Chapter 74: Choosing the Caravan
Chapter 74: Chapter 74: Choosing the Caravan
"Old Zhao? To what do I owe the pleasure? And you’ve brought a new Fellow Daoist with you?" He looked Lu Zhao up and down, his gaze probing.
"This is a distant nephew of mine. He’s looking to ask you about something," Old Zhao said concisely. Then, he nodded to Lu Zhao. "The rest is up to you. This is as far as I can help you."
Lu Zhao nodded in understanding, signaling that their business was concluded. Seeing this, Old Zhao visibly sighed in relief. He gave a nod to both Lu Zhao and Wang Cheng, then turned and quickly walked away.
Wang Cheng watched Old Zhao’s retreating figure, then gestured for Lu Zhao to take a seat, pointing to a nearby stool. "Sit down, Fellow Daoist. What do you want to know? But I should warn you, my information doesn’t come cheap."
Lu Zhao didn’t stand on ceremony and sat right down. "Are there any trading teams leaving from Lin Family Marketplace for Bixia Marketplace soon? I need to know about their size, strength, and reputation. When do they depart? Who are their leaders? How safe are their routes? The more detail, the better."
Hearing this, Wang Cheng narrowed his eyes. His fingers unconsciously toyed with the edge of the oilcloth as if weighing the value of the information and calculating the price he could demand.
After a moment, he finally spoke, drawing out his words. "Bixia Marketplace? That’s the largest marketplace in all of Chen Country. The journey is long and filled with unpredictable dangers. I have information on trading teams, of course, but as for the price... well, you understand."
He rubbed his fingers together, then held up three. "Thirty Spirit Stones. I guarantee you’ll be satisfied."
Lu Zhao’s expression remained unchanged. He replied flatly, "Fellow Daoist Wang, I’m here for information, not to be taken for a fool. Ten Spirit Stones."
"Ten?" Wang Cheng shrieked as if someone had stepped on his tail, his voice shooting up as a pained look crossed his face. "Fellow Daoist, do you think you’re haggling over vegetables? This is information about Bixia Marketplace! Every scrap of it was paid for with my brothers’ lives! Twenty-five. Not a stone less!"
"Fifteen," Lu Zhao said, his tone still level. "If the information is truly worth that price, I’ll pay and be on my way. But if it’s just some secondhand rumors..." He let the sentence hang, the implication perfectly clear.
Wang Cheng’s eyes darted back and forth as he quickly weighed his options. The man before him had a steady, powerful aura, clearly a Late-stage Qi Cultivator. And from this brief exchange, it was obvious he was no easy mark.
He grit his teeth as if making a difficult decision. "Twenty! Fellow Daoist, that’s my absolute bottom price."
Lu Zhao stared at him in silence for several breaths, and his unnerving gaze made Wang Cheng’s skin crawl. Just as he thought the deal was about to fall through, Lu Zhao slowly spoke, "Fine. Twenty. But I want every detail you can dig up. I’ll pay after I’ve heard the information. You’ve been in this Black Market long enough to know I won’t skip out on the payment."
"Of course. I, Wang Cheng, have been an information broker for many years. I have my connections," he said with a confident smile.
"But rest assured, Fellow Daoist, my information will be worth the price. I, Wang Cheng, have survived in this Black Market for over a decade on my reputation alone. If the information is false, you can come back and smash this stall of mine."
Lu Zhao nodded, signaling for him to begin.
Wang Cheng took a moment to recall, then glanced left and right. After confirming no one was paying attention to them, he lowered his voice and said, "As far as I know, there are currently two trading teams in Lin Family Marketplace recruiting, both with Bixia Marketplace as their destination."
"The first is the Lin Family Trading Team. As the name implies, it belongs to the Lin Family. They’re a large operation with many guards. They have five Late-stage Qi Cultivators providing security alone. The leader is a core Steward of the Lin Family named Lin Mao, who has a Qi Cultivation Eighth Layer. As for their reputation, with the backing of the Lin Family, it’s decent enough. At least they wouldn’t dare pull any funny business out in the open."
"They also stick to the main roads, so it’s relatively safe, though the journey is longer. The downside is that their vetting process for recruits is very strict; it’s difficult for a Cultivator who isn’t a local to join. As for their departure, if I remember correctly, it’s in about a month." After finishing his description of the first group, Wang Cheng paused for a moment before continuing with the second.
"The second is a ’wild team’ scraped together by a few Wanderer leaders. The head is a man named Hu Ming, Qi Cultivation Eighth Layer. He wields an Axe-shaped Spiritual Artifact and has a bit of a name for himself around here. His reputation is decent, too. I haven’t heard of him causing any trouble or committing any crimes."
"The only thing is, their group is on the smaller side. Right now, they only have about twenty regular members at the Mid-stage Qi Cultivation. They’re not particularly strong either; aside from Hu Ming, there’s just one second-in-command at the Qi Cultivation Seventh Layer. They’re also audacious enough to be planning a shortcut. I hear they’re still recruiting ’experts,’ so with your Cultivation, Fellow Daoist, you probably wouldn’t even have to pay a fee. Their departure is in about seven days, I believe."
Wang Cheng finished in a single breath, then looked at Lu Zhao expectantly. "So, Fellow Daoist, would you say this information is worth the price?"
Lu Zhao remained expressionless, but his mind was already racing. ’The Lin Family’s trading team is safe and reliable, but it will take far too long, leaving too much room for unforeseen problems. Besides, they might not accept me with my ’Chen Yuanping’ identity. Even if they did, I’d likely be subject to their rules and restrictions. At that point, I might as well travel alone.’
’On the other hand, the advantage of the Wanderers’ team is the shorter journey and earlier departure. There are only two Late-stage Qi Cultivators in their group, so even if they got any funny ideas, it wouldn’t be a major issue. With my strength, as long as I don’t run into someone at the Foundation Establishment Level or one of the real monsters at the 9th Layer of Qi Cultivation, protecting myself won’t be a problem.’
’Plus, with my Cultivation, I probably wouldn’t face many restrictions. If we were to run into a Foundation Establishment Level Demon Beast, having so many people would help distract it, giving me a better chance to escape. After all, isn’t that the whole point of joining a team in the first place?’
Once he had considered all this, Lu Zhao’s gaze shifted, and he asked, "Which shortcut does that group of Wanderers plan on taking? How dangerous is it? And where can I find this Hu Ming?"
"Well... there are many roads to Bixia Marketplace. As for which shortcut they plan to take, I’m afraid I really don’t know!"
"Finding Hu Ming is the easy part, though. He’s one of the most capable Demon Hunters in this marketplace. His little team is always in the marketplace selling Demon Beast Materials. Just head over there, and you’ll find them."
After speaking, Wang Cheng glanced at Lu Zhao. His expression said it all: he had told him everything he could. As for the specific shortcut, he genuinely didn’t know. He was just an information broker, after all.
Lu Zhao considered this and nodded. It was, after all, very private information. The fact that Wang Cheng even knew they were taking a shortcut proved his sources were reliable. He asked no more questions, counted out twenty Lower Grade Spirit Stones from his Storage Bag, and handed them to Wang Cheng.
Wang Cheng’s eyes lit up at the sight of the Spirit Stones. He snatched them up, inspected each one carefully, and only after confirming they were all genuine did a satisfied smile spread across his face. He then placed the Spirit Stones into his own Storage Bag.
"A generous man, Fellow Daoist! If you need anything else in the future, don’t hesitate to look for me, Wang Cheng," he declared, patting his chest in assurance.
Lu Zhao paid Wang Cheng no further mind. His decision was made. As long as this band of Wanderers wasn’t foolish enough to try and cross through territory belonging to a Foundation Establishment Demon Beast, he would join them.