Chapter 41: Gifts and the Thought Behind Them
Page 1 of 3
It was still the top floor of Silver Moon Tower. When the portly steward saw that the visitor was once again the same black-robed man as before, a trace of anger could not help but appear on his face.
“Sir,” perhaps emboldened by the arrival of representatives from his clan, the portly steward’s voice held considerably more irritation than before. “Could it be that the sincerity we have shown is still insufficient to move the people behind you? Of the Five Surnames and Seven Great Clans, apart from the imperial Longyou Li clan, the other six families—the Zhao Commandery Lis, the Boling Cui clan, the Qinghe Cui clan, the Fanyang Lu clan, the Xingyang Zheng clan, and the Taiyuan Wang clan—have all sent representatives. They came precisely to negotiate this enormous deal with the people behind you. Yet why is it that today… you have come alone once more?”
“Pray do not be so anxious, Steward,” Li Kuan replied languidly through the Shadow Assassin. “You may inform the representatives of the six families that my master is awaiting them at Eagle-Beak Cliff on Jade Mountain. However, I must offer one reminder: although it is still early, I ask that they hurry there as swiftly as possible. Later, my master must also meet with several major salt merchants from Jiangnan to discuss another important matter.”
“Your master… certainly seems to be a busy man…”
The speaker was not the portly steward. From the other side of the room, three richly dressed old men slowly emerged from behind the screen. The man in the center had spoken.
“Tsk, tsk, tsk. Salt merchants from Jiangnan, indeed.”
A young woman’s voice drifted in from the adjoining room, thick with mockery.
“Are you insulting my master?”
The black-robed man rose and looked toward the adjoining room. He then gave a cold laugh.
“Fools who know nothing of the height of the heavens or the breadth of the earth!”
“Fire!”
At his command, several sharp sounds split the air from the neighboring room.
Thwack! Thwack-thwack!
The bolts had struck the floor.
“Ah! You bastard!”
After letting out a shriek, the young woman stormed furiously from the adjoining room into the one where the others stood.
“How dare you shoot crossbow bolts at me? Are you looking for death?!”
As Li Kuan, riding toward Eagle-Beak Cliff, finally saw the spoiled young woman through the black-robed man’s eyes, he could not help frowning, even while dividing his attention between two things.
Damn it. How could she be nothing more than a half-grown girl?
Judging by her age, she looked no more than fourteen or fifteen.
How had she managed to cultivate that alluring, languid bearing of a mature beauty?
“Which family are you from?” the black-robed man asked coldly as the girl arrived to demand an explanation.
“The Zhao Commandery Li clan! Li Qingqing!”
The girl’s pretty face turned slightly cold, and her voice carried an unmistakable note of arrogance.
“Very well,” the black-robed man said with a nod. “Then the Zhao Commandery Li clan’s business is no longer something my young master will undertake.”
As his words fell, everyone in the room was struck speechless.
Page 1 of 3
Page 2 of 3
The old man who had spoken earlier was Wang Tong of the Taiyuan Wang clan. Upon hearing this, he could not help frowning.
“Young man, setting aside the fact that you attacked my Li clan’s worthy niece without so much as a word of explanation, let me ask you this: you say that you will not cooperate, and so you will not cooperate? From the looks of it, you have the authority to decide matters concerning your young master?”
“I have the authority to decide that.”
The black-robed man’s tone remained indifferent. He then turned his gaze toward another room adjoining the hall.
“The show is over, gentlemen. Why not come in and state your positions? If you are willing to do business, then let us continue. If not… we shall simply part ways here and now.”
Li Kuan knew very well that when doing business with others, one must never force a deal upon them.
Thus, his every word carried an unrestrained, fearless arrogance.
“Heh heh… there is no need to rush, my friend.”
As a young man’s voice rang out, the door to the adjoining room opened. A short while later, two handsome young gentlemen entered.
“Cui Mo of the Boling Cui clan pays his respects, sir.”
“Cui Li of the Qinghe Cui clan pays his respects, sir.”
The two young men were remarkably courteous, and Li Kuan immediately understood the situation.
Although the Five Surnames and Seven Great Clans appeared to stand united, those who shared the same ancestral line were naturally closer behind closed doors.
With that thought, Li Kuan directed the Shadow Assassin’s gaze toward the three old men who had first appeared in the room.
“It seems the three of you represent the Fanyang Lu clan, the Xingyang Zheng clan, and the Taiyuan Wang clan respectively?”
Upon hearing this, the three old men exchanged glances before introducing themselves.
“Wang Tong of the Taiyuan Wang clan.”
“Zheng Yuanlong of the Xingyang Zheng clan.”
“Lu Jing of the Fanyang Lu clan.”
Once the six men had made their identities clear, the portly steward, who had been shrinking in a corner of the room, quietly withdrew.
He knew that what followed was not a conversation he was meant to hear.
Li Kuan deliberately cast a glance at Lu Jing, whose tone had been rather sharp at the end, then nodded.
“In that case, why not accompany me to Jade Mountain and meet my young master? Of course, my words and conduct earlier were improper. Allow me to offer my apologies first.”
As he spoke, the black-robed man clasped his fists and bowed to the assembled guests.
Page 2 of 3
Page 3 of 3
Then he snapped his fingers.
Twelve more black-clad men entered from outside. Working in pairs, they carried in an enormous chest.
“These are meeting gifts my young master has prepared for you. As he put it, whether or not the business succeeds, the fact that you were willing to come all the way to Chang’an represents a precious bond of friendship. This is merely a courtesy in return, so please do not refuse.”
It had to be said that the black-robed man’s words instantly transformed the unfavorable impression he had left behind.
More importantly, everyone present now felt an involuntary increase in curiosity toward that mysterious young master.
The meeting gifts Li Kuan had prepared were by no means modest.
They consisted of six glass ornaments, each roughly a foot square: three golden toads that spat forth treasures and three wealth-attracting pixiu, each crafted in a different form.
“Hiss…”
The sight of the so-called meeting gifts immediately drew a chorus of sharp intakes of breath from the room.
Such extravagance was something even the members of the Five Surnames and Seven Great Clans had never heard of or witnessed before.
The wealthiest of them, the Taiyuan Wang clan, possessed a collection of treasured glassware. Yet its largest piece was merely a half-foot-tall statue of Guanyin, and even that had been locked away deep within the family treasury, rarely seeing the light of day.
“I have lived all these years, and today I have truly widened my horizons…”
Zheng Yuanlong of the Xingyang Zheng clan stared in astonishment at the six glass treasures before him.
“To behold six such treasures of the world all at once—what good fortune!”
As he spoke, the other two old men beside him nodded repeatedly, clearly agreeing with him.
“Hmph. What is there to be so impressed by…”
Li Qingqing, who had provoked the black-robed man earlier, looked at the enormous golden toad that spat forth treasures. Though she spoke against her true feelings, there was noticeably less confidence in her voice.
“This… accepting such a gift without having done anything to deserve it…”
The two young gentlemen of the Cui clan wished to refuse, but when faced with such priceless treasures, they seemed not even to possess the qualifications to do so.
After directing his men to set down the chests and then waving for them to leave, the black-robed man spoke once more.
“Gentlemen.”
As usual, he first clasped his fists.
“When my master was alive, he often kept a certain saying at his lips: ‘When one travels the world, every courtesy must be fulfilled before one’s intentions can be considered sincere. Once sincerity has been shown, friendship may begin.’ My young master’s courtesy has now been fulfilled. Whether his intentions have reached you is for you to judge. Finally, if you believe that they have, then might you be willing to set aside your dignity and travel to Eagle-Beak Cliff on Jade Mountain for a conversation with my young master?”
Page 3 of 3