With nothing to do for the moment, the two began learning how to brew tea in their room.
They had spent about an hour lounging leisurely indoors when Big Stone, who had been keeping watch outside the inn, hurried over with a report. "Cen Futong is here. He's coming up the mountain."
Shi Chun immediately told Wu Jinliang, "Go meet him. Keep a low profile, and try not to let Bian Weikang and the others see you."
Although he reckoned the couple probably wouldn't be wandering around outside, it was better to be careful.
"Sure." Wu Jinliang agreed and called Big Stone along to point the man out.
Given Big Stone's current identity, he couldn't stay at the scene of the transaction either. It wouldn't do for someone from Wangbo Tower to become directly involved.
Before long, the door opened. Wu Jinliang entered first and nodded at Shi Chun. A young man in sumptuous brocade followed him in. He had ordinary looks and an average build, with the dissolute, careless air of someone raised on a life of leisure, and a touch of arrogant disdain in his eyes.
He hadn't come alone. Two other men, also dressed in sumptuous brocade, followed him inside. From the casual way they found places to sit, they seemed less like attendants and more like disreputable drinking buddies.
Cen Futong, however, didn't sit down. He wandered around the room, inspecting his surroundings.
All three looked depleted in spirit, the unmistakable signs of excessive indulgence.
"I've long admired your reputation, Brother Cen. Now that we've met, you truly cut an extraordinary figure." Shi Chun cupped his hands and offered some flattery.
Cen Futong picked up the book titled Shanhai Lantern from the table, flipped idly through it, then tossed it back down. Only then did he turn and demand, "Who are you?"
"My name is Shi Chun," Shi Chun replied, extending a hand to invite him to sit.
"Shi... lovesick?" Cen Futong paused.
A burst of laughter immediately filled the room. Cen Futong and his two companions laughed so hard their arms and legs flailed.
Shi Chun smiled, though something darkened beneath his gaze. Nothing annoyed him more than people mocking his name. In the Land of Exile, he would usually kill them for it.
When Cen Futong finally finished laughing, he waved a hand. He had no interest in sitting down for a leisurely chat, nor did he care what the man was called. He asked directly, "You're the one who invited me?"
Shi Chun answered with the cultured smile he had practiced. "Yes."
Cen Futong raised his brows slightly. "You want to give me a hundred thousand gold?"
Shi Chun nodded. "That's right."
Cen Futong looked him up and down, somewhat skeptical. "There's really such a good deal?"
His two friends rose in turn and stood on either side of him, both looking curious as they waited to see what would happen.
Shi Chun said, "I hope to establish myself in Skyward City. I heard you have some influence here, Brother Cen, so I'd like to make friends with you."
"Then you've found the right man."
"In Skyward City, Brother Cen might not have the final say in everything, but everyone from top to bottom has to show him some respect."
Cen's two friends immediately chimed in with praise.
Cen Futong seemed to relish it. He looked thoroughly pleased with himself, though he waved a hand in outward modesty. "Not at all, not at all. People just think well of me, that's all."
The man on his left patted his shoulder and winked at him. "Treating us at Liyun Tower tonight?"
Even a fool could understand what he meant: once he came into money, he had to treat them.
Cen Futong immediately told Shi Chun, "If you really mean it, Brother Shi... heh, that surname lets you take advantage of me, doesn't it? Shi Chun, then. Brother Chun, if you really mean it, I'll certainly count you as a friend."
He was hinting that talk was cheap. Show him the money first.
Shi Chun hesitated slightly and glanced at his two friends. "The pavilion suspended outside the Carefree Inn is a fine place for tea. Would you two care to sit there for a while?"
He was plainly asking the two to leave them alone. He felt Old Dong hadn't handled things properly either, bringing two more people into the know.
"Oh? Afraid we'll rob you?"
"Brother Cen, it seems the two of us shouldn't have come."
The two each offered a sarcastic remark.
Cen Futong was just about to make a show of loyalty to his friends when Shi Chun cut him off. "Some money can only go to one person. It can't be shared with everyone who happens to be present. What do you three think?"
All three paused.
A moment later, Cen Futong turned to either side. "All right, go take a walk first. I'll see what he's playing at. If he dares toy with me, I'll make him pay."
The two had no choice but to give in. They flicked their sleeves and left in a huff.
At a glance from Shi Chun, Wu Jinliang went outside to check. He returned and nodded, indicating that they had indeed gone away.
After watching all this coldly, Cen Futong spoke. "Can you bring out the money now?"
Shi Chun asked instead, "Do you know about someone spending five hundred thousand gold at Liyun Tower today to buy the top courtesan's freedom, Brother Cen?"
Cen Futong grew a little impatient. "I just heard about it. What of it? Why bring that up?"
He had no intention of even sitting down to talk. He was eager to see the money.
Shi Chun said unhurriedly, "I'm the one who bought her freedom."
"..." Cen Futong stared blankly for a moment before looking him up and down. "You?"
He could hardly believe it. This was the man who had snatched Lü Taizhen's woman? And he was offering him money? What was going on?
He suddenly sensed danger and quickly scanned his surroundings, visibly becoming wary.
Ordinarily, he really didn't worry about his safety in Skyward City. Few people dared lay a hand on him. But someone who dared plant a foot on Lü Taizhen's head was another matter entirely.
Shi Chun said, "The woman is in my hands. Sorry for the trouble, Brother Cen, but I'd like you to pass her on to Lü Taizhen."
Cen Futong's expression froze, as though he couldn't quite process this. "You bought her freedom just to give her to Master Lü?"
Lü Taizhen owned extensive spirit plant estates in this region, so people respectfully addressed him as Master Lü.
Shi Chun said, "That's right. I still want to establish myself here, and I don't want to offend him. So, sorry for the trouble, Brother Cen."
Cen Futong was willing to oblige in this matter, but he couldn't understand it. "Why not give her to him yourself? Why insist on passing her through my hands?"
Shi Chun said, "Without passing her through your hands, where would you get that hundred thousand in sandalwood gold, Brother Cen? I'll sell her to you. Cheap, too-just two hundred thousand gold."
"What? What? Sell her to me, for two hundred thousand gold?" Cen Futong thought he had misheard. Where would he get that much money?
Ignoring his astonishment, Shi Chun instead looked surprised himself. "Wasn't this your idea, Brother Cen? That top courtesan refused a good life with Master Lü and wanted to give herself to some pretty boy instead. What sort of man are you, Brother Cen? Naturally, you stand with Master Lü. You were furious when you learned about this, so you arranged for me to scrape together fifty thousand gold to buy her freedom. Bian Weikang owes me fifty thousand gold, and Xiang Lan'er's Deed of Sale is in my hands. If you want her, Brother Cen, take her for two hundred thousand."
Cen Futong's eyebrows shot up, and a vicious light flashed in his eyes. "Are you playing me for a fool?"
Shi Chun said, "That was fifty thousand gold. My money doesn't grow on trees. If there's no profit in it, why would I get involved? As for whether you sell her for three hundred thousand, three hundred and fifty thousand, or four hundred thousand after buying her for two hundred thousand, that's entirely up to you. Master Lü was originally prepared to pay five hundred thousand, after all."
"..." Cen Futong suddenly froze, his gaze wandering. He finally understood. Originally, they had said they would give him a hundred thousand gold. Now that seemed to have changed. It seemed to have become two hundred thousand...
Listening from the side, Wu Jinliang's mouth was about to split all the way to the back of his head again. His thick brows and large eyes took on a sly, grinning look. He finally understood why Chuntian had said earlier that they couldn't push their own profit margin any higher. So this was the trick.
Shi Chun added, "I hear your uncle usually handles these little matters. If you ask me, although you're helping Master Lü vent his anger, you're still doing business for your own uncle. Four hundred thousand should be the limit. Any higher wouldn't be appropriate. If the price is so high there's no profit left, why would he buy from you privately?"
Cen Futong's eyes flickered. Clearly tempted, he began pacing back and forth around the room with his head lowered.
Shi Chun kept pace with him and continued, "The point is that Master Lü likes that top courtesan. If she really goes off with some other pretty boy, it's his loss-and ours too, isn't it? Of course, if you truly have no interest in making this money, Brother Cen, I have nothing more to say. I won't lose out either way. Bian Weikang promised to repay twice what he borrowed later. For me, it's merely a question of earning a little more or a little less."
Cen Futong suddenly stopped. Once Shi Chun came close, he turned and asked quietly, "Will this really work? Bian Weikang may have been expelled from the sect, but that doesn't change the fact that he's Bian Jixiong's son. He's not someone we can act against lightly. If he throws caution to the wind and makes a scene, Master Lü has his dignity to consider too. Things can't turn ugly. If something goes wrong, both of us will suffer."
Shi Chun leaned in and whispered back, "Nothing will go wrong. Tomorrow, Bian Weikang is taking that courtesan back to Mount Wukang, and I'll accompany them. Along the way, I'll find a way to lure Bian Weikang away, and you can seize the chance to abduct the woman. I believe she has some cultivation too, so remember to bring a few capable hands. Try not to let her make any noise. Afterward, I'll tell Bian Weikang that she left on her own and entrusted me with a message for him..."
He repeated the story he had previously told Wu Jinliang, the one he intended to use to hoodwink Bian Weikang.
Cen Futong listened with delight, but after enjoying himself, he grew worried again. "But she'll still be alive after we abduct her. What if she makes a scene at Master Lü's place?"
Shi Chun waved a hand. "You're worrying too much, Brother Cen. Once she's in your hands, isn't it up to you how you handle her? The same trick we use on Bian Weikang can be used on her. Someone arranged for me to pay for her freedom, after all. Someone was furious at her wild fantasies and wanted to leave her with neither lover nor money, to teach her a lesson... You can easily hint at that to her. How could Bian Jixiong possibly accept a brothel woman as his daughter-in-law? Besides, with her Deed of Sale in your hands, what does she have to make a scene about? She can only accept her fate!"