Hiring

Li Qi cupped his hands in a very polite gesture. "May I ask?"

He was dressed as an ordinary person, wearing cotton clothes adorned with silk, and holding a long knife wrapped in coarse cloth. At first glance, he looked like just an ordinary passerby leaning on a cloth-covered stick, with no indication of any special skills he possessed.

However, there are always those who know their stuff.

The merchant hurriedly stepped forward. "I've noticed that you've been wandering around here for quite some time, as if you're looking for a job. My caravan happens to be short of a skilled fighter to keep things under control. I wonder if you would be willing to lend me a hand?"

He recognized Li Qi as a master at a glance, which shows his judgment wasn't bad. Perhaps he himself was a cultivator, just not yet at the highest level.

"This journey will only take four or five days, and I am willing to pay one gold coin per day." He immediately added the payment.

One gold a day is already quite a generous price, but... the willingness to pay this price indicates that there are tasks and dangers worth the price.

No one will give money away for free.

Therefore, Li Qi did not accept the offer rashly, but instead asked, "Where do you wish to go, sir? If it is not on your way, I am afraid I will be unable to comply."

Merchants are shrewd and naturally understand the unspoken meaning. So, after looking around and seeing that there was a large crowd, they didn't say much but instead invited Li Qi: "There are too many people here to talk. Why don't you come to my caravan and we can discuss this in detail?"

"Alright, please." Li Qi gestured for the other person to lead the way.

The merchant immediately led the way.

The caravan hadn't gone far; in less than a minute, they arrived at a commercial inn.

These inns were rented to merchants and had courtyards, stables, warehouses, places to store goods, parking vehicles, and places for cattle to rest.

Of course, there were no horse-drawn carriages. Horses were too expensive and not suitable for pulling carts. Oxen were used more often. After all, old oxen were strong and steady, and could carry more goods. It didn't matter if they went slowly, as long as they went steadily.

When Li Qi arrived, he found that the caravan was quite large, with fifty or sixty people, both men and women, leading more than twenty oxcarts, each fully loaded with mountain products from White Snake Mountain.

That's normal, though. For many small caravans, the profit from a single trip is probably only two or three gold coins. Only large caravans of this caliber can offer a price of one gold coin per day.

Everyone greeted the merchant and Li Qi, and Li Qi nodded in response.

The merchant then led Li Qi to a guest room, closed the doors and windows, and said to Li Qi, "If I'm not mistaken, you are a ninth-rank martial artist, aren't you?"

"I thought you would call me Xiantian martial artist," Li Qi said with a smile, jokingly.

"Only country bumpkins use that title. But those who formally embark on the path of cultivation, how can they not use the nine-rank system? Without it, you can't even compare the strengths and weaknesses of different Dao Lineage." The old merchant chimed in, pouring Li Qi a cup of tea and bringing out a plate of fruit and snacks.

Li Qi looked at the fruit that was brought out with some surprise.

It wasn't fresh, but dried fruit, and he was very familiar with it.

They were shriveled overall, bright green in color, and covered with a layer of white frost-like substance. There were only a few dozen grains in this dish.

Seeing Li Qi's surprised look, the merchant explained, "Brave man, don't think it's too little. This product comes from the Western Regions and is a specialty of Chechen. It's more than 100,000 miles away from the Great Deer Kingdom. Here, even one piece can sell for at least one coin, and you might not even be able to buy it. This small dish can be worth more than a hundred coins."

A hundred coins is enough to buy meat, but these few dozen dried fruits aren't even enough for a handful.

Li Qi looked at the dried fruits with surprise and a touch of nostalgia.

Since it is dried fruit, it is no longer as plump as when it was harvested, but after special processing, the sugar is condensed in its shriveled body, and the air is filled with that sweet aroma.

Li Qi couldn't resist picking up a grape, putting it in his mouth, and then saying, "I know, this thing is called a grape."

Raisins exist in this world too...

"This brave man is indeed knowledgeable; he can even recognize these exotic products." The merchant exclaimed in surprise at Li Qi's expertise.

Li Qi was not particularly proud; while reminiscing, he also felt a slight sense of unease.

Why does this world... have so many similarities to my original world?

Leaving aside myths, writing systems, languages, and the Tang Kingdom, even things like the Western Regions and grapes are now causing him great anxiety.

However, being anxious was useless; he had no right to be anxious. These things were as insignificant to a mere ninth-rank official as the vastness of the universe.

He quickly suppressed these distracting thoughts and smiled at the merchant, saying, "I've just read a few more books. Why don't you tell me our destination and see if it's on our way?"

"Alright, then we'll be frank with you, brave warrior. Our caravan intends to go to the ferry crossing at the source of the Li River, board ships there, and then transport our goods from the Li River to the Song Kingdom," the merchant explained, revealing their route.

"Then... do you need me to take you to the ferry?" Li Qi asked.

"Exactly," the merchant replied.

"From Snake Tail County to the ferry, it's a wide and smooth road with many fellow travelers along the way. It's only a two or three-day journey. Why would I need to protect them?" Li Qi immediately sensed something was wrong.

"Ahem, to be honest, my caravan probably can't travel on the main roads... we can only travel through the mountain paths, which is why I said it might take four or five days," the merchant coughed and explained to Li Qi.

"What happened?" Li Qi frowned, lowered his voice, and then asked.

"I was careless and offended the county magistrate of Snake Tail County. He's been targeting me ever since, so if I go down the main road, the commercial taxes alone will skin me alive. I have no choice but to take the back road..." The merchant cupped his hands and smiled bitterly, his face full of helplessness.

That's a plausible reason. Otherwise, merchants, who naturally seek stability, wouldn't bother taking detours and side roads, unnecessarily creating more risks.

Then, the merchant said, "But don't worry, my business has a big order this time, so there is another ninth-grade martial arts cultivator protecting us. However, I am still a little uneasy with just her. So, by chance, we ran into the strong man. Now that we have two great experts who have reached the grade, this trip is almost a sure thing."

"There's still one person here, so it's definitely safer. I'll take that role. When shall we depart?" Li Qi asked.

"Time is of the essence, after all, this is Snake Tail County... still their territory, so we hope to depart this afternoon. Does the brave man have any other matters to attend to? If a delay is necessary, we can wait." The merchant was delighted upon hearing this and said to Li Qi.

"I don't have anything else to do, but I have a companion I'd like to bring along. I wonder..." Li Qi suggested bringing another person.

"It's no trouble at all, it's just a matter of adding an extra pair of chopsticks. It's settled then." The merchant readily agreed, and the agreement was reached.

(My eyes are puffy today, so there will only be one update for now. I'll be back to normal tomorrow.)