Chapter 12: The Prestige of the Haotian Douluo

The next morning, Chu Chengzhou went to the southern market of Notting City to scout the area.

It was already February of the year 2631 in the Douluo calendar, and according to the original story, Tang San had awakened his martial soul and would be coming to Notting Academy to enroll in two months.

It was time to put his plan to drive away Tang Hao and his son into action.

However, before officially executing this plan, he needed someone to deliver an anonymous letter to Tang Hao.

He couldn't deliver the letter himself, could he? He had to find someone else to do it, and he couldn't let the person know his true identity. After all, if Tang Hao received the letter and later inquired, the messenger might reveal who sent it. What if Tang Hao came looking for him?

Moreover, he couldn't just ask anyone to deliver the letter. What if they didn't follow the plan properly?

Fortunately, these were just minor issues that wouldn't trouble Chu Chengzhou, who considered himself quite clever.

Douluo Continent wasn't like the modern world with a developed logistics industry. Even though Notting City was a small town, it still needed a steady supply of food, fruits, and vegetables.

The food consumed by Notting City every day came from surrounding villages, and Shenghun Village, where Tang Hao lived in seclusion, was one of the suppliers.

The southern market of the city was bound to have vegetable vendors from Shenghun Village, or at least some vendors who traded with the villagers.

Chu Chengzhou had to find out which vendors were from Shenghun Village, and then through a third party, he could send the letter with some travel money.

Two days later, at dawn, Chu Chengzhou left his home, dressed in a black robe and wearing a monkey mask, heading to the southern market.

Although his black robe and mask made him look suspicious, it wasn't illegal, and there was no risk of being reported by some nosy person to the city guards.

Before entering the market, Chu Chengzhou saw a small beggar holding a broken bowl, begging for alms.

A beggar working early?

Begging was a profession that existed in the modern world, and in a setting like Douluo Continent, it was naturally present, though not as common. Notting City had its share of beggars.

"Hey, kid, come here!" Chu Chengzhou called out hoarsely.

"???" The beggar looked confused and pointed at himself.

"Yes, you, come here!"

Chu Chengzhou nodded and, with a quick motion, pulled out two gold soul coins from his space stone and tossed them into the air. Seeing the two gold soul coins, the beggar's eyes lit up, and he hurried over.

"Soul Master, what do you need me to do?" The beggar asked eagerly, staring at the gold soul coins in Chu Chengzhou's hand.

"Good! I need you to deliver a letter to someone in the market. If you do it well, I'll reward you with a gold soul coin."

Seeing the beggar's eager look, Chu Chengzhou was satisfied and gave his instructions.

Delivering a letter was hardly worth a gold soul coin, but he was playing the part of a wealthy master. A copper coin wasn't enough, and a silver soul coin didn't suit his status, so a gold soul coin was just right.

After all, money was just an external thing; there was no need to be stingy.

Chu Chengzhou thought: This is half of my small fortune!

The beggar, still processing the request, was puzzled: Deliver a letter? It was only a few steps away, why would he need someone else to do it? But hearing the tone of the soul master, he quickly agreed.

"Deal!" The beggar immediately responded.

The beggar, eager to get the gold soul coin, nodded as he repeated Chu Chengzhou's instructions.

"Good. I'll follow you from a distance. Don't make any mistakes."

Chu Chengzhou handed over the letter and gave the beggar a gold soul coin. This coin wasn't his reward, but rather the travel money for the person the beggar was supposed to deliver the letter to.

In the market, a vegetable vendor from Shenghun Village, Wang Dahe, was unloading fresh vegetables from his cart in the early morning.

Suddenly, he noticed the beggar running toward him from the corner of his eye.

"Go away, go away! I'm poor, I don't have money to give you!" Wang Dahe wiped the sweat from his forehead and tried to shoo the beggar away.

"Are you Wang Dahe from Shenghun Village?" the beggar asked.

"Uh, yes, I am. What's the matter?" Wang Dahe was taken aback, surprised that the beggar knew him.

"A lord asked me to deliver a letter to the blacksmith Tang Hao in Shenghun Village. This gold soul coin is your payment."

The beggar handed over the letter and the gold soul coin, though he couldn't help but feel some regret at parting with the coin.

If the lord wasn't watching from afar, he would have kept the gold soul coin for himself.

"Deliver a letter to Tang Hao?"

Wang Dahe, who knew Tang Hao as the village's only blacksmith and a notorious drunk, was surprised. A lord in the city sending a letter to Tang Hao? And giving such a generous payment?

"Yes. The lord also said that you're not allowed to open the letter. If you do, you'll regret it. But once you deliver it, you can ask Tang Hao for another payment. He'll definitely give it to you."

The beggar added, making sure Wang Dahe understood the terms.

Chu Chengzhou had instructed the beggar to mention the second payment to reduce the chance of Wang Dahe being a troublemaker.

As for whether Tang Hao would pay or not? That wasn't Chu Chengzhou's concern. His objective had already been achieved.

"Alright! I'll deliver the letter!"

Wang Dahe nodded, taking the letter and the gold soul coin. Delivering the letter was just a simple task, and with the added payment, he couldn't refuse. Moreover, if a lord was involved, he couldn't afford to turn down the request.

But would Tang Hao be able to pay the second fee?

Wang Dahe thought to himself, Well, if he can't, I'll just ask him to make me a hoe or something.

Wang Dahe and the rest of Shenghun Village didn't realize the true value of the farming tools Tang Hao made. Even a simple hoe, forged by the renowned Haotian Douluo, would be worth a lot, even if it was just an ordinary hoe. The fame alone would make it worth at least a thousand or more gold soul coins.

After all, you couldn't let the name of the Haotian Douluo lose face!