Chapter Fifty-Six: First Encounter with Lord Le Yin

In the blink of an eye, the day of the contest between the two grand masters of Bai Liu had arrived.

The competition was scheduled for that evening. Yang Cheng, accompanied by Lu Baichuan and Hua Mingzhu, set out early for the central district to meet up with Zhu Buhuo. Zhu Buhuo, too, was there thanks to the favor of friends; since Yang Cheng couldn’t bring too many people, Mei Yuchen and Li Tianxing, eager to watch the duel, had to take another route. Only Hua Mingzhu accompanied him, as there were undisclosed reasons between Yang Cheng and Lu Baichuan for their choice, leaving Li Tianxing and the others to fend for themselves, their entry dependent on luck.

The young men, somewhat disgruntled, went ahead on their own, while Hua Mingzhu, delighted, followed her young master and teacher. The group arrived near the plaza in the central district and saw Zhu Buhuo waiting at the door of a pavilion. Above the entrance hung a plaque emblazoned with bold scarlet characters: "Traveling Merchants Association," the largest commercial organization in Wuzhou City.

They approached and exchanged greetings, noticing a martial artist in a gray robe standing behind Zhu Buhuo. His stature was upright, his bearing heroic. Zhu Buhuo turned to introduce him to Yang Cheng: this was Duan Zhiwu, a revered expert of the Fusion Stage, rarely seen outside the Zhu family residence. As a cultivator, he had come today especially to witness the event.

Yang Cheng observed the depth and steadiness in Duan Zhiwu’s gaze, sensing a man with stories untold. Since it was their first meeting, they exchanged only polite bows.

Zhu Buhuo had met Lu Baichuan several times before, so no introduction was needed, and the group proceeded directly to the second floor.

The pavilion of the Traveling Merchants Association, as its name implied, was an alliance of itinerant traders. To prevent cutthroat competition and foster mutual benefit, merchants formed their own circles; in Wuzhou, there were myriad associations, but none as large as this one. Local business was manageable, but trade between city-states was fraught with peril—bandits, ferocious beasts—and hiring martial artists for escorting goods was prohibitively expensive. Thus, many traders joined forces to share the burden; whether supporting cultivators or hiring mercenary groups, costs were slashed.

Over time, this grew into a formidable association with astonishing wealth. Though mere businessmen, uninterested in the power struggles of various factions, their capabilities were not to be underestimated. To own a piece of land in the central district, the heart of authority, and to build such a pavilion for gatherings and exchanges spoke volumes of their influence.

The association had its own organizational structure; the pavilion had eight floors, with merchants of varying strength and influence assigned to different levels. The top floor was reserved for Wuzhou’s elite few.

Zhu Buhuo wasn’t qualified to be a traveling merchant; his business was confined to the city and he had no dealings with other city-states, thus not yet eligible for membership. However, his childhood friend Le Yingong dealt in ceramics and had established a sizable family enterprise, joining the association early and wielding some influence on the second floor.

Le Yingong’s business was broader than Zhu Buhuo’s, but their friendship was deep, unaffected by any disparity in commerce. He often sought ways to assist Zhu Buhuo, though their trades rarely intersected—ceramics versus sundries. Occasionally, Le Yingong would support Zhu Buhuo’s shop.

Little did anyone expect Zhu Buhuo’s sudden rise; his business flourished, and as a close friend, Le Yingong was well aware. He had long wished to meet this young master Yang Cheng. Both wanted to attend the upcoming martial contest, so Le Yingong used his influence to secure prime seats for them on the second floor.

As most association members were not cultivators and showed little interest in the event, bringing four or five guests was easily arranged.

Leading Yang Cheng and the others upstairs, Zhu Buhuo introduced Le Yingong along the way. Le Yingong was currently mingling with other members. Seeing Zhu Buhuo enter, he promptly stood to greet them.

Yang Cheng was struck by Le Yingong’s gentle, jade-like features and calm demeanor—quite unlike the rough-and-tumble merchants he'd imagined. In another life, he would have been the very image of a mature, dependable gentleman, not possessing the worldly slickness of old Zhu.

After introductions, Le Yingong ushered the group into a private room by the window. From there, Yang Cheng could gaze directly onto the plaza, the view perfectly suited.

The group sat together, the low table laden with fruit and tea. Zhu Buhuo glanced around, then out the window, and laughed, “Yingong, I thought you’d be busy, but you’ve prepared everything ahead of time!”

“Old Zhu, when you said you’d come, I kept it in mind. If you’d come alone, I wouldn’t have bothered to host. You’re only here thanks to Yang’s favor,” Le Yingong replied, casting a sidelong glance at Zhu Buhuo.

Yang Cheng bowed, “Thank you, thank you. Yang Cheng is grateful to Brother Le.”

Zhu Buhuo waved it off, “Little brother, there’s no need for formality. If he didn’t host us, I’d never let him hear the end of it.”

The group laughed, Le Yingong smiled and invited everyone to tea, and they began to chat.

“Brother Le, I heard from Old Zhu that you deal in ceramics. I’m quite interested. How’s the craftsmanship? May I have a look?” Yang Cheng inquired after setting down his cup.

“Ah, you’re interested?” Le Yingong gestured around, “All the ceramics on this floor are from my family. In Wuzhou, we’re not the only ones, but our quality is among the top five.”

Yang Cheng walked over and picked up a decorative vase—smooth as jade, finely patterned, clearly high quality. “Brother Le, what’s the price for this vase?”

“This kind comes in three grades: premium, medium, and standard. Market prices range from a few to several dozen silver coins; wholesale is even lower.” Le Yingong sighed, “It’s just hard-earned money, all about volume. Nothing like your furniture, which fetches two or three hundred, and that’s in spirit coins—a thousand times the difference.”

Yang Cheng smiled, “That’s only because I have a monopoly right now, and so I control the pricing.”

“Monopoly? Pricing power?” Le Yingong was puzzled, as were the others.

“It means I control the supply; only my shop has it, and because it’s scarce, I can set the price without constraint. If the goods become common, competition forces prices down.”

Yang Cheng asked, “Brother Le, how’s your business? Which city-states do you trade with?”

“Mostly with Seaside City to the east and Ice City to the north—places unsuited for ceramics due to geography and fairly close by, so risk is lower and prices can be double what they are here. The neighboring city-states to the south and west have their own ceramics, so there’s no need to go there.” Le Yingong sighed, “The nation of Flowing Clouds is vast—one hundred and eight cities, treacherous roads, countless beasts. We can’t venture too far.”

“Brother Le, you should try expanding in all directions. We could cooperate.”

Le Yingong and Zhu Buhuo exchanged glances, a subtle joy in their eyes. “Brother Yang, you mean…?”

“Yes, I mean the furniture you think is so profitable.” Yang Cheng smiled, “I’ve already granted the selling rights to Old Zhu; he can expand his franchise as he pleases, including to other city-states. You can negotiate with him. I can even allocate a tenth of the business in other cities for you to manage.”

Zhu Buhuo had never considered outside cities, mainly because Wuzhou had only just begun, and he lacked the ambition. Besides, any expansion required Yang Cheng’s approval.

Now with Yang Cheng’s blessing, Zhu Buhuo was excited. “Excellent! Yingong, we two brothers can finally do something together.”

Le Yingong was also stirred; profits in ceramics were thin, but he had resources in other city-states, just never the right goods for business.

Zhu Buhuo continued, “Let’s start by opening a main store in the cities where you have connections. I’ll handle operations, you handle transport. Counting the tenth from Yang, we’ll split the main store’s fifty percent and each branch’s ten percent evenly between us.”

“Thank you, Brother Yang, for the opportunity! It’s hard to express my gratitude.” Even the gentle Le Yingong was moved, slapping his thigh and rising to bow in thanks.

Yang Cheng smiled, “You two are close friends; I trust Old Zhu, so I trust you as well. Old Zhu and I are allies, and now so are you. But this will take at least a month or two—I don’t have enough production staff yet, so preparations must be made.”

“Absolutely, absolutely.” Le Yingong nodded.

“But I have another business proposal for you. I want to order ceramics in bulk from you to use as containers, in three grades: premium, medium, and standard. Each month, I’ll need tens of thousands of each, but I’ll require custom designs and inscriptions on them. Can you manage that?”

Le Yingong was surprised, “Of course I’ll give you the lowest price, Brother Yang, but tens of thousands each month—that’s a huge number. May I ask, what will you use so many containers for?”

“All will become clear in time,” Yang Cheng replied, keeping his secret.

Seeing he wouldn’t elaborate, the others didn’t press him.

“Designs and inscriptions are no problem,” Le Yingong assured him.

“Good. I’ll work out the designs, and send someone with the patterns and deposit to you.”

Le Yingong nodded, still somewhat stunned. He had come to watch the city’s grand cultivation event, but had ended up securing two major business deals—opportunities delivered right to his door.