Chapter 1470 - 1465: Nearly Lost My Life!
Taking advantage of Ah Bao and his men not paying attention, Mu Dazhong whispered to Mu Danian, "Danian, let’s sneak a peek at the goods, see what it is, okay?"
Mu Danian had long wanted to see it.
The sight of Silver continuously flowing into their pockets, yet not knowing what business this really was.
If they could find out, even if they don’t continue under Ah Bao, they wouldn’t worry about losing a way to make a living.
Mu Danian and Mu Dazhong exchanged a glance and started walking toward the warehouse’s direction.
Their warehouse was not far from the dock, but its location was extremely hidden.
During the day, four strong men guarded the warehouse entrance, and Mu Dazhong and Mu Danian, as outsiders, couldn’t approach the warehouse.
Yet having spent such a long time here, Mu Dazhong and Mu Danian knew how to stealthily enter the warehouse.
At the very back of the warehouse, there was a wall, the bricks of which could be moved.
Pry open the soil bricks, just barely enough for a person to pass through.
The two brothers finally reached the back of the warehouse, opened the soil bricks together, then Mu Danian, who was thinner, got inside to see what exactly was inside.
Once inside, Mu Danian roamed like a wild horse off its leash, checking here, touching there, yet avoiding the main task of finding out what the cargo was.
Outside, Mu Dazhong was anxiously waiting, helpless, as his belly was too big, and he couldn’t squirm through the hole.
After checking all around, Mu Danian finally approached a small wooden box and opened it.
On top of the wooden box was a heap of sawdust; Mu Danian of course wouldn’t foolishly think that this was the goods they watched over and loaded day by day.
Brushed away the sawdust and opened the compartment above, Mu Danian saw the white salt underneath and was utterly stunned!
"This... this is illicit salt???"
In Da Ning Dynasty, salt and iron were sole monopolies by the government, individuals had no right to trade edible salt.
The price of salt was set by the government, whatever they said it cost, that’s what it cost.
The salt price, however, was indeed set quite high, so many merchants traveling by water would clandestinely trade salt.
But this behavior, once caught in Da Ning Dynasty, warranted execution.
Mu Danian was so scared he trembled all over, making money was one thing, risking execution was another!
What to do?
Mu Danian was utterly panicked, unable to think of what to do, and at this moment, Mu Dazhong called out again, "Danian, Danian..."
Mu Dazhong’s voice wasn’t loud, but just enough to alert the four strong men guarding the warehouse.
One of the strong men asked in a not-so-low voice, "Why do I feel someone is in the warehouse?"
"Me too, let’s go in and have a look!"
Mu Danian clearly heard their words, and was dumbfounded, but at this moment, Mu Dazhong was still calling out.
The most terrifying thing was, seeing Mu Danian not returning for so long, Mu Dazhong forcibly moved two bricks himself and slowly crawled inside.
Face full of glee, Mu Dazhong rushed to Mu Danian, boasting, "Hmph, you little rascal saw some treasure and wouldn’t share with your second brother, but I still got in!"
"You fool, take a look at this!"
Mu Danian pointed to the opened cargo box.
Mu Dazhong initially looked indifferent, but seeing the salt, he was utterly stunned as well.
Just at this moment, the shouting of the strong men at the warehouse entrance was heard again.
"Finished, what do we do? What should we do?" Mu Dazhong was sweating profusely from anxiety!
"What do we do? Run!"
Mu Danian shouted urgently.
Then he ran first, Mu Dazhong followed, and upon responding, four strong men had already entered the warehouse, pointing at Mu Dazhong and shouting loudly, "Stop, stop right there for me..."
Mu Dazhong frantically squeezed through the wall hole, but his rear got stuck at the entrance.
Seeing people about to catch up from behind, and Mu Danian unwilling to stop and rescue him.
Not knowing where the strength came from, Mu Dazhong made a fierce push, indeed escaping from the wall hole, though his backside suffered severe trauma, feeling like it was gouged, hurting fiercely.
Covering his backside, Mu Dazhong ran following Mu Danian’s direction.
Their incident quickly spread to Ah Bao.
Ah Bao now showed his true ferocious face.
He ordered his men to ensure these two do not return to Qingshan County, alive or dead, they must not leave Yang City.
Mu Dazhong and Mu Danian ran straight to the city, barely catching breath, rushing towards the city gate.
Seeing the familiar faces at the city gate, Mu Dazhong quickly said to Mu Danian, "Fifth! It’s Ah Bao’s men, the city gate..."
Mu Danian saw them too, gritting his teeth, he said to Mu Dazhong, "Second brother, do you want to live?"
Mu Dazhong nodded earnestly, "I do, of course I do!"
"Alright, go get some Copper Coins nearby, get more, at least two taels!"
"What? Two taels?"
Hearing the cost, Mu Dazhong hesitated.
He had only seven or eight taels of Silver, earned through risking life.
"Second brother, no time to hesitate, if we don’t leave the city today, we’ll never leave it in our lives!" Mu Danian said.
In matters of life and death, Mu Danian had some intelligence.
He recalled Ah Bao’s influence, alongside those thugs following Ah Bao...
Thinking about it, Mu Danian realized staying in Yang City meant his life would be in danger.
Mu Dazhong stamped his foot in anger, shouting, "That Ah Bao, one day I’ll take his life!"
Mu Dazhong exchanged two taels of Silver, getting two thousand Copper Coins in return.
Handing the Copper Coins to Mu Danian, Mu Danian hurried towards the city gate.
"They’re over there!"
Ah Bao’s men shouted, Mu Dazhong’s face turned pale with fright.
Knees trembling non-stop, Mu Danian’s too, but continuously moving forward, reaching the thugs, he threw Copper Coins toward the sky.
Suddenly, Copper Coins scattered, Mu Danian shouted, "Pick up the money, pick up the money..."
Nearby townsfolk, upon hearing Mu Danian’s shout, rushed out, one by one crouching to gather the money, just blocking Ah Bao’s thugs.
Mu Dazhong seeing others pick up the money, almost cried.
"Don’t pick it up, it’s mine, don’t pick it up..."
"Second brother, run!" Mu Danian urged while running.
Mu Dazhong didn’t comply; he squatted and began gathering coins.
Surrounded by people picking up money, crowds gathered.
Unknowingly, Silver worth five taels tucked in Mu Dazhong’s chest got pushed out.
Someone with keen eyes noticed and claimed the money as theirs.
Mu Dazhong gathered a handful of Copper Coins, roughly twenty.
When he looked up, Mu Danian had already left the city.
Only then did he reluctantly leave!
"Fifth, wait for me, wait for me..."