The Sky Won't Fall

Since the Outer City lay outside the Stronghold's jurisdiction, it had naturally become a truly lawless place, steeped in chaos.

In the Outer City, human lives were worth no more than weeds.

If Zhao Desheng's corpse were dumped there, the Stronghold would not investigate too deeply. Even if it did, there would be nowhere to begin.

However, several checkpoints stood between the Stronghold and the Outer City. Getting a corpse outside would take some work.

As the sun slanted westward, more than a dozen ox carts piled mountain-high with dry rice straw slowly approached the gates of Windrise Stronghold.

Chen Shi'an sat on the bed of the first cart, chatting idly with the driver.

With half a li still to go before the gates, he told the drivers to stop, then quickly climbed down and walked toward a short, stout man waiting beside the road.

"Can this rubbish really make money?" The stout man eyed the towering piles of dry straw with suspicion.

He was Han Shan, a gambling friend of the body's original owner.

Chen Shi'an smiled faintly. "This dry straw isn't worth a copper in our Stronghold, but take it to the Outer City, and it'll be a treasure everyone fights over."

"Do you take me for a fool?"

Han Shan rolled his eyes. "Don't feed me that nonsense about scarcity making things valuable. I've been to the Outer City. People grow rice there too. They're not short of this stuff."

Chen Shi'an's smile did not fade. "People do grow rice in the Outer City, but they didn't keep so much as a single stalk of dry straw this year.

"You heard about the demon beasts attacking the Outer City a few months ago, didn't you?

"A few fire-breathing ones came along and burned all their nearly ripe rice fields to the ground."

Han Shan curled his lip. "Even so, how many coppers can this rubbish fetch? Never mind the price-you might not even be able to sell it."

Chen Shi'an answered confidently, "In any other year, I really wouldn't dare guarantee it.

"But this year, all we have to do is haul this straw to the Outer City, and it'll sell like wildfire."

Han Shan blinked. "What's different about this year?"

"Haven't you noticed how cold it is this year? We've only just entered the first nine-day stretch of winter, and the river is already showing signs of freezing."

Chen Shi'an glanced at Han Shan's thick layer of fat. "It's perfectly normal that you don't feel cold. But the people in the Outer City don't have your reserves. They can't withstand the chill.

"It's cold this year. Forget the Outer City-even inside the Stronghold, few families can afford new cotton quilts.

"The Outer City has sparse vegetation and barren soil. Dry rice straw is an excellent material for keeping warm.

"Straw might not compare to a cotton quilt, but put it beneath your bedding, and it'll keep you plenty warm."

Han Shan's eyes lit up. "Chen Shi'an, I've known you all these years, but I never realized you had such a clever head on your shoulders.

"Tell me, how much can we make from this trip?"

Chen Shi'an counted on his fingers. "Buying this straw cost four hundred copper coins. Including loading and transport, our total costs come to roughly two taels of silver. Sell it for ten times the purchase price, and we can still make two taels."

"Ten times?"

Han Shan's eyes widened. "Chen Shi'an, your heart is blacker than a crow!

"Are you sure you can sell it for ten times the price?"

Chen Shi'an thumped his chest. "Demand will definitely outstrip supply! There are so many people in the Outer City. If I had more capital, I'd have bought much more straw."

Han Shan still looked unconvinced. "If this business is so easy, other people would've been scrambling to do it already. How would we get a chance?"

Chen Shi'an added, "It's a small-scale business. The big shots in the Stronghold wouldn't give it a second glance, and they wouldn't lower themselves to do it.

"If ordinary people tried, their profits wouldn't even cover greasing palms at the checkpoints between the Stronghold and the Outer City."

Han Shan nodded and laughed. "That does make sense."

"Any more questions? If not, stop dawdling. We need to get the straw to the Outer City before dark.

"Things aren't peaceful there after nightfall, and the drivers will charge extra," Chen Shi'an urged.

Soon, the convoy resumed its journey.

When they reached the gates, Han Shan hurried forward and chatted jovially with the guards.

Then the dozen or so ox carts drove straight out without undergoing any inspection.

Han Shan's father was a Centurion in Windrise Stronghold's City Guard Battalion, responsible for the Stronghold's gates and checkpoints.

With Han Shan handling things, the guards naturally would not hold out their hands for tolls.

More importantly, they would not inspect the straw.

Zhao Desheng's corpse was hidden in the straw on one of the carts.

Apart from the gates, two more checkpoints lay on the road from the Stronghold to the Outer City.

With Han Shan's familiar face opening the way, the convoy passed through without a single inspection.

Halfway there, the rope securing the straw on one cart suddenly snapped, scattering the topmost bundles across the ground.

The sky was already beginning to darken. Chen Shi'an told Han Shan to take the convoy ahead to the Outer City, while he stayed with the driver to reload the cart.

Once the convoy had gone far enough, Chen Shi'an took advantage of the driver going off to find vines and moved Zhao Desheng's corpse off the cart.

Naturally, the rope had snapped because Chen Shi'an had tampered with it.

After passing the final checkpoint, he had used an inspection as an excuse to nick the hemp rope with a dagger concealed in his sleeve.

A jolt along the road had snapped it.

When the driver returned with vines, they secured the straw together, then hurried onward and caught up with the convoy just before entering the Outer City.

Just as Chen Shi'an had expected, the convoy drew countless eyes the moment it entered the Outer City's marketplace.

Before they could even unload, quite a few people gathered around to ask the price.

Most of them were merchants from the marketplace.

They had spotted an opportunity and wanted to act as middlemen, pocketing the difference.

Seeing such an enthusiastic response, Chen Shi'an immediately raised his intended selling price.

In less than half an hour, all sixteen large cartloads of dry straw sold out. Straw purchased for four hundred copper coins fetched a full five taels of silver.

After the other expenses, the net profit was three taels.

Under their agreement, Han Shan was to receive one tael of silver as his payment.

But with earnings exceeding expectations, Chen Shi'an chose to split the profit evenly with him.

Han Shan was naturally so delighted that he could not stop grinning. With an arm around Chen Shi'an's shoulders, he kept calling him "brother" with tremendous warmth.

Making money had merely been Chen Shi'an's cover. His real purpose was disposing of Zhao Desheng's corpse.

Now that his goal was accomplished, earning five hundred copper coins less did not matter.

"Han Shan, you absolutely mustn't tell anyone about this. If word gets out, someone might copy us.

"I'll find a way to raise more silver over the next couple of days. Then we can buy more straw in the Stronghold and expand the business." After dividing the silver, Chen Shi'an repeatedly reminded him.

"Brother, don't worry. Why would I tell outsiders about such a good way to get rich?"

Han Shan patted Chen Shi'an's shoulder. "It's almost dark. Let's hurry back to the Stronghold."

Chen Shi'an chuckled. "A little later is when the Outer City gets really wild and lively. We've finally made a trip out here, and we've got silver in our pockets. Can you really bear to leave without having some fun?

"The women here are uninhibited, and they're cheap too. Much better value than in the Stronghold."

Han Shan sighed. "I'd like to, but I showed my face at the gates today. If I get home late, my father will definitely give me a thrashing.

"Go enjoy yourself. I'll head back first."

Chen Shi'an looked disappointed. "You really won't come?"

Han Shan shook his head. "No. Be careful on your own. The Outer City is anything but peaceful at night."

After night fell, a dark figure appeared on the Official Road between the Stronghold and the Outer City. It was Chen Shi'an.

He slipped into a grove, hoisted Zhao Desheng's corpse onto his back, and quietly returned to the Outer City. Finally, he dumped the body in a relatively secluded alley.

By the time Chen Shi'an reached home, it was nearly nine at night.

The lights in Su Qingrou's and Chen Tiantian's rooms were already out. He quietly returned to his room, drawing his saber as he pondered.

The problem of Zhao Desheng had been properly dealt with, but the matter was not over.

Whether Zhao Desheng had killed his elder brother on his own initiative to curry favor with Wang Tianye, or under Wang Tianye's orders, remained unclear.

Moreover, since Wang Tianye had specifically named Chen Tiantian, he might remember her at any moment.

Remembering that Chen Tiantian was only ten this year made fury surge through Chen Shi'an.

A greater crisis could erupt at any time, weighing on him like a mountain.

Only by completing three hundred thousand saber draws as soon as possible and becoming a Ranked Martial Artist would he gain even a little means of confronting that danger.

Beyond that, there was another urgent problem: making a living.

Though he now had nearly twenty taels of silver and could be considered somewhat well-off,

without a steady income, he could only sit and eat until even a mountain of wealth was gone.

Su Qingrou was right. He needed to find a livelihood.

Early the next morning.

The moment Su Qingrou opened her door, she saw Chen Shi'an beneath the Old Willow Tree, repeatedly drawing and sheathing his saber.

She did not know whether she was imagining it, but Chen Shi'an seemed a little taller than before, and his build had grown sturdier.

"Sister-in-law, you're awake."

Chen Shi'an tucked the Horizontal Saber into his belt and wiped the fine beads of sweat from his forehead.

Su Qingrou came back to herself. "Brother-in-law, wait a moment. I have something for you."

With that, she turned and went back into her room.

Soon, she emerged again, holding a small, yellowed booklet.

"The City Guard Battalion rewarded your elder brother with this when he became a Squad Leader.

"He treasured it while he was alive, wrapping it in layer after layer of oiled paper.

"Now that you've started practicing with a saber, it should be useful to you." Su Qingrou held the saber manual out to Chen Shi'an with utmost care.

He could tell that she had struggled and thought hard before bringing it out.

Chen Shi'an accepted the manual. Four large characters were written on its cover: Army-Breaking Saber Technique.

This was merely a martial dao manual of the lowest grade. It contained no method for cultivating origin force, only basic saber moves.

However, Chen Shi'an was not yet a Ranked Martial Artist and had no origin force. The Army-Breaking Saber Technique was just right for him.

A quick read revealed that most of its moves were direct, broad, and sweeping, suited to fighting in military formations.

In his previous life, Chen Shi'an had learned a few saber skills in the army, but compared with the Army-Breaking Saber Technique, they seemed exceedingly crude.

At the same time, he silently counted himself lucky.

His elder brother had received a martial arts manual for becoming a Squad Leader. Zhao Desheng surely had one too.

Yesterday in the woods, had he not advanced with care at every step, lulling Zhao Desheng into complacency so that he never came close to unleashing his true strength, there was no telling who would have emerged the victor.

"Thank you, sister-in-law."

Chen Shi'an put away the manual and thanked her with a smile.

"Brother-in-law, there's something we need to discuss properly." As Su Qingrou spoke, she walked toward the stone stool in the courtyard.

Just as she was about to sit, Chen Shi'an hurried over with a chair. "Sister-in-law, the weather's cold. Don't sit on the stone stool. It's bad for your health."

Su Qingrou was briefly taken aback. In all the years since she had married into the Chen Family, this was the first time Chen Shi'an had done something like this.

She slowly sat down, sighing inwardly. If only he had changed his ways sooner. With his elder brother helping him, he would surely have a decent livelihood by now.

"Sister-in-law, what did you want to discuss?" Seeing that Su Qingrou seemed distracted, Chen Shi'an asked softly.

Su Qingrou cleared her throat. "Brother-in-law, the Stronghold will be coming to collect the City Construction Tax tomorrow.

"As you know, we had nearly exhausted the family's savings before your elder brother died.

"Six taels of silver in City Construction Tax is an enormous sum for our family."

"Sister-in-law, about the silver..."

Chen Shi'an was about to speak, but Su Qingrou took a small red cloth bundle, wrapped in several layers, from inside her clothes.

Carefully, she unfolded the cloth layer by layer, revealing a round piece of emerald-green jade half the size of a palm.

The jade was smooth and translucent, carved with a lifelike phoenix. Two small characters were engraved at the upper right: Qingrou.

One glance told Chen Shi'an that the jade was extraordinary and must be worth a considerable sum.

"When I was born, my father spent a great deal to buy the finest jade and commissioned a famous jade carver in the Sacred Martial Dynasty's royal capital to carve this pendant.

"I've worn it since I was little, right up until now."

Su Qingrou gently brushed the Jade Pendant with her slender fingers, then slowly placed it in Chen Shi'an's hand. Reluctantly, she said, "Brother-in-law, take it and sell it. Even at a bargain price, it should fetch ten taels of silver. That will certainly cover the City Construction Tax.

"You absolutely mustn't gamble away the remaining silver. You need to find a way to make a living.

"Otherwise, our family will have no way to survive in the Stronghold."

Holding the Jade Pendant, Chen Shi'an could clearly feel the faint warmth of her body lingering on it.

At the same time, he noticed a veil of tears gathering in Su Qingrou's beautiful eyes.

This pendant had been with her for over twenty years. It was her last link to her family. Naturally, having to sell it filled her with unbearable reluctance.

"Sister-in-law, it's important to you. Keep it safe."

Chen Shi'an handed the pendant back and said softly, "Don't worry about the City Construction Tax or our livelihood.

"With me here, the sky won't fall."

Su Qingrou looked up, her face filled with surprise and bewilderment.

In the past, faced with such a situation, Chen Shi'an would surely have snatched the jade and stuffed it into his pocket long ago.

Chen Shi'an smiled faintly, took ten taels of silver from inside his clothes, and placed them on the stone table.

"Brother-in-law, where did you get so much silver?" Su Qingrou exclaimed.

"Don't worry. It's clean money, and I didn't win it gambling."

Chen Shi'an's smile remained. "After paying the City Construction Tax, use the rest to buy a few sets of clothes for yourself and Tiantian.

"Buy whatever the household is missing too.

"Whenever you need money from now on, just tell me. I'll find a way."

Su Qingrou felt as though she were dreaming. Only after a long while did she come back to herself, but she took just six taels of silver.

"Brother-in-law, keep the rest. You'll soon be marrying the young lady of the Fang family. There will be plenty of things you'll need money for."