End of the World Crisis, My Husband is from Ancient Times

The night deepened, and the sea breeze, carrying a fishy and salty smell, blew in my face. The pier was empty, with only a few dim oil lamps swaying in the wind.

Teng Junze gripped the sword at his waist tightly, his eyes blazing as he gazed at the dark sea. "It seems someone doesn't want us to trade smoothly..."

Fan Mengmeng also felt a little uneasy. She tightly grasped the bag in her hand, which contained the modern supplies she had carefully selected.

This batch of supplies was the starting point of her plan and the foundation for her to survive in this strange era.

Just then, a noisy sound of footsteps was heard in the distance, and a group of people holding torches slowly approached.

The leader was none other than the shopkeeper Zhao, who wore a false smile. "Master Teng, Miss Fan, I'm sorry to have kept you waiting. We had a minor accident on the way."

Behind Manager Zhao were several burly men carrying several heavy sacks that looked bulging, as if they were filled with goods.

"Manager Zhao," Teng Junze said coldly, "It's been two hours since our agreed time. I wonder what unexpected event has delayed you for so long?"

Manager Zhao laughed and said, "Oh, don't mention it. We encountered a group of robbers on the way and were delayed for some time. But fortunately, the goods were saved and I didn't let you two down." He signaled his men to open the sacks and reveal the goods inside.

Fan Mengmeng walked forward to take a closer look, but her brows gradually furrowed.

Although these goods appeared to be of the same type as previously agreed upon, their quality was obviously much worse.

The fabric was rough, and the tea leaves were mixed with a lot of debris and even had a musty smell.

"Shopkeeper Zhao," Fan Mengmeng said calmly, pointing at the goods. "These don't seem to be the same as the samples we saw before, right?"

The smile on Shopkeeper Zhao's face froze. He coughed twice, "Miss Fan, these... these are all top-quality goods. It's just that the journey was bumpy, so some damage is inevitable..."

"Lose?" Fan Mengmeng sneered, pulling out a high-power magnifying glass from her bag and examining the tea leaves carefully. "Manager Zhao, you call this lose? This is clearly inferior tea leaves being passed off as good quality! Not only are there tons of tea leaves in this tea, but there are also many moldy tea stems. Do you think I know nothing?"

Manager Zhao's face turned ashen. He didn't expect that this seemingly weak woman was so smart and could see through his scam at a glance.

He suppressed his anger and said with a forced smile, "Miss Fan, do you not believe in my reputation?"

Fan Mengmeng met his gaze fearlessly, "Manager Zhao, business requires integrity. Aren't you afraid of ruining your own reputation by deceiving us like this?"

A hint of viciousness flashed in the eyes of the shopkeeper Zhao, "It seems that the two of you don't want to discuss business properly..." He waved his hand, and several big men behind him immediately surrounded him, the shining blades in their hands reflecting a chilling light in the firelight.

At this time, the silent boatman Sun turned pale and said tremblingly: "Master Teng... Master Teng, what... what should we do..." He moved stealthily to the side of the boat, as if he wanted to take advantage of the chaos to drive the boat away.

Teng Junze glanced at him coldly, then turned his gaze to Shopkeeper Zhao and said in a cold tone, "Shopkeeper Zhao, what are you going to do?"

The fake smile on Shopkeeper Zhao's face vanished completely, replaced by a ferocious rage. "If you don't accept my toast, you'll be punished! Come on, take these two down!"

The big men approached with blades in hand, and the atmosphere on the dock suddenly became tense.

Teng Junze drew out his sword, and with a flash of cold light, he blocked in front of Fan Mengmeng.

"Who dares to take a step forward!" he shouted sternly.

Boatman Sun was so frightened that he took advantage of the chaos to secretly untie the rope.

"Master Teng, I have old people above me and young children below me. I really can't afford to offend these people!" He whispered as he prepared to escape by boat.

At this critical moment, Fan Mengmeng was unexpectedly calm.

She took out a few peculiarly shaped lighters from her bag, and lightly flicked them in the air. Clusters of dancing flames instantly ignited, and were particularly eye-catching in the darkness.

The subordinates of Manager Zhao had never seen such a magical thing. They were stunned for a moment and stopped what they were doing.

"What kind of witchcraft is this?!" someone exclaimed.

Fan Mengmeng seized this opportunity and shouted to Sun Chuanfu, "Sun Chuanfu, if you leave now, forget about making money from me! If you stay, I'll give you double, no, triple, your pay!"

Boatman Sun was about to untie the last rope, but when he heard Fan Mengmeng's shout, he stopped abruptly.

Triple the reward!

This is several times the amount he earns from a single boat trip!

He hesitated, greed and fear warring within him.

Seeing his men captivated by a few gadgets, Shopkeeper Zhao flew into a rage. "What are you all just standing there for? Get at it!"

Taking advantage of the other party's distraction, Teng Junze flashed his sword and forced back several approaching men. He then whispered to Fan Mengmeng, "How many of these... things do you have left?"

Fan Mengmeng smiled mysteriously, took out a palm-sized flashlight from her bag, pressed the switch, and a strong light shone directly into the eyes of Manager Zhao.

"Manager Zhao, we can talk more..."

A strong light suddenly shone, and Manager Zhao subconsciously raised his hand to block it, and for a moment he even forgot to give the order.

Seeing Fan Mengmeng so calm in the face of danger, Teng Junze admired her even more.

He quietly approached Fan Mengmeng and used his body to block any possible threats from Manager Zhao.

Fan Mengmeng felt his protection, her heart warmed, and the corners of her mouth rose slightly.

"Shopkeeper Zhao," Fan Mengmeng said calmly, putting away the flashlight. "I still have a lot of these 'gadgets'. Are you sure you want to be my enemy?"

Manager Zhao narrowed his eyes, looked at Fan Mengmeng and Teng Junze, and weighed the pros and cons in his mind.

This woman looks weak, but she has unexpected courage and means, and Teng Junze is someone he cannot afford to offend.

The anger on his face gradually faded, replaced by a forced smile.

"Miss Fan, you're joking. It's all a misunderstanding, a complete misunderstanding. I just wanted to confirm the authenticity of the goods. I mean no harm."

Fan Mengmeng didn't point it out, and said smoothly, "Since it's a misunderstanding, it's easy to deal with. Why don't we discuss cooperation again?"

Teng Junze whispered to Fan Mengmeng, "What do you think?"

Fan Mengmeng nodded slightly, and the two of them walked aside and discussed in a low voice, then returned to Manager Zhao and proposed a new exchange plan.

Although Manager Zhao was unwilling, the situation was stronger than he was, and he finally reluctantly accepted their conditions.

The tense atmosphere on the dock gradually eased. Seeing that the wind direction had changed, Boatman Sun quickly tied the rope again with a flattering smile on his face.

"You two, I'm going to set sail now."

The first material exchange started without any problems. The goods were loaded onto the ship and slowly sailed away from the dock.

Fan Mengmeng and Teng Junze stood on the shore, watching the ships sailing away, but they did not feel relieved.

Returning to the Teng Mansion, the two had just stepped through the gate when they heard Butler Li loudly say in the hall: "...Master, doing business with a woman of unknown origin is truly damaging to the reputation of our Teng Family..."