knife

Chapter 29 The hidden truth

Suddenly, Zhang Qingyun understood what Li Dachui had said unintentionally on the way.

He said that the young prince Tiele of the Northern Yuan and Jiang Qian of the Southern Chu would be his lifelong enemies.

When he said these things, he didn't mention Linghu Ye, who was currently the most powerful force outside the Great Wall.

He didn't take Linghu Ye seriously.

Zhang Qingyun had initially thought he was just a young, arrogant bandit leader who hadn't experienced many setbacks or seen much of the world, but now he didn't think so anymore.

This magnificent city became the foundation upon which he stood.

Moreover, this person's strength is definitely far more than that.

On the surface, Tai'an City doesn't have much military strength.

The martial arts prowess that allows one to dominate the martial world is actually of little help in conquering the entire realm. A master of innate talent might play a decisive role in a specific area, but in the face of the grand scheme of things, it is insignificant.

That's why Li Dachui, the bandit, concealed his true status in Tai'an City.

This led everyone to believe that he was simply lucky to have found a master with innate talent as his backer.

One is open, the other is clandestine. Tai'an City openly amasses wealth, and judging from the current situation, it seems that most of the wealth from outside the pass is gathered in Tai'an City.

Huge wealth and a continuous source of income are the foundation for someone who achieves great things.

The hidden force is their claws and teeth.

If Tai'an City had both immense wealth and formidable military strength, Linghu Ye would likely have been unable to tolerate his existence long ago.

Even if it comes at a great cost, I believe Linghu Ye will kill him.

This simultaneous development, both overt and covert, has brought Tai'an City to where it is today.

Judging from his current appearance, Li Dachui doesn't seem to be planning to continue to bide his time, but is intentionally or unintentionally revealing the strength of Tai'an City, which indicates two things.

Firstly, their strength is already enough to challenge any force, including Linghu Ye.

Secondly, chaos is imminent outside the pass, or rather, chaos is imminent in the Qin Dynasty. At this time, everyone will have their own plans, and continuing to bide one's time will undoubtedly cause Tai'an City to miss an opportunity for rapid development.

To put it bluntly, you wanted to play dumb to fool others, but you played dumb for too long, making everyone think you were a real pig. Then who would still want to rely on you?
That would truly backfire.

Therefore, it is necessary to show the world one's true strength when the time is right.

It's partially obscured; those who can understand it will understand, and those who can't probably don't want it, like Li Dachui.

Having figured these things out, Zhang Qingyun couldn't help but break out in a light sweat.

If Li Kaixin hadn't intentionally or unintentionally revealed some things to him, he probably wouldn't have been able to figure out the key to this matter at all.

Although the father was also unaware of these matters, based on his years of experience fighting in the imperial court, he vaguely felt that Li Dachui was the key to breaking the deadlock outside the Great Wall.

However, this Li Dachui is probably much more complicated than his father imagined.

This person is definitely not a filial son or grandson of the Great Qin Dynasty to which his father serves. He is probably just as ambitious as Linghu Ye. It's just that under the cover of Linghu Ye's grand goal, no one sees him grinding his teeth in the dark, spying on everything.

"Uncle, where are we going now? Are we going to meet up with Brother Li?" Zhang Qingyun asked.

"No, young master said that Miss Qingyun needs to go to the shop to gain experience first!" Li Kaixin said with a grin, "I will take Miss Qingyun to the shop. I don't know when young master will see you again."

"Go if you want, it's just being a saleswoman, what's so great about that!" Zhang Qingyun pouted.

Tai'an City, I really want to see what makes you different from other places. This is the foundation of Li Dachui's power. If I can thoroughly study this place, I will probably be able to figure out what Li Dachui is up to.

That wretched guy, next time I see you, I'll expose all your secrets and see if you dare to play dumb in front of me again.

The carriage stopped in front of a large house.

Unlike the shops he had seen before, this shop that Li Dachui had mentioned was much larger than Zhang Qingyun had expected.

On the square streets divided by roads, this shop occupies one of the squares.

Zhang Qingyun alone opened four doors.

The huge shop is supported by thick pillars that can be embraced by several people.

Elsewhere, the same square block could house dozens of shops. Zhang Qingyun looked up at the flag embroidered with a hammer fluttering above the building.

Li Dachui Supermarket!
Below the plaque with its dragon and phoenix design, the signature is Zhou Zhi.

He is the city lord of Tai'an City.

"You can buy anything you want here – food, clothing, housing, transportation, and more!" Li Kaixin exclaimed excitedly. "Even if something is out of stock, you can place an order in advance, and Li Dachui Supermarket will deliver your satisfactory service in the shortest possible time!"

"Anything is okay?"

"Of course, even if you, young lady, place an order to kill Xiao Changche, we can give it a try."

"Nonsense!" Zhang Qingyun scoffed.

"It's true. The reason no one places orders like this is because no one can afford the deposit," Li Kaixin chuckled.

"I'm afraid that the person will suddenly die of an illness right after placing the order, won't that be a problem?" Zhang Qingyun looked at Li Kaixin. "Even if he dies of illness, it certainly won't break the rules of Tai'an City, right?"

"That's right, that's right! As long as a doctor certified by our Tai'an City confirms that the person died suddenly from an illness and not from any other abnormal cause, then the rules will not be broken."

"It seems that this rule varies from person to person!"

Li Kaixin smiled but didn't respond.

"So I have to start from the bottom, as a waiter?" Zhang Qingyun then asked.

“You’re joking, young master. Miss Qingyun’s status is quite different. How could we possibly let you start from scratch?” Li Kaixin said. “Miss, please settle in first, then find out the specifics before making a decision.”

"How much money can each of these businesses make in a year?"

"The smallest losses are around ten thousand taels of silver, while the largest losses can reach hundreds of thousands of taels!" Li Kaixin said, "There are also losses."

"How much did the person who suffered the biggest losses lose?"

“Last year it was around 100,000 to 200,000 taels!” Li Kaixin answered easily. “But it’s not that they are incompetent. It’s just that at this stage, our business still mainly relies on external spending, and we can’t yet achieve a balance between internal and external income and expenditure.”

"Then I'll do it!" Zhang Qingyun made the decision without hesitation.

While Zhang Qingyun was somewhat apprehensively embarking on a new chapter in her life in Tai'an City, Li Dachui was comfortably enjoying his long-awaited life as the young city lord.

The room was filled with steam, and the temperature was at least ten degrees higher than outside, making it truly warm and spring-like.

Wrapped a large cloth around his waist, Li Dachui got up and lay face down on the soft cushion. He picked up a small mallet and tapped it lightly. With a soft tinkling sound, the door opened, and a petite woman entered carrying a tray. She placed the wooden tray beside Li Dachui, then knelt down to one side. She took out a small bottle from the tray, poured the liquid from the bottle into her palm, and rubbed it slowly for a while. Then she began to gently massage Li Dachui's bare back until the liquid in her palm had completely penetrated his back. Only then did she pour some more liquid and massage another area.

Li Dachui let out a comfortable groan.

Fatty Li Kaixin quietly pushed open the door and walked in, sitting cross-legged next to Li Dachui. The young woman cleared away the plates and then quietly left the room.

"Is everything settled in?"

"It's all settled in. Miss Qingyun has chosen Zhiqiu Courtyard!" Li Kaixin said with a smile. "As soon as I mentioned that our business was losing money badly, she chose this place without even thinking about it."

“This girl is proud and arrogant.” Li Dachui chuckled. “And she’s very resilient. I admire her quite a bit. I never expected Zhi Qiu Yuan to make money for us. As long as they can spend the money effectively, I’ll be happy.”

"Does the young master truly have feelings for her?"

“I’m very interested in her, especially her father!” Li Dachui said. “If Zhang Ruo can really become Xiao Changche’s helper as we wish, hehe, then this game outside the pass will be even more interesting.”

"What I meant was not what you meant, young master. What I meant was that the city lord has been quite anxious about it too!"

"I'm only twenty-five or twenty-six, what's he in such a hurry for!" Li Dachui said unhappily.

"Isn't the city lord just hoping to have a grandson soon?" Li Kaixin said with a smile.

"He's afraid I might accidentally kick the bucket!" Li Dachui snorted. "That's why he's so eager for me to leave behind some descendants!"

"Young master, your good fortune is profound and enduring; you will surely live to be a hundred!"

"I hope so!" Li Dachui said, "Anyway, I don't think the old man will tell me what my parents did, who they were, how they died, or who their enemies are. I feel there's a big problem. He was a master of the Innate Realm, you know. How amazing must it be that a master of the Innate Realm has to hide something? Now I, Li Dachui, am also a figure of some importance, and my forces are quite powerful, but in the old man's eyes, I'm still not enough. So who is this enemy? Fatty, you must know, tell me!"

Li Kaixin wore a wry smile, but her lips were tightly pursed.

"Fine, don't tell me then. Do you really think I can't find out?" Li Dachui said with a disdainful look. "Fatty, just wait and see. It won't be long before I expose the truth! Then, haha, watch me spit all over the old man's face with the truth."

(End of this chapter)