All Rich People

During the Han Dynasty, a "jie" (節) was required as proof of travel to every city within the territory.

Wild cultivators like Zhang Xuezhou, whose origins are unknown, would be blocked when trying to pass through city checkpoints.

However, there was no such problem if they followed Dong Zhongshu and others; in fact, Dong Zhongshu had already begun making arrangements for customs clearance in the past two days.

Zhang Xuezhou's "integrity" was a minor matter; the real trouble was Dong Zhongshu running off to the Northern Border Military Region without official documents.

This led Dong Zhongshu to spend the last few days mingling with Wen Weng, discussing countermeasures, and he didn't even study the Vast Righteous Qi Art ".

Compared to Dong Zhongshu's melancholy, urgency, and worry, Zhang Xuezhou was in a good mood.

He practiced his realm-building techniques and some evasion techniques every day. In addition, Zhang Xuezhou would often visit Wang Er Ermazi's pharmacy to check on things.

Gathering herbs in the mountains would take at least three to five days, and ten days to half a month would be normal. Zhang Xuezhou felt that he might only be able to gather all the medicinal herbs after returning to the real world.

"Dr. Wang, can't you get the goods?"

Zhang Xuezhou would occasionally ask about it.

What is product transfer?

But Wang Er's response left Zhang Xuezhou speechless.

Zhang Xuezhou previously had limited knowledge of the major cities within the Han Dynasty, but as he made more contact, Zhang Xuezhou discovered that the backwardness of urban commercial development was worse than he had imagined.

Zhang Xuezhou wouldn't feel much if he didn't spend money to buy things.

However, because he had paid money and was waiting at least seven days for the goods to arrive, Zhang Xuezhou felt the process was too slow.

"These days there are only itinerant merchants and traveling merchants, not the kind of goods you're talking about being transferred," Wang Er said. "You were very lucky to buy the medicinal herbs from me. If it weren't for Master Zhao spending money and acting as guarantor to get everyone to go up the mountain to collect herbs, it would have taken at least a month to gather the herbs you needed for five strings of cash."

What are itinerant merchants and itinerant merchants like?

Unless it's in stock, Zhang Xuezhou's order from anywhere is no different from Wang Er's. In fact, some pharmacies might even raise prices due to high demand and urgent need.

After listening to Wang Er Ermazi's explanation, Zhang Xuezhou finally understood how to buy things in the future.

He asked some trivial questions with great interest.

"Both itinerant merchants and traveling merchants sell their goods from place to place. There are peddlers who carry their goods on their shoulders and wander around, and there are merchants who transport their goods in horse-drawn carts to do business everywhere. These people know what goods are lacking in which places, and they sell at high prices," Wang Er said. "But I don't envy these people. These people are making money with their heads on the line. If they encounter bandits, it's all for naught, and losing their heads is a common occurrence!"

"Can these traveling merchants' 'tickets' be used anywhere?" Zhang Xuezhou asked with great interest.

"As long as you're willing to spend money, you can get by without any 'festivals'," Wang Er replied. "They earn a lot and are willing to spend money. The soldiers guarding the city turn a blind eye after they've taken the money and inspected the goods."

"It's good to be rich!"

"More importantly, they brought fresh goods, and perhaps some wealthy family in the city needs them. If we don't let them into the city, wouldn't that be too much of an offense?" Wang Er Ermazi whispered. "They can make money without offending anyone; anyone would let them through!"

"That makes a lot of sense!"

Zhang Xuezhou nodded.

Zhang Xuezhou had previously served with merchant groups, but Zhang Qian used his name to claim credit as soon as he entered the pass.

This has led to some incompleteness in Zhang Xuezhou's understanding of society.

Only after Wang Er Ermazi spoke in hushed tones did Zhang Xuezhou get a general idea of what was going on.

Given Dong Zhongshu's current situation, if he cannot enter the Northern Border Military Region through official channels, this may be one of the few remaining options for Dong Zhongshu and others.

After his usual stroll, Zhang Xuezhou leisurely returned to the prefectural governor's residence.

"Master Zhang, the Prefect and Erudite Dong are looking for you!"

Zhang Shu hurriedly came out of the prefectural governor's mansion and bumped right into Zhang Xuezhou.

Upon seeing Zhang Xuezhou, Zhang Shu immediately withdrew his leg, which was about to step out of the prefectural governor's mansion.

"Are we setting off already?" Zhang Xuezhou asked in surprise, "But our medicinal herbs haven't arrived yet!"

"I'm not entirely sure either," Zhang Shu said, shaking his head, "But the timing should be about right."

"You have to take the medicine before you leave; I've already paid five strings of cash!"

Zhang Xuezhou thought about the materials for the Grain Avoidance Powder he bought for five strings of cash, and then he thought about Hibiscus City.

This made it easy for him to make a choice.

If he were to lose the medicinal herbs, Zhang Xuezhou felt he wouldn't live much longer.

If Dong Zhongshu were to set off, he would have no choice but to travel alone.

Knowing about the business of traveling as a merchant, Zhang Xuezhou felt that if he carried a load of goods or bought a horse-drawn carriage and traveled slowly, he would eventually be able to reach Hibiscus City.

"Speaking of money, Master Zhang, what do you think..."

Zhang Shu touched his waist pouch, then handed over a money pouch; the heavy burlap sack seemed quite substantial.

"You healed my sword wound, which is why I didn't end up like Commandant Zhao. This is just a small token of my appreciation!"

With Zhang Xuezhou and his group about to leave Shu County, Zhang Shu could no longer delay.

Knowing the troubles caused by the Zhao family's lack of Zhao Liang, a figure in the government, Zhang Shu was well aware that if he were to get into trouble, it would be no different for him.

He had intended to hold a thank-you banquet, but Zhao Liang had not yet recovered from his injuries, and holding a celebratory banquet would easily invite ridicule or even accusations of kicking someone when they were down.

This turned the thank-you banquet into a private gift exchange.

This hasty act of gratitude made Zhang Shu feel somewhat ashamed, but he also found it difficult to come up with any other appropriate gestures.

"That's a very thoughtful gesture!"

Zhang Xuezhou took the money pouch and glanced at it. He saw that the pouch was full of half-ounce coins of excellent quality, which made him sigh with emotion and strengthened his belief in saving lives.

"They're all just fleeting things!"

Zhang Shu smiled wryly.

Money that is hard to come by for the lower classes is like gold and iron that is hard to spend for wealthy people like them.

This statement may be somewhat exaggerated, but it is true.

The Zhang family lacked things that were difficult to buy with money, and in other aspects, the Zhang family had few deficiencies and little need for the various mundane items from the outside world.

This was partly due to the underdeveloped commercial sector, and partly because ordinary people could not afford the things that wealthy families needed.

"If Cultivator Zhang needs half a tael of silver, as long as you have the pills, cultivation techniques, and martial arts that martial artists need, you can name your price. Everything is negotiable," Zhang Shu said in a low voice.

"Clear!"

Zhang Xuezhou nodded.

He seemed to understand something about what these wealthy and powerful families lacked.

It wasn't just Dong Zhongshu who lacked the necessary items to break through his cultivation level; other cultivators were the same.

Moreover, large families like the Zhang family lack rigorous cultivation traditions, but it is difficult for the Zhang family to pursue official careers in the imperial court. Perhaps becoming a county magistrate is the current limit for Lineage like the Zhang family.

The cultivation traditions of the Prefectural Governor's Office are limited and far from reaching the level of the Imperial Court.

This also resulted in these wealthy and powerful families having money but nowhere to spend it, and even less ability to use their wealth to acquire cultivation inheritance items.

What Zhang Xuezhou considered an abundance of skills was something that Zhang Shu and others desperately sought but could not obtain.

Zhang Shu is a rich man in the conventional sense, while Zhang Xuezhou is a rich man in another sense.

After thinking things through and clarifying the differences, Zhang Xuezhou realized that he was not poor.