Chapter 353

He Lingchuan smiled as he watched his back: "He was actually quite nice to me." Steward Zhao was puzzled: "This is nice?" This Dong fellow never showed his face, never said a kind word, and dodged Young Master He as if dodging a plague god, and you call that nice? Young Master He's requirements for "nice" are not very high.

"You don't understand." Dong Rui turns his face faster than turning a book, but what he thought of at this time was escaping instead of giving him a hard time, which shows that Dong Rui's hostility toward him has diminished.

This fellow is all alone, decisive in coming and going, quite interesting.

He Lingchuan looked back to the northwest.

Over half a month had passed since the Battle of Xiabei by the Han River, and he thought of Xiazhou and the He family less and less.

Although there was danger in the Demon Nest, he had instead unloaded the shackles on his shoulders. He seemed to have gotten used to the smell of rotten wood and mud in the swamp after smelling it for so long.

Without having to go against his own heart, he actually didn't want to go back.

Wandering alone, the world is vast, and most importantly, he doesn't have to play out the drama of father-son affection anymore.

Pretending back and forth is quite tiring.

Besides, he wasn't valued in the He family anyway; how much influence could the absence or presence of the He family's eldest young master have on the Xiazhou war situation?

The original body naturally had some karma with his father, but he had saved He Chunhua many times, so it could be considered even.

It's just that he didn't know how Shan Youjun, Jiao Tai, and the monkey Ling Guang were doing; he had also set up many industries in Dunyu.

He Lingchuan secretly thought it was a pity; he would still have to find a way to send a message back if he had the chance.

"Young Master He, what's wrong?"

"Nothing." He Lingchuan came back to his senses, took a deep breath, and felt that the air was still a bit sweet, "Let's go."

The merchant caravan moved forward and entered the territory of the Fu Nation.

Finally, there was a road, and it was much easier to walk from here on.

After leaving the Demon Nest Swamp, the landscape changed quickly, with rows of towering mountains and winding streams, a very standard hilly landscape.

Even the official road was not as wide and straight as the one built in the south of Xiazhou. He Lingchuan found that there were quite a few merchants and commoners coming and going, but many of the post stations and inns along the way had closed down, and one could walk thirty or forty miles without finding food.

Finally, they managed to check into a post station before dark and ate hot grass-bag rice.

The locals wash mixed rice, beans, and peanuts, stuff them into grass bags, and steam them to supply guests; porters and peddlers only eat this, while those who are more particular, like He Lingchuan, Steward Zhao, and others, would ask for some fatty meat and mushrooms to be added to the rice before steaming, which is fragrant.

Of course, the price is also expensive.

When He Lingchuan was eating, he found that the meat was not fatty enough; it was tender, but there was a strange mutton-like smell. "What kind of meat is this?"

A porter happened to pass by, leaned over to take a look: "Oh, field mouse."

He Lingchuan raised his eyebrows; he had stayed in the swamp for over ten days and had eaten everything. It made sense; this post station was in the middle of nowhere, and there were no pigs or cattle raised in the back, so where would the meat come from? While eating, Steward Zhao explained that a few months ago, the Emperor's Flowing Pulp fell from the sky, turning the beasts in the mountains and forests into demons, injuring people everywhere. Many inns were attacked and didn't dare to open for business, which was why the journey had been so desolate.

The government lacked manpower and was weak, only managing to hire people to clear out these rampaging demons half a month ago.

If this kind of thing happened in the Panlong Dream, it would probably be solved in two or three days; even if it were in the Yuan Nation, near the Woling Pass where official power was weak, it should have been handled in over a month.

From this, one can see the weakness of the Fu Nation's national strength.

This country is very small, less than one-tenth of the Yuan Nation, even smaller than Xiazhou managed by He Chunhua, and from the map, its territory is long and narrow like a knife, dominated by mountains and hills, typical of "seven mountains, two waters, one field," and even that little bit of land is not very fertile.

But precisely because its land is poor and it lacks everything, and the vast mountainous area only produces some miscellaneous minerals, the surrounding countries find no motivation to invade it. After all, there is not much profit to be gained from occupying the land, and one would still have to station troops, manage the population, and manage food, without being able to scrape any oil or water while having to worry so much.

Looking at it this way, the Fu Nation's external environment is actually quite good.

By the way, the Fu Nation borders the Demon Nest Swamp to the west, the Northern Demon Nation to the northwest, but has eight small countries to the east and northeast.

These countries are similar in size to the Fu Nation, with the largest being only twice its size; fifty steps need not laugh at a hundred steps. Occasionally there are some frictions, but no one has the ability to swallow their neighbors, so they can basically maintain a state of balance.

As for them, the Northern Demon Nation seems to be a bit disdainful, too lazy to send troops to clean them up.

Not long after dawn, the merchant caravan finally arrived at Wu Ze County, where the Gan family was located.

This is also the liveliest county in the Fu Nation, built in a valley, with the main street paved with stone slabs, a prosperous market, warehouses everywhere, and restaurants and shops standing in great numbers; it is common to see peddlers calling out in the alleys, selling smuggled goods from abroad.

Besides the crowded and low bungalows, He Lingchuan also saw many large mansions occupying their own gates.

The scale of this county is comparable to two or three ordinary cities.

He Lingchuan was curious about what the people of the Fu Nation lived on, and they seemed to be doing quite well, breaking the stereotype that poor mountains and bad waters produce unruly people.

Steward Zhao said that trees move and die, people move and live; since they can't rely on the mountains or the water, they have to go out. Fortunately, the Fu Nation borders Beijia to the west, connects to eight countries to the east, and has a vast large lake to the north, making it a hub for economic and trade exchanges.

Especially since the Northern Demon Nation has a preference for certain specialties from abroad, its demand alone can create a prosperous trade route.

Therefore, the Fu Nation produces merchants, and Wu Ze County is on the traffic artery connecting the east, west, and north, occupying all the geographical advantages. After Master Gan made his fortune, he moved his whole family here, and the business became more and more prosperous.

The merchant caravan went to the warehouse on its own, while Steward Zhao took He Lingchuan to the Gan mansion.

Rich people love to build big houses, and the Gan family is no exception; its area is even larger than the He family in Shuyu. The high wall in front belongs to the Gan mansion, and He Lingchuan saw continuous black roofs, thinking there must be many buildings inside.

However, the two dismounted when they got here, and Steward Zhao actually led him into the small alley at the back.

He Lingchuan frowned, thinking he was going to lead him through the back door of the Gan mansion—this was a bit rude to a distinguished guest visiting for the first time.

Who knew Steward Zhao looked around to see no one was there and suddenly turned back to bow deeply to him: "Young Master He, what I said in the swamp earlier was insincere, also for self-preservation; please be magnanimous and don't hold it against me!"

"What is it?"

"Actually, the person in charge of the Gan family is Master Gan. I said the old lady of the Gan family could manage things, that was... that was just an expedient measure in the face of Zhu Xiuer." Steward Zhao smiled bitterly, "The old lady of the Gan family, who is Master Gan's own mother, is surnamed Mao; she spent the first half of her life in the countryside, and in the last few years in Wu Ze County, she hasn't been anywhere else, nor has she touched the business."

If he had told the truth in the swamp, wouldn't the Spider Queen have eaten him in a rage?

He Lingchuan sensed something was wrong: "What exactly is the situation?"

Steward Zhao then revealed the truth. It turned out that the Gan family was originally just ordinary townspeople, and it was only after Master Gan, a capable and daring head of the family, emerged that they started doing business, especially after connecting with the spider demons in the Demon Nest Swamp, that the family's life improved day by day.

The trouble was that Master Gan was too capable and in his prime, so the family members should have just enjoyed the success.

He Lingchuan understood when he heard this; the Gan family was like a smaller, simplified version of the Li family in Dunyu, and the death of the head of the family immediately triggered the hidden danger of a lack of successors.

"Then what about the things you promised me in the swamp on behalf of the Gan family?" He Lingchuan had no interest in other people's family affairs, "My identity and travel permit?"

"Yes, yes, I'll go to the Gan family to report the funeral first." Steward Zhao also scratched his head, "The Gan family will definitely be wailing in a moment; you go to this restaurant in front to rest for a while, and when the Gan family's emotions have calmed down, I will introduce you."

He Lingchuan didn't object; after all, he didn't want to see the Gan family crying and wailing in front of him.

Steward Zhao asked him to go to a nearby restaurant and, after apologizing, hurried to the Gan family.

He Lingchuan changed to a seat by the window on his own. It was quiet here, and he drank by himself for half an afternoon.

About half an hour after the Gan merchant caravan returned to Wu Ze County.

A servant slipped out of the back door of the Gan family warehouse, turned through four alleys, and seeing no one paying attention, slipped into the back door of a shop.

It was past noon, and both people and horses were taking a nap, and even the dogs weren't barking.

Someone was lying on a bamboo chair in the back hall sleeping, covered with a thick blanket, with a straw hat covering his forehead to block the light. The servant leaned over and whispered: "Big Boss, something has happened to the Gan family."

When this person heard the words "Gan family," he took off his hat and yawned: "What happened?"

He looked under forty, with a slightly dark complexion.

"The Gan family's caravan finally returned from the Demon Nest Swamp, and Master Gan is dead."

The Big Boss woke up immediately: "What did you say, Gan Qing is dead?"

"Who is dead?" Another person turned out from behind the hall, looking very much like the Big Boss.

"The Second Boss is back too?" The servant repeated, "I heard from the people in the Gan family caravan that Gan Qing was intercepted and killed outside the Demon Nest Swamp, and a group of mountain bandits impersonated him and took the caravan into the swamp."

"There is such a thing?" Both the Big Boss and the Second Boss were amazed, "What are those mountain bandits after, wanting to change their profession to business?"

The Demon Nest Swamp is the base camp of man-eating monsters; besides the Gan family being able to pass through, there were others who couldn't think straight and wanted to drill into it.

"No, no, this matter is very strange!" Even the servant telling the story was getting excited, "This group of mountain bandits was sent by the snake demon in the Demon Nest Swamp to impersonate the Gan family caravan and enter the Spider Queen's territory to steal treasures."

What kind of magical plot is this? "Did they steal it?"

"No, they failed at the last moment. The whole group of mountain bandits was killed."

Both said: "As expected of the Spider Queen. Can the Gan family caravan still return?" The temper of the giant monsters in the swamp, not many are good.

"They returned, the carts were not one short, and they not only returned fully loaded but also brought back one extra person." The servant continued to flip through the intelligence, "It's a seventeen or eighteen-year-old boy. According to the caravan clerks, this boy can move freely in the Spider Queen's lair, and even the mountain bandits' theft of treasures in the Demon Nest was blocked by him, which is why they didn't succeed. After the Spider Queen fought other monsters and returned, she didn't know why she was angry and chased the boy, but not long after, the two sides made up, and the Spider Queen even gave the boy many gifts."

The Second Boss couldn't help but interrupt: "Is this really a person?"

(End of chapter)