Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
By the time Situ Feixing left, Yan Liqiang still hadn’t finished the bottle of wine on his table. The restaurant manager came over and stood shakily by his table while smiling, “The side dishes have gone cold. Would you like a new set to be served for you, Young Lord Yan?”
“Manager Chu, was it?”
“Yes, yes, yes…” The chubby restaurant manager nodded with a broad smile on his face. “Our superior informed us to follow your orders from now on in Pingxi City before he left. Whatever Young Lord Yan says is an order from our superior. If you need anything, just let us know!”
“Since your superior has spoken, then I don’t need to explain anything!” Yan Liqiang rubbed his flat stomach, then looked at the dishes that had gone cold on his table with a wry smile. He just couldn’t catch a peaceful meal today. After all the talks and discussions, he realized that he was really hungry now. He could even feel his intestines squirming at a fast pace and his tummy was about to rumble, so he asked Manager Chu a very direct question. “Do you have steamed buns?”
“Ah, Young Lord, you eat steamed buns too…?” Manager Chu was taken aback for a moment, but quickly recovered when he saw the way Yan Liqiang was looking at him. “Yes, we do…!”
“Then give me six of them to fill my stomach. That’s all I need!”
“Alright, please wait for a moment. I’ll have them served to you right away!” Manager Chu nodded, then went downstairs to personally take care of it. In just a flash, he came up again with a tray of hot steamed buns and a bowl of warm snow ginseng chicken soup. Yan Liqiang immediately wolfed down the six steamed buns and soup without saying anything, then rubbed his stomach and stood up.
“How much?”
“Erm, how can we bring ourselves to receive money from you, Young Lord?” Manager Chu said uncomfortably.
Yan Liqiang smiled. “We are unrelated and I am only a patron in the restaurant. What’s wrong with paying for my food? The food here is quite decent, I may frequently drop by in the future. Are you going to let your business make losses whenever you see me, Manager Chu?”
Only then did Manager Chu suddenly realize that and slapped his forehead. “Oh, how silly of me. That’ll be seven maces and six candareens of silver, Young Lord Yan. Never mind about the six candareens, just seven maces of silver will do!”
“Hahaha, seems like you are good at doing business. Keep the change!” Yan Liqiang immediately fished out a piece of silver and placed it on the table. He then turned around and went downstairs, escorted by Manager Chu.
At this hour, there were significantly less people but more patrolling soldiers on the main street near the Nine Dragons Bridge. Yan Liqiang took another glance at the dull scenery of the Shatu community area before heading toward the other side of the bridge while thinking about something.
Meeting Situ Feixing today in Pingxi City was definitely out of Yan Liqiang’s expectations. Even so, gaining another huge helping hand was still something worth celebrating. Although Situ Feixing and Solo Cloud were useful, it was not the time to use them yet. The size of their troops was still too small to intervene with the chaotic situation in the Gulang Plains. Therefore, Yan Liqiang was still going to proceed with his original plans. The task he had given to Situ Feixing and Solo Cloud was to continue expanding themselves and double the size of their current troops. At the same time, they were to closely monitor the activities on the Gulang Plains and the situations of the Dark Ram Tribe. Yan Liqiang would personally support Situ Feixing for this purpose. From now on, the restaurant here at the Nine Dragons Bridge would become the stronghold for Yan Liqiang to contact Situ Fexing and Solo Cloud, and Manager Chu would also be receiving orders from Yan Liqiang.
He could only leave things as they were for now since things like these couldn’t be rushed. However, he should be able to carry out his next plan now. The Transportation Office and Soaring Heaven Sect had lowered their heads now. It seemed like being the best archer in the northwestern region was useful. For the time being, no one in Gan Province would dare to find trouble with him. Yan Liqiang walked while thinking, then a cold smile slowly appeared on his face. The Shatu Seven Tribes should prepare themselves to receive a huge gift from me…
About half an hour later, Yan Liqiang exited the city right before the city gates were closing. As soon as he did, he saw Hu Haihe and two guards waiting at the entrance so he went over to them.
“Young Lord…!” Hu Haihe immediately came down from the carriage to open the carriage door for him.
“Well then, let’s return to the manufacturing bureau!” Yan Liqiang announced that and climbed into the carriage.
…
…
Two days later, the weather completely cleared up at noon, so Yan Liqiang returned to Liuhe Town.
However, his carriage was stopped at the Liuhe Town entrance this time.
As soon as Yan Liqiang alighted the four-wheeled carriage, he saw Lu Wenbin jog up to him and then greet him. “Greetings, Young Lord!”
By now, Yan Liqiang was pretty much considered to be the Lu Clan’s son-in-law. As the Lu Clan’s steward, Lu Wenbin’s respect for Yan Liqiang came from the bottom of his heart. At the same time, his voice was much friendlier than before since Yan Liqiang was now considered to be his ‘relative’.
“Oh, the doors are being installed?” Yan Liqiang’s gaze swept across the fortress wall of Liuhe Town in the distance. There was a big group of workers busy working at the entrance which was once open. They were currently trying to install the two main doors at the southern entrance of Liuhe Town, so the road that led to the town entrance was temporarily sealed off for this reason.
Yan Liqiang didn’t really pay much attention to the construction until now. It was only now that he lifted his head to look at the lofty and sturdy wall in front of him. After more than a year’s worth of work, the construction of Liuhe Town’s fortress had come to an end. The battlements and arrow towers on top of the fortress wall had been completed. Liuhe Town was now surrounded by a tall and sturdy protective wall, just like the Lu Residence. It was certainly a sight to behold. The wall was even taller compared to the Lu Residence, and completely made out of limestone bricks. It was nearly impossible for martial practitioners below the Martial Master realm to scale over the wall. From afar, Liuhe Town’s fortress wall exuded impressive grandeur.
In the northwestern region and Gan Province, a fortress wall with a strong defense was a standard symbol of the local influential clan’s power and influence over the area. In the Great Han Empire, the emperor’s rule didn’t extend to the counties. The reason was because only clans held the authority to build fortresses like these. As long as the clan had nothing to do with treason or cause a great shift in the political situation, building a fortress like this could almost guarantee the clan’s power and influence for another two centuries.
For some reason, Yan Liqiang instantly felt a lot more at ease when he saw the fortress in front of him. He let out a sigh of relief, feeling the pressure he had for the future being significantly eliminated by the sturdy walls.
“Please wait for a moment, Young Lord. I didn’t expect you to return this morning. One of the doors has been installed. We’ll need another hour to get the other one installed before the roads will be made accessible!”
“Not a problem!” Yan Liqiang waved his hand with a smile in a great mood. “Come, let’s go have a look there…” Yan Liqiang ignored the dust and mud beneath his feet as he walked toward the fortress of Liuhe Town while speaking…