Goods Leave the Counter, No Returns or Exchanges

Two days later, at the usual spot, the sun was shining brightly.

The Sun and Liu sides arrived as agreed. Aside from the personnel involved in the negotiations, two ships were anchored nearby: the larger one held the ransom, while the other was a small, covered fishing boat.

Zhuge Jin was beaming, cupping his hands in a salute. "One hundred and sixty million coins are all on this ship. General of the Left Lan Tian may send men aboard to verify."

By the draft of the ship, Lan Tian knew the cargo was heavy. He waved a hand and declared boldly, "What is a mere hundred million or so? I trust in the character of Zhuge Jin. Besides, this is our first transaction; naturally, we must prioritize integrity. There is no need for verification, is there?"

"Uh, the General is truly magnanimous." Zhuge Jin had proposed the inspection to see if it was indeed Lu Meng, but seeing Lan Tian so generous, he felt embarrassed to press the matter.

"The day is getting late. Shall we swap ships and return to discuss the subsequent transactions?" Lan Tian proposed.

"Very well." Zhuge Jin nodded in agreement.

Gan Ning blew a whistle, and the oarsmen steered the fishing boat over. On Zhou Tai's side, he signaled with a command flag, and the cargo ship laden with coins slowly moved northward.

Zhuge Jin stood on tiptoe, peering expectantly. He vaguely saw a figure sitting under the fishing boat's canopy, covered in black cloth. You've practically revealed your hand, he thought, why go through the trouble of playing these games?

"Master Zhuge Jin, shall we set off together and board our respective ships?" Lan Tian gestured.

"Thank you for your consideration, General." Zhuge Jin bowed.

The entourages from both sides maintained a distance of