Volume One: Menial Worker of Changshui County Chapter Fifty-Nine: The Middleman

"Enough!" Wang Yunshan shouted in anger, "Is there anything that can't be discussed at home instead of in public?"

For once, Wang Yunshan mustered some backbone.

"Oh, so that's how it is, Wang Yunshan? You don't want to live with me anymore, is that it?" His wife immediately burst into tears. "Do you think my life is easy? I've been with you for so many years, and I have nothing! Yet you keep running off to the Red Pleasure House? Look at the wives of your colleagues—covered in gold and silver, always dressed up with powder and rouge."

"What am I even getting out of being with you?"

"It's bad enough that you don't come home at night, but now you dare to shout at me too!"

Her words drew the attention of the crowd, and soon people were whispering and pointing.

"What do you know? It's all socializing, do you understand? Socializing!" Wang Yunshan tried to justify himself, then turned to Lu Jiuzhang. "Brother Lu, you tell me, isn't that right?"

"Brother Wang, I'm not getting involved in your family matters!" Lu Jiuzhang quickly replied.

Even the wisest judge finds it hard to settle family disputes.

When it came to Wang Yunshan's household, it was best not to meddle.

Seeing his wife sobbing silently, Wang Yunshan shouted again, "What do you women know? Besides shouting, what else can you do?"

"You're really pushing it!"

He made as if to punish his wife.

"Brother-in-law, isn't this going too far? Since when is visiting brothels something to be proud of?" Suddenly, a voice called out from the crowd.

Three or four men stepped forward. Judging from the way they addressed his wife, they were clearly her family.

Well then, it seemed she had planned this from the start, calling her family here. Things were about to get ugly for Wang Yunshan.

In an instant, the men surrounded him.

Wang Yunshan, after all, didn't hold an official rank yet—he was no match for these men.

He grew increasingly anxious.

"Gentlemen, perhaps you should resolve this at home," Lu Jiuzhang advised, glancing at the burly men.

"And who do you think you are? This is our family business—what does it have to do with you!" one of them snapped at Lu Jiuzhang.

"I am Lu Jiuzhang, a menial at the Demon Slayers Division," Lu Jiuzhang replied, projecting authority. "I have reached the ninth rank in the Confucian path and will soon be a full Demon Slayer."

Being a menial meant little, but a ninth-rank Confucian or a Demon Slayer was not someone ordinary people would dare provoke.

With a cold snort, Wang Yunshan’s wife left with her family, taking him away.

Lu Jiuzhang had done all he could. What happened after they got home was no longer his concern.

The farce ended, and the crowd dispersed.

Lu Jiuzhang strolled home.

That night, he continued his cultivation as usual. In the first half of the night, he practiced the Demon-Slaying Blade Technique and Gale Steps; in the latter half, he meditated and absorbed spiritual energy.

Just as he picked up his sword to begin his exercises, a knock sounded at the door.

Opening it, he saw a man in his forties standing outside. Lu Jiuzhang vaguely recognized him as the local agent for Thousand Mechanisms House whom he’d met a few days ago in Miaodi Village.

To be precise, he wasn’t exactly in charge—just someone operating under the name of the Thousand Mechanisms House. He collected medicinal herbs, spiritual plants, and animal pelts in the area, selling them to the organization for a profit.

"Master Lu!" The man greeted him with a smile. "A new batch of spiritual herbs just arrived. Would you be interested?"

He carried a bundle, and from its size, it seemed he had brought quite a few herbs.

But Lu Jiuzhang had already reached the ninth rank in martial cultivation, so most of the local herbs of Changshui County were of little use to him. To temper his body further, he would need higher-grade herbs or something else entirely.

The spiritual energy in Changshui County was thin, and the quality of its herbs too low.

"Let me see them," Lu Jiuzhang said.

"There are seven herbs in all. If I sell them to Thousand Mechanisms House, I’d get at most one hundred and sixty taels of silver. You promised a premium before, so I won’t haggle. Just give me one hundred and ninety taels," the man said cheerfully, pushing the bundle towards Lu Jiuzhang.

"One hundred and sixty," Lu Jiuzhang replied.

"Master Lu, that’s not fair! You said before you’d pay five taels more than what Thousand Mechanisms House offers. That’s why I brought them to you. If you’re offering the same price, I might as well sell to them instead," the man grumbled.

"Are you sure you would really get one hundred and sixty from them?" Lu Jiuzhang countered.

Businessmen are cunning; Lu Jiuzhang didn’t believe a word of it.

The man hesitated.

"One hundred and sixty, no more. If you don’t want that, you can take them to Thousand Mechanisms House," Lu Jiuzhang bluffed.

"Oh, and by the way, I can’t stand middlemen who drive up prices on purpose," he added.

The man’s face darkened. After a long silence, he finally said, "Fine, one hundred and sixty. Take it as a gesture of friendship."

The deal was made. After verifying the herbs, Lu Jiuzhang handed over the silver.

Now, he was nearly out of money again.

For this man to have so many herbs at once, it was clear he didn’t rely solely on local villagers—he must have sourced them from other villages or agents.

This meant that Thousand Mechanisms House would probably have no herbs for sale for a while.

During this period, how much profit could be made would depend entirely on Lu Jiuzhang’s own abilities.

The dragon slayer eventually becomes the dragon.

Lu Jiuzhang despised middlemen, yet here he was, becoming one himself!

No, he corrected himself. A scholar’s way of doing things can’t be called middlemanning.

This was simply the art of making money, he reassured himself.

After sending the man off, Lu Jiuzhang resumed his blade practice.

During his training, Guard Mo emerged from his room—he had been staying at Lu Jiuzhang’s residence for a while now.

Noticing the oddity in Lu Jiuzhang’s technique, Guard Mo remarked, "Your blade work resembles the Demon-Slaying Blade Technique, but there’s something strange about it."

"Are you familiar with the Demon-Slaying Blade Technique, Guard Mo?" Lu Jiuzhang asked.

"Not exactly, but I’ve seen many people practice it. Your version is more complex, though I can’t quite put my finger on what’s different. Practice a bit more, and I’ll observe closely," Guard Mo replied.

"Alright," Lu Jiuzhang agreed.

Guard Mo was an eighth-rank martial artist—perhaps he could offer some insight.

As the sky darkened, Lu Jiuzhang lit an oil lamp and continued to practice the Demon-Slaying Blade Technique under its glow.

Eighty-one moves in all.

From the opening to the closing stance, Lu Jiuzhang flowed through the entire sequence seamlessly.

By the end, he was drenched in sweat, but felt an indescribable sense of satisfaction.

"Your technique is fine—you’ve incorporated your own understanding," Guard Mo nodded. "But you’re still unfamiliar with the blade itself. To you, the sword is just a weapon."