Chapter 4

  “They dare to sell the Golden Crow to fund the restaurant they stole from us!” Ji Hao growled with one hand over the hardwood table, tails of his robe flapping in the wind that suddenly picked up as though it felt the rage burning deep within his heart. “We gave them face! Honored our debt, hoping they would at least be courteous enough to respect our dignity! Father, we shall not take up with this! I’ll go and see—“

  “You’ll do no such thing,” the Patriarch muttered gently like the morning breeze, elbows resting over the arms of the chair laid behind the table. He was clad in pristine whites today, wearing his scholarly robes that didn’t quite fit the predicament they were facing.

  Why must you act like that guy has all the strings in his hands? Why must you stay so calm even though what they did is to sully the name of our Ji Clan?

  Ji Hao ground his teeth in frustration as the Patriarch kept his gaze on him. Even with this scholarly air, there was something about the way he carried himself that sent shivers down his spine. An Earth Immortal was a force to be reckoned with. An Earth Immortal with hundreds of years under his belt, on the other hand, was terrifying.

  Which all the more reason why Ji Hao couldn’t understand why his father decided to stay silent in this matter. The Zhu Clan might be a strong force that had the Emperor’s favor, but Ji Clan could at least rival them in strength.

  “This matter isn’t as simple as it looks,” the Patriarch said, his youthful face calm as a serene river. “I’ve heard they brought a group of mortals from a backwater town with them. One of them is supposed to be this great chef, which was why that guy demanded the Golden Crow’d Den of all our establishments. He could’ve gotten more if he wished so, but settled with just the restaurant. Something is not right there.”

  “Still—“

  “Hao’er, I can see through your heart and feel your anger like an ember in the palm of my hand. Do you suppose losing yourself like this will help you take the reins of the clan in the future? I may be your Father, but you of all people should know that my mantle as a Patriarch comes first. Control yourself, or don’t blame me for being heartless.”

  “Patriarch.” Ji Hao’s neck tightened as he bowed deeply against the seated figure.

  Right. If he wished to become the next Patriarch, he couldn’t allow himself to be affected by worldly matters. The Zhu Clan might be going over the line by selling the famed Golden Crow, the sign of the Divine Beast of the Ji Clan, in an auction, but if his Father was right, this matter wasn’t that simple.

  A group of mortals, you’ve said? I shall personally pay a visit to this restaurant when they open, then.

  “Good,” the Patriarch smiled slightly when Ji Hao gazed up at him, eyes glinting sharp. “Think and think twice before you act. Make plans. Gather allies. Don’t be a fool to feel obliged that you should handle everything all by yourself. Trust your blood. Beyond that, know your enemy first, only then shall you win your fights.”

  “I’ve been blind, Patriarch,” Ji Hao bowed once again before dragging himself slowly out of the study. The moment the servants closed the door, he clenched his fists under the robe.

  You will pay for this.

  Zhu Clan might be the scholarly ideal of the cultivation world in the capital, the home of the Heavenly Scholar who dined with Emperors and gave them counsel, but Ji Clan’s forte had never been trade fashions. Deep under that fa?ade, Ji Clan had always been the den of warriors who wouldn’t budge from challenges.

  …..

  “A hundred thousand imperial coins!” the host’s voice boomed as the whole auction house took a deep, united breath. “Going once!” he roared with passion, dark eyes gazing deep across the lines of men, waiting for another offer on the price which already exceeded Fatty Lou’s expectations. “Going twice!”

  This is it.

  He rested his back against the cushioned chair, feeling wildly out of place under the sparkling lights of the innumerable golden robes and jade ornaments crowding the hall. Seemed everyone came here to flaunt their wealth to the others while he himself wore the Zhu Clan’s most basic robes.

  I’d fancy a golden robe as well. Pity that we couldn’t keep all this money.

  A hundred thousand imperial coins, all perfectly golden and round, would’ve meant retirement over a hundred lives for a man like him. A big mansion by the Hansan River, with a porch taking in the salty breeze from the Distant Sea where the streams of the river spilled into the ocean.

  Likely a dozen maids attending him. Or two dozen? He wasn’t sure if he could keep two dozen maids all satisfied, but then, the mansion wouldn’t be the only thing he’d be buying with that amount of wealth. There were pills, he heard, concocted for the sole purpose of aiding one’s vigor in heavenly pleasures.

  Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

  There’s a reason why you’re not wealthy.

  He shook his head when he heard the word ‘Sold’ echo all over the main hall. Truth be told, he was half-scared to become a wealthy man, as he had more than one self-destructive habit that could become a problem with more money in the mix. Gambling, for one, seemed like it’d become the most obvious culprit, which he’d sworn to his old man that he would let go.

  We have a business to run, have we not? I liked being the manager in Jiangzhen. Perhaps it’s best for me to focus more on that.

  It was with a heavy sigh that he pulled himself out of the comfort of the cushioned chair, smile straining on his lips as the glorious crowd kept their eyes on him on the way out. Some of those looks carried a clear interest in them, while some others were brazenly hostile, which Fatty Lou hoped wasn’t about his identity.

  Big clans must have big enemies, right?

  Right.

  Then I should buy myself a pair of simple robes. And tell Brother Lei to do the same as well. We’re honest men here for honest work. Dealing with the capital’s politics wouldn’t suit us.

  Then again, he always thought politics would sit more well with a man like him than simple businesses.

  I’ve always been my own worst enemy.

  …..

  “I knew there was a catch,” Lei muttered as the morning light spilled from the balcony of his room. It was a new day, and the air was pregnant with expectation. Though the first blow of the morning came a little earlier than he would’ve liked.

  They took a bigger cut than I’d imagined.

  From the general sale of the jade and gold ornaments of the restaurant, what they got was a measly five thousand golden coins, which wasn’t even five percent of the whole sale. Zhu Luli told him that her father wished this to be a trial, and he didn’t see a restaurant with a hundred thousand golden coins' head start as being fit to test his talents.

  Could’ve been way worse. Could’ve been nothing.

  Lei tried to calm himself, but knowing the capital had its own economy, which was wildly different from Jiangzhen, he couldn’t help but worry about their future. At this rate, five thousand golden coins would barely last them a month, especially with help being this expensive.

  You always read about people working under Immortals and Sages and think, "Why would anyone want to become a servant while they can become their own man?" Turns out, it’s because of the money.

  He thought of hiring people from backwater towns like Jiangzhen to justify the costs, but he was reminded more than once that the capital wasn’t a place where one could enter without a permit. There were also laws against unjust rivalry. But nothing had surprised him more than the minimum wage.

  Can’t believe you have to pay a hundred golden coins as a minimum. Can we even make that back?

  They would see that soon as he, Zhu Luli, and Fatty Lou had planned to go for a research mission today. One that would be entirely about competition. They had a budget of a thousand golden coins, which Zhu Luli supposed would be barely enough to try a few places. To her old self, spending thousands on a single dinner wasn’t all too strange back in the day.

  It’s a different ball game here. A different world. The scope is bigger than I thought.

  Which meant he would have to put a value on his talents accordingly.

  By the time he wore the simple robe Brother Lou had bought for him and exited through the main doors of their little mansion, Fatty Lou and Zhu Luli were chatting while keeping an eye on the kids.

  “Are we ready?” Lei said to the both of them, getting a joint nod in return. He then stared out into the green lands of the Zhu Clan, taking sight of Snake and Stone there, cultivating under the shade of a giant tree. A happy-looking Little Mei was keeping them company with what looked like a Browntail-shaped cushion tucked under her armpits, while a real Browntail was staring down at her from the branches with teary little eyes.

  Little Yao seems jealous, but I guess it’s about time she learns that there’s little in this world that can rival the temptation of stuffed toys for girls.

  “We will start with the Zhang Clan’s Mountain,” Zhu Luli muttered as they started their stroll through the front yard. There was a smile on her lips, as though she was relieved that she would spend the day outside the clan with Lei and Fatty Lou rather than with her old friends. “They’re famous for their breakfasts, and the Amberleaf Tea they harvest from their mountains.”

  “I wouldn’t mind a good tea,” Fatty Lou nodded slightly. “Though I have to say, I’m not a breakfast person.”

  “That was a lie,” Zhu Luli said.

  Fatty Lou gave her a look. “No, it wasn’t.”

  “It was,” Zhu Luli pursed her lips. “And I have the last three months to show that.”

  “Eh,” Fatty Lou shrugged. “The fact that I’ve eaten a bunch of morning food doesn’t mean that I fancy those things. I have a body to keep strong, and I don’t appreciate the rush that comes with it. And morning food—”

  “We can take it slow,” Lei muttered as an idea popped into his mind. Breakfast, or morning food, as the locals called it, wasn’t considered an essential in these lands. It was a way to start your day, a quick meal to keep the body somewhat full through the rest of the day until the work was done. Then, after a day’s worth of labor, the real meal would follow, which was dinner.

  “What do you mean?” Zhu Luli and Fatty Lou asked as they turned to him.

  “Why not make it a worthwhile experience?” Lei said. His mother’s side had a whole cuisine that treated breakfast as a wide feast. A good number of different jams, eggs, cheese, fruits, and vegetables… With special dishes like menemen to go with. That had been widely popular in Jiangzhen, and Lei thought the capital’s folk would appreciate the uniqueness of it as well.

  That could be the edge we lack.

  “We could have a variety of dishes solely for breakfast. Granted, working people wouldn’t have the time to spend an hour early in the mornings, but if we can target the rich and show them this can be a new way to show their status to the common folk… I think they’d bite.”

  “Use their empty time against them, you say?” Fatty Lou rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “It can work.”

  “Depends on the food,” Zhu Luli said, then smiled when Lei looked at her. “But I think that won’t be a problem for Brother Lei.”

  “No, it won’t be.” Lei clasped his hands together. Already, there were a few recipes swirling around in his mind. Picking them apart and making a menu out of them wasn’t an issue so long as he had the ingredients in his hand.

  “Let us try these restaurants first,” he said after a moment. “Then we can pay a visit to the open market. Something tells me the prices won’t be what we expect here in the capital.”

  “Everything’s too damn expensive,” Fatty Lou nodded at him. “Good thing our prices would be the same as well.”

  ….

  Arcanist In Another World