Cao Gang Leader, Chicken Essence Concealment

Lin Ze didn't walk far before he reached the entrance of the teahouse.

"Esteemed guest, please come in! What would you like to order?"

Immediately, a waiter greeted him with a beaming smile.

Lin Ze followed the waiter to a window seat on the second floor.

From this position, he could clearly see all sorts of people sitting in the main hall, drinking tea and eating. There was also a storyteller on a small platform, vividly narrating stories he'd heard from who knows where.

Lin Ze listened for a moment but didn't find anything of interest.

"Bring me a pot of good tea, and some of your teahouse's special snacks."

Lin Ze said casually.

As for the four family guards who had come with Lin Ze, they didn't need Lin Ze to tell them; they consciously went to stand in a corner, their eyes constantly on Lin Ze, ensuring they could respond immediately to their Master's orders.

"Then let's have our shop's most famous Yangchun Tea, and some peanuts, melon seeds, and osmanthus cake. How does that sound, esteemed guest?"

"Alright, esteemed guest, please wait a moment, I'll be right back."

Seeing Lin Ze nod, the waiter responded enthusiastically and went to prepare Lin Ze's order.

Soon, the tea and snacks were brought up.

A pot of tea, a plate of peanuts, a plate of melon seeds, and a plate of osmanthus cake.

The waiter said enthusiastically, "The Yangchun Tea is fifty Wen per pot, and the snacks are sixty Wen in total. Would you like to order a story for the storyteller to tell you? If so, the tea is free."

The consumption in a small teahouse is not expensive, a consumption of one hundred and ten Wen, converted, is only about twenty yuan.

Ordering a storyteller at least costs three hundred Wen, so waiving some tea money is nothing.

"What kind of stories are there to tell?"

Lin Ze asked curiously.

"The most popular story recently is Thunderbolt Young Master Sweeping Away the Bandits, which tells the story of the contemporary first-class expert, Lin Ze, the hero Zi Yi, who single-handedly wiped out hundreds of bandits in the Cloud Mist Mountain Range. Would you like to listen to it, esteemed guest?"

The waiter enthusiastically promoted.

"No, no need."

A slightly awkward but polite smile appeared on Lin Ze's face.

He was still in the county, yet the story of him killing twelve Bandits had already been spread as him single-handedly wiping out hundreds of bandits.

If this were to spread to Qingyu County, it would probably become him single-handedly sweeping away hundreds of bandits. When it reached Qianqiu City in the state capital, it might be that the Thunderbolt Young Master single-handedly suppressed ten thousand rebel bandits, maintaining stability in the area.

"You waiter truly has eyes but cannot recognize Mount Tai. The one sitting in front of you is the Thunderbolt Young Master himself. You want him to spend money to listen to his own story?"

At this time, a middle-aged man's voice with a hint of laughter sounded from the side.

Lin Ze turned his gaze towards the direction of the voice and saw a sturdy middle-aged man wearing coarse cloth clothes.

Beside him were a man and a woman who looked about the same age as Lin Ze.

"Greetings, Great Hero Lin. I am Dan Xuliang, the managing leader of the Cao Gang in Fengping County. This is my unworthy son, Dan Sheng, and my little girl, Dan Erniang."

Seeing Lin Ze's gaze on him, the middle-aged man with a smile cupped his fist in greeting and introduced himself.

After introducing himself, he pointed to the two young people beside him.

"I am Dan Sheng."

The young man, with dark, rough skin but a very sturdy build, looked at Lin Ze with admiration and cupped his fist in self-introduction.

Beside him, the woman called Dan Erniang, with ordinary features, did not speak.

She only slightly cupped her fist as a greeting.

Although she had been following her father to make a living since she was very young, she still had to pay attention to the differences between men and women.

Hearing this self-introduction, Lin Ze knew that this was the person he was looking for.

The Cao Gang could be considered the number one gang in the world, with its presence around the several canals that run through the entire Great Zhou Dynasty.

However, this was only on the surface. In reality, the Cao Gang was divided into many factions.

The Cao Gang, the number one gang in the world, was more like a large canal transport alliance than a gang.

Each riverside dock was actually controlled by the local gang leaders, who were responsible for contacting the gang leaders in other areas, exchanging information, and connecting the entire river material flow system.

Lin Ze wanted to buy Large Yellow Croaker in large quantities, and the Dan Xuliang in front of him could help him get it done.

"I am Lin Ze, courtesy name Zi Yi. Please sit."

He nodded to the two young people behind Dan Xuliang as a greeting.

Then, Lin Ze stood up and gestured for Dan Xuliang to take a seat.

Afterward, he said to the waiter, "Waiter, bring another pot of tea and some pastries."

The waiter, who was feeling a little embarrassed for trying to promote to the main person just now, heard this and quickly left as if he had been granted amnesty.

After sitting down again, Lin Ze asked curiously, "How did Gang Leader Dan recognize me?"

Although Lin Ze knew that he was now more or less a celebrity in the county, it was absolutely impossible to match his reputation with his person without specifically inquiring about it.

Dan Xuliang smiled and complimented, "The Thunderbolt Young Master's prestige is known to everyone."

After the compliment, he explained, "Our Cao Gang makes a living in this Fengping County, so naturally we need to know something about the experts in the county. I have heard Registrar Gao Fei describe the appearance characteristics of Hero Lin."

A first-rate expert was considered outstanding in the entire Martial World.

Of course, such a person needed to be specially understood.

Dan Xuliang's words subtly indicated that his relationship with Registrar Gao Fei was actually very good.

"I see."

Lin Ze understood.

"Hero Lin is looking for me to discuss a big deal. I wonder what kind of deal it is?"

At this time, Dan Xuliang took the initiative to ask, expressing his strong enthusiasm for making money.

"This matter is also simple. I saw someone selling Large Yellow Croaker on the roadside before. Besides usually liking to eat this Large Yellow Croaker, a secret seasoning of mine also requires a large amount of Large Yellow Croaker as raw material to refine, so I was thinking of asking your Cao Gang to help me transport some yellow croaker from the coastal cities to Fengping County."

Lin Ze voiced his needs.

He wanted to conduct inter-world trade by reselling Large Yellow Croaker to make a profit, but buying in large quantities always needed a reason.

He couldn't use his own consumption as an excuse every time he bought them. Even if he ate them himself, how much could he eat?

Therefore, the Chicken Essence that Lin Ze had previously given to the County Magistrate was a very good cover.

Large Yellow Croaker is very delicious, and Chicken Essence can also greatly enhance the freshness of dishes, so it is very reasonable for me to buy a lot of Large Yellow Croaker as raw materials for refining Chicken Essence.

But in reality, I am flawlessly sending the Large Yellow Croaker back to the Main World.

Later, I can completely open a seasoning shop in the city and sell Chicken Essence in small quantities, which can eliminate all the flaws.

"Does Hero Lin plan to sell this secret seasoning later? I was fortunate enough to taste the deliciousness of this secret seasoning at Master Gao's house. If Hero Lin is willing to sell it, then we will have a treat in the future."