After Sheng Jun Chapter 5 (Part 1)
Translated by Sylver (ko-fi)
Chapter 5.1 The Richest Man in Jiuzhou (part 1)
Deep emotions brewed in Zhong Ming's eyes, as if etched into his very soul. During their shared gaze, all of this was reflected in Jiang Xingzhi's eyes.
Jiang Xingzhi's eyelashes fluttered. He had meant it as a joke, but seeing the other's expression, it seemed he had touched a sensitive spot.
Tossing and turning, unable to sleep all night...Hiss, what kind of deep-seated grudge could this be?
He thought for a moment, then offered sincere comfort, "The past will always pass, and tomorrow will still come."
"......"
This bowl of watery late-night chicken soup being poured out caused the candlelight in the room to dim, as if half its fire had been forcibly extinguished.
Zhong Ming paused for a moment, "Still reading the book?"
Jiang Xingzhi said, "Not anymore, I need to wake up early tomorrow."
Zhong Ming then suddenly extinguished the candle, leaving only a faint moonlight seeping onto the floor, cool as water. Jiang Xingzhi looked up; in the dim light, the other's downcast eyes concealed their expression.
He burrowed into his blanket, "Would you like to find a place to lie down?"
"......" There seemed to be a gaze falling on him from above, and the other's voice lifted at the end, "Find a place?"
Jiang Xingzhi felt around the only bed in the entire room from within his blanket. In the hazy darkness, the figure by the bed leaned toward him, the bed sinking as arms braced against it.
"Which place should I find? Tell me."
Long hair fell beside his pillow, their breaths mingling in the stillness. Jiang Xingzhi thought rapidly:
He had paid for the room, so he couldn't be the one to move. There was only one bed, and he couldn't invite someone to share it—the person he liked was a man, and sleeping together with another man somehow felt wrong.
Jiang Xingzhi's gaze wandered as he tentatively suggested, "How about that bathtub behind the screen, is it big enough?"
"......"
The bed sprang back as the person above straightened up and returned to sit at the table, "You sleep."
Noticing that Jiang Xingzhi wanted to add something, Zhong Ming's temple twitched as he said, "Go to sleep now, and I'll pretend you were sleep-talking."
The person curled up in the blanket shifted slightly, then obediently closed his eyes.
……
The next morning, dim light filtered through the carved window's cracks, and the candle on the table had long burned out.
The magic artifact in his arms was still hot. Jiang Xingzhi got up, intending to place it back on the table.
Zhong Ming still sat at the table with his eyes closed in meditation, like an ice sculpture. As Jiang Xingzhi put down the artifact and put on his outer robe to leave, the meditating man opened his eyes, "Where are you going?"
Jiang Xingzhi said, "Fishing." The Shang family’s three cultivators who had fainted should be awake by now.
Zhong Ming stored away the artifact and stood up, "Let's go."
The door-pushing motion stopped as Jiang Xingzhi turned to look at him. The latter moved smoothly, his attitude natural, making Jiang Xingzhi wonder if he had really said something in his sleep to reach an agreement about traveling together.
"Sir, you needn't get involved."
But Zhong Ming had already reached from behind him to push open the door, "I'm also interested in the Kouyue Sect."
His warm breath brushed against the nearby earlobe as he spoke, making Jiang Xingzhi's ear tip tingle. As he was about to turn his head, he caught sight of a figure in his peripheral vision, and looked up to meet the eyes of the inn's servant boy standing in the corridor.
The servant's dazed gaze fell on their "intimate" posture: just to open a door, was this necessary?
After a moment, he slowly closed his open mouth, bowed, and hurriedly left. The current trends these days...tsk tsk.
As that complicated silhouette disappeared at the end of the corridor, Jiang Xingzhi choked, "He must be speculating something."
Zhong Ming laughed, with a hint of pleasure, "At least they won't think we're stingy anymore."
Jiang Xingzhi, "......" That was true.
****
Outside the Yunchou Inn, the street was quiet and empty.
Apart from early risers, there were only vendors setting up their stalls.
The streets of Xunyang City intersected in a grid, and every third street had servants in short robes patrolling, each wearing a copper badge with the character "Shang" at their waist.
Jiang Xingzhi walked openly on the street, and before half a street had passed, sure enough, several people were following at a distance, while others had gone to report the news.
Before reinforcements arrived, he stopped at a breakfast shop to buy a steamed cake.
The hot steamed cake was sweet and soft. Jiang Xingzhi held it in his hands and took a few bites, eating until his face was rosy, rivaling the dawn glow rising on the horizon.
The servants secretly watching swallowed hard.
Zhong Ming glanced at Jiang Xingzhi; when it came to annoying people, he was always skilled.
"There's something on your mouth," he said, looking at a crumb at the corner of the other's mouth, reaching out.
His tongue quickly swept across, and Jiang Xingzhi precisely collected the crumb, shrinking his neck warily to avoid him, "Don't, two grown men shouldn't do such sour things."
"......"
Just as the steamed cake was finished, a harsh shout suddenly rang out in the cold street, like thunder.
"You two, how dare you be so at ease after hurting our Shang family's people? This seems inappropriate, doesn't it?"
Jiang Xingzhi looked up at the seven cultivators who had surrounded them. Among them were five Foundation Establishment and two Golden Core cultivators, each holding a long sword, with blades level with his slender neck.
The passersby and vendors didn't know what was happening, but seeing two Golden Core masters in the group, they knew it was serious!
In an instant, everyone scattered like startled birds.
As Zhong Ming's hand, which had been hanging at his side, began to rise, it was pressed down by another hand. He paused, following that force to lower his hand.
Jiang Xingzhi asked, "What can I help you with?"
The Golden Core cultivator Hu Lin who had spoken earlier shook his sword tip, cold light flashing, "Our clan members identified you this morning. We advise you both to come with us quietly to go see the family head!"
"To go see?" Jiang Xingzhi pondered the wording.
The two leading Golden Core cultivators exchanged glances, then wasted no more time. Hu Lin frowned, "Attack!"
At the command, all seven attacked simultaneously. Though there were only two opponents, they didn't dare to be careless, going straight for the kill.
Boom! The even street cracked inch by inch from the spiritual power waves, stones flying up. However, before they could get close, all seven seemed to hit an invisible barrier, "Ugh!" Their bodies were thrown backward uncontrollably.
All their attacks disappeared without a trace, as if sinking into quicksand.
The two figures standing in the middle of the street hadn't moved at all, only their clothes fluttering slightly in the energy flow.
After steadying himself, Hu Lin was still breathing heavily, his heart surging with shock. He collected himself and threw out a Spirit Binding Rope—a mid-grade Xuan level magic artifact that only those above the Nascent Soul realm could escape from.
Whoosh! The Spirit Binding Rope flew through the air like a golden snake, then Jiang Xingzhi lightly raised his hand.
Before the cultivators' disbelieving eyes, the magic artifact that could bind even Nascent Soul masters turned to dust in an instant.
The street was deathly silent.
A master above Nascent Soul realm, how could they be in Xunyang City?
The morning wind blew across the gray-white road, carrying away the floating dust, while a hint of the steamed cake's sweetness still lingered in the air.
Under the faintly released pressure, the Foundation Establishment cultivators' legs trembled violently. Hu Lin barely steadied his nerves, his mouth opening and closing, but no sound came out for a long while.
In the tense atmosphere, Jiang Xingzhi smiled, which, combined with his rosy face from eating, looked quite friendly, "Is it 'to go see,' or 'please come see'?"
****
The Shang family's pawnshops spread throughout Jiuzhou, earning them the title of the richest family in Jiuzhou. They had branches throughout Jiuzhou, with their main family located in Quzhou, a thousand li away from Xunyang City.
Quzhou was different from Xunyang City, with wide moats flowing quietly around tall city walls, towers rising throughout the city, and bustling markets. The streets in the city center were worth their weight in gold, and the Shang family's grand residence was located among these precious plots of land.
When Jiang Xingzhi and Zhong Ming arrived in Quzhou with the escort, it was already noon. Most of the escorts were Foundation Establishment cultivators, so their pace had been quite slow.
By now, Hu Lin and the others' attitude toward them had completely changed.
As soon as they entered the city, a luxurious carriage waited at the city gate, pulled by sleek horses, with fragrant breezes wafting from within.
Hu Lin introduced to Jiang Xingzhi, "This was prepared by the family head for the two darens. Earlier, it was my misunderstanding that led to conflict, please forgive the offense."
Merchants had always been good at reading situations, so their change in attitude was understandable.
Jiang Xingzhi saw how readily Hu Lin took the blame and didn't refuse this show of goodwill, "Thank you for your trouble."
As he was about to step into the carriage, a servant boy came forward to help. Before he could get close, a black shadow flashed, and the black-clothed man who had been accompanying Jiang Xingzhi stood beside him.
Zhong Ming blocked the servant's way, grabbed Jiang Xingzhi's arm and lifted, his broad palm wrapping around the elbow, efficiently helping him into the carriage.
Jiang Xingzhi: ......?
The curtain fell, and a deep voice from inside said "Go."
The sleek black horses clip-clopped forward, wheels rolling over the bluestone street.
Sitting in the carriage, Jiang Xingzhi looked down at his arm, "Lucky I'm a grown man. If you handled some young lady like that, you'd probably hurt her muscles and bones."
Zhong Ming leaned back in the carriage, "I wouldn't."
Jiang Xingzhi thought for a moment, "True, you'd definitely be gentler with young ladies."