But even so, Zhang Dacai still felt uneasy.
Of course, what I was worried about was not the skills of the people in front of me, but the people themselves.
And the more they show their martial arts prowess, the more uneasy they become.
Qi Zhen saw the hesitation in Zhang Dacai's eyes and winked at Yu Liang. Yu Liang understood and took out a substantial ingot of gold from the bag.
Qi Zhen took the gold, walked to Zhang Dacai, and placed the gold squarely in the empty bowl in front of Zhang Dacai.
Zhang Dacai's family has no worries about food and drink, and he is also a man who has seen money, but he was still dazzled by the fine gold ingots in front of him.
He looked down at Jin Zi, then raised his head and looked at Qi Zhen doubtfully.
"What are you...?" Zhang Dacai asked.
"This is a deposit for you. If something goes wrong with this shipment, it will be all on us, and the gold will be yours." Qi Zhen replied with a smile.
Qi Zhen's original intention was to tell Zhang Dacai that she and the others were rich and would definitely not commit suicide on the road just because they coveted his truckload of goods. Please rest assured.
Zhang Dacai looked at the gold in front of him with a bitter look on his face: "To tell you the truth, I think so. If you kill it halfway, wouldn't this thing still be yours?"
Zhang Dacai has been in business for so many years and has never heard of anything scandalous.
In recent years, we have hired bodyguards to protect goods, but which bodyguard agency is not well-known far and wide? It is the most famous brand in a province.
How can I dare to trust these strangers who meet by chance?
Qi Zhen seemed to have figured this out, no longer being secretive, she clasped her fists and said: "It's not that we have to help you protect this escort, but that two people in our team disappeared last night, and we suspect their The disappearance should be related to the dear friend you were traveling with."
When Zhang Dacai heard that the disappearance here was related to Huang Wenbiao, he immediately panicked and hurriedly explained: "Everyone, actually..."
Qi Zhen interrupted him: "I know that Brother Zhang and he also met by chance. We just met in Yixing Mansion. I also know that his name is Huang Wenbiao..."
Qi Zhen then made up a story, saying that Huang Wenbiao coveted the things in Li San's hands, so he had evil intentions, and found Zhang Dacai, relying on his identity as a businessman and the truck of goods to conceal his true purpose, and arrived at the inn. Then the opportunity came, and in the middle of the night, he tried to stun everyone and steal it, and told a vivid story.
The team had to admire Qi Zhen's ability to make up stories. If they didn't know the true story of the matter, it would seem to have no flaws at first glance.
"But what evidence do you have for saying that? Besides, they disappeared in the middle of the night. Even if you follow me now, it will be useless." Zhang Dacai said.
Qi Zhen felt a little helpless in her heart. What should I say? You are the key NPC for this mission. Only by following you can we get possible clues on the road?
At this time, Zhang Dacai was thinking about other things, such as the strange things about Huang Wenbiao along the way, his secretive purpose, his secret identity as a businessman, and his sudden deep sleep last night. Qi Zhen got three points.
"To be honest, the things in my companion's hands are extremely valuable and can be said to be priceless. And you were the only two who visited Yixing that day, so we have to doubt this." Qi Zhen continued, "How many people are there today? There is no news about them all, and we have no way to investigate, so it is really helpless to go with you, and I hope you can save your face."
Without saying anything, Zhang Dacai was naturally given ample room for imagination.
For example, how did Qi Zhen know Huang Wenbiao's name? How do you know that the two of you have been to Yixing?
Therefore, in Zhang Dacai's eyes, these people in front of him were not only highly skilled in martial arts, but also shrouded in mystery.
Having said this, Zhang Dacai naturally could not say anything more. If he refused again and again, I was afraid that these people would become angry and silently follow him behind him, wouldn't the result be the same?
Zhang Dacai nodded and agreed to the matter.
Zhang Dacai was thinking about his own wealth and life, and everyone in the team was thinking about Lin Xiao and Li San, so the meal was eaten in a particularly solemn atmosphere and at an extremely fast speed.
After everyone had lunch, they said goodbye to the waiter, hitched up the carriage, and got ready to hit the road.
Before leaving, Qi Zhen glanced at the innkeeper who was still hiding behind the counter quietly calculating accounts. The innkeeper didn't even raise his head, and the abacus in his hand was crackling. It seemed that everything that happened here was not as good as the accounts in his hand. Attractive.
Qi Zhen thought for a while, gave up trying to explore the pleasantries, turned and left.
The carriage slowly entered the official road and headed west.
The waiter sent everyone off and returned to the inn, but he started to speak: "Honor, it's not that I'm careless. These guests have such weird tempers that they kick down doors and throw bowls. I don't know what's wrong with them. I can't defeat them alone. But with my little trick, I still got the money back. Not only can I repair the door, but I can also replace the tables and chairs in our store with new ones. Let me tell you... …”
"I'm going out in two days. Please keep an eye on the inn." The shopkeeper stopped calculating the accounts and interrupted the waiter's boasting.
"Oh, when will you come back?" The waiter asked as he was used to the shopkeeper ignoring him.
"It can take as short as three to five days, or as long as ten days. If you don't come back in ten days, this shop will be yours." The shopkeeper said.
"What are you doing here? Why do you act like you're giving your last words?" asked the waiter.
"Go away." The shopkeeper said softly and ignored him.
"Okay." The waiter didn't dare to tease anymore and went upstairs to clean up the room.
The waiter decided almost without thinking whether he should hope that the shopkeeper would come back safely, or hope that something happened to him and he wouldn't come back.
When you are a waiter, you have to worry about so many things. If you become a shopkeeper, how exhausted will you be?
Well, the shopkeeper is really nice to me, although he is a bit boring.
So where are you going?
…
Zhang Dacai suggested that the team hire another carriage to speed up the journey, but Qi Zhen rejected it.
It is said that it is half a day's journey, but that is based on the speed of a horse. In fact, even if the journey from Liyang to Wuhu is smooth, it is still nearly 150 miles.
After all, reaching Wuhu within three hours means that the speed of travel must be accelerated to a point that is exaggerated for normal people.
Qi Zhen calculated that even if they didn't rest along the way, everyone would still have to run at a speed of more than ten kilometers per hour. The whole journey was equivalent to running a super marathon.
The twenty-mile journey passed quickly. At this time, the strengthening of everyone's own attributes was very obvious.
Even Qi Zhen, who focused all his attribute points on mental attributes, didn't feel any difficulty at this time.
After all, based on his current situation at level 23, the attributes that the system will give him by default after upgrading already exceed his original attributes.
This made Qi Zhen, who was leisurely looking at the scenery while running, feel thoughtful.
After another twenty miles, not only Zhang Dacai looked at everyone with surprise in his heart, but also everyone in the team looked at each other and noticed the surprise in each other's eyes.
Qi Zhen decided that after this game is over, she must find a way to quantify the team's personal physical data.
It seems like running is a good choice.
People don't rest, but horses do. Everyone finally ran fifty miles within an hour and arrived at a tea stall next to the official road.
Zhang Dacai handed the horse to the waiter at the tea stall and asked everyone to drink water and rest.
Tea stalls are usually set up on both sides of the official road for pedestrians to take a rest. The stall owners who run the stalls are all nearby villagers. There are many places on the road that are out of the way and have no shops. This business can also supplement some family income.
Some tea stalls also provide some meals. They can set up a stove and a big pot on the spot. As long as there is no shortage of oil and salt, no matter what food they sell, these stall owners will never worry about not being able to sell it.
No matter it was in the wilderness or inaccessible, Qi Zhen's team did not show any interest in Zhang Dacai's belongings. This made Zhang Dacai feel more relieved, and he also felt a little relieved deep down. It seemed that he didn't need to be in such a hurry. .
Zhang Dacai greeted the stall owner familiarly, as if he was an old acquaintance.
Everyone sat in their seats and finally had the opportunity to have a good chat with Zhang Dacai.
Along the way, except for the slight sweat on their foreheads, even the two girls, Meng Ran and Jiang Yan, were neither blushing nor out of breath. This was something Zhang Dacai could not have imagined before setting off.
So he was finally able to slightly understand why Qi Zhen rejected his offer to hire a carriage without hesitation.
There is no use for it at all!
Zhang Dacai also became curious about the people in front of him, so he did not refuse Qi Zhen's greetings.
"Brother Huang, do you know this stall owner?" Qi Zhen asked.
"Well, it's almost twenty years ago. At that time, I followed my father's business and often passed by here. At that time, he set up a stall here to sell water. Now, his son is already so old, and so are we. It can be regarded as a lifelong friendship." Zhang Dacai pointed to the waiter who was busy serving tea and water and said with a smile.
It turned out that the waiter was the stall owner's son.
Qi Zhen knew that the gap between the rich and the poor in ancient times was probably not as generous as it is now, or even more so. She could still maintain a heartfelt smile to a tea stall owner with a very different status without being arrogant.
Judging from this point alone, this Zhang Dacai is not a bad person.
The pattern of the two people chatting is basically Qi Zhen asking and Zhang Dacai talking. Zhang Dacai has developed an all-round personality, so he can naturally answer questions flawlessly.
While chatting, Zhang Dacai became more and more puzzled, why were all the questions Qi Zhen asked related to rumors about gods, ghosts, and fairies?
Zhang Dacai expressed his confusion and felt relieved after learning that the purpose of Qi Zhen and others' trip was to visit immortals and seek Taoism.
He finally understood why these people's leg strength was so outstanding. It turned out that they were not ordinary people.
Zhang Dacai cupped his hands and said, "Forgive me for being clumsy and not taking people seriously. I have offended many people before."
Qi Zhen said you don't have to be polite. She didn't say it before just because she was afraid that you would mind too much.
Everyone in the team looked calm. In fact, they were not as calm as they showed on their faces.
One-third of the way to Wuhu has passed, but neither the scenery along the way nor Zhang Dacai himself showed anything unusual.
Every time they get closer to Wuhu, they lose one point of hope of retrieving their two teammates.
This is why Qi Zhen kept asking Zhang Dacai.
After sending away the last wave of customers except Qi Zhen and others, the stall owner finally felt a little leisurely and sat down opposite Zhang Dacai.
"Brother Zhang is back from a run of goods? How is it? Did the trip go smoothly?" the stall owner asked.
"Give me your pot." Zhang Dacai said with a smile.
The stall owner took off the cigarette bag from his waist and put it in Zhang Dacai's hand.
