48: Chapter 48 Recommendation by Master Guo

Afterwards, Ye Jing waited for the First-Grade Stewed Mountain Delicacy, which was made with the Mountain Delicacy Chicken, to be served.

As soon as it was placed on the table, the fragrance filled the room, making one's mouth water.

Ye Jing began to eat; it was indeed delicious and fresh, worthy of being the restaurant's signature dish.

Hearing from the waiter that the Mountain Delicacy Chicken was extremely rare and highly popular, it seemed he was right to bring it along as a bargaining chip.

Transporting the golden spirit rice was already dangerous enough, and now with the addition of the Mountain Delicacy Chicken, he truly needed a powerful backer.

Ye Jing was not in a rush to discuss business with this middle-aged man; after all, he was not the true owner of the restaurant.

When discussing business, one naturally had to seek out the main decision-maker to maximize potential profits.

After finishing his meal, Ye Jing paid the bill.

He now had a rough understanding of the Zhenxiu Restaurant, and it seemed he could go look for Guo Zhengning to discuss a partnership.

After paying the silver, Ye Jing carried the cage containing the Mountain Delicacy Chicken, left the Zhenxiu Restaurant, and prepared to head towards the Zhenwei Martial Arts Hall.

Just as he was passing through an alley, he felt someone following him.

Ye Jing smiled knowingly and deliberately walked toward a secluded area.

At this moment, the servant who had been secretly following Ye Jing was confused, suddenly seeing that the old man had disappeared.

But in the next second, the servant suddenly felt a gust of wind coming from behind. Before he could even realize what was happening, he was kicked flying.

The intense pain made him want to scream, but in the next second, his neck was grabbed. The servant immediately begged for mercy in terror: "Spare... spare my life! Good sir!"

He had not expected this old man to be so powerful; he had been captured in a single move despite being a Third-Stage Martial Artist.

"Speak! What are you trying to do, following me so sneakily?!" Ye Jing shouted sternly.

The servant hurriedly said: "I... I was ordered by Second Master Tang to follow you! He wanted to see who you were! And then... and then bring people over to kill you."

Upon hearing this, Ye Jing sneered. Just because they couldn't forcefully seize a bowl of chicken soup, they sent people to track and kill him. What a bully of a noble family.

Ye Jing immediately snapped the servant's neck, tossed the body aside, and headed towards the Zhenwei Martial Arts Hall.

The current Zhenwei Martial Arts Hall was quite imposing, much larger than the small martial arts hall back in the town.

When Ye Jing approached, a Martial Artist at the entrance of the martial arts hall saw him and stepped forward to ask: "Old man, who are you looking for?"

Ye Jing stepped forward and said: "I am looking for Director Guo. Please trouble him to come out and see me."

The Martial Artist looked Ye Jing up and down. Seeing that he was dressed simply but stood with a very straight posture, he did not look like an ordinary person, so he quickly said: "Old man, please wait a moment, I will go call the Director right away!"

The Martial Artist turned and walked quickly into the martial arts hall. Before long, a resonant voice came from the inner hall: "Which friend is looking for me?"

Guo Zhengning walked out and immediately saw the old man at the entrance who looked somewhat familiar.

Ye Jing stepped forward and said with a smile: "Director Guo, long time no see."

Upon hearing this voice, Guo Zhengning immediately trembled in shock. This old man's voice was so similar to the person who had delivered the golden spirit rice to him a month ago. His expression immediately sharpened, and he gestured: "This Senior, please come inside!"

Guo Zhengning invited Ye Jing into the martial arts hall. After arriving in the guest room, Guo Zhengning poured Ye Jing a full cup of tea.

He looked at Ye Jing for a long time before finally recognizing that the person who had delivered so much cargo to him was actually the cowardly old man from before.

Guo Zhengning was very surprised and said: "Senior is actually a villager from Liu Village."

Ye Jing smiled and said: "Director, please do not blame me. The golden spirit rice is special, so I had to disguise my identity. I have come now to be honest and open with you."

Guo Zhengning smiled and said: "Senior, your way of doing things is steady; this junior sighs in admiration. I wonder, has Senior come here suddenly because you have the intention to cooperate?"

Ye Jing drank a cup of tea and sighed helplessly: "To tell you the truth, the Tang Family is bullying people too much. Since Director Guo has a distinguished person assisting you, this old man has thickened his skin to come and beg for some help."

Hearing this, a glimmer of joy flashed in Guo Zhengning's eyes, and he smiled: "Not at all, not at all. In that case, please stay at the martial arts hall for now, Senior. I will go and inform the Lord about your intention to cooperate!"

Ye Jing nodded.

Guo Zhengning did not dare to delay. He had his disciples settle Ye Jing in, and then he hurriedly rode a fast horse to the Zhenxiu Restaurant.

By the evening, Guo Zhengning respectfully brought in a man wearing magnificent clothing. The man was handsome, holding a folding fan in his hand, and was in his thirties, looking very dashing.

Ye Jing saw that the man was also followed by a tall and sturdy man, who walked with a majestic and imposing air.

He could not tell what kind of expert he was, but he still made Ye Jing feel a deep sense of pressure. It seemed this sturdy man's strength was definitely not ordinary.

Guo Zhengning hurriedly led the man over and introduced him to Ye Jing: "This is the owner of the Zhenxiu Restaurant, Zhao Yuanyi!"

Upon hearing the man's name, Ye Jing was secretly shocked. This man was very young, yet he was the behind-the-scenes owner of such a large restaurant. There was only one reason for this: this man had a massive background!

"You are the seller of the golden spirit rice?" The man asked, waving his folding fan, his eyes full of inquiry.

Ye Jing nodded and said: "Yes, Boss Zhao."

Zhao Yuanyi nodded after hearing this and said: "I have come here, so I will get straight to the point. The quality, yield, and the supply price you can bear for the golden spirit rice—tell me one by one.

If your terms are to my liking, I will block the trouble from the Tang Family for you. If they are not to my liking, I will give Director Guo some Face, but there will be no more talk of cooperation."

As his voice fell, the atmosphere in the hall suddenly became heavier. Zhao Yuanyi's words were blunt, even carrying an indisputable strength.

Ye Jing felt a chill in his heart. He was indeed a person with a great background; he acted so decisively, leaving no room for negotiation.

He said: "Boss Zhao is straightforward! This old man will not beat around the bush either."

He immediately stated the price and yield of the golden spirit rice, explaining everything clearly. Originally, the golden spirit rice was five hundred wen per jin, but now Ye Jing directly lowered it to four hundred wen.

This made Zhao Yuanyi very happy. After all, golden spirit rice was so rare now that it was being hyped up to two taels of silver per jin on the market. If his Zhenxiu Restaurant could monopolize it, he might make a huge profit!

Seeing Zhao Yuanyi's brow relax, Ye Jing knew that this deal would likely succeed, so he took out the cage covered with a grey cloth from his hand: "Boss Zhao, I have another big deal."

"Oh?" Zhao Yuanyi, who was just feeling happy, heard Ye Jing say this and looked at Ye Jing.

In the next second, Ye Jing lifted the cloth on the cage, and a Mountain Delicacy Chicken with golden-purple feathers suddenly appeared before his eyes.

"Boss Zhao, I can provide Mountain Delicacy Chicken as meat on a long-term basis. I wonder, I wonder if you need Mountain Delicacy Chicken?"

Ye Jing asked.

"Is that true?!"

Zhao Yuanyi widened his eyes in surprise. After all, he knew how difficult it was to raise Mountain Delicacy Chicken.

Now that this old man, who looked unremarkable, could actually provide it on a long-term basis, Zhao Yuanyi could not help but start to look at this old man with serious regard.

After a long while, Zhao Yuanyi suddenly smiled, and with a "snap," he closed his folding fan and said: "I can cooperate with you, but I have one condition."

Ye Jing was overjoyed and quickly said: "Boss Zhao, please speak. As long as this old man can do it, I will certainly agree."

Zhao Yuanyi listened and said with a serious tone: "The yield of the golden spirit rice and the Mountain Delicacy Chicken must be guaranteed. If I need to increase the order, you must try your best to cooperate and must not shirk!"

This condition was not harsh, so Ye Jing nodded immediately: "No problem, I agree to all of Boss Zhao's conditions!"

Seeing Ye Jing agree so readily, the smile on Zhao Yuanyi's Face grew even thicker, and the slight contempt he had earlier completely vanished.

They set the price of the golden spirit rice at four hundred wen per jin, and the Mountain Delicacy Chicken at two taels of silver each, with delivery at the beginning of each month. If there was an additional order, it had to be notified three days in advance.

This business deal was settled very properly. From now on, the contact work would be handled by Zhao Yuanyi's people, while Guo Zhengning would be responsible for helping to protect the transport, and he could also get some golden spirit rice and Mountain Delicacy Chicken from it as supply sources.

Ye Jing felt much more at ease, and afterwards, using the excuse that he could not stay long because of matters at home, he took his leave first.