Chapter 321: Mixed Feelings

“Commandant Yan, there’s a letter for you. I was just thinking of finding someone to deliver it to you!”

When Yan Liqiang was about to exit Deer Villa, a guard at the entrance immediately walked over to him with a smile and handed him a letter.

“Oh. When did you receive it?” Yan Liqiang accepted the letter and noticed that the wax seal with the character ‘Lu’ on the envelope was still perfectly intact, implying that the letter had not been opened. Among all the people he knew, the only person surnamed Lu who would send him a letter at this time could only be Lu Peien who was in the Imperial Capital! During their last meeting, Yan Liqiang told him that he could find him at Deer Villa if anything happened. They hadn’t been in touch lately, so he didn’t expect to receive a letter from him today.

“About an hour ago, someone who looked like a servant delivered the letter here to Commandant Yan!”

“Alright, I got it. Thank you!” Yan Liqiang was feeling apprehensive, wondering if Lu Peien had encountered any troubles.

“Hahaha. You’re welcome, Commandant Yan…”

After waving goodbye to the guards at the entrance, Yan Liqiang left Deer Villa with the letter in his hands.

“Commandant Yan has the most freedom in Deer Villa. He can come and go as he pleases, and he goes out every three days on average. I wonder if he’s seeing some lady in the Imperial Capital? Eunuch Liu doesn’t seem to care either…” One of the guards at the entrance couldn’t help but mutter in jealousy as he watched Yan Liqiang’s fading silhouette.

“Liu Neng, mind your preposterous remarks!” The Feiyang Commandant who just handed the letter to Yan Liqiang shot him a glare and started reprimanding him. “Commandant Yan is privileged and favored by Eunuch Liu for his capabilities! If someone like you is to contest Commandant Yan, even two hundred of you will not be able to withstand him…”

The guard named Liu Neng huffed, “Isn’t that a little too exaggerated? Although I am not an impressive individual, I simply don’t believe that two hundred of me can’t stand against Commandant Yan. Even if he is slightly more impressive than me, I believe that he can only beat ten of me alone. How could he possibly fight a hundred of me by himself? I’m not some tied up swine that will simply stick my neck out and wait for him to slay me. Or are you telling me that he has three heads and six arms?”

“Don’t be petty now, Liu Neng! Although Commandant Yan has been laying low at Deer Villa, did you know that his reputation has shot through the roof at the Imperial Cavalry Unit over the past few months?”

“Ah. Leader, can tell us how Commandant Yan became so famous among the Imperial Cavalry Unit?” The curiosity of the guards at the side was instantly piqued.

“According to people at the Imperial Cavalry Unit, Commandant Yan single-handedly slaughtered over a hundred Blackwind Bandits on the battlefield and scared them out of their wits when they escorted Lord Sun back to the Imperial Capital. These are the notorious Blackwind Bandits in the northwest region we’re talking about…”

“Ah, how is that possible? He killed more than a hundred dauntless bandits in a battle single-handedly?” The guards were shocked.

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“You better believe it. This was not witnessed by only a single person. All our brothers in the Imperial Cavalry Unit who escorted Lord Sun saw it with their own eyes. Many of them can testify to that. Commandant Yan’s archery was said to be godly. With a bow in hand, he could kill anyone within a thousand meters like blowing the dust off his hands. The others on the journey got more than one of the rhinodrake steeds left by those Blackwind Bandits that Commandant Yan killed. After selling them, they managed to rake in quite a bit of money…”

……

Naturally, Yan Liqiang was oblivious to the fact that his ‘fame’ had reached the ears of the guards in Deer Villa. After leaving Deer Villa, he opened Lu Peien’s letter on the way to his destination. As soon as he read the content, his heart thumped. This was too much of a coincidence…

Lu Peien told Yan Liqiang about his decision with the Soul Mountain Sect on the lotus root briquettes. The first batch manufactured by the Soul Mountain Sect’s coal yard would officially be delivered to the Imperial Capital today. Lu Peien also expressed his gratitude to Yan Liqiang because apart from the lotus root briquettes, he also left a blueprint of a small metal stove that was suitable for burning the briquettes.

In the letter, Lu Peien mentioned that the demand of the lotus root briquettes had been growing in Pingxi Prefecture and the business had slowly penetrated the Gan Provincial City’s market. Not only that, the small metal stoves that Yan Liqiang had designed for burning the lotus root briquettes were in short supply around the Gan Province due to their simplicity, durability, convenience, and portability. They had gradually become a household necessity. All the blacksmith workshops in Gan Province were exhausted and occupied with copying the design. Ever since Old Master Lu personally shared Yan Liqiang’s inventions of the lotus root briquettes and the small metal stove at a public gathering several months ago, many people in the Gan Province now referred to the former as the Yan Coals and the latter as the Yan Stove. Half a year since Yan Liqiang left Gan Province, his reputation grew unexpectedly due to the two items that had infiltrated thousands of households in the province.

Lu Peien only knew about this after receiving the letter from his home back in Gan Province a few days ago. Even the Pingxi City Blacksmiths Association elected Yan Liqiang’s father as their head. As a result, the Yan Clan’s blacksmith store gained popularity in Gan Province and its business suddenly expanded a few times. Even the kukri knives that Yan Liqiang invented back then slowly became well-known among the people…

In short, Yan Liqiang’s awe-inspiring reputation in Gan Province was now beyond his imagination. The dream that he mentioned before where he learned the life-saving method for drowned people cast an air of mystery around him. Rumors among the citizens of Gan Province and Pingxi City had it that Yan Liqiang received enlightenment from the immortals. As a result, he was bestowed infinite wisdom and the destiny to become an immortal…

At the end of the letter, Lu Peien brought up a friend of Old Master Lu’s whom Lu Peien had mentioned to Yan Liqiang before — the supervisor from the Soul Mountain Sect who gifted the Revival Pill to Old Master Lu. When he heard the stories about Yan Liqiang, he expressed great interest in meeting Yan Liqiang and getting to know him over a meal through Lu Peien’s help.

Lu Peien asked Yan Liqiang for his opinion on the matter and invited him to the Gan Provincial Guild Hall whenever he was available in the next few days.

Stashing the letter back into his chest, Yan Liqiang walked to the Imperial Capital in a daze before he finally digested all the information presented to him in the letter — he had suddenly become a celebrity after leaving Gan Province. In the language of his previous world, it could be said that he had made his big break in Gan Province.

At this point in time, Yan Liqiang wasn’t sure how his fame in Gan Province would affect his future life in the Imperial Capital. His only concern now was the reception of ‘The Great Han Times’ that was going to be officially distributed today.

The former would only affect his prospects and well-being. However, the latter would affect the prospects, well-being, and the lives of millions…

Yan Liqiang arrived at the manor on Mount Longqi. The signboard that read ‘Shunyi Manor’ was officially replaced today with a new one that would look extremely strange to others —’The Great Han Times Publishing Company’…

Fang Beidou was brewing tea at a pavilion in the manor. After Yan Liqiang arrived, he didn’t do anything else. He just enjoyed a chat with Fang Beidou over tea at the pavilion, looking at the carps swimming in the pond while expecting the sales summary from the distribution centers in the city after dark.

Truth be told, Yan Liqiang didn’t know what to expect from the newspaper sales. After all, it was a new thing so it was hard to predict if they would be an instant hit or miss.

The sky finally turned dark and the sales summaries from the four distribution centers in the city were reported. The sales of ‘The Great Han Times’ first issue hardly met Yan Liqiang’s target — only 318 copies had been sold in the Imperial Capital…