“Tongque Martial Affairs.” Yu Qing savoured the phrase, but could not figure out its meaning, so he simply asked directly, “I do not understand. What is it?” Not only him, but the others also looked thoroughly puzzled.
Tong Zaitian observed everyone’s reaction and thought to himself, as expected, a group of newcomers who do not even know about such a major event. He immediately explained, “It is not a thing, it is an event. The gang leader was just right. Tongque Lake produces fish and shrimp, but the problem lies exactly there.” He wore a meaningful expression.
Fan Jiu hurriedly asked humbly, “How so?”
Tong Zaitian said, “It is quite normal for waters to have fish and shrimp, but Tianji Mountain is different from the outside world. The terrain and climate of Tianji Mountain are complex, and the water in some river basins is even poisonous. No one knows what the immortals of the past threw in here. Waters with fish and shrimp like Tongque Lake are very rare. Moreover, some of the fish and shrimp are unique specialties of Tongque Lake, which cannot be found in the outside world.”
“Tianji Mountain already suffers from a scarcity of aquatic products. The unique lake delicacies of Tongque Lake are money once caught, which is much more convenient than rummaging around for treasures everywhere. Therefore, for a long time, various gangs mixing in Tianji Mountain have been fighting endlessly to seize the territory of Tongque Lake.”
“Even if someone occupies the territory, it is useless. The lake area is not small, and the phenomenon of secret and reckless fishing cannot be controlled. Under long term large scale fishing, the lake delicacies of Tongque Lake have gradually become scarce. The low yield has led to increasingly higher prices, which in turn has made the phenomenon of large scale fishing even more serious, creating a vicious cycle.”
“It was not until decades ago, after Nie Rifu took control of Kulei City and directly intervened in Tongque Lake, that the malpractices of Tongque Lake were swept away.”
“Tongque Lake is one of the few places in Tianji Mountain where Kulei City directly intervenes. However, Kulei City has always been unwilling to operate any forces, fearing trouble. Therefore, for places like Tongque Lake, they will not directly send people from Kulei City to manage it personally, but will assign it to a gang to manage. This designation process is the ‘Tongque Martial Affairs’.”
“It is also a selection process. It is impossible for a random gang to just emerge and take over Tongque Lake. The capabilities of the gang must be considered. In a chaotic place like Tianji Mountain, without some capability, one cannot manage Tongque Lake well. In short, the major gangs that want to occupy Tongque Lake must hold a competition.”
Having said this, he spread his hands, indicating that this was the situation.
However, the crowd was still not fully satisfied. Yu Qing asked again, “Can any gang participate, regardless of what it is?”
Tong Zaitian said, “To Kulei City, gangs of all sizes are treated equally. There is no distinction of closeness or distance. As long as they are willing to register in Kulei City, they can participate.”
Yu Qing asked again, “What kind of competitions are there? Do they just see which gang can fight?”
Tong Zaitian said, “Martial strength will definitely be taken into consideration by Kulei City, but it is certainly not the only factor. Being able to fight does not mean being able to control Tongque Lake well. After all, the strongest martial force in Tianji Mountain is Kulei City. After taking over Tongque Lake, with Kulei City backing them up, there are probably not many who dare to challenge them directly with force.”
“As for how the competition is conducted, I do not know either. The competition method for each ‘Tongque Martial Affairs’ seems to be different. It is entirely up to Kulei City to come up with whatever questions they want. Anyway, it is not an individual comparison, but a group competition between gangs.”
Saying this, he suddenly paused. He felt that Yu Qing’s reaction seemed a bit off, so he tentatively asked, “Gang leader, you are not thinking of participating in the ‘Tongque Martial Affairs’, are you?”
Yu Qing raised his eyebrows slightly and countered, “What if I participate, and what if I do not?”
“…” Tong Zaitian looked at him speechlessly.
The others, completely unaware of the gravity of the situation, were instead all looking at Tong Zaitian, waiting to see what he would say.
Tong Zaitian looked at the crowd’s reaction again, and finally said with a mix of laughter and helplessness, “Gang leader, it is not that I look down on our gang, but matters involving such huge interests are truly not something we can play with. We really cannot afford it.”
These words made not only Yu Qing, but even Mu Aotie show a hint of disdain in his expression. Compared to their experiences, a mere Tongque Lake was nothing. They had played with much bigger things.
Yu Qing also chuckled, “How big can huge interests be? Are they bigger than the Qilin Ginseng?”
Tong Zaitian smiled bitterly and said, “Obtaining a spiritual object of the level of heaven and earth treasures like the Qilin Ginseng is no longer just a matter of money. However, if the matter of the Qilin Ginseng were made public, we would not be qualified to play either. The gangs participating in the ‘Tongque Martial Affairs’ are among the top gangs in Tianji Mountain, at least some first class gangs. Their members often number in the hundreds. Their strength is imaginable. If our dozen or so people confront them without the strength to resist, it would be no different from seeking death.”
“Gang leader, and everyone else, since there is a ‘martial’ character in ‘Tongque Martial Affairs’, it cannot be peaceful. People will die.”
He raised his head to face the ignorant crowd, looking as if he were giving a solemn warning.
Yu Qing fell silent. After serious consideration, he picked up the ancient notebook in his hand, shook it, and said slowly, “Of all the locations recorded here, why do I not mention other places, but instead mention Tongque Lake? The hiding place of the Qilin Ginseng might be in Tongque Lake!”
“What?”
“In Tongque Lake?”
“How can you be sure?”
The crowd immediately began chattering like an exploded nest.
Yu Qing also gave an answer, “There is an important clue on the temple wall carvings, which is that the Qilin loves to eat fish and shrimp.”
Someone immediately questioned, “Gang leader, that refers to the Qilin. This is the Qilin Ginseng. Its main body is a plant. Can it eat fish and shrimp?”
To this, someone immediately scoffed, “Who says plants cannot eat meat? Some eat flies and insects, and some even eat people. Many plants grow better if a little corpse is buried at their roots. Your argument is simply not worth refuting.”
Tong Zaitian, however, asked a question, “Gang leader, the water area of Tongque Lake is very large. Besides this one clue, are there any others?”
Yu Qing said, “There are. Do you think I can say them out loud publicly?”
“Uh…” Tong Zaitian touched his nose and gave a dry laugh.
Under the shade at the edge of the desert, on the steps at the entrance of the “Dang Zizai” shop, Nan Zhu sat there waving a large tree leaf as a fan. Except for the items Mu Aotie had delivered, he had not made a single deal here.
He occasionally looked up at the canopy of the trees not far away, where Baili Xin was hiding and looking out to observe. He felt she cared more about the safety of her fellow disciples than he did as her senior brother.
Baili Xin had no choice. The temperature in the desert during the day was too high. Lying in the desert for a long time to observe secretly was indeed unbearable, which was why she did this.
Suddenly, she leaped down from the canopy, darted rapidly to the front of the shop, and threw down a sentence before hiding inside, “People from the Scorpion Gang are coming.”
Nan Zhu immediately stood up, jumped onto the roof to look out, and sure enough, saw the people of the Scorpion Gang flying towards them. They did not visit his shop, but left from a short distance away. He saw Yu Qing and Mu Aotie among them.
They are leaving. He quickly jumped down from the roof, crawled under the shop, retracted the support poles, and rapidly shouldered the shop to chase after them.
Baili Xin also crawled out again, chasing ahead first to avoid losing them.
Along the way, Nan Zhu discovered a group of people flying rapidly past him. He recognised them at a glance as people from the Flying Eagle Gang.
His speed carrying the thing was slow, and he was overtaken by the group. Over a hundred people rushed past him with a whoosh, and no one paid attention to him, a mountain porter.
After a life and death rush, it was not until late at night that Nan Zhu, carrying the shop, finally stopped. He stopped beneath the towering Kulei City and met up with the waiting Baili Xin. Although he was exhausted and sweating profusely, he still tried hard to put on a look that said, do not look at how fat I am, my body is actually very strong.
Not seeing the Scorpion Gang anywhere, he asked, “Where are they?”
Baili Xin said, “They entered the city. Some from the Flying Eagle Gang also went in.” Saying this, she reached out her hand, “Give me ten thousand taels.”
Nan Zhu was speechless for a moment, but still neatly took out the money and gave it to her, asking, “Are you going in too?”
“Yes.”
“Then what should I do alone? Do not worry, it is fine. Just wait here. The Flying Eagle Gang would not dare to cause trouble in Kulei City.”
Baili Xin gave no response, turned around rapidly, and left. She bought a “Yi Ri Fang” flower at the entrance as qualification to enter the city, and then vanished.
Nan Zhu, who watched her leave blankly, felt very helpless. However, when he turned back and saw his shop, he immediately regained his energy. He had a batch of goods to sell, and he had to figure out a way to turn them into money and put them in his pocket.
Baizhang Courtyard, the most prosperous place in Kulei City.
After the Scorpion Gang members arrived, Yu Qing immediately pulled everyone to a corner and whispered, “Everyone disperse. Remember to help gather some information. Do you remember I mentioned before about seeing mountain porters purchasing the Three Legged Crow?”
The crowd nodded one after another, but did not understand the meaning.
He explained, “It is quite a coincidence. According to the records on the temple carvings, there is a connection between the Qilin and the Three Legged Crow. I now want to find the Three Legged Crow. You understand what I mean, right?”
The crowd suddenly realised. Tong Zaitian’s eyes flashed, not expecting that this gang leader had revealed another clue.
Fan Jiu said, “Do not worry, gang leader. We will not forget such an important matter.”
Yu Qing said, “Do not be ostentatious when gathering information, to avoid arousing suspicion. Take the flowering period of the ‘Yi Ri Fang’ as the limit. Everyone, whether you have matters or not, wait here to meet up.”
“Good.” After the gang members agreed, they dispersed one after another.
Watching these people leave, Yu Qing could not help but sigh. More than a dozen people entering the city meant over a hundred thousand taels of silver. The expenses were said to be counted as gang expenditures, but in reality, it was just taking money from his own pocket. However, there was no other way. If one does not pay out of one’s own pocket to get things done, it probably will not work.
With no one else around, Mu Aotie muttered, “How likely do you think it is that they can gather information about the Three Legged Crow?”
Yu Qing said, “Having more people asking is better than having fewer people asking. The Flying Eagle Gang has even more people. If they can gather relevant information, Duan Yunyou was able to give me the notebook, so information about the Three Legged Crow is naturally not a problem.”
Mu Aotie said, “No wonder you were unwilling to deal with that traitor.”
“The Flying Eagle Gang has so many people, and they are all more familiar with this place than we are. It would be a waste not to use them.” Yu Qing tsked, turned around, and said, “Let us go. Let us go and find out what exactly this ‘Tongque Martial Affairs’ is all about.”
Regarding the relevant situation of the “Tongque Martial Affairs”, Tong Zaitian only knew the general idea, and it was all hearsay. The specifics were not clear to him.
In addition, the gang members did not approve of participating in the “Tongque Martial Affairs”.