Mountain Treasure

"Young Brother Qin!"

As night fell, the curious villagers had already dispersed, and an elderly man with a slightly hunched back did indeed arrive at the old house.

"Elder Chun!"

Upon seeing the newcomer, Qin Yan's eyes flashed with surprise. The person usually stayed by the mother and daughter's side, so why did they always find him today?

"Young man, it's been a while since I last saw you; you seem to have grown quite a bit stronger."

A glint flashed in Uncle Chun's cloudy eyes; this child's growth rate was too fast, far exceeding his expectations.

Looking at the bear skin spread out to the side.

"Such a huge black bear is a rare sight these days!"

Uncle Chun whispered, then continued, "I've heard that Brother Qin hunted a giant bear in the forest."

I came here today specifically for this bear skin!

As you know, the weather has turned cold recently, and Madam wants to make a coat for Master. This bearskin is just right."

Qin Yan's heart stirred. Madam Chen was the mistress of some important figure, and it seemed she wanted to return to that person's sight.

After a moment's hesitation, he said, "No problem, as long as you name your price, sir!"

"Hehe!" Uncle Chun forced a smile onto his aged face, "I won't treat you unfairly either."

"This bear pelt is perfectly preserved, and given its enormous size, how about 150 taels?"

"Can!"

Qin Yan nodded immediately. The price of the bear skin had far exceeded his expectations, so he readily agreed.

One hundred and fifty taels!

Zong Xiaoshan and Qin Xiaoyi were astonished upon hearing this; an ordinary person probably couldn't earn that much money in a lifetime.

"Oh, right! I also need a pair of forelegs, how about one hundred taels?"

Qin Yan was taken aback, then said, "Let's make it a lucky ninety-nine taels, a total of two hundred and forty-nine taels!"

Uncle Chun glanced at Qin Yan with surprise, somewhat puzzled, but showed respect.

"Good!"

"Then thank you very much, Uncle Chun, for supporting my business."

Qin Yan was in high spirits after receiving a large sum of money, and he couldn't help but start chatting with the old gentleman in front of him.

"Sir, when will the ban on bear bile and bear paws be lifted in Qinghe Town? They can't be stored for long."

Qin Yan said with some worry.

Elder Chun immediately understood the other party's little scheme and chuckled, "Probably tomorrow?"

Then, as if remembering something, he looked at Qin Yan and said, "Young man, I heard that Mu Youcheng's wife is going to sue you for killing her husband."

You're in big trouble!

"Isn't this pure slander?" Qin Yan feigned grievance. "She's accusing me of murder based on mere conjecture. Why doesn't she say it was that man-eating monster?"

"Heh! Some people don't need evidence, they just need a result."

Uncle Chun gave a meaningful smile.

This completely silenced Qin Yan.

Damn, that makes so much sense!

In this era, money talks; it seems like you can take him down without any evidence.

Thinking of this, Qin Yan's eyes flashed with a fierce light. Why not go all the way and wipe out the Mu Lineage?

The icy chill caused Uncle Chun's slightly closed eyes to snap open.

Qin Yan stared intently, his heart churning with turbulent emotions.

"Such intense killing intent! How many people would one have to kill to generate such pure killing intent!"

Uncle Chun took a deep breath. He had underestimated this kid; he was a killing machine!

The Mu Lineage is truly blind to have offended this kid.

"Actually, I can help you solve this problem."

Uncle Chun stroked his white beard and looked at Qin Yan with a meaningful gaze.

What do you need me to do, sir?

Qin Yan wasn't stupid; if the other party was willing to help him, there must be a price to pay.

"A promise!"

Uncle Chun immediately revealed his purpose. "You are a very promising young man. I may need your help in the future, so please lend me your assistance, young man."

Qin Yan didn't agree immediately. After hesitating for a moment, he said, "On the condition that what you ask me to do isn't too outrageous, if you agree, I'll owe you a favor!"

"Good! Uncle Chun is quite agreeable this time."

As he spoke, he handed Qin Yan a letter he had already prepared. "Take this letter and go to the county magistrate!"

Although Qinghe Town is a town, it has the administrative level of a county and is a military stronghold.

The main reason is that this area is a vast grain-producing region with a prosperous economy.

Its size is in no way inferior to that of a county.

"The magistrate is Madam Chen's..."

Qin Yan was somewhat curious!

"Don't ask what you shouldn't ask." Uncle Chun's expression remained unchanged, as if he were talking about something insignificant.

Qin Yan didn't want to make a fool of himself.

I watched them leave.

Qin Yan looked at the letter in his hand; the old man's name was Li Chun.

The recipient's surname is Jiang.

Then everything became clear.

Madam Chen was also the mistress of Magistrate Jiang.

Qin Yan cut off a piece of bear meat and tossed it to the little black cat that had been eyeing him intently.

The little guy let out low growls as he ate, a human-like satisfaction on his face.

"Boss, this old man actually knows the county magistrate; he's got quite a background."

Zong Xiaoshan watched from the sidelines, somewhat surprised by his boss's connections.

"We have some overlap!"

Qin Yan's eyes deepened; having this connection with the county magistrate did indeed have some value.

"Xiaoyi, go and inform Uncle Qi and Uncle Zhao Yang that we can go collect mountain goods again!"

Also, you two are coming with me to Qinghe Town tomorrow!

"Um!"

Qin Xiaoyi nodded!

Qinghe Town City Gate!

As soon as the soldiers guarding the city opened the gates, they found three boys already waiting there.

A hint of surprise flashed in his eyes as he carefully examined the three people.

Two of them were so tall that they had to look up to see them clearly.

"So tall!"

The officers and soldiers immediately became alert. "What are you doing!"

"Sir, aren't the city gates open today? That's why we've been waiting here for so long."

I have urgent business to attend to!

Qin Yan's face was beaming with a smile.

How is it?

Upon hearing this, the officers and soldiers immediately looked at Qin Yan and his group with newfound respect, as they had only received the news yesterday.

I didn't expect that these people would find out so quickly.

Knowing that the men had powerful backgrounds, the officers and soldiers did not make things difficult for them.

"Twenty coins per person!"

Upon hearing this, Zong Xiaoshan and Qin Xiaoyi's eyes widened. These people were truly ruthless!

Qin Yan, without changing his expression, took out sixty coins and handed them to the other party.

The officer lightly weighed the money bag in his hand. "Hmm, let them through!"

He called out to the surrounding officers and soldiers.

Qin Yan then led the two into Qinghe Town.

Compared to the desolation outside the city, the town itself was not significantly affected.

The refugees begging along the streets seemed to have vanished overnight, leaving the area somewhat desolate.

It's a completely different world compared to the outside.

The shouts of the street vendors gradually became more lively as Qin Yan and his group arrived.

In front of a noodle shop, a pile of bowls had already been stacked in front of the three people.

Qin Yan patted his belly contentedly; this was life.

"Gentlemen, is this really it?"

The shopkeeper gave a thumbs-up, looking at Qin Yan and his group with a bright smile. It had been a long time since he'd had such a big customer!

Qin Yan placed a piece of broken silver on the table. The shopkeeper's eyes lit up, and he happily accepted the silver.

"Gentlemen, please come again next time."

Qin Yan did not rush to the yamen (government office), but instead went to Abundant Harvest Tower, the most prosperous restaurant in the town.

"Shopkeeper, could you give me an estimate for this?"

Qin Yan found the shopkeeper and placed the remaining pair of bear paws on the counter.

When Shopkeeper Wang of Abundant Harvest Tower saw the pair of enormous bear paws, his eyes lit up.

A bear paw bigger than a human head is extremely rare.

"Hey, you three young men, where did you get this bear paw? It's a rare find!"

"This was hunted down by our boss."

Qin Xiaoyi pointed smugly at Qin Yan: "Shopkeeper, give me an estimate!"

Shopkeeper Wang looked at the three men with a warm expression and ardent eyes. "Young men, my surname is Wang, you can just call me Shopkeeper Wang."

I wonder if any other parts of this black bear are available for sale? I'm confident I can offer you a satisfactory price.

"Shopkeeper Wang, what bad luck."

Qin Yan said with a regretful expression, "When we hunted this bear, someone had already bought its pelt and forepaws."

That's a real shame.

Upon hearing this, Shopkeeper Wang's eye twitched, and he felt a sharp pain in his heart.

Bear paws of this caliber are truly rare finds; if sold in the capital, their price would at least double.

"The best part of this black bear is its forepaws; the hind paws are slightly less desirable. I'll make the decision: twenty taels per bear."

What do you all think?

Qin Yan's expression remained unchanged. "Then let's ask around elsewhere."

With that, Qin Yan picked up his things and prepared to leave.

"Hey! Don't rush, you three! The price is negotiable."

Seeing this, Shopkeeper Wang quickly grabbed Qin Yan's arm and said with a smile.

"Shopkeeper Wang, we sincerely want to sell our goods, and we hope you can honestly offer a price."

Qin Yan's tone was indifferent.

"Since you've said so, sir, then I, Wang, will offer a fair price: thirty-five taels each. What do you think?"

Seeing this, Shopkeeper Wang also made a gesture and said earnestly, "Young man, this price is really acceptable."

Otherwise, I wouldn't make any money either.

Qin Yan nodded slightly upon hearing this. A typical bear paw would cost around ten to twenty taels, so the current price wasn't a loss.

"Alright, thirty-five taels each."

"Young man, you look exceptionally dashing. You're welcome to come to Abundant Harvest Tower for any good things you may find in the future."

Once the deal was done, Shopkeeper Wang immediately became very friendly and approachable.

The ability to hunt down such a large bear demonstrates formidable strength.

The other party exchanged a few words.

Qin Yan seemed to have thought of something as well, and immediately asked, "Shopkeeper Wang, I have another good item on hand."

This item is quite rare, and I'd like to find a buyer. Does Shopkeeper Wang have any connections?

Upon hearing this, Shopkeeper Wang immediately became interested.

"Young man, why don't you take a look? If it's really something good, I, Wang, will buy it myself."

Qin Yan nodded, opened the bamboo basket at his waist, and a snow-white centipede instantly emerged, moving with incredible speed.

But Qin Yan was faster, instantly grabbing the other person's head.

Looking at the snow-white centipede that was over a meter long, Shopkeeper Wang couldn't help but gasp.

"Such a huge, exotic centipede, my brother's luck is truly incredible."

This is no ordinary poisonous insect; it's Mountain Treasure!