With his hunting pack on his back, Luo Yi walked along the streets of the county seat. He keenly sensed that, compared with the bustle and prosperity of his last visit to Yunlu County,
the county seat now felt far more grim and desolate.
Soldiers dressed in City Guards uniforms patrolled the streets from time to time, and there were far fewer pedestrians on the usually bustling roads.
At the same time, crowds of ragged people had appeared on the streets, wandering outside shops and constantly begging the shopkeepers for food or money.
Following his memories from before, he soon arrived at the Qipi Collection Shop, where he had sold Wolf Hides with the Hunting Team last time.
He saw two burly men standing guard at the entrance, constantly driving away the beggars in the county seat.
Ignoring everyone else, Luo Yi walked straight toward the shop, but the burly guards stopped him at the door.
"Get lost, get lost! Beggars aren't welcome here." As he spoke, one of the guards looked ready to throw a punch.
"I'm looking for your shopkeeper, Li Hui. Is he here today?" Hearing that the newcomer was looking for Shopkeeper Li—and could even give his name—
the two guards instantly broke into beaming smiles. "He is, little brother. I'll go tell the shopkeeper. Please come in."
After thanking them, Luo Yi stepped into the shop.
Li Hui had just finished seeing to a distinguished guest and was coming out from the back room.
He recognized Luo Yi at once and hurried to greet him. "Brother Luo, you're an honored guest! What brings you here today? Are you looking to buy something, or do you have some fine pelts to sell me?"
After chatting with the shopkeeper for a few moments, Luo Yi set his pack on the ground and took out a complete tiger hide.
"Shopkeeper Li, take a look." With that, Luo Yi handed the tiger hide to Li Hui.
Seeing the pelt Luo Yi was offering, Li Hui didn't reach out to take it. Instead, he hurriedly called to the shop assistant beside him.
"Little Li, bring the biggest display rack from the storeroom in the back and hang the pelt on it."
"Yes, Shopkeeper!" After the staff bustled about, they hung the tiger hide neatly on the display rack.
"Fine goods, truly fine goods." Li Hui circled the rack, examining the tiger hide and murmuring to himself.
"Brother Luo, this pelt is very well preserved. The hide is soft and smooth. A few spots weren't properly treated during the tanning, leaving some flaws, but they don't detract from the whole. This tiger hide is indeed a rare treasure."
Hearing Li Hui's praise, Luo Yi was a little surprised. Before coming, he'd thought Li Hui would nitpick the hide and deliberately drive down the price. He hadn't expected such a glowing assessment.
Luo Yi nodded. "What price are you offering for the pelt, Shopkeeper Li?"
Li Hui didn't answer right away.
He went to the counter, took out an abacus, and clicked away at it. At last, he said:
"Brother Luo, if it finds a buyer who loves furs, this tiger hide could fetch at least two hundred taels of silver. Usually, it'd sell for around one hundred taels."
"Your tiger hide is especially good quality, though, so I can offer you two ways to sell it:
"First option: you leave the tiger hide on consignment with us, and we take a ten-percent commission on the sale price.
"Second option: our shop buys the tiger hide for one hundred and twenty taels of silver."
After hearing Li Hui's two offers, Luo Yi considered the consignment option. There was no telling how long it might take to sell, and he didn't have much silver left at home. Better to take the money now.
"Shopkeeper Li, I'll take the second option."
"Good! Brother Luo really is a straightforward man. Then I'll gladly take you up on that offer."
"Little Li, tell the cashier to bring the money." At Shopkeeper Li's command, an elderly man soon emerged from the back room and looked to Li Hui.
Li Hui nodded to him. The old man handed Luo Yi a one-hundred-tael Silver Note and four five-tael ingots of silver.
Luo Yi accepted the silver and cupped his hands toward Li Hui. "Thank you, Shopkeeper Li. I'll take my leave."
"Take care, Brother Luo. I won't see you out. Remember to bring any other good things to our shop next time."
Luo Yi nodded and walked out of the shop.
As soon as he left the Qipi Collection Shop, Luo Yi keenly noticed that a few people squatting outside were looking at him strangely.
The moment he walked away, several of them exchanged glances and quietly followed behind him.
Pretending not to notice he was being followed, Luo Yi headed for the grain shop not far from the Qipi Collection Shop.
As he reached the shop, he thought of the strange atmosphere he'd sensed in the county seat that morning. Worried something bad might happen, he decided to buy extra food to stock up at home, just in case.
He found the shopkeeper and bought five jin of Coarse Salt, One Jin of Spices, three shi of Polished Rice, one shi of wheat, five jin of Brown Sugar, and five jin of White Sugar.
After paying, he realized that these few things had cost nearly ten taels of silver.
Luo Yi looked closely at the price board outside the shop and realized that prices in the county seat had risen sharply.
Before, all kinds of grain and seasoning at the county's grain shops had been a little cheaper than in Dongsheng Town. Now, they were actually more expensive than in Dongsheng Town.
Having bought a large amount of food, Luo Yi didn't keep wandering around the county seat. He carried two shi of grain in one hand and headed down the lane in the direction of home.
The five men following Luo Yi saw him come out of the grain shop with bags and bundles in his hands.
Greed flashed in their eyes, and they stayed close behind him.
As he reached the lane near his home, Luo Yi didn't want them to learn exactly where he lived. He cautiously glanced at the men behind him, pretended to notice them, then fled in a panic into a dead-end alley. He set the food down and waited for them to come in.
Seeing that the man they were following had spotted them and suddenly sped into the nearby alley, the five men worried they'd lose their target and hurried after him.
When they reached the alley, they discovered it was a dead end. The young man had been cornered.
"You brat, you sure know how to pick a spot. Why'd you stop running? Hand over all the silver on you, and we might let you live."
"Otherwise, you've got such a fair, tender face. One of our brothers is partial to men. You know what'll happen then."
A young man with a head full of sores kept hurling threats at Luo Yi.
One of the five, a fat man with a bushy beard and a little mustache, stepped forward.
"Brother Lai, that pretty face of his is a real prize. You've got to leave him for me to enjoy."
Hearing the bearded man's words, Luo Yi felt his stomach churn. He almost threw up.
Seeing that the men were still spouting filth,
Luo Yi let his blade do the talking. He drew the Dao at his waist and slashed straight at the bearded man, who'd been speaking in a sickeningly flirtatious way. The blade split him in two, blood spraying everywhere and turning the men beside him into blood-soaked figures.
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