Chapter 68: No One Can Be Offended

Although Liu Rumai was surprised and caught off guard, she didn't think much deeper about it.

Behind her, Liu Housekeeper Liu Ce was a bit unsettled, as, from his perspective, Chen Xiaobei's attitude seemed to show a lack of respect towards Liu Rumai.

"Mr. Chen has really made it big, building this high wall all at once," Liu Ce said, with a hint of sarcasm.

Hearing this, Chen Xiaobei's temper flared a little. "If Miss Liu has no urgent matters, please return!"

Upon hearing these words, Chen Anbang was shocked, nearly dropping his jaw.

This was the youngest daughter of the renowned Protector of the Nation, Duke Liu Xiangnan, Liu Rumai.

It was said that Liu Xiangnan held an extraordinary position, even the current emperor would show him respect.

His daughter, Liu Rumai, was a figure almost god-like to ordinary people like them.

Yet, looking at Chen Xiaobei's indifferent attitude, barely speaking a few words, and directly telling her to leave, he couldn't believe his eyes. Was he mistaken? Was Chen Xiaobei out of his mind?

What surprised Chen Anbang even more was that Liu Rumai actually smiled and said, "Mr. Chen, may we speak further?"

Truthfully, Chen Xiaobei didn't want to talk with her any longer, but at that moment, Cui Hongyu hurried out.

"Husband, guests are guests. Why don't you invite Miss Liu in to sit?"

In an instant, Chen Xiaobei's face softened, and he gave Cui Hongyu a sweet look.

He then turned and gestured for Liu Rumai to come in.

Seeing this, Chen Anbang was furious, stomping his feet! This was his granddaughter-in-law!

After cursing under his breath, he left in anger.

As he turned to leave, he began to ponder, "Cui Banxian, Cui Banxian, if you don't handle this properly, don't blame me for being heartless."

What surprised him even more was that at that moment, Cui Banxian appeared at his doorstep.

Seeing that no one was around, Cui Banxian quickly took off the pouch he carried.

Opening the pouch, he poured something into the entrance of Chen Anbang's house.

Soon, several small, bright green snakes slithered inside the door.

Cui Banxian sneered a few times and quickly left.

Unaware of this, Chen Anbang returned home, his mind heavy with thoughts.

The moment he stepped through the door, he felt a sharp pain in his ankle, as if something had stung him.

Chen Anbang looked down and saw a small, bright green snake, its head raised, flicking its tongue at him.

Oh no.

Chen Anbang thought something was wrong and shouted loudly to the yard, "Old woman, I've been bitten by a snake!"

No sooner had he shouted than his vision blurred, and with a thud, he collapsed to the ground.

Yang Shi, who came running at the sound, saw Chen Anbang fall.

She hurried over to help, but as soon as her hand touched his body, a green figure flashed and quickly bit her hand.

A few moments later, Yang Shi also collapsed to the ground with a thud, soon falling silent.

At this moment, in the home of Chen Dachun, or now, it should be called Chen Xiaobei's house, the west yard.

The atmosphere was a bit heavy.

"Mr. Chen, I won't hide it from you. There are valuable items needed by the royal family on Qingniu Mountain. I'd like to ask you to help guard the mountain. If anyone enters, could you ask them or have someone inform us?" Liu Rumai proposed.

Chen Xiaobei did not respond to Liu Rumai's suggestion.

This was beyond ridiculous. Why was everyone focusing on Qingniu Mountain?

He knew that several groups had their eyes on the place, and that wasn't a good thing.

The three factions likely represented different interests, and if a conflict broke out, Hetou Village would inevitably be caught in the crossfire.

Therefore, the best way to ensure their own safety was not to offend any side.

But not offending any side meant that when anyone came asking for help, he had to comply.

Otherwise, trying to stay out of things would only lead to offending everyone. If that happened, life in Hetou Village would be impossible.

"Miss Liu, to be honest, in our Hetou Village, we have a few old customs. We don't go up the mountain past the Mountain God Temple, which is the place where we found Brother Liu. Beyond that, we're not familiar with the area."

"Also, we don't go up the mountain at night. If it wasn't for the villagers who fainted from poisoning while trying to save Brother Liu, we would never have risked going up to the mountain."

"So, if you want us to keep an eye out for anyone entering the mountain, I can only set up a checkpoint at our village entrance and question them. But Qingniu Mountain is so vast, and there's more than one way up. If they come from another route, I won't be able to do anything."

Chen Xiaobei's words were a mix of truth and lies.

But it was perfectly normal to add a personal agenda, since he had his own hidden motives.

"Of course, Miss Liu, we've agreed beforehand—our villagers make their living from the land, and we can't afford to delay the farm work for a day."

Liu Rumai, of course, understood what Chen Xiaobei meant—he was asking for money.

Farm work couldn't be delayed, but if money was provided, it could be postponed.

If the money was enough, they could even stop farming altogether.

"Alright, I like how straightforward Mr. Chen is. Five coins per person, per day."

"You tell me, how many people can you arrange for me?"

Damn, hearing this, Chen Xiaobei was greatly startled.

As expected, she was bold and wealthy, directly offering to cover everything.

But when he thought about it carefully, if you do the math, five coins per person, per day, for two hundred people would only be one tael per day—three hundred taels of silver in a year.

For Liu Rumai, who had just given Chen Dachun a thousand taels of silver, this amount was nothing but a drop in the bucket.

"Alright, then I'll try my best to arrange more for you."

At this moment, Liu Rumai leaned forward with a smile and said, "If you can arrange for people to go up to the Mountain God Temple every day, I can increase it to ten coins per person."

Ten coins.

Chen Xiaobei was even more shocked, not because of Liu Rumai's offer, but because he knew that Qingniu Mountain must hold a huge secret.

Yes, a secret that was unknown to him.

And that secret was likely the very same secret that the other groups were eager to uncover.

So, it seemed there was money to be made, but the cost could be one's life.

Thinking this, he waved his hand. "No, no, no, let's forget about it. We should stick to the old customs."

Although Chen Xiaobei said this, Liu Rumai saw through him.

She knew that money could move mountains, and sooner or later, Chen Xiaobei would accept her terms.

Just then, a heart-wrenching cry echoed through Hetou Village.

The sound made Chen Xiaobei's heart tighten.

Before long, Chen Xiaowen rushed over in a hurry. "Brother Xiaobei, you need to come quick. The village chief is dead, and Chen Ping is crying over there."

Chen Xiaobei stood up and apologized to Liu Rumai, "Sorry, I must take my leave."

As he left, Liu Rumai thought for a moment, then made a gesture to Liu Ce. The two of them quietly followed the villagers of Hetou Village to the scene.

By the time they reached the entrance of Chen Anbang's house, it was surrounded by a crowd.

When the crowd saw Chen Xiaobei, they instinctively parted, creating a path for him.

Seeing this, Liu Rumai was secretly amazed. It seemed that Chen Xiaobei held significant influence in Hetou Village.