Xia Qingyu looked at Ning Ye with suspicion, "I only stole your wallet, what can you possibly see?"

Indeed, Xia Qingyu only wanted to steal a wallet from Ning Ye, but Ning Ye noticed her unusual reaction speed.

Even though Zhang Long and Zhao Hu had undergone rigorous training, they still couldn't react immediately, and only I was able to catch them.

It is evident that Xia Qingyu's speed is quite fast, and she can even make a move so fast that others are completely unaware of it.

It would be a waste to leave such talent here as a petty thief. With a little training, he might become an excellent intelligence agent.

After all, reaction speed is sometimes very important, and training doesn't really help much with it; only innate talent is the most important.

In addition, Xia Qingyu's gaze made it hard for Ning Ye not to be moved. After all, a person with brains who knows how to protect themselves can't be too bad.

Xia Qingyu remained wary and asked, "Are you really not thinking anything of it?"

Ning Ye looked Xia Qingyu up and down. "I'm really sorry, but you're nowhere near as good as my wife. Besides, I don't have any special hobbies, so you can rest assured."

Although Ning Ye was telling the truth and trying to put her at ease, Xia Qingyu still felt as if she had been insulted in some unspeakable way.

If Ning Ye knew, he would only think that this really shows his conscience. He really didn't have any ulterior motives. He just wanted to put this little girl at ease and not make himself look like some strange old man.

"Alright, are you planning to live in this quagmire forever? If you behave well, you can get five taels of silver a month here, and I'll make sure you're well-fed and clothed."

Xia Qingyu snorted, "You talk a good game, but since you're so sincere, I'll reluctantly agree. But if anything is different from what you said, I'll just run away."

Ning Ye smiled confidently, "Don't worry, that's absolutely impossible, because no one will say that the treatment I give is bad."

When Ning Ye and Xia Qingyu walked out of the room, Zhang Long and Zhao Hu, those two idiots, glanced at Xia Qingyu and immediately had a knowing look on their faces.

Ning Ye's brow twitched. "You two better not have any wild thoughts, and definitely don't have any inappropriate ideas, or I'll have Old Wang train you to death when we get back."

After booking two rooms, Ning Ye sent a message through the innkeeper, saying that a distinguished guest from out of town wished to meet Yama and that he could come at any time if interested.

Upon hearing this request, the shopkeeper looked utterly astonished, since in this town, Yama was a name best left unmentioned.

However, as the saying goes, money makes the world go round. As long as you pay enough, other things will no longer be a problem.

After receiving Ning Ye's money, the shopkeeper hurriedly went out to find someone to deliver a message. Of course, he was genuinely doing something, otherwise Ning Ye's fists wouldn't be to be trifled with.

Ning Ye didn't know whether he could actually wait for the person to arrive, but he decided to wait here for three days. After all, a trade route was extremely important to anyone, and if an agreement could be reached, things would be much easier afterward.

On the first day, Yama did not appear, so Ning Ye simply started to wander around this area. After all, the people coming and going were merchants from all over the country, basically covering most of the dynasty, so there was quite a lot to see.

On the third day, Ning Yejiao still hadn't seen this person. He didn't know if the person hadn't heard the news or simply didn't want to see him, a greenhorn.

It wasn't until the night of the third day that Ning Ye was drinking, with Zhang Long and Zhao Hu keeping him company.

"Young master, I think this guy doesn't take you seriously at all. Why don't we call more brothers over and turn this place upside down? We're sure we'll find him eventually."

Zhang Long, drunk, said, "You're so brainless. You're thinking too simply. If we really do that, things will get out of control. This is their territory, and it's too much to be so disrespectful."

Zhao Hu slurred, "We can't let our young master wait for nothing. If you ask me, young master, this guy is just ungrateful. Why should we care about him? Anyway, this town is only so big. Others won't dare to touch it. We can just take it down."

Ning Ye said calmly, "This is just a short-term operation, which is not a problem for me. However, once it is started, it will probably not be as simple as it seems. Many people are watching this."

Ning Ye simply couldn't believe that such a complex and intertwined town could be controlled by a mere bandit; there must be someone else behind it.

Taking it over temporarily is not difficult, but maintaining control over it in the long run is an incredibly difficult task.

Such an important place is something that no one would ever hand over; to touch it would be tantamount to stirring up a hornet's nest.

If everyone follows the rules, things are fine; but if no one follows the rules, then things become complicated.

But today is the last day, and this mysterious Yama has not shown up yet, which is making Ning Ye a little irritated. Could it be that this guy is really so clueless?

Just as Ning Ye finished another pot of wine and was about to call the waiter for more, he suddenly realized that there was no one else in the shop.

This somewhat unusual situation made Ning Ye wary, but just then, the inn's door opened and a man wearing a gray cloak walked in.

"I heard someone was looking for me, and now I'm here. If what you have to say doesn't interest me, then there will be a few more corpses in town today."

Ning Ye smiled slightly, "You must be Yama. Don't worry, what I'm here to talk to you about will definitely interest you, and may even make you unable to extricate yourself."

Yama laughed too. "Young man, I don't know how long it's been since I've heard such words. Confidence is a good thing, but too much confidence may very well ruin you."

"It's alright, I'm confident I can get you to agree as long as you come. But shouldn't we sit down and have a drink first?"

Yan Luo nodded and sat down opposite Ning Ye, while Zhang Long and Zhao Hu also stood up tactfully.