Selling Tiger Hides

Qingjiang County Town, West Market.

Xu Mingwei held the reins and rode slowly, a knowing smile that understood the ways of the world playing about his lips.

Hoofbeats scattered across the Bluestone Slab Road like the dripping of a night watch. All around was a bustling clamor: the calls from wine shops, the clinking copper scales before rouge shops, and the crisp sound of broken silver dropping onto trays in the tea houses.

"Father was right after all."

"The world teems and bustles, all for profit; the world jostles and crowds, all for gain."

"When there are more people, there are more needs, and all manner of trades naturally arise."

"This West Market is filled with vendors and little shops, but their combined profits may well surpass those of the great shops in East Market."

Before long.

Xu Mingwei arrived at Yunlai Inn, where Xu Mingyuan was temporarily staying.

Just as he reached the entrance, he saw Xu Mingyuan, Zhou Ming, Zhao Dalong, and the others walking out.

"A Yuan."

Xu Mingwei suddenly called out.

Xu Mingyuan, who had been giving Zhou Ming instructions, paused slightly. Turning around, a smile immediately appeared on his face. "Big Brother."

The group hurried over.

"Big Brother, why are you here?"

"Eldest Young Master." Zhou Ming and the others all bowed in greeting.

Xu Mingwei nodded and smiled. "I went into the mountains yesterday and came away with something. I came to sell some hides. Father said the money from selling them would be yours."

"I figured you knew Qingjiang County well, so I came to find you first."

"Then you came to the right person. I've built up some connections in the county over the past few years." Xu Mingyuan laughed. "If you go straight to a pawnshop or somewhere else, you won't get a very good price."

"Mr. Zhou, carry on with what we discussed earlier. I'll accompany my big brother to handle something first."

"Yes, Second Young Master."

Zhou Ming led Zhao Dalong and the others away at once.

Xu Mingyuan said, "Big Brother, let's talk as we walk. What good hides did you hunt this time?"

"Green wolf hides? Leopard hides? Or silver fox again?"

"See for yourself." Xu Mingwei opened the bundle and let Xu Mingyuan look.

"This coloring... a fierce tiger?!"

"The fur quality is good. Are there any tears or damage? With such a large bundle, there's more than one hide, isn't there?"

"Two. One male and one female—a mated pair. The male tiger stood a full half-zhang tall and weighed over a thousand jin. The female was slightly smaller, but still more robust than an ordinary tiger." Xu Mingwei explained in detail. "They also had a cub. I brought it home to be Xue Ji's playmate."

"Uh, using a Tiger Cub as a playmate?" Xu Mingyuan was somewhat startled. Ordinary people would never have such nerve.

After all, once it grew up, even an ordinary Martial Artist would be unable to deal with it.

With one careless mistake, even a First-class Martial Artist could be severely injured.

"Father allowed it. He said Xue Ji could raise it without issue."

"All right. Father should be right."

After giving it some thought, Xu Mingyuan no longer dwelled on the matter.

His mind was quick. In no more than an instant, he had come up with a line of reasoning that could raise the price of the two hides.

The two brothers arrived at East Market and entered an antique, elegant teahouse.

The teahouse was called Shuyue Xuan and had three floors.

The first floor was the main hall, with Eight Immortals Tables everywhere. A Storytelling Stage had been erected in the middle, and storytellers took the stage daily to speak of heroes, famous generals, strange tales, and curious anecdotes.

Most tables held great piles of snacks such as melon seeds and peanuts.

From time to time, the serving boys would raise their pinched, shrill voices and shout, "Coming through!"

The second floor consisted of private rooms.

The fixed silver for just one private room was enough for someone in the first-floor hall to listen for nearly half a month.

As for the third floor, it required reservations in advance.

"A teahouse?" Xu Mingwei looked bewildered. "We're selling them here?"

"Big Brother, Shuyue Xuan is the most famous teahouse in East Market. Its owner's surname is Chang, and his name is Chang Haowen. He's only twenty."

"I heard he has quite an impressive background. This teahouse is merely one of the businesses he runs. I only got to know him by chance."

At that moment, a waiter hurried over and called, "Gentlemen, sit wherever you like. What would you like?"

"I'm looking for Young Master Chang."

The servant froze for a moment, then immediately ran to the counter and said something to a middle-aged man.

The middle-aged man glanced over, then walked over with a smile and cupped hands. "So it is Young Master Xu. My young master was mentioning you just the other day."

Xu Mingyuan returned the gesture. "Steward He, is Young Master Chang here today?"

"He is in an elegant room on the second floor. I'll take you there."

They arrived at the second floor.

"Knock, knock~"

"Young Master, Young Master Xu has arrived."

"Xu Mingyuan?" A rich, magnetic voice came from within. "Let him in."

"This way, gentlemen." Steward He opened the door and invited them inside. Once they entered, he returned to the downstairs counter to continue his work.

The room was quite spacious, with several chairs made of goose-yellow pearwood arranged around a tea table.

A youth wearing a silver crown inlaid with jade and magnificent robes woven from red-gold Cloud Brocade lounged in his seat.

He had a jade-like face, sword eyebrows and star eyes, and a faintly careless smile always rested at the corners of his lips.

Beside him, a lovely girl of sixteen gently waved a jade fan as she attended him.

"Xu is here. Sit wherever you like."

"Oh? You've brought someone along today."

Chang Haowen turned his head slightly. Seeing two men, he looked surprised. As he studied them, he noticed their brows and demeanor were somewhat alike. With a faint smile, he asked, "Is this your elder brother, cousin, or something of the sort?"

Xu Mingyuan sat down with complete ease and invited Xu Mingwei to sit as well. Then he introduced him, "He's my big brother, my blood brother. His name is Xu Mingwei."

"Wei means lofty."

"Lofty are the southern mountains; gentle are the male foxes."

Chang Haowen appraised the name and praised it. "It carries the grandeur of mountains and the ambition to soar above the clouds. A fine name."

"Young Master Chang overpraises me."

As Xu Mingwei clasped his hands in salute, his spine stood as straight as a green pine piercing the sun. His bearing was calm and unhurried, with not the slightest trace of fawning in his gaze, nor any hint of arrogance.

Chang Haowen nodded slightly, then looked at Xu Mingyuan again. "You did not come to see me today merely to drink tea and chat, did you?"

"Of course I came to cultivate our friendship, and to handle one or two matters along the way."

Chang Haowen chuckled. "Go on, then."

"Young Master Chang, why not take a look at these two hides and give them an appraisal?"

Xu Mingyuan took two tiger hides from the bundle, and he and Xu Mingwei spread them out.

No unusual expression appeared on Chang Haowen's face as he examined them closely.

"Not bad. They can be considered unusual among tigers. Even a First-class Martial Artist would likely find it dangerous to take them head-on, and these two tiger hides are exceptionally intact."

After pondering briefly, his eyes flickered as he continued, "Either they were struck in the eyes, throat, or another vital spot and killed with a single blow, or they were battered flesh-to-flesh and blasted to death outright."

"Whichever it was, the person who killed these tigers was formidable indeed."

"Young Master Chang's eye is as sharp as ever." Xu Mingyuan smiled in praise. "But there is something even rarer."

"Oh? What is it?"

"These two tiger hides belonged to a male and female, a mated pair."

"To protect their young, they fought to the death and died only when their strength was exhausted."

"They are indeed remarkable." Chang Haowen's expression remained unchanged. He glanced at Xu Mingyuan, then smiled. "Xu, could it be that you are telling me all this because you intend to sell these to me?"

"How much do you think they are worth, Young Master Chang?"

"Two unusual tiger hides alone would be worth a thousand taels. With this story added, they could be worth twelve hundred taels."

"Young Master Chang does not believe what I said?"

Seeing his expression, Xu Mingyuan smiled faintly.

"Merchants seek profit. It is commonplace for them to praise their goods until the sky blooms with flowers."

"What if I can prove it is true? Would Young Master Chang be willing to purchase them for twelve hundred taels?"

Chang Haowen smiled slightly, unconcerned. "If you can prove it, spending a little over a thousand taels to buy them is nothing."

"But how would you do so?"

"It is simple. Young Master Chang thinks what I said before was a story, so the matter of the cub should naturally be pure fabrication."

"But unfortunately, the cub of this tiger pair is being raised in my home. Young Master Chang need only send someone to take a look. If there is indeed a cub, then this story is naturally true."

At this, Chang Haowen paused slightly. "Your family intends to raise the cub of an unusual tiger?"

"Even if it is reared from infancy, when its claws and fangs gleam with cold light, it will eventually reveal its nature from among the forests. One moment of carelessness, and it may pounce and shatter its keeper's throat.

Even if it is not a Demon Tiger, taming it requires the skill of beast-taming. That is a method close to those of cultivators."

Xu Mingyuan lowered his eyes and smiled lightly. "We can speak of the future when it comes. If it truly shows signs of harming people, my family naturally will not keep such a menace."

Seeing how certain Xu Mingyuan sounded, Chang Haowen believed him seven or eight parts out of ten.

After thinking for a moment, he said, "Xu is a merchant. You once told me that while merchants pursue profit, honesty is also the foundation upon which they stand."

"I naturally trust your character, so there is no need for verification."

"If the Xu Family truly manages to tame it someday, simply let me come and have a look."

"Haha, then many thanks to Young Master Chang. Though if you wish to see it, you will have quite a wait. Right now, it is only a little ball of white fluff."