chengcheng. Intercept that logistics team midway… eliminate them all.”
“Ssst! If word of this leaked…”
“It won’t,” the leader cut in sharply. “Leave no trace of us—pin it on bandits. If you fail… face death yourselves. Don’t let any captive fall into those officials’ hands.”
Silence descended upon the group.
They gambled with their lives.
But fear they did not hold—for the Qin King owned their lives.
Mounting up, the unit galloped cityward…
The embroidered Deity rode along a saddle flap as the horses carried them from Xi’an. Fearing suspicion near the city, they pushed onward—fifty li out, halting near today’s Gaoling District.
North of Weihe River, far removed from urban Xi’an, the detachment followed the main highway before veering into roadside woods, concealing themselves.
They had no notion when Li Family’s fertilizer transport might pass. Only wait.