Tang Wen led his men into the courtyard where the mother and daughter lived and took a look around.
Wu Hao remarked, "It's a bit too small. It might be barely livable, but it's definitely not enough for raising beasts."
Tang Wen nodded in agreement, and the two of them climbed up to the roof.
From their elevated vantage point, they surveyed the area.
After some consideration, Tang Wen pointed to the six courtyards below and said, "If we can take over this entire area, we can use four of the courtyards to raise Mutated Beasts. As for those two over there, if we knock them through, they'd make a perfect place for me to live."
Wu Hao chuckled, dragging out his words, "That's probably going to cost quite a bit."
"How much?"
Wu Hao wasn't sure either, so he turned to look at his subordinates.
One of them estimated, "The tenants here are all renting. The properties belong to our Blackwater Gang. But to get people to move out and hire workers to dig, it'll probably cost around two to three thousand taels."
The people living here had some status, so they couldn't just be kicked out. They'd have to be compensated to find new places to live.
Hearing that it would cost so much, someone did the math: Wu Hao had over twenty men under him. Even if they all chipped in, it would still amount to over a hundred taels per person.
So, they started to backpedal, "Should we look around some more?"
Wu Hao looked at Tang Wen, waiting for him to make the decision.
Tang Wen said, "I think this place is secluded enough and won't attract much attention. Three thousand it is."
"I'll split the cost with Commander Tang!" Wu Hao immediately declared.
"How can we let the two commanders pay for this?"
"Exactly, I think we should all chip in together."
"That's the way it should be. After all, we rely on the two commanders to take care of us, don't we?"
Everyone nodded in agreement.
Tang Wen remained silent.
Wu Hao thought for a moment and said, "Here's what we'll do: Commander Tang and I will each contribute a thousand taels, and the rest of you can cover the remaining amount."
"What?"
"That's settled. You all have families to support! A thousand taels is nothing. Commander Tang and I will just have to cut back on our visits to the Hundred Flowers Pavilion for a while."
"Hahaha!"
After Wu Hao finished speaking, everyone burst into laughter.
Once the laughter died down, Tang Wen regained his composure and said, "Well, the sooner we start, the better. Let's get this done quickly so we can start earning money for our Lord Commander to spend at the Hundred Flowers Pavilion sooner."
Everyone laughed again.
When it came to making money, everyone was naturally eager.
They immediately split up to take action.
Some went to the gang to check the roster with their contacts, finding out who lived in the area. After all, knowing your enemy and yourself was Tang Wen's style of doing things. What if someone with powerful connections liked the peace and quiet here? If they didn't do their homework and just barged in to force people to move, they'd end up making serious enemies.
Others went directly to nearby teahouses and taverns to gather information. They wanted to know if there were any potential issues in the area. If there were, they needed to figure out how to avoid them early on. They also needed to find out which Blackwater Gang commander was in charge of this area.
...Everything proceeded in an orderly manner.
Before long, a funeral procession arrived from outside the city.
The mother and daughter wiped away their tears and, supporting each other, went forward to greet them.
Their family wasn't part of any major clan, and with no man to take charge, the funeral arrangements were kept simple. The coffin was decent, and the offerings were sufficient.
Tang Wen didn't linger any longer. He was pulled away by Wu Hao, and the two of them rode off to a nearby tavern.
They ordered food and wine, sat down, and began to eat and chat leisurely.
"Brother Tang, you've just arrived, and you don't even have anyone to serve you. How about I gift you a couple of female slaves?"
Before Tang Wen could refuse...
Wu Hao began to speak enthusiastically: "Speaking of which, our experiences are quite similar. Both of us came from small places, wandered to the Four Seas Camp, spent money to find Elder Li, and joined the gang.
However, I'm not as capable as you, brother.
When I first arrived, I wasn't even a Martial Practitioner.
Fortunately, Old Li is fair and values me, which gave me a chance to rise.
In just over a year, I broke through to become a Martial Master. It felt like a dream."
After finishing his story, Wu Hao turned to look at Tang Wen.
The meaning was clear: since we're going to be partners, we should get to know each other, right?
Tang Wen naturally understood and immediately shared the story he had prepared:
"I came from the north. Our village was hidden in a mountain valley.
Life was decent until one day, a bloodied old man arrived in the village.
He later became my Beast Taming Master.
His village had been destroyed by a powerful nearby camp.
He was lucky to escape and ended up in our village.
Later, I learned from him. He had seen the world and always told me how great it was outside.
After hearing it so often, I wanted to go out and see for myself.
After all, our village didn't have a Contemplation Method. Staying there, life would just be the same forever.
While I'm young, it's good to venture out."
Wu Hao nodded: "You're right, brother! So you've had a proper master. No wonder you speak differently from us rough folks."
Tang Wen immediately protested: "What are you saying, Brother Wu? I'm a rough guy too!"
They chatted about trivial matters.
Another jar of wine and half a lamb were brought out.
As they ate and drank, the sun set, and night fell.
Suddenly, the guests at the next table settled their bill.
Two drunken men passed behind Tang Wen and said:
"I heard the Slave Pavilion has a new batch of female slaves ready. I'll go check them out tomorrow."
"You're still buying slaves? Don't you already have seventeen at home?"
"Hehe, you're wrong. It's twenty now. Twenty female slaves serving me day and night. I wouldn't trade it for being a Gang Lord!"
"Quiet! You've had two pounds of wine, stop talking nonsense."
"..."
The two men walked away.
Tang Wen glanced at their retreating figures.
Wu Hao, who had also overheard the conversation, chuckled: "Brother, you haven't been to the Slave Pavilion yet, have you?"
Tang Wen replied honestly: "No, but I've been to the Slave Market at the Four Seas Camp."
Wu Hao burst into laughter: "You don't understand, do you?"
Tang Wen looked at him.
"Brother, you don't know that the biggest slave trader in the world is right here in our city."
He whispered the word "Huang."
The Huang Family in the inner city.
Their main business is trading people.
Tang Wen knew this.
"But do you know, brother, that the Huang Family has a Slave Factory?"
What?
A Slave Factory? A place where slaves work?
When Tang Wen said this, Wu Hao immediately laughed at him:
"My foolish brother, it's not a factory where slaves work. It's a factory that produces slaves!"
"Ah? Aren't slaves just people? Aren't they all captured from outside? How can they be produced?"
Tang Wen put down his cup, his face full of confusion.
"Hehe, I was shocked the first time I saw it too."
Wu Hao, a man from a small place, began to show off to Tang Wen.
"Brother, were there many beautiful women in your village?"
Tang Wen had never stayed in the village, but he could easily guess that there weren't many.
"Right, so do you think there are many beautiful women in Mountain Chasing City?"
"Quite a few."
Indeed, there were quite a few. He hadn't been here for long, yet he had already seen dozens of brothels along the streets.
Each one was large-scale, and it would take hundreds of beautiful women to maintain such establishments.
At this thought, he suddenly froze.
Something seemed off!
(End of Chapter)