Chapter 89 Weapons and Feet
"Open the city gate."

Arriving at the gate of the spiritual realm, Zhou Qingshan immediately gave orders.

The two guards responded quickly and combined their strength. The heavy door creaked and slowly opened inwards.

clatter! clatter!
In the mist, a group of people riding on cows and escorting them slowly entered the spiritual realm. The cows were unusual, strong and covered with long hair. They were also covered with armor on their shoulders, chests and heads, and the armor was engraved with exquisite patterns.

Their sharp horns are like warriors' swords, pointing straight to the sky; their limbs are strong and their hooves are full of wind. Even when they are wearing heavy armor, their steps are still steady and powerful.

Their tails are long and hairy, swaying gently as they move, like battle flags fluttering in the wind. The guards on the backs of the bulls wear leather armor that matches the bulls' armor, holding spears, with long swords on their waists, and their eyes are like lightning.

It is obvious at first glance that they are an elite force.

As the group approached, the guards at the city gate couldn't help but become solemn.

However, Zhou Qingshan noticed that there was nothing unusual about the mounts of this team of guards.

I thought to myself.

It was the same spirit beast species as the Black Dragon Horse that the Black Dragon Army rode! The new lord of Songbai Township was actually from a spirit soldier family? ! !

There are three types of strange beasts: one is the giant beast, the second is the ferocious beast, and the third is the spiritual beast.

Those who can ascend to the spiritual realm with ease and without any abnormality are the same kind of strange animals or wild beasts that have been corrupted by the power of the "spiritual soldiers".

The elegant young man in the lead raised his hand, the team stopped, and he got off the long-haired ox. Seeing Zhou Qingshan surrounded by the crowd, his eyes lit up, he saluted and said generously:

"I am the Lord of Songbai Township, Che Ji, and I am honored to meet Mr. Zhou. Hearing about him is worse than seeing him in person. Mr. Zhou is famous far and wide, and today I see that he is indeed an extraordinary hero. Although I am a newcomer, I have heard of Mr. Zhou's many heroic deeds and I really admire him. It is a great honor for me to meet Mr. Zhou here today."

Zhou Qingshan was confused by the compliments, so he could only put on a bright and formal smile, bowed and said in return:

"Lord Che, you are too kind. I am just doing my duty to protect the land. Lord Che is here in person in the spiritual realm today. I wonder what you are doing here?"

Che Ji walked up to Zhou Qingshan, and glanced at the three inbound warriors behind Zhou Qingshan, with a strange look in his eyes:
"Mr. Zhou is a straightforward person, so I won't beat around the bush. I came here for two reasons: first, to visit Mr. Zhou, to meet the heroes, and to get to know them better; second, to discuss with Mr. Zhou some cooperation matters between Songbai Township and Shengfengling, to seek common development and achieve mutual benefit and win-win results."

"cooperate?"

Zhou Qingshan was stunned and asked, "Shengfeng Territory is just a small place with scarce resources. Among the spiritual fields, only the Nine Lotus Blood Grass has some reputation. However, this year's share has been negotiated with the Yunhe Chamber of Commerce, and it is not easy to break the promise. But there are no other specialties that can be traded with Lord Che."

"How about Lord Che come back next year? How about that?"

"I'm not here for the Nine Lotus Blood Grass." Che Ji shook his head, speaking with a slightly disdainful tone.

"Oh?" Zhou Qingshan frowned, "Then I wonder why Lord Che is here?"

"spices."

Che Ji stared at Zhou Qingshan and said word by word: "It can turn dirty sewage into delicious spices for the world."

"What is this?"

Hearing this, Zhou Qingshan's expression changed slightly, but he immediately regained his composure and said calmly, "How can such a precious thing as Lord Che mentioned be found in this small Shengfeng Territory?"

"I'm willing to pay one thousand treasure yuan to buy it." Che Ji raised a finger.

Zhou Qingshan looked embarrassed: "This... the territory really doesn't have what Lord Che said, that can turn dirty sewage into delicious spices for the world."

"Two thousand precious yuan." Che Ji raised another finger.

"But at home..." Zhou Qingshan hadn't finished speaking.

Che Ji interrupted Zhou Qingshan, turned around and pointed at the armored long-haired ox under the guard's seat, and slowly said:

"Two thousand precious coins, one hundred spiritual seeds, and three long-haired cows, no, five. These are the spiritual beasts that the spiritual soldiers of our family, 'Master Zhu', ride on. They can travel thirty miles a day and can walk on mountain roads as if they were flat ground. They are extremely fierce, have infinite strength, and can fight against strange beasts."

"Mr. Zhou, think it over carefully before you speak."

Zhou Qingshan shook his head: "Lord Che, this spice is completely fictitious."

Hearing this, Che Ji's face turned slightly cold, their eyes met, and they stared at each other for a long time, and the atmosphere suddenly froze.

At this moment, Che Ji suddenly chuckled, raised his hand and clapped twice:

"Zhang Peng."

"I'm here." A young man at the end of the guard team responded and rode forward on a cow.

Zhou Qingshan and the guards knew this young man, who was one of his former partners - Zhang Peng.

The guards behind him stared at him with blazing anger in their eyes, as if they wanted to eat Zhang Peng alive.

"Master." Zhang Peng got off the ox, came behind Che Ji, and bowed his head.

"Look up and tell Mr. Zhou whether the spice matter is fictitious or not." Che Ji said with a smile.

Zhang Peng raised his head, looked at Zhou Qingshan who had an indifferent expression, and solemnly uttered a word: "Yes."

As soon as the words fell. "Traitor!!"

Bang!
Xie threw a punch at Zhang Peng fiercely. Zhang Peng was caught off guard and was hit hard in the face. His body fell backwards suddenly. Blood immediately oozed from the corner of his mouth and several teeth fell out.

Zhang Peng tried to get up but was kicked by Xie Meng again.

Everyone present was shocked, and their eyes were all directed at Xie Meng like arrows.

There seemed to be flames dancing in Xie Meng's eyes. He glared at Zhang Peng and his voice exploded like thunder:

"You are such a traitor, how dare you betray our family and even have the nerve to invite outsiders into our house? Today I will clear our house of secrets!"

Zhang Peng covered his swollen cheek with his hand. Despite the unbearable pain, he still managed to get up from the ground. He faced Xie Meng's accusation and refuted it without flinching:

"How have I ever betrayed you? I have never sworn allegiance to the Lord. I am just a farmer's son who grew up in Shengfeng Territory, not a slave of the Lord. Choosing to follow other Lords is my right as a free man."

"Good, good, good, there is no betrayal!!"

Xie Meng laughed in anger, "Then the precious essence you used and the elixirs you took in the martial arts hall, were they a gift from heaven? They were saved bit by bit by the master of the family by tightening his belt, but he fed them all to you, an ungrateful person! If it weren't for the master of the family, you would still be a slave now!!"

Facing Xie Meng's questioning, Zhang Peng's eyes flashed with an unnatural look. He took a deep breath and raised his head to respond:
"Xie Meng, I, Zhang Peng, have acted in accordance with the conscience of heaven and earth. I will remember the Lord's kindness in my heart, but the way to repay the favor is not something you can define. I will report everything that happened today to Lord Zhou, and there is no need for you to make arbitrary judgments here!"

"You say it again?!"

Seeing this, Xie Meng sneered and threw another punch, but Zhang Peng dodged it. He grabbed Xie Meng's wrist with his backhand, and the two of them wrestled with each other in an instant, with dust flying everywhere.

Seeing this, Che Ji put away his smile, stepped forward and shouted, "Stop it!"

However, Xie Meng was so furious at this time that he could not hear anything and continued to fight fiercely with Zhang Peng.

"Mr. Zhou, what do you mean by this? You allow your men to beat up my guards in public. Do you know that this is making an enemy of me?"

Che Ji's face suddenly darkened. He looked at Zhou Qingshan, his voice filled with uncontrollable anger.

Zhou Qingshan's expression turned extremely ugly, and he shouted loudly: "Enough! Xie Meng, back off!"

Xie Meng's movements couldn't help but slow down, and Zhang Peng took this opportunity to break free and retreat behind Che Ji.

Zhou Qingshan's eyes were fixed on Zhang Peng: "Zhang Peng, do you have any explanation?"

Zhang Peng wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, stood up straight, took a deep breath, and said:

"Lord Zhou, Zhang Peng will always remember your kindness in cultivating me, and I have no intention of betraying you. I know what you are worried about, and that is that the secret of the spices will be stolen by unscrupulous people, thus bringing disaster to Shengfeng Territory."

"However, my master is from a family of spiritual soldiers and is a distinguished guest of the young master's mansion. I wonder what kind of jackals and tigers dare to peek at the secret of this spice? The reason why I disclosed the matter of the spice is out of my sincerity to cooperate with the Zhou family, hoping to jointly develop this rare resource to promote the prosperity of Shengfengling."

"It's not that I am guarding a mountain of treasures in vain and not daring to use them. Everything I do is to repay the Zhou family for their deep kindness to me."

"Reward? What a reward! So grandiose! Is this your reward?! You brought people here today, are you trying to take it by force?!"

Zhou Hu shouted angrily at the side. If Xie Meng had not taken the initiative and taken action instead, with the strength of the warriors entering the country, how could Zhang Peng be alive?

Zhang Peng shook his head slightly and replied calmly, "No. The head of the family came here today with the sincere hope of joining forces with the Zhou family to keep the secret of the spices together. I don't know how it became robbery in your mouth?"

Che Ji patted Zhang Peng's shoulder gently to calm him down, then turned to Zhou Qingshan and said earnestly:

"Mr. Zhou, in my opinion, what Zhang Peng said is worth considering. Win-win cooperation is the long-term solution."

"You must know that if a child carries gold through the market, it will definitely cause trouble. I came here today to help Mr. Zhou solve his worries and plan for the future of Shengfeng Territory together."

Zhou Qingshan's gaze was like an ancient well with no bottom. He quietly observed Zhang Peng and Che Ji's every move, as if he was thinking.

The whole scene fell into a suffocating silence.

"Spice, I am willing to give it to Lord Che for free, but there is a condition." Zhou Qingshan finally broke the silence.

"Oh?" Che Ji smiled and shook his head, "Mr. Zhou, do you want me to exchange Zhang Peng's life? I'm afraid spices are far from enough."

It’s not that it’s not possible, it’s that it’s not enough.

When Zhang Peng heard this, his face turned pale instantly. He understood the deep meaning of the patriarch's words.

"Not enough?" Zhou Qingshan raised his eyebrows slightly, as if he was curious about Che Ji's answer.

Che Ji still had a smile on his face, but his tone was a little more serious:
"Zhang Peng is an elite guard given to me by my family. He is the personal guard of our lord. As a lord, Zhou Jun naturally understands that guards are the bottom line of life and death for the lord. They are as precious and indispensable as our weapons and limbs."

“Do you think, just the spices, are enough?”

Zhou Qingshan was silent for a moment after hearing this, and then nodded heavily:

"It's definitely not enough. Far from enough."

(End of this chapter)