Ink panel: Hunting the sun and surveying the sky from the bow.

Chapter 72 Certificate of Surrender

Shen Qing lowered his head and poured himself another bowl of wine. He stared at the bowl full of wine in his hand and remained silent.

He now seemed to vaguely understand why the four major bosses had been able to monopolize the business in the county for so many years, making tens of thousands of households and hundreds of thousands of people in and outside Taiping County depend on them for their livelihood.

The four major families in the county have a strong foundation, complex relationships among all parties, protect each other, and have powerful martial artists in charge.

No one can move them.

The children born in these families are born with a silver spoon in their mouths and cannot be compared with these peasants.

Maybe when he was still in the womb, he had already taken various tonic foods to nourish his qi and blood.

There is no need to say more after the baby is born.

The precious medicinal herbs and spiritual plants that they rarely see are just commonplace to them.

These children of wealthy families must have a smooth journey when practicing martial arts.

These lowly bastards who roll around in the mountains can't even touch someone's toes.

However, Shen Qing was not discouraged at all.

No matter how awesome they are, they can never compare to someone who cheats.

Shen Qing picked up the bowl in his hand, drank the wine in one gulp and said, "Who has this blood bird's nest now?"

"It's in the hands of a scoundrel named Kong Tianyu, a farmer from Jinzhou, strong and good at farming." Ouyang Tieniu took a sip of wine to moisten his throat and continued, "He's a smart man, and Wang Mazi trusts him very much. He was there when the hunter gave Wang Mazi the blood bird's nest. Later, when that incident happened, he took the blood bird's nest in the chaos and I secretly saw him."

"Where does he live?"

"It's right between Wang Ma and Lao Ba's shanties. They haven't run away yet."

Shen Qing frowned and said, "It's been so long now, the blood bird's nest may not be in his hands anymore, right?"

"It should still be there." Ouyang Tieniu lowered his eyebrows and said, "I heard some gossip just yesterday."

"What gossip?"

"In order to prevent the young masters of Song Gongming from making such a breakthrough, the other big bosses also secretly offered high prices to buy any of the mountain treasures, and the prices were higher than the other. Kong Tianyu will definitely wait for a higher price and will not be sold so quickly."

Shen Qing nodded, but did not continue the topic, and changed the subject: "Eat food and drink wine."

The food at Fengwei Mansion does not contain MSG or modern condiments, so in Shen Qing's eyes, the taste is only average.

But it must be said that this was the most satisfying meal Shen Qing had ever had since he traveled through time.

Shen Xiaohu, Xiao Zhi and the others all ate until their bellies were full.

When it came time to pay the bill, Shen Qing discovered that this table of food alone cost him eleven taels of silver, which made him gasp.

It’s really not cheap.

After leaving Fengwei Mansion, Shen Qing did not try to keep them, and he parted ways with Ouyang Tieniu and others and went their separate ways.

At this time, he had no real intention of recruiting Ouyang Tieniu and the other man as his subordinates.

In his opinion, even if he really wanted to recruit subordinates, it would be better to find one in Hongshan Village where it would be safer.

They are all from the same village and can be trusted.

People outside are always unreliable.

After Shen Qing came out of Fengwei Mansion, he did not wander around the inner city for too long. He took Shen Xiaohu directly back to Linfeng Hall.

He didn't have much silver on hand, so he planned to go back to Hongshan Village to get some money before coming back.

Now that he had gotten some money from Zhao Ba, it was enough for him to spend for two or three months, so he didn't have to rush back.

……

After Ouyang Tieniu and Yang Zhaoping came out of Fengwei Mansion, they walked towards the outer city. After walking for a while, Ouyang Tieniu's face was full of worry.

He regretted a little that he was too careful about his life at noon today and did not stand out more. He said many things to Shen Qing that he should not have said.

At lunch today, he realized that Shen Qing didn't trust him at all.

Although he acted very polite, he actually kept a certain distance from her, which made him a little worried.

After thinking for a while, Ouyang Tieniu said to Yang Zhaoping: "What do you think of Shen Qing?"

"Very strong, with a sophisticated mind that doesn't look like someone his age, and quite opinionated." Yang Zhaoping added without hesitation, "Not someone who is easy to get close to."

"I think so too." Ouyang Tieniu then asked: "What do you think now?"

Yang Zhaoping had been hanging out with Ouyang Tieniu for a long time and knew what he was talking about.

"We don't have anywhere good to go now, so I suggest you just follow him. Your brother seems to have a good relationship with him, and we can slowly build trust in the future. You must remember that we are different from those low-class scoundrels in the outer city. We are trustworthy scoundrels, so we must have some ambition and not be fickle."

"What you said makes sense." Ouyang Tieniu nodded: "Then let's go and grab the blood bird's nest?"

Yang Zhaoping was stunned for a moment, then leaned closer and said, "You mean... a letter of surrender?"

Ouyang Tieniu hooked Yang Zhaoping's shoulders, brought him closer, and said in a low voice: "Shen Qing has a bad impression of us now. If we show our loyalty, it will definitely be better. Blood Bird's Nest is an opportunity."

After thinking for a while, Yang Zhaoping finally agreed: "Yes, we can't just sit back and enjoy the fruits of our labor. That won't last long. I'll do this with you!"

"Brother, come with me. I know where Kong Tianyu lives."

……

Most of the houses in the shantytowns in the outer city are built with simple bricks and wooden boards. They have fallen into disrepair and look dilapidated.

Kong Tianyu's home is particularly inconspicuous in this dilapidated area.

The tiles on the roof were uneven, and some were broken, revealing the wooden beams underneath.

There was almost no furniture in the room except a tattered bed and a few chairs.

At this time, the sloppy Kong Tianyu walked in from outside, took out a wooden box from under the bed and hugged it tightly.

This box looks inconspicuous. It is just a bunch of wooden blocks put together and barely has the shape of a box.

But when Kong Tianyu saw that the box was intact, he felt as if a huge stone had been lifted from his heart.

He stared at the wooden box, his eyes full of anticipation and longing.

Kong Tianyu carefully opened the box, revealing the scene inside.

A bright red, crystal clear blood bird's nest lies quietly inside, exuding an enticing aroma.

"Fortunately, I held back and didn't make a move. The Zhou family outside has offered a price of one hundred and twenty taels. The Zhou family's housekeeper has already agreed to my request. Whether I can make a fortune and live a life of luxury depends on this."

Just as he was daydreaming, a large rock was suddenly thrown through the window and hit the bed, scaring him.

He quickly closed the wooden box and held it in his arms, yelling, "Who?"

Kong Tianyu leaned against the door and looked out through a three-inch-wide gap in the door.

There is nothing outside.

It must be a prank by some urchins from the neighborhood.

Just as he was thinking this, a sharpened wooden stick suddenly poked into his eye through the gap.

"what!"

A shrill scream burst out from Kong Tianyu's throat.

(End of this chapter)