"If we overcharge and the merchants stop using this route, what then?"
They obviously didn't feel frightened, so the figure they quoted must have been acceptable to everyone.
A middle-aged man with a long scar dragged across his face reined in his horse, dismounted in one swift motion, and, with a fierce grin, clasped his hands towards the merchants, "Shopkeeper Yun, Shopkeeper Qiao, Madam Luo... Long time no see, I've really missed you all. May I know what big business brings you all the way to Xining this time?"
Another middle-aged man returned the greeting with a smile, "You flatter us, Yu. We're just small-timers. Those big Store Managers doing big business wouldn't go through the trouble of such a long and arduous journey."
The Yu-named bandit looked fierce but was actually quite reasonable.
He said, "Yu knows that business isn't easy for you all. I'm not asking for much, just enough to feed my men. I won't be rough as long as you Shopkeepers are generous enough."
