The Demon Lords

Chapter 515 29: Being a Dog_1

Zheng Fan sat down in the chair. He was quite fond of this style of chair used by the Wild People. It was spacious, large, and very sturdy. Although it didn't pay much attention to detail, it was comfortable to sit on and lean against.

The Blind Man quietly peeled an orange. Facing Xiong Lie, he asked,

"Want an orange?"

"No, no. You eat it, Mr. Bei."

"Oh, if you're not going to eat, then why are you still standing here?"

"Yes, yes, I shall take my leave. I shall take my leave."

Xiong Lie bowed and departed.

After he left, the Blind Man finished peeling the orange and offered it to Zheng Fan.

Zheng Fan shook his head, saying, "I'm still more accustomed to Siniang feeding me."

"Hmm, that's a task I cannot undertake."

"Good. You definitely shouldn't force yourself."

"Hehe, My lord, by tomorrow night, this city will be yours."

"I'm not too worried about that."

A group of seemingly united yet secretly scheming opponents. Chief Zheng considered himself a man who had seen the world. If he couldn't even deal with them, then all his past experiences would have been for nothing. Never mind the Tufa Family or the various merchant guilds; in front of a regular army, they were all paper tigers.

"My lord, what are you pondering?"

"Blind Man, I feel my cultivation realm has become somewhat unstable."

Upon hearing this, a light seemed to shimmer in the Blind Man's dark eye sockets.

Zheng Fan's improvement in strength concerned all the demon lords, much like parents watching their child progress from kindergarten to elementary school, and then from elementary to middle school. You really wish they could skip straight to university and then get out of the house, yet you can't rush them.

"Perhaps it's just missing that final touch."

"My lord, you've worked hard."

"There you go being polite again. By the way, look around here. There are quite a few demonic beasts. It feels just like browsing a pet market back in the day."

"Indeed, My lord. The profits in this are substantial."

The profits in the pet industry of later generations were quite terrifying, especially pet hospitals, which were even more expensive than human doctors.

"It's good that you've noticed."

"My lord, this is how I see it: developing agriculture here in Shengle City isn't very profitable. The climate isn't suitable either. However, we could put more effort into trade and commerce.

Currently, the Yan State is recuperating and is unlikely to go to war with the Situ Family anytime soon. The Qian State is also quiet, accumulating strength and implementing reforms.

The operations and structures of other merchant guilds have been significantly disrupted and damaged by this war that affected three states. With Shengle City as our base, this is an excellent opportunity for us to enter this line of business.

Most importantly, while the Sixth Prince's industries were handed over to the Yan State's Ministry of Revenue, industries are one thing, and talent is another. I don't believe the Sixth Prince lacks a group of competent chief stewards under his command. Furthermore, the Ministry of Revenue is unlikely to retain all of the Sixth Prince's personnel without making any changes. Otherwise, what difference would there be from not having taken over at all?"

"You're even more ruthless than I am."

This was tantamount to sucking Ji Chengjue dry.

"There's no reason not to use them. Besides, we already owe the Sixth Prince many favors. Furthermore, if we no longer have any requests for him, the Sixth Prince himself might feel uneasy and even lose his appetite for his steamed corn buns."

"Hmm, so we're doing this for his own good."

"Yes, My lord."

"Now that you put it that way, I feel much better about it."

"My lord, I shall go down first to handle the reception arrangements for entering the city."

"Alright, go get busy."

After the Blind Man left, Zheng Fan walked over to the cage and opened it. This azure eagle, which Xiong Lie had trained to the point of seeming sentient, obediently hopped onto Zheng Fan's shoulder, its head held high, chest puffed out.

"Hehe, a bit interesting."

Chief Zheng immediately pictured himself in full armor on a warhorse, an eagle perched on his shoulder. Unfortunately, this kind of azure eagle was too expensive and difficult to raise. While it could be used for transmitting military intelligence, it couldn't be widely implemented, making it somewhat of a white elephant.

At this moment, a commotion arose from the courtyard outside.

Zheng Fan returned the azure eagle to its cage and walked out of the small courtyard.

In the yard, a merchant caravan from out of town had arrived. Its leader was a woman who appeared to be in her early thirties.

Women from Yan and Jin seldom managed to cultivate the same grace and gentleness as those from the Qian region. It wasn't that they didn't want to, but rather that life and their environment compelled them to be different. The woman before him was a case in point; gripping a long saber, she stood with a dozen or so people in a standoff against Xiong Lie's men.

Zheng Fan leaned against the fence, took a handful of roasted soybeans from his pocket, and began popping them into his mouth one by one.

When Xiong Lie saw Zheng Fan emerge, he was startled.

After all, Shengle City was still "behind enemy lines" at this moment. How could Zheng Fan show his face? What if something unexpected happened?

Seeing Xiong Lie proactively approaching, Zheng Fan smiled and asked,

"What's the matter?"

"Sir, this woman is from the Tufa Family. She has always been in charge of transporting goods. For the past six months, the trade routes have been cut off, making transport difficult. She's here with her people to demand payment from me."

In business, owing and being owed was the norm. In later generations, the end of the year was typically debt collection time. Zhang San would go to Li Si to collect a debt, and Li Si would say he had to wait for Wang Wu to pay him back before he could pay Zhang San.

"You didn't pay her?" Zheng Fan asked, looking at Xiong Lie.

"I did pay!" Xiong Lie immediately replied. "Sir, at a time like this, how could I possibly cause extra trouble?"

Anyway, even if he paid today, the money might just come back to him tomorrow.

Zheng Fan clapped his hands and asked, "How much did you pay?"

"Cleared it all."

The moment Xiong Lie finished speaking, he froze. He knew he'd been had.

If he had kept dragging it out and not paying, everyone would have gotten used to it by now.