"What are you doing? Haha..." He let out a low laugh and crushed his subordinate's neck directly: "Teaching those who don't follow the rules a lesson!"
"Hmph!" The elder slammed his dragon-headed staff into the ground, making a resounding sound. His hair and beard were all white, but his voice was like a bell. His eyelids drooped, but a gleam of brilliance flashed in his eyes as he unleashed the majesty of an elder towards Chu Xuesong.
"Don't follow the rules? In my opinion, the one who doesn't follow the rules is the boss! What are we horse bandits for? Why do you want to be different? You only rob people but don't kill them, and you even go to work as a farmhand!"
"Hmph! Since you can't handle that woman, let us do it. We absolutely must not allow her to form an alliance with Luo Mucheng. As long as Luo Mucheng's people die on the farm, their grudge will be settled!"
Luomu City and the exiled criminals were already irreconcilable, and now a woman suddenly appeared out of nowhere, so they had to snatch her away at all costs.
The second, third, and fourth elders, who usually stayed in the elders' hall and rarely came out, followed closely behind the first elder. They accused Chu Xuesong in an elderly manner: "Xuesong, you are really outrageous this time. You actually hid such a big thing from us."
"Yes, if it weren't for that mute, we would still be in the dark!"
"This woman must get it at all costs."
"First, we need to make her break up with Luo Mucheng. She can only rely on us!"
Chu Xuesong's expression grew increasingly gloomy. He glanced at these old men with a sneer in his eyes, "Didn't you say you'd just leave it alone? Now you're here to make comments?"
They had said this, but now that Wei Qian was dead, they couldn't let Chu Xuesong dominate alone. The bandit stronghold was built by their ancestors with great effort, and even when the two old masters, Wei and Xiao, were alive, they had to give them some face. Now, this madman Chu Xuesong was becoming more and more outrageous.
The Great Elder sneered, "You only have two hands. Can you manage two villages? While you were away, the Elders' Hall temporarily appointed Lu Hao to take over the Wei Village. From now on, if there are any major events in the Chu Village, you'd better discuss it with us!"
Chu Xuesong chuckled, "Discuss? You interrogated the mute while I was away?" He held his forehead and sighed, "Oh... You really can't be too soft-hearted."
He suddenly raised his voice, "He Xin! Bring the mute here and chop him up and feed him to the dogs!"
The Great Elder was shaking with anger, "You! You!! How dare you!" It was too disrespectful to him. He actually ignored him in front of everyone. He smashed the dragon head staff to the ground, and gravel flew everywhere.
"Asshole! Let's see who dares to move!"
Chu Xuesong raised the corners of his lips and growled in a low voice, “He—Xin!”
He Xin led a group of people to the Elders' Hall. The people brought by the four elders immediately formed a battle formation to confront them. For a while, the situation in the Chu Family Village was tense.
The Great Elder snorted angrily, "Chu Xuesong, the descendants of the four elders are still the majority. Although you are the head of the family, you can't be too reckless in doing things. You have to leave a way out for yourself!"
"Leave a way out?" Chu Xuesong pressed his lips, a little amused, and put his hand on the 'Shuoxue' at his waist. The four elders retreated together. The scene of this madman slaughtering his adoptive father, skinning and pulling out his tendons, was still vivid in his mind, and it was terrifying.
His movements were as swift as a shadow, and as his sword flashed, only a piece of the four elders' belt was left. When he appeared in everyone's sight again, dragging the squeaking mute with him, murderous intent flashed in his eyes, and in front of the four pale-faced elders, he skinned the mute like the old boss!
Chujiazhai was shrouded in bloodshed, and even the bandits, accustomed to the slaughter, were terrified into silence by the scene. Old Master Xiao had already been traumatized by that incident, and it would probably take him a long time to recover from this one.
Less than three days later, Chu Xuesong personally escorted the twenty people who had committed the crime to Yunjian Farm to kowtow and apologize.
Ye Nuan disliked this scene and said to Chu Xuesong, "Is this your explanation? They say that Master Chu is very strict in governing the village. Why did these people dare to disobey your orders and attack in the middle of the night?"
Chu Xuesong: "If you are not satisfied, then I will kill these people now!"
Ye Nuan frowned: "If you want to kill me, go back and kill me, don't dirty my land."
Chu Xuesong was silent for a while before asking, "Do you not believe me? Do you think these people are just scapegoats? Or do you think I will attack you?"
More than twenty people kowtowed and begged for mercy.
Ye Nuan didn't say anything. Chu Xuesong smiled awkwardly. It was normal not to believe him. After all, he was the one who deceived first, and the one who set the fire was the bandits from Chujiazhai. He was the boss of Chujiazhai.
Chu Xuesong didn't say a word in defense. The smile on his face disappeared completely. He said to Ye Nuan, "I will continue to have people deliver salt water. From now on, the bandits in the wilderness will never invade Yunjian Farm again."
The horse team started running, and more than twenty horse bandits were dragged across the wilderness, with screams filling the wasteland.
Su said with some concern: "A Nuan, Xiaobai seems to be in a bad mood. He won't..."
"Mom, don't worry, City Lord Qi is here!"
Su always had a feeling that a storm was about to come. She muttered, "City Master Qi can't stay at the farm all the time. He's not here today."
"Mom! City Lord Renqi is the lord of the city, and I can handle these situations." Ye Nuan called on the workers who were watching to work.
The snow that fell last night melted before it even formed, leaving the sky dark and gloomy. Fearing a blizzard, Ye Nuan urged everyone to quickly gather all the fruits, vegetables, grains, and oils they could from the farm. The farm was so vast that within a two-mile radius, vegetation was already planted, and it seemed to be expanding.
Today, Crescent Lake is connected to the farm, a green oasis spreading across the barren wasteland, with animals constantly migrating closer to the area. The fierce winter winds are blocked by the tall trees, dissipating much of the cold.
The upgraded Spatial Spirit Spring required more than five times the energy per level. Ye Nuan stared at the metal panel in her mind that kept making noises, and she felt a headache. How much food would she need to harvest to meet this?
She estimated that the harvest from the entire farm would be enough for her to level up. When the first snow fell in winter, the people from the wasteland would come to exchange for food, and then she would get another wave of jade. She could absorb these jades or store them first.
In the second month of winter, heavy snow fell. Ye Xiaohu, dressed like a ball, and Qi Ya were making a snowman by the pond. In the distance, a horse pulled an open cart toward them. Gao Zangfeng started calling from afar, "Miss Ye, we're here to pick up some vegetables."
Cabbages were covered in snow as Ye Nuan and a group of farmhands squatted in the vegetable fields to harvest them. Seeing Gao Zangfeng approaching, she quickly told everyone to bring out all the food and vegetables for Luo Mucheng. By the time Gao Zangfeng's men arrived outside the yard, loads of rice and grain had already been laid out.
Gao Zangfeng dismounted, his black boots leaving footprints in the snow. He smiled as he walked, "Miss Ye is truly amazing. Every household in the city has run out of vegetables, but you're the only one who can find fresh fruits and vegetables here."
It was so cold that steam rose from their lips as they spoke. The farmhands gathered in the yard also laughed. Their admiration for Ye Nuan had grown deeper and deeper over the month they had spent on the farm.
Gao Zangfeng ordered his men to load the grain onto the carriages. Ye Nuan looked behind the carriage and couldn't help asking, "What has your city lord been busy with lately?"
When Gao Zangfeng mentioned this, he sighed heavily and frowned, saying, "The old city lord is ill and has gone mad. The city lord is staying in the mansion to take care of him."
"Oh, by the way, the city lord asked me to take the young master back temporarily." The young master looks more like the lady, and the old city lord's condition should be better after seeing him.
Ye Nuan nodded, "He should go back and take a look." She turned to Su and said, "Mom, where are the two children? Tell A Ya to pack up and go back with Gao Shoucheng."
"They were making a snowman by the pond just now. I'll go take a look!" Su walked out of the yard.
Ye Nuan was talking to Gao Zangfeng. After waiting for a long time, Qi Ya came back with an unhappy look on his face. Su said helplessly, "A Nuan, he doesn't want to go back!"
Strictly speaking, Qi Ya and his father were not familiar with each other. Qi Ya grew up in a wolf den. After being found by Qi Wuze and raised for a few years, he barely obeyed his eldest brother. Although Qi Wuze often took him to see Qi Yan, most of the time Qi Yan was in a state of madness, crying and laughing when he saw him.
He really doesn't like it.
The eldest brother said that was their father, but he had no impression of his father at all. He only vaguely remembered that his mother's arms were very warm.
Ye Nuan squatted in front of Qi Ya and asked patiently: "Aya, that's your home, why don't you want to go back?"
Qi Ya frowned, looked at Huajuan at his feet, then looked at her and shook his head, "I don't like that." The fact that he could speak a complete sentence was already a big improvement compared to before.
Ye Nuan coaxed, "How about this, I'll let Xiao Hu go back with you and wait for a while before you come back, okay?"
Qi Ya turned around to look at Ye Xiaohu, who didn't seem very happy either. "Do you want to go back with me?"
Ye Nuan patted his head and said, "Sister, you can't go back yet. Someone will come to buy food later, and sister has to stay at the farm. You and Xiaohu go back together. I will make you some butter cakes to eat on the way."
Ye Xiaohu ran over and pulled Qi Ya's sleeve, smiling and saying, "Brother Aya, you've lived in my house for so long, I want to go to yours too. The city lord brother said your house is so beautiful, can you take me to see it?"
Ye Nuan was relieved that her brother finally became smart for once.
Gao Zangfeng stepped forward and advised: "Young master, the city lord is still waiting for you in the city lord's mansion. You can go back with us first and come back after staying for a few days." What is going on? The young master of the city lord's mansion is almost becoming a farmer at Yunjian Farm.
Qi Ya hesitated for a moment and finally nodded: "Okay then, I want to eat scallion pancakes!"
Ye Nuan chuckled and stood up to make him some scallion pancakes. After a while, she returned with a hot scallion pancake and some candied fruit cookies. She instructed, "You two must behave well when you go to the City Lord's Mansion. If anyone disobeys, they will be punished when they return."
"I understand, sister." Ye Xiaohu was particularly happy. He loved being a guest the most!
The two of them sat on the tall grain cart and waved to Ye Nuan. Xiao Hei, who had almost grown into a big black dog, jumped excitedly from side to side after the grain cart.
The snow was still falling, and the sky and the earth were covered in white. It was almost noon when Jinqiu and Jinbao arrived in their donkey carts, followed by several familiar villagers. They were all amazed to see the farm had expanded several times.
Ye Nuan was very happy as she hadn't seen Jin Qiu for a long time. She quickly asked her to sit down and stuffed some scallion pancakes into her mouth.
"Are you here to exchange for food?"
Jin Qiu nodded: "Yeah, once it snowed, there was less food in the village. In previous years, we would go to the Creation Grid. This year, we heard that Yunjian Countryside was cheaper, so we came here."
Ye Nuan had already prepared the prices of fruits, vegetables, grains and oils in advance, and hung a sign at the main entrance. Anyone who came could clearly know the prices of everything. Word spread from one person to ten, and from ten to a hundred, and everyone in the wasteland knew that her prices were affordable.
She smiled and said, "Okay, you can tell my mother if you want to change anything." Afraid that she would be too busy, she taught Su how to keep accounts using Arabic numerals in advance.
Su was the daughter of a marquis, and she had learned to keep accounts. This was her first time using Arabic numerals, and although she was skeptical, she followed her daughter's instructions. Despite her short temper, she was quite intelligent, and after a few days of study, she was getting the hang of it.
Ye Nuan divided the work in advance. She was in charge of reception, while her mother was in charge of bookkeeping and goods distribution. Her brother and A Ya helped with messaging and other tasks, and with the addition of twenty long-term workers, they were able to handle the work completely.
The other villagers were a little reserved when they saw Ye Nuan. On the one hand, they were ashamed, and on the other hand, they felt that the current goddess was out of their reach. Although their eyes were friendly, they lacked warmth.
No one dared to go up and talk to him. After secretly taking a few glances, they all followed Jin Qiu silently to find Su to exchange food.
After that, two more groups of horse bandits came. He Xin had seen them before, but she seemed to have rarely seen the other group.
He Xin dismounted and saluted her politely, saying in a low voice, "The man behind is Lu Hao, the new head of Weijia Village. Miss Ye, don't worry, he's just here to buy food."
The new leader of Weijiazhai?
Lu Hao dismounted. His burly figure was a head taller than a normal person, his brows and eyes were fierce, and his fake friendly smile was particularly annoying.
He walked closer and said with a laugh, "This is the legendary Miss Ye. Haha, she's much prettier than that damn Jiang Ji."
His words were too frivolous. He Xin frowned and stood in front of Ye Nuan without a word. He nodded at Lu Hao and asked, "Why did Master Lu come here in person?"
Lu Hao, a man of strong limbs but simple mind, reached out and pushed He Xin away. He Xin was overwhelmed and stumbled two steps. He reached out to touch Ye Nuan's delicate, porcelain-white skin, but before he could touch her face, his hand was bitten hard.
A cobra hung from the back of his hand. Lu Hao's face turned pale, and his hand immediately swelled up. He tried to shake the snake off, but it held on tightly. By the time he finally got it free, his entire right palm had gone numb.
Ye Nuan exclaimed, "Ah, how could you be so careless? Hurry and treat the wound."
A farmhand quickly brought some common herbs for snake venom and mixed some chili powder into it.
Ye Nuan said anxiously, "Master Lu, please extend your hand quickly. I will help you treat your wound."
Seeing the beauty caring so much about him, Lu Hao immediately reached out his hand. She held it, picked up the embroidered and blunt knife from the cloth bag, and slashed it hard, saying as she did so, "Hurry up and suck out the poisonous blood yourself."
Lu Hao screamed in pain, but had no choice but to do as he was told. He took a few puffs, and Ye Nuan applied the herbs directly to his wound. When the turned-out flesh came into contact with the chili powder, it pricked every muscle in his body and made them tremble.
My whole hand was swollen in an instant.
Ye Nuan shouted in fear, "Oh no, Mr. Lu, you'd better go back and ask the doctor to treat it quickly. The poison is still spreading. If you delay, it may be life-threatening."
Lu Hao's men had just arrived, and they hurried away hugging him.
Looking at the group of people walking away, Ye Nuan threw away the dagger and sneered: "Why did the Wei family village support such a fool to take the position?" Although Wei Qian was cruel, he was much smarter than this guy.
He Xin was completely bewildered by this series of actions. He finally came to his senses, a smile breaking through his usually stern face. "The Wei Family Village was almost disbanded. It was the people from the Elders' Hall who deliberately supported them to check and balance our master. Unfortunately, they were too stupid."
The four elders were helpless. Almost all the people in Weijia Village were dead. The smart ones around them were not very skilled. The skilled ones were not very smart. They had to choose the best among the inferior ones. Lu Hao was barely passable, but he was obedient.
Ye Nuan was puzzled: "You horse bandits also have an elders' hall?"
He Xin's thoughts turned slightly, and he immediately explained, "Well, the bandits are divided into Chu and Wei, but the Elders' Hall has checks and balances on both sides. When Wei Qian was alive, the Elders' Hall was afraid to touch Dahuang Village. Now that he's dead, the Elders' Hall are afraid of our master."
"Miss Ye, you really misunderstood our master last time. It wasn't our master who set fire to Yunjian Farm. It was the elder who ordered it."
Chu Xuesong hadn't sent anyone to send salt water these past few times. Ye Nuan's eyes flickered slightly, and she asked tentatively, "Your master is so powerful, why doesn't he get rid of the Elders' Hall?"
He Xin looked around and lowered his voice even more to make sure that only the two of them could hear it: "Miss Ye, you don't know that the Elder Hall has existed the moment the horse bandits existed. The blood of the Fourth Elder is spread throughout the village, and a single move can affect the entire body." Uprooting them would severely damage their vitality, giving Luo Mucheng an opportunity to take advantage.
"Oh." Ye Nuan responded and asked him to go to the Su family to ask for food on his own.
He Xin said so much, but she just said "oh". He couldn't help feeling depressed. She should have understood, so did she still misunderstand her master?
Yunjian Farm was bustling with people, all of them were villagers and horse bandits who came to buy food, and the people of Luomu City also came in groups of three or four.
Gao Zangfeng bought the grain reserves of the City Lord's Mansion, and the people of Luomu City bought food for the winter.
The situation on the farm has completely opened up. Their business is booming, but the Creation Pavilion is deserted.
Jiang Ji couldn't sit still in the warm room. She leaned over the railing and looked out into the distance. There was not even a ghost in the vast snow. She cursed and asked the shopkeeper downstairs, "Where have all the people gone? Don't they usually come to buy food after the first snow every year?"
The shopkeeper had a bitter face after being scolded by her for several days. He felt depressed and said helplessly: "Master, the entire wasteland has gone to Yunjian Farm to exchange food." Even the guys in their shop went there secretly, so of course he didn't dare to say this.
"Going to Yunjian Farm?" Jiang Ji had seen Ye Nuan's farm before, but would that amount of food be enough for the entire wasteland to survive the winter?
The shopkeeper continued, "She sells grain, oil, fruits and vegetables at a low price, 30% of ours, and they're all fresh grain."
Jiang Ji frowned and asked, "Have you been there?"
The shopkeeper nodded and said, "In order to find out the situation, I went out of my way to buy some food and copied down the prices and list of her things." He didn't dare say that he was also craving the fruits and vegetables in there, so he went out of his way to buy them.
The shopkeeper took out a catalog from his pocket and handed it to her. Jiang Ji took it and looked at it carefully. Her eyes changed from surprise to disbelief. Finally, she started to curse: "The price is so low, she wants to force the Creation Pavilion to death!"
"Why are there so many vegetables for sale in this weather? Radishes, greens, corn, cucumbers, leeks... Is this normal?"
"Dragon fruit, mango, durian, jackfruit? They also sell ginseng and ganoderma lucidum?" She threw the booklet in her hand far away and cursed, "What else doesn't she sell!" She was so angry!
But she quickly regained her composure after a second thought and said proudly, "By the way, they don't sell weapons, furniture, rouge, powder, or silk fabrics."
The shopkeeper silently picked up the booklet on the ground and cautiously reminded him, "Pavilion Master, the villagers of Dahuang Village mentioned that Yunjian Farm also sells skin care lotion, which is as effective as all the rouge and powder in the pavilion. The price of the flowing brocade she charges is more than the silver we sell in silk and satin fabrics in a year."
"She can also make furniture in Luomu City and Dahuang Village. If you look closely, the only thing she won't sell is weapons!"
Jiang Ji: “!!”
"You tell me!"
The shopkeeper shrank back and said, "I am here to help the Pavilion Master clear up his confusion."
Jiang Ji was so angry that her chest heaved. She pointed at the shopkeeper and was speechless for a long time. The jewels on her head swayed. Finally, she uttered, "Go, go and buy me a bullock cart full of all the dragon fruit, mangoes, durian, jackfruit... on the list!!!"
The shopkeeper was puzzled: "Master, are you going to help Yunjian Farm with its business?"
Jiang Ji scolded, "What do you know? These things are not available in the interior. Since we can't make money in the wilderness, we will transport all these things to the interior and sell them to the gentry, wealthy people, and corrupt officials to make a fortune."
The shopkeeper sighed: The Pavilion Master is worthy of being the Pavilion Master. Even if he is angry, he still never forgets to make money.
The shopkeeper harnessed his oxcart and headed for Yunjian Farm with his staff. An hour later, they returned with only half a basket of fruit. Jiang Ji's beautiful face was frost-covered. She tugged at the shopkeeper's ear and asked, "I said—one oxcart for each kind! What's with this half basket?"
The other shop assistants were silent. The shopkeeper cried out twice and said helplessly, "Master, if they don't want to sell it, there's nothing we can do! We can't force them to sell it like a bandit!"
"What do you mean by not selling? How could that little girl refuse to do business?"
The shopkeeper had no choice but to repeat Ye Nuan's words: "Miss Ye said that she must ensure that the people in the desert can survive the winter before she can sell you this... this..."
"explain!!"
"You are such a person who has nothing better to do..."
Jiang Ji's face couldn't be any darker.
"She also said that if you really want to buy it, it's not impossible. The weapons from the Creation Pavilion will be sold to her at a 10% markup over the original price, and Liuguangjin will continue to purchase them at the price you proposed this year."
Seven hundred taels per horse?
Why doesn't she go and grab it?
When she exchanged salt previously, she bought it at a low price, which was barely acceptable. If she directly calculated it at 700 taels and then transported it to the interior, it would not be considered a huge profit at all.
Is it easy to stay in this godforsaken place every day?
"She...also said, also said..."
Jiang Ji gritted her teeth: "What else did she say?"
"If you're not happy with it, it's okay not to sell Liuguangjin."
Is this a threat to her?
Jiang Ji was so angry that she paced back and forth. After eating a dragon fruit, two mangoes and half a durian, she suddenly figured it out.
"Bring me the fox fur coat, pick some experts and go to Yunjian Farm with me, and the rest of you will guard the Creation Pavilion."
Wu Tu laughed, holding the copper hammer in his hand, and asked in a hoarse voice, "Master, are we going to raze Yunjian Farm?"
Jiang Ji slapped him on the forehead and cursed, "This Pavilion Master is not a bandit, but a serious businessman. I went to Yunjian Farm to discuss business."
Talk about business?
What business can we discuss?
Their leader was defeated whenever he met this Miss Ye!
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