Hao Yu looked around, wondering what kind of box contained the goods that the merchant association was trying to hide. There was one way to find out. Considering he placed it underneath the cultivator's spiritual stones, it was clear that he was hiding banned goods. The banned goods didn't necessarily mean it was related to cultivators.
That was why Hao Yu placed the measuring crystal next to the boss. The measuring crystal was lighting up depending on the concentration of spiritual qi near the area. In other words, if he put them close to the target, it would definitely increase the intensity of the light.
Wan Fei was already frozen, unable to do anything. In fact, he must be scheming against Hao Yu, wondering how he could eliminate this guy.
Hao Yu took this opportunity to check every single box. He had to be fast so that Wan Fei didn't have enough time to think about it.
To his surprise, even though he had tested every single box, there wasn't much difference between each box.
'This is… There is nothing here? No, I don't think Wan Fei is acting. There should be something, but I can't find it. If I have a few subordinates to check the surrounding area, I might be able to find it. But once I leave this place, Wan Fei will definitely work fast to make them disappear.' Hao Yu's expression turned solemn.
Wan Fei was happy that Hao Yu couldn't find anything, but that was the time Hao Yu thought about another place to hide the goods.
Without hesitation, Hao Yu opened the box that contained the spiritual stones, confusing Wan Fei.
But instead of using the measuring crystal, Hao Yu used his hands to grab every single spiritual stone. He didn't try to measure them; instead, he wanted all of them out.
After digging for quite a bit, Hao Yu finally found the bottom part of the box, albeit he noticed that the base of this box was actually higher than the actual one.
"!!!" Wan Fei and Hao Yu realized the same thing.
With a glare from Hao Yu, Wan Fei couldn't make his move as Hao Yu took out all the spiritual stones. After the box was cleared, Hao Yu pressed the base, only to find it slightly tilted.
He had found what he was searching for. At the corner of the box, he noticed a black powder coming out of the gap.
"This is…" Hao Yu touched the black powder and smelled it. In that instant, he understood the reason Wan Fei was panicking. "Wan Fei… you should know that explosive powder is one of the banned goods in this dynasty, right?"
Wan Fei's expression darkened. He knew that if Hao Yu reported this to the magistrate, it would be over for him.
But before Wan Fei could do anything, Hao Yu actually sighed before saying, "This is not the place to talk about it… don't you think?"
"!!!" Wan Fei widened his eyes in shock. Hao Yu looked upright, but he actually wanted to change places. This was the biggest hint Hao Yu ever gave. 'Did he want to negotiate with me? No, is he giving me the opportunity? Is he going to extort me? I will take some loss, but it won't be over for me… Should I eliminate him or take this opportunity?'
"If you want to eliminate me, right now is your best chance. However, I have to warn you that it won't be easy." Hao Yu released a bit of his killing intent. While he looked like a scholar, he had at least completed his weapon training. After all, how could he kill several cultivators with weapons? Even if the enemies lowered their guards, it still took a considerable amount of skill.
Wan Fei could feel the bloodlust Hao Yu's eyes were oozing. It was like he was standing in front of a lion, ready to prey upon him when there was a chance.
That killing intent forced Wan Fei to make the decision.
With a big smile on his face, Wan Fei said, "What are you talking about? Eliminating you? I would never hurt an official since I'm a good citizen. By the way, I know a place that offers some good wine. Would you like to take a break first?"
"Right? I'm quite tired. Let's take a break." Hao Yu nodded his head.
Wan Fei gulped down, feeling relieved as if he had just avoided the worst outcome.
Hao Yu had given him an opportunity, so he was wondering what he should offer. He could bribe him with money, but Hao Yu didn't seem to be that fixated on money. Women? An official should have seen a lot of women, so unless there was something special, Hao Yu would definitely not bite.
That was why Wan Fei was racking his brain to find that one thing to negotiate.
Wan Fei guided him to a high-class tavern. He had thought of several options to solve this problem.
So, once they sat down, Wan Fei asked the staff. "Bring out the Star Shine Wine."
"And Oily Chicken Soup, two pieces of…" Hao Yu ordered a lot of food to the point where Wan Fei wondered if Hao Yu could even finish them all. But since he was treating him in order for Hao Yu to turn a blind eye to the explosive powder, he just remained silent until Hao Yu finished.
Luckily, they were inside a private room, so no one would bother them. As soon as the staff left the room, Wan Fei opened his mouth, ready to negotiate.
But Hao Yu actually stopped him by saying, "Before that, I'm going to say this first. The magistrate has been given several ideas during his trip to Fengyun City. It seems that he is going to tighten the security, including the inspection. And during that trip, he brought me here and left me in charge of most tasks, including the dam."
Thump!
The words that Wan Fei wanted to speak earlier stuck in his throat. Hao Yu was warning him that he had the authority for the inspection, so he should be careful about what he said from now on.