Jiaoguo, Little Thief, Martial Combat

"How much for this hairpin?" Lu Chen asked, picking up the shell hairpin.

The stall owner, a gaunt old man, looked up and said, "Three hundred coppers. This is a fine piece brought in from Nanyang Province. Look at this craftsmanship; you won't find anything like it elsewhere."

Lu Chen did not haggle. He counted out three hundred copper coins from his purse and handed them over.

The old man took the money, wrapped the hairpin carefully in a piece of coarse straw paper, and handed it to him.

Lu Chen tucked it away inside his robe.

The night grew deep.

Lu Chen chose not to sleep in the communal dormitory, where people were packed shoulder to shoulder, the air thick with the stench of sweat, feet, and mold that made one's head ache. He decided to make do in the main hall for the night.

Many of the older hands in the caravan who were used to life on the road did the same; Manager Ma had already spread his bedding against a wall not far away.

Lu Chen found a bench against the wall, lay down fully clothed, and rested his head on his arm, his blade tucked underneath.

At dawn the next day, the group set off, arriving at Jiaoguo Trading Port by the mid-afternoon.

The northern landscape was defined by rolling hills and a dense network of rivers; with such advantageous waterways, trade here was exceptionally prosperous.

Jiaoguo Trading Port was massive, with merchant ships coming and going like shuttles, warehouses standing in rows, the docks teeming with noise, and markets stretching endlessly—far more bustling and chaotic than Wen'an County.

Jin Ming settled everyone into an inn, instructing them to "rest well and stay out of trouble," before hurrying off with Manager Ma. Judging by their direction, they were headed toward the large warehouses and merchant guilds.

Procuring grain was serious business; he had to negotiate the price and quality himself.

Lu Chen stood on the second-floor corridor of the inn, looking out at the street. The sounds of hawking, haggling, carriage wheels, and the rhythmic chants of porters rolled over him in a wave.

After watching for a while, he turned and went downstairs. With nothing to do, he decided to wander around this unfamiliar trading port.

On the streets of Jiaoguo, storefronts stood side by side, displaying all manner of strange and exotic treasures he had never even heard of.

For Lu Chen, who had never left his home county, it was all a fresh experience.

He walked and looked, buying nothing. Before he knew it, he had turned into a quiet alley where a few children were chasing each other, laughing and shouting.

A boy of seven or eight was running fast, looking back to tease his companions, and without watching where he was going, he slammed straight into Lu Chen.

"Ouch." The boy steadied himself, clutching his head, his small face panicked. "Sorry, brother, I didn't see you."

Lu Chen looked down at him and waved a hand. "It's fine, go on and play."

The boy grinned, turned, and ran off like the wind, calling out to his friends.

After the boy and his companions snuck into a narrow alley, he pulled a dusty money pouch from his tunic, weighed it triumphantly, and boasted to the other children:

"Got it! It's heavy—at least seven or eight taels!"

"Open it up and let's see!" the other children crowded around, urging him.

The boy chuckled, undid the drawstring, and tipped it into his palm. A few small pebbles rolled out.

The alley went silent.

"Why is the pouch full of stones?"

One child asked blankly.

The triumph on the boy's face froze, then slowly turned a deep red. Furious, he slammed the pouch and the stones onto the ground and jumped up and down, cursing:

"Damn it! Dressed like a gentleman, but he's just a poor wretch! Carrying a pouch full of rotten rocks to put on airs!"

The children looked like wilted vegetables, sullenly calculating how to find their next "mark."

Suddenly, the lead boy's expression changed. He hurriedly reached into his tunic—it was empty!

"Oh no! Where's my money pouch?"

He frantically searched for it; that was his entire haul for the day, a full two taels of silver.

"Waaa—"

The boy could no longer hold it back. He sat down on the ground and burst into loud, wailing tears.

The other children were completely panicked, surrounding him in a state of helpless agitation.

At that moment, Lu Chen was not far away, holding a money pouch embroidered with a crooked lotus flower. He loosened the opening and took a peek: a few pieces of broken silver and a handful of coppers, two taels at most.

Jiaoguo was a place where all sorts of people gathered, and there were plenty of petty thieves.

Lu Chen had spent his life in the underworld; he had been guarding against such tricks long ago. Trying to steal from him? Keep dreaming!

He tucked the pouch into his sleeve, thinking to himself: The hands were fast, but the eyes were dull, and the temperament too rash. Those little thieves still have a lot to learn.

Having gained two taels of silver for nothing, Lu Chen was in quite a good mood.

He wandered the market for a while before returning to the inn. As soon as he stepped through the door, Manager Ma rushed out, looking flustered. "Lu Chen, where have you been running off to? Didn't I tell you to stay put at the inn?"

Lu Chen paused. "I was just walking around nearby. What happened?"

"Sigh, don't ask, just follow me!"

Manager Ma grabbed him and pulled him along, jogging all the way until they reached the courtyard of a large storefront.

The courtyard gate stood open, with twenty or thirty people gathered inside. There were shopkeepers dressed in fine attire, as well as martial artists carrying weapons, all standing in small groups with a heavy atmosphere hanging over them.

As soon as Jin Ming saw Lu Chen, his eyes lit up instantly: "Brother Lu, you've finally arrived. You've kept me waiting."

Lu Chen glanced at the people in the courtyard, each wearing a different expression: "What happened?"

Jin Ming's face showed anxiety: "We were a step too late. The powerful grain shops in the nearby counties all got wind of this, and they've all sent people to snatch this batch of grain. None of the families are willing to back down, and after arguing for half a day, there's still no result."

Lu Chen asked: "Then what should be done?"

"The owner of Taifeng Firm in Blackwater County proposed a suggestion: follow the old rules and decide the winner through a martial contest. Each family sends one person to settle it on the ring. Whoever wins gets the grain. It's fair, and it saves us from wasting any more breath," Jin Ming said.

Lu Chen understood: "Brother Jin, you want me to step onto the ring?"

"Exactly!" Jin Ming said urgently: "On this trip, the only person I can trust who can also fight is you, Brother Lu. I am determined to get this grain. As long as you can win, I'll add another twenty taels to your reward!"

Jin Ming had already promised to double the reward for this trip, and with an additional twenty taels, it would total forty taels.

This amount was enough to make anyone's heart race, but Lu Chen didn't nod immediately.

"What kind of background does the opponent have?" he asked cautiously, "If there's an expert with External Strength sitting in, I'd just be throwing my life away."

"Rest assured, Brother Lu." A strange smile appeared on Jin Ming's face, "The opponent is just a child."

Lu Chen was puzzled: "A child?"

"That's right. I don't know where Guangyuan Firm found this little boy, but he doesn't look very old, yet his methods are incredibly fierce. The martial artists hired by the previous families were all taken down by him in two or three moves."

Jin Ming looked at Lu Chen with eager eyes: "Brother Lu, as long as you can defeat that kid, this batch of grain will be ours."

At this moment, a man of about thirty, dressed in a treasure-blue satin-lined fur coat, strolled over with a familiar, mocking expression on his face.

"Little Three Jin, has the helper you hired finally arrived? Everyone is waiting, you know."

This man was Dai Xin, the young master of Guangyuan Rice Shop, also a native of Wen'an County.

Having known Jin Ming since childhood, they knew each other's roots well, so there was little need for polite formalities between them.

Jin Ming snorted coldly and puffed out his chest: "He's here, and he can fight right now!"

"Fine then."

Dai Xin smiled, his gaze sweeping over Lu Chen before turning back to Jin Ming's face, his tone certain: "But I'm afraid you're destined to make this trip for nothing."

After saying this, he ignored Jin Ming and turned to walk toward one side of the courtyard.

In the corner of the courtyard stood a grand armchair covered with a thick brocade cushion, and sitting on it was a little boy in red, looking no more than twelve or thirteen years old.

He sat with his legs crossed, his small hands wandering restlessly over the two beautiful maidservants beside him.

The maidservants kept their heads lowered; one fed him candied fruit with a silver pick, while the other waited on him with hot tea.

The square table next to him was piled high with all sorts of snacks: roast chicken, soy-sauce duck, braised pig trotters, various pastries, sugar figurines, candied haws, roasted nuts, and dried fruits... it was packed full. This setup didn't look like a martial contest at all; it looked more like a little ancestor from some wealthy household out to watch a show and amuse himself.

Dai Xin walked up to him, his waist bending slightly of its own accord, and said obsequiously:

"Young Master Jiang, I'm afraid I must trouble you to move your hands."