The Gu Family Had an Expert

Of course, Tang Wen had also left channels for the possible future use of hydroelectric power and farmland irrigation.

Half a day passed before Zhan Dongwen left, taking measuring tapes, survey poles, ropes, and other tools, and calling over a dozen men to measure the lake.

The next day, Tang Wen summoned Li Quan and gave him eighty thousand taels of silver to exchange for gold in Yanling City.

He kept the remaining twenty thousand taels in reserve. Naturally, this was a much larger sum than before.

So he told Zhao Du to select seven or eight men armed with blades and swords to accompany him.

However, Li Quan had little schooling. He could serve as a loyal servant, but he was not a qualified steward.

Zhan Junru was a woman, and although she had read some books and knew some characters, she was not suited to this work either.

Zhan Dongwen could handle practical work or oversee a particular project. But he still lacked an eye for the bigger picture and was not suitable as chief steward.

Thus, the Tang household still lacked a chief steward to manage its money and provisions.

This person would be far too important to Tang Wen. He absolutely had to be loyal to him.

The next morning, the Tang household took on another dozen or so people, and several dozen temporary laborers also arrived.

At nine, a party of more than a dozen people approached.

At their head was a middle-aged man wearing a melon-cap and an old silk robe. With his high nose and slightly round face, he looked shrewd and capable.

The moment Sun Ping saw them, he hurried into the tent to report to Tang Wen. "The Gu family's people are here. The man at the front is Ge Ziyun. Most of the Gu family's people listen to him, and whenever Gu Hanyan has a message, he's the one who delivers it."

"Don't panic. Stay out of sight for now. Have Bu Feng go out, but don't say anything yet. Let's see what they want," Tang Wen instructed.

"Where's your master?" Ge Ziyun asked with considerable authority as he reached the entrance.

"Our master is in the tent," Bu Feng answered, walking over.

"My name is Ge Ziyun. I wish to see your master!" Ge Ziyun said.

"I'll have to ask him first." Bu Feng nodded and entered Tang Wen's tent.

When he came back out, he said, "You may follow me inside. No one else."

"I'm going in with him!" declared a sturdy man in his prime standing beside Ge Ziyun, wearing a bamboo hat.

"No! Only he can go in," Bu Feng said stiffly.

"I'm going in. You think you can stop me?" The man in the bamboo hat flew into a rage and stepped forward.

Bu Feng waved his hand, and four household guards carrying blades and swords came up to block the entrance.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

Before Bu Feng could react, the man in the bamboo hat suddenly struck. His punches were far too fast.

He moved like a shadow, sending all four guards flying, their weapons tumbling aside.

"What do you think you're doing?" Enraged, Bu Feng lunged forward and slashed savagely at the man.

The man swayed aside, then swung his arm out to the side.

His fist slammed into Bu Feng's waist, sending him sprawling sideways with a mouthful of dirt.

"You think carrying a weapon makes you a mighty hero?" The man in the bamboo hat sneered, standing in the middle of the entrance like a god.

"We're under attack! Kill him!" Bu Feng roared. In an instant, dozens of Tang household servants working nearby rushed over with blades, swords, clubs, and staves.

But the Bamboo-Hat Guest showed no alarm at all, standing there with an imposing air.

"Everyone, stop!" Zhan Junru emerged from the tent and shouted. Bu Feng and the others immediately halted.

"The master said to let both of them in," Zhan Junru said.

"That man is an expert. It's too dangerous!" Bu Feng cried.

"It's fine. Let them both in," Tang Wen said from inside the tent.

With no other choice, Bu Feng stepped aside to let them enter.

Still worried about Tang Wen, he gathered more than a dozen men and prepared to follow them into the tent.

"Stay outside and keep your distance. There's no need to come in," Tang Wen said.

Ge Ziyun and the Bamboo-Hat Guest paused in surprise. They examined the tent a few more times before entering, their eyes continuing to dart about once inside.

They looked startled again, their faces full of wonder, presumably at the unfamiliar office equipment in the tent.

"What are you looking at? There's no ambush here. Sit down." Seated in his grand armchair, Tang Wen turned to Zhan Junru. "Pour the tea!"

Ge Ziyun looked around. Finding no chair beside Tang Wen, he had to sit in one on the left near the entrance.

The Bamboo-Hat Guest stood just behind the entrance. Apparently, both were ready to retreat at any moment.

"What are your names, gentlemen, and what business do you have with this baron?" Tang Wen asked.

"Baron? Heh, I don't understand. Do you hold a noble title in Great Chu, Master Tang?" Ge Ziyun asked with a smile.

"Of course." Tang Wen took his insignia of rank from the cabinet beneath the tea table and placed it on top.

"Forgive my discourtesy. Ge Ziyun pays his respects to Your Lordship." Ge Ziyun rose and bowed slightly.

"A mere Third-Rank Baron. And a supposedly distinguished lord has to come to this deserted island to make a living? Heh, just a down-and-out noble. What's so impressive about that?" the Bamboo-Hat Guest said scornfully.

"A deserted island? Which of your eyes saw a deserted island?" Tang Wen asked, looking at him.

"Isn't this a deserted island?" Ge Ziyun asked.

"Of course not. This island belongs to my Tang family," Tang Wen said.

"Nonsense! You think you can fool and intimidate us with a nobleman's hat? We've asked around. No one has tended this island for thirty or forty years," the Bamboo-Hat Guest said.

"To be precise, no one has tended it for fifty years." Tang Wen glanced at the two men. "So what? Just because my family hasn't sent anyone to look after it doesn't mean it belongs to someone else."

"What proof do you have?" The Bamboo-Hat Guest slapped the table. With a crack, the tea table split, giving even Tang Wen a start.

An expert!

It would take at least eight or nine hundred jin of force to split a thick, sturdy tea table made of solid jujube wood with a single palm strike.

And the man's palm was uninjured. Only an Eighth-Rank Inner Astral Realm martial artist, whose inner energy had condensed into astral force, could accomplish that.

The Eighth-Rank Realm in a small place like Yanling certainly qualified as an expert. Even the chief constable of the Yanling Commandery government was only at that level.

No wonder Bu Feng and the others were no match for him! This Gu family doesn't seem simple.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Several piercing sounds rang out, followed by a series of sharp cracks as Tang Wen used the compact crossbow in his hand to shatter all the teacups on the tables.

Shards scattered and flew everywhere, showering the tent and clattering as they struck the floor.

Ge Ziyun had already been hauled into a corner by the Bamboo-Hat Guest. He had removed his hat and held it before him as a shield.

"You're quick. But at such close range, can you outpace my crossbow? If I'd wanted to kill you just now, you would have died several times over." Tang Wen smiled faintly and laid the crossbow on the table.

Tang Wen had seen this kind of crossbow while training with special forces abroad. It was only the size of an adult's palm.

It even had a tiny Telescopic Sight fitted on top, allowing the user to aim and fire with one hand.

The bolts were only as thick as chopsticks and as long as a finger, just slightly thicker and longer than ordinary bullets.

They also had a faceted spindle shape and spun as they flew.

Moreover, it could fire six bolts in succession, so he had drawn up a design and asked Song Qingyang's company to manufacture it.

Song Qingyang's company often produced ancient-style crossbows as acting props, so they had made it with a few modifications.

"So what if you have a crossbow? So what if you can smash teacups? You still can't get through my hat!" The Bamboo-Hat Guest sneered disdainfully.

Tang Wen was taken aback. He examined the hat carefully and discovered that the damned thing was actually made of sheet iron.

But the smith was highly skilled and had even worked creases into the metal.

Painted over, it looked like a bamboo hat from a distance. Without a close look, one would never notice.

"Your hat is made of sheet iron?" Tang Wen asked, deliberately putting on a shocked expression.

"Of course. It even has refined iron mixed in. Stopping your crossbow is no problem." The Bamboo-Hat Guest looked rather smug.

"Put your hat on the table and let this baron give it a try," Tang Wen said.

My bolts are titanium steel. You think they can't pierce a lousy piece of sheet iron?

"Brat, you're trying to trick me! You want to seize the chance to kill me, don't you? I've seen plenty like you!" The Bamboo-Hat Guest flew into a rage.

"If I'd wanted to kill you, I wouldn't have given you the chance to take off your hat. Quick as you were, you could never outpace my crossbow at this range," Tang Wen said.

"Not necessarily!" the Bamboo-Hat Guest retorted stubbornly.

"If you don't dare, forget it. You can leave." Tang Wen waved his hand.