It actually exceeded ten thousand jin directly.
And this was only the first batch from five hundred mu of salt fields. Next there would be a continuous flow of brine entering the crystallisation ponds.
According to the current weather, after entering the crystallisation ponds it would take at most two or three days to crystallise. That meant basically different salt fields could be harvested every day.
Moreover, once these five hundred mu of salt fields entered regular production, only a few dozen people would be needed to take care of them.
Previously more than one thousand salt slaves had boiled salt day and night all year round and could only produce a few hundred thousand jin of salt in total.
But now, a few dozen people could sun dry several hundred thousand jin of salt in less than a month.
Master Suo Lun was right. The output had really increased by dozens of times or more.
He had once again created an unparalleled miracle!
…
Next, the entire Rocky Island entered a frenzied construction period. Whether the family warriors or all the salt people, it was as if they did not know fatigue at all and worked almost madly.
Moreover these salt people could still only drink porridge every day, but compared with the previous wild vegetable and rotten bran meals, drinking thick porridge every day was already like living in heaven.
Not to mention that midway a mule fell ill. Suo Lun ordered it killed, chopped into minced meat and added to the porridge. When everyone drank meat porridge, their gratitude towards Master Suo Lun became even deeper.
Although this lord Suo Lun appeared very aloof and cold, spending most of his time hiding in the castle to avoid the blazing sun outside.
In reality, Suo Lun was only resting and recuperating the meridians in his arms.
His right arm meridians had been severely injured by Ling Ao and he could hardly lift it at all. The only thing he could probably do was gently caress Suo Ningbing’s bottom. Even using a little more force was very difficult.
His left arm had also suffered damage because he had forcibly completed the first form of the ninth move of the厄难 Nine Swords, but the situation was much better. Writing and drawing was no problem, but wielding a sword was very difficult.
Time passed day by day. Suo Lun recuperated inside the castle, occasionally coming out to inspect the salt fields and observe the progress.
Mostly he listened to reports from the family warriors and the salt people leaders.
Once these salt people understood the principle of sun drying salt, they immediately became more professional. In many aspects they no longer needed Suo Lun’s guidance and explored even more thoroughly.
They opened new salt fields while simultaneously sun drying salt, without delaying either side.
This Rocky Island was truly a heaven sent salt drying field. The rainfall was shockingly scarce and the sun exposure conditions were shockingly good. The daily salt output grew higher and higher, and the rate of increase excited everyone, even frightened them.
Time flowed like water and the days flew by. Two months passed.
With the help of the demon star, Suo Lun’s left arm had fully recovered and his right arm had recovered more than half.
In these two months, with more than one thousand people working desperately, they had madly opened up more than four thousand mu of salt fields.
The salt stored in the warehouses had already piled up like mountains and could no longer fit. They had no choice but to put salt into other houses.
Finally, when the family warrior leader Suo Mu came to report, his voice was trembling.
Because in these more than two months, the already opened salt fields had actually produced one million five hundred thousand jin of salt.
Upon hearing this output, the Suo clan warriors and the salt people almost fainted.
This was only two months, and only a small portion of the salt fields, yet they had produced one million five hundred thousand jin of salt.
Previously, three thousand salt slaves boiling day and night all year could only produce a little over one million jin.
Moreover the current salt output was increasing every day, and the rate of increase was completely dizzying. The latest daily output had already exceeded sixty thousand jin.
Was Master Suo Lun really a divine being?
Looking at the sea salt piled like high mountains on the salt fields, all the salt people almost felt an impulse to kneel and worship.
Not only that, Suo Lun also allocated some women to purify and recrystallise part of the salt. Using primitive materials such as plant ash, they refined the coarse salt.
After countless attempts, they finally obtained fine salt as white and delicate as snow.
The appearance of this fine salt made Suo Ningbing and Ye Jingyu exclaim in amazement. The quality of this fine salt was only higher than the one previously used in the earl’s mansion, not lower. It looked snow white with almost no impurities at all.
Therefore, Suo Ningbing and Ye Jingyu now brushed their teeth with this fine salt every day.
They also told Suo Lun a nearly dizzying price. The price of this fine salt per jin was around three hundred and eighty copper coins, four times that of normal coarse salt.
Moreover this snow like fine salt had no worry about market. The nobles and wealthy merchants of the entire kingdom all used this fine salt, not only for cooking but also for washing and rinsing.
As for three hundred and eighty copper coins, it was a sky high price for commoners, but for great noble families it was nothing.
In this more than one month, Suo Lun had people purify and recrystallise twenty to thirty thousand jin of snow white fine salt, with a new daily output of three thousand jin.
All of this was white shining money.
…
However, after the wild joy, hidden worries also emerged in the hearts of the Suo clan family warrior leaders.
One day, Suo Mu could not help but come before Suo Lun and say: “Master, because of your miracle and wisdom, if we continue like this, once all existing salt fields enter full production, within half a year we can produce more than ten million jin of salt. This is truly a heaven sent fortune.”
Suo Mu spoke very conservatively. In reality the half year output would be more than ten million jin.
Then Suo Mu said worriedly: “But even if the half year output reaches ten million jin, or even twenty million jin, converted to gold coins it would only be around twenty thousand. There is still a very, very large gap from one hundred and fifty thousand gold coins.”
According to Suo Lun’s estimation, continuing at this speed, in four months the total salt field output could reach at least fifteen million jin.
But these salts converted to gold coins would only be twenty thousand. This sum of money was far from enough to recapture Tianshui City.
Then Suo Mu said: “Master, we now face three fatal crises.”
“The first crisis is that the seventy to eighty thousand jin of grain we brought will soon be finished. Even if we drink porridge every day, it can only last another twenty days or so. After twenty days we will run out of food.”
Suo Lun had already noticed this point. Fortunately there was now enough salt. Otherwise, drinking only porridge every day, these salt people would really find it hard to sustain such high intensity labour.
Suo Mu said: “The second crisis is that yesterday we discovered a ship secretly observing our salt fields from afar. That ship must have been sent by Gui Xingfu.”
“Did they discover anything?” Suo Lun asked.
The warrior leader Suo Mu said: “Because the distance was far, they only saw the salt fields and did not see the salt on the fields. So they thought we were digging fields to plant grain and were still mocking us. However Gui Xingfu will definitely send people to monitor us continuously. I fear that the secret of our salt fields will be discovered sooner or later.”
This point was beyond doubt. Even if he trapped Suo Lun on Rocky Island to perish on his own, Gui Xingfu would still conduct long term surveillance.
The warrior leader Suo Mu said: “The third crisis is that we are accumulating more and more salt, but we cannot sell it. We do not have enough ships to transport these salts out, nor can we find buyers large enough.”
In four months there would be more than ten million jin of salt, enough to supply the Nu Lang Kingdom for more than a month. Indeed there was no merchant large enough to take such a huge batch of salt.
Suo Mu continued: “Moreover the shipping routes around Rocky Island are all blockaded by the Gui clan’s fleet. Even if we had enough ships, our salt would be very difficult to transport out.”
That was indeed the case. Sneaking out one ship under cover of night might not be discovered, but a fleet of hundreds of ships would be very hard to hide.
At that time Gui Xingfu could have people disguise as pirates and easily rob these salt transport ships.
These three crises were all very fatal. If not resolved, the vitality of the entire island would be instantly strangled.
Suo Lun did not speak. Instead he looked through the sea towards the west.
Now both the opening of salt fields and sun drying salt had already entered regular operation.
These salt people were professionals after all. Once they understood the principle of sun drying salt, they quickly became even more proficient than Suo Lun. The mistakes made earlier were gradually corrected, sun drying became more and more standardised, and output grew higher and higher.
So now it was time for him to leave, and also time to resolve these three crises.
“I will leave the territory tomorrow and return in at most half a month.” Suo Lun said: “At that time, I will not only bring enough grain and a large enough fleet, but also more than fifty thousand gold coins.”
Suo Mu was stunned. Even if the salt fields had over two or three hundred thousand jin of stored salt in ten days, it could at most be sold for three or four thousand gold coins. How could there possibly be fifty thousand gold coins?
But he had already completely grown accustomed to this master’s miraculous hand. If he said he would bring fifty thousand gold coins, then there would definitely be that amount. As for how to achieve it, that was not something a warrior leader like him could think of. He was far from having a brain as heaven defying as the master’s.
…
That same night, amid Suo Ningbing’s reluctant farewell, Suo Lun and Ye Jingyu left Rocky Island on a small boat.
These two months had been almost the happiest two months for Suo Ningbing. Although they lived in a simple castle and her skin had become slightly wheat coloured from the wind and sun, she could be with Suo Lun every day without having to worry and fear all the time.
Moreover, all three meals a day were personally cooked by her. With the limited ingredients available, she racked her brains to make the most exquisite food possible for Suo Lun, then watched him wolf it down. Those days were truly too wonderful.
Although Suo Lun’s hands were becoming more and more dishonest and naughtier. Her chest and the wonderful place below her waist were almost caressed by him every day.
Moreover, her indulgence and doting had also fostered a very bad habit in Suo Lun. Every time he was thinking, writing or drawing blueprints, his hand had to be touching something to have inspiration.
Therefore, every time Suo Ningbing was caressed until her legs went soft. Not only that, she often had very embarrassing dreams after falling asleep.
She had become a widow right after marriage. Her entire body was pure and untouched, with not even a single finger from a man having touched her. However, she was already twenty six years old after all. Every part of her body was fully mature and really could not withstand such teasing.
Countless times she had trembled and murmured the name Lan Ling in her dreams. Countless times she had woken from dreams, changed out of her soaked underwear, and used cold water to wash her burning hot delicate body.
Now, Suo Ningbing herself could no longer clearly distinguish whether she was Suo Ningbing or the sister Lan Kou that he called her.
In fact, she even preferred to be that Lan Kou, because then she would not only be his family but also his lover. This extremely intimate relationship truly made her endlessly intoxicated.
Now Suo Lun was leaving again. She would once more enter the most difficult days.
She had really thought several times that they should simply forget about Tianshui City and live together on this island for the rest of their lives.
But she could not say such words, because she knew that many times even if you surrendered, the enemy would not let you go.
Moreover, a paranoid and proud person like Suo Lun would absolutely never surrender. He would rather perish together than surrender.
…
After Suo Lun left Rocky Island by boat, he took a large detour at sea before landing at a dock in the north.
This place was already within the kingdom’s county territory and no longer belonged to Gui Xingfu’s sphere of influence.
After going ashore, Suo Lun and Ye Jingyu disguised themselves, travelled lightly by night, and hurried without stopping towards the royal city.
He needed an astronomical amount of gold coins, an astronomical amount of grain, and a huge fleet. The salt he wanted to sell was not hundreds of thousands of jin, nor millions of jin, but tens of millions of jin or even more.
Such an astronomical amount of salt, in the entire Nu Lang Kingdom only one person could take it all, and that was the royal family.
Travelling incognito all the way, day and night, finally four days later Suo Lun appeared outside the royal city.
The two entered the royal city under the identity of wild warriors, because his current face could not appear in the royal city. Feudal lords could not enter the royal city without royal orders.
Half an hour later, Suo Lun appeared outside Duke Zhi Ting’s mansion.
He directly took out the jade pendant Zhi Ting had given him and said to the duke mansion servant: “Please inform the duke that an old acquaintance seeks an audience.”
A quarter of an hour later, he appeared in Duke Zhi Ting’s secret room.
…
“Suo Lun, you asked Gui Xingfu for a Rocky Island where not even weeds can grow?” Duke Zhi Ting asked.
“Yes.” Suo Lun said. He had not expected the news to spread so quickly.
“The ginger is still spicier when old. You really cannot compete with that old fox Gui Xingfu. Not only were you humiliated, but you were also trapped to death on that barren land.” Duke Zhi Ting said: “Now the entire royal city is already calculating your time of death. Have you come to ask me for help? Then I must tell you that I can help you, but do not hold too much hope. My help will not exceed five thousand gold coins.”
Suo Lun could not help but be stunned.
“You perhaps think I have no conscience. In that big gamble with Zhi Ning, you helped me win seventy thousand gold coins, yet I can only help you with five thousand gold coins, right?” A trace of pain flashed in Duke Zhi Ting’s eyes as he said: “Just five days after you left the royal city, one of my treasuries was robbed. Not only were all the gold coins inside stolen, but several hundred people also died.”
“Was it Prince Zhi Li’s revenge?” Suo Lun asked.
“Of course it was him.” Duke Zhi Ting’s face twisted in pain as he said: “The location of my treasury was top secret. Even the people guarding inside did not know where they were. Apart from me, only one of my most trusted concubines knew. Now… she has also disappeared.”
Immediately, Suo Lun could feel Duke Zhi Ting’s pain. What he had lost was not only gold coins but also trust. He no longer knew who around him he could still trust.
“How many gold coins were lost?” Suo Lun asked.
“Ninety thousand.” Duke Zhi Ting said: “Of which seventy thousand were won from Zhi Ning, and twenty thousand were from my gold house.”
Ninety thousand gold coins. This time Zhi Li had not only recovered a large loss but had also severely injured Duke Zhi Ting.
“So now I can at most support you with five thousand gold coins.” Duke Zhi Ting said: “Moreover, one must help oneself before others will help.”
The last sentence was spoken somewhat mysteriously by Duke Zhi Ting, as if it carried deeper meaning.
Suo Lun cupped his hands in salute and said: “Your Grace, you have shown me great kindness as heavy as a mountain. How could I possibly ask you for money? On the contrary, I want to do business with you and help you earn an astronomical amount of gold coins.”
“An astronomical amount? How many gold coins is that?” Duke Zhi Ting said: “Fifty thousand?”
“More than that.” Suo Lun said.
“Eighty thousand?” Duke Zhi Ting’s breathing had already become somewhat rapid.
“More than that.” Suo Lun said.
“One hundred thousand?” Duke Zhi Ting was already trembling slightly.
“Still more, far more.” Suo Lun said.
Far more than one hundred thousand gold coins? Was there such a big business in the world? Duke Zhi Ting said: “Then exactly how many gold coins?”
“This business will earn far more than one million gold coins across generations, exceeding the kingdom’s annual tax revenue.” Suo Lun said.
Duke Zhi Ting’s eyes suddenly widened, revealing a light of complete disbelief.