Chapter 111: Change of Plans

Wang Hu naturally knew the person who had arrived was Sui Ran, but he still played dumb, pretending not to know his identity.

He knew Cheng Feng also did not want to get involved in this matter.

But the aggressively approaching Sui Ran was not so easily fooled.

The brothers behind Sui Ran were all followers of his cousin, serving in the City Defense Army.

Most of those who came were experts in the Strength Refining Realm, and two captains—a commander and a deputy—in the Skin Refining Realm had also come.

Sui Ran had come to the door prepared to smash the place, kill, and capture people, intending to extract the location of the Fine Salt.

There were plenty of such small counties in the Great Zhou; if a few people died under its jurisdiction, was that even a matter?

When he first saw this item, it had indeed given Sui Ran a shock. For such a good piece of contraband to appear in this small place, Sui Ran's first thought was whether he had been set up by his cousin's rivals!

There are some things everyone knows on the surface, but they cannot be spoken of because there is no evidence.

Once caught red-handed with the stolen goods, even with a mouth full of arguments, it would be hard to explain.

But thinking of the profits involved, Sui Ran truly could not let it go.

The purchase price here was only twenty taels per catty; if he took it to the prefecture capital and had his cousin give it to those aristocratic families prone to extravagance,

the benefits gained would not be something mere silver could buy.

The first batch of Fine Salt was taken by his cousin to curry favor, but the young masters and misses of those wealthy, influential families showed little interest; after all, they had seen plenty of good things, so what hadn't they seen?

They had all tasted the top-tier Blood Crystal Salt.

It was just that the price was too expensive, and they only had a small family quota each month.

But Blood Crystal Salt was formulated with the blood of Strange Beasts; the taste was quite good, and it was more focused on Martial Dao cultivation.

The Fine Salt Cheng Feng sold was crystal clear and white as snowflakes; his cousin had given it the beautiful name of Snow Salt. The taste was extremely pure, and the visual appeal was excellent.

Only then did the young masters and misses of the same social stratum realize that this Fine Salt tasted purer, better, and lasted longer; compared to other salts, it was better looking, and most importantly, it was good looking, fitting the temperament of noble young masters and misses.

The reason for the cheap price was secondary.

Thus, the second batch of Fine Salt was sought after by a large number of wealthy descendants.

Unfortunately, the quantity was far too small to supply so many misses and young masters, and Sui Ran's cousin became even more concerned about this matter.

Sui Long currently lacked power in the army; he was merely a Xiaogi Lieutenant. Without connections or a path, he relied entirely on military merit. He managed five squads, twenty men per squad, for a full complement of one hundred men. This was what people commonly called a hundred-man Xiaogi general.

It is difficult to be an official in the imperial court, and even harder to be a general in the army.

Human sentiment, connections, and paths.

Above, one must make the leadership recognize one's ability; below, one must seek benefits for one's subordinates.

One had to handle daily meals, drinking, and social relations; otherwise, could this small business of Sui Ran's have been established?

Previously, it was all small-time underground business, but now the young masters and misses were all quite interested.

If one didn't act now, when would one act?

If this business could be made to work and the supply of silver was not a problem, buying more precious materials for himself would also allow him to break through. Sui Long had been stuck at the Blood Refining Perfection stage for three years; at twenty-seven, he still had hope for Bone Refining.

Being in the army, strength is the primary indicator; the concept of the weak being replaced by the strong is deeply rooted in people's hearts.

This could also be considered a roundabout way to promotion!

Time waits for no one; if the young masters and misses mentioned it today, they might forget it in two days.

Without a noble person to provide support, how could one advance?

Forced by circumstances, this was why Sui Ran brought his squad of brothers, during their rotation of leave, to gallop with whip and spur to Qingxi County.

To see if they could take down this newly established small gang and extract the source of the Fine Salt.

Someone behind them? Just leave it to the young masters and misses. If he couldn't take it down, there would always be someone else who could, and he could still claim a share of the credit.

If he could take it down, then of course it was his good fortune; it was meant for him to get rich!

Comparing the two, Sui Long brought in Pang De, who had the best relationship with him in private. Having already reached the strength of the Blood Refining Initial Stage, he was the best candidate to lead the team this time.

This was also the reason for Sui Ran's confidence, but just as they arrived at the door, Pang De felt a premonition of heart palpitations. This inexplicable feeling made Pang De even more cautious.

He had encountered crises on the battlefield before, which was why he had such a subconscious reaction.

After observing that he could not discern Cheng Feng's strength on the opposite side, he whispered a warning to Sui Ran: "There is an expert on the other side. I am afraid I am no match. You be careful."

Sui Ran naturally followed suit.

Pang De's strength was the greatest guarantee for this trip. Since the person with the highest strength said so, he had to be even more careful.

Sui Ran was someone who had seen big scenes; those Martial Dao experts wouldn't care about the ordinary people nearby once they started fighting and got carried away.

Seeing that Sui Ran was prepared to speak in riddles, Cheng Feng naturally would not let him go so easily.

Since he had come today, it would not be so easy to leave.

Cheng Feng whispered a few words to Wang Hu. Wang Hu accepted the order and shouted loudly: "Thanks to the kindness of Boss Sui for bringing your brothers over to support us. It just so happens that our Hong Sect hasn't seen disciples from other gangs yet. Please, Boss Sui, let my brothers open their eyes."

Sui Ran glanced at the ordinary people holding blades on the opposite side; their momentum was not bad, but their strength was indeed lacking.

He looked at Wang Hu. Was he thinking of using his own hands to discipline his subordinates at a time like this? Or did he want to give him face?

However, since he was not prepared to start a fight directly now, he had to use a softer approach.

Sui Ran, being on the streets, naturally knew about this kind of mutual face-giving.

Everyone carries the flowery sedan chair; if you want to get things done easily, you must give enough face.

He casually called two brothers and told them to let these gang members open their eyes.

The Hong Sect also dispatched their top three elites in daily training, intending to engage in a head-on confrontation with the other side. However, how could ordinary people have the power to fight back in front of a Martial Artist in the Strength Refining Realm? Without a doubt, they were all easily knocked to the ground.

Watching the experts they were proud of in their own sect being so vulnerable in the training, many Hong Sect disciples could not help but feel resentment and fear, while also suddenly realizing the truth. In just three short months, the poor children who were once destitute and starving had now become so complacent, even showing off their pride.

Cheng Feng keenly sensed that there was not a single ordinary person on the opposite side; each and every one of them was a powerful Martial Artist with strength at the Strength Refining Realm or above. He knew deeply that he must seize this rare opportunity to teach these people under him a good lesson. After all, the Hong Sect not only gave them money but also taught them unique techniques and provided sufficient food; how could he tolerate them sitting there enjoying the fruits of others' labor and acting like masters? One by one, they were arrogant and looked down on everyone all day long—what kind of decorum was that!

At this very moment, Cheng Feng could finally say with justification the words he had wanted to say for a long time: "Looking at you like this, do you think you came here to enjoy life?"

Perhaps it was also time to find a suitable opportunity to let them experience the bloody and cruel real world for themselves. Because if they lost the necessary courage and boldness, they might not have a good ending in the future.

These were all people with good bone structures that he had searched for; their future strength needed to be well excavated now.

This tournament will also let them understand that Cheng Feng is a good boss, but he will not always be a good boss; giving money and giving techniques is not for the sake of failure.

This also served as a reminder to Cheng Feng that he himself must also hurry to find some experts for the Offering Hall to join.

A group of Ordinary people cannot be relied upon for any major matters.