Chapter 52

Upon hearing Shang Jie’s words, Wu Qiong blinked.

He did report to Mister Black Cloud that he was trying to contact and negotiate with the Miao family of East River County.

In addition to the Miao family being a suitable target, he also hoped to make some connections with the Yellow River Dragon Gate.

But at that time, he and the Miao family had not yet reached an agreement, and nothing had even begun.

Everything was just in the beginning stage.

Now that the Yellow River Dragon Gate’s Elder Shang Jie appeared, Wu Qiong thought that the Miao family was secretly behind it.

But it seemed that Chang’an Fortress had already been in communication with the other side.

At first, Wu Qiong thought that he could make a great contribution this time.

But now, it seemed that everything was within Chang’an’s plan.

It was in the plan of that person in the Great Ming Palace…

If it was Mister Black Cloud’s intention, he wouldn’t have gone so far as not to tell me… Wu Qiong felt a cold sweat break out on his back.

He was glad that he was loyal and devoted to the task that Chang’an had ordered him to do.

If he had been a bit unfaithful or sneaky, he would not have been able to hide it from Chang’an Fortress.

Thank heavens, thank heavens… Wu Qiong was deeply relieved.

Facing Shang Jie, he replied cautiously and respectfully, “His Majesty and Mister Black Cloud have far-reaching plans, and I am merely acting under orders. If I have overlooked anything, I will have to trouble Elder Shang.”

Shang Jie took a deep look at Wu Qiong in front of her.

Everything is indeed within Chang’an Fortress’s expectations.

But if so, then why didn’t Mister Black Cloud mention a single word when he met me?

Is it because he doesn’t trust me, or does he… want to test me and the Yellow River Dragon Gate with this?

Shang Jie looked at a group of people in the courtyard that she had hung upside down.

These people all belonged to the Secret Cabinet of the Eastern Tang Dynasty.

Was the arrival of these people within the grasp of Chang’an Fortress?

Is Chang’an interested in seeing what the Yellow River Dragon Gate will do about this?

Once again, Shang Jie scanned around, but she did not find anyone from Chang’an Fortress watching.

But she was not sure that there was absolutely no one.

“Let’s leave first,” Shang Jie said to Wu Qiong and the old man surnamed Miao while remaining calm.

Then the three of them left.

Shang Jie was full of doubts.

Chang’an Fortress’s skeptical attitude did not anger her.

On the contrary, it settled her heart a little.

The other party’s caution and probing, in turn, confirmed that it chose its trading partners carefully.

Chang’an Fortress had been too mysterious.

It had inexplicably appeared in the deep mountains of Dragon Ridge, inexplicably sheltered refugees and commoners, and became enemies with the Eastern Tang Dynasty.

Now, it had lifted a corner of its mysterious veil.

However, the other party’s prowess shocked Shang Jie.

“Those people just now belonged to the Eastern Tang Dynasty’s Secret Cabinet.” She looked at Wu Qiong and the old man. “The news of the deal may have leaked.”

The old man surnamed Miao paled slightly and became worried.

In contrast, Wu Qiong calmly said, “Everything is at Elder Shang’s disposal.”

“I’ve already informed my senior brother and asked him to decide on everything,” Shang Jie said. “Sect Master Wu and the Thunderclap Sect need to be more careful these days. Otherwise, go back to Chang’an.”

Wu Qiong took a deep breath. “Thank you for your advice, Elder Shang. I will do so at my discretion.”

…

Soon, Zhang Dongyun, who was in Chang’an Fortress, received Wu Qiong’s report.

After learning the details of what happened, he sighed slightly.

The spies of the Eastern Tang Dynasty’s Secret Cabinet were quite sharp.

However, given the power of the Yellow River Dragon Gate on both sides of the Dragon River, this business could continue as long as it was willing.

There was no need to fight against the Eastern Tang Dynasty, as the Yellow River Dragon Gate could still conceal it if it wanted to.

The Thunderclap Sect might have to retreat and could not continue being the go-between.

Since the road to the Yellow River Dragon Gate had opened, the Thunderclap Sect had completed its mission.

As for whether the Yellow River Dragon Gate would take over this business, to put it in Shang Jie’s words, ‘strangers the first time, friends the second time’…

Zhang Dongyun waited patiently for news from the buyer.

Chang’an Fortress continued to develop slowly and orderly..

As the miners in the mine outside the fortress increased, the output of raw turquoise crystals was also increasing.

Mister Black Cloud, whom Zhang Dongyun incarnated into, instructed Hui Tianyu and others to solve the problem of transportation.

The Yellow River Dragon Gate could take care of the waterway transportation, while Chang’an needed to transport the ores out of the mountains.

As the Forgotten Truth Temple had run into difficulties in Chang’an Fortress repeatedly, its prestige plummeted in the hearts of many.

The Cold Mountain Sect people had returned to Qinzhou Prefecture to regain a foothold.

As the Dragon River flowed through Qinzhou, the sect began to work on extending and reforming the ferry crossing.

The original bureaucratic power of the Eastern Tang Dynasty in Qinzhou had more or less been cleared.

At present, the Eastern Tang Dynasty was fighting with other countries on the border.

After losing Du Kun’s army in Longbei, the Eastern Tang Dynasty could not spare dispatching any more troops to Longbei for a while.

Perhaps the Eastern Tang Dynasty had discovered the conflict between Chang’an Fortress and the Forgotten Truth Temple, so it was going to stand aside for the time being and reap the spoils later.

The few remaining Tang Dynasty troops in Longbei were reduced and held on to other vital places.

This temporarily left Qinzhou Prefecture empty.

This gave Zhang Dongyun and Chang’an the convenience to develop steadily.

As the days passed, both good news and bad news returned.

The Eastern Tang Dynasty had indeed targeted the Thunderclap Sect. The officials in the open and the Mingguang Cabinet in the dark were targeting it.

Wu Qiong had to lead his sect members deep into the mountains and sent some family members to Chang’an.

This put him, as the new acting sect master of the Thunderclap Sect, under some pressure within the sect.

He also had to withdraw temporarily from the business of turquoise crystals.

However, Wu Qiong felt that everything was worth it, as Mister Black Cloud eventually credited the Thunderclap Sect for his efforts in getting in touch with the Yellow River Dragon Gate.

Moreover, the Miao family also withdrew, distancing itself from the matter.

The good news for Zhang Dongyun was that the Yellow River Dragon Gate had finally accepted the turquoise crystal business.

It personally took over the business and was much more reliable than the Miao family.

Everything went smoothly.

After the arrangements were made, Fortress Lord Zhang witnessed the first batch of ores being transported down the mountain.

The turquoise crystals went downstream on a ferry on the Dragon River in Qinzhou Prefecture.

Soon, the first sum of money reached Zhang Dongyun’s hands.

Then the second and third batches followed…

Thus, when everything was stable, the system’s notification once again sounded in Fortress Lord Zhang’s mind.

[You have opened up a stable source of wealth for the fortress. Your subjects are earning their own living, providing for you, and maintaining stability. You have completed Construction Quest 2.3. Rewarded 1,000 Construction EXP.]

In the Great Ming Palace, Zhang Dongyun clenched his hands.

Although this quest was complicated, it rewarded 1,000 Construction EXP.

As a result, he had 2,100 Construction EXP, which already reached the goal of upgrading and expanding the fortress for the second time.

Now, he just had to wait for his Guarding EXP to reach 2,000 as well.

This will likely depend on what people the old bloody shadow demon and the others can attract when they return from the Forgotten Truth Temple… Zhang Dongyun was looking forward to it.

He had been looking forward to it for a long time and finally got the news he wanted.

But the moment he heard the news, he almost cursed.

“Sir, sect disciples at the bottom of the mountains have sent an urgent report,” Hui Tianyu reported to Zhang Dongyun. “Some Daoist experts have surrounded Senior Bloody Shadow and Senior Chen at the bottom of the mountains. The situation is critical!”