Chapter 187: Someone Following Them
Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation
Qiao Yang reined in his horse and stopped in front of the two of them. He immediately dismounted and looked at Su Ying happily. “Madam Su, you’re here too.”
Su Ying murmured her acknowledgment. “Why are you here?”
“It’s about the matter of selling charcoal. Big Brother said he wanted Uncle Meng to bring some people and go with us,” Qiao Yang said.
Meng Zi was surprised when he heard that. “Your big brother wants me to go too?”
“That’s right, Uncle Meng. Big Brother said that he will be more at ease if you follow us.” Qiao Yang would never say that it was because Tiger Might didn’t trust his younger brother. He couldn’t embarrass himself like that in front of Madam Su!
Meng Zi agreed without any hesitation. “Okay. When are you guys going?”
“We are setting off at night.”
Meng Zi nodded. “Alright. I’ll bring some men over tonight.”
“Thank you, Uncle Meng.”
Su Ying added, “There should be another batch of charcoal coming out today.
Uncle Meng, if you have a cart, you can help us pull it there and sell it.”
“Sure. No problem.”
After agreeing to Su Ying’s request, Meng Zi sent people to the North District to collect carts. They gathered all the available ox carts and horse carriages before loading all the charcoal onto the transportation vehicles.
That night, just after 1 am, Meng Zi brought a team to the Tiger Base. Qiao Yang and the others were already waiting.
Tiger Might looked at the people Meng Zi brought and nodded in relief.
Tiger Might walked up to them and said, “Brother Meng, I’ll have to trouble you guys for this trip.”
Meng Zi simply gestured with his hand. “Everyone is united in doing this for the Tiger Base now. There’s no need to stand on ceremony.”
Tiger Might pulled Meng Zi to one side and said, “Previously, when 1 was pulling the carriages back with Madam Su, Madam Su met her old enemy. That person is not someone to be trifled with. These few days, he has been bringing people around to find out Madam Su’s whereabouts. Therefore, we have no choice but to set off in the middle of the night because we are afraid that the other party may discover our plans.”
Meng Zi understood immediately upon hearing that. He didn’t ask who Su Ying’s enemy was, but he gave his word that he would bring everyone back safely.
Tiger Might patted Meng Zi’s shoulder. “Then I’ll have to trouble you, Brother Meng.”
Meng Zi cupped his fists at him and walked to the front of the team before mounting his horse. “Let’s go.”
As they were traveling in the dark, they were not able to move very fast. Fortunately, Meng Zi was already very familiar with this road, so it was not too difficult for them to travel.
When the sky started to brighten, they finally left the northern wilderness.
Outside the northern wilderness, the field of vision was much wider.
Su Ying had already given Zhang Liang’s contact information to Qiao Yang, who had already sent someone to leave a message for Zhang Liang yesterday.
Therefore, as soon as the gate at the border pass opened, Zhang Liang and his men were already waiting there.
Zhang Liang’s gaze fell on Qiao Yang, who was traveling beside Meng Zi. When he saw that Qiao Yang had tied a red strip of cloth on his head, Zhang Liang walked up to him. “Are you Second Young Master Qiao?”
Qiao Yang glanced at Zhang Liang and dismounted. “How many children does Madam Su have?”
Zhang Liang was stunned for a moment. Then, he said with a smile, “Two. A boy and a girl. The little boy is older.”
Qiao Yang nodded in satisfaction when he ascertained that he was the correct person. “You’re Old Master Zhang, right?”
“Second Young Master Qiao, you can just call me Zhang Liang.”
“Old Master Zhang, no need to stand on ceremony. This is our batch of goods. Please take a look.”
Meng Zi also got down from his horse. It was not good for them to stay here for long. It was better to end the transaction quickly.
Zhang Liang nodded slightly and went forward to inspect the goods. He realized that this batch of goods was better than the previous batch. “There’s no problem with this batch. I’ll pay you according to the previous price. 4 taels of silver per carriage. Gentlemen, do you have any problem with that?”
This price was the same as what he offered the last time. Zhang Liang didn’t give them less money just because the person who came wasn’t Su Ying. This person was magnanimous.
“Thank you, Old Master Zhang.”
“I know that Madam Su wants grain, so 1 prepared enough rice for you early in the morning. The price of rice may rise a lot over this coming winter, so I bought it in advance for Madam Su. You guys can take the rice back first. You can make up for the outstanding silver payment with charcoal next time.” “Why? The price of rice has increased?”
Zhang Liang nodded. “My friend in the Nan State sent me a message last night saying that there is friction at the borders of the Chu State and the Nan State again. The situation between the two states has become tense once more. The Chu State has yet to react. When they do, the price of grain at the border pass will definitely rise.”
“The Chu State and the Nan State have already stopped fighting. Why is there friction again?” Meng Zi frowned. Fortunately, they had stockpiled enough rice. Otherwise, they would have to starve again this winter.
Zhang Liang didn’t know anything about these states’ political affairs. “I don’t know. I’m afraid it will be difficult for us to foster a good relationship with the Nan State. You guys should take your goods and go back as soon as possible.”
“Alright.”
Zhang Liang asked his men to bring the rice over. After unloading the sacks, his men loaded the empty carts with the charcoal.
Meng Zi looked at the grain in the carriages. The value of the grain far exceeded that of charcoal. If it wasn’t for Zhang Liang’s trust in Su Ying, he wouldn’t have allowed them to bring the grain back in advance without making payment.
“Thank you, Old Master Zhang. We still have to rush, so we’ll take our leave first.”
“No need to thank me. The next time you guys send charcoal, just leave me a message one day in advance.”
“Sure.”
Both sides then cupped their fists in farewell and left separately.
A carriage of charcoal in exchange for a carriage of grain made Meng Zi and the others feel much more relaxed on their way back. Everyone just wanted to go back and make more charcoal so that they could exchange all of it for edible grain.
Meng Zi suddenly stopped and said, “Everyone, stop for a moment. Take a rest up ahead before continuing.”
Qiao Yang said, “Uncle Meng, we’d better go back quickly. If we move faster now, we might be able to get back before dark.”
However, Meng Zi shook his head and said, “No one slept last night. We don’t have much energy today. Let’s take a break.” With that, he asked everyone to stop.
Qiao Yang could only get off his horse and find a place to lie down. His thighs were also hurting from riding the horse for so long.
Meng Zi got off his horse and slowly walked around all the carriages while holding a water bag.
When he reached the carriage in the middle, Meng Zi suddenly pulled out the sword at his waist and quickly stabbed it under the carriage!
“Argh!”
A scream suddenly rang from under the carriage.
In an instant, a figure dashed out from beneath.
Everyone heard the commotion and ran over warily.
The other party turned around and wanted to run when he saw that his presence had been exposed. Not surprisingly, Meng Zi would never allow him the chance to escape. The saber in his hand shot out with one swing of his arm. “Argh!”
The other party’s leg was pierced by his saber and he fell to the ground in great pain.
The rest of the people rushed forward and grabbed him.
“Scum, how dare you follow our carriages in secret! Tell me! Who sent you?” Qiao Yang gave a kick to the man in the chest. After the man toppled over, he stopped moving.
Qiao Yang pulled him up to check on him. He was not breathing anymore!
“When… when did my martial arts become so powerful…” Qiao Yang was at a loss and a little excited. He actually killed someone with one kick?
However, Meng Zi shattered his fantasy. “He killed himself..”