Chapter 133: Marrying a Beautiful Wife

"Understood."

Zhang Qian grasped Long Chen's intention.

Judging by the current situation, the city might already be under the control of the sea bandits. If the troops entered the city, they would become turtles in a jar, so camping outside the city was the best choice.

"If the Prefect of Qianjiang Commandery is truly a pirate, and the entire city is controlled by sea bandits, our thousand soldiers are truly not enough."

Zhang Qian had initially thought this mission would not be too difficult, but now it felt far more perilous than a frontal battle.

On the battlefield, enemies were visible, but here, hidden enemies surrounded them on all sides, ready to strike at any moment, impossible to guard against completely.

Long Chen nodded and said, "That is why we must be cautious and handle matters with meticulous care."

"Go to sleep. Tonight should still be safe."

Long Chen climbed onto the bed to sleep, but Zhang Qian remained uneasy and insisted on keeping watch.

Lying in bed, Long Chen felt this journey was fraught with extreme danger; looking around, enemies lay on every side.

Whether sea bandits in the light or in the shadows, Jing Tianlie's secret guards were certain to make their moves, and the Southern Liang regime was likely not idle either. Three factions had converged upon Qianjiang Commandery, all eager to take his life.

Long Chen silently cursed inwardly: It's far from certain who will kill whom; let's just fight it out!

The next morning, when Long Chen awoke, Zhang Qian was still standing guard.

"Get some rest. I'm not in a rush to leave."

Fatigued, Zhang Qian collapsed onto the bed and fell fast asleep.

Seeing Zhang Qian's exhausted state, Long Chen felt a twinge of guilt.

She slept all the way until midday before waking up.

After washing up, the two went downstairs to eat a bowl of noodles and split up for their respective tasks.

Upon entering the courtyard, the innkeeper saw Long Chen wake up and asked, "Brother, going out to buy supplies?"

Long Chen nodded and asked, "Do I just keep heading east?"

The innkeeper pointed to the intersection ahead and replied, "Turn left and go east. It's right by the city gate, against the city wall."

With a pouch hidden inside his robe, Long Chen walked on foot toward the eastern part of the city.

Pedestrians and merchants still crowded the streets, and shops were open as usual, as though the sea bandits had made little impact on daily life.

How strange—were they not afraid of the pirates?

Walking to the very center of the city, he found the Prefectural Office. The guards at the entrance wore black official robes and carried sabers at their waists, looking quite formidable.

Continuing eastward toward the eastern gate, he spotted a luxurious mansion flanked by two stone-carved mythical beasts, which looked like the local guardian spirits of the sea.

A plaque hung above the grand entrance bearing the characters: Xu Residence.

The main gates stood wide open, with all sorts of people walking in and out. It lacked the heavily guarded atmosphere he had imagined, and the servants at the entrance wore friendly expressions, utterly devoid of any fierce demeanor.

Could the rumors be false?

Long Chen muttered doubts to himself as he slowly walked inside.

As he reached the main entrance, a middle-aged man stepped forward with a beaming smile to greet him, "Is there something our honored guest needs?"

Long Chen hurriedly nodded, bowed, and curried favor with a smile: "Brother, I'm looking to buy some fish oil to treat my father's injuries. I've brought money."

With that, Long Chen nervously fished a pouch from his bosom.

The man reached out to take it, but Long Chen quickly pulled it back and asked, "Do you have any?"

The man smiled and said, "We do. We have everything here."

"Mazi, take him inside. He wants fish oil."

A man with pockmarks on his face emerged from within, his gaze somewhat fierce. He cast a cold glance at Long Chen and said, "Follow me!"

Long Chen nodded in gratitude and followed closely behind him as they walked further in.

Along the way, a steady stream of people emerged carrying various goods, mostly seafood along with other miscellaneous items.

Entering a large courtyard, he found it quite noisy. All kinds of goods were displayed beneath the surrounding eaves, resembling a miniature marketplace.

A chorus of hawking cries rose and fell:

"Massive clearance sale, selling at a loss!"

"Fine porcelain, would you like some?"

"Deep-sea fish, eat it to prolong your life!"

Long Chen feigned curious glances all around.

"Ten taels of silver! Who wants it?"

Following the sound, Long Chen looked toward a stage set up in the southwest corner. Several young women with disheveled hair were tied up, while a man nearby cracked a whip and shouted prices to a crowd of men bidding below.

"The fish oil you want is right over there."

The pockmarked man pointed to a stall displaying various exotic sea treasures: pearls, luminous pearls, coral, hawksbill shells...

"I'll take it for ten taels!" shouted one man.

"Alright, ten taels. Any other bids?"

"Fifteen taels!"

"Very well, fifteen taels. Any more?"

Long Chen slowly squeezed through the crowd, protecting the money pouch in his bosom with both hands, until he reached the stall and said to the vendor, "Brother, I need fish oil, the kind for treating external wounds."

The vendor, a bald fellow, sized Long Chen up and asked, "Fish oil? What do you need it for?"

Long Chen replied, "I'm a hunter from Jiulong Mountain in Shangjiang County. My father was mauled by a tiger and is badly injured."

The vendor was startled: "Mauled by a tiger? And he didn't die?"

Long Chen awkwardly said, "We're waiting for the medicine to save his life."

The vendor held out his hand. Long Chen carefully retrieved the pouch from his robe, handed it over, and asked, "Is this enough?"

The vendor opened the pouch to find a collection of fragmented silver pieces and copper coins.

He tossed the pouch to a young man keeping accounts in the back. After calculating for a moment, the young man nodded. The vendor then produced a vial and said, "It can be taken orally or applied externally."

Long Chen stared at the vial, cradled it carefully with both hands, and then tucked it securely against his chest inside his robe.

Squeezing back out of the crowd, the human trafficker had already driven the bid up to thirty taels.

"Thirty taels! Are there any bids for thirty taels?"

The man swung his whip and shouted the price aloud.

An murmuring discussion swept through the crowd below:

"She looks decent enough, but look at her feet—one is clearly crippled. Thirty taels isn't worth it."

"I heard she's a wealthy young lady snatched from Zhenhai County. She has some looks, but her face has a knife scar. Thirty taels is already steep."

"Indeed, too expensive."

Hearing the mention of Zhenhai County, a slight ripple stirred in Long Chen's heart.

He looked again at the woman on the stage. Her left Achilles tendon appeared to have been severed, leaving her entirely dependent on her right foot for balance. Her hands were bound behind her, and her hair obscured half her face, though blood stains were visible on her skin.

She looked disheveled, but her gaze was exceptionally sharp.

"Brother, can she still bear children?"

Long Chen slowly squeezed to the front of the stage and looked up to ask the man.

The man gazed down at Long Chen, who was currently dressed in tattered animal skins, looking entirely uncivilized.

"Bear children? That depends entirely on you!"

The man tapped Long Chen on the head with his whip and burst into loud laughter.

The people around them joined in the amusement.

"I have no problem at all. I'm a hunter, my body is strong, and I can produce!"

Long Chen patted his chest and laughed along.

The onlookers egged him on further: "Why don't you buy her and take her back to find out?"

Long Chen asked, "Is thirty taels enough?"

The man eyed Long Chen for a moment before replying, "Not enough. Thirty taels was his bid; you have to offer more than him."

Hesitating for a moment, Long Chen unlaced his animal-skin boots, releasing a foul stench that caused the people nearby to recoil in disgust.

The man pinched his nose, shook his head, and cursed, "Put those back on right now, damn you!"

Long Chen pulled out a foul-smelling pouch, put his boots back on, and said with a grinning smile, "Is this enough?"

With sharp eyes, the man spotted the contents of the pouch and, ignoring the stench, picked it up and opened it. Inside were gleaming grains of gold sand.

"Gold sand? Where did you get this?"

"There's a sand river in Jiulong Mountain with alluvial gold. Everyone knows about it."

Jiulong Mountain indeed possessed alluvial gold, and people had prospected there, though in small amounts.

The man weighed it in his hand and said, "Fine, she's yours. Guaranteed to bear children. Do you want any of these others?"

Long Chen put on a troubled look and said, "I'm out of money."

People crowded around, shoving him as they demanded, "Really out of money?"

Long Chen smiled sheepishly and replied, "Truly out of money."

With that, he carefully placed the fish oil on the stage, then stripped off his outer garments and shoes to let everyone inspect him thoroughly.

Seeing that Long Chen genuinely had no money left, the onlookers dispersed.

Among those spectators were buyers, and certainly sea bandits as well. If Long Chen hadn't stripped, he likely wouldn't have been allowed to leave alive.

"Very well, take your wife and go."

The man pocketed the gold sand.

Long Chen tucked the fish oil securely against his chest, climbed onto the stage with a grin, hoisted the woman over his shoulder, and walked away, muttering as he went, "My father will be so happy now that I've taken another wife."