Chapter 58: Purchasing Supplies

Jiang Ye shouldered his black backpack and headed toward the Nanhu Vegetable Market.

Upon arriving at the market, following the address provided by Wu Xiaoshi, he found the grain and oil store run by Wu Xiaoshi's eldest aunt.

"What can I get for you?" Wu Xiaoshi's aunt asked.

Jiang Ye stated his purpose directly, "I'm looking for Yang Fang."

Hearing that someone was looking for her daughter, Mrs. Yang looked him up and down, then smiled and called toward the back room, "Fangfang, someone's here for you."

Yang Fang lifted the curtain and stepped out from the inner room, still clutching her phone.

Half an hour ago, that absurd phone call from her cousin Wu Xiaoshi had completely scared away her sleepiness.

She looked the young man with the black backpack up and down. "I'm Yang Fang. And you are?"

"Jiang Ye." The moment he stated his name, a look of 'so it's you' appeared on Yang Fang's face.

"I heard you can take me on a tour to the Tang Dynasty?" Yang Fang cut straight to the point, a half-smile playing at the corners of her lips.

"Yes, the Anxi Protectorate." The moment Jiang Ye's voice fell, he saw a flash of 'he really is a scammer' in the depths of Yang Fang's eyes.

Before Yang Fang could speak, Jiang Ye changed the subject, "Today I want to order fifty bags of flour, fifty bags of rice, and ten cases of edible oil."

Yang Fang froze. "Huh?"

"Deliver them to One-Leaf Travel Agency within the day." Jiang Ye took out his phone and scanned the QR code for payment. "Thirty percent as a deposit, and the full balance will be paid upon delivery."

Looking at the person before her, Yang Fang felt her CPU was about to fry.

Do scam syndicates invest this heavily nowadays?

"May I ask, what are you buying so much grain for?"

"To give to the Anxi Army."

Yang Fang genuinely thought he had lost his mind and couldn't help laughing. But as she laughed, she noticed that the refined and handsome young man before her maintained a solemn expression, utterly devoid of any joking intent.

For a brief second, she had the illusion that what the man was saying was true.

That he was truly going to deliver grain to the Anxi Army.

Yet, reason told her how could that possibly be!

The Anxi Army—those were ancient people from over twelve hundred years ago.

Yang Fang was made somewhat uncertain by his serious expression. "Are you being serious?"

Jiang Ye nodded. "The Anxi Army is running out of food."

The Anxi Army of 789 AD was in a desperate plight of being isolated, helpless, and on the verge of collapse.

"How much?" Jiang Ye had many things to purchase and had no time to chat further.

Urged to settle the account, Yang Fang pulled out a calculator, crunched the numbers, and named a sum.

Jiang Ye paid the thirty percent deposit.

Listening to the notification sound of the funds arriving, Yang Fang couldn't help starting to mutter to herself inwardly again.

Only after this matter was settled did Jiang Ye speak up, "Wu Xiaoshi should have told you that he once went to the Qin Dynasty with me."

Yang Fang nodded.

"Sometimes, certain things may sound illusory and incredible, but why not give it a try? Perhaps, it is real."

Jiang Ye unlocked his phone, found Zhang Tao's Douyin profile, and handed it to her.

"These are the first batch of tourists who followed me to the Qin Dynasty."

Yang Fang looked at the video, then back at the young man standing before her.

"Wu Xiaoshi told me you're a doctor."

Yang Fang hadn't expected Wu Xiaoshi to have shared even that with him. She nodded, "Yes, but still in my internship period."

Jiang Ye nodded. "I hope you will join this tour group. The Anxi Army needs you."

In that sentence—'The Anxi Army needs you'—Yang Fang actually caught a hint of entreaty in his tone.

A slight tremble stirred in Yang Fang's heart. Yet, traveling through time to the Tang Dynasty—no matter how one heard it, it sounded absurd; no matter how one looked at it, it seemed like a scam.

"Among the tourists who previously joined the Qin Dynasty tour, there are several well-known tycoons. Since you're from Hangzhou, you should have heard of them. Zhou Xingfu from Xingfu Real Estate, Jiang Yijun from Jiang's Capital..." Jiang Ye listed a few names. "If you don't believe me, I can take you to their companies and sign the contract right in front of those executives."

Right at that moment, Wu Xiaoshi's call came through.

"Cousin, did you sign it yet?"

Yang Fang glanced at Jiang Ye, turned slightly away, and whispered, "No."

"Has Brother Jiang arrived yet?"

"Yes, he's right here."

Wu Xiaoshi was extremely anxious. "Then what are you waiting for? Hurry up and sign! If I weren't unqualified to go, such a great opportunity would never have fallen to you. Oh, just trust your younger brother this once. If I'm lying to you, may I be impotent for the rest of my life."

Yang Fang could hear the urgency in his voice, especially upon hearing her cousin's vicious oath. Her staunchly materialistic heart wavered, and she couldn't help asking, "The person just now said that Zhou Xingfu from Xingfu Real Estate and Jiang Yijun from Jiang's Capital are all tourists in his group. Is that true?"

"Truer than true! Hold on, I'll take you to meet them later and let them tell you in person. But for now, sign the contract with Tour Guide Jiang first. The slots are extremely precious—let's grab one first. If you're still uneasy afterward, you don't have to go. Cousin, seriously, just trust me this once."

With her cousin putting it that way, Yang Fang finally nodded in agreement. After hanging up the phone, she watched as Jiang Ye produced a contract and handed it to her.

Yang Fang signed the contract.

Jiang Ye put away the contract and asked, "Dr. Yang, could I trouble you for a favor? Could you list out some medications available on the market for treating sword wounds, wound infections, and the like?"

Judging by his tone, Yang Fang gathered he intended to purchase medications in bulk.

"You surely aren't planning to buy a batch of medicines and take them to the—to the Anxi Army, are you?"

"Yes."

Yang Fang thought for a moment and nodded in agreement. "I'll compile a list and send it to you later, but purchasing a large quantity of pharmaceuticals all at once might draw the attention of the authorities."

"It's fine, I'll handle it."

With a 'ding-dong' chime, Jiang Ye glanced at his phone—a message from Zhou Xingfu.

Jiang Ye took a look and breathed a sigh of relief. The final two slots were also settled.

Zhou Xingfu's cousin's son would be coming along with two sons of fellow vegetable market stall owners.

As for the other person, before he arrived at the Nanhu Vegetable Market, he had received a message from Liu Zhenndong saying that his friend Wang Zhengqing's parents were stall owners, and his friend was very eager to participate upon learning about it.

All five slots were completely finalized.

The Anxi Army currently lacked an immense number of things—daily necessities, weapons, medicines, and so on.

Jiang Ye opened the [Qin Dynasty Tour Group] chat group.

Jiang Ye: [I need to purchase a batch of medications. Does any boss here have channels?]

Jiang Ye: [Does anyone know anyone specializing in cold weapons? For instance: bows and arrows, armor, and the like? I need to buy a batch.]

...

Jiang Ye asked a whole string of questions.

Lin Ru: [I'll handle the matter of the medicines. Send me the list.]

Zhao Hong: [I know a boss who specializes in armor and crossbows. I'll have him send a batch over right now.]

Zhang Minghui: [I have channels to purchase gunpowder, guaranteed authentic.]

Fang Gaochang: [The eight of us will pool our funds to buy a batch of rice, flour, and seasonings and bring them over.]

The four-member night owl squad was finally jolted awake by the constant dinging notifications. After reading through the messages in the group, none of the four could remain calm.

Qiao Wenbo quickly came online: [I'll buy the grain. You eight don't need to pool your money.]

Geng Cang: [I'll buy a batch of fruits and vegetables to send over.]

Zhang Tao: [Candles, lighters, ignition cords... miscellaneous daily necessities. I'll make a list and send them over when the time comes.]

Whenever members of the group came online, Jiang Ye didn't even need to speak up; they eagerly offered up various items that might prove useful to the Anxi Army.

Looking at the enthusiastic responses from the group members, Jiang Ye felt a warmth spreading through his heart.