Chapter 565: Hey, let's do business (Part 1) [Requesting monthly votes]

Liao Jia still couldn't sleep well that night.

He felt like strangling Qi Yuanliang.

It's like injuring the enemy eight hundred while losing a thousand of your own!

He woke up early in the morning but didn't see Zhao Wei. Instead, he found a note she had left, saying she had arranged to spar with a young woman named Lu Ji. Liao Jia read the note, put it away, and, despite being sleepy, washed up, ate breakfast, and went to the government office to clock in before heading to the salt fields to supervise the work. However, as soon as he and Qi Shan arrived at the government office, they sensed that something was amiss.

Even the surrounding天地气气 (heaven and earth energy) trembled slightly.

The source was his new lord.

Liao Jia guessed, "Could it be that the salt well project is not progressing well?"

Qi Shan shook his head and said, "I don't know."

Knowing his lord as he did, he knew this kind of thing wouldn't provoke such strong emotions in her; she would simply have her brave warriors do more work. If one salt well didn't produce brine, then they'd drill more. Brave warriors were incredibly useful tools.

There's no need to get so angry and lose your temper.

Seeing Gu Chi, who had fled because he couldn't stand the atmosphere, Qi Shan looked unwell after staying up for two nights in a row. Gu Chi kindly reminded her, "The lord is in a bad mood right now, full of murderous intent. If you two run into her, be careful not to offend her."

Qi Shan pressed, "What happened?"

Gu Chi looked around, flicked his finger to cast a spell to prevent it from reaching Shen Tang's ears, and then said, "What else could it be? My lord's precious purse mysteriously disappeared yesterday, but Han Zhang hasn't used any powerful spells lately..."

Qi Shan: "...!!!"

Oh no, he finally remembered what he had forgotten.

Liao Jia didn't seem to care much: "How much money is in that money pouch?"

If he sees it on the roadside, he won't even bother to bend down and pick it up.

Gu Chi looked at him in surprise. His colleague's words were very informative—how could he know how much money the lord had in his purse after only one day?

The three of them looked completely bewildered.

Gu Chi gasped and asked, "Shao Mei, tell me the truth—the lord's purse is missing, could it be related to you...?"

The rest of the conversation ended abruptly.

He saw Liao Jia take out a familiar money pouch from his sleeve.

Liao Jia innocently recounted the details of yesterday.

For a moment, Gu Chi didn't know whether to sigh or laugh.

Finally, he patted Liao Jia on the shoulder.

Here's a piece of advice: "Shao Mei, may you have good fortune."

Liao Jia held the money pouch blankly, looking completely bewildered. He genuinely didn't understand. His lord was, after all, the head of a prefecture, the leader of a small local power. Even if he wasn't incredibly wealthy, surely he wouldn't tell his subordinates to "follow their own fate" for such a small amount?

Gu Chi understood his inner confusion and bewilderment.

Suppressing a laugh, she said, "If it were just you, it wouldn't be so bad, but unfortunately, there aren't many people under our lord who are easy to deal with. As for her—sigh."

Liao Jia asked, "What makes you say that?"

Gu Chi gave a general overview of the other people's situations.

Liao Jia's expression shifted from novelty, shock, and sympathy to utter speechlessness. She opened her mouth but couldn't find the words to say.

The literary community is large, and the vast majority are quite conventional. Those as unconventional as him are a small minority. Liao Jia enjoys making friends, and among his many friends, only a handful are truly unique, including himself.

Unexpectedly—

There were few normal scholars under Shen Tang's command.

He murmured, "No wonder, no wonder my lord didn't die from his curse after two years of praying for him. He really has a special destiny."

For a normal ruler, even carrying one enemy would be a struggle.

Shen Tang is carrying so many oddballs on his back and still running around like a madman. In a sense, he is the true chosen one!

Gu Chi: "..."

That makes some sense.

Adhering to the principle of "leniency for those who confess and severity for those who resist," Liao Jia voluntarily returned Shen Tang's purse, and even said some polite words before she could speak. After Shen Tang understood the cause and effect of the matter, she could only suppress her emotions despite feeling wronged.

God!

Why can't we just give her a normal subordinate position?

"It's alright, Shao Mei, there's no need to blame yourself." Her heart was bleeding, and her words sounded like a sob to Gu Chi, but she still spoke generously and magnanimously, "These worldly possessions are nothing but rubble, how can they compare to Shao Mei, this bright pearl?"

result--

Less than an hour had passed.

The money pouch, which had just been returned to its rightful owner, had barely been warmed up when it once again vanished in front of Shen Tang.

Shen Tang: "..."

Looking at the familiar money pouch in his hand, Liao Jia: "..."

This time, he was completely innocent.

He could swear on his life that he wasn't planning to trick Qi Shan this time, but rather that he was thinking of Zhao Wei, who was also in Yantian District! He figured Zhao Wei's prized possession was that long spear, and he wanted to return it to her in person. Who knew it would turn out like this?

Liao Jia returned from the salt fields and immediately returned the money pouch to its rightful owner. Shen Tang covered her face with her hands, her heart filled with despair.

He could only offer his suggestion in a low voice.

"Why doesn't my lord try something different?"

With her dead fish eyes wide open, Shen Tang said in a low, languid tone, "My other beloved possession is the political affairs that need to be dealt with..."

Losing your wallet might cause you a little heartache at most.

Losing documents delayed work.

When faced with two evils, choose the lesser one.

Liao Jia: "...Then forget it."

After trying for the next few days, she discovered that Liao Jia's "Stealing Others' Favorites" was specifically targeting Shen Tang, so she became completely indifferent and could only secretly comfort herself—she came to the mortal world to undergo tribulations, and how could she obtain the true scriptures of the Western Paradise without experiencing the eighty-one tribulations!

"I envy Tang Sanzang..."

They're doing dungeon runs in a group.

She was targeted by a group of people, and she was surrounded by acquaintances.

This was a minor incident, and aside from Shen Tang's injury, it provided the others with more fodder for conversation, greatly relieving their work stress. In just half a month, eighteen salt wells had been dug. Such efficiency left even Qi Shan and the others speechless.

It's important to know that these are all deep wells, while the previously abandoned salt wells were just shallow wells with large openings, unstable structures, and limited resources. They were abandoned because the shallow brine was depleted, and they would collapse from time to time, requiring several months to repair.

In other parts of mainland China, there are small-aperture wells, also known as deep wells, which utilize machinery to some extent, allowing the drill bit to drill up and down. The principle is somewhat similar to the foot pedal used for pounding rice, greatly saving manual labor.

A deep well can take months or even years to complete. If there is water seepage or improper reinforcement along the way, the well will be ruined. If brine is not produced, it is considered a failure. However, the group of brave martial artists who followed Shen Tang had already developed a rough surveying experience through their experience of digging tunnels underground in Shiwu. Except for two unusable wells at the beginning due to lack of experience, they were very successful afterward!

With the brine, the subsequent process no longer requires the intervention of martial arts masters; ordinary people can also handle it, though it may be a bit tedious.

Watching the murky brine being poured up and, after several processing steps, forming snow-white and adorable salt dumplings in the pot, Shen Tang's mind raced with calculations—if she could make it work this year, perhaps she could pay off Xun Hanzhang's loan and even save some money.

However, what truly gave Shen Tang hope of getting rich quick was the salt fields—a business that was truly risk-free and highly profitable.

"There will be times when the wind and waves will be overcome."

(っ°Д°;)っ

Zhang keeps saying when will we be liberated?! I'm going crazy!

(End of this chapter)