"He's a person—or at least, everyone thinks he's a living human. They say the Gan caravan was able to leave the swamp alive only because Manager Zhao pleaded with this youth, prompting the Spider Queen to show mercy."
The errand boy stepped closer. "I also heard another detail: the token for entering and leaving Demon Nest Swamp is in that youth's hands. Once they left the swamp, he took it right back."
The transit token was no longer in the hands of the Gans? Both leaders' eyes lit up. "Where is this youth?"
"He was probably invited to the Gan residence by Manager Zhao."
"Why Zhao Fu?"
"Chief Steward An Xing was killed along with Boss Gan, so Manager Zhao took over."
The First Master rubbed his hands together. "An Xing is dead? Then this will be easy. Zhao Fu is a man who listens to reason. Second Brother, send someone to invite him over."
The boy let out an "ah." "He might be at the Gan residence right now."
The Second Master replied, "Simple. I'll have his brother-in-law fetch him."
Unable to contain his excitement, the First Master paced several circles around the hall. "Gan Qing's sudden death is our chance!"
The Second Master chuckled. "The Gan family is nothing to worry about."
"They're not worth a fart," the First Master scoffed. "We have to move fast and beat everyone else to it!"
...
As He Lingchuan was working on his second pot of wine, he suddenly saw two figures hurry out from the back alley of the Gan residence. One of them was Manager Zhao.
He thought Manager Zhao was coming to find him, but to his surprise, Manager Zhao passed right by the tavern without stepping inside, continuing forward.
At a critical juncture like this, where else could Manager Zhao be going?
With a thought, He Lingchuan produced a pitch-black pebble and whispered, "Stay close to Zhao Fu. Go."
The smooth, round pebble suddenly sprouted a head and eight legs, scuttling across the table and out the window.
Manager Zhao hadn't walked very far. With a light leap, it landed on his back, slipped down his clothes, and burrowed into his belt sash.
This was the most concealed spot; unless Manager Zhao stripped off his clothes, he wouldn't discover it.
He Lingchuan rubbed his eyes. When he set down his wine cup, what his left and right eyes saw had diverged.
The sight in his left eye was slightly blurry and constantly in motion, offering a two-hundred-and-seventy-degree panoramic view. Had Manager Zhao himself not blocked most of the field of vision, the experience would have been marvelous.
A burrow spider's field of view was just that broad; after all, it had twelve eyes.
He Lingchuan finally experienced the perspective of the Spider Queen.
Indeed, this was his first time testing the eyeball spider gifted by Zhu Erniang. Blessed with the Spider Queen's demonic power, he could tap into the eyeball spider's sight and hearing, monitoring Manager Zhao's every move while sitting comfortably in the tavern.
Having spent over ten days in the swamp, he couldn't resist ordering a hearty feast the moment he stepped into a restaurant of the mortal world. Unfortunately, this tavern's food and wine were mediocre at best; only a dish of braised dried tofu and a serving of smoked rabbit suited his palate.
Just as he tore off a piece of rabbit meat, He Lingchuan heard Manager Zhao speak to the person beside him: "You head back. I can go by myself."
The man answered in agreement and left.
Manager Zhao wound through several more alleys before stopping in front of a black door. Glancing left and right, he knocked.
With a creak, the door swung open at once.
A spider's perspective was far lower than a human's, restricted mostly to looking up at chins. Judging from the attire, He Lingchuan surmised the person opening the door was a clerk or servant. He led Manager Zhao to a reception hall where several potted orchids sat atop an eight-treasure display cabinet.
Only two men were seated in the places of honor.
Manager Zhao addressed the two:
"First Master, Second Master."
The First Master extended a hand politely. "Manager Zhao, please be seated."
He took a seat, and tea was served.
Manager Zhao understood the moment he saw the setup. He sat down, took a sip of tea, and said, "If the two masters have instructions, please speak freely."
"We heard that Gan Qing met with disaster. It is truly a great misfortune for our Wuze County."
All three sighed in unison.
The Second Master spoke up: "We wonder where Manager Zhao plans to go from here?"
"Me?" Manager Zhao had not expected the topic to turn to himself so abruptly. But once he mulled it over, he understood their implication.
"With Old Gan gone, no one is left to steer the entire Gan Merchant Guild. What plans do you have for the future, Manager Zhao?"
"Ah, that?" Manager Zhao let out a dry laugh. "Master Gan passed away so suddenly. I haven't had time to consider such things."
The Second Master pressed on, "Then who do you think will take over the Gan family's business?"
This time, Manager Zhao pondered for a long while before saying, "Perhaps... maybe... Third Master Gan, most likely?" It wasn't that the choice was difficult; it was that he could hardly bring himself to utter it.
There wasn't a single suitable candidate.
"Third Gan?" The Second Master burst into laughter. "That Luo Xun'yi, who fools around with Third Gan all day long, has always made life difficult for you. If Third Gan takes charge of the family, whom do you think he'll appoint as chief steward—you, or Luo Xun'yi?"
The eyeball spider couldn't see Manager Zhao's face directly above it, but He Lingchuan guessed his expression was none too pleasant, for Manager Zhao remained silent for a long moment before saying, "Most likely that villain surnamed Luo."
"Back when An Xing was around, things were at least somewhat fair. In the future, with Third Gan running the house and paired with Luo Xun'yi, the Gan family will be quite a circus."
Manager Zhao stood up and bowed to each of them with hands clasped. "Masters, please speak plainly."
"Very well. We would like to invite Manager Zhao to join Shimen and take the post of deputy steward."
Manager Zhao seemed to hesitate before saying, "Master Gan has only just passed away. If I switch over to Shimen right away, my reputation will take a hit, won't it?" Wuze County was only so large, and merchants shared news and traded amongst one another; he didn't want to ruin his good name.
"Then you can wait until forty-nine days after Gan Qing's passing before joining us. The position will be kept open for you," the Second Master said in a low voice. "However, you must help us secure the Transit Pass for Demon Nest Swamp."
This was the real crux of today's meeting. Manager Zhao understood this full well and did not demur. "The Transit Pass isn't with me. It's in the hands of Young Master He, who accompanied our caravan out of the swamp."
The First Master chimed in at the right moment. "Tell us about this Young Master He, then."
Manager Zhao nodded. "The Spider Queen designated Master Gan as her trade contact, which was why Master Gan always led the expedition to Demon Nest Swamp in person. Yet not long after we set out this time, we ran into bandits..."
He recounted the entire sequence of events from beginning to end.
The two masters listened intently, interrupting him occasionally with questions.
"So even though this Young Master He is from the Yuan Kingdom, his background is actually unknown, and he wants to acquire an identity here to travel to the Beijia capital to search for treasure on behalf of the Spider Queen, correct?"
"Precisely."
"The Spider Queen entrusting the Transit Pass to him means she no longer trusts the Gan family," the First Master said, hitting the nail on the head. "In other words, whomever he hands the Transit Pass to will become the designated trading partner for Demon Nest Swamp."
"We cannot let this opportunity slip by." The Second Master continued, "Is this Young Master He already at the Gan residence?"
"Er, no. Right now, he's still at Yuanzhi Tavern, waiting for me to introduce him to the Gans."
Hearing this, the First Master immediately turned to his brother. "Second Brother, go right now."
"Understood." The Second Master stood up.
Manager Zhao also rose. "I only managed to slip out by claiming an urgent matter at home. I must return to the Gan residence now to discuss Master Gan's funeral arrangements."
...
A vendor was hawking licorice fruit along the street. A diner on the second floor called him up and bought a heaping bowl.
This was a local street snack: wild peaches, crisp plums, and starfruit were washed clean and soaked in licorice juice for an hour or two. Seeing the other patron enjoying it immensely, He Lingchuan waved the vendor over and bought a portion as well.
This batch of licorice syrup was also infused with hawthorn, plums, and other herbs. The fruit steeped in it was sweet, tart, and refreshing, instantly stimulating saliva and washing away the greasiness of the food and wine.
Just as he was thoroughly relishing it, he heard the clatter of horse hooves below. Looking down, he saw more than a dozen riders making their way along the street. Surrounding them in the center was a youth under twenty years old, splendidly dressed on a spirited horse, thoroughly ostentatious.
They laughed and chatted loudly. Wherever they passed, pedestrians promptly stepped aside, and street vendors hastily picked up their hampers and moved away of their own accord.
At this sight, the corner of He Lingchuan's mouth twitched slightly. With such swagger and presence, who knew which family's dandy was out strutting the streets?
Ahead lay the entrance to the market, where a hunter happened to be leading a horse laden with two large Mongolian gazelles.
A yellow dog followed close at his heels.
By the looks of it, he had just hunted the gazelles in the wild and was heading into the market to sell them. Meat, hides, horns, and even the beards—there were buyers for all of it.
He Lingchuan's original self had also loved hunting; with a single glance, he could tell these two wild gazelles would fetch at least one or two taels of silver.
Just then, a commotion broke out at the market. People scrambled to the sides. Before the hunter could react, his horse neighed in terror, and the dog barked incessantly.
He turned his head just in time to see a gazelle yanked clean off the horse's back.
Without stopping to think, the hunter grabbed a leg and yanked back. But the dragging force from the other side was immense, slamming him hard against the horse's flank. Moreover, the startled mount reared and spun, nearly trampling him.
Protecting its master, the yellow dog lunged forward, barking furiously to tear into the assailant.
Only then did the hunter—and He Lingchuan up in the tavern—get a clear look: the creature snatching the gazelle was actually a massive, pure-white tusked boar!
Ordinary wild boars were gray, but this one was snow-white all over. Its body was comparatively compact, weighing around two hundred-odd jin, yet it was packed with sinewy muscle and looked exceptionally stout, with a pair of blue eyes.
When the hunting dog bit into its hind leg, the tusked boar flew into a rage and accelerated, tossing the dog into the air with a savage thrust.
Its tusks curved like crescent moons, sharpened at the tips finer than awls, capable of punching two gaping bloody holes into whatever they hit. The dog's belly was pierced through, and it yelped in agony.
Next, it charged to gore the horse in front.
Shocked and enraged, the hunter drew his hatchet and chopped down.
To his shock, when the hatchet struck the boar's back, it bounced right off. Not only was the beast's hide unbroken, but the blade's edge had curled.
This boar's hide was truly thick.
The tusked boar whipped around, goring and biting at him.
In just a few breaths, the hunter was covered in wounds.
The surrounding commoners cried out in alarm, but who dared step forward?
The angle was just right. Up in the tavern, He Lingchuan set down his fruit, drew two throwing daggers, and flicked his wrists.
At a target this large, there was no way he could miss.
His weapons were by no means comparable to a hunter's hand axe; the throwing daggers pierced cleanly into the boar's nape and flank, drawing a roar of pain.
The tusked boar was surprisingly intelligent. It spun around twice in place and suddenly raised its head toward the tavern's second floor, its eyes locking squarely with He Lingchuan's.
Huh, it actually spotted him?
The tusked boar kicked up its hooves and charged straight for the tavern.
The commoners in its path scattered in panic. Down in the tavern's main hall, He Lingchuan heard utter chaos erupt: customers screaming, tables and chairs crashing over, dishes shattering, a deafening cacophony of clatter and banging.
Chapter 347