Chapter 7

Tie Lao Cai is just like his name, akin to an old wealthy man, very shrewd and perceptive. Regarding Zhou Shuo's always unclear origins and his performance, he could see a hint or two, so he chose to rather believe it exists than not, arranging a backup plan. For people like them, this is not a bad thing.

Compared to Tie Lao Cai, Guan Rang and Ye Jiujie are a bit inferior; Guan Rang is equally shrewd but lacks smoothness, while Ye Jiujie is the most perplexed. Yet these two fellows, awed by Zhou Shuo's strength and convinced by Tie Lao Cai, chose to get things done, after all Zhou Shuo is the boss.

Under Zhou Shuo's established arrangements, the Fangsheng Pavilion continued to develop slowly, no longer attacking the Poison Scorpion Sect or the Seven Absolutes Hall, and even rarely clashing with the underworld, focusing instead on grain and goods. Thanks to Tie Lao Cai's methods, they earned a great deal of money, recruited disciples for training under unified orders, and even arranged for family members within the sect, shifting from scattered to formalized.

Just as the Fangsheng Pavilion was on its path of transformation, Zhou Shuo received an invitation from Tang Qi, the hall master of the Seven Absolutes Hall, inviting him to a banquet at a restaurant. He readily replied, and on the appointed day he halted all protective measures taken by Tie, Guan, and Ye, and went alone to that restaurant.

Under the bright sunshine, the restaurant was guarded by stern swordsmen. An old man with white hair and beard, sallow skin, and a strange symbol on his forehead stood at the door to greet. Upon seeing Zhou Shuo, he stepped forward, clasped his hands in salute, and called out, 'Boss Zhou'.

'Boss? I don't deserve that; just call me Zhou Shuo, hall master of the Seven Absolutes.' Zhou Shuo looked at the plain‑clothed old man whose forehead bore a symbol, smiled, and returned the salute with clasped hands.

'Hall Master Zhou, you jest; please come in, the banquet is ready.' Tang Qi laughed, turned, and led the way.

'No problem, Hall Master Tang—how many did you invite? Surely you didn't book the whole place just for the two of us; reserving an entire restaurant would be too costly.' Zhou Shuo followed with a chuckle, meanwhile glancing at the Seven Absolutes' swordsmen: each exuded a sharp aura, something he lacked, and he realized he was still far from a true master, especially that one inside the restaurant.

'Well, I invited a friend and forgot to greet you, Hall Master Zhou—my apologies, my apologies.' Tang Qi glanced at Zhou Shuo, then at the restaurant interior, and nodded with a smile.

In the main hall of the restaurant, the low table was set with the banquet; beside the secondary guest sat a person, posture impeccable, wearing a tight black robe embroidered in gold, his face youthful and stern, yet for some reason his short, cropped hair was snow‑white, bound by a headband, and beside him lay a long sword in a vermilion scabbard.

'Come, let me introduce you—this is Wei Zhuang, the chief of Liush.' As Tang Qi entered, he hurriedly introduced him to Zhou Shuo, but the other man showed no intention of rising.

'A successor of the School of Vertical and Horizontal Alliances from Guigu—indeed I have long admired you.' Zhou Shuo looked at Liush, who remained seated—ah, the future chief of Liush—nodded with a smile, and sized him up.

'Chief Wei, this is the master of the Fangsheng Pavilion, who has recently been thriving in Xinzheng—come, Hall Master Zhou, please sit.' Tang Qi watched the unmoving Wei Zhuang and the composed, smiling Zhou Shuo, feeling a bit embarrassed but could only respond with a smile, for offending Zhou Shuo would be unwise, and offending Wei Zhuang equally so.

'Someone has set their sights on you.' Wei Zhuang said, looking at Zhou Shuo seated in the guest spot.

'Oh!' Zhou Shuo dropped into a kneeling posture with his knees ready to spring, hearing Wei Zhuang's words, he drew out his voice. The Fangsheng Pavilion is trivial; the only thing worth targeting is the Crystal Workshop. I must say, glass is truly lucrative—no wonder so many transmigrators treat it as a cheat—but who would be eyeing him?

'Hall Master Zhou, your business is booming! Even I can't help but feel envious, let alone the manor of the general.' Tang Qi lifted the copper kettle, pouring wine into Zhou Shuo's copper vessel, the flow steady, and with his words he revealed who was eyeing him.

'And then?' Zhou Shuo raised his cup, sniffed the aroma, took a slight sip. The manor of the general—no surprise there.

'We want fifty percent.' Wei Zhuang lifted his copper vessel to receive Tang Qi's wine.

'No problem—what do I get?' Zhou Shuo's eyes shifted. Fifty percent of the profit is just money from a pile of fragile goods; the question is what I can obtain.

'Liush and the Seven Absolutes Hall will be allies of the Fangsheng Pavilion, for mutual benefit.' Wei Zhuang raised his full wine vessel toward Zhou Shuo.

'Thirty percent—I have always liked rare books and strange curiosities: extraordinary flowers and herbs, divine metals, rare gems, exotic birds and beasts, no category excluded; even a person, if they have a distinctive trait, qualifies. If Brother Wei and Hall Master Tang agree to satisfy my tastes, then fifty percent.' Zhou Shuo slightly lifted his wine vessel, gazing at Tang Qi and Wei Zhuang.

'Deal.' Wei Zhuang straightened his arm, and Tang Qi also laughed, raising his copper vessel; the three copper vessels clinked together, producing a clear ring.

'Good, Hall Master Zhou shows real resolve.' Tang Qi drained his vessel, then burst out laughing; with the Crystal Workshop's financial backing, his Seven Absolutes Hall could expand once more.

'I'm actually quite timid, but today the Guigu successor is here, his word is bond—what do I have to fear?' Zhou Shuo grinned at Wei Zhuang; the youth with short, cropped white hair, hearing this, unconsciously softened his gaze.

'Haha, that's true—the Guigu successor is famed for "one anger and the lords settle; peace brings the world to rest." Elder Wei has given his word, Junior Brother Zhou, you can set your heart at ease.' Tang Qi laughed heartily and nodded in agreement.

'Don't forget, you also have a share in this; I have many rare ancient scrolls, but those odd curiosities? I don't have any.' Wei Zhuang looked at Tang Qi, who was laughing loudly, his tone indifferent as he dismissed the notion, for this matter wasn't his alone.

'Well, speaking of that, a few days ago one of my disciples befriended a Wei state swordsman and received three mystic‑crystal arrowheads from him; another disciple, by chance, bought a white‑bellied serpent‑eagle from the Baiyue people, and also purchased a yellow‑hoofed horse from beyond the frontier. Hey, junior brother, could you tell me what you intend to use these for?' Tang Qi listed his possessions as if recounting his own inventory, then asked curiously.

'Living things for play, dead things for use—our ancestors had the art of direction and technique, capable of smelting metals, compounding medicines, taming beasts and training birds; idling with nothing to do…' Zhou Shuo glanced upward, then smirked, 'Idling with nothing to do, so I play with these things.'

'What great interest, what great interest—brother, you know how to play! Knowing that I'm too old for this now, otherwise…' Tang Qi laughed dismissively.

'Some things aren't just about age, are they?' Zhou Shuo looked at the laughing old man, replied with a smile, 'This old fellow is even smoother than Tie Lao Cai by three parts.'

'Haha, you're right, you're right.' Tang Qi laughed and nodded.

'Oh, by the way, besides liking strange things, I also enjoy bustle; Brother Wei Zhuang, if there's any liveliness ahead, don't forget me.' Zhou Shuo looked at Tang Qi, who was laughing naturally, and raised his wine vessel toward Wei Zhuang.

'No problem.' Wei Zhuang looked at Zhou Shuo, his eyes narrowing involuntarily; although as expected he had taken the Crystal Workshop's profits, now it seemed this fellow's identity interested him far more than those profits.

'Heh.' Zhou Shuo looked at the youth whose eyes had turned cold, smiled, and nodded.

The banquet ended with host and guest fully satisfied; Zhou Shuo returned to his dwelling and soon received the items promised by Wei Zhuang and Tang Qi: cartloads of documents, trays holding the mystic‑crystal arrowheads, and a caged white‑bellied serpent‑eagle, plus a yellow‑hoofed horse with backward‑hooked hooves.

Faced with the capable Wei Zhuang and Tang Qi, Zhou Shuo hesitated not, ordering Tie, Guan, and Ye to prepare for cooperation with Liush and the Seven Absolutes Hall; the Crystal Workshop presently has only one shop, but partnering with Liush and the Seven Absolutes makes this one enough, which will expand, and as the workshop grows, so will the benefits—this arrangement benefits both sides.

During the cooperation, Tie, Guan, and Ye suddenly saw the Seven Absolutes Hall's endless stream of well‑trained, sharp swordsmen, and the elusive, omnipotent Liush; they were overwhelmed, yet also greatly relieved that they had not acted rashly earlier, and instead honestly followed Zhou Shuo's method to train disciples, gradually building the Fangsheng Pavilion's strength, steadily consolidating their power.

In the course of cooperation, Zhou Shuo devoted himself to studying the various texts Wei Zhuang had sent—works of Daoism, Confucianism, Mohism, Mingjing, plus Yin‑Yang and Agricultural school classics; some expound the supreme truth of the Great Dao, others detail the mystic gates and escape techniques, still others cover medical devices and mechanisms. Fortunately they arrived already sorted; otherwise merely organizing them would have taken Zhou Shuo much time. Moreover, some of these books are lost editions not extant today, all written in seal script; to understand them Zhou Shuo would have to relearn the script from scratch.

While Zhou Shuo pursued his studies in orderly diligence, the outside world also began to stir with wind and clouds.

After the ghost soldiers seized the grain, Xinzheng's left commander Liu Yi was killed, another blood case emerged—when a state is doom‑bound, monsters arise. Zhou Shuo could have ignored these affairs and focused on his research and reading, but it was fitting, given his and Wei Zhuang's talk of enjoying bustle, that Wei Zhuang, one evening, borrowed men from the Seven Absolutes Hall to tell him there was a lively event, inviting him to the seventh street of southern Xinzheng, to the turf of the Poison Scorpion Sect.