Chapter 39: Ghost Wealth and River Salvagers

"Ziyu, Qian Dong, want to go to the Fisherman's Wharf tonight to see the river lanterns?" After leaving the office, Zhao Xing asked his two young pals.

"Not going." Qian Dong shook his head. "The River Lantern Festival is honestly pretty boring—not many young ladies around, and it's downright creepy. What's there to see? Nowhere near as good as the Grass-Fighting Festival or the Spring Sacrifice."

"All you ever think about is looking at girls." Zhao Xing laughed and gave him a pat, then turned to Chen Ziyu. "What about you?"

"I'll go, but I probably can't go with you, Brother." Chen Ziyu said, "I have to go sell lotus lanterns with my old man."

The river lanterns of the River Lantern Festival, also called lotus lanterns, are made from lotus leaves, clay, watercolor, cloth, and paper, stitched together with needle and thread.

Once assembled, the honored names of deceased relatives are written on the outer surface of the lantern, and a candle is placed in the center.

Of course, lotus lanterns aren't only for appeasing the dead—some are also used to pray for blessings for the living.

Although the festival draws a fair number of people, the atmosphere is rather solemn and austere; it's not much fun, at most you can grab a bite to eat and enjoy the scenery.

Seeing that the two of them weren't going, Zhao Xing didn't press the matter—after all, he wasn't going for fun either.

He was going to see if he could rake in a wave of "ghost wealth."

The Fate Dynasty system popularized the theory of the Five Elements' fortune, giving rise to professions like sorcerers, divination masters, and feng shui practitioners.

However, after the Great Zhou's Grand Ancestor "gathered the fortune of all under heaven," he strengthened the dynasty's control over the Mandate of Fortune and took a slash at those three professions, folding them all into the tool known as the "Divine Temple," where Yin Gods handled fortune on their behalf—bestowing blessings and increasing emoluments.

In his previous life, these professions had at one point become what Zhao Xing saw as "side jobs," because the Grand Ancestor's slash had cut right to the "main artery."

In the Fate Dynasty version, these three professions were firmly in the gutter, reduced to the level of "riverboat swindlers," barely clinging to life. They only rose again after the Fate Dynasty collapsed.

But that didn't stop Zhao Xing from making a little money.

"The Heavenly Stems show the Seven Killings, but the Nayin shows Wealth."

"Suppose Ding Mao's Nayin is Fire, and the Heavenly Stem's true Five Element affinity is Wood. Among the four stems, encountering Yi and Geng means a Gold Ghost on the stem-head. Ding Mao's Nayin Fire can restrain Yi and Geng's Metal, hence the name Ghost Wealth."

"Practicing Ghost Wealth won't net you any great gains, but there's no loss either. After all, this is the Zhou Dynasty at its peak—no wandering ghosts can cause any trouble." Zhao Xing glanced at his Warding-Misfortune Almanac, then strolled leisurely toward the Fisherman's Wharf.

He first arrived outside an inn at the Fisherman's Wharf, where many stalls were set up and quite a few vendors were already there selling lotus lanterns and incense candles.

Zhao Xing casually bought one—it was just an ordinary, unranked item. He then headed toward a group of people resting nearby.

This group sat in clusters of three or five, bare-chested, drinking tea together, with hooks, scissors, and the like beside them.

They were a bunch of "river salvagers."

What are river salvagers, you ask?

They're people with exceptional swimming skills who specialize in diving into the water to retrieve valuables—usually former fishermen.

The Pinghu Thirteen Canals connect to the Canglan River, and East Lake has accumulated Yuan Qi over the years. As the waterways erode, many water-borne treasures are born.

First- or second-tier water treasures aren't rare—one find is enough to live on for half a year. What if you snag a third-tier treasure? You could buy a house on shore and become a landlord!

Add to that the constant stream of passing boats and travelers, with merchant ships and passengers often dropping valuable items, and people would hire divers to retrieve them—giving rise to this whole class of "river salvagers."

Don't be fooled by their dirty, shabby appearance—they earn far more than a minor clerk like Zhao Xing in the Agricultural Bureau.

Zhao Xing walked up to the stall, cupped his hands in a salute, and said: "Brothers, taking on work?"

A burly middle-aged man who looked like a foreman nodded and said: "We don't take unpaid jobs, only item- or treasure-hunting. If you, Young Master, want to try your luck, we offer long salvage, short salvage, and one-strike deals."

Elite river salvagers don't take on unlucky unpaid work like retrieving corpses or bones—they don't want to earn that kind of money.

Zhao Xing nodded and stated his needs directly: "I need one good hand for a short salvage, starting at the end of the You hour and ending before the Zi hour—about three time-blocks, no limit on dives. I'll pay two taels and five qian, tea and late-night snacks included. Whatever's found is mine, no split."

Three time-blocks was enough. Past those three time-blocks, the Ghost Wealth fortune wouldn't manifest, and it would be hard to find anything. In fact, the only real chance to salvage treasure was during the "Ding Mao moment" within those three time-blocks.

Seeing that Zhao Xing knew the ropes and offered a decent price, the foreman nodded and called out to the back: "Xu Lao Ba."

"Hey! Coming!" Not far away, a wiry, muscular man had been chatting with a young married woman at a stall, flexing his toned muscles and making her flutter like a flower branch in the wind.

Hearing his boss's voice, he immediately gave her hand a squeeze, then trotted over eagerly.

"Boss."

"This Young Master wants to try his luck—short salvage, three time-blocks, two taels five qian all-in. Any problems?" the foreman asked.

"No problem." Xu Lao Ba grinned and thumped his chest at Zhao Xing. "Just look at me, Young Master—Xu Lao Ba here will definitely bring you good fortune!"

Zhao Xing examined the man through the Five Elements sight—his lung Qi was abundant, two or three times that of the others. He was indeed a good hand. Zhao Xing nodded: "Him, then."

The foreman produced a carved bamboo tally and said: "Payment up front, plus an extra tael as a deposit. If he returns safely, the deposit is refunded with this tally. If anything happens to him, you're not liable—the deposit counts as your charitable donation, Young Master."

"Fair enough." Zhao Xing nodded. Then it was money in one hand, man in the other.

With the tally in hand, Xu Lao Ba grabbed his gear and fell in behind Zhao Xing.

"Young Master, want to rent a pleasure boat? I've got connections—can get you ten percent off. If you bring friends along, five people get twenty percent off."

Zhao Xing said: "Just me. A small boat will do—no need for a fancy one."

Xu Lao Ba wasn't disappointed—he'd still get a referral fee on the small boat. "So which lake district are you headed to, Young Master? East, south, west, or north? Or one of the thirteen bay areas? Yesterday they dug up a night-luminescent pearl in the West Lake district—I say we should try our luck there."

Zhao Xing smiled and said: "No rush. Let's just stroll around for now."

Seeing that, Xu Lao Ba said no more. Clearly this client had a plan of his own. He was actually happy to have Zhao Xing wander—the fewer dives, the easier on him.

It stayed light late during End of Heat, and it wasn't until the end of the You hour that full darkness finally fell.

Standing on the high ground at the Fisherman's Wharf now, you could see lotus lanterns drifting all over the river—dots of light, scattered like stars, linking into a continuous stretch.

The commercial street still had some foot traffic, but it was mostly vendors selling food and drink or lotus lanterns; other forms of entertainment were far fewer than at other festivals.

"Hm?" Zhao Xing's gaze suddenly landed on a familiar figure from behind. "A temple attendant from the True Lord Cao Xi Hall? And he's got quite a few people with him—looks like officials from the Divine Temple. Wonder what their assessment involves?"

The hour he was waiting for was still far off, and he had come to watch the bustle anyway, so he immediately moved closer and pricked up his ears.

Channeling Yuan Qi into both ears, the noisy street quickly faded until only the temple attendant's group had sound.