"Aren't the Great Bandits of Mount Qi based within the Central Plains? Why have they pushed deep into the Western Regions?" Wang Yu asked.
"The Qishan Mountains stretch for over a thousand li," Lu Yunzhou explained. "Their northwest reaches deep into the Western Regions, their eastern end extends into the Central Plains, their northern flank borders the Northwest trade route, and to their south lie the Tibetan lands and the Xingxiu Sea. Although the Great Bandits of Mount Qi operate mostly within the Central Plains, that doesn't mean they cannot reach the Western Regions."
Lu Yunzhou continued, "Last year, the horse bandits of the Western Regions likely discovered a flaw in the Jushi Kingdom's defenses. Worried they couldn't take it alone, they reached out to collude with the Mount Qi bandits to pull off a massive heist."
Whether it was the Great Bandits of Mount Qi entrenched in the Qishan range or the horse bandits claiming the desert oases of the Western Regions, both boasted plenty of martial experts, yet at the end of the day, they were still jianghu factions. When it came to storming cities and toppling states, they remained no match for well-trained regular armies.
The Jushi Kingdom was by no means a small realm in the Western Regions. With soldiers defending behind city walls, their defenses would never have fallen unless besieged by another nation's army.
Yet the horse bandits of the Western Regions had found an opening and joined hands with the Mount Qi bandits to strike, thoroughly looting the goods of the merchant caravans stationed inside the city and making a windfall.
"Of course, this also works to our advantage," Lu Yunzhou said with a smile. "If the Black Qiang head west, the pressure on us lessens. Moreover, only a few peripheral mountain strongholds of the Mount Qi bandits have descended to raid this year, so the merchant caravans haven't suffered much damage."
"What if the Black Qiang enter the Western Regions and disrupt the Northwest trade route?" Wang Yu asked.
Thinking Wang Yu was testing him, Lu Yunzhou replied at once, "Whoever holds that region will never drain the pond to catch the fish. The Northwest trade route is a goose that lays golden eggs; no one would destroy it entirely.
"The Thirty-Six Kingdoms of the Western Regions sit by and collect taxes, accumulating untold wealth. The Western Regions horse bandits and the Mount Qi bandits mostly extort passage fees as well, living comfortably off them. Caravans that get completely pillaged are ultimately a minority—it just comes down to who has bad luck."
The risks were high, but the profits were enormous. Thus, whether it was silk and tea transported from the Central Plains to the west, or gems and spices brought from the west into the Central Plains, everything commanded astronomical prices.
Wang Yu nodded, then a thought struck him. "We are situated right at the border of Anxi Circuit and Hexi Circuit. Though there are several more prefectures to the west, the land is vast and sparsely populated, with the Mount Qi bandits posing a constant threat nearby."
"Speaking of which, aren't we the most prosperous and secure area closest to the Central Plains?" Wang Yu hinted pointedly.
Lu Yunzhou smiled slightly. "Indeed. Every caravan traveling in and out of the Central Plains must pass through Longshan Prefecture or Fengming Prefecture, making them the most vital trade markets. Otherwise, how could we afford to maintain fifty thousand battle-ready troops, three thousand heavy cavalry, and a ranch of thirty thousand warhorses?"
Wang Yu: "..."
Only now did he realize: *Turns out I'm filthy rich!*
***
"Rich, my foot!"
After sending off Peng Hu, Lu Yunzhou, and Zhao Defang, placing Zhao Siqi under house arrest, and dispatching princely guards to take over the Xionglue Army outside the city, Zhao Rong had briefed Wang Yu on an overview of the manor's estates and revenues.
Only then did Wang Yu learn that although the Prince's Manor owned many estates—including taxes from three prefectures, as well as its own manors, shops, and workshops—the costs of feeding and supplying fifty thousand soldiers and thirty thousand horses amounted to an astronomical figure.
The manor's annual revenue was certainly substantial, but in reality, very little money could be saved.
To say they had no money was false, but to claim they had boundless wealth and fortunes beyond count was just as untrue.
"Enough, hand all of this over to the Princess Consort."
Looking at the towering pile of dossiers, Wang Yu felt dizzy from their sheer thickness alone. If it were a complete manual of peerless martial arts, that would be one thing, but a mountain of administrative records? Why bother reading all that?
So Wang Yu decisively cut to what mattered: "Does the manor have any miraculous pills or spiritual medicine that boost internal power and improve latent talent?"
Zhao Rong's reply was just as decisive. "None!"
Zhao Rong added, "Our foundations are still too shallow. Our rise only dates back thirty-odd years, and we lack the pill-concocting and medicine-refining heritage of those long-established sects. Otherwise, when Elder Brother was wounded back then, he wouldn't have had to beg the imperial court for a Hundred Spirits Yang-Restoring Pill."
"What about raw ingredients? Century-old ginseng, millennial lingzhi, humanoid fleeceflower root, anything like that?" Wang Yu pressed.
Zhao Rong looked at Wang Yu, speechlessness written all over his eyes. Had Wang Yu not just displayed peerless grace and princely majesty earlier, he would have nearly blurted out a retort.
"The manor has never made a point of purchasing them," Zhao Rong shook his head. "However, the inner storehouse does have two wild mountain ginseng roots that should possess a century of medicinal efficacy. As for millennial lingzhi or humanoid fleeceflower root, we have none."
"Fetch one for me to try!" Wang Yu said immediately.
On his journey back to the Prince of Zhenxi's Manor, he had found excuses to buy some medicinal herbs and brew nourishing tonics, but the tortoise shell had not responded in the slightest.
Evidently, only items of immense nourishment and brimming with energy could activate the tortoise shell's powers.
Though the century-old ginseng had not been refined into a pill, its inherent energy was still present. It should presumably trigger a response from the tortoise shell, so Wang Yu wanted to give it a try.
After all, the manor had two. Even if it failed, wouldn't there still be one left?
Somewhat lost for words, Zhao Rong reminded him, "Ginseng supplements qi and might provide a slight boost to internal power, but the effect is negligible at best. You would be better off practicing for a few more days, Young Master."
Wang Yu waved his hand. "Don't worry, I know what I'm doing."
Zhao Rong then sent someone to the inner storehouse to retrieve a wild mountain ginseng root. Moments later, he watched as Wang Yu took a bite without even washing it first.
Zhao Rong: "..."
Unlike the cultivated garden ginseng or semi-wild forest ginseng of later generations that resembled white radishes, pure wild mountain ginseng had a relatively small body, while its rootlets were exceptionally long.
As a top-grade Chinese herbal medicine, ordinary people taking wild mountain ginseng would pluck just a single root hair to brew three bowls of tonic.
Yet Wang Yu munched it down with loud crunches, finishing the entire wild mountain ginseng in just a few bites.
Zhao Rong stared with wide eyes, waiting for blood to gush from Wang Yu's nose.
Naturally, Wang Yu didn't get a nosebleed. He only felt the tortoise shell in his sea of consciousness flash once more. Aside from improving his latent talent, widening his meridians, and consolidating his third-layer internal cultivation as usual, Wang Yu did not continue leveling up the Seven Forms of the Setting Sun. Instead, he channeled the energy into practicing and mastering the *Swallow Carrying Spring* lightness skill.
The Prince of Zhenxi's Manor possessed no dedicated heritage of lightness skills. While Zhao Zheng's internal qi was profound and his lightness skill was by no means weak, he could hardly compare to masters who specialized in the discipline.
*Swallow Carrying Spring* was no slouch of a lightness skill; it channeled qi through the Gallbladder Meridian of Foot-Shaoyang and the Liver Meridian of Foot-Jueyin. Under the tortoise shell's deduction, minor adjustments were made, enhancing the technique enough to raise Wang Yu's footwork and agility by several notches.
Wang Yu smacked his lips. "It carries a grand reputation, but its medicinal potency is actually inferior to the Lesser Restoration Pill. That shows the ingredients in the Lesser Restoration Pill must be rarer than a century-old ginseng. No wonder they can only refine one furnace a year.
"Still, this proves that top-tier herbs are rich in energy. If there are no pills, merely collecting rare herbs will work just fine."
After pondering a moment, Wang Yu said to Zhao Rong, "Start purchasing medicinal herbs from outside. Seek out those aged over long years and brimming with medicinal potency—like century-old ginseng, millennial lingzhi, myriad-year fleeceflower root, and the like."
"Very well, understood. But you should hurry and circulate your cultivation to digest the medicinal strength, Young Master."
Zhao Rong winced slightly, but considering that Wang Yu had lost so much time, he could understand his impatience. Though a bit hasty, at least it was medicine and not poison. Circulating qi to absorb the potency would waste a great deal of it, yet in the end, the benefits would outweigh the drawbacks.
***
Over the next few days, the reorganization of the Xionglue Army concluded. Commandant Zhao Jingjun was promoted to general. As a kinsman of the Zhao clan possessing respectable martial prowess and distinguished prestige, he was well suited to command the army.
Li Yunxiu formally stepped in to manage the Prince of Zhenxi's Manor's affairs, setting to work reorganizing the administration of the three prefectures and the manor's internal operations.
Yet within the manor walls, Qianqian held a status even higher than Li Yunxiu's, because...
"Brother Yu is amazing!"
In the rear garden, Wang Yu had just finished running through the Seven Forms of the Setting Sun. Qianqian stood nearby with two maidservants, clapping in praise before taking a handkerchief from one of them and stepping forward to wipe the sweat from his brow.
Wang Yu truly wasn't used to such pampering and took the handkerchief to wipe his face himself.
The corners of Qianqian's lips curved upward as she leaned in close. "Brother Yu is working so hard, spending these past days constantly practicing your martial arts. Aren't you exhausted?"
Wang Yu waved his hand. *Exhausted? This is nothing.*
Coming from the modern world where martial arts existed only in legend, now he could personally train in martial arts, circulate qi, leap across roofs and vault over walls, and thrust a sword with a bloom of three sword flowers—what more could one ask for?
On top of that, he had a cheat at his disposal and a limitless future ahead. All it required was diligent practice to increase his proficiency. If he couldn't even endure this tiny bit of hardship, hadn't he transmigrated for nothing?
Qianqian's eyes fluttered, and taking Wang Yu's hand, she began to sway it gently, coaxing in a sweet, delicate voice, "A caravan arrived from the west recently. They're said to have brought precious Damascus scimitars, Persian rugs, and a curious novelty called perfume made specially for women. Brother Yu, come with me to take a look, won't you?"
A gorgeous beauty with a voice so tender and captivating—who could resist that?
Besides, he had been training diligently over the past few days anyway; taking a break was well deserved.
"Let's go!"
***
The next day, Wang Yu, Qianqian, Zhao Yingjie, and four guards from the Prince's Manor set out together, shadowed secretly by two martial experts for protection.
Longshan Prefecture was the easternmost prefecture of Anxi Circuit, situated right at the exit of the Central Plains. As the seat of the Prince of Zhenxi's Manor, guarded year-round by a garrison of ten thousand troops and free from safety concerns, common folk gathered here in great numbers, making it the most prosperous hub in the entire northwest.
Caravans heading west from the Central Plains and caravans arriving from the Western Regions alike would rest and reprovision in Longshan Prefecture. At times, so long as the price was right, they would simply complete their transactions on the spot.
Caravans from the Central Plains didn't need to risk their lives venturing into the Western Regions, while Western Regions merchants didn't have to waste time traveling into the Central Plains for distribution.
Not to mention the countless caravans large and small coming and going at irregular intervals, many merchant families from across the Central Plains and the Thirty-Six Kingdoms of the Western Regions maintained permanent storefronts in Longshan Prefecture, upholding its thriving commerce.
Modeled after the layout of the capital, Longshan Prefecture also featured East and West Markets. The East Market dealt in luxury goods, works of art, and retail wares, while the West Market handled fresh produce, livestock, and bulk wholesale commodities.
The East Market was tidy and clean; the West Market was chaotic and clamorous.
Wang Yu naturally visited the East Market.
"Tsk, tsk, not bad at all, eh?"
"Of course, it cannot compare to the capital's splendor, but throughout the northwest, our Longshan Prefecture is second to none," Zhao Yingjie said with a chuckle. "Clustered around the East and West Markets, inns, taverns, teahouses, and brothels are also exceptionally lively."
Wang Yu's eyes lit up. "Brothels?"
Chapter 18