Volume One: Menial Worker of Changshui County Chapter Sixty-Four: Rules Are Rules

At the very moment he saw Lu Jiuzhang, Shopkeeper Chen felt as though his entire being had been elevated.

“Master Lu, I’ve missed you terribly these days!” Shopkeeper Chen was on the verge of tears.

“Hahaha, there aren’t many in Changshui County who care about me, but Shopkeeper Chen is one of them. Knowing how concerned you are for me, I am content. By the way, do you have a daughter? If so, perhaps the relationship between us could deepen even further,” Lu Jiuzhang said with a broad grin.

Noting that Shopkeeper Chen was a bit advanced in years, Lu Jiuzhang added, “And if your daughter is too old, a granddaughter would do just as well.”

Crocodile tears—how well Lu Jiuzhang remembered how Shopkeeper Chen had swindled him before. Those spirit herbs bought at such low prices, only to be sold to Lin Yi at outrageously high ones! He was here to settle the score.

“Ah… Master Lu, what are you saying?” Shopkeeper Chen shook his head. “I have always regarded you as—”

He had meant to say ‘as a brother,’ but caught sight of Lu Jiuzhang’s white robe and hesitated. In his excitement, he had momentarily forgotten Lu Jiuzhang’s new status. The man was, after all, a person of rank now.

Though Thousand Mechanisms House feared neither the yamen nor the Demon-Slaying Bureau, business on another’s turf always called for good relations. The king is easy to face, but it’s the little devils that are hard to deal with. The Demon-Slaying Guards were minor officials, but minor devils too—though their rank was low, they wielded no small measure of power.

“Master Lu, now that you are a Demon-Slaying Guard, how could a humble merchant’s offspring be worthy of you?” Shopkeeper Chen deliberately belittled himself while flattering Lu Jiuzhang.

Lu Jiuzhang had only been teasing and never truly intended to marry his daughter or granddaughter.

“Let’s talk in the back,” Lu Jiuzhang said, deftly shifting the topic.

“Please, this way, Master Lu.” Shopkeeper Chen led him into the rear courtyard and personally prepared tea for him.

“Shopkeeper Chen, I’m here to buy spirit herbs,” Lu Jiuzhang declared.

“Spirit herbs?” Shopkeeper Chen feigned a difficult expression. “Master Lu, there’s been a shortage of spirit herbs lately. It’s terribly troublesome to transport them from Anxi Prefecture.”

As if anyone would believe that! The old fox was as sly as ever. All the spirit herbs sold in Thousand Mechanisms House were sourced locally, yet Shopkeeper Chen insisted they were brought in from Anxi Prefecture and charged customers a premium.

The profits from this ruse were considerable—countless buyers had fallen victim.

“In that case, forget it!” Lu Jiuzhang stood as if to leave.

“Don’t go, Master Lu! Now that you’re a Demon-Slaying Guard, you need the proper accoutrements—magical artifacts and such. We have all of that at Thousand Mechanisms House. Why not purchase something else?” Shopkeeper Chen, eager not to lose such a valuable client, hurried to persuade him.

“No need. I’m here only for spirit herbs,” Lu Jiuzhang replied.

“There truly are none. Demand is high, but supply is genuinely scarce these days,” Shopkeeper Chen sighed.

In truth, spirit herbs brought the highest profit. Yet for some reason, the herb dealers lately all claimed they had none to sell.

“If there were a new channel for obtaining spirit herbs, would you consider sourcing from them?” Lu Jiuzhang asked, fixing his gaze on Shopkeeper Chen.

“A new channel? Impossible, Master Lu. Our spirit herbs are all transported from Anxi Prefecture, whose abundant spiritual energy makes their herbs far superior to anything in Changshui County. Any herbs not from Anxi Prefecture are vastly inferior in efficacy,” Shopkeeper Chen declared, his confidence unwavering.

Even now, he was lying through his teeth.

“Can you guarantee that?” Lu Jiuzhang pressed him.

“Why wouldn’t I? I may be a humble man, but I know that business must be conducted with integrity. Liars are cursed to swallow a thousand needles,” Shopkeeper Chen said, spinning his lies with a straight face.

Lu Jiuzhang began to pace around the back courtyard. “What are you looking for, Master Lu?” Shopkeeper Chen inquired.

“I’m looking for a thousand needles,” Lu Jiuzhang replied.

“You doubt my word? I have no official title, but my word carries weight. A thousand needles, ten thousand—I could swallow them all,” Shopkeeper Chen protested indignantly, as if deeply wronged.

“Careful not to promise too much,” Lu Jiuzhang said with a smile. “Otherwise, why has Thousand Mechanisms House run out of spirit herbs lately?”

“That’s because—” Shopkeeper Chen began, but Lu Jiuzhang cut him off, “On my missions, I’ve met quite a few people claiming to purchase goods on behalf of Thousand Mechanisms House. I had a friendly chat with them about their operations.”

Lu Jiuzhang smiled, recalling their amiable conversation—and their ongoing business dealings.

Shopkeeper Chen was momentarily lost for words. If only he hadn’t boasted so recklessly just now.

“Well, do you still want to swallow those needles?” Lu Jiuzhang asked.

“Master Lu, don’t take an old man’s jokes so seriously. I’d never really swallow needles—how would I survive that?” Shopkeeper Chen forced a laugh. “So, you’ve got those spirit herbs now, do you?”

He wasn’t stupid; otherwise he’d never have risen to his position. In an instant, he understood Lu Jiuzhang’s intentions.

“Indeed,” Lu Jiuzhang nodded. “There’s no need for pretense between us. I could sell those spirit herbs myself, but it would be a hassle. I’d like to consign them to you. Would that be acceptable?”

Shopkeeper Chen shook his head. “Impossible. Master Lu, you can’t threaten me with spirit herbs. I’m not one to yield to threats. At worst, I’ll just import herbs from Anxi Prefecture and sell those. Tedious as it may be, rules are rules!”

He narrowed his eyes. To threaten Thousand Mechanisms House—what nerve! Even the local county adjutant wouldn’t dare suppress them so blatantly. Rules must be upheld, or chaos would ensue.

“Oh? Is that so? Deputy Director Yuan Wufeng sought me out and said you could grant me a favor,” Lu Jiuzhang smiled. “Of course, expecting you to just hand over silver is unrealistic, but such a trivial matter—surely you can oblige?”

Yuan Wufeng?

At the mention, a black-clad figure from that night flashed through Shopkeeper Chen’s mind. Could Yuan Wufeng have been among them? Quite likely. There were few martial artists of the eighth rank in Changshui County, and Yuan Wufeng was one of them.

But who was the other? Another member of the Demon-Slaying Bureau, perhaps Chen Xuanfeng? Or someone else entirely?

The county office was not without its own formidable figures—without them, it could hardly maintain its authority or keep others in check.