Chapter 44 - The Cannon Fodder Little Fulang [Quick Transmigration]

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Chapter 44

 

 

Upon reaching the city, Xiao Zimo and Wu Bai quickly parted ways with Hai Zhu and Hai Shi. After all, the two hadn't come to see Hai Zan at all—they had merely used him as an excuse to visit the city. Since Hai Zan wasn't going anywhere, they figured they could just stop by before heading back.

 

Wu Bai and Xiao Zimo, on the other hand, had arranged to meet Yin Yun at Hai Zan's shop, so they made their way in that direction.

 

With the streets bustling with people, riding in the carriage any further became impractical. They turned off into a quieter alley and stopped at the bookstore, leaving the carriage in the rear courtyard before continuing on foot toward Hai Zan's shop.

 

As they reached the street where Hai Zan's store was located, they spotted him at a short distance away, speaking with another man. After exchanging a few words, the man handed over a large bundle, which Hai Zan accepted before turning toward the shop.

 

"Brother Zan!" Wu Bai called out.

 

Hai Zan heard someone calling him and turned to see Wu Bai and Xiao Zimo. He paused and nodded in greeting. "Bai-ger, it's you two. What brings you here?"

 

Wu Bai glanced at the bundle in Hai Zan's arms. It looked rather heavy. "We have an appointment with Boss Yin, so we're waiting for him here. Brother Zan, what are you carrying? It doesn't look like fabric."

 

"I'm not sure what it is either," Hai Zan replied. "It belongs to one of the other workers at the shop. He had an urgent matter back home and asked me to bring it inside for him."

 

"Oh, I see. You should take it in first. It looks quite heavy, and it's not right to keep you standing here chatting while carrying it," Wu Bai said apologetically.

 

"Alright then, I'll just put this away first. You two can wait inside and find a seat—I'll be right out," Hai Zan replied before heading toward the shop with the bundle in his arms.

 

As he walked, Hai Zan couldn't help but feel that coming here had been worthwhile. Seeing Bai-ger again no longer filled him with the same sorrow as before. In fact, he even found himself wanting to sincerely wish him happiness with Xiao Zimo.

 

The bundle was large and obscured his view of the ground, but he was so familiar with the shop that he didn't think much of it. However, just a few steps in, his foot caught on a pile of fabric on the floor—new stock that had arrived that morning but hadn't been sorted yet. One of the workers had placed old cloth underneath to keep the new rolls clean, but the pile had become a hazard.

 

Hai Zan, burdened by the heavy bundle, stumbled forward. Fortunately, Xiao Zimo reacted swiftly and caught him before he could fall.

 

The near-miss left Hai Zan shaken. He quickly steadied himself and instinctively checked the bundle in his arms. In his moment of panic, he had gripped it tightly, and he could faintly feel a ceramic jar inside. He assumed it was just a jar of pickled vegetables, likely something the worker's family had sent for him. However, he noticed that the lid was slightly askew, so he adjusted it before stepping past Xiao Zimo, intending to take it to the back of the shop.

 

Before he could, Xiao Zimo blocked his path and, without warning, snatched the bundle from his hands. He immediately began unwrapping it.

 

Hai Zan froze in shock before anger flared in his chest. "Xiao Mo! What do you think you're doing? This belongs to someone else—you can't just open it like that!"

 

But before Hai Zan could stop him, Xiao Zimo had already lifted the lid. To his surprise, the jar wasn't filled with pickled vegetables at all—it contained oil.

 

Hai Zan blinked in confusion. Then, he frowned. Whether it was oil or pickled vegetables, Xiao Zimo still had no right to open it. Frustrated, he shoved Xiao Zimo aside, grabbed the lid from the counter, and sealed the jar again.

 

Fixing Xiao Zimo with a glare, he said angrily, "You've gone too far. You opened someone else's belongings without permission!"

 

Wu Bai, who had been watching the scene unfold, spoke up, "Brother Xiao, what's going on?" He knew Xiao Zimo wouldn't act so rashly unless he had a good reason. However, when he looked inside the jar, all he saw was ordinary oil—nothing seemed out of the ordinary.

 

Just as Xiao Zimo was about to explain, a voice called out from behind them.

 

"Bai-ger, I didn't expect you to arrive before me."

 

It was Yin Yun, who had just arrived with Yin Yue.

 

Seeing him, Xiao Zimo's expression grew serious. He turned to Yin Yun and said, "Young Master Yin, we need to talk. Let's go inside." He gestured toward the back of the shop, then picked up the jar from the counter and strode toward the rear storage area.

 

Sensing that something was amiss, Wu Bai and Yin Yun exchanged glances before following him inside. Hai Zan hesitated for a moment before trailing after them as well.

 

Once they were inside, Xiao Zimo turned to Yin Yun and asked, "Do you know what I'm holding right now?"

 

Yin Yun shook his head. "No, what is it?"

 

Xiao Zimo's voice was firm as he answered, "It's fire oil."

 

"What?!"

 

Wu Bai, Yin Yun, and Hai Zan all gasped in shock.

 

This was something absolutely forbidden in a fabric shop. As the young master of the store, Yin Yun understood the severity of the situation more than anyone. His expression darkened as he immediately asked, "Where did this come from?"

 

Xiao Zimo shifted his gaze toward Hai Zan. "You should ask him."

 

Yin Yun turned to Hai Zan, his expression one of disbelief. "Brother Hai, what's going on?"

 

Seeing Yin Yun's eyes fixed on him with such intensity, Hai Zan hurried to explain. "It's not mine! Earlier, Li Yuan suddenly said he had urgent matters at home and had no time to put his things away properly, so he asked me to hold onto this for him."

 

"He's telling the truth," Wu Bai confirmed. "I saw it myself—someone else handed this jar to him."

 

Wu Bai was still shaken by Xiao Zimo's earlier words. He had heard of fire oil before but had never actually seen it. The mere thought of it appearing in the shop was enough to unnerve him. More importantly, he suddenly recalled a conversation from a few days ago—Xiao Zimo's men had mentioned that someone had been secretly gathering fire oil. Was this connected to that?

 

Wu Bai met Xiao Zimo's gaze, and the two exchanged a silent understanding.

 

Xiao Zimo then turned back to Yin Yun. "Has anyone been targeting you recently, Young Master Yin? This fire oil didn't end up here by coincidence. And that Li Yuan? There's no way he could have acquired so much of it on his own."

 

Yin Yun furrowed his brows. "Targeting me? No, I don't think I've offended anyone lately…"

 

"Master, have you forgotten?" Yin Yue, the ever-observant attendant, spoke up. "At the Governor's flower appreciation banquet a few days ago, you completely outshone Tang Ling. I suspect he's behind this. He looked at you like he wanted to devour you whole."

 

Yin Yue had served Yin Yun since childhood and knew him well. He also noticed details Yin Yun often overlooked—such as the hostility Tang Ling had displayed that day.

 

But Yin Yun only shook his head. "That seems unlikely. He's just a young ger. How could he possibly acquire this much fire oil? And all that was at stake was a mere first-place title in a flower banquet. The prize was nothing more than a calligraphy piece from the Governor. Surely he wouldn't go to such extreme lengths over something so trivial."

 

Yet, as soon as Wu Bai and Xiao Zimo heard confirmation of a past conflict with Tang Ling, they both had the same thought: So it really was him.

 

Wu Bai frowned. "Yun-ger, you might think it was nothing, but he might not see it that way. Tang Ling could very well hold a grudge over such a slight. And while he may be a ger, isn't his father known to dote on him excessively? His father is the Admiral of the Navy—fire oil would be easy enough for him to obtain."

 

"Bai-ger is right," Xiao Zimo agreed, his tone grave. "You may not have meant him harm, but that doesn't mean he isn't set on harming you. And if Admiral Tang truly wanted to move against your family, he wouldn't just target this little shop. I suspect similar preparations have been made at your textile workshop as well."

 

Hearing both Xiao Zimo and Wu Bai say this, Yin Yun finally put away his earlier nonchalance. After all, if his family's business were to be ruined, the loss wouldn't be theirs alone—many workers who relied on them for their livelihood would also suffer.

 

Given the gravity of the situation, Yin Yun knew he could not afford to delay any longer. He turned to Wu Bai and said, "Bai-ger, I'm afraid I won't be able to accompany you to the temple today."

 

Wu Bai waved his hand dismissively. "Don't worry about it. You handle your affairs first—we can go another day."

 

Having received Wu Bai's understanding, Yin Yun hurriedly boarded his carriage with Yin Yue and left the fabric shop, taking the fire oil with him. Since he was still only the young master of the Yin family, his father had yet to entrust him with full authority—only gradually granting him more power. As such, he couldn't make all the decisions alone. To prevent his father from dismissing this as him overreacting, he made sure to bring the fire oil as evidence.

 

Sure enough, just as he had anticipated, when he first told his father that someone was plotting against their textile workshops, his father was completely unconcerned. Having been in the fabric trade for many years in Yangjiang Province, the Yin family patriarch was a leader among the province's merchants. He had weathered countless storms and naturally would not be easily alarmed.

 

But the moment he saw the fire oil, his expression changed. He immediately realized that someone was trying to destroy his family. In the past, his competitors had resorted to underhanded tactics—monopolizing supplies, lowering prices, placing fake orders to cause delivery delays—but this? This was something else entirely.

 

A chill ran down his spine.

 

At this point, he didn't even have time to wonder which rival wanted to annihilate his business. Without hesitation, he summoned the house steward and led a large group of family guards, dispatching them in waves to their textile workshops.

 

Since Yin Yun's father took charge of the workshops, Yin Yun himself led another group of guards to inspect the family's various shops.

 

Meanwhile, Wu Bai and the others, after seeing Yin Yun off, turned to Hai Zan to ask for the address of the other shop assistant, Li Yuan. Since Li Yuan had been involved and the Yin family was making a large move, they feared he might catch wind of it and flee. Rather than letting him get away, they decided to capture the traitor themselves.

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