“Uhh…” Wu Ying said, startled by the sudden change.
“Come. Show me the quality. I’ll give you a good price,” the lieutenant said again.
“This, I, well…” Wu Ying took a deep breath before gesturing around him. “Perhaps somewhere more private?”
The lieutenant took a quick look around before he nodded firmly and gestured for Wu Ying to enter the guardhouse. Soon enough, the roll of scales and skin that Wu Ying had harvested was laid out on the table within. The few guards clustered within on their break had gathered around too, whispering among themselves.
“Look at the size of those scales!”
“Beautiful. The shimmer is amazing.”
“Perfect. Must be the choicest cut.”
“Where is the rest of the skin?” the lieutenant asked as he stared at the roll.
There was enough there to make a full tunic. Maybe even a pair of gloves on top of that, if the armorer was skilled and wasted little. But with his experienced eye, the lieutenant could guess at the size of the creature. The amount showcased here was miniscule.
“Left behind,” Wu Ying said with a shrug. It hurt his coin purse to think about the waste, but he had not had either the time to do a full skinning job nor the ability to carry all of it even if he did.
“What a waste,” the lieutenant said. “Is it close?”
“No,” Wu Ying said, shaking his head. “It’s likely all eaten and damaged by now.”
“Truly a waste. I, Lieutenant Tung Zhong Shei, will buy this for twenty taels,” the lieutenant said, finally getting around to introducing himself.
“Twenty!” The other soldiers gasped at the lavish display of wealth. After all, they each only earned about five taels a month—and that had to cover all their expenses.
“That’s very generous,” Wu Ying said, his hand lightly tracing the skin.
It was a superb piece of material and would, once worked, provide significant coverage and protection. The scales of a spirit beast were high quality material and would provide great protection while being extremely flexible, a must for martial artists. It, of course, helped that the material itself was beautiful as well, with rippling shades of emerald and seafoam green.
Even though Wu Ying had taken the time to stretch the hide out and secure it using broken branches and salt on the inside, if it had been a normal animal, the skin would have been ruined by now. Luckily, spirit beasts were filled with qi, including their bodies, allowing a greater level of abuse in their preservation. Still, Wu Ying knew that Zhong Shei was being somewhat of a spendthrift. Yet the man’s family name was very familiar.
“But…”
“Twenty-five.” Zhong Shei upped the price without hesitation.
“It’s not the price, honored Lieutenant,” Wu Ying said. “I just arrived at the city and have yet to get my bearings.”
“Do you doubt that I am offering you a better price than any merchant would?” Zhong Shei said with scorn.
“I meant nothing like that. I came to the city to purchase the famed Three Stone Plum Blossom Wine,” Wu Ying said hurriedly before the lieutenant grew any angrier. The man could easily “confiscate” the skin if he was pushed too far. “But because I’m late, I fear there might be no more. If there isn’t, I was hoping to trade this with someone.”
“Wine, wine, wine!” Zhong Shei sounded exasperated. “It’s always about the wine. You know this city is known for more than just wine? We have some of the best pottery in the country. Master Wu’s paintings are reaching spirit-awakening levels. But all you cultivators care about is the wine.”
“My apologies, honored Lieutenant, but it is a request from an Elder in my sect,” Wu Ying said, deciding to reveal his affiliation. While he did not want to use it to get into the city, this seemed like a good time to do so, especially if his initial guess was right.
“Another greedy Elder,” Zhong Shei said. “Fine. The wine sells for one tael per jar. Right now, they’re sold out, so the aftermarket price is about five tael—if you can find someone to sell them. I can release a total of three to you though. Is that sufficient?”
Wu Ying blinked, the entire matter moving slightly faster than he had expected. While he had guessed from Zhong Shei’s family name that he might be connected to the wine producer, he had never thought that Zhong Shei would be able to sell him the wine directly. At most, Wu Ying had expected an introduction, a door opened. Now, he had to decide how desperate he was to get the wine. Returning without the wine was almost a guarantee of being sent out from the sect. But… perhaps being a wandering cultivator was not so bad. Or, as he had improved his cultivation, perhaps he could return to the village.
Okay, perhaps not the last. After all, it was likely that any such action would bring the displeasure of the sect and certainly send the army calling again. Without the sect’s protection to keep him from being conscripted, he would be back at where he started, just a little stronger.
And realistically, he was getting the equivalent of fifteen taels’ worth of wine. Even if Wu Ying wanted to buy the wine, he might not be able to find a supplier as had been pointed out to him.
“Well?”
“Sorry, honored Lieutenant.” Wu Ying bowed again when he realized he had been standing there in silence, thinking. “If the lieutenant can provide me with three jars, then I would be grateful.”
“I’m still on duty, so wait here,” Zhong Shei commanded, waving to the surroundings.
When one of the guards opened his mouth to object, the glare the lieutenant shot him was enough to shut him up. Zhong Shei strode out of the guard building to take up his duties, leaving Wu Ying to roll up the skin and offer apologies to the men within.
“It’s fine. It’s fine. The lieutenant is always like that,” one of the guards commented.
“That’s right. Because he comes from the merchant’s family, he has a lot of money and privilege. But he sometimes forgets about our rules.”
“But he’s a good leader. Always makes sure our weapons and armor are up to standard. And he works all day too with us. Better than most of the noble brats who take up the job.” A slight pause as the guard looked at Wu Ying, who offered an encouraging nod. Realizing that Wu Ying was not insulted, he continued. “They’re always strutting around, acting like they’re the favored sons of heaven. Even if they’re nothing more than lieutenants.”
“Useless third sons,” the first guard said with a sniff before realizing that Wu Ying had finished packing. “Well, sir cultivator, we don’t mind you here, but if the captain comes…”
“The captain’s a real stickler.”
“Yes. She’s horrible. She’ll put us all on report.”
“So if sir cultivator is willing…” The guard gestured to a side room.
When Wu Ying walked over with his bag, he realized it led to holding cells. When Wu Ying looked back at the guards, they all looked uncomfortable, but Wu Ying chuckled.
“I’ll cultivate within. Just let me know when it’s time to go,” Wu Ying said as he walked in, taking his bag with him.
Chapter 16
A quiet knock on the door brought Wu Ying’s attention back to the external world. He drew in a deep breath then exhaled slowly, allowing the turbid air within his lungs to escape. Thankfully, as he was mostly reinforcing his cultivation, the sweat and stink of this process was muted. As Wu Ying stood and caught a whiff of himself, he grimaced. For definitions of muted at least. Another polite knock on the door brought Wu Ying’s attention back to the present.
“Coming,” Wu Ying called.
He slowly stretched, checking his body over after being seated cross-legged for so long. While he preferred to cultivate while moving, pacing in such a small space was not much more beneficial to him than sitting still. And truth be told, Wu Ying was a bit tired from all the travel. Sometimes, moderation was best. Not that you could tell from the sudden jumps in his cultivation in the last few weeks.