The salt merchant was confused at first.
After meeting Shen Tang's eyes for two breaths, the old hand at the art of business immediately understood what she meant. He hesitated, unsure of the identities of Shen Tang and the others. If he answered such a question incorrectly, his old life would come to an early end.
Shen Tang quickly noticed his predicament.
She said, "Just say what's on your mind. I won't punish you for your answer. I'll make sure you're safe."
The salt merchant asked uneasily, "Judging by this lord's accent, you don't sound like you're from Ten Crows. Are you..."
Shen Tang smiled. "You don't need to ask."
The salt merchant immediately took the hint and fell silent.
He sifted through his possible answers again and again before finally speaking with caution. "In reply to you, my lord, based on all these years I've spent doing business in Ten Crows, most of them have neither honor nor shame, and they're especially fickle. But they do have one redeeming quality: whoever feeds them is their mother. They'll attach themselves to whoever gives them benefits. If used properly, they can be a sharp weapon—but they must be handled with care."
Shen Tang's expression turned a little more amused.
Xu Quan frowned. "Whoever feeds them is their mother?"
Seeing that the beautiful lord's tone carried a hint of displeasure, the salt merchant immediately changed tack. "Whoever gives them money is their father!"
Xu Quan: "..."
Shen Tang burst out laughing.
She thought that the salt merchant was indeed a wealthy smuggler who'd been at it for years. He certainly had a silver tongue, and he was good at reading people, too. Still, he had just proved his own assessment of Ten Crows right: they had to be handled with care.
Xu