Martial Dao: Peace by Force

Chapter 285: Chapter 175: Bumper Harvest

Zhai Jia thought for a moment and nodded. ”True. Cash is the best deal then. With money in hand, we can buy the supplies ourselves. We have our own channels, so it’s safe and reliable.”

”Right,” Zhai Yu said. ”Money is better than supplies. It’s best to stay away from the Secret Palace’s medicine.”

Wan Ze nodded, making a mental note of it.

The car fell silent again, leaving only the low hum of the engine and the crunch of tires on the road.

...

「1:00 AM. A forest in the suburbs.」

The jeep followed a bumpy dirt road to the foot of a mountain, where the path came to an end.

Zhai Yu parked the car in a clearing, killed the engine, and turned off the headlights.

The surroundings were immediately plunged into absolute darkness. There were no streetlights, no houses, and even the distant city lights were blocked by the mountains.

A cold wind gusted from the mountain pass, carrying the scent of pine needles and earth, along with a touch of the night’s chill.

Wan Ze pushed the door open, got out, and stretched his arms and legs.

Moonlight filtered through gaps in the clouds, casting a gray pallor over the ground. The swaying tree shadows looked like a host of living creatures, waving their hands as if to say, ”Welcome.” Anyone with a weak heart probably wouldn’t dare approach.

”It’s just ahead,” Wan Ze said, pointing toward the stream. ”I’ll go alone to keep these guys from overreacting.”

Zhai Jia patted him on the shoulder. He didn’t say much, but the message was clear.

Zhai Yu remained in the driver’s seat. The engine was still running, idling and ready to go at a moment’s notice. His gaze was fixed through the windshield, watching the direction Wan Ze had gone.

”Brother Yu, do you think there’s going to be a fight?” Zhai Jia asked in a low voice.

Zhai Yu shook his head, but still said, ”Not unless someone from the Secret Palace does something stupid. This isn’t the first time we’ve worked with them...”

Zhai Jia nodded.

...

Wan Ze walked alone into the darkness.

After about five minutes, he heard the sound of water.

The stream wasn’t wide, only about three meters across, and the water was shallow enough to see the pebbles on the bottom. The babbling of the water was exceptionally clear in the quiet forest, which only made the surroundings seem even more silent.

Wan Ze stood by the stream and scanned his surroundings.

There was no one around.

No footprints, no cigarette butts, no traces of human activity whatsoever. The air held only the scent of mist and earth.

Wan Ze frowned slightly.

’This Zhao Henian is cautious to the bone.’

’I’m here now. There’s no way that guy Zhao hasn’t spotted me, yet he’s still not showing himself?’

Wan Ze spoke, his voice calm and not loud, but it carried far in the quiet forest. ”Come on out. If you don’t really want to trade, I’ll just burn this thing to ashes right now.”

As he spoke, he pulled a lighter from his pocket and flicked it open with a CLICK.

The flame flickered in the night wind, illuminating half his face.

With his left hand, he pulled two neatly folded pieces of paper from his other pocket—the translation he had brought.

Wan Ze brought the lighter close to the edge of the paper. The flame licked at the surface, and the edge began to curl...

”Wait!”

A sharp cry came from the forest on the other side of the stream, a note of urgency in the voice.

A figure emerged from the shadows of the trees, his steps quick but his footfalls light.

It was Zhao Henian.

He crossed from the other side of the stream and stopped on the bank.

Moonlight illuminated his face. His usually impeccable hair was now slightly disheveled by the mountain wind, and two buttons of his suit jacket were undone, revealing the collar of his shirt.

His expression, however, was not pleasant. His brow was furrowed, his eyes holding the displeasure of someone whose trick has just been exposed. ”You brought people?”

As Zhao Henian spoke, his gaze went past Wan Ze, scanning the forest behind him with dissatisfaction.

Wan Ze was completely unfazed. He put away the lighter and the papers, shoved his hands in his pockets, and looked at Zhao Henian. He retorted with three words: ”You expected otherwise?”

Zhao Henian’s expression immediately soured even more.

His fingers curled slightly, and his center of gravity unconsciously shifted half an inch forward onto the balls of his feet—the posture of someone preparing to strike.

Behind him, several blurry figures appeared in the forest, standing silently in the darkness.

”What, are you planning to double-cross me?” Zhao Henian’s tone turned cold, his voice laced with threat.

Wan Ze took a deep breath, practically shouting in his face, ”Is there something wrong with you people from the Secret Palace?”

The shout exploded in the silent forest, startling the men behind Zhao Henian.

”If I were really here to double-cross you, would I have driven my car in so openly?”

Wan Ze’s voice grew louder, as if he were genuinely furious. ”If I wanted to deal with you, I would have just had my people follow you from the start! You think you’re so tough? If my master, a Grandmaster, showed up personally, which one of you thinks you could escape?”

Wan Ze said this with absolute confidence.

Because he was speaking the truth. If Situ Bai had really come, Zhao Henian and his men wouldn’t even have a chance to run.

And Zhao Henian’s expression truly changed.

It didn’t look like anger, but rather fear.

”Situ Bai is here?” Zhao Henian’s voice cracked. He flinched and whipped his head around, his eyes warily scanning the darkness for any sign of movement.

The men behind him tensed up as well. Some reached into their coats, while others felt for the weapons at their waists.

Wan Ze: ”...”

He took a sharp, deep breath, trying his best not to curse out loud.

’Damn it.’

’Is this guy really sick in the head?’

’I was just bluffing, and he actually believed me.’

’A Grandmaster of my master’s caliber, coming out to some deserted mountain in the middle of the night just to back me up? Anyone with half a brain would know that’s impossible.’