8: Chapter 8 Big Business, Credit Sales

As Zhang Yan said, forty thousand coins a year is actually a very heavy tax.

Xia Shaoxin had never thought that this should be called a tax.

A Bug Catcher cannot smuggle much goods each year; forty thousand is given to the imperial court for free, and after symbolically selling a few thousand to ten thousand worth of goods, the rest flows into the black market.

Selling an extra few thousand to ten thousand a year means at least he won't be delayed in taking a wife.

No wonder other Bug Catcher families die quickly, reproduce quickly, and are thriving with many descendants.

Xia Shaoxin thought to himself, "I have the Shangqing Profound Mirror, I have learned the qi and blood pill, I have sacrificed over twenty types of Poisonous Insect, and now I have a connection to the black market. That one thousand taels of silver for my redemption is just around the corner."

However, the mysterious depths of Dawu Mountain fascinate him.

Once I redeem myself, with such a good treasure, I naturally must go to the Sect to explore. If there are any Poisonous Insect left in Dawu Mountain, it would be a real pity.

Thus, he asked, "Brother Zhang, besides doing this kind of business, do you trade in anything else?"

Zhang Yan was stunned: "It has always been the Bug Catcher selling things to me. Could it be that you want to buy things from me?"

"Are there any drugs that can enhance strength?"

"What do you want to do?"

"I will encounter some strong things in Dawu Mountain. I'm afraid I won't be able to beat them, so I need to make myself stronger."

Zhang Yan's eyes widened. A Bug Catcher must practice the Dao of martial arts from a young age and only after qualifying will they follow their family into the mountain. The greatest threat in the mountain is the poisonous miasma, so they do not pursue extreme strength.

Unless...

He asked in surprise, "You aren't thinking of going to the deepest part of Dawu Mountain, are you?"

"Not very deep, but close to there." Xia Shaoxin was not lying when he said this.

Zhang Yan stood up, paced around in front of Xia Shaoxin twice, and laughed, "I can guess where your goods come from."

His small hands trembled with excitement.

"Ever since the Sect handed Dawu Mountain over to the imperial court, no one has ever been able to enter the places where the poisonous miasma is strongest."

"Even if you drink the antidote, it is difficult to stay there for long."

"That you can get close to there means you are a rare Innate body, seen once in a hundred years, with a higher ability to resist the poisonous miasma than others."

Xia Shaoxin sat blankly, muttering in his heart, Bug Catchers are just lowly slaves, and yet there is an Innate body?

His silent demeanor appeared unfathomable to Zhang Yan.

He grinned and smiled knowingly, "As I thought! I was wondering how you could suddenly produce so many dried goods!"

Sitting back down, he pondered for a moment and said, "The closer you get to the depths of Dawu Mountain, the more Poisonous Insect there are, and naturally, they are more ferocious. Looking at your build, brother... there is a type of strength pill that few people use. Do you want to buy it?"

Xia Shaoxin's body shook; he didn't expect that it really existed.

"But this is a prohibited drug and is not allowed to be spread outside."

Zhang Yan told him that Dawu Mountain used to have fierce beasts like bears and tigers. In the past, when it was occupied by the Sect, the beasts were nothing to fear and were basically extinct.

Later, Dawu Mountain was handed over to the imperial court for management, and it only produced Poisonous Insect.

But powerful poisonous snakes and poisonous rats still appear from time to time, which are difficult for a Martial Artist to deal with, so the Gu Bureau keeps the strength pill for sale just in case.

However, since Bug Catchers never set foot in the depths, the strength pill is almost never used, and it has gradually been forgotten.

This kind of pill is close to the level of a Medicinal Pill and is a drug exclusive to the Yue Kingdom army. If it weren't for the special status of the Bug Catcher, its sale would never be allowed.

"Can you sell it to me?"

"Then you have to wait. Making the pill takes time. Only one person in the Gu Bureau can make the strength pill, and they haven't had an order in over a decade."

"What I want is not the strength pill, but the recipe."

Zhang Yan opened his mouth in astonishment: "You must be joking. This is a prohibited drug; how could there be a recipe!"

"Help me ask. If the recipe can be sold, I will pay."

Zhang Yan frowned, then relaxed and smiled: "No matter. I deal in the black market; as long as you can afford the money, I dare to sell it."

He sipped his tea and said decisively: "Come here in three days, and I will tell you the result. This kind of prohibited drug is not cheap; I estimate it will cost ten thousand coins."

Xia Shaoxin remained calm: "No problem, I can afford it."

He placed the ten thousand coin note on the table and took his leave.

After returning, Xia Shaoxin did not just wait.

He went to the river, caught ten yellow eels, transformed them into Golden Earth Dragon, killed them all, roasted them dry overnight, made them into dried goods, and took them to Li Family Hollow three days later.

Zhang Yan did not lie; for someone who deals in the black market, as long as you can pay the price, you can really buy things.

"The Gu Bureau doesn't have the recipe for the strength pill. This recipe was obtained from someone else. You wouldn't have guessed, would you? The so-called recipe is actually a talisman."

Xia Shaoxin pretended to be surprised: "Indeed, I didn't expect that. How much?"

Zhang Yan held up two fingers.

Twenty thousand.

Xia Shaoxin gasped. It was finally possible to make money this year, but he didn't expect the expenses to become so exaggerated.

"Don't misunderstand. I didn't ask for more from you. It really is the price I got it for, and that is what I am giving it to you for."

Zhang Yan was very sincere.

But Xia Shaoxin would never believe it.

Guys who deal in the black market are always risking their heads. Earning less is a loss, and selling at cost is no different from bankruptcy.

However, Xia Shaoxin would not quibble over small change; he placed the cloth bag he was carrying onto the table.

"No problem. Take these dried goods of mine first."

Zhang Yan opened the cloth bag, and his whole person seemed to be petrified.

"This, this is Golden Earth Dragon?"

Xia Shaoxin liked doing business with experts like this; the first thing they said was extremely sincere, and their eye for quality was not bad.

If he had encountered a profiteer, they would surely have said it was an ordinary earth dragon, cheating and concealing just to drive down the price.

"The Gu Bureau's pricing is ten thousand for a live one, and half for a dead one," said Xia Shaoxin.

Zhang Yan hurriedly poured out the cloth bag and checked them one by one, his voice trembling: "I said double the price, and I will never tell a lie."

He turned his head and stared fiercely at Xia Shaoxin.

"I thought you had a few thousand in stock at home, but I didn't expect so many."

Xia Shaoxin suddenly thought of a problem: these ten Golden Earth Dragon are worth one hundred thousand. After deducting the ten thousand owed for the recipe, he still has to give me ninety thousand. Does he not have that much money?

"No, I can take it out, but... this is too scary."

Zhang Yan took a deep breath.

"I have worked in the Gu Bureau for over a decade, and I have never heard of any Bug Catcher taking out so many Poisonous Insect at once!"

Xia Shaoxin thought to himself, I haven't even gotten the top-tier Poisonous Insect worth forty thousand yet.

If I were to take them out, with a total value of eight hundred thousand, could this guy handle it?

With trembling hands, Zhang Yan took out several bank notes. The largest one, a ten thousand coin note, was the exact money Xia Shaoxin had paid in advance for the recipe a few days ago.

"I can only take out over thirty thousand now; I will give it all to you. As for the extra Golden Earth Dragon, either you take them back, or leave them with me, and I will settle the account with you after they are sold."

Isn't this just a credit sale?

It was clear that his strength was insufficient.

Xia Shaoxin said indifferently: "Why don't you introduce a few people to me?"

Zhang Yan's face instantly turned the color of a pig's liver: "That is impossible. Everyone who does this business here in Li Family Hollow is on a single line because we don't want to create conflicts of interest. If it gets too big and the imperial court finds out, we will all die."

"Alright, I'll give them all to you." Xia Shaoxin sighed inwardly; he did not want to quibble.

He did not believe in any single-line contact; with the Shangqing Profound Mirror and having learned to make the qi and blood pill, he could walk sideways through Dawu Mountain.

With goods in hand, is he afraid he won't find a buyer?

At worst, he'll just sell them a bit cheaper.

Zhang Yan seemed to want to save face, explaining: "The value of the goods I smuggle each year is only ten to twenty thousand coins; I have never done anything this big. Little brother, you are ruthless!"

Xia Shaoxin was not interested in listening; he turned his head away, looked at the talisman paper, and smiled: "This recipe is mine."