Chapter 86: Monthly tribute

() Chapter 93 Monthly tribute

In front of the bank entrance, Tan Ping and Tan Jiang were standing guard, waiting to request the monthly tribute from the lord of the South Bank of Shalan River, who belongs to the Holy Spirit Sixteen Divisions.

Tan Jiang saw a servant he had sent return, and from afar asked, "Has the one surnamed Wei asked anyone else for the monthly tribute, and how much?" After Wei Zidan collected his own funds, he went to the tavern, and from time to time a few North Bank lords arrived and inquired whether Wei Zidan had come. Meanwhile, the Tan family brothers had not yet seen anyone appear, and fearing that Wei Zidan might poach them, they sent a servant to scout.

The servant replied, "Reporting to you, they have all paid the monthly tribute to him, but the amounts vary; some gave 1 gold and 50 silver, others gave 2 gold."

"Did you see any people from the South Bank over there?"

"No."

"Understood, go down." Tan Jiang then turned to Tan Ping and said, "Brother, these rabbit‑brats are taking their time to show up; should I send a few people to the gate to take a look?"

Tan Ping waved his hand and said, "No, pushing too hard will backfire; let's wait a bit first." The South Bank people were clearly delaying their appearance because of the monthly tribute, a stark contrast to the North Bank lords who came forward voluntarily; Tan Ping was somewhat worried that Wei Zidan might seize the chance to poach them.

"Brother, they've arrived," Tan Jiang called out anxiously.

Following the voice, Li Bucai, a school‑uniformed girl, and Qian Feng led more than twenty servants toward them.

"Lord Tan…" Li Bucai stepped before the two, bowed to each of them, and smiled.

At last someone appeared; the Tan family brothers returned the smile, bowed in return, and examined the three. The three wore identical official robes: small‑village magistrate robes embroidered with seahorse patterns, while the two of them wore large‑village magistrate robes featuring flying sparrows above and seahorses leaping in the sea below.

Li Bucai and Qian Feng gave only a courteous bow and said nothing more; Tan Jiang, smiling broadly, gestured an invitation, asking them to enter the bank, where they would withdraw the money and then request the monthly tribute.

Li Bucai nodded at him and went straight into the bank.

The three each approached a window at the counter; Li Bucai took out all 97 gold coins, exchanged a few for loose silver coins, specifically changed 100 copper coins, keeping only a small amount, and handed the rest to Yan Qiu for management, saying to the girls, "There's nothing else for now; I'll give you an hour. First go back to visit your families; after an hour I'll wait for everyone at the tavern. Once Yan Qiu distributes your wages, you may leave on your own. Don't forget to convey my greetings to your families."

Everyone thanked the honored host; Yan Qiu began issuing the monthly wages according to their ranks. Those who received their wages thanked Li Bucai and left the bank with joyful faces.

Li Bucai approached Wan'er and said, "You know Zhuoran's injuries best; do you know who has the finest medical skill in Sky City?"

"Yes, I know. It's Chief Physician Zhao Simiao. Wan'er will go ask the old man for a cure for Zhuoran."

Li Bucai nodded, "It's hard enough to go home; after you return home and see your family, you can go later. You may delay a while; I'll visit later."

Wan'er responded and left.

Li Bucai then said to Wu Zhuoyue, "You failed to care for Zhuoran properly; you should have gone to the mansion to apologize to the venerable ancestor. But I heard the venerable ancestor is a steward in the city. I plan to hold a banquet at the tavern later, both to apologize to the old man and because your Wu family's bloodline is unusual; perhaps only the venerable ancestor knows a method to heal injuries, so I intend to consult him."

"Honored host need not keep this on your mind. We are your guards; accidents happen inevitably. Even if we cannot cure sister, that would be her honor, and you risk your own safety for her, so there is no need for an apology; you should be thanked for risking your life to save her. Therefore, do not worry too much about this; I'll go ask Grandfather right away."

"Mm." Li Bucai nodded. Wu Zhuoyue bowed farewell to him.

Only Yan Qiu remained alone; Li Bucai said, "In Sky City, besides our food, are there other tasty or useful things?"

"Yes, there are many kinds, all made from these basic foods; I just don't know which you prefer. How about we go see together?"

"I still have some matters I can't get away from. I think everyone will like what you like, so just buy what you think is good and go."

"Oh." Yan Qiu nodded and left.

At this time, Qian Feng and the others also finished their private matters, and the three left the bank together.

"Lord Li, Lord Qian." Tan Jiang, seeing the two finally emerge, stopped them and said, "You know what day it is today." As he spoke, he reached out his hand toward them.

"Of course we know."

"You're both straightforward, so be frank and spare the needless talk."

Li Bucai nodded, lazily pulled two coins from his pocket, flicked them one by one, and said, "These are mine; I gave the ones for Qian Feng on his behalf."

"Straightforward." Tan Jiang caught them with his other hand, his face showing his innate grim smile. He spread his hand and saw two copper coins; instantly his anger flared, and he squeezed out a few words through his teeth, "Do you think we're begging for food? I think you don't want to live." Guards are everywhere here; Sky City does not permit fights, or one would be thrown into the dungeon. In his fury, Tan Jiang could only stand there glaring at him, unable to strike.

Li Bucai thought to himself: "You're so blatantly reaching out for money—if you're not beggars, then what are you? In full view of everyone, handing him two gold coins is just to humiliate him. But it's not yet time to completely break the façade; otherwise, even if they have no time to harass me, they would become hostile and wary, making it harder to reclaim their lands later. Right now their main target is Wei Zidan; the two powerful sides are vying, and there's much to be gained from this."

Li Bucai smiled faintly and said, "I'm merely reminding the two of you, that among the Holy Spirit Sixteen Nations, only the two of you can contend with Wei Zidan. You are his eyes‑in‑the‑back of the head, his thorns; Wei Zidan is currently openly building a road while secretly taking a hidden route. On the surface he fraternizes with you, but behind the scenes he is scheming to rally all forces, aiming to eliminate you as quickly as possible. Yet you, unaware of the danger, are here reaching out for money. Aren't you afraid that if Wei Zidan grows powerful and, together with the North Bank people, attacks you, your South Bank brothers will have been provoked by your money‑grabbing, become opportunists, publicly claim to help you, but on the day they truly strike, they'll just watch you be devoured by Wei Zidan without offering aid? I know you both care deeply about the throne of the King of Ten Thousand Nations, but I'm puzzled: while others are busy courting hearts at this moment, you have offended everyone completely."