Departure Ceremony

At Zhao Xiu's last birthday celebration, Wei Luo had realized that someone like Sun Qianchuan wasn't on the same path as him. Naturally, he hadn't taken the initiative to cozy up to him like the others had.

After Sun Qianchuan and his people finished discussing their business and left, Wei Luo and Liu Changle went to Zhao Xiu to ask about the general situation.

As Wei Luo had expected, Falling Geese Gorge wasn't such a simple place.

There was an invisible miasma in Falling Geese Gorge. Staying in it for too long could even cause hallucinations.

And when they caught Treasure Fish, they would have to enter the water. The dangers hidden within were difficult to put into words.

Zhao Xiu hadn't been able to secure an opportunity for the two of them, and he felt rather regretful about it. So he explained everything in great detail, sharing plenty of experience about setting sail.

That evening, Wei Luo came to the Miscellaneous Ward.

Since he was heading into dangerous territory, there was no harm in making more preparations.

Zhao Xiu's family also owned a pharmacy in the Miscellaneous Ward, so Wei Luo bought ten Awakening Spirit Herbs and several Miasma-Clearing Pills.

The total came to five taels of silver, a little more expensive than the market price, but the quality was much better as well.

Then Wei Luo went to a grain shop. The moment he arrived, he froze.

A huge crowd had gathered at the grain shop's entrance, nearly turning the place upside down.

Wei Luo was tall and sturdy. In just a few moves, he squeezed through the crowd and reached the counter.

"Shopkeeper, how much for thirty jin of polished rice?"

"One tael and two qian. Fixed price!"

Wei Luo frowned slightly. Thirty jin was exactly one shi. Half a month ago, a shi of polished rice had cost around half a tael of silver. Now, it had doubled.

He asked about the prices of other staple foods as well, and they had all risen sharply.

"Why has the price of rice gone up so much?"

The grain shopkeeper was beaming as he worked his abacus. With grain prices rising, he had clearly made quite a bit of money.

After Wei Luo asked a few more questions, the man replied impatiently.

"That's the price. Buy it or don't. Plenty of people are lining up to buy."

Wei Luo's face immediately turned cold, and he gripped the abacus on the counter with one hand.

Crack... crack.

The wood broke with a series of sharp snaps. Wei Luo crushed the abacus alive in his hand, and the beads flew into the shopkeeper's face.

The shopkeeper immediately put on a fawning smile.

"Sir, I don't set the price of rice either. All the wealthy masters in town are buying up grain now, so of course it's this expensive."

The big households were all buying grain?

Hearing this, Wei Luo immediately had a bad feeling.

After buying grain, he wandered around the area and discovered something unusual.

There were barely any refugees left in the streets and alleys where they had once been everywhere. After asking around, he learned that refugees had now been forbidden from entering the town.

The unease in Wei Luo's heart grew stronger.

[Pingjiang Town Grain Price Projection]

[Time required: ten breaths]

[Over the next half year, grain prices in Pingjiang Town will continue to rise, reaching as high as ten taels of silver per shi]

[Refugee Crisis Projection]

[Time required: half an hour]

[Because Pingjiang Town distributed disaster relief porridge half a month ago, eighty thousand refugees will gather within three months. If the relief porridge cannot be sustained, there is a seventy percent chance they will storm the town]

By the time Wei Luo returned to Yellow Mud Alley, both projections had finished. His expression had turned ugly.

After natural disasters came man-made calamities.

He had been absorbed in martial training lately and had overlooked these matters.

No wonder the wealthy households in town had begun stockpiling grain. They had clearly anticipated the effects of the refugees.

That night, Wei Luo sat at the table and ate with his mother.

"Seven or eight days? Why so long?"

When Zhao Clan learned that Wei Luo was going deep into the Hun River, she was rather surprised.

"Luo'er, if it won't work, then don't go. You're still young. There'll be plenty of chances to earn money."

Wei Luo said that many people were going and that nothing would happen if he followed the Sun Family.

After spinning a pile of nonsense, the worry in Zhao Clan's eyes eased a little. In the end, she sighed.

"A grown son won't listen to his mother. I can't persuade you, but I've heard that place isn't peaceful. You must be careful."

"You're grown up now. All your mother hopes for is that you'll marry a wife and live a peaceful life."

Wei Luo smiled bitterly to himself. He wanted a peaceful life too, but how could he have the mind for it now?

The refugees outside the city would only gather in greater numbers. Who knew when they might riot?

If that day truly came, Yellow Mud Alley was in the outer city. Once the city walls were breached, they might suffer disaster.

The only thing he could do was increase his strength as quickly as possible and protect those around him.

At last, the day arrived for the Sun Family to set sail and catch Treasure Fish.

Before dawn, two Treasure Ships were already docked at the Sun Family's pier.

The Treasure Ships were pitch-black throughout, built from a special hardwood. It was said that not only could water not soak through it, even fire could barely light it.

The Treasure Ships were over twenty meters long and several meters high, larger than ordinary cargo vessels. The two ships filled every empty berth at the pier.

"Wei Luo, look at that ram! It's cast iron!"

Perhaps because his family had fished for generations, Liu Changle felt the same affection for boats. The moment he saw the Treasure Ships, it was as though he had seen a treasure.

Wei Luo looked at the several-meter-long ram at the bow, shaped like a spear, and pondered something.

What was this thing meant to ram?

"Like a couple of country bumpkins. You've really never seen the world."

At that moment, a strange, mocking voice came from beside them.

Turning his head, Wei Luo saw Luo Sanhu walking past with a look of disdain.

Liu Changle immediately grinned and shot back.

"Dog lackey, Zhang Chi is here."

At those words, Luo Sanhu immediately whipped his head around in every direction, looking thoroughly panicked.

Ever since he had made an enemy of Zhang Chi last time, he hadn't even dared to leave the side courtyard without someone accompanying him.

Master Qin was stationed in the side courtyard, so Zhang Chi didn't dare act recklessly there. But once, when Luo Sanhu went out drinking, he happened to run into Zhang Chi and was beaten viciously on the spot.

If Shen Wu hadn't arrived in time, Luo Sanhu might have been beaten to death by Zhang Chi.

So now, Luo Sanhu was utterly terrified of Zhang Chi and avoided him like the plague.

But Zhang Chi hadn't appeared, and Liu Changle's laughter rang loud and clear.

Once Luo Sanhu realized he'd been fooled, he pointed at Liu Changle, his face turning red with rage.

Soon, the crew members were gathered in front of a raised platform.

After a burst of crackling firecrackers, a Daoist priest in yellow robes went up onto the platform and began singing and dancing.

Someone brought over a knife and a small bowl, cutting a tiny slit in each crew member's finger and squeezing out a drop of blood.

The bowl of blood was sent up to the platform. After the Daoist muttered several incomprehensible incantations, he pulled out a talisman and flung it into the bowl.

The instant the talisman entered the bowl, a burst of flame flared up.

"May the great Hun River God descend!"

With a shout from the old Daoist, he rolled his eyes and began trembling.

First spirit dancing, then talismans, and finally summoning a god.

Wei Luo's eye twitched as he watched from below the platform. This Daoist has quite a few tricks. Wonder who he can fool.

But just as he was thinking that, the old Daoist stopped shaking and assumed a majestic pose.

"I am the Hun River God. Who has summoned this god?"

At that moment, a middle-aged man from the Sun Family hurried onto the platform and bowed.

"River God, this humble man dares to ask you to bestow your blessing!"

"Oh, it's you, Sun Chai."

This middle-aged man was Sun Qianchuan's second uncle and the man responsible for this voyage.

"River God, you actually know my name. We truly summoned a deity!"

Looking at Sun Chai's utterly convinced expression on the platform, Wei Luo felt that this man wasn't very bright.

"As the river god of this region, knowing the names of you mortals is easier than lifting a hand. I can even summon towering waves and overturn the Sun Family's Treasure Ships. Would you like to try?"