"Ziyu, Qian Dong, are you going to Fisherman's Wharf to see the river lanterns tonight?" Zhao Xing asked his two younger brothers after work.
"No." Qian Dong shook his head. "The River Lantern Festival is really boring. There are hardly any young ladies, and it's creepy besides. What's there to see? It's nowhere near as good as the Duicao Festival. The Spring Rite is coming."
"You only know how to look at girls." Zhao Xing laughed and gave him a pat, then turned to Chen Ziyu. "What about you?"
"I'll be going, but I probably won't be able to go with you, brother," Chen Ziyu said. "I'm going to sell lotus lanterns with my dad."
The river lanterns used during the River Lantern Festival were also called lotus lanterns. They were made from lotus leaves, clay, paint, cloth, drawing paper, and needlework.
Once completed, the honored names of deceased relatives would be written on the outer layer of the lantern, with a candle placed in its center.
Of course, some lotus lanterns were used to pray for the living, not solely to mourn the dead.
Though many people attended this festival, its atmosphere was solemn and reverent. There was not much fun to be had; at most, one could eat something and enjoy the scenery.
Seeing that neither of them was going, Zhao Xing did not press them. After all, he was not going there to have fun.
He wanted to see whether he could make a little ghost wealth.
The Dynasty of Fate system placed great importance on the theory of Five Elements Luck, and professions such as sorcerers, diviners, and Feng Shui Masters existed.
However, after the Great Zhou Emperor had "Gathered the Luck of the World," he strengthened the dynasty's control over its fortunes and crippled those three professions, folding them all into the tool known as the "temple." Yin gods would act in their stead, bestowing fortune and prosperity.
In his previous life, Zhao Xing had once regarded those professions as "secondary professions," because that strike from the Grand Ancestor had cut directly into their lifeblood.
In the Dynasty of Fate version, those three professions were undeniably gutter-tier. They had been reduced to the likes of "charlatans," barely clinging to life until the Dynasty of Fate collapsed and they rose again.
But that did not stop Zhao Xing from making a little money.
"By the Heavenly Stem, it is Seven Killings, yet by Nayin, it is wealth."
"Suppose Dingmao's Nayin is fire, while its true Five Elements Heavenly Stem is wood. When Yi and Geng appear among the four stems, they are metal ghosts at the stem's head. Yet Dingmao's Nayin fire can restrain Yi and Geng metal, hence the name ghost wealth."
"With ghost wealth in motion, there may not be any great gains, but there is no real loss either. This is the time of the Zhou Dynasty's prosperity; no wandering ghosts or wild spirits can cause trouble." Zhao Xing glanced at the Evil Aversion Almanac, then slowly headed toward Fisherman's Wharf.
He first arrived outside an inn at Fisherman's Wharf. Many stalls had been set up there, and quite a few hawkers were already selling lotus lanterns and incense candles.
Zhao Xing casually bought one. It was merely an ordinary item without rank. Then he walked toward a group of people resting nearby.
The group stood in clusters of three to five, bare-chested as they drank tea. Hooks, scissors, and other tools lay beside them.
They were a group of "River Scavengers."
What were River Scavengers?
They were people with exceptional water skills who specialized in diving for treasures, and most of them had once been fishermen.
Peaceful Lake Thirteen Canals connected to the Azure Wave River, while East Lake had accumulated vital energy over countless years. As the waterways washed through the area, many treasures were born beneath the water.
First Order and second order water treasures were not uncommon. Finding one was enough to live on for half a year. If they found a Third Order treasure? They could immediately go ashore, buy a house, and become landlords!
Furthermore, countless ships and travelers passed through the area. Tourist vessels and merchant ships often dropped valuable items into the water and hired people to retrieve them, giving rise to this group of River Scavengers.
They might look dirty and shabby, but they earned far more than minor Minister of Agriculture clerks like Zhao Xing.
Zhao Xing walked up to the stall and cupped his hands. "Brothers, are you taking jobs?"
A burly middle-aged man who looked like a foreman nodded. "We don't take unpaid jobs. We only search for lost items and treasures. If you want to try your luck, young master, we offer long dives, short dives, and one-shot deals."
Elite River Scavengers did not take jobs retrieving corpses or bones—unlucky unpaid work like that. They did not want to earn that sort of money.
Zhao Xing nodded and stated his requirements directly. "I need to hire a skilled man for a short dive, starting at the end of the Hour of the Rooster and ending before midnight. About three shichen, with no limit on the number of dives. I'll pay two taels and five qian, including tea and a late-night meal. Anything found belongs to me, with no share of the profits."
Three shichen would be enough. Once those three shichen had passed, the luck of ghost wealth would no longer show itself, making it difficult to gain anything. In truth, the only time there was any real chance of finding treasure was during the Dingmao Hour within those three shichen.
Seeing that Zhao Xing knew the trade and was offering a decent price, the foreman nodded and called toward the back, "Xu Laoba!"
"Yeah! Coming!" Not far away, a muscular man was chatting with a young married woman tending a stall, showing off his robust muscles and making her laugh coquettishly.
Hearing his elder brother's voice, he immediately gave her hand a squeeze and trotted over eagerly.
"Big Brother."
"This young master wants to try his luck. A short dive, three shichen, two taels and five qian for the man. Any problem with that?" the foreman asked.
"No problem." Xu Laoba bared his teeth and thumped his chest at Zhao Xing. "Young master, just look at me and you'll know. I, Xu Laoba, will definitely bring you good luck!"
Zhao Xing examined the man with Five Elements Observation. His lung qi was abundant, two or three times stronger than that of ordinary people. He was indeed a capable hand, so Zhao Xing nodded. "He'll do."
The foreman took out an engraved bamboo token and said, "Payment must be made in advance, along with an additional one-tael deposit. If he returns safely, the deposit will be refunded upon presentation of this token. If anything happens to him, you need not bear any responsibility. The deposit will count as your charitable contribution, young master."
"Very reasonable." Zhao Xing nodded. Then money and man changed hands.
After receiving the receipt, Xu Laoba took his gear and followed behind Zhao Xing.
"Young master, would you also like to rent a pleasure boat? I know someone who can give you a ten percent discount. If you have friends with you, five people can get twenty percent off."
"It's just me. A small boat will do; there's no need for a pleasure boat," Zhao Xing said.
Xu Laoba was not disappointed. He could still earn a little referral fee on a small boat. "Then which lake district do you want to go to—east, south, west, or north? Or one of the thirteen bay districts? Yesterday, a Night-Shining Pearl was dug up in the West Lake district. I think we could try our luck there."
Zhao Xing smiled. "No rush. Let's just look around first."
Seeing this, Xu Laoba said no more. It seemed this master had a plan of his own. He even hoped Zhao Xing would wander around more—fewer trips into the water meant an easier time for him.
During Limit of Heat, night fell rather late. It was not until the end of the Hour of the Rooster that darkness fully descended.
Standing at a high point in Fisherman's Wharf, one could see lotus lanterns floating everywhere on the river, scattered like stars and joined into a vast expanse.
The commercial street was still somewhat lively, but it mainly sold food, drink, and lotus lanterns. There were far fewer other forms of entertainment than during other festivals.
"Hm?" Zhao Xing's gaze suddenly fell on a familiar back. "The Ceremonial Official guarding True Lord Cao Xi Hall? There are quite a few people around him. They seem to be temple clerks. I wonder what their assessment entails?"
There was still a long time before the hour he was waiting for, and he had come to watch the excitement anyway, so he immediately moved closer and listened intently.
Vital energy flooded into his ears, and soon, amid the noisy street, only the voices around the Ceremonial Official guarding the hall remained.
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