I Have A Martial Dao World

Chapter 61 : 61. No more grain levies needed.

The rice I bought won't arrive for two days. Out of boredom, Lu Yao went to a gym to test his current fitness level.

He had never been to such a place before, so he randomly picked a bench to sit on and started by casually lifting a 50 kg dumbbell with one hand;

Next, he tried bench pressing, finding 100 kg to be somewhat light. Lu Yao kept adding weight, pushing up to 300 kg for over a dozen repetitions before he ran out of strength;

Finally, he did deadlifts with an improper form, also at 300 kg.

After finishing, he dusted off his hands, to find a group of astonished and speechless muscular hulks behind him!

The strong men had taken notice when Lu Yao kept increasing the weight. Initially, they intended to gently remind him to be careful, to prevent the young man from injuring himself.

But the more they watched, the more unbelievable it became!

Their builds were two to three times wider than Lu Yao's, yet their numbers were only half or even one-third of his!

At this moment, they really wanted to know—how did Lu Yao, with his utterly unremarkable physique, manage to do it!?

And his form and movements had the look of a complete novice, relying purely on brute strength!!??

Realizing he was being watched, Lu Yao quickly left the gym, trying to keep a low profile.

~~~~~~~~

There was a television hung on the wall at the gym's reception, and just as Lu Yao was leaving, he happened to see the news being broadcast:

[Our country's new range of weapons makes a stunning appearance at the international defense exhibition, astonishing the world]

The news showcased military drones capable of firing missiles.

But Lu Yao's gaze was caught by a "six-barreled Gatling gun" that happened to come into view. It was the famous Fire God Cannon, with bullets as large as soda bottles – a sight that sent chills down the spine.

This fearsome weapon was not designed for human targets; its purpose was to demolish enemy vehicles, turning armored cars into piles of rubble.

Lu Yao's blood surged with excitement, "This is what real men should use! Only wimps use Gatlings!"
Join us at m-v le mpy_r

In an instant, he felt his own AK was less appealing. He even pondered—if one at the Marrow-Cleansing Realm has the strength of a mighty elephant, could they possibly lift the Fire God Cannon?

~~~~~~~~

With boundless anticipation for the future, Lu Yao ran to the supermarket and bought ten cases of 80-proof strong spirits to make the genuine "Golden Elixir Brew."

He also purchased some clothes and snacks, and took the supermarket's delivery van back to the warehouse.

Late at night, the purchased rice finally arrived!

The trucks with a capacity of 30 tons were loaded with over 100 tons each... it took only four trucks to transport 500 tons of rice.

The loading workers started unloading immediately.

The entire process went smoothly and effortlessly. Lu Yao just needed to stand by and watch; before long, 500 tons of rice were in his possession.

What is a precious strategic material in the Otherworld can be easily purchased without leaving home on Blue Star; such is the difference between eras.

Once everyone had left, Lu Yao entered a meditative state to ensure everything was secure and began the first massive material transport!

In his mind, he issued a command, and a green, vortex-like portal appeared on the ground.

The portal expanded to its largest size, about 5 meters in diameter, engulfing the contents of the warehouse like quicksand.

~~~~~~~~

In the Otherworld warehouse, Lu Yao was the first to step out of the portal, followed by countless bags of rice materializing out of thin air.

The 500 tons were transported in less than a minute.

Lu Yao visited the office of the Ship Chartering Office, found Manager Zhang, and asked to borrow the telephone.

Manager Zhang agreed promptly, "No problem. Master Lu, whom do you wish to call?"

"Call the Commandery Princess."

Upon hearing this, Manager Zhang became even more respectful, "Please, this way. The telephone connected to the magistrate's office is here."

Arriving in the telephone room, he wiped the desk and chair with his sleeve and even enthusiastically cranked the generator. The antique phone required cranking to operate.

Soon the operator's voice came through, and Lu Yao said, "Connect me to the National Martial Arts Association."

Shortly after, he was in contact with Zhang Jin.

"Eunuch Zhang, this is Lu Yao. I'd previously promised to help with disaster relief. I'm prepared to donate some rice; it's in this warehouse at the Ship Chartering Office."

Zhang Jin's hoarse and weary voice came through, "Young Master Lu, your nobility is exemplary. Our house, on behalf of the Commandery Princess, thanks you. We will send someone over to take over immediately."

Although he spoke courteously, he did not take it to heart.

The shortfall in grain was enormous, a personal donation was but a drop in the bucket.

~~~~~~~

At that moment, Zhang Jin, with a pale face, knelt to the ground and cried out:

"Commandery Princess, your own collection only yielded less than five thousand kilograms of rice... Grain has become a strategic material, countless powers are hoarding, and it is very hard to buy even with money, we truly have no other options..."

Li Pei was also aware of the importance of grain in times of turmoil; at present, rice was not just representative of wealth.

"Continue collecting with my dowry; I will go to the Xiang Family to requisition grain."

"Your dowry!? When did you move your dowry? That must not be! Commandery Princess... Commandery Princess!"

Having said her piece, Li Pei left, leaving behind a frightened and powerless Zhang Jin, who did not know what to do.

~~~~~~~

The Einheit Concession, The Xiang Family Mansion.

This mansion was nothing short of a luxurious palace, equipped with a large garden and even boasting a statue of an angelic fountain.

The ability to own such a mansion in the foreign concession spoke volumes of the Xiang Family's connections and power.

The Xiang Family, generation after generation of wealthy merchants, had now even furthered their status by riding the coattails of foreigners. The head of the family was not only knighted as a Sir of Einheit but had also donated a large sum to the Imperial Court to receive a third-rank official title, making him a figure the world watched.

When Li Pei arrived, a young man dressed in a white suit was already waiting.

"Commandery Princess, I just received an urgent telegram; you're moving the shares from the weaving venture? But that was supposed to be part of your dowry..."

Li Pei's expression turned cold, and she interrupted, "Xiang Cheng, your Xiang Family has hoarded seventy million kilograms of grain, I need to requisition a portion of it to provide relief to the people outside the city affected by the disaster."

Upon hearing this, Xiang Cheng's face changed, and he leaned in a bit and whispered:

"Don't rush. The price of grain hasn't peaked yet. Wait a few more months, after the snow falls is the time to act! When it's cold and there's no grain, people will certainly die, and the price of grain can double again."

Li Pei was momentarily stunned before realizing what he was implying, seeing that the two of them were on completely different wavelengths.

She emphasized again, "Effective immediately, I am initiating a forced requisition of the Xiang Family's grain for relief porridge to aid disaster victims."

Xiang Cheng looked at her in amazement, "Are you targeting the Xiang Family? Are you acting on the Prince's orders? Commandery Princess, it's negotiable what we pay in tribute each year, and this marriage can be annulled any time. We can sit down and talk about any issues, there is really no need for this."

Xiang Cheng could not comprehend Li Pei's actions, convinced that she must have a deeper motive behind them.

Li Pei took out a grain requisition order stamped with the official seal and threw it at Xiang Cheng, saying coldly:

"Under the laws of Great Shun, I am now enforcing a requisition of the Xiang Family's grain. I'm giving prior notice out of consideration for our families' old ties, I hope you will not obstruct."

Xiang Cheng looked at her with a complicated expression for a long time before realizing that she was serious.

Suddenly he roared, "Have you gone mad? Are you actually going to give the grain to the starving people!?"

His roar was so forceful that it caused the ceiling to shed dust, and his expression was filled with disbelief. They were nobility, and powerful martial artists at that—how could they possibly take risks for the lowly masses and trouble themselves.

Li Pei was speechless; was he just now getting it...?

"The people are suffering from disaster; as a Commandery Princess, of course I must provide relief to the victims and render aid on behalf of the Imperial Court."

Xiang Cheng scoffed, crumpled the order into a ball, and threw it at Li Pei's chest, "Those stocks of grain include the Empress Dowager's and your father's shares, go ahead and requisition them."

Li Pei's expression stiffened; these were the two individuals she least dared and least wanted to offend.

Looking at her contemptuously, Xiang Cheng sneered: "I thought I was being targeted by someone, but after all this, it's just you acting crazy and making me anxious for nothing. What, are you staring at me like that because you want to hit me?"

Pointing to his own cheek, Xiang Cheng said, "Come on, hit me hard, I too have undergone a Blood-Exchange..."

Before he could finish, he saw a shadowy fist coming toward him, which Xiang Cheng easily blocked, ready to mock, but then he realized that the shadow was a mere afterimage.

In the next instant, Xiang Cheng's groin was suddenly struck hard, accompanied by a painful sound of chaos, he let out a horrific scream as he was sent flying, crashing through the luxury mansion and making a big hole before tumbling inside.

The entire street heard the commotion, and Li Pei's attendants and the Xiang Family's servants all rushed forward to confront each other.

In the distance, the guards of the concession were also coming, blowing their whistles.

Just then, the disheveled eunuch Zhang Jin rushed over, his body steaming with sweat from vigorous running, emitting a bluish vapor.

"Commandery Princess, Commandery Princess! There's no need to requisition grain anymore, no need!"