Cao County.
Inside the county yamen.
The sky was gloomy.
A cold, icy rain began to fall.
Cao County magistrate, "Cao Man," his face gaunt, holding a letter, walked despairingly into the rain.
He raised his head, gazing at the sky at a forty-five-degree angle.
The cold, icy rain slapped his face wildly.
...
Several Cao family servants, hiding under the eaves, peeked at "Cao Man."
"Steward, what's wrong with master this time?"
The Cao steward sighed a long, drawn-out sigh.
"Alas, you wouldn't know, our second young master, he..."
Second young master?
Oh, understood!
In this regard, the Cao family servants were all too experienced!
Someone immediately jumped out to answer.
"The second young master defected!"
The Cao steward glared displeasedly at the "talkative fellow."
Who told you to steal my lines!
"Cough, cough..."
The Cao steward coughed and continued.
"Not defected, the second young master was captured by the rebels, and the rebels sent a letter demanding ransom!"
Oh, so he didn't defect, but was captured by "rebels."
These "rebels" were truly scoundrels, not only capturing people but also demanding ransom, weren't they stealing the livelihood of "bandits"!
Hey, wait, that's not right, that's not right!
Suddenly, a few sharp-witted Cao family servants came to their senses.
Speaking of which, this wave of "plot" felt so familiar?
Oh, right!
Remembered it!
The third young master was also claimed to have been captured by "rebels" and demanded "ransom" from master.
As a result, the third young master, that "dutiful son," turned around and directly handed over the "ransom" to the "rebels" as seed money for their "uprising."
What a scam!
A genuine scam!
A Cao family servant couldn't help but speak.
"Um, could the second young master also be a dutiful son?"
The same "plot" repeated!
Pretend to be captured, demand ransom, then turn around and give all the money to the "rebels."
Possible, very possible!
The Cao family servants all nodded involuntarily.
They looked at the Cao steward and asked in unison.
"Steward, should we remind master?"
"Remind my ass!"
The Cao steward cursed irritably.
"Worrying about things that don't concern you! When has the master's family affairs ever been our place to interfere? Besides, with so much of the Cao family's ancestral property, if our young masters don't squander it, when will it ever be used up, right?"
Uh...
Alright!
The Cao family servants nodded one after another.
Right, why should we bother ourselves? Anyway, the Cao family has plenty of "ancestral property," sell it off!
Pfft!
Standing in the bitter wind and cold rain, "Cao Man" finally mustered enough emotion and began today's "blood spewing."
He transformed into a "human fountain," with a massive flow!
The Cao steward's eyes lit up, and he excitedly beckoned to the Cao family servants.
"Stop the nonsense, quickly, quickly, get to it!"
The Cao family servants, being familiar with the routine, immediately sprang into action, grabbing pots and pans, and running to collect the fresh blood "Cao Man" was spewing.
Two unreliable Cao family servants started arguing again, whether tonight's "blood tofu" should be braised or stewed, and they nearly got into a fight over it.
"Cao Man" spewed blood for quite a while before he managed to recover slightly. He weakly said to the Cao steward beside him.
"Prepare, we'll continue selling off the Cao family's ancestral property..."
To this, the Cao steward was already prepared. He immediately agreed with a smile.
"Yes, master!"
Pfft!
"Cao Man" began to spew blood again!
Even though he knew the chance of his second son being a "dutiful son" was ninety-nine percent, "Cao Man" dared not give up that last sliver of hope!
Forget it, forget it, sell the "Cao family's ancestral property" to save my son!
Pfft, pfft, pfft!
Can't stop, can't stop, just thinking about these things makes "Cao Man" spew blood non-stop.
Purple Jade Bamboo Forest.
Inside the cave.
[Ding! Your enemy "Cao Man" is spewing blood...]
[Ding! Your enemy "Cao Man" begins "selling ancestral property"...]
[Ding! Your enemy "Cao Man" completes "selling ancestral property" and obtains a large amount of money.]
[Ding! Your enemy "Cao Man" pays ransom to your friend "Cao Pi."]
[Ding! Your friend "Cao Pi" receives a large ransom and gives it to your senior disciple "Liu Xiu'er."]
[Ding! Your senior disciple "Liu Xiu'er" obtains a large amount of money and begins to build the city walls of "Mu Wang City"... The loyalty of the people of "Mu Wang City" to "Liu Xiu'er" increases again!]
[Ding! Your enemy "Cao Man" requests your friend "Cao Pi" to return home with him. "Cao Pi" states he wishes to remain in the "rebel faction" and assist "Liu Xiu'er" in conquering the world!]
[Ding! Your enemy "Cao Man" has spewed twelve liters of blood!]
...
Looking at this series of "dynamic messages."
Hao Ren's mouth twitched.
What a scam!
These brothers, "Cao Zhi" and "Cao Pi," were truly "dutiful sons," what a scam!
However, Hao Ren had to admit, it was a beautifully executed scam!
Thanks to "Cao Pi's" "extortion," the "rebel faction's" funds were once again sufficient. Not only could they repair the collapsed city walls of "Mu Wang City," but they could also properly renovate the entire "Mu Wang City."
Killing two birds with one stone!
As for "Cao Man," alas, he was just unlucky to have such "dutiful sons" like "Cao Zhi" and "Cao Pi."
However, Hao Ren really wanted to ask "Cao Man" a question.
Just how much "Cao family ancestral property" do you have?
They've already sold it several times, and it's not over yet?
Could it be that the "Cao family ancestral property" is like the legendary... you know, squeeze and it'll always be there?
Uh, that's not right either, take "Kong Xiaoxian," who became a spirit from a flatbed truck, no matter how much she squeezes, there won't be any!
Cough...
Hao Ren shook his head, discarding all the chaotic thoughts from his mind.
Speaking of Kong Xiaoxian, she and Han Mo recently went "merchanting" with Qian Duoduo.
Han Mo originally didn't want to go.
As a "thousand-year-old schemer," Han Mo's personality was similar to Hao Ren's.
Cautious, low-key, and a master of hiding!
If he could cultivate in his cave, Han Mo would never go out.
This was also what Hao Ren admired most about Han Mo.
The "mantle of hidden cultivation" from his master had finally found a successor!
However, recently things have changed!
Under the instigation of Daoist Jin Mo, Kong Xiaoxian and Han Mo completed the "Dao Companion ceremony."
The two officially became "Dao Companions"!
A certain senior: Woof woof woof...
Angry dog roaring.jpg
That day, "a certain senior" was in a bad mood, always burping, full of dog food!
Cough... back to the topic!
After Kong Xiaoxian and Han Mo became "Dao Companions," Kong Xiaoxian was happy all day, like a cheerful little butterfly. She even proposed a "honeymoon trip."
Han Mo didn't want to go, but he couldn't refuse Kong Xiaoxian's request, and was in a difficult position for a while.
Finally, Han Mo slapped his forehead and decided to go "merchanting" with Qian Duoduo. That way, he could have a "honeymoon" and help his master with his business.
Well, the most crucial point was that they had a hundred "sword renters" escorting them, making the safety factor off the charts.