Opening a Tavern in the Tang Dynasty

Chapter 268: Searching for Coal Mines in the Mountains, No Road, Only Snakes

After Cheng Chumo and Qin Huaidao took on this difficult task, they did not dare to slack off in the slightest.

The two first came to a bustling teahouse in Chang'an City, where all kinds of information gathered.

They found a corner to sit down, called the waiter and ordered two bowls of hot tea, then began to listen attentively to the gossip of people around them, trying to catch some words about the coal mine.

Cheng Chumo lowered his voice and said to Qin Huai, "Let's ask around here first to see if we can meet an expert who knows about coal mines." Qin Huai nodded and slowly scanned the teahouse.

Soon, they learned that several small coal mine owners from the outskirts of the city often came here to discuss business.

So the two of them rushed to the outskirts of the city without stopping.

The roads on the outskirts of the city were rugged, and the cold wind blew in their faces, making their clothes rustle.

Upon meeting the coal mine owners, Cheng Chumo bowed and politely asked, "Boss, we're interested in purchasing a large quantity of coal near Chang'an. I'd like to know how much your coal mines are producing and how much you'll pay for it."

The coal mine owners looked at each other in bewilderment. One of the older ones spoke slowly, "My lords, this coal mine business is very complicated. We have limited supply. If we want to buy in large quantities, we have to inquire about the large mines deep in the mountains. However, the forces behind those large mines are very complex..."

Qin Huaidao frowned and said, "That's fine. We'll go find out. Please tell me the location of the large mine and what we need to pay attention to."

Seeing their firm attitude, the coal mine owners told them in detail the location of the large mine, as well as some rumors and potential troubles.

After Cheng Chumo and Qin Huai thanked the coal mine owner, they looked at the mountains in the distance and knew that the road to buying coal had just begun. There were still many difficulties and obstacles waiting for them to overcome, but for the trust of Yu Yu's family, they could only continue to move forward firmly.

Cheng Chumo tightened his cloak, his eyes showing determination. He winked at Qin Huaidao and said loudly: "Let's go! Let's go to the big mine to find out. No matter what difficulties and obstacles there are, we have to give it a try to find out." After that, he took the lead and strode forward.

Qin Huaidao was also not vague. He adjusted the sword at his waist and followed behind Cheng Chumo. His steady footsteps made a "clattering" sound on the country road.

Along the way, the cold wind grew increasingly biting, rustling the dry grass on the roadside, as if warning them of their journey.

But the two had no intention of retreating. They just stopped occasionally to ask passers-by whether the route was correct, and then continued on their way after confirming.

The deeper you go into the mountains, the more difficult the road becomes. Not only is it bumpy and uneven, but there are also occasional branches blocking the way.

Cheng Chumo casually broke off a branch and pushed aside the obstacles on the road while jokingly saying, "Qin, buying coal is really not easy. It feels like going into a dangerous place, haha."

Qin Huaidao smiled slightly and responded, "Brother Cheng, since we've accepted this task, we can't back down easily. Once we buy the coal, Yuyu's family will be able to live comfortably during the winter. All our hard work will be worth it."

The two of them walked and talked as they moved towards the large mine. Their figures gradually disappeared into the depths of the forest, leaving behind only a little dust raised by their footsteps, which slowly drifted away in the wind.

Cheng Chumo frowned and stopped, looking at the overgrown grass and jagged rocks before him. He said with a puzzled look on his face, "Strange, why is there no road here? I just asked and it said we should go in this direction."

As he spoke, he used the branch in his hand to push away the waist-high weeds in front of him, trying to find even a trace of a path, but there was no trace of a path except the dense grass and protruding rocks.

Qin Huaidao also came over, looking around carefully, his face also showing a bit of helplessness: "It seems that we have taken the wrong path, or this deep mountain is rarely visited by people, and the road is covered by weeds."

He raised his hand and pointed to a small hill not far away. "Brother Cheng, why don't we go over there and see if we can find the way to the mine."

Cheng Chumo nodded and replied, "That's the only way. We can't be trapped here in the wilderness."

After that, the two of them carefully and arduously moved forward towards the small hill. The stones under their feet hurt their soles, and they had to be on guard from time to time to prevent snakes or insects from suddenly jumping out of the grass.

Cheng Chumo was concentrating on exploring the way in the grass. Suddenly, he caught a glimpse of a black shadow flashing by out of the corner of his eye. Before he could react, a snake as thick as his arm jumped out of the grass, spitting out its tongue and swimming towards them quickly. It looked very scary.

"Qin, there is a snake, chop it!" Cheng Chumo shouted and hurriedly stepped back a few steps. At the same time, he quickly drew his sword from his waist, held it tightly in his hand, stared at the snake vigilantly, and prepared for defense.

Qin Huaidao reacted very quickly. Without saying a word, he drew out the sword from his waist with a "swish" sound, rushed forward in one step, and with a cold light flashing, he chopped the snake's vital point with the sword in his hand.

The snake seemed to have sensed the danger and twisted its body violently to avoid the fierce attack, but Qin Huaidao's swordsmanship would not easily fail. With a "puff" sound, the long sword accurately hit the snake's body. The snake was instantly cut into two pieces, twisted a few times on the ground, and then became motionless.

Cheng Chumo breathed a sigh of relief, patted Qin Huaidao on the shoulder, and said, "Good fellow, thanks to your excellent swordsmanship, otherwise we would have been bitten by this beast today. It would have been troublesome if we were bitten in this wilderness."

Qin Huaidao sheathed his sword, smiled, and replied, "Brother Cheng, this is just a coincidence. Fortunately, we reacted in time. Let's hurry on our way. Who knows, there might be other dangers along the way."

As they spoke, the two continued walking towards the small hill, but after this experience, they became more cautious and kept an eye on the movements around them.

Cheng Chumo wiped the sweat from his forehead and looked around. The deep mountains were silent, with only the occasional bird calls echoing in the valley.

He said uncertainly, "Are we there yet? According to the distance and direction the coal mine owner told us, we should be nearby, but there's no sign of a mine."

Qin Huaidao also frowned, searching the mountains and forests with his eyes, trying to find some signs that could prove that the mine was nearby, such as the tracks of coal transport vehicles or traces left by the miners' lives and work. But after looking for a long time, he still found nothing.

"Brother Cheng, let's walk a little further. Maybe we can see it after turning around this valley." Qin Huaidao said as he raised his foot and continued to move forward. The dead branches under his feet made a "crunching" sound, which was particularly clear in this quiet mountain forest.

Cheng Chumo nodded and followed Qin Huaidao closely, muttering, "It's really hard to find a mine. Once we find one, we have to have a good talk with them about buying coal. We can't make this trip in vain."

The two walked for a long time, and just when they were about to get discouraged, they vaguely heard noisy voices coming from a distance, as well as the clanging sounds of mining. The two looked at each other, and hope instantly ignited in their eyes.

Cheng Chumo said excitedly: "Listening to the noise, the mine should be just ahead, let's go!"

After saying that, the two of them quickened their pace and ran towards the direction where the sound came from.