THE VILLAIN's APPRENTICE ✔

23 🗡 Missing

After the gifts sent by the various villages and cities across the empire had been inspected and recorded, the eunuch in charge of the inventory sent the list to the head eunuch. When the head eunuch reviewed the record, a strange new merchandise caught his attention. According to the description provided by the village that sent the gift, it was called 'pickled fruits and vegetables' wherein the fruits and vegetables underwent the pickling process to preserve them. They also sent what was called cured meat.

Curious with the gift, he had it tested first before trying it. Satisfied with the taste, the head eunuch picked a few samples and went to the chamber of the emperor.

Mid-autumn was already approaching and the temperature in North Mountain country had considerably dropped. The emperor was sitting in front of the window reading a scroll when the head eunuch announced his presence.

Bearing the tray that contained several pickled fruits and vegetables, the head eunuch entered the chamber after hearing the emperor's acknowledgement.

"Your majesty, these are some of the gifts sent by Plum Mist village. It seems the village had developed a process of preserving food through what they call 'pickling'. These are the pickled fruits and vegetables they sent."

"Preserving food and vegetables?" the emperor asked in astonishment. "That will be a huge help to other cities and villages!"

"Indeed, your majesty."

"Let me try it. And explain it to me in detail," the emperor instructed.

After the head eunuch placed the food on the table and while the emperor proceeded to taste them, he began to further recite what he had read in the description sent by Plum Mist village.

"This is delicious," Emperor Pan Hua remarked. "What name did they give to this product?"

"In response to your majesty, the product will be called 'Plum Mist Pickled Treats'."

"Plum Mist Pickled Treats..." the emperor murmured as he directed his gaze to the pickled fruits and vegetables on the table. "Bestow a reward to the village," he ordered. "And bestow some of the pickled vegetables and fruits to the nobles in the capital."

When the nobles received the grace of the emperor and came to know what the product was, all of them instantly sent messengers to the village to place an order for the Plum Mist Pickled Treats. Bestowing the pickled vegetables and fruits to the nobles would ensure that the product would soon be known to the entire empire since most of them owned stores in different cities and villages. It wouldn't be long when Plum Mist Pickled Treats would be placed in their stores as well.

*****

Fighting desert bandits had been a constant part of their life as they traversed the desert. It came to a point that Da Xia's nervousness in battle already dissipated since she had become accustomed to it. Their reputation as bandit slayers already spread in the desert due to the startling number of desert bandits they had defeated. Hence, the warrior garbed in black garments with a dark brown scarf and the little maiden wearing worn-out outer robe and a red scarf gained fame in the desert.

In regard to clothes, the warrior already informed the girl that they would no longer be traversing the mountains. For that reason, Da Xia already changed her manservant clothes to comfortable maidservant clothes with pants and inner clothing as well as outer robe. It was still unlike other maidservant's clothes that were too fancy for her taste, though.

Despite the reputation of the two, the desert bandits still searched for them in hopes of defeating the duo to uphold the name of the gang they belonged to. Whoever would defeat the bandit slayers would undoubtedly be the top among the desert bandits.