At Liyun Tower, a pockmarked attendant with a numb expression caught up with the madam, Feng Chi, on the stairs. Understanding his intent, she took a few steps to the landing, turned into the nearest corridor, and pushed open the door to an empty room.
Once the door was closed, the attendant took out a note and handed it to her.
Feng Chi unfolded the note and gave a surprised murmur. "Just came out of the Land of Exile? Shi Chun? Oh, so it isn't the 'pining for love' sort of sichun..." She frowned in thought. "This really won't be easy to verify. We can't just go in and out of the Land of Exile to gather information. Aside from people from Wangbo Tower, only the City Guards of the Prison of Life can get in and out fairly easily." She shook her head. "Never mind. I'll find a way to confirm it myself."
And so the attendant left without a word...
After leaving Wangbo Tower, Shi Chun glanced back at Wu Jinliang, who had followed him out with his head hanging, knowing the fellow was still immersed in the disappointment of his choice.
It was precisely because Wu Jinliang would make such an unwise choice that Shi Chun had told him the secret of the Purple Glittering Nebula inside his body, and taught him the secret method for breaking an Immobilizing Talisman, ensuring nothing would go wrong at a crucial moment. Of course, Wu Jinliang had already known of that purple glittering presence.
All three men beside him were old brothers from the Eastern Nine Plains, but there were some secrets he would not tell Old Dong or Big Stone.
He knew perfectly well that, faced with a choice like the one just now, Old Dong and Big Stone would surely act like wise birds choosing the best tree to roost in.
He did not think there was anything wrong with their choice. If he could not offer them something better, yet refused to let them choose something better, whose fault was that?
Unless faced with a choice like that, his old brothers from the Eastern Nine Plains were, on the whole, still more reliable than outsiders. This moment was one example.
Old Dong hurried up to Shi Chun, tugged at his sleeve, and gave him an earnest warning. "If you can earn Bian Weikang's fifty thousand gold, or double that to a hundred thousand, that's certainly good. But Miss Miao wasn't wrong either. No one in Skyward City dares steal Lü Taizhen's woman. Even the city lord wouldn't do something that rotten.
"News of something like this has most likely already reached Lü Taizhen. The two of you can't go wandering around anymore. You could be in danger at any moment. This isn't Zhixu City. There are rules here too, but they don't easily restrain the powerful. Those people really do dare strike in secret inside the city."
Shi Chun looked puzzled. "Who said I was going to earn Bian Weikang's money? He's so poor he needs a woman to support him. What damned money does he have for me to earn?"
Old Dong and Big Stone both froze in surprise. Wu Jinliang, standing dejectedly beside them, actually chuckled at that.
Shi Chun added, "Relax. Lü Taizhen doesn't dare touch me yet."
That made the two Wangbo Tower attendants before him sigh. Big Stone said, "Chief, you won't like hearing this, but in his eyes, you're not worth a fart. He really does dare touch you!"
"At least not right now." Shi Chun reached out and brushed a finger over the character for "Wangbo" embroidered in silver thread on his collar. "Because I have two men from Wangbo Tower accompanying me. If Lü Taizhen's people really have their eyes on me, they should know I've already been upstairs at Wangbo Tower. Until he knows what's behind me, he won't dare act rashly. Powerful people are indeed bolder than we are, but sometimes... they're more timid than we are too."
That was why he had temporarily set aside the urgent matter involving Bian Weikang to visit Miao Yilan at Wangbo Tower first. Proper courtesy and gratitude were part of it, certainly, but he also wanted to deliberately create the impression he had just described.
He had not expected to encounter Miao Yilan and Old Dong's group here either. But since he had, it would be a waste not to use the convenience at hand. It could save him plenty of detours.
He was a stranger in an unfamiliar place, and still very weak. How could snatching food from a tiger's jaws ever be easy? Along with boldness, he needed care.
"Ah." Old Dong could not help sighing again. "Chief, you have a point, but you can only fool him for a while..."
"A while is enough." Shi Chun waved a hand, dismissing the subject outright. After looking at the people coming and going around them, he beckoned the three men over to a quieter spot beside the lake and began settling accounts. "Old Dong, Big Stone, how are we handling that forty thousand taels from earlier?"
At that, the two Wangbo Tower attendants immediately looked embarrassed. Even Old Dong could only stammer, "Miss Miao lent it to you. We all know now. There's no point bringing it up again. Come on, let us treat you to a good meal."
Shi Chun blocked his inviting arm. "There's no rush to eat. We're brothers, after all. Once this is done, I can't give you forty thousand, but how about ten thousand each?"
The two embarrassed fellows' eyes instantly lit up, only for their expressions to turn into rueful smiles. Old Dong said, "Sure. Let's talk once you've earned it."
The two fellows lacked motivation, and that would never do-Shi Chun still needed them to handle things. He tilted his head toward Wu Jinliang. "Jinliang, these two have been away from the Eastern Nine Plains too long. A few extra mouthfuls of mountain spring water out here, and now they even look down on us. Go on, open their eyes. Tell them how we plan to make this money."
"Heh heh, sure. Let's open your eyes. Listen carefully. That top courtesan at Liyun Tower-whether Liyun Tower sells her or we sell her, she's still being sold..." With a sly grin, Wu Jinliang explained their plan to sell Xiang Lan'er to Lü Taizhen at a bargain price.
"Hiss..."
Enlightened by his explanation, both attendants sucked in a sharp breath. They were genuinely stunned, staring wide-eyed before exchanging looks. Finally, both turned to Shi Chun and blurted out a figure. "Two hundred thousand gold?"
Shi Chun brushed at his clothes as though dust had settled on them, deliberately affecting modesty as he spoke. "What can we do? We've only just arrived, and we're unfamiliar with things outside. We'll make a hundred-odd thousand first to try our hand. We'll make do with that for now."
"Heh heh..." Wu Jinliang loved this shameless streak of his. It gave a man something to look forward to.
"..." The two attendants remained speechless for a long time, calculating in their heads as all sorts of expressions crossed their faces, regret among them.
Having achieved his goal, Shi Chun stopped beating around the bush and assumed his customary air as chief. "There are two things I need you to do. Get us somewhere to stay at the Carefree Inn. You pay for it. Whatever you spend will count as your investment. I keep my word: once we've made the money, I'll return double whatever you spent."
"Sure."
"No problem."
Old Dong and Big Stone nodded repeatedly in agreement, their faces blooming with smiles.
Once he had smiled to his satisfaction, Old Dong asked, "Isn't two hundred thousand too cheap for something worth five hundred thousand? I think we could try selling her for three hundred thousand, or four hundred thousand. Earn a little more, and everyone would..." He glanced around at them, then chuckled too.
His meaning could not have been clearer: if their chief did not care for the extra money, they certainly would not mind a larger share.
His words immediately won unanimous approval from Wu Jinliang and Big Stone, who both nodded repeatedly and praised the idea.
Shi Chun waved it down without hesitation. "This isn't the Eastern Nine Plains. We're nobodies here. We're too weak. Neither our appetites nor our teeth are up to it. Too much, and we won't be able to stomach it. Eat too much, and we might burst to death. Only what we can comfortably swallow for real counts as food in our bellies. Two hundred thousand is already our limit. Even one more grain of sandalwood gold would be too much.
"The second thing: although this deal is with Lü Taizhen, I don't want to negotiate with him. I need you to find a suitable person close to him to negotiate with me."
None of them understood. Wu Jinliang asked suspiciously, "Why?"
Shi Chun said, "What do you mean, why? It's obvious. Given Lü Taizhen's standing in Skyward City, how could he possibly spare me a glance? Even delivering a bargain to his door won't help. If he can spend five hundred thousand gold on a beauty to amuse himself with, I'm worried he might not care about those savings. If it were you, and a complete stranger suddenly showed up offering you something for nothing, wouldn't you be suspicious? Would you dare accept it rashly?"
"That's true..." Wu Jinliang murmured, rubbing his chin.
For the sake of his own share, Old Dong began putting his mind to it too. "What sort of person are you looking for?"
Shi Chun said, "Someone close to Lü Taizhen who can help me resell Xiang Lan'er to him, and who can be bought with money. Don't tell me you've been here this long without hearing anything about Skyward City's prominent figures."
Big Stone, looking thoughtful, suddenly said, "Cao Puqing's nephew, Cen Futong, should do, shouldn't he?"
"Cen Futong..." Old Dong considered it, then gave a slight nod too.
Shi Chun immediately asked, "Who is he?"
Old Dong promptly explained, "Cao Puqing is Lü Taizhen's chief steward. Cen Futong is his nephew. Thanks to his uncle, he lives fairly well in this city, though he's something of an idle loafer who neglects honest work. He probably wouldn't turn his nose up at money."
"Another nephew..." Wu Jinliang muttered.
Shi Chun smiled instead. "Good. He'll do. Tell him someone is willing to give him a hundred thousand gold, simply to make friends with him. Don't say who's offering the money. Just have him come find me at the Carefree Inn. Don't show yourself directly either. You're from Wangbo Tower, after all, so it wouldn't be appropriate for you to participate openly in this sort of thing. Spend a little money hiring someone to run the errand. Just keep watch from the shadows. If anything changes, that'll keep you from getting caught up in it."
"All right. Shall I go now?" Old Dong asked for confirmation. Seeing no objection, he immediately went to carry it out. When there was money to be made, of course he had to make it.
Shi Chun and the others headed toward the Carefree Inn.
Che Si, who had changed clothes and was watching from the shadows, felt puzzled when the group split in two. He badly wanted to see what Old Dong was going to do, but ultimately chose to follow his main target, Shi Chun.