Daytime.
A hall.
Liu Ziwen sat upright, twisting the white cloth in his hand, squinting carefully, and wiping the scabbard.
He turned his head from time to time and glanced calmly outside the lobby, as if waiting for something.
The young head of the Liu family held a short sword in his hand.
The specific condition of the sword inside the scabbard cannot be seen.
But just looking at the scabbard, it is inlaid with emerald agate, pearls and gems, which is extremely luxurious.
Not to mention the exquisite sword spikes intertwined with colorful ribbons on the hilt.
It is of course extremely valuable.
Finally, there was a sound of footsteps outside the hall, followed by the sound of Liu Zian talking and laughing with a strange man.
"Boss Li, please come here. I have specially prepared Chang'an white tea for you. It is your favorite taste."
"Hahaha, if the first master and the second master are polite, then I will be disrespectful."
This is a pure and fluent Dazhou Yayan with some Guanzhong accent.
But when Liu Zian brought the owner of this elegant talk into the hall, he saw clearly that this person was actually a Persian man with two beards and dressed like a shrewd businessman.
"Boss Li, long time no see."
Liu Ziwen suddenly smiled brightly, stood up, handed the dagger and white cloth to the maid, and went to the door to greet her in person.
The three of them exchanged pleasantries, then returned to the hall and sat down again.
The irrelevant people retreated one after another. Apart from Liu Ziwen, Liu Zian, and the Persian businessman, there was only a little maidservant who was holding a sword and lowering her eyes.
The Persian businessman named Li Li took a sip of Chang'an's popular white tea, smiled slightly, and spoke lightly:
"Master Liu, a new batch of goods has arrived. Remember to check it."
Liu Ziwen and Liu Zian looked at each other.
The former nodded, "My brother has sent someone, thank you, Boss Li, for making another trip."
Li Li shook his head and muttered:
"It doesn't matter. We are all doing things for the nobles. There is no hard work. It's part of the job. If we insist on hard work, it is the hardest work for Master Liu Da who has been here for so many years."
Liu Ziwen smiled and said nothing.
The Persian businessman put down his teacup, looked at the pair of Liu brothers in front of him, and the familiar dagger in the hand of the maid next to him. He sighed a little:
"Tell me, how many times has this happened?"
Liu Ziwen said without thinking, "Thirty-seven times."
Li Li sighed:
"Yes, there have been thirty-seven trips, at least three times a year. It has been ten years now. Although I am a regular customer, I have not yet taken a good tour of Longcheng County. This place is full of outstanding people. , it’s a good place to have talents like the first and second boss.”
Liu Ziwen nodded: "A place that can help noble people is a good place."
Liu Zian praised: "Now that it's over, I'll take Boss Li to visit Dragon City in person."
The red-haired Persian businessman with a hooked nose nodded:
"As the boss said, a good place is a place that can attract the attention of noble people."
There was a smile in his light green eyes, and he joked to Liu Zian:
"Well, I'm afraid that by then the two masters will be so prosperous that they will forget about me."
Liu Zian's sick face forced out a smile:
"Boss Li is joking. If he wants to become a successful person, it is Boss Li who made it first. Over the years, so many things have come in, but no one has noticed. Boss Li is the first to do so."
"It's just hard work, don't joke about being the second master."
The Persian businessman laughed and shook his head, not taking it seriously.
In the eyes of the noble Wei family, he is naturally not the one who deserves the most credit, because it is the Liu family that earns this incredible wealth.
Of course, the corresponding huge risks are also borne by the Liu family.
And he is just a businessman running errands. He should be a white glove for the noble Wei family. He should be obedient and sensible. Why would he come in and take such a big risk if he has nothing to do?
White gloves, ask less, do more.
And he is a businessman. Although he has a gambling habit, he doesn't like stud.
As for the Liu brothers in front of him, Li Li, who had met countless people, could tell that they liked Stud very much.
This is very different from him.
Persian merchants knew nothing about this and looked on with cold eyes.
But this does not prevent the familiarity and friendship on paper.
They are just different roles under the noble man's feet, with different ways of living.
Everything depends on whether the things the Liu family comes up with or the results they say can satisfy you before your patience runs out.
This is the barometer of friendship and loyalty between the two parties.
Li Li understood, and he knew that the Liu brothers in front of him also understood.
So many interactions over so many years, all based on this tacit understanding.
However, even though I have been here many times, I am very familiar with Penglangdu Pier.
But Li Li was still secretly surprised by what the Liu family did secretly by using Guyue Sword Shop to cover up.
Because too many resources are consumed.
In more than ten years, he has brought thirty-seven batches of goods.
The list that the Liu family handed over each time was indeed not long, but it cost an astronomical amount of gold and silver, and many involved scarce supplies for Qi practitioners that even rich people might not be able to buy.
Persian merchants were not inexperienced people.
From the deserts of the Western Regions to the islands of the South China Sea, he has traveled all over the world for so many years. Even among the top merchant circles in Chang'an and Luodu, he has a good reputation for being low-key.
What rare treasures have you never seen, what weird creations have you never seen, what tricks have you never heard of?
He has witnessed two and a half high-grade Qi practitioners who saw Shenlong disappear.
But in front of him, there were a few unremarkable craftsman sword furnaces by the river in this small county town in Jiangnan Province, but it was an eye-opener for businessman Li Li.
It is like a treasure-devouring glutton, with a greedy mouth that continuously swallows countless resources, but it still only makes a sound.
Moreover, the Persian businessman remembered that he was also drinking tea during a previous delivery. I heard the Liu brothers say that when the sword embryo was found, it was already a semi-finished product, and it was only one step away from the successful forging.
And it was this last step that consumed so much effort and time from the top powerful people in the Great Zhou Dynasty behind him.
It was still in the golden decade when its power was at its peak.
Of course, this is also related to the fact that the matter needs to be carried out secretly to avoid being discovered by political opponents, and the transportation of resources needs to be concealed and slow.
But it’s also shocking enough.
Anyway, over the years, Li Li has gained more and more resources and authority from the huge forces behind him because of his assistance in this matter, which even made him feel guilty as a businessman.
If the Liu family in Longcheng hadn't behaved very honestly over the years and had no intention of expansion, the Liu family's business operations outside Longcheng County would have been under the eyes of Li Li and the forces behind them.
He has to wonder if the Liu family is misappropriating resources and teasing noble people...
Li Li recently heard from a colleague that the battle on the top floor of the imperial court in Luoyang, the capital of the gods, had reached its most intense and torturous stage.
Even the retainers and staff who stood under the "shade" of the power could feel the scorching sunshine and the shaking of the trees.
Therefore, before coming on this trip, Li Li took the initiative to ask for instructions from his superiors and suggested whether to temporarily tighten the resource investment here.
As a result, the instructions from a certain prince surnamed Wei above were... to increase the intensity.
The Persian businessman felt solemn.
At this moment, in the reception hall of the Liu family, the three people sitting down were drinking tea with their heads down, silent.
"What a great tea. Master Liu is very interested."
Li Li was the first to come to his senses, put down his teacup, and said with a smile:
"Isn't the list a little long this time? Haha, it's okay. We are all old acquaintances. Just take it out. I am a hard worker and I am used to running errands."
Unexpectedly, the young head of the Liu family in front of him shook his head slightly.
Liu Ziwen glanced at Liu Zian, who took out a nearly blank piece of paper from his arms and handed it to the Persian businessman.
This was thrown to him by the old craftsman.
"Hey, why is there only one?"
Li Li looked surprised, looked at the only line of words on the paper, and whispered:
"Mo Family Sword Box..."
After a pause, his expression suddenly changed: "Master, you only need a sword box. What do you mean..."
The Persian businessman seemed to be vaguely aware of something. He grasped the armrests of the wooden chair with both hands and leaned his upper body forward.
Liu Ziwen's expression was a mixture of relief and sadness.
He nodded and gestured towards the Persian merchant to the luxurious dagger held by the obedient maid next to him:
"Boss Li, please take this last token back and give it to the prince. The prince will understand what to do after seeing the sword."
Li Li, who had just finished drinking tea, felt a little dry for a while, but he had no intention of picking up the tea cup.
The green eyes were as wide as those of a greedy old turtle, staring at the dagger in the hand of the maid. Of course he knew what signal the 'last token' in Liu Ziwen's mouth represented.
The Persian businessman's gaffe made Liu Ziwen laugh, but he was not surprised.
Today when he was cleaning his dagger and waiting for the guests, his hands were shaking a little.
Liu Ziwen calmly stretched out his hand towards the maid holding the sword:
"Give me the sword and go down."
The little maid held the sword in both hands.
Turn around and leave.
Liu Ziwen took the sword.
He weighed it in his hands.
Draw the sword with a reverse grip.
Get up and walk.
Blood splattered all over his face.
She was still moving.
Stab again.
The two-foot-eight-inch sword blade was at the same level as her ribs. When the sword was inserted without the handle, the chest of the fallen maid was a little heaving.
Done.
In front of the other two people, Liu Ziwen drew his dagger for the second time.
The hot blood drops belonging to the ventricles slipped from the cold sword spine and dripped from the maid's chest to her forehead.
The exquisite sword tassel was wrapped in great detail by Liu Ziwen on the palm of the hand holding the sword without being stained red.
He reached out and took the white cloth from Liu Zian, carefully wiped the slightly warm sword blade, then spread out the still white cloth and motioned to the Persian merchant.
There was not even a trace of blood on it.
Liu Zian's expression remained as usual.
Li Li's eyes widened and his expression was very exciting.
It wasn't because there was a cold corpse under his feet, but after a simple demonstration, he discovered that the dagger in front of him was edged!
As agreed in the past.
Every time a Persian merchant delivers goods, he will take a dagger prepared by the Liu family as a token and present it to the nobleman.
This is some kind of... ritual.
In the previous thirty-six deliveries over the past ten years, he had retrieved thirty-six token daggers.
But they are all unsharp.
Because once the dagger given back is sharpened, it means... that the sword is getting better.
Li Li carefully took the newly bladed luxury dagger with both hands. His eyes were hot and he was amazed.
All you have to do is bring this dagger back, and when the next special person makes the last "delivery", the Mohist sword box will be able to take away a sword that the noble Wei family will never forget!
The Persian businessman looked satisfied, twirled his mustache and nodded in agreement:
"There are very few precious sword caskets made by the Mo family's mechanism skills in the world. Each one is a rare and unique one, but I have heard about the whereabouts of one of them. I will definitely get it."
Liu Ziwen and Liu Zian both nodded.
However, facing Li Li with a bright smile, the solemn and serious expressions on the two brothers' faces did not dissipate, but became... more solemn.
This strangeness naturally fell into the shrewd and keen eyes of the Persian businessmen.
He glanced at it and asked directly: "What's going on with the eldest master and the second master? They are obviously happy, so why do they look sad?"
The Liu brothers looked at each other.
Liu Ziwen sighed, and Liu Zian next to him helped to speak:
"Did Boss Li notice anything different when he brought the caravan to Dragon City?"
Li Li nodded and narrowed his eyes:
"I see, it seems that a new river channel is being dug, which is quite impressive...Why, does this matter make you two a little troublesome?"
Liu Ziwen dropped his eyes and said suddenly:
"The troublesome thing for the time being is not the new river channel, but the one who built the river channel...the new county magistrate."
"oh?"
…
Here we go, no sleep! This chapter is almost 4,000 words long. Sorry guys, I couldn’t help but add a little more code and it’s a little late (pucker up). By the way, Baimao's plot is written in these two chapters, brothers, don't worry. In addition, the protagonist's first blood will break the volume, and there will be no delay... I don't understand you guys very well.
(End of chapter)
