Building a Martial Dao Celestial Family by Laying Low

「Seven days later.」

The large Bai Family ship carrying Chen Shouheng and his party arrived safely at Jiangkou Pier.

After seeing to the fleet, Chen Shouheng followed Chen Li’s instructions and went to the Oolong Tea House in the county seat to find Bai San.

The tea house was quiet, with only a few scattered customers.

A waiter listlessly wiped the tables.

Bai San was sitting by the window with his legs crossed, casually cracking melon seeds.

When he saw Chen Shouheng and Bai Shixuan enter, he froze for a moment before a sycophantic smile plastered itself on his face. He rose to greet them. "Well now! Young Master, Master Xuan. What brings you two here in person?"

As he spoke, he subconsciously glanced behind them and asked in confusion, "Young Master, why is it you? Didn’t Master Qi come? I thought he was escorting the delivery."

"Shu Qi?"

Chen Shouheng frowned and shook his head. "I haven’t seen him since I returned home."

Bai Shixuan also shook his head. "No, Master Qi never returned to Mirror Mountain. I thought he was still here in Jiangkou, handling business."

"What?"

The smile on Bai San’s face froze. "He didn’t go back? But I got a message from him a while back saying he was going to Mirror Mountain to escort Master Xuan and the medicinal herbs... Nothing’s happened to him, has it?"

The men exchanged glances, all sensing that something was wrong.

It made no sense for Shu Qi to disappear for over ten days without a word.

Chen Shouheng’s brow furrowed. He knew Shu Qi’s disappearance was a serious matter, but ’right now, getting the silk to the Jiangzhou Textile Bureau is the top priority. It can’t be delayed.’

After a moment of contemplation, he said, "Let’s table this for now. Once our business in Jiangzhou is done, I’ll report it to my father upon my return and let him decide. First things first."

He looked at Bai San and got straight to the point. "Father sent me to collect the shipment from Yongfeng Granary. Third Master, take us there now."

The moment Bai San heard the two words "collect the shipment," his face fell, and he started complaining bitterly. "Oh, my dear Young Master! You’re talking about that silk in the warehouse, aren’t you?

"Don’t even get me started! You have no idea. Last time, moving those boxes nearly killed Master Shu Qi and me. Our bodies were about to fall apart. My back ached for two solid weeks before it got better."

Chen Shouheng knew of Bai San’s lazy and lecherous nature, so he cut him off before he could finish his whining. "You don’t have to lift a finger this time. We brought our own dockworkers and Tugmen."

Hearing this, Bai San’s face instantly lit up. "Well, that’s fantastic! You should’ve said so sooner, Young Master. You truly know how to look after us servants. Come, come, I’ll take you there right away."

The group left the tea house and headed straight for Jiangkou Pier.

Bai San first went to a nearby inn to find Linglong, who was standing guard. Then, the two of them led the way to a relatively secluded section of the Yongfeng Granary.

Opening the warehouse door revealed a spectacular sight: a dense sea of boxes, at least a thousand of them.

"This is the lot,"

Bai San said, pointing at the stacks of boxes.

After a careful inspection confirmed everything was in order, Chen Shouheng felt a sense of relief.

He turned to Linglong and said in a low voice, "Miss Linglong, Father has given new orders. You are to return to Lingxi at once. He needs your help with an urgent matter."

Without a moment’s hesitation, Linglong dipped into a graceful bow. "Yes. I will depart immediately."

With that, she turned and left.

The next two days were spent loading the ships.

With the seasoned merchant Bai Shixuan coordinating, everything proceeded in an orderly fashion.

Chen Shouheng personally supervised, while Bai San was more than happy to enjoy his leisure.

Two days later, all the silk had been loaded onto the ships.

"Set sail!"

The ship’s captain bellowed, his voice full and strong.

The iron anchor was raised by the windlass.

One by one, the sails were raised. Catching the wind, the fleet departed from Jiangkou Pier and sailed majestically toward Jiangzhou City.

...

「Liyang Commandery City, Drunken Creek Pavilion.」

Inside the private room, the gentle melody of string and bamboo instruments mingled with the soft, lilting hum of a song.

He Zhangqiu was half-reclined on a velvet-cushioned *huanghuali* pearwood lounge chair, his eyes narrowed as his fingers gently tapped the armrest in time with the music.

Before him, four dancers with exquisite figures, clad only in sheer gauze, twirled gracefully. Their every glance was a flirtatious invitation.

A platter of fresh, seasonal fruit sat on the table.

A pot of priceless Jade Ice Burn was warming over a Silver Wire Charcoal Burner, its rich aroma filling the air.

He Zhangqiu savored moments like this. ’Father’s schemes, the Zhou Family’s assets, the Chen Family’s next move...’

He pushed all these troubles to the back of his mind.

"Bravo! A reward!"

As the song ended, He Zhangqiu clapped and laughed, grabbing a handful of silver melon seeds and scattering them carelessly toward the dancers.

The dancers giggled their thanks and began to sway their hips with even greater fervor.

Just then, the curtain to the private room was lifted without a sound.

A figure appeared abruptly in the doorway.

The newcomer wore a wide-brimmed black conical hat that obscured most of his face, revealing only a vicious scar that ran from the base of his ear to the corner of his mouth.

Two unsheathed daggers with dark, non-reflective blades were crossed at his waist, and a long sword wrapped in gray cloth was slung across his back.

Most striking of all were his feet. He wore a pair of mud-caked straw sandals, completely out of place amid the opulence of the Drunken Creek Pavilion.

"Whoa there! Sir, you must have the wrong room! You can’t go in there..."

The attendant Tea Master rushed forward, a panicked and anxious expression on his face, trying to block the man’s path with a placating smile.

An icy glare from beneath the conical hat swept over him. The Tea Master felt a chill shoot from the soles of his feet to the crown of his head, and the rest of his words died in his throat.

The look of leisurely pleasure on He Zhangqiu’s face began to fade.

Far from showing any displeasure, he sat up straight and waved a hand. His tone was placid. "It’s fine. He’s a guest I was expecting. You may go."

After the Tea Master had once again closed the door, He Zhangqiu rose, smiling and cupping his hands in greeting. "Gang Leader Sanli, I’ve troubled you to come in person. Please, sit."

The visitor was none other than Li Sanli, the Vice Gang Leader of the Tuo Long Bang.

He Zhangqiu enthusiastically called out to the four dancers, "What are you standing around for? Go and attend to Gang Leader Sanli."

Li Sanli merely shot them a cold glance.

The subtle but palpable killing intent radiating from him made the dancers, who had been about to step forward, freeze in place. The color drained from their faces, and they didn’t dare move a muscle.

"Young Master He, have them leave."

Li Sanli’s voice was as cold and hard as steel. "I’m not one for such pleasures."

A flicker of embarrassment crossed He Zhangqiu’s face, but he quickly concealed it and waved his hand. "All of you, out."

As if granted a pardon, the dancers and musicians hastily withdrew.

The private room fell silent, leaving only He Zhangqiu, Li Sanli, and a portly middle-aged man who had been sitting quietly in the corner the entire time.

This was He Zhangqiu’s maternal uncle, Sun Bingyi, the head of the Liyang Commerce Association.

With the door shut tight, the atmosphere instantly grew heavy.

He Zhangqiu personally poured a cup of wine for Li Sanli. His smile vanished as he asked seriously, "Gang Leader Sanli, let’s dispense with the pleasantries. How are the negotiations for that business deal coming along?"

Li Sanli didn’t even glance at the wine. His tone remained flat and devoid of emotion. "We’ve met four times. They’re not negotiating in good faith."

"Oh? Explain."

He Zhangqiu’s brow furrowed slightly.

"Their initial offer was only five taels."

Li Sanli spoke slowly, his words clipped. "After four rounds of haggling, they’ve only come up to seven taels a bolt."

"Seven taels?"

He Zhangqiu’s voice rose, his face a mixture of shock and anger. "Are you sure Qian Laibao is backed by the Chen Family of Mirror Mountain Lingxi? Did you investigate thoroughly, Gang Leader Sanli? Could it be someone else just using their name?"

Li Sanli snorted, tilting his conical hat up slightly. The scar on his face looked even more sinister in the lamplight. "Young Master He, the Tuo Long Bang is not so incompetent as to get something like this wrong. Every time that Qian Laibao meets with my men, he immediately goes to find the Chen Family’s second son, Chen Shouye. There is no mistake."

The confirmation only made He Zhangqiu more agitated. "That’s just bizarre! There’s a two-month deadline, and nearly a month has already passed! And they’re still nickel-and-diming over the price? Is that Zhou Shuwei really not in a hurry? Does she not care about getting the Zhou Family’s seized shops and properties back?"

Li Sanli said impassively, "Judging by their actions, they don’t seem to be in any rush."

"Unbelievable!"

He Zhangqiu couldn’t help but curse under his breath, his heart filled with a suffocating mix of confusion and the frustration of a failing scheme.

He had thought that by dangling the bait of cheap silk, the Chen Family or Zhou Shuwei would be desperate to bite. He never expected them to be so composed.

He Zhangqiu stood up in frustration and began to pace back and forth.

After a long time, he said, full of reluctance, "Fine... let’s just sell it to them for seven taels. What do you think? Father’s intention was for us to wrap this up as quickly as possible..."

"Absolutely not!"

Sun Bingyi immediately objected, his face fraught with anxiety. "Zhangqiu, that’s not how the math works on this. We may not have paid cash for this shipment, but we’ve already used it to offset this year’s Land Tax quota for Qingshui County.

"When you factor that in, our cost is nearly ten taels of silver per bolt. We were originally hoping to sell them for at least fifteen, maybe twenty taels, to cover our losses."

He grew more agitated as he spoke, beads of sweat forming on his temples. "If we sell at seven taels, we’ll lose a net three taels on every bolt. For forty thousand bolts, that’s a total loss of one hundred twenty thousand taels of silver! Who’s going to fill that hole? Even the deepest pockets can’t sustain a loss like that!"

He Zhangqiu’s expression soured further after being rebuked by his uncle.

Li Sanli watched them with cold indifference. "The selling price is your affair. But my Tuo Long Bang acted as the go-between and took on the risk. Our agreed-upon fee—two taels of silver per bolt, for a total of eighty thousand taels—is not negotiable. Not one coin less."

Hearing this, Sun Bingyi turned to He Zhangqiu with a pained expression. "Zhangqiu, you see? And that’s not even counting the Tuo Long Bang’s fee. If we sell at seven taels, our actual loss per bolt will be five taels. That’s a two hundred thousand tael loss!"

"This won’t work, that won’t work! Then tell me, what should we do?"

He Zhangqiu finally lost his temper, slamming his hand on the table and making the wine cups rattle.

He thought of his father, He Mingyun’s, supposedly profound scheme and felt a surge of resentment.

When his father had first explained the plan, it was all veiled in mystery, and he had only half-understood it.

It was only after consulting with others that he finally understood: his father wanted him to take possession of the Liu Family’s silk, which had been confiscated in Qingshui County, and use the low price to lure in Zhou Shuwei—or rather, the Chen Family.

Then, when they delivered the goods to the Textile Bureau, they would be arrested on the spot for trafficking stolen goods or theft of government property. Caught red-handed, both the Zhou and Chen families would be utterly ruined, cast into an abyss from which they could never recover.

’The old man is always scolding me for being reckless and thoughtless. Hmph. I think *he’s* the one who’s being too clever for his own good. They’re not falling for it. All this elaborate nonsense... it would’ve been simpler to just take some men and break down their door.’

He Zhangqiu fumed, his chest tight with frustration.

Sun Bingyi tried to placate him. "Zhangqiu, calm yourself. If they aren’t in a hurry, we can’t afford to lose our composure. How about this? Let’s have Gang Leader Sanli’s people spread a rumor that another wealthy merchant has taken an interest in the silk. We’ll give the Chen Family the cold shoulder for a while. We can even pretend we’re going to raise the price. With only a month left before the deadline, I refuse to believe that Zhou Shuwei and the Chen Family can afford to just sit back and do nothing."

He Zhangqiu took a few deep breaths, forcing himself to calm down.

After a moment’s thought, it seemed there was no better option. He nodded, his expression dark. "Very well, we’ll do as you say, Uncle. Gang Leader Sanli, for the next few days, you can ignore Qian Laibao and Chen Shouye. I’d like to see if they can remain so calm and composed after another week or two!"

Li Sanli didn’t say anything more, simply giving a slight nod. His expression remained hidden beneath his black conical hat.

He turned. His straw sandals made no sound on the polished floor as he exited the private room like a phantom.