Chapter 58: Chapter Fifty-Seven: The Performative Bounty

The final sale price of this jar of bamboo leaf green wine was one hundred sixty-eight taels of silver.

Strictly speaking, this price was still decent—sixty percent higher than the normal market rate at Tianmen Mountain’s bazaar, and double what Liu Xiao had originally hoped for. He had initially tried to swindle them, offering one jar of bamboo leaf green in exchange for one spirit stone, but the manager had looked at him as if he were a fool; by the end, even Liu Xiao felt it was excessive and switched to accepting silver.

After selling the wine, Liu Xiao scratched his head, incredulous: “He just bought it? Didn’t even ask where the wine came from?”

Zuo Gaofeng chuckled: “They don’t want to ask. Asking would only bring them trouble.”

Liu Xiao pondered: “So if we return to the mountain openly, there’s truly little danger.”

Zuo Gaofeng said: “Of course there’s danger—but not much. Look, here they come…”

As he spoke, several servants from Qingyu Sect ascended the cliff, each carrying a wooden placard painted with portraits.

“Wanted: Wulong Mountain bandits. Informants rewarded with five spirit stones!” The Qingyu Sect overseer walked at the front of the group, loudly proclaiming.

Liu Xiao watched curiously as the group arrived before the stone cave, holding up each portrait above their heads to show him and the others. He didn’t recognize any of the faces—but when he read the names written beside the portraits, his heart leapt.

“Bandit chief Wang…”

“Bandit lieutenant Dai Shenggao…”

“Fierce bandit Zuo Gaofeng…”

The Qingyu Sect overseer asked: “Have you seen any of these men?”

Zuo Gaofeng and Tan Ba both shook their heads: “Never seen them.”

The overseer turned to Liu Xiao. Liu Xiao glanced at Zuo Gaofeng—and now that he looked closely, the portrait bore a faint resemblance. He quickly shook his head too: “Never seen them.”

The overseer led his men onward toward the other side. Liu Xiao whispered: “Mountain Lord, you’ve been marked?”

Zuo Gaofeng smiled: “Let them. Their painting skills are terrible. If they can’t catch anyone, it’s their own fault.”

Tan Ba complained: “Why isn’t Tan Mou on the list? Am I not fierce enough?”

Liu Xiao looked at the bustling Ghost Dream Cliff and sighed: “Who would believe it?”

He didn’t want to delay. He told Zuo Gaofeng and Tan Ba: “I’m going to Tianmen Mountain to buy wine. I’ll be back in two days.”

He descended the mountain with the silver, heading straight for Hongji Wine House in Tianmen Bazaar. After ordering food and drink to fill his stomach, the shopkeeper brought him a jar of bamboo leaf green: “The proprietor instructed that whenever Master Liu returns, he may drink this wine—but no more than one jar per day.”

Liu Xiao took the wine and left, hiding it in the house at Yangliu Bay belonging to Pinggu. He spent the night there. The house was infamous—but since the perpetrator lived there, he felt no fear or unease, and slept soundly as ever.

The next day, he repeated the same trick at Hongji Wine House, ordering more food and drink, and carried off a second jar of bamboo leaf green. Thus, one hundred sixty taels of silver had been exchanged for two jars of bamboo leaf green; the remaining eight taels covered the meal costs.

That night, Liu Xiao carried the two jars of spirit wine back to Wulong Mountain’s Ghost Dream Cliff. He arrived at the end of the Yin hour—the bazaar was still closed, the cliff eerily quiet, with only Zuo Gaofeng and Tan Ba staying in the cave.

As daylight broke, merchants from all over gradually returned to Ghost Dream Cliff—even villagers from beneath Gan Bamboo Ridge came up carrying baskets and loads on their backs. Though they sold no rare mountain treasures or spirit goods, their candies, cakes, freshly cooked porridge, and other everyday items added warmth and vitality to the cliff, drawing many Qingyu Sect servants and maids to shop.

Tian Bo also set up a small stall, bringing all ten or so cured pork strips from his own rafters, spreading them out for sale. He met Liu Xiao’s gaze, and both smiled knowingly.

The Qingyu Sect manager who had bought the wine earlier strolled up as well. Seeing the two jars of bamboo leaf green beside Liu Xiao, he grinned: “Got two jars this time?”

Liu Xiao finally found the courage to ask for spirit stones: “It wasn’t easy—I ran myself to exhaustion just to gather these. Last time you said…”

The manager didn’t hesitate—he pulled out one spirit stone: “One spirit stone for two jars!”

Liu Xiao refused: “Three months ago, bamboo leaf green was indeed one spirit stone for two jars. But what’s the price now? You know it well. And I ran myself to exhaustion, bringing them all the way up here…”

The manager gave him the same “looking at a fool” expression again—but this time, Liu Xiao was used to it. He said: “I’m not asking for outrageous prices. One spirit stone for two jars? That’s impossible—I get no profit at all. No need to add more spirit stones. But add me one hundred sixty taels of silver.”

The manager said: “At last week’s price, one hundred sixty taels bought you one jar—so I’d be paying one spirit stone for the second jar. Do you think I’m a fool?”

Liu Xiao said: “The wine’s getting harder to get. You know that.”

The manager replied: “Once Qingyu Sect returns to Dongting Lake, this spirit wine will be easy to find again. You know that too.”

Liu Xiao calculated it again, helplessly: “Then I’ll take the silver.”

After haggling, they settled on a final price of three hundred twenty taels of silver.

The exchange rate between spirit stones and silver had no fixed rule—it depended entirely on need and demand. So far, silver was more advantageous, since he could use it to buy more bamboo leaf green. But timing the switch to spirit stones was crucial. Right now, he could profit only because Qingyu Sect and Tianmu Mountain were at odds; once that tension passed, his hoarded silver would become a risk, and he’d gain few spirit stones in exchange.

The manager was also satisfied—he could report success without having to trek hundreds of miles to another sect. He told Liu Xiao: “I’m Hou. Call me Manager Hou. Next time you bring spirit wine, save it for me. Don’t sell it to anyone else. Understand? If someone tries to force-buy, name me.”

Liu Xiao asked cautiously: “I heard your sect has a patrol overseer also named Hou… I wonder…”

Manager Hou laughed: “Oh? You’ve heard of my elder brother? Yes—he’s my own blood brother.”

Liu Xiao bowed: “Long time admirer! Long time admirer!”

Manager Hou ordered his servants to carry off the two jars of bamboo leaf green, then strolled off with his hands behind his back. Liu Xiao watched as he approached Tian Bo’s stall, bought two strips of cured pork with silver, licked the grease from his fingers, smacked his lips, nodded in satisfaction, and hung the pork on the servants’ carrying pole.

The Hou brothers were cultivators, inner sect overseers and managers—not to be compared with the outer sect’s overseers and managers. Liu Xiao hung back at a distance, observing his purchasing habits, and noticed he bought almost nothing but meat.

Likes meat?

With silver in hand, Liu Xiao resumed his errand-running, traveling nearly two hundred miles to Tianmen Mountain’s bazaar to transport more bamboo leaf green. He stayed at Hongji Wine House for four days, securing four jars of bamboo leaf green, which he carried back on a shoulder pole, returning to Wulong Mountain overnight.