Martial Arts: I Have a Wilderness World

Chapter 576: Chapter 302: The Su Family Wants to Lend a Hand?

"What? The Su Family wants to lend a hand?"

Inside the Cheng Residence, Cheng Zongyang, who had just paused his Cultivation, showed a look of considerable surprise upon hearing Chen Kaishan’s full account.

Chen Kaishan nodded slightly. "That’s right," he said. "Su Ze’s intentions are clear: he hopes to meet you and secure a place in the Cultivation Immortality Realm. He also said that if he can accomplish this, they’ll deliver any amount of building materials you need. After all, the Su Family is backed by Da Liang. With the resources of the entire empire at their disposal, they can supply virtually anything required."

A smile touched Cheng Zongyang’s lips. ’I can’t just pass up on resources that are being hand-delivered like this,’ he mused. After a moment, he spoke:

"That’s not a problem. Since the Su Family is showing such sincerity, I won’t refuse. Later, I’ll have someone list the required materials and supplies. One copy will be sent to your Commerce Association, and you can take the other to Su Ze."

Cheng Zongyang knew that with the Su Family’s support, the development of the Immortal City would speed up considerably. More materials also meant they could improve the area outside the city itself; after all, leaving them as dirt roads wasn’t a sustainable solution.

Chen Kaishan was not surprised that Cheng Zongyang agreed so readily.

This was within his expectations. ’A meeting and the promise of one or two spots in exchange for so many materials... anyone in Cheng Zongyang’s position would almost certainly agree,’ he thought.

After Chen Kaishan left, Cheng Zongyang remained alone in his study, lost in thought.

’The Su Family showing up on my doorstep was something I’d already anticipated. Su Wunian’s Power is bound to run out. It was only a matter of time before they came looking for me, so a meeting was inevitable. Of course I’d agree to get it over with sooner in exchange for a wealth of materials.’

However, this also sparked an idea.

’What if I have the various factions find professionals to help with the construction? Wouldn’t that speed things up?’

However, after thinking it over, he dismissed the idea. After all, a single spot was worth ten million taels of silver. If he gave them away so casually, he would be missing out on greater profits.

Thus, Cheng Zongyang stopped dwelling on it and re-entered the Wilderness World to continue his Cultivation. He knew he had to hurry and break through to the Innate realm to increase his Power.

Chen Kaishan didn’t rush to leave the Immortal City. He knew that there was an art to the timing of things. Acting too quickly would make the opportunity seem less valuable, while a bit of a delay would better reflect its worth.

Therefore, over the next few days, Su Ze kept a close watch on any activity from the Immortal City, anxiously awaiting news from Chen Kaishan.

He firmly believed that with the Su Family’s power and backing, he could surely win Cheng Zongyang’s approval. ’After all, what faction has resources that can compare to an entire nation’s?’

A few days later, Su Ze received a response from Emperor Liang. It was a single, simple word—Granted!

Su Ze understood that as soon as he had the list of required materials, it would only take an imperial edict to get them.

On the sixth day after Chen Kaishan entered the Immortal City, Su Ze finally saw the man he had been anxiously waiting for.

And the moment they met, he immediately heard the good news he had been dreaming of!

"Director Su, I’m glad to say I’ve succeeded. I’ve been waiting for a chance to meet with him these past few days. I finally caught Mr. Cheng during a brief tea break in his busy schedule. He heard about the Su Family’s proposal, asked a few questions about your family, and then agreed.

This is the list of materials the Immortal City requires. As long as you deliver the materials according to the requirements on this list, I can take you to meet Mr. Cheng."

Chen Kaishan handed the list of materials to Su Ze, his face breaking into a smile, happy on the other man’s behalf.

As Su Ze listened to Chen Kaishan, a wave of excitement surged through him, impossible to suppress. He accepted the list, his hands trembling slightly in his elation. It was as if this list of materials held the power to change the Su Family’s very destiny.

He then gave Chen Kaishan a solemn, formal bow, his eyes filled with gratitude. "Thank you, Steward Chen, for your tremendous help," he said with sincerity. "I am deeply in your debt. If you ever need my assistance in the future, you need only ask, and I will do everything in my power to help."

"Don’t mention it!" Chen Kaishan chuckled, his smile open and magnanimous. He continued, "You should take a good look at this list first. By the way, from now on, I’ll be coming out once every half a month to transport the Commerce Association’s goods. If you need anything then, you can always find me."

"Excellent! Thank you again, Steward Chen!" Su Ze expressed his sincere thanks once more.

Chen Kaishan waved his hand, indicating that Su Ze needn’t be so formal. With that, he turned and left the military camp with a steady gait.

Su Ze escorted Chen Kaishan all the way to the entrance of the camp, watching his figure recede into the distance before hurrying back to examine the list.

As Su Ze carefully examined the contents, he saw it listed various types of bricks—gray bricks, red bricks—all with different materials, specifications, and uses.

There were also tiles, which came in various shapes—curved, flat—suitable for different parts of a building; as well as finished lumber of different sizes—thick, thin, long, short—with each type having a specific purpose.

Seeing these detailed material requirements, Su Ze felt reassured.

He did not delegate the task, but personally transcribed a copy of the list, as if completing an extremely important mission.

After he finished copying, he gently rolled up the long strip of paper. He then turned to the only flying Exotic Beast in the tent—a creature reserved for the most urgent messages. It resembled a fierce falcon, with sharp, intelligent eyes.

This was the same creature that had carried the last message to the National Capital. A round trip from the west of Xiangyang Prefecture to the National Capital in the center of Yangzhou Prefecture took only three days.

Su Ze immediately placed the strip of paper into a small bamboo tube and carefully tied it to the creature’s leg.

He then ordered someone to bring two large bowls of raw meat to feed the flying Exotic Beast. The creature’s eyes flashed with excitement at the smell of raw meat, and it began to devour the food greedily.

A quarter of an hour later, Su Ze looked at the well-fed flying Exotic Beast, took a deep breath, and then released the falcon-like creature.

Instantly, the flying Exotic Beast beat its wings powerfully a few times, the sound of their movement like a roaring gale. WHOOSH. It then shot up into the sky, carving a graceful arc through the air. It let out several clear, piercing cries, its voice seeming to announce its arrival to the heavens.

It continued to climb, rising higher and higher until it tore through the clouds and vanished into the vastness of the sky!

Gazing at the rip in the clouds high above, Su Ze didn’t just wait around. He immediately summoned his Order Officers.

A moment later, several of the army’s Order Officers gathered in the military tent.

Su Ze immediately gave his orders: "Wang Chuanling, take a thousand men, split them into five teams, and go to the surrounding County Towns to find skilled artisans who can build houses. Remember, no forced conscription. Tell them it’s employment, that there will be wages and food. Find as many as you can and bring them all here."

"Yes, General!" Wang Chuanling immediately clasped his fist in acknowledgement.

"Li Chuanling, take three hundred men and go to the various County Towns to see if there are any unused stockpiles of building materials. Lumber, tiles, bricks, and so on. As long as they’re unused, take a clear inventory of the quantities, record it, and report back."

"Yes, General!" Li Chuanling replied, accepting the order.

"Zhang Chuanling, you take some men and clear out a larger open area south of the camp to be used for storing building materials."

"Yes, General," Zhang Chuanling acknowledged, but then asked, "General, how large does this area need to be?"

He wasn’t sure how big "larger" was and thought it best to ask.

Su Ze thought for a moment and said, "Start by clearing an area of a hundred mu. It must be completed within two weeks. Will three hundred men be enough for you?"

"That’s enough," Zhang Chuanling immediately replied.