"Reliable. They're veteran merchants who've run this route for more than a decade. Their mouths are tight, but they get things done efficiently. They know what they should and shouldn't say. Once information comes from them and reaches someone else's ears, it'll just sound like gossip they happened to hear. No one will think it came out of Luofeng City."
"That'll do. Which route is the newly built road?"
Zhao Feng pulled a folded sheet of paper from his sleeve and handed it over. Lin Taichu took it, unfolded it, and glanced at it. It showed a rough map of the mountains east of Crosscut Ridge, marked with several passable trails and stretches suitable for road construction.
"This path won't take carriages. I walked it myself once—about four hours from end to end. It's at least two days faster than detouring through White Cloud City. But one stretch is too steep; if there's a lot of cargo, it has to be carried on people's backs. Still, with a bit of work, handcarts will be able to pass. It won't take much effort."
Lin Taichu folded the paper and tucked it into his robes.
"You arrange the roadwork. It doesn't need to be a main road—just level the steep slopes and clear away the loose rocks. It only needs to fit handcarts through. We don't need many people; a few workers will do. Don't make a big show of it."
"I understand. I'll send people over tomorrow."
After saying that, Zhao Feng straightened up, brushed the dust from his sleeves, turned, and left.
On the third day after the news was released, things began to stir in Luofeng City.
The first to come calling was the owner of a general store in the eastern part of the city, a man surnamed