Chapter 45 Hidden Hook: Some People Disobey the Pei Family
"Wait for me here." Mu Chenbi lightly touched the ground with his toes, and with a graceful leap, he reached the bow of the ship in a few bounds. Just as he was about to reveal himself, he saw a man in dark green brocade robes beside the girl. He wore the same fanged mask as Mu Chenbi, his forehead tied with a ribbon, and his figure was tall and imposing, his demeanor showing that of a trained martial artist. Mu Chenbi steadied himself and silently disappeared into the crowd of onlookers.
"Stop." Guan Ye called out to Wan Qixi, "That's about enough, let me try first."
"Are you sure?" Wan Qixi shouted. "This is nothing."
Guan Ye didn't waste any words with him, picked up a sack and estimated its weight, "There are fifty catties here."
"Fifty pounds?" A stir ran through the crowd. "This girl can lift fifty pounds?"
Ajiu shook out another empty bag, and the two of them worked together to lift the diamond powder and pour it in. Seeing that Wanqixi's expression changed slightly, Ajiu dusted off his hands and said, "This girl in front of you can carry a 50-pound bag. If she says 50 pounds, then she means 50 pounds. Are you going to borrow a scale to check it now, or do you want to do it together later?"
"Together, definitely together," someone chimed in, offering a suggestion. "There's bound to be some trouble on four trips. Are you saying your hand is more accurate than a scale?"
"Master Guan, you must show them your skills." Ajiu gestured for him to proceed. Wanqixi swallowed hard and fiddled with the diamond powder like a mouse digging a hole.
After four rounds, Guan Ye was confident. "Two hundred jin, no more, no less. Try it if you don't believe me."
"I just don't believe it."
Just as Wan Qixi was about to look around, good news arrived at Da Cheng. Several strong stall owners jumped onto the stones, ready to start their work, but Ajiu smiled and blocked them away.
"Scared?" Wan Qixi laughed with his hands on his hips, looking just like a rooster that had won a fight. "Haha, scared? But it's no use being scared. You said it yourself."
"Excuse me, gentlemen, please carry that bag onto the scale." Ajiu pointed with his sword at the half-bag of diamond sand that Wanqixi had left. "This Wanqixi said he brought five hundred catties of diamond sand today. I ordered two hundred catties from this girl, and the remaining three hundred catties are for another customer. In that case, we will take two hundred catties ourselves. If there are three hundred catties left, we will win. Does that make sense?"
"That's right," someone responded. "If there were 300 jin left, wouldn't they only buy 200? That makes sense."
Wan Qixi's face turned pale, and he spread his arms to block his large bag. "We agreed to cover your names, what does this have to do with me? Let's go, let's go."
"Could it be..." A-Jiu clicked her tongue, "that what you brought is less than 500 jin at all."
"Nonsense." Wan Qixi protected her precious pets like a mother hen protecting her chicks. "Scatter, scatter! Take your things and leave now!"
Ajiu plunged into the hemp rope, clasped her hands in a fist salute to Wanqixi, and said, "What if I take more of yours..."
"Consider it a gift." If he weren't wearing a mask, Wan Qixi probably would have spat in his face.
"Thank you." Guan Ye chuckled, put her hands behind her back and gave a thumbs up to A Jiu behind her. Mu Chenbi took in the whole scene, a smile spreading across his lips.
After the excitement subsided, the wooden boats that had been surrounding them dispersed one by one. Mu Chenbi leaped into the air, his robes fluttering, and landed back on his own boat under the cover of the crowd, so steadily that the wooden boat barely noticed him.
"I'm puzzled," Luo Yichen said, somewhat baffled. "Those two were so confident, why did they end up claiming the stall owner's leftovers?"
Mu Chenbi smiled, the girl was charming yet stubborn, and the man was well-versed in the tricks of the martial arts world, protecting her well. The two of them, one attacking and one defending, were new faces in the Ghost Market, yet no one could bully them.
“There’s no such thing as exactly fifty catties.” Mu Chenbi smiled as he looked at his palm. “Nothing is ever perfect once it’s been handled. The Western Region people will definitely seize on the difference in weight and make them hand over the silver. The man knows that the Western Region people are cunning. If he says it’s five hundred catties, he will definitely shortchange them. The remaining half bag will be exactly the same. The Western Region people will never dare to weigh it and admit that they are a swindler. They can only bite the bullet and consider it a win for both of them.”
"I see." Luo Yichen just wanted to applaud the couple. "So young, yet they're already seasoned veterans." Luo Yichen leaned close to Mu Chenbi's ear and said, "I later investigated and found that there are no female blacksmiths in Xingguo Workshop."
"That's because they're blind." Mu Chenbi stared at the wooden boat heading towards him. The two people at the bow held hands tightly as they passed each other. The girl didn't even notice him. But the masked, fanged man turned around abruptly after the boat had passed, looking at the person wearing the same mask as him. He only glanced at him before calmly turning away again.
"But," Luo Yichen stamped his foot, "the rest we bought, so doesn't that mean we're shortchanging them?"
"Master Guan... Master Foundry." Mu Chenbi lightly clenched his fist, unable to hear anything else. What a Master Guan.
Outside the Immortal Cave, Little Sword Slave looked annoyed. When he saw Guan Ye and A Jiu come out, he rushed over as if looking for saviors. His face turned red and he couldn't squeeze out a complete sentence. When he opened his mouth, it looked like he was about to cry.
"How much did you lose?" Ah Jiu had already guessed.
The young swordsman rubbed his hands together, and after a long while, he held up two fingers. "Twenty coins?" Guan Ye exclaimed, "Didn't you see that it was a black chess piece?"
"They must be blind," Little Sword Slave said angrily. "I saw it clearly several times, but the color changed as soon as I opened my hand. Either they tricked me, or I'm blind. Ah Jiu..." Little Sword Slave said with a sob, "Our people and vehicles are still being held there, waiting for us to go and redeem them."
Ajiu took out a string of coins and threw it to Xiaojiannu, saying, "Drive to the cave entrance, don't delay the important matters in the neighborhood." Xiaojiannu caught it steadily, turned around, and ran away without a trace.
Seeing the confusion on Guan Ye's face, A Jiu took out a money pouch and waved it at her. "Xiao Ma gave it to me before I left home. He said the fried cakes in the West Market are delicious and asked me to buy some to take back for everyone to try."
"I never thought money from the dead could be of any use this time." Guan Ye swallowed hard; the mention of food made her stomach feel empty. "But is there enough money left to buy fried cakes?"
Unbeknownst to him, Mu Chenbi had also emerged from the Immortal Cave, silently watching the two figures from a distance. He saw the large carts from Xingguo Workshop transporting iron ore, with dark green flags erected on their roofs, bearing the same scimitar pattern as the one on the man with the headband. In the past, to identify the products, each workshop would mark its unique mark on the castings: a swan and a flying bird, a Xingguo scimitar. Apart from the square jade seal mark of the imperial workshops, Mu Chenbi had never seen the marks of the outer workshops. Now, the people from Xingguo Workshop were right before him, a young girl with skill, a swordsman full of spirit. Mu Chenbi sighed at the twists and turns of fate, the fishpond abandoned for food. Rongdu, which had been quiet for so long, was sure to have a lively time.
Xingguofang
Outside the vermilion gate, Pei Bi and his men had been waiting for a long time. Hearing the approaching sound of carriage wheels, Lou Cangyu glanced at Pei Bi's still tense expression and felt a little uneasy.
"They're here! They're here!" someone shouted, pointing at the truck. "Go and get the goods!"
Guan Ye jumped off the cart and before she could catch her breath, Pei Bi was already waiting for her. He stared at the large bundle that the sword slave was carrying, then glanced at Guan Ye with narrow eyes. Guan Ye dusted off her clothes. "The two hundred catties of diamond powder have already been inspected, and there are also about two or three hundred catties of ordinary iron ore from the mines outside the city. Manager Pei, would you like to inspect them as well?"
“No need.” Pei Bi stood with his hands behind his back, his face worried. “This afternoon, an imperial decree came from the palace.”
As dusk fell and the moon rose high in the sky, the vendors on West Street were preparing for the night market. They curiously peered out at the large carts loaded with iron ore that had appeared outside the long-abandoned Tianhu Old Market. Pei Bi gestured for Jian Nu to hurry, then beckoned Guan Ye to come inside to talk. Seeing A Jiu busy without looking up, he coughed and called him to join them. Hearing Pei Bi call A Jiu, Lou Cangyu's expression changed slightly; he crossed his arms and remained motionless.
Ajiu stopped what he was doing, took the handkerchief from the sword servant, and wiped the iron dust from his hands. Pei Bi noticed the confusion in his eyes and whispered, "Grand Preceptor Cui is also inside. He asked about you when he came. If the Grand Preceptor asks you..."
Ajiu handed back the handkerchief, saying, "Everything we do in the workshop is for training. No matter what the Imperial Advisor asks, that's the same thing I say."
Outside the main hall, Guan Ye saw Cui Jin again. He was wearing a gray casual robe, a rhinoceros horn belt, and a white jade pendant. Without his fancy clothes and cloak, his figure appeared even thinner. What remained unchanged was his cold, single eye, which revealed a keen insight into everything. Seeing that there were more people in the room, the sword servant added some oil to the lamp, and the lamp suddenly lit up, making the runes on Cui Jin's face appear even more eerie, flickering and mottled.
“I recognize A-Jiu, she’s a swordsman from the Meteor Sword Sect.” Cui Jin put down his teacup, his single eye scrutinizing the approaching young man and woman. “This woman… if I remember correctly, she was with Young Master Pei last time. Her name is…”
“Her name is Guan Ye,” Pei Yuan continued. “She was originally a sword slave in the workshop. Chu’er saw that she had good talent, so she kept her by her side and taught her personally. She is not old, but she is already a top-notch swordswoman in the workshop. She has been out shopping these past few days.”
Cui Jin gestured for them to come closer. "I could tell from the island that this young lady's demeanor was different from ordinary people. It turns out she was personally taught by Young Master Pei. It's a pity that Young Master Pei couldn't come to Rongdu. At least his people came along, which can also lend a helping hand to the shopkeeper." Seeing the young swordsmen dressed in brocade robes, looking dashing and heroic, and Ajiu's outfit covered in dust and showing signs of fatigue, Cui Jin frowned slightly and glanced at Pei Yuan with one eye.
Pei Yuan awkwardly replied, "Today we're going to retrieve the Vajra Sand. This item is rare and requires a swordsman to escort it, which is why I had Ajiu come along."
Cui Jinyou looked at Ajiu, as if wanting to hear what he had to say. Ajiu clasped his hands and bowed, his tone humble, "The Ghost Market is a mixed bag, and we are newcomers. The shop owner has thought things through, which is why he allowed me to come with Guan Ye."
"I see." Cui Jin smiled. "The workshop master cherishes talent and knows how to use people. Ajiu has an extraordinary bearing. If you raise him well, he will surely be of great use in the future. Let's get back to what we were discussing earlier. The sword trial in the inner workshop is in half a month. Can Xingguo Workshop agree to it?"
—Testing swords? Guan Ye and A Jiu exchanged glances. A Jiu then looked at Lou Cangyu and the others. Lou Cangyu kept his eyes straight ahead, while Feng Shisan blinked his big eyes and nodded at A Jiu.
What is a sword test? The State of Jin was martial, with hundreds of weapon workshops of all sizes. At its peak, the imperial city of Rongdu alone had more than ten renowned weapon-making families. Apart from a few specially authorized workshops that could manufacture weapons for the imperial court, the weapons produced by the other workshops could only be sold to the common people. Workshops in the State of Jin considered it an honor to be able to manufacture weapons for the imperial court, and the best among them could even become famous workshops throughout the land, entering and leaving the court on par with the Three Dukes.
All this glory is earned through testing swords. Forging a good sword is just the beginning. A fine sword can make a swordsman even more powerful. A truly skilled swordsman can make even the least good sword shine. The two complement each other and are indispensable.
Now that we've entered Rongdu and the promise of "wielding the blade" has already been made, why is there another obstacle blocking our path to test our swordsmanship? Guan Ye's palms were sweaty. Could it be that we tricked everyone into coming to Rongdu first...? That shouldn't be the case. Why would a group of refugees from a deserted island go to such lengths? Unless... someone is dissatisfied with the Pei family.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
