Chapter One: Trade in the Great Desert

The burly man let out a cold laugh, and with a swift movement, the translator's vision blurred; the burly man had vanished. Like lightning, he snatched the torches from the hands of the two individuals beside him and tossed them into two boxes. In an instant, flames erupted, illuminating the night sky over the desert with three large bonfires.

The Han said coldly: "You have finished inspecting the goods, so where is the item we requested?"

In the summer of the thirty-sixth year of the Jiajing era of the Ming Dynasty, outside Datong Pass, the yellow sands stretched for miles, desolate and devoid of human presence. This place marks the boundary between the Ming Dynasty and Mongolia. Ever since the current Emperor Jiajing prohibited trade and commerce with Mongolia, this wasteland has been plagued by years of warfare, with countless white bones of the fallen scattered throughout the desert.

The voice of the Han was resonant and powerful, exuding a sense of coldness, as if devoid of any human emotion: "I have seen it."

The mustache on the yellow-browed man's lips twitched, and the Han translator made another round trip: "The boss said that since it is not easy for you to come here, we will give you the remaining seventeen boxes at one hundred and fifty taels per box."

The Han people stared at those large iron boxes, their eyes shining: "Have all the goods been brought?"

He ran over with a sense of understanding, and after a moment of murmuring, he said to the big man: "The boss said, just as you said, one box of two hetushu.com.com is one hundred taels, totaling three thousand four hundred taels"

A fleeting, indescribable expression quickly crossed the face of the yellow-browed man, his face alternating between shades of blue and white, clearly engaged in a fierce internal struggle. In the end, he gritted his teeth, stamped his foot, and said to the burly man: "Alright, you win, we will do it your way." The yellow-browed man snapped his fingers, and the merchant hurried back to the caravan to begin transporting boxes of gold to this location.

In the distance, the sound of camel bells echoed, as a caravan of over one hundred camels approached from afar. Each member wore a leather hat and woolen clothing, their faces covered with a thick layer of sand. They appeared to have high noses and deep-set eyes, with the majority being of non-Han ethnicity.

The Han people chuckled twice: "Two thousand taels of gold, not a single tael less"

A hint of disdain flashed in the eyes of the Han man, as he extended two fingers, shook them, and stated emphatically: "No, it is four thousand taels."

With a wave of his hand, the Han man signaled for the people behind him to open the iron chest. Under the illumination of the flames, it was revealed that each chest contained fine silk and satin, with golden threads shimmering on the fabric, dazzling those around the chest. The yellow-browed man raised his hand, and the Hu merchant jogged a few steps forward to carefully inspect the goods. After a moment, the Hu merchant returned and nodded to the yellow-browed man along with the *Tu* *Shu*.

The tone of the tall man was as cold as ice, yet his eyes had not shifted from the burly man with yellow eyebrows: "It's all for the sake of making a living, nothing much, you are quite punctual as well"

The Han raised his right hand, signaling his subordinates to be silent. He said to the Huangmei man in a deep voice: "In business, there must be rules of conduct; I detest those who are untrustworthy. If the agreed price is not met today, I would rather burn these silks than engage in a transaction."

The caravan came to a halt before the crowd, and three individuals approached. The one in the middle had yellow eyebrows and a yellow beard, with a robust physique akin to that of an ox, an eagle-like nose, a lion-like mouth, and a face adorned with thick, curling hair, exuding an imposing presence without any display of anger. The person on the left was of medium build, with a shifty-eyed appearance, resembling a translator. The one on the right wore a small felt hat, had two curled mustaches above his lips, and his expression revealed shrewdness, clearly indicating that he was a merchant of foreign descent.

The tall and robust man lowered his face veil, revealing a face that was over thirty, with distinct angular features, sword-like brows, and fierce eyes that exuded a commanding presence. His gaunt jaw was adorned with a short beard, and a hint of a daunting aura emanated from his cold gaze as he said coldly: "Tianlang."

The moon hung high in the sky, and the howls of wolves outside the pass echoed one after another. With the fierce winds blowing through the desert, occasionally, some eerie white bones would emerge from beneath the yellow sand. Even the boldest of smuggling caravans would feel a chill run down their spines upon seeing these. Ten miles from the pass, in the vast desert, a half-man-high sea buckthorn stirred and suddenly fell over, revealing a piece of iron plate that had been pushed up, exposing an opening. More than fifty men, clad in tight-fitting attire and masked, armed with swords and knives, emerged from the hole, each one a remarkable warrior. Behind them, others carried out twenty large boxes. The group continued to walk for over five miles in the open desert before finally coming to a stop.

I have stated that payment will be made as agreed upon for the transaction. Our agreement is for twenty boxes at four thousand taels. You cannot blame me for your breach of contract; you are responsible for the three boxes that were burned. If you do not accept this, I will continue to burn them. As he spoke, the burly man suddenly moved five steps away, and a torch appeared in his hand. His tiger-like eyes glinted with a cold light, fixed firmly on the yellow-browed man, his speech steady but resolute.

The voice of the tall man rose slightly, carrying a hint of irritation: "Hey, this is not in accordance with our agreement. A box contains twenty rolls of fine silk, and it was agreed that each box would be two hundred taels."

Everyone present was taken aback, and those around the burly man simultaneously exclaimed: "Sir"

The leader, a tall and robust figure with a broad back and a strong waist, stood a full head taller than his agile and sturdy companions. Clad in a tight-fitting night outfit, his muscular physique was sharply defined, and his pair of piercing tiger-like eyes shone brightly from beneath the mask. His two ink-dyed eyebrows added to his imposing presence. The giant surveyed the surrounding wilderness, and with a wave of his hand, one of his companions took out a firecracker from his pocket, held it aloft, and shot it into the sky. With a loud bang, a brilliant display of fireworks erupted, illuminating the entire dark night sky. Just moments after the firecracker burst, another firecracker exploded in the distant sky.

The Han person shrugged and said: "Brother, in this chaotic time, we are the only ones willing to continue doing business with you. That should be sufficient, right? If we don't provide the funds, who else can you do business with? You have gone through great effort to bring so much goods out of the customs, haven't you? If you are not satisfied with this price, you can always try to take it back!" A hint of pride flashed across the face of the Huangmei person, while the translator and the Hu merchant burst into hearty laughter. You have gone through great effort to bring so much goods out of the customs, haven't you? If you are not satisfied with this price, you can always try to take it back!" A hint of pride flashed across the face of the Huangmei person, while the translator and the Hu merchant burst into hearty laughter.

The yellow-browed person suddenly began to speak in Chinese, and although somewhat tongue-tied, was quite fluent: "You yourself burned three boxes of *books*, and this loss cannot be attributed to us"

The Han person translated and immediately chuckled, saying: "Thank you for your hard work. I did not expect you to arrive on time for the appointment at such a time."

"Hmph, today I will let you witness my business tactics." The burly man suddenly snatched a torch from someone nearby and threw it into a large iron box, which immediately ignited into a roaring fire, fueled by the wind.

The man in black who just set off the firecrackers pointed into the distance, unable to conceal the excitement and unease in his heart: "Sir, they are coming"

After the delivery was completed, both groups turned back. The man with yellow eyebrows took a few steps forward, suddenly stopped, turned around, and shouted loudly at the big man: "I, Huang Zongwei, have been dealing with Han people for over twenty years, and I have never seen anyone conduct business like you. May I ask if you could leave your name?"

Without a word, the strong man hurled a torch towards the fourth box. At the moment the torch fell, the yellow-browed man flashed to the front of the box like a ghost, extending his large hand to firmly grasp the torch.

The man with yellow eyebrows twitched the corner of his mouth and called over a Han translator to convey a few words. The translator then relayed: "Our boss has said, whether you want to burn or not, the price will not change"