Chapter 1: The New Trend of Pampas Grass

  The morning of Yicheng, sunshine everywhere, no clouds for thousands of miles.

  For Yicheng, which is located in the southwestern part of the three provinces and has a humid and sultry weather as its main feature, this is a rare good weather.

  After a series of turmoil following Wang Guanlan's entry into Yicheng, the city's peace and prosperity have returned.

  For most people in Yicheng, the winter that just passed was extremely unbearable. Including Wang Guanlan, his injuries tormented him for an entire winter, and it wasn't until spring arrived that he finally made a complete recovery. With this rare good weather, even Wang Dashiye couldn't resist, emerging from the small courtyard shrouded in mist to bask in the sun.

  The cold spring air was crisp, but it had little effect on Wang Guanlan, a martial artist who had cultivated his qi to the third level. He casually wore a lined jacket and a pair of wooden clogs, and he walked out of the Ningtai Business Firm with a carefree air.

  There were many pedestrians on the road, but not many people could recognize the fourteenth prince of the Wangfu who had just made Yicheng restless.

  "It's still quite lively!" On the roadside stall, he ate a bowl of rice noodles and a few pieces of flatbread. Wang Guanlan stretched his waist vigorously and took a deep breath of the air filled with herbal fragrance.

  The human head at the entrance of Yicheng's gate has been removed for several months, and the kind of air that makes people feel sick has also disappeared without a trace.

  Of course, as an exciting topic, the pile of heads in front of Bai Du Men still lingers in people's after-dinner conversations, becoming a subject for gossip.

  He casually threw a few pieces of copper and iron on the counter, Wang Guanlan swayed his body, somewhat lazy, walking among the streets.

  Yicheng is not big, just a few main streets. Wang Guanlan walked out of Ningtai Hang and was walking on the busiest street in Yicheng.

  Of course, this so-called bustle is only relative. Compared to the same time last year, Yicheng is undoubtedly much more desolate now. There are no longer warriors coming and going, and the major commercial firms also lack the atmosphere of the past. The places with the most people are the vegetable market and some old alleys, where many local citizens of Yicheng set up stalls to sell phoenix tail grass that they had stored at home in previous years.

  Wang Guanlan's fire was indeed a severe blow to the major commercial firms, but it also made many Yicheng citizens rich. These citizens had some inventory of Fengweicao at home, which were previously worthless. They stored them just to exchange for small change during the off-season. However, Wang Guanlan's fire completely changed the fate of these Fengweicao. All the commercial firms in Yicheng ran out of stock, and the new shopkeepers wouldn't be foolish enough to sell Fengweicao to outsiders. Almost all shops returned their inventory to the main house, and during this severe time, no one dared to take advantage. As a result, only these ordinary citizens who possessed a certain amount of Fengweicao and could dispose of it freely became the main force in transactions that year. Among them, there were not many martial artists, and the demand for Fengweicao was actually not great. Moreover, they didn't have any powerful backing to deal with, so the Fengweicao in their hands became the main trading item that year.

  In fact, after Wang Guanlan's fire, someone had already taken advantage of this point and started sweeping goods in Yicheng. Now that a winter has passed, there are not many citizens who still have Fengwei Cao in their hands, and the efficacy of many Fengwei Cao is almost gone, so they were brought out to make the last profit.

  Compared with the deserted entrances of various large shops, this street is much more lively.

  "What's the price of phoenix tail grass now?!" Wang Guanlan asked casually as he walked.

  "It has dropped to eight times!" Chen Qing Shan followed closely behind Wang Guan Lan and said cautiously, "At its highest point, it reached twenty times!"

  "Twenty times, that's too low!" Wang Guanlan raised an eyebrow and sneered, "It seems they have a lot of confidence in our Phoenix Tail Grass!"

  "Fourteen Young Master, could it be that you really won't plant the phoenix tail grass today?!" Having been in Yicheng for nearly half a year, Chen Qingshan had already gotten familiar with the situation in Yicheng and had also learned a lot about the methods of this Fourteen Young Master. Therefore, he didn't dare to question Wang Guanlan's judgment, but only expressed his own doubts, "Haven't all the workers been notified to start work already?!"

  "Of course we have to plant, how can we not make the most of that mountain valley's natural geography!" Wang Guanlan said, "But I don't necessarily want to plant phoenix tail grass!!"

  "Ah?!" Chen Qing Shan suddenly sat up straight, "No, no more planting phoenix tail grass!"

  "You seem quite concerned about this matter!"

  "Oh, it's like this. In the past, I had a few acquaintances in the Jianghu who knew that I was serving under the Fourteenth Young Master, so they came to ask me for some information. But I don't know if they were asking for their own sake or on behalf of someone else!"

  "They're quite clever, and their claws are pretty long!" Wang Guanlan smiled faintly, not taking it to heart. This tactic of trying to get information from the people around someone when you can't get it from the person themselves was not uncommon, but undoubtedly very effective. "How did you talk to them?!"

  "To be honest, I don't know what decisions Master will make at the beginning of the year, but all the workers who left before have returned to the plantation!"

  "So, now the price of pampas grass has started to drop!" Wang Guanlan nodded, "It seems they think that since all the workers have been recalled, there won't be a shortage of pampas grass after autumn, right?!"

  "At least it won't be as tense as this year!"

  "What a beautiful thought!" Wang Guanlan's eyes flashed with cold light, "Did I, Wang Guanlan, come to Yicheng just to take over these few industries? Now I still have a Flower Fox Guard to raise, how can I do without money? Coming to Yicheng, apart from making a fortune on the road, this half year has been me subsidizing them. They still want the price of Fengwei grass to come down, am I stupid?"

  "So it seems that you won't let them off without making a big profit, young master!" Chen Qing Shan asked tentatively.

  "What's the point of making a fortune?!" Wang Guanlan looked at Chen Qingshan with dissatisfaction, "Qingshan, if I were you, I would clear out all the remaining goods in Yicheng as quickly as possible. Within a month, the price of phoenix tail grass here will rise to more than twenty times its current value!"

  Chen Qing Shan's eyes lit up, "Yes, I understand. Tomorrow, I'll have someone take care of the acquisition!!"

  What's the concept of a month, that's when pampas grass is planted. By then, this young master will plant so much pampas grass that it can't be hidden from people. Now that he has said so, I think the amount of pampas grass planted this year won't be too much, otherwise the price of pampas grass wouldn't have risen.

  "Hasn't there been more new faces in Yicheng lately?!"

  "There will be more and more people coming, the day of opening is approaching, there will be even more people then!" Chen Qing Shan replied cautiously.

  "How's business at those new shops in Wangfu?"

  "It's always been Six Tubes in charge, looks like he'll be taking care of these new shops in the future!"

  "Six Guan Jia is quite good, has a keen eye for value. In the future, cooperating with him will be much easier!" Wang Guanlan said, "I heard he's a second-generation rich kid!"

  "Second Master's wife is related to some distant relatives of the Wang family!" Chen Qing Shan said, "Seems like she's from Second Master's mother's side of the family!"

  "In the matter of the Bai Du Men, I owe Er Shiz a favor, and if I don't repay it, it won't do!"

  "It's actually the decision of the Wang Fu, the second son is just executing it. Human feelings are not as big as you think!"

  "This thing called human sentiment is not that easy to judge!" Wang Guanlan shook his head and said, "The on-site decision was made by him. If at the time he had let one or two people escape, it would have been a huge trouble for me. But he chose to kill them all, without leaving anyone alive, even the old ancestors were dug out and killed. He helped me eliminate future troubles. You say, isn't this human sentiment enough?!"

  "Understood, foolishness!" Chen Qing Shan hastily said, knowing that these two young masters had begun to merge, although they had never met before, but the events of the past half year in Yicheng all showed that these two young masters had their own tacit understanding.

  The Wang Fu is now the most famous, apart from the four princes, are the three princes including Wang Guanlan. These three princes, like the four princes, have a Taoist army in their hands and are highly valued by the king. The most eye-catching among them is undoubtedly this 14th prince. For this prince, the Ning Wang Fu even mobilized the Taoist army that had not been out for decades, directly destroying the Bai Du Men, one of the top ten forces in the southwestern three provinces, leaving no chicken or dog behind, making the three states lose their voices for a while. It is precisely because of the rise of these three princes that the situation within the Ning Wang Fu has become complex and confusing. For Ning Wang, everything seems to be under control, but for small characters like him at the bottom of the Ning Wang Fu, it's inevitable to feel anxious and worried. Of course, he has no other choice because of the deep imprint of the 14th prince on his body.

  The two walked and talked, and before long, they arrived at the Wangjiang Pavilion. Looking up at the sky, it was almost noon, so they went straight to the pavilion and sat down in the pre-booked Riverside Pavilion, taking in the view of the raging river.

  "There seem to be more boats on the river recently!"

  "Yes, since the beginning of spring, there have been more and more boats, just like scouts from all parties, it seems that everyone is eyeing Fengweicao!"

  "Even the best things, if there are too many of them, become worthless. Just like this pampas grass, it's being sold for a song. It's not worth it! Wang Guanlan leaned back slightly, narrowing his eyes as he gazed at the flow of people coming and going outside the building. "The world is full of hustle and bustle, all for the sake of profit. If there were no benefits to be gained, then all this running around would lose its meaning. You want pampas grass without being sincere? How can that work?" As he spoke, his gaze flicked towards the door, then back to the vendor selling candied hawthorns under the window, a hint of a cold smile flashing across his lips.