FMT 16

Chapter 16 Xinglong Treasure Shop

Liandan’s face shifted again and again, his small pointed chin tightening, finally fixed into an angry expression he had never shown before.

He shoved the money pouch back into Chen Shuangning’s hand, turned away, and bit his teeth as he said, “I will not use this silver, Xiaodan will not use it either, you keep it for yourself.”

Chen Shuangning stood behind him, lowering his head to look at the pouch in his hand. His fingers moved slightly, and he suddenly felt a violent urge to kill.

But the person in front of him did not know. Even if he turned back, he would only see eyelids lowered, hiding all expression.

Liandan’s hands clutched at his clothes. His eyes turned red.

That bowl of mushy noodles Chen Shuangning had cooked for him, and the sight of the other carrying the swaddled baby while Xiaodan gnawed his neck and collar wet, flashed repeatedly before his eyes.

Liandan hesitated again and again. In the end, he turned around, faced Chen Shuangning, and said seriously, “I do not know where you got so much money. No matter how hard life is, one must still keep one’s place. You must be a good person.”

Chen Shuangning lowered his eyes, silent, who knew what he was thinking. The hem of his green-plum robe moved though there was no wind.

Liandan stepped forward and suddenly grabbed his wrist. Chen Shuangning’s robe stiffened like a sword or knife.

Tears ran down his small face. Liandan sobbed, his voice soft and choking. “Mother-in-law is already this sick. If something happens to you too, how can Xiaodan and I live?”

The mad old woman who often wandered at the head of the village was said to have once been good too. Her parents-in-law died early, later her husband died, and she had to raise a young child alone, struggling even to eat.

And not only that, widows faced constant gossip. Speaking a few words outside brought shameful rumors. At night, some even tried to break into her house. The villagers, hearing this, did not sympathize, but blamed her for enticing men.

When her child fell sick, she had no money to treat him. When the child died, she lost her mind.

Liandan dared not think. If such things happened to him, would his end be even worse?

Chen Shuangning’s gaze moved from the money pouch to the hand gripping his wrist, thin, with veins clear beneath the skin.

After a long time, the hem of his robe softened and fell. His lips moved. “I understand.”

When his eyelids lifted, something terrifying in his eyes vanished in an instant. He looked at Liandan’s tear-stained face and said slowly, “This money was borrowed from Master Yuanjing before I came down the mountain.”

Liandan froze at his words, then his face flushed with guilt. “I am sorry, I am sorry, I wronged you. Please do not be angry with me.”

Chen Shuangning said faintly, “I do not blame you.”

Only then did Liandan notice he was still holding the other’s wrist. Embarrassed, he quickly let go, wiped his tears messily, and softly said in a pleading tone, “Though we are poor, we still have food to eat and clothes to wear. Life can go on. This money is too much. I feel uneasy. Let us return it, can we?”

Chen Shuangning looked at him and gave a quiet “Mm.” “I will go up the mountain tomorrow and return it.”

Liandan tugged at his clothes uneasily and said awkwardly, “I do not know if you have heard something from others, but making money is not urgent. With you here, the Chen relatives no longer dare come. That is already good enough.”

He lifted his eyes to look at Chen Shuangning’s hand holding the pouch and said with regret, “You are originally a scholar. Forcing you to do rough work truly wrongs you.”

When he spoke, his eyes shone with admiration, and a trace of hidden awe he could not conceal.

….

The next day, Liandan sent Chen Shuangning out the door to return the silver to Lingyun Temple.

After leaving the village, Chen Shuangning stopped, turned once to look back, then continued on the main road out of the village.

But he did not go toward Lingyun Mountain. Instead, he went to the town.

This town, over ten li from Kaoshan Village, was called Miaoyun Town.

The town was not large, and it was in a relatively remote location. Its trade with the outside was limited. It was not a prosperous place.

But within a hundred li around, there was no better. Many villagers nearby had never even been to town, much less seen what big places outside were like. The streets, shops, and colorful facades and signs of this town were already dazzling to their eyes.

Chen Shuangning’s pace was fast. By the time he reached town, most shops had only just opened.

He stopped in the street, looked around, then chose a direction and walked forward, directly entering one of the larger shops.

It was the most famous jewelry shop in town, open for more than a year. Its reputation was good. All gold, silver, and jewelry were genuine. It did not cheat customers, its styles were complete, and even officials and wealthy people from the county town often came to buy.

The black banner with red characters flapped in the wind, and above the shopfront hung a plaque with the large gold-stamped words “Xinglong Treasure Shop,” looking quite grand.

When Chen Shuangning entered, two or three shop boys were cleaning. Seeing a customer arrive, one quickly put down his broom and ran over to greet him.

“Sir, what would you like to buy? We have gold, silver, jewelry, everything you could want. Please take your time to choose!” The boy discreetly sized up his clothes while speaking warmly.

The man wore none of the large thumb rings recently fashionable among wealthy masters, nor the jade ornaments favored by scholars. His clothes were neat, but the material was not fine.

But the boy did not dare slight him. First, the shopkeeper’s rules were strict. Second, this man’s bearing was commanding, and he dared not be careless.

After entering, Chen Shuangning swept his gaze quickly over the shop, then turned to the boy. Just as the boy smiled, ready to ask further, Chen Shuangning showed him something in his palm. It was the tiger staff he had carried when disguised as a wandering physician.

This staff was unusual, with special patterns engraved on its surface.

The boy froze, then his face changed. He quickly bowed deeply. “The shopkeeper is upstairs. Please, sir, follow me.”

He then respectfully led the guest to the second floor.

In a room upstairs, the shopkeeper, a man of forty or fifty, no longer wore his usual smiling and genial look.

His face was solemn. He bowed deeply to the visitor and called him “Sect Leader.”

Chen Shuangning flipped through the account book in his hand and, in a calm, steady tone, praised, “Well done.”

The shopkeeper quickly said, “This subordinate is unworthy, but has not failed the Sect Leader’s expectations.”

Chen Shuangning put the account book down and turned to sit in a plain sandalwood chair.

The shopkeeper stood at his side, inwardly trying to guess the Sect Leader’s purpose in coming, his heart uneasy.

He had been recruited into the sect five years ago, tasked with handling business matters.

When trouble hit the sect more than two years ago, someone like him on the edges was not much affected.

A year ago, the Sect Leader had sent for him and ordered him to open a shop in this obscure town he had never even heard of.

The details—what to sell, how large, how many staff—were all left to him.

So he opened “Xinglong Treasure Shop.”

Later he learned why. The Sect Leader had discovered traces of the Left Protector nearby but could not act openly yet, so he was told to set up a base here, gather information, and provide funds.

Followers often came through, but this was the first time the Sect Leader himself had come.

Perhaps something serious was about to happen. The shopkeeper grew more nervous, watching the Sect Leader carefully, waiting for him to speak.

Chen Shuangning lowered his eyes. His thin lips moved, his hoarse strange voice saying, “Bring me a jade bracelet.”

“Ah?” The shopkeeper did not catch on.

Chen Shuangning recalled the bracelet on Tang Hua’s wrist and added, “Not one that looks too costly. Something plain.”

The shopkeeper scratched his head. “Please wait a moment, Sect Leader. I will have someone fetch them.”

After a while, a boy carried up a tray with six or seven bracelets of different styles.

Chen Shuangning lowered his eyes, looked them over, picked one up, and asked, “How much is this?”

The shopkeeper hesitated. “The quality of this jade is poor, and it has a crack. It is only worth one tael of silver.”

Chen Shuangning hesitated and said, “Too expensive.”

“Ah?” The shopkeeper and the boy glanced at each other, both puzzled.

Chen Shuangning grew impatient, tapping a finger on the armrest. “Any others?”

The shopkeeper wanted to say this was already the worst in the shop, but he dared not. He gave the boy a look. The boy was quick-witted, hurried off, and soon returned with another bracelet.

Chen Shuangning held it up before his eyes. “Is this from the shop?”

The shopkeeper looked at the boy. The boy, embarrassed, said, “It was bought from a street stall.”

Satisfied, Chen Shuangning put it away. The shopkeeper and boy exchanged glances, baffled at the Sect Leader’s thinking.

Chen Shuangning rose, ready to leave. Before going out, he looked at the respectful shopkeeper behind him and asked, “Do you have copper coins?”

The shopkeeper quickly produced a pouch, but it contained only broken silver. He called over a boy at once.

The boy, bewildered, handed over a handful of copper coins. Chen Shuangning looked at them. “Too many.”

He took about twenty coins, thought for a moment, then counted out a dozen more. “I am still young, I ought to earn more.”

Then, while the boy stood dumbfounded, he pulled out a pouch from his robe and tossed it into the boy’s arms. “Compensation for you.”

The boy, long used to trade, could tell as soon as it landed in his hands that it held at least eight taels of silver. His eyes widened in disbelief.

By then, Chen Shuangning had already walked out and left.

….

When he returned home, Liandan was cooking dinner, thin cornmeal porridge in the pot, and steamed buns made of mixed wheat and corn flour.

Chen Shuangning entered. Liandan quickly stood and asked, “Was the silver all returned?”

Chen Shuangning nodded.

Liandan asked again, “Why were you gone so long, it is nearly dark?”

Chen Shuangning said, “After leaving the mountain, I went to town to find work. This is the day’s wages.”

He took out the several dozen copper coins.

Liandan looked at him with both joy and distress. “What work was it, was it tiring?”

Chen Shuangning shook his head. “I helped a rich family with their accounts for a day. It’s not tiring.”

Liandan’s eyes shone, filled with admiration. He said softly, “A scholar really is different.”

Behind him, Chen Shuangning watched as he happily put the coins into a cloth pouch and hid it at the bottom of the chest.

His fingers twitched, he wanted to take out the bracelet from his robe, but in the end, he refrained.

He had already been scolded once, and the lesson stuck.

If he brought out the bracelet today, he would only be scolded again.