Chapter 035 – The Slaughter
Li Yuan knocked on the door a few times, then patiently waited without continuing. He took a step back to size up the houses along White Cloud Alley in Silver Creek.
They weren’t particularly fancy—black-tiled roofs and white walls, plain and unassuming. The ground was uneven dirt, with no flooring. The alley itself was cramped, the buildings pressed close together. Take a few steps from one front door, and you were already at the neighbor’s. Still, in Silver Creek, this was considered a mid-tier residential area.
Just yesterday, Li Yuan had struck up a conversation with a local who lived in a wooden shack far more basic than anything found even in the villages. However, its single perk was being near the main road, making it easier to shop and run errands.
While Li Yuan was lost in thought, a small door off to the side creaked open. Out stepped a young woman in heavy makeup, yawning as she made her way out. She glanced at Li Yuan, her face showing mild disdain, then strolled off into the night.
He blinked in confusion. Did she guess right away that he wasn’t from here, just some country bumpkin? Whatever the case, the sight of her walking around so late confirmed something he’d noticed from the upper balcony of the Heavenly Scent Pavilion the previous night. Silver Creek’s public safety was far better than back in Little Ink Village. People here could wander out wearing fine clothes, even in the dead of night, without fear.
Eventually, the door in front of him opened. A maid he didn’t recognize peered out, looking him over. “Who are you here to see?” she asked.
Li Yuan held out a box of breakfast pastries from Cicada’s Cuisine. “My name’s Li Yuan. I’m looking for Cai Ze. May I trouble you to let him know I’m here?”
The maid took the box and nodded politely. “Wait here. The master hasn’t gotten up yet.”
Li Yuan smiled. “No rush.”
He waited a good while before a young man finally emerged, dressed in the uniform of a bailiff. Spotting Li Yuan by the door, the young man grinned. “You’re here. Come on in.”
Li Yuan shook his head. “I know you've been busy all day, so I won’t impose. I just came to deliver the silver I promised.”
He took out two small pouches. One held a 10-tael silver ingot, the other five silver nuggets.