"So that's how it is," Shang Chaofeng replied with a brief acknowledgment.
Fang Yuan had stepped forward and directly rejected his proposal on Shang Xinci's behalf, so he couldn't very well press the matter further.
Fang Yuan had defeated Ju Kaibei — at the Peak Stage of the Third Transformation, he possessed fighting power on par with the Fourth Transformation. On top of that, he held the Purple Gold Token, making him an honored guest of the Shang Clan. For these reasons, Shang Chaofeng had been extending goodwill toward the Fang and Bai pair this whole time.
But inwardly, he didn't think much of them.
The two sides talked for a while longer before Shang Chaofeng personally escorted Shang Xinci and her companions to the front gates of his estate.
To outsiders, this was the most unmistakable political signal imaginable.
After bidding farewell to Shang Chaofeng, Shang, Fang, and Bai stepped onto the main street.
Today was the Fortune Festival. All the shops were shuttered, and both sides of the street were lined with all manner of small market stalls.
"Come, come, come! Sweet and sour candied hawthorns!"
"Let me tell you, this piece of old jade has been passed down through my family for generations..."
"Rice for sale, rice for sale! One bag of five-spice essential-oil rice, only half a Yuan Stone!"
Stall after stall stretched out in an endless row, offering every imaginable good. Lining the street as far as the eye could see, countless pedestrians jostled shoulder to shoulder — some stopping to gawk, some haggling over prices, some craning their necks in every direction.
The Fortune Festival came once a year, and by now, whether it was Fang Yuan, Bai Ningbing, or Shang Xinci, none of them were strangers to it.
"Let me count. We've been in Merchant City for two or three years already," Shang Xinci said suddenly, her voice tinged with emotion.
"Everything that's happened these past two years… it's really been too much." She sighed and continued, "Before, I never could have imagined that I'm the daughter of the Shang Clan Patriarch."
Then she turned to Fang Yuan, offering a slight smile that revealed her pearly white teeth: "If it weren't for you, Brother Heitu, I never could have made it here."
She had always held deep gratitude toward Fang Yuan and Bai Ningbing.
Bai Ningbing stood to the side in silence, only the corner of her eye twitching faintly.
"Indeed. I never expected your father to be the famous Shang Yanfei either! But saving you was simply a matter of fate. Fates arrive and depart, people gather and part — that's the way of the world." Fang Yuan gazed straight ahead as he answered.
Shang Xinci's expression shifted subtly. She caught the implication beneath his words: "Brother Heitu, are you planning to leave Merchant City?"
"That's right. Before long, Bai Ningbing and I will be leaving you, Shang Xinci, and heading to Three Fork Mountain," Fang Yuan replied.
Shang Xinci clenched her teeth, wanting to voice words of persuasion to stay, but in the end she couldn't bring herself to say them.
Having spent so long with Fang Yuan, even though they had never explicitly discussed it, she could sense the wild ambition burning within him.
This man's ambition was far too great — it was impossible for him to remain in Merchant City, this one place.
"Don't worry, though. Before we leave, I'll push you into the position of Young Master, and make sure you're firmly seated on it." Fang Yuan smiled. "Come on, let me take you to recruit subordinates. Today, we'll set up the foundation of Xinci's future power base."
"What — Brother Heitu, you really have ideal candidates in mind?" Shang Xinci asked back with a trace of surprise.
Building a power base required a long stretch of time.
Loyal and devoted subordinates all had to be cultivated over many years.
The way Fang Yuan spoke now made Shang Xinci feel as if loyal, capable subordinates were nothing more than cabbages — plucked up the moment you said you wanted them.
What sort of confidence did he have to sound so sure of himself?
Not only was Shang Xinci curious — even Bai Ningbing couldn't help but be intrigued.
"Just follow me," Fang Yuan said, walking ahead to lead the way.
After twisting and turning through a maze of turns, they arrived at a narrow alley.
Between a lantern shop and a silk store, a stall was set up.
Fang Yuan walked up to the stall and stopped.
Behind it, a young man lay half-reclined.
The youth was dressed in tattered rags, his back propped against the corner of a wall. His eyes were half-lidded, his complexion wretched, his gaze unfocused — the picture of someone who had drowned himself in wine and pleasures and couldn't pull free from the depths of his dissipation.
"Could this be the person Brother Heitu is looking for?" Shang Xinci wondered to herself.
Bai Ningbing also studied the man with sharp eyes. He was a Gu Master, but only at the Middle Stage of the First Transformation. From the look of him, he wasn't young anymore, yet to be at this level of cultivation was frankly pathetic.
"Young sir, might I ask what you'd like to buy — er, Lord Fang Zheng!" The youth sensed someone's presence and opened his eyes. He had only gotten halfway through his sentence before his pitch suddenly shot upward, his face flushing with shock and astonishment.
Fang Yuan had become something of a celebrity in Merchant City. He hadn't hidden his true face, so a great many people recognized him.
"L-Lord Bai Ningbing…" Moments later, he identified Bai Ningbing as well, his voice so excited that he stammered.
As for Shang Xinci, though he didn't recognize her, he could still pick up the aura of a Gu Master about her. Her stunningly beautiful face, meanwhile, left him dizzy and disoriented.
"Here are ten Yuan Stones. I'm buying everything you've got. You can leave now." Fang Yuan produced a pouch of Yuan Stones.