"We're here. This is the craftsman's shop."
At the mouth of the old street near Niangniang Temple, Wang Daoxuan pointed ahead and said, "Xianyang's renowned craftsmen are all gathered here. Even if they run their workshops from home, they make sure to set up a storefront in this quarter."
Li Yan turned to survey the surroundings, thoughtful.
In this world, crafts and artisanal industries were extraordinarily well-developed. With the imperial court lifting the maritime embargo, ocean trade flourished, and large-scale workshops across coastal prefectures had sprung up like bamboo shoots after rain.
The merchant class was rapidly gaining influence; from the tidbits he had gathered, much of the turbulence within the imperial court stemmed precisely from this shift.
Just as Zhang Shitong had said, seeking caution, the Zhou family had fully consolidated their forces. The Eight Great Vajras all stayed behind closed doors, and even the armed escort agencies under their banner had ceased taking jobs.
The spies watching them had also abruptly vanished that morning.
Since that was the case, Li Yan no longer needed to pretend to be sick. Led by Wang Daoxuan, he came to find someone to craft the Great Cloud-Thunder Drum.
Drum music had a long and storied history in the Guanzhong region. Nearly every area possessed its own unique tradition, and coupled with the annual Drum King Competition in Chang'an, folk musical troupes abounded, along with countless drum-making artisans.
Naturally, ordinary workshops could not produce the Great Cloud-Thunder Drum.
Fortunately, Wang Daoxuan knew a Xuanmen craftsman.
The three made their way forward and soon stopped before the largest shop. Upon the horizontal plaque above hung three bold characters: "Wensheng Pavilion." Stepping inside, drums of various shapes, sizes, and types hung from the walls and shelves around them.
"Is Brother Wan in?"
Wang Daoxuan inquired, looking at the young clerk who stepped up to greet them.
The shop clerk clearly recognized Wang Daoxuan. Bowing respectfully, he nodded. "The shopkeeper stepped out, but he'll be back shortly. Daoist Priest Wang, please wait a moment while I brew a pot of tea."
With that, he turned and headed into the back room.
Seeing this, Sha Lifei murmured under his breath, "Look at that attitude. Those good-for-nothings by the City God Temple can't hold a candle to him—every last one of them looks down their noses at people."
Back when Wang Daoxuan was down on his luck, shopkeepers near the City God Temple had frequently mocked him. Sha Lifei had been so indignant that he got into several rows with them.
Although successfully inviting deities for the Spring Breeze Troupe shadow puppeteers had recouped some of his reputation, word had clearly not spread far, and no major commissions had come knocking yet.
Wang Daoxuan chuckled quietly at this without arguing.
Had he feared what others said, he would never have spent over a decade wandering in pursuit of the Dao.
Before long, the clerk returned with tea. Seeing Li Yan examining the drums on the wall, he eagerly chimed in, "Honored guest, our drums are second to none in Xianyang! Ten-Faced Gongs and Drums, Qin-Han war drums, Weiqi drums, ox-drawn drums, coiling flood dragon drums... we make them all. Many famous troupes get their custom drums right here..."
As he spoke, Li Yan suddenly furrowed his brows and turned around.
He caught a scent—a rank stench of various livestock mingled with the fragrance of incense, clearly some kind of divine gang.
Sure enough, an old man came walking down the street. Clad in a black robe, hunched and stooped, with weathered white hair, his knuckles were extraordinarily thick and bulging with veins, resembling iron harrows.
Behind him trailed a broad, honest-faced man.
As soon as he reached the shop entrance, the old man's ears twitched slightly. He chuckled, "Which fellow cultivator graces my threshold today? Oh, it's Daoist Priest Wang..."
Though seemingly addressing Wang Daoxuan, his eyes were fixed on Li Yan.
Wang Daoxuan smiled. "Brother Wan, long time no see. Let me introduce—this is—"
"No need for introductions, this old man knows him well."
Shopkeeper Wan looked at Li Yan and nodded. "Yesterday, Little Brother Li displayed great might in the ring. This old man was watching from below. Breaking sorcery with true mantras—marvelous indeed!"
Li Yan was startled at first, but quickly realized this Shopkeeper Wan had most likely awakened divine hearing, which was how he had caught the sound amidst such clamor.
"Senior flatters me," Li Yan said, promptly cupping his hands.
Shopkeeper Wan nodded, hesitated for a moment, and couldn't resist asking, "What kind of treasure do you carry on you, young friend? Why is the sha qi so immense?"
Li Yan grew intrigued. "What does Senior hear?"
Shopkeeper Wan sighed. "Clashing steel and armored cavalry, the wailing of living souls, incense prayers..."
This was the first time Li Yan had encountered someone with divine hearing. Besides, since the man had already heard it, there was no point in hiding. He pulled the demon-suppressing saber tassel from his breast pocket.
"Three Powers Demon-Suppressing Coins—fine goods!"
Shopkeeper Wan's eyes lit up, though he didn't reach out to take them. Instead, he studied them carefully before shaking his head. "The technique for tying this evil-warding knot comes from beyond the Pass. Whoever crafted it was either injured or slapped it together carelessly; otherwise, this old man wouldn't have heard a thing."
Hearing this, Li Yan quickly asked, "Does Senior have a solution?"
Although the Three Powers Demon-Suppressing Coin tassel was good, it was inconvenient at times, primarily because it could not fully seal off its aura.
According to Wang Daoxuan, a good magical artifact should be like a heavenly spirit earthly treasure—appearing completely ordinary when idle, only unleashing divine might once activated.
Shopkeeper Wan did not answer immediately. Instead, he turned to Wang Daoxuan. "Daoist Priest Wang, this old man has watched you dedicate yourself to seeking the Dao all these years. Now fortune turns in your favor—congratulations.
"What business brings you here today?"
"To craft a drum for Little Brother Li."
"Oh? Do you have schematics?"
All present were insiders, so there was no need for secrecy. Li Yan directly produced the diagrams for the Great Cloud-Thunder Drum and handed them to Shopkeeper Wan.
After flipping through them, Shopkeeper Wan came to an understanding and smiled. "So it is the legacy of the former War Drum King! Back then, striking the drum with a martial artist's hidden jin brought him fame across Chang'an. For it to reemerge today is truly worth celebrating."
Li Yan gave a thumbs-up. "Senior is truly discerning."
"Discerning, hardly."
Shopkeeper Wan smiled and shook his head. "The difficulty with this drum lies in the materials. It requires top-grade wood and leather to withstand hidden jin without rupturing. While it isn't a divine drum for rituals, the price won't be cheap in the slightest."
Sha Lifei quickly asked, "How much coin?"
Shopkeeper Wan pondered for a moment. "The drumhead leather is easy enough; it calls for top-grade si hide—rhinoceros hide. Originally, such things were quite rare, but ever since the maritime embargo was lifted, seafaring merchants somehow brought over several shipfuls. The price was fair, so this old man had someone procure a batch.
"As for the drum body, jujube wood will do. But to withstand hidden jin, it must come from an aged tree grown within the spiritual aperture of a treasure mountain. Moreover, this old man has a suggestion.
"Since you have stepped into Xuanmen, young friend, you understand the importance of magical artifacts. Given how precious the materials already are, why not craft it directly into an artifact? What's more, it can be paired with your Three Powers Demon-Suppressing Coins. Channeled through the ancient cadence of the Qin and Han, it would surely become a formidable weapon against evil!"
"Please speak on, Senior."
"You only need aged lightning-struck jujube wood as the material to achieve both.
"This old man happens to know a treasure stalker who knows where to find one. But the mountains are infested with beasts, and he lacks an expert escort. If you are willing, young friend, you could accompany him to retrieve it..."
"Oh—!"
Before he could finish, Sha Lifei blurted out loudly, "Senior Wan, that's not very fair of you! After all that talk, aren't you just trying to get free labor?"
Shopkeeper Wan instantly grew disgruntled. "What do you mean, 'free labor'? If you get that lightning-struck jujube wood, won't you save on the material cost?"
Sha Lifei was unconvinced. "Just how big is that lightning-struck jujube tree?"
Shopkeeper Wan paused. "Not small."
Sha Lifei spread his hands. "There you have it! The lion's share still goes to you. Besides, if it were easy to get, why would you tell us?"
Shopkeeper Wan seemed stumped. He stared at Sha Lifei for a moment. "Fine. That timber truly isn't easy to fetch. If you can bring it back, this old man will craft the drum free of charge."
Sha Lifei hurriedly cupped his hands. "Senior's generosity is magnificent!"
As the two haggled, Li Yan and Wang Daoxuan remained silent.
This had been their agreed plan beforehand. With Sha Lifei's thick skin and habit of scraping oil even from a corpse, he was the least likely to get shortchanged in business.
After settling the terms, the three stepped out of the shop.
Just past the mouth of the old street, a commotion erupted across the road. Outside a restaurant, several men were shouting and trading blows.
One side wore black martial robes with oxhide belts—members of the White Ape Gang.
The other group reeked of sweat, dressed like common laborers.
"Where's the money? Where are our wages?"
"Who the fuck owes you? Go ask your gangmaster!"
"The gangmaster said you never paid!"
"Heh, for a piddling job like this, we've never paid before!"
The two sides clashed violently over a few words.
The men from the White Ape Gang were broad-shouldered and thick-waisted, sporting tattooed dragons and phoenixes peeking out from their collars. With glaring eyes and raised brows, they looked thoroughly menacing.
Yet the moment blows were traded, several of the laborers beat them until they wailed in agony.
Practitioners!
Li Yan understood immediately at a glance.
Whether it was local gangs like the White Ape Gang or the Iron Saber Gang, they could never make ends meet solely on collecting protection fees and skimming tolls.
They generally controlled the local gray industries: gambling dens, usury, brothels, human traffickers, smuggling salt... they had their hands in every dirty coin.
When they hired people for heavy labor, they often refused to pay. The gangmasters of the laborers naturally refused to shoulder the loss, shifting it onto the wretched workers and sending them to demand payment.
How could ordinary laborers dare? Thus, the matter would usually fade into nothing.
Now, these "laborers" were most likely jianghu figures in disguise, using these petty disputes as an excuse to stir up a tempest.
"Call our boys! Call our boys!"
"We're peeling their hides today!"
Humiliated in broad daylight, the White Ape Gang ruffians were furious.
Soon, over a dozen disheveled men came charging from the distance brandishing staves and short blades, cursing loudly.
The laborers showed no fear and charged right in to meet them.
The entire street descended into utter chaos.
Li Yan and his companions took the chance to slip away quickly.
Along the way, they witnessed several more riots: human traffickers beaten black and blue, a gambling den set ablaze, and even people killed.
Sha Lifei clicked his tongue as he watched. "Old Man Zhang's move is vicious. Even if the Zhou family stays behind closed doors, the people running under them still need to eat. Those thugs are rotten to the core; there's no telling what kind of dirt will get dragged into the light."
Li Yan pondered for a moment, then shook his head slightly. "The Zhou family isn't foolish. They'll definitely make their own moves. In the next few days, the city is likely to erupt in chaos.
"Still, this works in our favor. While the Zhou family is too preoccupied to look our way, we'll get our business done first. Then we can slip into the shadows and see what we can catch."
With their minds made up, the three immediately returned to Wendao Hall.
For this trip to search for the lightning-struck jujube wood, all three of them would go. At the same time, they needed to pack up their valuables, using the unfolding chaos to vanish completely from the Zhou family's sight...
Chapter 52