Luo Qingqing (Please Bookmark and Vote!)

Luo Qingqing (Please Bookmark and Vote!)

"Risk... investment?" Wei Wushuang could not help repeating it.

"That's right. Back to the same question: if this weren't Qingshan Town, would ten taels of silver be a lot?"

Wei Wushuang shook his head. "Sometimes my family's shop earns that much in a single day."

Damn rich bastard. Xia Fan curled his lip. "It's that simple... For those who had decided to withdraw from the Scholar Examination, this money no longer meant much. But to those continuing the examination, every tael was precious beyond measure, and both sides knew that. That was precisely why the deal could be made. Not fussing over momentary gains and losses, but setting their sights on high-return trades in the long run—that was what those people did. Even if I vanished without a trace afterward, they could accept the loss without much harm. But what if I succeeded?"

Xia Fan did not explain further, because he saw Wei Wushuang's eyes light up.

Clearly, he had grasped the crux of it.

—If he succeeded, they would not only receive ten times their silver back, but also gain the friendship of a Fangshi. Even a Fangshi newly entered into the Bureau of Military Affairs was a proper official. Compared to such bountiful returns, the risk of a few taels vanishing like water poured into the ground was hardly worth mentioning.

Not everyone could weigh the pros and cons within it, but with enough people asked, there would always be a few with sufficiently lofty vision who did not care about such a small sum of silver.

As Wei Wushuang continued thinking, he discovered an even deeper meaning hidden within.

The same sum of silver held different value in the eyes of different people at different times.

For example, his father's storeroom contained many stacks of silver, and some of the chests were even covered in a thick layer of dust. They barely had any presence at all to Dawan Grain Shop, yet some people thirsted for them desperately—such as a newly opened restaurant or an escort agency eager to expand... Lending them a small sum might very well bring abundant returns.

Usury in the streets and markets seemed much the same, but the two were fundamentally different—the latter merely preyed upon people in their hour of need, forcibly seizing and plundering, refusing to stop until it had sucked them dry to the bone, while the former looked toward the future and sought a win-win outcome. The fact that it could shoulder its own risks alone made it far more acceptable than greedy usury.

Besides, risks were not impossible to avoid. For instance, he could draw in more people and split the lending costs evenly. Even if the investment failed, the losses could be greatly reduced...

The more Wei Wushuang thought about it, the more excited he became, until even his hands trembled slightly!

The potential of this business was likely far greater than selling grain!

"This principle might... be used for a merchant guild," he said, unable to suppress his excitement.

It had come from commerce in the first place. Xia Fan smiled but did not respond.

While the other man was lost in thought, Xia Fan had already counted the money in his hands—seven people had taken his promissory notes, exchanging them for a total of twenty-one taels of silver. That was more than enough to stay in the best rooms.

Unfortunately, the Fei Clan had reacted rather quickly. In less than two hours, they had discovered a small wave of withdrawals among the examinees and immediately adopted the strategy most beneficial to themselves. There were over four hundred examinees in Qingshan Town, all rising and moving at different times, so the number of people on the streets naturally fluctuated. Yet they had still noticed this change amid the crowds. The preparations of those aristocratic clan disciples truly were thorough.

Otherwise, if he had saved up a little more silver, he might even have been able to buy a bottle of Spirit Fire directly from someone else.

"Brother Xia, I understand this matter of risk investment now," Wei Wushuang said as he gradually calmed from his reverie. "It truly is an excellent plan, but without so many potential targets, its effectiveness would likely be greatly reduced. How did you know that a batch of examinees would give up the examination this morning?"

"That's a personal secret," Xia Fan said casually.

"You can't tell me?" Wei Wushuang wore an expression that said he wanted to know no matter what.

"I can't."

"Brother Xia, ten meals!"

"Not even if you gave me a whole restaurant."

With money in hand, it was time to consider serious matters. Xia Fan returned to the teahouse and spent one tael of silver to ask Xiao Er about the Back Mountain—there truly was a stretch of flat ground halfway up the mountain, scattered with old graves. Those burial mounds had existed for nearly a century at least, and in summer and autumn, faint flickering lights could often be seen there.

Besides that, there was a mountain path winding upward. However, thick grass and trees hemmed in both sides of the road, making it extremely difficult to travel. Other than the town's hunters, few people ventured deep into Green Mountain.

"Where does that road lead?" Xia Fan was somewhat concerned. In theory, such a mountain path had to have been formed by years upon years of trampling. A few hunters alone should not have been able to create it.

"I don't know that," Xiao Er said, shaking his head. "The mountain range behind Qingshan Town stretches beyond sight. That path couldn't possibly cross the whole range and circle down from the other side, could it? Nine times out of ten, it's a dead end."

"All right, I have no more questions for now." Xia Fan tossed him another half-corner of broken silver. "One serving of braised beef buns. Deliver it to my door."

"Sure thing!"

Then he looked at Wei Wushuang. "I plan to take a look at the Back Mountain. You don't want to follow me this time, right?"

The latter hurriedly shook his head. "I've already decided not to involve myself in the Scholar Examination. Brother Xia, go ahead. I'll remain in the teahouse. If I happen to hear any useful clues, perhaps I can still help you."

"Thanks." Xia Fan drained his tea in one gulp, then turned and left.

After passing through the crossroads and walking several hundred more meters, the tiny town lay behind him.

Though some earthen houses could still be seen here, they were as dilapidated as ruins—either their roofs had collapsed, or only half a wall remained.

The weeds along the road grew thicker and thicker. As tree shade gradually encroached upon the path, even the wind blowing from all around became much cooler.

The cliffs that had originally seemed far away now loomed overhead. In another world, this nameless mountain might not have been worth mentioning, but here, anyone wishing to cross it would retreat in the face of its tangled vines and thorns.

If Xiao Er had been right, the road beneath his feet would soon split in two, as though cleaved apart head-on by the cliffs.

Just then, Xia Fan suddenly heard an argument.

He raised his brows slightly in surprise and followed the sound.

At the fork in the road, a group of examinees had gathered in a circle, shouting curses at something. Facing them stood a group of people dressed in white.

Limited by dyeing techniques, solid-colored clothing was uncommon in this era, and white was among the rarer colors. During this Scholar Examination, Xia Fan could think of only one group that wore white robes and often moved in groups—the Fei Clan disciples.

Seven or eight of them stood in a row, blocking the path leading toward the mountainside.

The man at their head had sharp brows and bright eyes, a high nose, and thin lips. Both his appearance and bearing were exceptionally outstanding.

"What gives you the right to stop everyone from going through?"

"This is Da Qi's Scholar Examination, not your Fei Clan's backyard! Aren't you afraid we'll report you to the Proctor?"

"If you insist on this, don't blame us for getting rough!"

Yet the leading man remained unmoved. "I have made myself very clear. Based on last night's observations, there are not many Spirit Fire points in that area. Fighting over them will only reduce collection efficiency. Rather than waste time in meaningless scrambling, it would be better to decide an order from the start. Once the Fei Clan is done collecting, it will not be too late for you to go in."

"Even we can't go through?"

A woman in blue suddenly stepped out from the crowd. The twin-feather embroidery on her shoulder had already revealed her identity.

"The Luo Family of You Province is here," someone whispered to another.

Xia Fan realized that she was the young girl who had leaped onto the examination table and single-handedly made everyone obediently follow orders.

"So it is Miss Luo Qingqing. I have long admired you," the man said with a nod. "I heard your name even while in the Capital Region. To recognize the law upon seeing written characters—such astonishing talent is unmatched by anyone else in You Province."

"You flatter me."

"Fame never spreads without reason. Even rumors must have some extraordinary cause behind them. That is what I believe."

Tsk, this guy really knew how to talk. Xia Fan grumbled inwardly. With a face like a star's and such solemn praise, he would be no small threat to any woman.

Sure enough, the woman called Luo Qingqing smiled faintly. "Thank you. But you still haven't answered my question."

"Yes. But we will only collect for one day." The other man raised one finger solemnly. "No matter how much we collect, we will leave this place tomorrow and will not set foot here again before the examination ends."

"Only one day?"

"Only one day. Afterward, you may arrange your time as you please. If needed, we can even assign some people to help guard this place for you." The Fei Clan leader swept a disdainful glance over the crowd behind her. "If you disagree, then we can only contend with strength. Unfortunately, this Scholar Examination does not care who among us is stronger or weaker. If those rats fishing in troubled waters manage to steal Spirit Fire, wouldn't you find that frustrating?"

Luo Qingqing pondered for quite a while before nodding. "All right."

The crowd immediately exploded into uproar.

"What does this mean? The aristocratic clans are joining forces to bully us common-born examinees?"

"One day for the Fei Clan, one day for the Luo Family—what about the Fang family? If every one of you takes a day, what are we supposed to do?"

"Stop talking nonsense! Let's go together! I refuse to believe he can stop us!"

"Don't make people laugh!" the man suddenly shouted, causing the crowd to jolt. "Even so, you still have three days left, don't you? This is the Qi State Scholar Examination, not a place for you all to muddle through! Only the capable may become Fangshi—isn't that only natural? If your strength falls short, yet you still want to obtain Spirit Fire by taking advantage of chaos, how laughable is that? Rather than shout here, think carefully about how to secure priority for one day!" He paused, one hand behind his back and the other held palm-up before him. "Of course, anyone who wishes to prove themselves now is welcome at any time!"

When Luo Qingqing turned to leave and passed Xia Fan, he gave her an interested look. "I didn't expect you to agree so readily. Aren't you afraid people here will spread word that the Luo Family does not even have the courage to contend with the Fei Clan?"

"It's you." Luo Qingqing seemed to remember him as well. Putting on a helpless expression, she said, "This little woman was never anyone remarkable to begin with. What is strange about falling short before Fei Nian, the foremost among the Fei Clan's younger generation?"

"Uh..." Xia Fan blinked in slight surprise. He had thought that those praised as geniuses would possess some degree of pride and never wish to lose to others. This was the first time he had seen someone yield so neatly.

"If they had already been fighting in a ball before I arrived, there might have been room to turn things around. But now, it seems Fei Nian was not wrong." Luo Qingqing giggled and waved farewell to him. "Besides, even the worst order is better than no order at all."