Yan Liqiang immediately agreed to the man's invitation, and then the three of them walked towards the side building together...
"My name is Zuo Yuquan, and this is my brother Xu Meng!" The man who invited Yan Liqiang introduced himself and the strong man beside him to Yan Liqiang as they walked, "What's your name, little brother?"
"My name is Wang Baoqiang!" Yan Liqiang said a name without blinking.
"Looking at your appearance, you have been a ranger for not long, right?" Zuo Yuquan chatted with Yan Liqiang as they walked.
"Oh, how do you know?"
Zuo Yuquan smiled slightly, "Raiders who come to Qiyun County to enter Gulang Grassland rarely come alone. After being a ranger for a long time, they always have a few friends. For things like this, it is safer to ask friends to come together. Only the top rangers will act alone. I see that you are not very old and you are here alone, so I just made a guess!"
Yan Liqiang paused and laughed, "Brother Zuo is indeed an old man with a sharp eye. I have indeed not been a knight-errant for long. This time I heard about the killing of Hu Ling, so I came to Qiyun County to try my luck. I thought that if I could kill a few more Shatu dogs and Heijie dogs, I might not have to worry about my next life!"
"Haha, it's the same. Everyone who came to Qiyun County this time had this idea. Now, the knights of the Han Empire either went to the capital or came to Qiyun County. I have a few friends who invited me to go to the Imperial Capital to make a fortune a few days ago. I heard that there are still a lot of gold and silver treasures in the Imperial Capital. The important thing is to be able to enter the city, whether it is the imperial palace or those mansions. As long as you see the things inside and can take them out, they are yours. Many people have become rich..."
"I heard that too. Why didn't Brother Zuo go to Imperial Capital?"
"I used to be active in the Yaozhou and Zhongzhou areas. It's a long way from Yaozhou and Zhongzhou to the Imperial Capital. You have to pass through many states and counties. Those states and counties are not peaceful and chaotic now. Either the White Lotus Sect is causing trouble or there are powerful bandits causing trouble. The official roads in many places have been blocked. If you really want to go to the Imperial Capital, you have to pass through many checkpoints on the way. Even if you go there, I heard that the entire capital area is now like a ghost den. Millions of people have contracted strange diseases and have become zombies entrenched in the capital area. Unless you are a top figure, you will be killed on the way before you even reach the Imperial Capital. If you lose your life, it will be as difficult as fighting back and forth in a million-strong army. The gold and silver treasures in the Imperial Capital are certainly attractive, but you have to be alive to get them. If you lose your life, what's the use of those things? In comparison, coming to Qiyun County is much more interesting. I heard that the wealth accumulated by the nobles of the Seven Shatu Tribes over the years is also very huge, not less than those of the wealthy families in the Imperial Capital. Chopping off the heads of these bastards and taking their things will not only make you rich, but also serve the country. If you can get a name on the hero list, wouldn't it be even better? This is a good thing to gain both fame and fortune..."
“Brother Zuo, what you said really hits the spot in my heart…” Yan Liqiang smiled.
The three of them walked and talked all the way, and soon they came to the street selling weapons in Bianji. After walking a few shops on the street, they suddenly saw two people in a shop selling bows, crossbows and arrows. Zuo Yuquan smiled at Yan Liqiang and said, "This is it...", and then walked in.
When Yan Liqiang and his companions arrived, there were two men who looked like rangers bargaining with the boss in the weapons shop and selecting crossbows. One of the two rangers was tall and strong, and the other was short and fat. When seen from behind, the tall and thin one was carrying a bow on his back, while the short and fat one was holding a metal crossbow produced by the manufacturing bureau with spring steel as the crossbow arm. He was looking at it with great interest and bargaining with the boss at the counter.
"Sir, this is the lowest price I can offer you, one hundred and eighty-eight taels of silver. I'll give you another two taels. If it's less, I'll lose money..." The owner of the weapons store turned the metal crossbow over and over to show the short and fat ranger, "Sir, look at the color, it's black and shiny. Look at the crossbow and quiver, there are no marks at all. What we sell in our store are first-hand goods, unlike other stores that sell second-hand goods discarded by the state army. This price is already very low..."
"One hundred and eighty-eight taels, it's still too expensive. Shopkeeper, can you make it cheaper? I'll add some money. How about one hundred taels? We've bought a lot of things in your store. Can you make it cheaper?" The short and fat guy stroked the brand new paint on the metal crossbow, staring at it with shining eyes, drooling, and bargained with the shopkeeper. "In other places, even a new powerful crossbow can be bought for only thirty or forty pieces of silver. You sell this crossbow for more than one hundred taels of silver. I don't think you can find one more expensive than this in the entire Han Empire..."
"Sir, you bought two pots of arrows and a dagger in my shop, and you haven't spent a few taels of silver yet. I have already given you the most favorable price for the arrows and daggers. I really didn't make much money. The price of this crossbow is really the best. If you want a cheaper one, you might as well take a look at the other crossbows in our shop. Those crossbows are also new. I will definitely give you the lowest price. They can be bought for only twenty or thirty taels of silver. But this one is really not cheap. This crossbow is a new product from the Manufacturing Bureau. It is a dragon tooth crossbow designed by the Supervisor. It can fire continuously, and it has a steel arm, which is more durable. It was only allocated to the Dragon Tooth Army before, and it was not sold outside. The Manufacturing Bureau has only supplied new goods to the outside in the past two days. Our shop has also been lucky enough to get a few of them. With such a crossbow in hand, at a critical moment, it can be comparable to five ordinary crossbows. It is a great advantage in close combat. Sir, you can go outside to ask around. Most of the 50,000 elite Shatu people who were wiped out by the Supervisor at Baishi Pass fell under this dragon tooth crossbow... ”
"Brother Mao, how can a crossbow be so expensive? It costs almost two hundred taels of silver!" Zuo Yuquan started talking as soon as he entered the store. The two people who were bargaining with the store owner at the counter turned their heads at once. The tall and thin man with a bow on his back was probably in his thirties, with bright eyes and a scar on his forehead, looking a little cold. The short and fat man who wanted to buy a crossbow had dark skin and two upturned mustaches above his lips.
“Hahaha, Brother Zuo, come and take a look. I found something good in this store, a crossbow that can shoot continuously. Brother Zuo, come and help me take a look…” As soon as the short and fat ranger saw Zuo Yuquan coming in, he hurriedly called Zuo Yuquan over.
(End of this chapter)