"I'll add twenty percent!"

"Twenty-two!"

"That's enough!" Ya Qiaoxi forcefully slapped the top box on the cart and shouted, "Other people have reserved these goods from me. In business, honesty comes first. If I sell their goods to you, how will I continue to operate in this trade?"

"Then we want to reserve too!" a Hunter shouted, "How much is the deposit?"

"Reservations are fine, but you have to reserve six months in advance, and I require full payment." Ya Qiaoxi's lips curled into a 'sly merchant' smile.

"Six months?" The Hunters and mercenaries present instantly fell silent.

The conditions were indeed a bit harsh.

People trying to make a living in the Hexi Corridor have a high mortality rate, and nobody knows if they'll encounter any mishaps in those six months. If something happens, the money is as good as swallowed by Ya Qiaoxi.

Ya Qiaoxi had grasped the mindset of this group, which is why she offered a condition that seemed "reasonable" but was, in reality, hard for people to accept.

"Six months is too long; one month is acceptable." The burly Hunter shook his head, "Mr. Ya, is there really no room for negotiation?"

"There is room. If you want to reserve fast delivery, that's possible too, but I won't take money for fast deliveries." Ya Qiaoxi raised an eyebrow and said.

"Then what will you take?" a mercenary asked quietly.

"Anything that can substitute for money but is harder to acquire than money." Ya Qiaoxi flipped her hair, "For example, valuable intelligence, samples of bizarre items found in uninhabited zones, or antiques pulled out of ruins. What exactly I want depends on my mood."

"So what do you want now?"

"Haven't thought it through yet. I'll let you know later." Ya Qiaoxi waved her hand, "Alright, clear the way! If anyone dares to block the road, I'll remember each of you, and I won't sell to you later!"

As soon as these words were spoken, the Hunters and mercenaries cleared the way.

"I need to handle some goods, you three wander around for a bit." After saying this to Sun Hang and Candle Dragon, Ya Qiaoxi pushed her cart and left, surrounded by the crowd.

"Mr. Ya is really popular here." Watching Ya Qiaoxi's back as she left, Sun Hang murmured quietly.

"It's not her personally that's popular, it's the things she can bring." Candle Dragon said, "'Spring Breeze' used to have three stable suppliers, but now she's the only one left."

"What about the other two?"

"One was a former officer of the Dragon City Defense Army, caught and taken down for smuggling, embezzlement, and misappropriation of military supplies. The other was a caravan from Chang'an but was wiped out by a sandstorm while transporting goods."

"This business is so lucrative, surely many people would want to bring goods to Yumen, right?"

"Of course, anyone coming to Yumen brings some goods, even if they don't get much work, selling the goods can earn them a considerable amount." Candle Dragon said, "I initially bought those cigarettes and alcohol intending to bring them to Yumen."

"Are you short of money too?"

"No, I didn't plan on selling them for cash." Candle Dragon shook his head, "Use them to exchange for intelligence, or to win people over... They're worth much more here than in Dragon City."

"Actually, I'm quite curious. Everyone thinks about making money, bringing high-value goods like cigarettes and alcohol, so how do they deal with the basic consumables?" Sun Hang wondered, "In a place like this, food and water should be the most scarce, right?"

"Those basic goods are covered by the boss of 'Spring Breeze', he has unique channels to sort these things."

"Doesn't he sell cigarettes and alcohol himself?"

"No, he doesn't. I remember Ya Qiaoxi telling me that the boss of Spring Breeze once said you can't take all the money for yourself, you have to leave some opportunities for friends. Everyone earning together can form a positive cycle." Candle Dragon said, "Or you could say he looks down on the small change from reselling cigarettes and liquor."

Sun Hang paused in front of a hotpot restaurant when he wanted to see what ingredients 'Spring Breeze's hotpot shop could offer, but the suited man who previously claimed to be an accountant suddenly approached him.

"Hello, sir. How should I address you?" the suited man asked politely.

"Surname's Sun." Sun Hang nodded—considering Ya Qiaoxi's suggestion, Sun Hang decided to keep his identity under wraps to avoid potential trouble.

"Thank you for helping us deal with the rule-breaking Hunter. Our boss should have thanked you in person, but he's occupied at the moment and entrusted me to express his gratitude." The suited man handed over a briefcase, "This is a small token of appreciation from Spring Breeze."

Sun Hang took the briefcase and opened it, finding two bottles of fine liquor, a pack of high-grade cigarettes, and a stack of brand-new hundred-yuan bills bound with paper tape.

By the thickness, it seemed like this stack of bills was around thirty thousand.

"Your boss... sure is generous." Sun Hang said.

"I'm just following the boss's instructions." The suited man gave a slight bow, "If there's nothing else, I'll get back to work. You three can reach out to me anytime, enjoy your time at Spring Breeze."

After the suited man left, Sun Hang packed the stack of cash into his backpack and handed the briefcase to Candle Dragon, asking, "What do you think?"

"This is likely a goodwill gesture toward you." Candle Dragon said, "You've shown enough strength, and the money spent to earn a powerful ally's friendship isn't wasted."

"I think so too." Sun Hang nodded, "Time to get to work." 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

He was the first to enter this hotpot restaurant—unlike hotpot restaurants in inland cities, there were no enthusiastic waiters inside, no walls filled with menus or pictures of dishes, just a chef-looking person lying on a bench, bored out of his mind playing an old handheld game console.

It wasn't yet mealtime, and the place was empty.

"Are you the owner?" Sun Hang asked.

"Yeah, want to eat?" the person replied, but his eyes never left the game console screen, never sparing even a glance at Sun Hang and the others.

"Do you have a menu?"

"Nope, you eat what we have, or you can find another place if you don't like it." the hotpot shop owner said.

"Can I ask you something?"

"In Yumen, there are no free messages."

Sun Hang pulled out a hundred-yuan bill and placed it on the table.

The hotpot shop owner finally glanced at him and asked, "You tell me what you want to know, and I'll decide if that's worth the price."

"Do you know a place in Yumen called Sima Street?"

The hotpot shop owner paused, went back to his game and said, "Never heard of it, take your money back."

After leaving the hotpot restaurant, Sun Hang wandered into an antique market—this antique market was transformed from a broad tunnel, with about ten stalls scattered along both sides, displaying 'treasures' picked up from the uninhabited zones—or rather, junk.

Two mercenaries crouched in front of a stall, holding a brass wine jug, haggling with the owner. Seeing this, Sun Hang approached and quietly asked, "Can I inquire about something? Do you know where Sima Street is?"

"What Sima Street? Do you mean Yumen?"

"Does Yumen have such a place? Why have I never heard of it?"

"You must be talking about some place in the uninhabited zone? Only ghosts would know that."

Sun Hang asked several more people in succession, getting responses like "never heard of it" and "are you crazy?" One person even thought Sun Hang was mocking him and cursed him out.

Given that the name Sima Street sounds like a curse word in Chinese, it's hard not to associate it with profanity.

In about half an hour, Sun Hang already asked more than fifty people but still didn't get a definitive answer.

"What do you think." Sun Hang nudged Candle Dragon with his elbow, speaking in a voice only the two of them could hear, "Do you think the guy hiding in the shadows has noticed me yet?"