When Songyang Mansion sold weapons, they simply laid them out on display shelves—take it or leave it.
What was meant by class? This was class.
Class was posturing with elegance.
The secret lay in casual nonchalance.
The Second Master immediately rose and bowed deeply. "Pardon our blindness! Might I ask what noble lineage Young Master He hails from?" Then again, for this youth to emerge unscathed from the Demon Nest Swamp, with the Spider Queen herself having granted him the Transit Pass, that alone was far from ordinary.
"I am merely a traveler from afar who happened to be swept into the Demon Nest Swamp by the floodwaters of the Han River," He Lingchuan said with a wave of his hand. "I have neither roots nor backing here, and know no one."
"No matter, no matter. For the next few months, the Shimen caravan shall be your home." The Second Master beamed warmly. "We will see you safely to Lingxu City without fail."
"There is just one more trouble, then." He Lingchuan glanced in the direction of the Gan residence. "When I fell into the river, I lost all my baggage and have nothing left to my name—I cannot even prove my own identity."
"That is easily settled; we need only apply for a replacement at the government office." The Second Master clapped his hands. "How about I escort Young Master He to the magistrate's office right now to get your papers sorted?"
"That would be wonderful. However, Third Master Gan was here barely fifteen minutes ago, bragging that unless he nodded, I would never leave Wuze County."
"Third Master Gan? Fifteen minutes ago?" The Second Master seemed taken aback, then chuckled with a wave of his hand. "No matter in the least. Let us be on our way."
Third Master Gan had already come and threatened this Young Master He?
What an absolute godsend! The Second Master was overjoyed, having to strain with all his might just to keep from laughing out loud.
He Lingchuan smiled and stood up.
Even before having a falling out with Third Master Gan, he had already decided to switch caravans for the journey into Beijia. Otherwise, over such a long journey, who could say if the Gans might seize an opportunity to retaliate?
As soon as they went downstairs, a carriage was already waiting outside the tavern doors.
Wuze was merely a county seat, after all, and the journey from Yuanzhi Tavern to the magistrate's office took barely a quarter of an hour.
With the Second Master of the Shimen Merchant Guild lending a hand, securing He Lingchuan's papers went off without a hitch. In truth, merchant guilds frequently hired transient laborers, drivers, shop hands, and martial artists from outside the region, meaning they routinely handled such matters and had well-established procedures in place.
From his conversation with the Second Master in the carriage, He Lingchuan learned that the Shimen Merchant Guild had been founded thirty years ago. The current head master, Shi Congshan, and the Second Master, Shi Congshui, were full brothers who had taken over the guild from their father seven years ago to continue the struggle.
This time, the identity Shi Congshui arranged for He Lingchuan was that of a distant relative of the Shi family named He Xiao, who had arrived in Wuze County from his hometown to seek work with the Shimen Merchant Guild. The guild happened to have three people registering papers on site, and He Lingchuan was simply slipped in among them.
He Xiao had actually been He Lingchuan's childhood name, discarded only after he turned three.
A quarter of an hour later, He Lingchuan walked out of the magistrate's office holding his freshly minted identity document.
The Second Master smiled and said, "We have reserved a private bath chamber at the Purple Bamboo Court. Brother He has traveled a long way; why not go first to wash away the dust and fatigue of the road? Tonight, we can share a candlelit conversation over drinks. How does that sound?"
However cold the Gan family had been to He Lingchuan, the Shimen Merchant Guild matched it with equal warmth.
"It would be impolite to refuse. Thank you for your generosity, Second Master." He Lingchuan did not put on airs either, readily accepting with a hearty laugh.
When Zhu Erniang had given him the Transit Pass, she had simultaneously granted him the right to choose which guild to patronize. Everything he received now was his due; it was the Gan family's reaction that had been abnormal.
Less than half an hour after they departed, someone entered the magistrate's office, handed a red packet to the petty clerk managing household registries, and instructed:
"If a tall, handsome youth around seventeen or eighteen comes by to register papers these next few days, do not approve it!"
That youth's origins were suspicious, and he was likely a bandit or the like.
The clerk weighed the red packet in his palm—it felt like roughly a tael of silver—so he agreed readily:
"Rest assured, leave it to me!"
When it came to refusing someone, there were a hundred different excuses to choose from.
***
Only when the carriage arrived at the Purple Bamboo Court did He Lingchuan realize it was the finest hot-spring retreat in Wuze County. Stepping inside, one found it surrounded by slender bamboo and filled with the secluded calls of mountain birds. The scent of sulfur lingered everywhere, and voices often echoed through the air though no people could be seen.
There were communal baths as well as private chambers. The Shimen Merchant Guild had booked him a private bath chamber with an exclusive pool of steaming hot-spring water. If he grew hungry or thirsty, a ring of the bell brought a wide-eyed maidservant inside with refreshments.
In bustling trade hubs, such bathhouses were wildly popular among officials and merchants alike—partly to relax body and mind, and partly for private discussions.
He Lingchuan had braved the wind and slept under the open sky for over a dozen days in the Demon Nest Swamp, having had at most two cold rinses while constantly on guard against sneak attacks from swamp eels and alligators. How could that have been comfortable? The moment he stepped into Purple Bamboo Court, an itch seemed to prickle all over him. He hurried into the pool, soaking until his bones turned loose and his tendons softened, then scrubbed away layers of old grime.
The maidservant was exceptionally eager. After bringing in some fruit, she stayed behind, offering to massage his muscles.
She was accustomed to seeing grease-bellied, fat-faced middle-aged and older men here; she didn't mind cleansing her eyes on a handsome lad in peak physical shape for a change.
Truth be told, her technique was remarkably good.
Her pressure was just right, and her knowledge of acupoints precise.
He Lingchuan chatted with her idly, asking about the Shimen Merchant Guild.
The maidservant was warm and answered every question. The previous guildmaster of the Shimen Merchant Guild had been straightforward and lacked the usual slickness of merchants. Up until his death, the guild had remained obscure locally; only after the Shi brothers took over did things begin to improve.
At present, the largest merchant guild in Wuze County remained the Gan Merchant Guild. While Gan Qing was alive, he had wielded an iron fist and monopolized resources. The Shimen Merchant Guild was not even a quarter of its size and could not break into the county's top five, though its operations were fully comprehensive. The Shi brothers specialized in timber and sundries, running a respectable business.
Yet with the Gans around, Shimen could never eat its fill.
"I heard from their workers that the best thing about this guild is that they never hold back wages—they settle accounts right on time," the maidservant said. "Other guilds always stall a bit or pay in installments."
"The Gan Merchant Guild does that too?"
"Them too. It's customary practice." The maidservant sighed. "Just like us—sometimes our pay is delayed by ten days or half a month."
Reputation was worth more than gold; the brothers clearly took great care of their guild's name.
Once the maidservant finished and left, surrounded by billowing steam, He Lingchuan felt his body loosen further. Drowsiness washed over him, and he drifted to sleep without a single dream.
This was the most restful sleep he had enjoyed since being swept away by the waters of the Han River.
Before long, there came a knock at the door.
The Second Master had arrived, accompanied by the guild's head master.
The three ordered a table full of wine and dishes and sat down to talk right in the bath chamber.
The Shi brothers had traveled far and wide, witnessing all manner of strange tales and curious anecdotes that served as fine seasoning for drinks. He Lingchuan had likewise lived through plenty of hair-raising thrills; recounting one or two was just as riveting.
Since He Lingchuan did not bring it up, the Shi brothers did not pry into his purpose for heading to Lingxu City, nor did they probe into his background, promising only to escort him there safely.
In truth, they already knew from Manager Zhao that He Lingchuan hailed from the Yuan Kingdom.
The two spoke with consummate tact, putting people completely at ease, their desire to build a friendship readily apparent. For instance, the Second Master mentioned outright that Songyang Mansion had a branch in Lingxu City, hoping He Lingchuan might act as an intermediary to make introductions once they arrived.
An effortless favor that earned goodwill was something He Lingchuan naturally agreed to without hesitation. Still, a Fu Kingdom merchant guild like Shimen hoped to connect with Songyang Mansion?
The Shi brothers explained that the Fu Kingdom actually produced certain local specialties required by Songyang Mansion, such as golden mud...
"The Fu Kingdom produces golden mud as well?" The treasured blade Fusheng had been grown out of golden mud, and He Lingchuan still had a bit left in his possession.
"No, no. Golden mud is formulated from multiple ingredients, and every artifact sect has its own proprietary recipe. But the Fu Kingdom produces two of the base materials for golden mud, which every artifact sect requires," Head Master Shi Congshan smiled. "If we could become a supplier to Songyang Mansion, the Shimen Merchant Guild's reputation would naturally soar."
Since they needed something from this youth, they would hardly plot against him along the road. He Lingchuan knew they were offering him peace of mind.
Whether it was the Shi brothers or Master of Songyang Mansion Li Qingge, all seemed fond of investing in potential stocks they favored. If the dragon should soar on the wind and rain one day, it could pull them up along with it.
Merchants naturally sought to forge good ties far and wide, though the current Gan family was clearly an exception.
When He Lingchuan brought up Third Master Gan, the Second Master, having drunk and traded stories with him for hours, his broad face flushed red with drink, waved his hands dismissively:
"He's nothing but a spendthrift! A doting mother breeds a wastrel; no one in the Gan family reins him in, so no one in Wuze County can touch him!"
"He keeps a pack of fair-weather friends around him—crooks, rascals, riffraff, and he's even cozied up to plenty of petty clerks in the county office. He's practically a tyrant in Wuze County. Anyone who crosses him or the Gan family always suffers for it. Gan Qing valued that about him, which is why he never disciplined the lad. In any case, the high-ranking officials and nobles wouldn't lower themselves to his level out of respect for Gan Qing."
Hearing this, He Lingchuan felt a slight prick of shame. In the past... he seemed to have been rather like that himself.
Chances were there were matters Gan Qing found inconvenient to handle personally, so he had let his third brother take care of them.
He Lingchuan understood that game all too well.
The head master stroked his chin. "In the past, with Gan Qing around, he had endless money to burn. Now that the family pillar has collapsed, I doubt his glory days will last much longer. In a few days, Brother He will head west to Lingxu City with my brother; there's no need to let him bother you."
"Why keep bringing up a grasshopper in late autumn?" Shi Congshui raised his cup. "Come, drink!"
If all went smoothly this time, the Demon Nest Transit Pass would soon belong to the Shimen Merchant Guild, and they would have forged a connection with a notable figure like He Lingchuan. Both were immense blessings!
The Shimen Merchant Guild desperately needed an opportunity to hold its head high.
***
The following day, news of the death of Gan Qing, the helm of the Gan Merchant Guild, spread throughout Wuze County, becoming the talk of every street and alley.
Old Mistress Mao and Second Master Gan were buried in grief, oblivious to the outside world.
Third Master Gan, on the other hand, listened to the rumors growing increasingly wild by the hour, his expression souring by the minute.
Those filthy commoners were actually spreading rumors that he had hired bandits to murder his eldest brother! Their sole justification was that his eldest brother had argued with him before leaving, a quarrel overheard by the servants.
Why didn't they claim that brat from yesterday had murdered him for his wealth?
Whether at home or out on the streets, everyone seemed to be pointing fingers behind his back.
Third Master Gan was already seething with fury when an attendant brought more bad news:
The lad who had walked out of the Demon Nest Swamp alongside Zhao Fu—the one who had humiliated him so thoroughly yesterday—had successfully registered his identity papers yesterday!
Third Master Gan slammed his hand down on the table and sprang to his feet with a bang. "What happened? Didn't you say that brat wouldn't get them?!"
He had struck so hard his palm throbbed with pain.
Chapter 351