Chapter 226: The Radio Broadcast

After lunch, Luo Zhengnan sat on the large terrace of the main hall, listening to the radio while basking in the sun.

Is there radio in Puluo Continent?

There is.

But only a special group of people can hear it, and it's hard to say what one might hear.

Luo Zhengnan belonged to the category of people who could hear the broadcast, and he was even a veteran listener.

Today's program was quite good; the host's voice was very sweet and mellow, a vocal quality that made Luo Zhengnan feel very comfortable:

"Listeners who frequently commit murder know that poisoning is a subtle way to strike; it is not easily detected by the other party beforehand, but it leaves clues afterward, which brings great difficulty to the cleanup work.

The poison I am recommending to everyone today will naturally evaporate in water within two hours, leaving absolutely no trace behind.

For example, if you want to send your immediate superior on their way, you only need to drip one to two drops of this product into their water cup. Remember, you must not add too much, otherwise, it will affect the taste.

After your superior drinks this cup of water, they will expire within one hour.

In the hour that follows, you only need to provide appropriate cover; do not let poison cultivators or others with inspection capabilities get close to your superior and their water cup.

Once the poison has evaporated, no one will be able to find any clues, and no one will even be able to determine the cause of your superior's death.

Some listeners might question the product's effectiveness: for a poison that evaporates in two hours, will there be an issue with its toxicity?

On this point, we can tell you responsibly..."

Luo Zhengnan felt this medicine was quite useful. He was just getting into it when a ringtone interrupted his train of thought.

Ring-a-ling~~

Accompanied by the ringing, the head of Medicine Yao Yao Wang Tang, Luo Zhengnan, shook his head back and forth at a high frequency.

After several attempts, Xiao Zhenggong finally managed to contact him through other soul-peering cultivators within the sect.

According to his true inner feelings, Xiao Zhenggong really wanted to beat Luo Zhengnan to a pulp, then dig a hole and bury him alive.

But regarding his tone at this moment, Xiao Zhenggong was very friendly toward Luo Zhengnan: "Old Luo, why have you suddenly been impossible to find lately?"

Luo Zhengnan's tone sounded very anxious: "Sect Master, you were looking for me? I really don't know! I don't know what's wrong with Medicine King Valley lately; the phone signal has been consistently bad."

"Don't worry, I'm not blaming you. Didn't we talk about that matter before?"

"Which matter?" Luo Zhengnan feigned ignorance.

"The matter you mentioned a few days ago." Xiao Zhenggong still couldn't be explicit; there were several soul-peering cultivators in between, and he couldn't let them know about the matter.

"I told you about quite a few things a few days ago. With you putting it that way, I can't recall which one..." Luo Zhengnan continued to feign ignorance.

Xiao Zhenggong was silent for a moment and said, "Call me back; let's discuss it in detail."

Luo Zhengnan immediately agreed: "Easy enough, I'll call you back right now, it's just that I don't know how the signal will be..."

"The signal will definitely be good!" Xiao Zhenggong laughed, "Could the Vice Sect Master's signal be bad?"

That actually sounded like something a human would say.

Luo Zhengnan called back, and Xiao Zhenggong tactfully expressed the situation at the Yellow Earth Bridge Hall.

The situation was that the Yellow Earth Bridge Hall no longer existed.

Xiao Zhenggong told the Yellow Earth Bridge Hall Master, Han Jinwei, to go to Medicine King Valley, hand over all the hall's seals and tokens to Luo Zhengnan, and from now on, the Yellow Earth Bridge Hall would belong to Luo Zhengnan.

This meant that regardless of whether the matter could be accomplished, Luo Zhengnan would become the hall master of two halls.

Besides that, the manpower of the Black Stone Slope Hall would all be under Luo Zhengnan's command.

If the matter was accomplished, Luo Zhengnan would immediately be promoted to Vice Sect Master, replacing Xiao Zhenggong in managing the sect's affairs, both big and small, in Puluo Continent.

Xiao Zhenggong's sincerity was sufficient; all the promises were written in a contract.

The next day, Han Jinwei rushed to Medicine King Valley, handed over the contract and seals to Luo Zhengnan, and indicated that from now on, he would follow Luo Zhengnan's orders.

Luo Zhengnan told him to return to Yellow Earth Bridge to recruit new troops; he wouldn't need to go on the errand to Iron Gate Fortress.

This wasn't Luo Zhengnan being polite to Han Jinwei; it was that Luo Zhengnan simply didn't think much of this person.

He made a request to Xiao Zhenggong and selected ten people from various halls in the sect—ten experts who could truly get things done. Among them, one was even from his own Medicine King Valley's second helm.

Once the people were selected, Luo Zhengnan led them separately to Iron Gate Fortress.

After arriving at Iron Gate Fortress, for the first three days, these people did nothing; they stayed in the village, learning the local accent and customs from the people around them.

Although it was the backwater of Puluo Continent, the customs of Iron Gate Fortress were much the same as Medicine King Valley, and the accents were also very similar.

But Luo Zhengnan's requirements were extremely strict; their speech and behavior could not reveal them to be outsiders.

Three days later, the ten people were ready to go to Iron Gate Fortress, but Luo Zhengnan still wasn't at ease.

He had these ten people practice at the market for three days—some buying goods, some selling goods. Out of the ten, three showed no issues, but for the remaining seven, Luo Zhengnan felt they still needed tempering.

After practicing for another three days, Luo Zhengnan took the field himself, carrying two baskets of green vegetables, and went to Iron Gate Fortress.

He went to sell vegetables; there was no sand or mud on the vegetables, and no rotten leaves mixed inside.

Such an honest seller was not common in Iron Gate Fortress. The residential cultivators came one after another to buy his vegetables, and in the blink of an eye, the two baskets of vegetables were sold out.

Luo Zhengnan was very satisfied with his performance, but the other vegetable sellers were not satisfied.

They came to Iron Gate Fortress because money was easy to make here, but now that someone like this had arrived, money wouldn't be easy to make anymore.

Several vegetable sellers blocked Luo Zhengnan and asked, "When did you arrive? Who let you come? Did you ask the Fortress Master? Did you pay the rent?"

Luo Zhengnan looked just like an honest vegetable farmer, lowered his head, and said, "I just came to sell the green vegetables I grew myself; do I still have to pay rent?"

"If you don't pay rent, why should we let you sell vegetables here?

We have all paid rent. You doing business here is stealing food from our mouths; this matter won't end like this."

The crowd pushed and shoved, forcing Luo Zhengnan to answer.

The surrounding residential cultivators couldn't stand it and came up together to argue on Luo Zhengnan's behalf.

The matter reached the Fortress Master. Li Banfeng had long wanted to deal with this group of unscrupulous merchants but had never found a good opportunity.

Now the opportunity was quite good, but Li Banfeng didn't really want to see outsiders, so he let Wu Yongchao come forward to handle the matter.

The method of handling it was very simple: from now on, merchants doing business in Iron Gate Fortress would no longer be charged rent, but they must pay a deposit.

If any merchant appeared again with behaviors like passing off inferior goods as superior, mixing in mud and sand, or wantonly raising prices, the deposit would be deducted, and they would never be allowed to step foot in Iron Gate Fortress again.

Several old merchants were unconvinced and clamored to go on strike. Li Banfeng ignored them; merchants had an inherent nature of pursuing profit. If they left, others would come.

By the next day, these old merchants hadn't left; they couldn't bear to part with this place.

Many new merchants arrived; most of them were farmers from the surrounding area who had long wanted to come to Iron Gate Fortress to sell some things, but they had never been able to afford the rent before.

With competition among them, those selling rice didn't dare to mix in sand, those selling vegetables didn't dare to mix in rotten leaves, the prices of goods became much cheaper, and the prices for purchasing goods also rose a bit.

The lives of the residential cultivators became better. Li Banfeng walked on the street, watching the merchants coming and going, and was very satisfied with this.

Among them were acquaintances, strangers, and old acquaintances.

Strange, how could there be old acquaintances?

Li Banfeng stared at a man selling sundries for a long time, and his brow suddenly furrowed.

This man was around sixty years old, holding a water pipe in his hand, with gray hair and beard, and always wore a humble smile on his face.

The confidant of the second helm of the Jiang Xiang Gang's Medicine Yao Yao Wang Tang, Sun Xiaoan!

He had entered the fortress!

Li Banfeng's heart churned; people from the Jiang Xiang Gang had actually snuck in.

This person could not be left behind.

The key was, was it just him who snuck in, or did a whole nest of them sneak in?

Li Banfeng prepared to inform the residential cultivators on duty in the boiler room, telling them to close the gates immediately and prepare to beat the dogs.

Just then, Wu Yongchao walked over and said to Li Banfeng, "Fortress Master, two vegetable sellers are causing trouble; would you like to go over and take a look?"

In normal times, Li Banfeng wouldn't bother with such trivial matters.

But now that there were people from the Jiang Xiang Gang in the fortress, Li Banfeng had to pay attention to any abnormality.

Arriving at the scene, two female vegetable sellers were tearing at each other; the vegetable baskets were overturned, their voices were hoarse from shouting, and their faces were scratched up.

Li Banfeng didn't see any abnormality in these two people; he felt they were no different from normal shrews.

But in the other old vegetable farmer, Li Banfeng saw clues.

Rather than saying he saw them, it was more like the other party had deliberately revealed them.

That old vegetable farmer was none other than Luo Zhengnan.

He smiled at Li Banfeng.

If he hadn't exposed himself, it would have been very difficult for Li Banfeng to see what was wrong with him.

Now that he had exposed himself, it was because he wanted to have a word with Li Banfeng.

Li Banfeng lowered the brim of his hat, nodded slightly at him, and took him to an empty house deep in the valley.

This house had been vacated by residential cultivators who had moved away, and the house spirit had also been taken away; it was no different from the residences of other residential cultivators. Li Banfeng lived here in name, but actually lived in his portable residence.

Li Banfeng didn't usually bring servants, and no tea was prepared in the room. After sitting down, the two went straight to the point.

Luo Zhengnan didn't hide his identity: "I am a hall master of the Jiang Xiang Gang, named Luo Zhengnan."

Li Banfeng didn't hide his identity either: "I am the Fortress Master of Iron Gate Fortress, named Fortress Master."

Luo Zhengnan nodded.

If it were anyone else, he would find it absurd.

But here in Iron Gate Fortress, saying it that way wasn't really a problem.

Everyone in Iron Gate Fortress knew they only had one Fortress Master, named Fortress Master.

Luo Zhengnan said: "Fortress Master, I have come to your precious land for an item; I think even if I don't say it, you know."

Li Banfeng shook his head and said: "If you don't say it, I really don't know."

Luo Zhengnan made his words a bit clearer: "This item looks like a weapon, but in reality, it is a soul. I think I've made that clear, right?"

Li Banfeng shook his head and said: "I still don't understand."

That was what he said, but Li Banfeng had already thought of one thing; he thought of Old He's house spirit.

House spirits can possess physical objects.

The item the other party was referring to must be this one.

Luo Zhengnan sighed and said: "Then I'll be even more blunt; I'm here for Zhao Xiaowan."

"And who is Zhao Xiaowan?" Li Banfeng's heart churned; so that house spirit was named Zhao Xiaowan.

Luo Zhengnan laughed: "The legendary general Zhao Xiaowan; you don't know this person? If we talk like this, it's no fun.

I know this item is very important, and I also know you won't easily let it go. I wouldn't dare come to ask you for it empty-handed. I came to Iron Gate Fortress because I want to pay to buy it."

Li Banfeng's eyebrows twitched: "How much can you pay?"

"I won't lie to you about the price; I'll give you a firm figure: 800,000 silver dollars," Luo Zhengnan stated the real price as soon as he opened his mouth. "This price is enough to buy the Baile Gate sign in Green Water City.

I'm not talking nonsense; when Lu Dongjun sold Baile Gate to the Chu family, that was the price!"

"800,000 silver dollars!" Li Banfeng took a deep breath. "That's money that couldn't be spent in several lifetimes."

Luo Zhengnan nodded: "I'm just waiting for your word; I can have someone bring the money tomorrow."

Li Banfeng sat silently for a moment, then asked another question: "What if I don't want to sell? Are you going to snatch it?"

Luo Zhengnan shook his head: "To tell you the truth, I don't have the guts."

Li Banfeng sneered: "You've already snuck into the village, and you're telling me you don't have the guts?"

Luo Zhengnan straightened his expression: "If I really had the guts, I definitely wouldn't have let those two female vegetable sellers cause trouble in your territory.

I deliberately let them reveal their identities to show sincerity. I only brought these two subordinates with me; I didn't bring anyone else. I genuinely want to make this deal.

If you don't want to sell it to me, that's fine; I'll just leave. I definitely wouldn't dare cause you any trouble.

But let me remind you: if I could sneak into Iron Gate Fortress today, others can too. I wouldn't dare snatch your item, but others might not be so hesitant.

You might look down on the Jiang Xiang Gang, but once the Jiang Xiang Gang leaves, there might be the Sanying Sect; once the Sanying Sect leaves, there might be the Qingyun Society.

You might look down on this mob of various sects and gangs, but if the Lu family, He family, Ma family, or Chu family come, the situation might not be so easy to handle.

You took over Iron Gate Fortress because you wanted these residential cultivators to live a good life, but once this news spreads, Iron Gate Fortress will become Blood Gate Fortress.

Fortress Master, think it over."

PS: Luo Zhengnan is very shrewd, but in this situation, he is not wrong.

(End of chapter)