Building the Estate Guard

Besides the two dishes and a soup, they opened two cans: one of caviar and one of beef sauce.

As Liu Qingmei ate, she kept praising how delicious it was, how it whetted her appetite and went so well with rice. Meanwhile, Zhan Junru and Xing'er, the two maids standing by to serve them, could only drool.

"Come and join us," Tang Wen said, glancing at the two of them.

"No, we'll serve you and the old madam first, Master." Xing'er and Zhan Junru hurriedly shook their heads.

Tang Wen said nothing more. He knew they intended to eat the leftovers.

He still had to abide by this world's rules. If maids and masters ate together, the whole order of things would fall apart.

"Dongwen, we're one family now.

"My ancestors bought Su Mei Island and later entrusted its management to Jiang Chang, the Tang family's third steward at the time, along with a group of workers. Later, the Tang family made so much money that they forgot all about it.

"No one has come here for decades. Mother only discovered the deed while sorting through the belongings left behind by the deceased.

"You spent some time around here, so you should know something about the island. Tell me what you know first." After the meal, Tang Wen gathered Li Quan, Zhang Kui, and Zhan Dongwen to discuss matters.

"I don't know much else, but I heard that quite a few disaster refugees fled here decades ago.

"They say the island was quite prosperous back then.

"Then pirates set their sights on it and came to plunder it regularly. After that, everything fell into decline.

"But many more refugees came afterward. I don't know exactly how many people are there now. It's very chaotic.

"I'm afraid it won't be easy for you to take possession of the land, Master," Zhan Dongwen said.

"That's why I want you to choose some people and form an estate guard. You'll be responsible for everyone's safety, while Zhang Kui will focus on protecting my family," Tang Wen said with a nod.

"Bu Feng, Chen Fa, Sun Ping, Li Si..." Zhan Dongwen immediately called over a dozen men. "Of these men, Bu Feng has trained in martial arts and reached the early ninth rank.

"Although Chen Fa, Sun Ping, and the others never practiced martial arts before, they learned a few moves from me during the two years we spent fleeing disaster.

"But without marrow-cleansing pills, they haven't been able to enter the tenth-rank realm.

"Still, they have some strength.

"For now, these men will make up the Tang family's estate guard.

"But we don't have any weapons. We'll probably need to buy some sabers and swords."

"Li Quan, bring the cavalry sabers over and hand them out," Tang Wen said. Li Quan carried over a pile and gave each man one.

"What a fine saber!" Bu Feng put all his strength into a slash, cutting through a piece of wood as thick as a fist, and shouted his praise.

The Chu Dynasty's saber-forging techniques were very primitive.

Their sabers were heavy but not particularly sharp, and their finish was rough. Martial artists usually had to rely on strength and momentum to cut someone down.

This was chiefly due to the limitations of the Chu Dynasty's steel-refining techniques. Of course, the dynasty had master craftsmen, but there were very few of them.

The fine sabers they forged were staggeringly expensive. Some cost over a hundred taels, or even several hundred. Ordinary people could forget about owning one.

The batch of sabers Tang Wen had bought from the Great Eastern Republic were all forged from refined steel. Naturally, their quality was good.

"Several decades have passed, so Jiang Chang, the third steward from back then, must be dead. But he should have descendants, shouldn't he? Why hasn't a single person shown up?" Zhan Dongwen asked.

"When disaster struck back then, why didn't he go to Liangzhou to notify the Tang family? Did something happen here? There's something fishy about this. We'll have to investigate it slowly," Tang Wen said with a snort.

Zhan Dongwen was very capable. That night, he even assigned several guards to patrol with sabers to prevent attacks by wild animals or people.

After all, Su Mei Island had lain abandoned for decades. Weeds grew taller than a person, and dense virgin forest covered the land. It had long since become a paradise for wild beasts.

That evening, candles were lit inside the tents.

Tang Wen was feeling tired too. He planned to sleep until midnight, then cross over to the Great Eastern Country to bring back more supplies.

After all, their numbers had grown considerably, and they needed more supplies for eating, drinking, and everything else.

Just then, the cloth flap was gently lifted, and Zhan Junru entered.

"Is something wrong?" Tang Wen asked, sitting on the edge of the bed.

"The old madam sent this servant to attend to you, Master. She also said that from now on, I would be your personal maid," Zhan Junru said, her face slightly flushed.

"No need. I'm used to being alone. Go back. I'll call you if I need anything," Tang Wen said.

"Master, it's inconvenient without someone to serve you. I'll make sure you're comfortable.

"I'll sleep on the floor and won't disturb your rest.

"That way, whenever you need anything, you can call me directly," Zhan Junru said, her face reddening further.

"I really don't need it. Go back," Tang Ling said firmly.

"All right." Looking disappointed, Zhan Junru curtsied and left the tent.

Damn it, I'm no Liu Xiahui. Zhan Junru might not be pretty, and she's even a little dark-skinned, but how am I supposed to stand having a woman sleeping right beside my bed?

Of course, the most important reason was that Tang Wen could not let outsiders discover his secret.

At midnight, Tang Wen touched his wooden bracelet and silently recited, I am the great landlord!

Instantly, he entered that space again and discovered that the figures on the large screen had changed:

Popularity index: 76.

Land area: 2,338 qing.

Martial realm: mid ninth rank.

Wealth index: 150 taels of gold.

Luggage capacity: 200 tons.

Time until crossing: thirteen days.

"Ding-dong! The great landlord system is severely damaged. For now, only the gate requiring fewer than 1,000 popularity points can be opened. Once you accumulate 1,000 popularity points, you can open the second gate, which leads to another world."

As soon as the voice finished, Tang Wen saw several gates appear on the walls of the space, marked with figures of 1,000, 5,000, 10,000...

However, only the gate without a number shimmered with blue-green light. The numbered gates were all dull gray.

Tang Wen walked over and pushed one, but it would not budge.

It seemed his popularity index was too low to open the other gates. He had no choice but to return to the unnumbered gate and push it open.

Instantly, the runes embedded in the floor flashed. At the same time, the doglike totem on the wall gave a bark.

A beam of blue-green light struck the gate. Light and shadow raced to either side as he hurtled through what felt like a tunnel through space and time.

Before long, he landed!

Tang Wen found himself standing once more in a corner of a small alley in Yunhai City, in the Great Eastern Republic.

Tang Wen turned on his phone and found over a dozen missed calls, most of them from Luo Jun, so he called him back.

"Mr. Tang, where have you been? Every time I called, it said you were outside the service area. Did you crawl into another cave for secluded cultivation?" Luo Jun's voice came through.

"I still owe you money, so I went back to prepare some pills. See? I hurried straight back," Tang Wen replied.

"Perfect. My friends are here too. Let's meet at our usual place." Luo Jun hung up, and Tang Wen took a taxi straight to the Orchid Pavilion Club.

Before long, he saw Tang Jun drive up in a Wrangler.

Two other men jumped out as well, one somewhat plump and the other thin.

"My friends, Song Qingyang and Zhang Zhongjing," Luo Jun introduced them as soon as he got out. They exchanged greetings and entered a private room.

After a few sips of tea, Tang Wen took out a medicine bottle and handed it to Tang Jun. "Here's what you wanted."

"Mr. Tang, didn't you say last time that you wanted a sharp saber or sword made?" Luo Jun asked, taking the bottle and slipping it into his bag.

"Yes, I'd like a few to practice with. It's awkward without a weapon that feels right in my hand," Tang Wen said with a nod.

"Ha ha, Mr. Song happens to run a blade factory.

"They make everything from kitchen knives and saw blades to replica antique swords.

"And they use only quality steel imported from abroad.

"Even film and television companies go to his company for prop swords and sabers.

"Of course, certain specialized blades are regulated by the state.

"Getting a few to play with is fine, but don't go doing anything bad with them," Luo Jun joked.

"Of course not! It's not as though I'm planning to start an Axe Gang. You'd wipe me out, wouldn't you?" Tang Wen replied with a smile and a shake of his head.

"Ha ha ha, that's true," Luo Jun said, laughing.

"Here's my business card. Whatever you need, Mr. Tang, just contact me," Song Qingyang said, handing over a card.

"Mr. Tang, I tried one of those pills last time too. It worked quite well. If you have any more, I'd like some," Zhang Zhongjing said, speaking for the first time.

"I nearly forgot to introduce him properly. Brother Zhang runs a martial arts school.

"Everyone calls him the Seventh Master. He's quite a renowned figure here in Yunhai.

"He's taken on over a dozen disciples, and he practically swaggers sideways down the street," Luo Jun joked.

"Doesn't that make me a crab? You rascal, what kind of comparison is that?" Zhang Zhongjing replied with a laugh.

"I do have some pills left, but there are factories everywhere these days, and the pollution is terrible.

"Even the air reeks. I have to gather these medicinal herbs myself in deep mountains and ancient forests.

"The air is good there, so the pills made from those herbs have real potency.

"Try using herbs from a wholesale market instead, and the results won't come close," Tang Wen said.

"I understand. Just name your price, Mr. Tang." Zhang Zhongjing nodded.