171: Chapter 172 didn't trick you, did it?

His words were spoken with utmost sincerity, without a trace of pretense.

Upon hearing this, the young captain was taken aback for a moment, then smiled.

"City Lord Qin is too kind; this was the commission we accepted after all."

"A commission is a commission, and a favor is a favor." City Lord Qin Fang waved his hand, his smile deepening. "Flower City has great conditions, which my Heyang cannot compare to. I wouldn't dare boast about having anything rare to entertain you all."

"However..."

He paused, glanced back at the city behind him, and his tone carried a rare, uninhibited sense of boldness.

"A few jars of good wine, however, I can certainly provide."

"And on this little patch of land, to speak bluntly, I am the one who calls the shots."

As soon as he said this, low laughter erupted in the surroundings.

The Hua City Mercenaries exchanged glances, their expressions relaxing slightly.

Throughout the journey, they had already formed a good impression of this City Lord of Heyang.

He was decisive in his actions, swift in his dealings, and most importantly, he had a sharp eye; he dared to buy, dared to bet, and was not stingy.

Now that they had reached his city gates, his first reaction wasn't to rush the goods inside, but to treat them to drinks. This gesture was naturally pleasing to hear.

The young captain grinned and said, "Since City Lord Qin has said so, we certainly won't stand on ceremony."

"That's right!" someone nearby chimed in. "We've been exposed to the wind and sun all the way here; having a few jars of wine isn't asking too much, is it?"

"Not too much, how could it be?" City Lord Qin Fang laughed heartily. "Once we're inside the city, there will be plenty!"

The atmosphere within the caravan relaxed even further than before.

Armor plates clinked softly, wheels rumbled, and even the hundred-odd Hua City Mercenaries, who had been so stoic and rigid throughout the journey, now had faint traces of smiles on their faces.

But just as everyone was laughing and talking.

The city gate in front, which was getting closer and closer, suddenly emitted a heavy grinding sound.

"Creak..." "Creak, creak..."

The sound was low, harsh, and grating, like two thick pieces of iron being slowly pressed together.

The smile on City Lord Qin Fang's face instantly froze.

He looked up abruptly.

He saw that the Heyang city gate, which had been wide open, was actually closing bit by bit.

Guards were rushing back and forth on both sides, figures swarmed the battlements, and even the crossbows usually mounted behind the crenellations were pushed out, their cold glint aimed directly at the caravan.

The laughter in the caravan stopped abruptly.

Several Hua City Mercenaries instinctively looked up at the city wall, their brows furrowing simultaneously.

City Lord Qin Fang's expression sank on the spot.

His words from just a moment ago, "On this little patch of land, I am the one who calls the shots," seemed to still be echoing in his ears, yet the very next moment, his own city gate was closing right before his eyes.

This was like a solid slap, backhanded across his own face.

The next instant, a loud shout suddenly came from the battlements: "Who goes there below!" "How dare you trespass on Heyang territory!"

The voice rolled down, causing the air before the city gate to ripple.

The vein on City Lord Qin Fang's forehead twitched slightly.

He spurred his horse forward, rode up, and shouted, "Sha Chenghu!" "What are you doing!"

At this shout, the battlements clearly went quiet for a moment.

Immediately after, a burly general clad in armor and holding a sword leaned out, peered down, and his expression changed on the spot.

"City... City Lord?!"

The general's eyes widened, as if he had never expected to see City Lord Qin Fang in such a situation, and he was momentarily stunned.

But after that moment, as if he suddenly thought of something, his face turned pale, and he whispered, "Oh no!" "The City Lord has been taken hostage!"

As soon as these words were spoken, there was a commotion on the battlements.

The hands of several guards nearby immediately went to their weapons, and the crossbows that had merely been set up were instantly lowered to aim.

Meanwhile, City Lord Qin Fang, down below, had a completely darkened expression.

On the battlements, Sha Chenghu tried to remain calm while desperately winking at City Lord Qin Fang. He blinked his left eye, twitched his right eye, and very covertly twisted his mouth to one side.

If seen at any other time, the movement would have been ridiculously like a seizure.

But City Lord Qin Fang understood it immediately.

This was a secret signal they had established years ago.

If he were ever taken hostage outside and forced to trick the city gate open, he would use this as a warning.

Those on the city wall, upon seeing the signal, would refuse to open the gate and instead prepare for battle immediately.

The problem was... he wasn't being held hostage at all!

City Lord Qin Fang looked at that face on the battlements, which was nervous and solemn, yet carried an expression that said, "City Lord, hang in there, I understand what you mean," and he was so angry he nearly choked.

"Why are you winking!" "Wipe that look off your face!"

This shout was even louder than the last.

Sha Chenghu on the battlements even shrank his neck back at the shout.

City Lord Qin Fang, with a dark face, raised a hand and pointed at the group of Hua City Mercenaries beside him.

"Look clearly!" "I'm not being held hostage!" "These are friends from Flower City, they have been escorting me back the whole way!"

Behind the caravan, several envoys who had traveled with them finally couldn't hold back anymore and started shouting as well.

"Open the gate!" "Hurry up and open the gate!" "They really are our own people!" "Stop overthinking!" "They escorted us all the way here, what's the meaning of closing the city gate on them!"

The guards on the battlements looked at each other in confusion.

Sha Chenghu also stared fixedly below, looking first at City Lord Qin Fang, then at the group, then at the wagons. The more he looked, the more he felt his brain couldn't keep up.

If it really were a hostage situation, it didn't look like it.

City Lord Qin Fang was riding his horse, his voice full of vigor as he scolded, his face flushed dark; that look of annoyance was clearly genuine.

And the group of Hua City Mercenaries around him, although they all had an astonishing Aura, were calm in expression; they had neither the fierce look of hostage-takers nor any intention of drawing swords.

Looking at the accompanying envoys, they were all perfectly fine; although their expressions were a bit complex, they had no injuries, and their shouting was quite natural.

Most importantly... the way City Lord Qin Fang was scolding was just too realistic.

Sha Chenghu stared a few more times, and the tension in his heart finally began to ease bit by bit.

He swallowed hesitantly and asked tentatively, "City Lord... are you really alright?"

City Lord Qin Fang laughed in anger. "Do I look like I'm in trouble?" "If you don't open the gate, I think you're going to be in trouble!"

The battlements went quiet for a moment. A moment later, Sha Chenghu abruptly turned back and shouted, "Open the gate!" "Hurry, open the gate!" "Put away the crossbows! Quickly!"

"Creak—" The heavy city gate, which had just closed halfway, slowly began to open to both sides again with a harsh, grating sound.

Below the city, City Lord Qin Fang kept a sullen face and didn't speak for a long while.

Beside the caravan, the young Flower City Mercenary captain looked at the reopened gate, then at City Lord Qin Fang's face, and in the end, couldn't help it; he turned his head and gave a low cough, as if suppressing laughter.

Several other Hua City Mercenaries also averted their gazes, pressing their lips together tightly.

City Lord Qin Fang naturally saw this. His face grew even darker, but as it darkened, he himself couldn't help but lose his composure.

In the end, he could only raise a hand to rub his brow and let out a long sigh. "I've let you all see a joke."

He turned back to bow to the Flower City group, his tone carrying a hint of helplessness. "The city is small, and its courage is small too." "But rest assured, once we are inside the city, there will certainly be no more mishaps this time."

After the city gate was reopened, the caravan finally slowly entered the city.

But although the gate was open, the atmosphere did not relax because of it.

Sha Chenghu personally led men to guard both sides of the gate passage, his back straight, his hand constantly on his sword hilt, his gaze sweeping from City Lord Qin Fang to the Hua City Mercenaries lining both sides of the caravan, his expression as taut as a fully drawn bowstring.

It wasn't just him. Almost every Heyang guard around was the same.

Some had their Adam's apples bobbing, gripping their weapons tightly without letting go. Others looked at the standard-issue light armor of Flower City, their eyelids twitching.

Others, even though they had heard the City Lord and several envoys repeat that these people were friends who had escorted the caravan all the way back, still couldn't stop their hearts from tightening when they truly saw these hundred-plus Bronze Rank Professionals walking past them.

It couldn't be helped. The pressure was too strong.

In the entire Heyang, how many Bronze Rank Professionals were there?

Usually, if even one appeared, it was enough for them to be highly regarded.

Yet today, over a hundred of them had entered at once.

And they weren't those kinds of patch-work, weak-Aura Bronze Ranks.

These Hua City Mercenaries marched in unison, their gazes steady, their swords, bows, and armor all complete. When walking on both sides of the long wagons, they didn't look like they were escorting a merchant caravan at all, but rather like an elite battle formation that could draw their swords and flatten everything in their path at any moment.

Never mind that the gate was open now. Even if the gate were closed, if they really had to face them head-on, Sha Chenghu would have no confidence at all.

Standing at the city gate, the more he looked, the more alarmed he became, and a layer of fine sweat had unknowingly broken out on his forehead.

However, as the caravan moved inward bit by bit, none of the anticipated accidents occurred.

The Hua City Mercenaries didn't even have their footsteps disrupted, let alone draw their swords.

Some just looked up at the Heyang city walls, some turned their heads to glance at the citizens peeking out from the streets, and others gazed at the steaming pancake shop on the street corner, taking a few extra looks as if pondering how the food in this city tasted.

Sha Chenghu stared the entire way. By the end, he felt a bit embarrassed himself.

They really had no malice at all. It just made his side look like a bunch of nervous birds frightened by the mere rustle of grass.

When the last wagon also steadily passed through the city gate, the breath that Sha Chenghu had been holding in his throat finally began to slowly settle back down.

Meanwhile, City Lord Qin Fang finally relaxed completely. The bit of anger from having the city gate closed on him had mostly dissipated as the caravan successfully entered the city.

He glanced back at the long caravan behind him, a smile reappearing on his face, and turned to wave at a middle-aged man who had come to greet him.

"Master Sun."

The middle-aged man stepped forward quickly and bowed. "City Lord."

This person was none other than the Minister of Interior of Heyang, Sun Qian. Following behind were the head of the Trade Department, a Granary official, and several administrators who had rushed over upon hearing the news.

City Lord Qin Fang nodded and first raised a hand to gesture toward the group of Hua City Mercenaries nearby.

"Don't worry about anything else for now." "These are friends from Flower City who escorted me and this batch of goods back; they've worked very hard. Have someone arrange it immediately: serve the best food and wine in the city, clear out a spacious place, and treat them well—don't neglect them."

Sun Qian was taken aback; he instinctively glanced at the group of Hua City Mercenaries with their intimidating Aura, his eyelids twitching imperceptibly.

However, as the Minister of Interior, his reaction was extremely quick, and he immediately lowered his head and replied, "Yes, this official will go and arrange it right away."

City Lord Qin Fang added, "The wine must be good, and the food must be plentiful. Don't be stingy, or people will laugh."

The head of the Trade Department nearby twitched the corner of his mouth upon hearing this, as if he wanted to say something, but held back.

The few mercenaries from Flower City heard this, exchanged glances, and their expressions relaxed even more.

The young captain even directly cupped his hands and laughed, "City Lord Qin is a stand-up guy."

"Think nothing of it." City Lord Qin Fang was in a good mood and waved his hand. "You all go into the city and rest first; today, I will make sure everyone drinks to their heart's content."

After the Hua City Mercenaries were invited to get settled and the long wagons were temporarily parked in the inner city square, the surrounding city officials and commoners who had rushed over gathered in increasing numbers, and the whole scene finally became truly lively.

City Lord Qin Fang dismounted, stretched his somewhat sore shoulders, and then turned to look at the head of the Trade Department.

"Old Zhao."

The middle-aged man with a short beard and a slightly chubby build hurried forward. "City Lord."

"Go to the Granary." City Lord Qin Fang's tone was very casual, as if he were just ordering a trivial matter. "Take out the money."

Minister Zhao was stunned. "Take out money?"

"Yes." City Lord Qin Fang nodded. "I bought such a large batch of goods, and I haven't paid yet."

Minister Zhao hadn't taken it seriously at first and asked offhandedly, "How much should I take out?"

City Lord Qin Fang pondered for a moment and stated a number. "Twelve thousand gold coins."

As the words fell, the surroundings went silent. The crowd, which had just been whispering in discussion, was as if suddenly choked by something, and all fell silent at once.

Minister Zhao was frozen in place. "Ho... how much?"

City Lord Qin Fang glanced at him. "Twelve thousand gold coins."

This time he enunciated clearly, and everyone around heard it perfectly.

The next moment, Minister Zhao's face changed. "Twelve thousand gold coins?!" His voice rose by an octave, and even the end of his sentence changed pitch. "City Lord, you... what did you buy back?!"

Several Granary officials nearby also felt their scalps go numb, and after exchanging glances, their expressions were not looking good.

Twelve thousand gold coins. What kind of concept was that?

That was no ordinary transaction. That was almost the amount the entire city of Heyang could only slowly accumulate over ten years of tax revenue!

Minister Zhao was truly anxious now; he couldn't even care about etiquette anymore. He stepped forward two paces, keeping his voice down but unable to suppress the trembling inside. "City Lord, this official is not questioning you... but for such a huge sum of money, you should have at least tipped off the Trade Department, right?"

"What exactly was bought? What kind of deal could reach this level?"

"That Flower City... didn't they rip you off?"

This was spoken very restrainedly. To put it more bluntly, he was practically asking: City Lord, did you get fleeced?