Food Fairy Lord

Chapter 498 Exploration Ship
The deck of the big ship was as flat as a square. When the two men leaped up, the first thing they caused was silence.

The boatmen who were handling the cables and rowing the rudder looked at them and slowly stopped their work. Their sturdy bodies were faintly visible in the morning breeze. Pei Ye took a rough look and found that almost everyone had a sword on his waist or in his hand.

"Thank you, Officer. I don't recognize you." Chen Renzhong walked over dragging his broad knife, his hard face tanned to a bronze color. "What brings you here?"

He spoke these words very slowly, just like his footsteps. On this huge ship, more and more eyes were cast over. The morning mist was hazy, the river was surging, and they were indeed the only two swordsmen here.

"Your ship is suspected of transporting prohibited items. Lower the sails immediately for inspection." Xie Chuantang waved the order to him again, his words still as cold as his eyes.

Chen Renzhong was silent for a moment, his expression unchanged. In the silence, he slowly raised his hand and said, "I will lower the sails, sir."

The fully-furnished sails were slowly lowered, Pei Ye and Xie Chuantang looked at each other, turned around and headed for the cargo hold below the deck. Xie Chuantang gestured to Chen Renzhong, and the man walked in front of her in silence.

"All we carry are purchased from the Central Plains and shipped to the South China Sea for sale." Chen Renzhong invited Xie to enter the house. The thick walls blocked the morning breeze, leaving only silence. "Fengshuiwu has been living on the water under the Emperor's City for twenty years. The officer said there are prohibited items. I'm afraid there is a misunderstanding."

"If you are not humble, why are you sailing at full speed these days?"

Chen Renzhong was a famous captain on the Fengshui River. He had entered the eighth generation many years ago. At this distance, he would not need the fourth move to take the head of a young girl of the sixth generation. But Xie Chuantang did not seem to know this, or she was really brave. In any case, she stared at Chen Renzhong's face.

"You are joking, sir. The cargo on the ship has a deadline. It rained heavily and there was no wind a few days ago, so the journey was slow. Now the weather is better, so we have to catch up." Chen Renzhong took out the list and handed it to Xie Chuantang, his voice deep and deep, "The 149 items of cargo on this ship are all here, please take a look."

Pei Ye followed the sailor down the deck and down the stairs. Once the hatch above his head was closed, the only light source was candles.

The cabin was filled with humidity and body odor. The boatmen here were a mixed bunch, many of them were odd jobs, barefoot and wearing turbans, and without swords. The people from Fengshui Wharf were wearing shirts with tight sleeves, and they were mixed with the laborers, leaning on sacks, with no clear boundaries.

When Pei Ye walked down, he was once again greeted with that silent gaze, with pairs of pupils glowing in the darkness.

The man who led Pei Ye down was a younger man named Chen Yingfeng. His face was also tanned by the wind and sun, and he looked somewhat like Chen Renzhong. "Young man, whatever you want to check, you can open it one by one."

What you see on this floor are rows of neatly arranged shelves. Looking outside the warehouse, you will see where the boatmen live and work.

Pei Ye retracted his gaze and shook his head: "Go down."

The light source on the second layer is more concentrated like candles, and the human figures are more vague. The space here is very large, and the goods are stacked high.

Pei Ye walked around twice and raised his hand to signal to continue going down.

Chen Yingfeng was silent for a moment and walked down to the third floor.

There were no lights on the third floor at all. Chen Yingfeng lit the lights himself. The faint light could reflect some corners of the stone pestle. It was heavy, dark, and rough. There was almost no place to step. The musty smell of lack of ventilation wafted into the mouth and nose. It was obvious that even on this ship, few people came here.

Pei Ye just stood in front of the door, as if nothing interested him.

"The first layer contains some treasures and valuables, all tied securely on the shelves." In the cabin, Chen Renzhong did not feel any emotion because of the woman's coercion. He poured a cup of tea and pushed it to Xie Chuantang's hand, but he leaned against the wall without sitting down.

Xie Chuantang didn't even touch it, but lowered his eyes to glance over the items on the list.

"The first forty-eight are all of this type." Chen Renzhong said in a deep voice, "The jade and porcelain wares made by the Central Plains craftsmen can always be sold at a good price in the south."

Mentioning "the south" seemed to make him feel relaxed, and a look of longing appeared on his face, but it disappeared when he spoke again: "The second layer is the specialties of the north and west, silk, wood carvings, medicinal herbs and tea. A total of 66 kinds. There are also some grain and vegetable seeds, but those things are afraid of rain and lake steam, so I brought less."

Xie Chuantang inspected it silently. "The third layer contains raw materials that are not available in the south, such as wood and ore, which are all heavy objects." Chen Renzhong tapped the big knife beside him with his fingers, but his eyes were looking out the window. "That's all the stuff on the paper, nothing to see."

Xie Chuantang closed the list and asked, "What about those things that are not written down on the paper?"

"If it's not written down on paper, it doesn't exist."

"These things are just over half of your load."

"There are a lot of gold and silver, that's it." Chen Renzhong leaned against the wall, his bear-like body seemed very relaxed, "Captain Xie doesn't know much about business - we spend all the money every time, but we don't necessarily fill the boat."

"How much is your capital for this trip?"

"One thousand eight hundred and seventy taels of silver."

Xie Chuantang flipped through the pages quietly for a moment and said softly, "It is exactly the same."

"nature."

"We have passed the third floor. Is there anything you want to check?"

Pei Ye raised his hand and gestured downwards again.

"What do you mean, young man?"

"Don't you want to check out the fourth floor?"

"Young man, you are joking. This type of sloop only has three bottom decks. Where does the fourth deck come from?"

"Your ship has a fourth floor."

"Young man, you are still joking." Chen Yingfeng lowered his head. "'Nan Jin Feng' has been engaged in river transportation for more than ten years, and it has always been loaded with three layers of cargo. Even the children at Chang'an Wharf know it."

"Then I won't show it to you."

"You can't create a layer."

There were footsteps coming from behind him. Pei Ye turned around and saw the boatmen from the upper two floors walking down silently. They rolled up their sleeves to reveal their bronze arms, with swords in their hands.

Fengshuiwu is not a gang that is gathered together by the inheritance of masters. They were born in the underworld and have the spirit of the underworld. The industry they hold in their hands is the mountain gate.

The figures slowly surrounded the young man. In such a closed space, he only had one arm and a sword. He went deep into the core hall of Fengshuiwu with injuries. He was really a lone warrior that had not been seen in many years.

Pei Ye glanced at Chen Yingfeng and smiled, "I was on official business and met someone for the first time. I was always called 'Sir' or 'Envoy', but you called me 'Young Hero'. Do you know who I am?"

There was silence in the cabin for a moment, and Chen Yingfeng subconsciously pressed the sword at his waist.

Pei Ye sighed softly, raised his thumb and gently pushed the sword out of the scabbard, the sword body reflecting the candlelight like a mirror. This action suddenly caused a large "clang" in the cabin, but the next moment everyone's eyes widened, and the boy turned into white feathers in front of everyone and disappeared without a trace.

(End of this chapter)