There were no more than a hundred people in the trade caravan outside the camp. The mighty caravan headed west with a few wooden carts in the middle. From a long distance, the fishy smell of four-hoofed animals could still be smelled.

The leader of the trade caravan was not tall with dark skin and ordinary facial features.

The most distinctive feature was his right eye, which was tightly covered by a black sheepskin eye mask may be because of a permanent eye injury.

He had a blue cloth wrapped around his head, and one side of it was inserted with a green feather. He wore a white short jacket with buttons down the front, straight-leg pants with dark fringe on them, and a silk gown with a large collar outside.

The dark red belt around his waist was bulging. There should be a self-defense weapon in it.

Seeing that the generals gathered around a handsome man coming from afar, the leader of the trade caravan raised his eyebrows slightly. Suddenly, his eyes turned sharp as if he could see through the misty fog of the evening.

"Are you Master Leng?"

The one-eyed man lifted his long gown with his hands on his waist, asking in a deep voice. When people listened carefully, they could find his voice somewhat mysterious as they couldn't tell whether it was the voice of a man or woman.

"Yes, it's me."

Leng Qingtang smiled and cupped his hand in the other, dispensing with the formalities,

"Where are you from? How do you know that we need Wutoucao?"

The one-eyed man pressed his thin lips lightly, leaning sideways. He patted the head of the white horse next to him, and the small bell rang.

"We've been traveling all over the world for many years, and we are rootless. So, Master, you don't have to ask about this. We just heard that your armies were poisoned by Kylin Smoke when you fought on the northern front with Bo Ku Army and you were badly in need of Wutoucao for making the antidote, so we took this here. I wonder how much you are willing to pay for it, Master."

Leng Qingtang didn't answer him immediately but turned to Lang Mucha,

Madam Lang understood, grabbing the handle of the scimitar with her fingers. Her eyes and brows looked cold,

"We have to examine it first."

The one-eyed man tilted his head and allowed Lang Mucha to lead people forward.

Madam Lang and two soldiers uncovered the large basket on the back of the leader's horse. After careful inspection, their eyes showed joyful brilliance.

"Master Leng, it's Wutoucao!"

Lang Mucha raised her head excitedly and shouted.

When Leng Qingtang heard it, he turned around and said something to a military doctor.

The military doctor nodded, and then leaned over to examine the Wutoucao with Lang Army.

From the head to the end of the caravan, all the Wutoucao had been examined. The military doctor then ran back, looking relieved.

"Master, it is indeed Wutoucao. There are two hundred baskets of Wutoucao!"

Leng Qingtang cupped his hand in the other with firm eyes and smiled.

"Thank you for your timely help. How much do you want for it?"

The man squinted his only eye and raised his index finger,

"Not much. Just ten thousand taels of silver."

People behind Leng Qingtang were in uproar.

The soldiers were shocked and indignant, chattering and shouting,

"What? Ten thousand taels of silver?"

"It's clear that they are robbing us!"

"Can they be sent here by Bo Ku people? They have just defeated us in the case of Xuede City with dirty methods, and now they try to blackmail us after they have collected Wutoucao."

A sudden noise brought everyone's discussion to a halt.

Lang Mucha drew the scimitar from her waist furiously. Seeing that, soldiers of Lang Army beside her also raised their weapons.

Madam Lang was furious. She pointed the scimitar at the one-eyed man, and roared,

"You'd better leave the Wutoucao here. Everyone in Da Yi should do their bit in the face of a national disaster. How can you hoard what we need to blackmail us?"

The one-eyed man sneered at Lang Mucha, saying in a scornful voice,

"Shut up! Straighten your tongue first before talking with me! We risked our lives to snatch this da*n grass from Bo Ku people, and there would have been two hundred baskets of plant ash if we had arrived there a little later! Come over to have a look!"

The one-eyed man pulled out one person from the team and lifted his jacket, revealing his bloody and simply-bandaged wound inside. He looked at Lang Mucha with cold eyes, asking in a stern voice,

"Does this worth ten thousand taels of silver?"

Then he strode towards the middle of the team, pulled one person from the cart, and removed the red cloth on his head.

Suddenly, the one-inch-long knife wound on his head appeared in front of everyone, looking shockingly hideous.

The one-eyed man asked again,

"Does this worth ten thousand taels of silver?"

"It... It's chicanery!"

Choked by his words, Madam Lang’s body trembled with anger.

A young soldier immediately rushed to the one-eyed man and raised his weapon high.

"Stop!"

Leng Qingtang shouted and stopped the fight in time.

The young man bowed his back and retreated to Madam Lang's side obediently.

Leng Qingtang looked at the only eye of the man calmly, and a shrewd light flashed past his deep eyes,

"The deal is clinched."

With full courage, his clear voice, surprised all the generals and soldiers, including the one-eyed men.

The soldiers were confused. After looking at each other, they opened their mouths and said eagerly,

"Master Leng, how could you promise him so easily?"

"Will we really give him ten thousand taels of silver? That's not a small sum of money."

"Master, you don't have to do this. We won't allow him to leave if he doesn't give us the Wutoucao today!"

Leng Qingtang raised his hand, and everyone fell silent.

He continued to look at the one-eyed man with deep eyes and said,

"I will pay you ten times more on this number."

Suddenly, there was a riot of sound like the hot porridge boiling in the pot,

"This, this is ridiculous!"

"One hundred thousand taels of silver? It will be enough to buy two or three hills, let alone two hundred baskets of grass!"

"Can't Master Leng do the math?"

Amidst the chaos, the fourth captain Bai Qiying's face turned pale. He moved closer to the Master slowly and raised his eyes to look at his face quietly, guessing in his heart repeatedly.

Should it be that the Master was not well in health? Why was he speaking nonsense?

His strange expression was caught by Leng Qingtang's sharp eyes. Leng Qingtang's black eyes turned to him then, making him bow his head and shrink his neck hurriedly.

The one-eyed man was also startled at the moment with his mouth half-open. He even couldn't say a whole sentence.

"Sir, are you satisfied with the price?"

Leng Qingtang looked at him, smiling faintly,

"Oh, yes, no problem..."

The man finally regained his senses and laughed dryly, but at this moment he turned somewhat alert.

This handsome eunuch was not stupid. Since he was willing to pay one hundred thousand taels of silver, he must have other intentions besides the two hundred baskets of Wutoucao.

As expected, Leng Qingtang said in the next moment.

"Besides your Wutoucao, I'd like to buy your caravan and brothers with one hundred thousand taels of silver."

"What?"

The man's only eye widened, and his upper body leaned backward in surprise,

"Master Leng, you're really generous, but I don't do the business of buying and selling living people. Besides, your buying my caravan and brothers will make me unable to make a living!"

Leng Qingtang lowered his eyes and chuckled, playing with the emerald ring on his thumb and saying in a calm and faint tone,

"Without the caravan, you still have other skills to make a living, right? For example, sailing on the sea, killing people and looting goods..."

The people of the caravan immediately turned fierce-browed and drew out their swords unanimously. The silver blades looked cold and gruesome.

Da Yi Army followed suit, and the atmosphere became extremely tense.

Lang Mucha stepped in front of Leng Qingtang and raised her scimitar with stern eyes,

"Hey, you should know that you are in the camp of Da Yi. You’ll have no advantage if you fight with us."

"Madam Lang is right." Leng Qingtang smiled and said to the one-eyed man.

"I admire your courage, sir. Since you can rob Wutoucao from Bo Ku people and send it to our camp, you must be bold and faithful. I want to ask you for some help now. Can we have a talk in some other place?"

He thought for a moment, motioned to the brothers behind him to put down their swords, and followed Leng Qingtang to the front of a wooden fence on the east side of the camp alone.

Leng Qingtang stopped and turned around to cup his hand in the other with a solemn expression.

"Thank you for your help, Madam Yaoguang."

The one-eyed man was still calm. He looked at Leng Qingtang with a smile,

"Master, why do you think that I am the notorious female pirate Ji Yaoguang?"

Leng Qingtang narrowed his eyes slightly, his face looking calm,

"People sailing on the sea like petting parrots for pleasure. It is said that Madam Yaoguang is single-eyed and the ornaments on her head are mostly parrot tails. So how can you not be Madam Yaoguang?"

"However, notorious is not a right word. Madam, since you are willing to take risks to seize the two hundred baskets of Wutoucao from the enemy, it can be seen that you are a bold hero! You deserve the title 'grand pirate'."

Leng Qingtang's praise was indeed sincere.

At this moment, he finally understood that the reason why Bo Ku people suddenly retreated when they were scolding in front of their camp was that someone exploited an advantage and robbed them of the Wutoucao.

The one-eyed man was surprised, and then smiled relievedly,

"Master Leng, you really have a silver tongue."

She raised her hand to take off the cloth on her head, and then her hair hanged down instantly.

The woman no longer imitated men's vigorous and firm tone deliberately, and her tone became natural then,

"Since you have seen through my identity, we might as well speak frankly. Master Leng, why are you willing to pay one hundred thousand taels of silver to buy my caravan and brothers on earth?"

Leng Qingtang turned sideways, raising his eyes to look at the towering mountains hidden in the sea of clouds,

"After our army occupied Hongnan City and Huolei City before, I heard from the captives that the war on the northern line of Bo Ku was fierce, but the commerce in the southwest was still going on. According to the scouts, to resist Lang Army of Da Yi, Bo Ku has transferred all its heavy forces recently to Xuede City to guard the third city firmly."

"Madam Yaoguang, I want to let your caravan cooperate with one army of Da Yi to penetrate the enemy rear and capture the fourth city Qingche City. Once Xuede City succumbs, the enemy will inevitably retreat to Qingche City. At that time..."

"I got it. Master, you want to block the enemy's retreat and then destroy them."

Ji Yaoguang understood what he meant, nodded, and smiled brightly with admiration in her eyes,

"Okay, it's a wonderful idea. But if we want to bypass the enemy's line of defense, it will take a lot of effort for us to rush to the southeast of Bo Ku as an ordinary trade caravan. Let's study the map carefully to find a breakthrough first. I'll do it this time!"