The two martial brothers could not seem to find a reason to refuse, so they simply followed the two women.
Sun Ping had a suitable place in mind. Before long, she led them to a pleasant teahouse and booked a private room.
With no outsiders around, Tie Miaoqing finally lifted the hanging veil and secured it to her bamboo hat, revealing her true face. She remained as beautiful as a flower. Her bright eyes met Yu Qing for a moment before she looked away slightly.
Both martial brothers noticed the white flower still pinned at her temple. It signified that she was still observing mourning for her husband and still missing him.
Nan Zhu did not care whether her husband was dead or not. In fact, he was quite eager, and his eyes still looked at her with particular vigour.
Yu Qing, however, felt much calmer. Unlike before, he was no longer particularly stirred by Tie Miaoqing beauty. Having only just awakened to romantic feelings, he did not truly understand the complexities between men and women. His view of romance was pure, but he had ultimately been affected by certain people and events. He had not yet moved past them, and certain emotional knots remained untied.
As they took their seats, Nan Zhu stepped ahead first. He nudged Yu Qing with his elbow, signalling him to sit further over, and took the seat next to Tie Miaoqing.
Fine. Yu Qing had no choice but to sit next to Sun Ping, directly opposite Tie Miaoqing.
“Why are you both still at Youjiao Port? Have you really never left since you arrived?”
After everyone was seated, Yu Qing asked the question that had been on his mind.
Sun Ping sighed. “We do not know where else to go. Qin Jue and his people are definitely watching the young miss in secret. If we leave Youjiao Port, given our strength, we would likely face immediate danger. The inn expenses at Youjiao Port are high. We have already spent several hundred thousand over the past year or so. If it were not for the money you, the Tan Hua Lang, left behind earlier, we probably could not have stayed here until now.”
The two martial brothers exchanged a glance. Nan Zhu smiled. “Do not worry, Iron Lady. We have already removed that lingering threat, Qin Jue, for you.”
Yu Qing looked at him speechlessly. He really wanted to remind him to think carefully before speaking, since it was clearly Yun Xi who had killed the man.
Tie Miaoqing and Sun Ping knew nothing of this. Their faces immediately showed surprise, and their excitement was hard to hide. Sun Ping pressed further. “Is that true?”
Yu Qing added, “Do not listen to his nonsense. Qin Jue death has nothing to do with us. He died at someone else hands.”
Nan Zhu immediately said with a straight face. “No need to be modest. Qin Jue died precisely because of us.”
Yu Qing raised an eyebrow. “Old Seven, when word gets out that the Long family seeks revenge for their sworn brother, I hope you can handle it!”
Nan Zhu patted his chest. “Do you think I am afraid of him?”
Yu Qing rolled his eyes. He finally understood what it meant to say that dying beneath a peony tree makes even a ghost romantic. He was truly impressed by him, not even considering how fat he was. He let out a short laugh. “Fine, you have guts.”
The two women had no idea what their argument was about. Sun Ping pressed again. “Tan Hua Lang, please give us a straight answer. Is Qin Jue really dead or not?”
In their eyes, Yu Qing sounded more reliable than Nan Zhu.
Yu Qing said, “He is indeed dead. He was killed by someone at Xiao Yunjian. However, he seems to have some remaining followers. We do not know if they will do anything harmful to you, so it would be best for you to remain cautious.”
“As long as he is truly dead, that is enough.” Sun Ping breathed a long sigh of relief, then asked again. “I wonder if you two heard any news about my husband from Qin Jue?”
The two martial brothers exchanged another glance. They had honestly not paid much attention to this matter before and had never asked Qin Jue about it. It was rather shameful.
Yu Qing tested the waters. “Has Zhu Shangbiao still not returned?”
Hearing this, Sun Ping understood. They did not know either. She shook her head and gave a bitter smile. “With Qin Jue dead, he is probably never coming back. Forget it. I actually knew it in my heart long ago. I was just holding onto a sliver of hope. Let us not talk about him anymore. Tan Hua Lang, it seems the rumours are true. I wonder what you witnessed inside Xiao Yunjian?”
“This…” Yu Qing hesitated for a moment before saying. “It concerns Sinan Manor, Qianliu Mountain, and the Daye Bureau. It is not convenient to say much.”
“It is fine, it is fine.” Sun Ping waved her hand, then tried another question. “Those immortal peaches and peach trees you brought are yours, correct? They have nothing to do with those three families?”
Yu Qing chose his words carefully. “You could consider them a reward from those three families to us.”
Sun Ping asked. “Are you bringing them to Youjiao Port to sell?”
Yu Qing nodded and said yes. There was nothing to hide about this. Once they were sold, everyone would know about it anyway.
Sun Ping glanced at Tie Miaoqing and finally revealed their true purpose. “Could we sell them on your behalf?”
The two martial brothers were stunned at the same time. Private to private transactions were strictly forbidden at Youjiao Port. If everyone did that, what would be the point of having shops? Youya would not only lose control, but would also be forced to provide protection for free. Outside of Youjiao Port, you can trade however you like, but once you are inside, you must follow the rules. This woman could not possibly be unaware of the rule. Getting caught would result in severe punishment.
Nan Zhu asked. “Has Miaoqing Hall not been closed down?”
Sun Ping replied. “It has already been shut down by Youya, but we want to use the goods you have on hand to reopen Miaoqing Hall. As long as we secure the exclusive trade rights to your items, it will greatly enhance the appeal of Youjiao Port. This will definitely fall within the scope of an exception, and Youya will surely assist us in reopening. The profit sharing is easy to discuss. Just give us whatever you feel is appropriate. The main point is to have our own place to stay. Staying at an inn in Youjiao Port is truly too expensive.”
Nan Zhu immediately smiled. “We are all on the same side. That is easy to arrange.”
Yu Qing immediately gave him a cold look and calmly said, “I will pay you that hundred thousand taels of labour fee as soon as possible.”
He was reminding him that he had no right to make decisions on this matter. The goods belonged entirely to him.
Nan Zhu understood the moment he heard it. His face turned green.
That was correct. When he and Old Nine first met this man, they had indeed clashed a bit, and the hundred thousand taels fee had been mentioned. However, many things change with time and circumstances. The goods had already been transported out. Such massive profits definitely had to be shared. Only a fool would want that hundred thousand taels as a wage.
However, with the two women present, he could not easily bring it up. Going back on one word was hardly an honourable thing.
The two women looked puzzled, not understanding what the mismatched conversation between the two men meant.
Having suppressed his senior brother with a single sentence, Yu Qing asked with some confusion. “You were forced by Qin Jue to stay at Youjiao Port for so many years. Now that Qin Jue is dead, do you really intend to stay here forever? Do you not wish to go out and live in the wider world?”
Sun Ping said. “How could we not have thought about it? But what could we do if we left? Could the Tan Hua Lang provide us with better arrangements?” After asking this, she actually looked forward to his answer.
Tie Miaoqing was also quietly observing Yu Qing reaction.
Yu Qing was speechless. Her question was quite something. Why should he bother arranging things for them? He could not even find a good place for himself to settle down. He had only come to Youjiao Port to protect that batch of goods.
Seeing his difficulty, Sun Ping sighed. “There is a reason why the young miss wears a veiled hat when she goes out. You should be able to understand that leaving Youjiao Port might not be a good thing.”
Yu Qing thought about it and agreed. Tie Miaoqing beauty was absolutely at the level of a disaster bringing femme fatale. If she went out, even if she did not provoke others, others would provoke her. If she refused their advances, trouble would come sooner or later. However, he also had his own difficulties.
It was not that he could not let them sell the goods. It was just that, to some extent, these two women were not really on his side.
For now, he only trusted the people from Linglong Temple. Even though his position as sect leader was hard to win over, and even though he clashed with his senior brothers to the point of physical fights, he still trusted those people the most.
Selling the immortal peaches was merely a cover. Using them as cultivation resources for Linglong Temple was the real purpose. Later, when everyone was loudly eating the peaches, how would he explain it to the two women? If word leaked out, the trouble would be enormous.
“Old Fifteen, a person must act with conscience. When Iron Lady clearly knew that fire crickets could sell for a lot of money at Youjiao Port, she still gave you one. You should think about what that means.”
Nan Zhu could not help but side with outsiders again. His words carried a hidden meaning, reminding Yu Qing of the massive benefits he had gained from that single fire cricket.
This actually did not need reminding. If not for that, Yu Qing would not have given Tie Miaoqing two million taels back then. With debts and favours settled, they were now even.
However, he did have genuine concerns. After all, he did not fully know the background of Tie Miaoqing and her group.
Under the table, Sun Ping gently nudged Tie Miaoqing with her foot, signalling her to speak.
Tie Miaoqing hesitated a little. If not for that slight ambiguity from the past, she would not have hesitated at all and would have simply stated the facts directly.
Sun Ping grew a bit impatient and nudged her harder.
Having no other choice, Tie Miaoqing finally looked directly at Yu Qing and spoke. “Is there anything wrong with letting us handle the sales?”
Meeting her gaze, Yu Qing sighed. “To be completely honest, I originally thought much the same as you. I wanted to open my own shop in Youjiao Port to maintain control, because I also have my own people to look after. Since we have reached this point, I will propose a compromise. If you agree, it works. If you do not, then I can only apologise.”
Tie Miaoqing nodded with an affirmative sound. “Go on and tell us.”
Yu Qing said. “You can open the shop, and it can still be called Miaoqing Hall. On the surface, you can continue to be the owners. But I will be the real backer, and I will have the final say. Can you accept that?”
The two women looked at each other. Tie Miaoqing wanted to ask for Sun Ping opinion, but Sun Ping immediately nodded and agreed. “It is fine, it is fine. We are all on the same side. It is all the same.” Her face was full of smiles. She knew that as long as the young miss spoke, there would be no problem. She secretly blamed the young miss for not speaking up sooner, otherwise they would not have had to waste breath going in circles.
Tie Miaoqing had no choice but to nod as well. “Fine.”
With their opinions unified, both sides immediately began discussing the details.
After everything was settled, the two women stood up and prepared to go handle the matter.
Yu Qing also stood up, patted his sleeves on both sides, and said to Nan Zhu. “Go and book a guest room. I did not bring any money. Is it with you or with Old Nine?”
Nan Zhu paused for a moment, then immediately understood. In his heart, he felt utter contempt and was barely stopping himself from swearing. You have ghost money!
Fortunately, he was as penniless as anyone could be. He did not dare to expose the truth. He quickly patted his own pockets and let out a surprised sound. “The money is all with Old Seven. I will go get it from Old Seven.”
How could she let them go through such trouble? Sun Ping was not so blind to social cues. She immediately said. “No need to trouble yourselves. I will go book it for you.”
Yu Qing agreed. “That works too. There is no need to run back and forth for such a small matter. Thank you for your trouble, Manager Sun. By the way, please advance the shop opening fees from Youya. I will settle them all with you later.”
Nan Zhu pressed his lips together. He knew well that this was not a small amount like booking two guest rooms. It seemed it would cost over a million taels.
Tie Miaoqing smiled softly. “It is fine.”
The group immediately left the teahouse. They first went to the inn to request a room, but for easier communication, they simply went straight to the place where Tie Miaoqing and her group were staying.
After they officially settled into the inn, Nan Zhu, who had opened the window in the guest room to get some air, finally could not help but scoff. He seemed to be talking to himself. “Some people have not a single coin to their name and owe a mountain of debt. Two hundred million taels, yet they still dare to swagger around and act like a big shot.”
Yu Qing, who was pacing inside the room, glanced back. He also seemed to be talking to himself. “I simply hold myself in high esteem and refuse to stoop. If I wanted to make money, I could just take a brush out and write a piece of calligraphy. It would be worth tens of thousands of taels. Unlike some people, who are truly poor!”