Chapter 9: 9

Chapter 9: Rain Cannot Help Grass Lacking Roots

A man and woman entered Muddyrun. The young man wore a hat on his head, a green pendant on his waist. In terms of elegance, the grandson of the Lu family could not hold a candle to this man. 

It was hard to tell the woman’s age. At first glance, she looked like a young maiden, her skin fair and clear like the ice of winter. On second glance, she had the flair of a seductress. Her enchanting eyes and lithe figure would suck one in. It dripped with charm. When she walked, her waist would turn seductively. It was obvious she was an outsider in this town.

The woman looked left and right, her eyes full of curiosity. She even reached out her hand to touch the mud walls. Unable to find anything, she asked, “Fu Nanhua, say, is this really one of the hidden blessed lands? Why was this place not marked on the map my ancestors had?”

The young man avoided the question and asked, “If you and I really found something good here, how will you repay me?”

The woman turned her body, her fingers interlocked behind her back. Her ample bosom was in full view. She smiled and said in a vague manner, “How about I let you have me?”

The young man never thought she would be so straightforward. However, this was no time for games. He did not come here for leisure. The fate of his entire family was at stake here. No matter how flirty he was, he would not dare engage in a temporary affair with this woman now.

He quickly changed the subject and pointed his finger down the alley. With a smile, he said, “Fairy Cai, enough, business is business. Must I repeat myself? There is a master-and-servant pair and a mother-and-son pair in Muddyrun. I can let you choose first. In exchange, your Alpenglow Mountain will give my Dragon City ten pieces of cloud stones.”

The woman nodded her head, smiling. “That’s a matter of course.”

The young man moved forward slowly and continued, “Afterward, once we obtain the opportunity, the item must be appraised by both our elders. Once that’s done, Alpenglow Mountain will pay out half of its value in cloud stones. Cai Jinjian, are you certain that you can convince the elders of Brilliant Cloud Mountain to agree to this deal of ours?”

The woman’s demeanor began to change. She stood upright, solemn. She looked completely different from before, no longer having that sleazy seductress attitude. She was Cai Jinjian from the Brilliant Cloud Mountain. “Yes!”

The young man halted his footsteps. His face grim, he turned around and faced the woman. “This is serious business here. Let me remind you that our alliance is one built purely on our self-interests. We are merely together because our interests align, not because of some love at first sight, got it? Dragon City and Brilliant Cloud Mountain have worked in tandem for centuries to make this happen. If we screw this up and provoke the elders’ wrath, not only will we be dead, but also our masters and parents, Cai Jinjian!”

Cai Jinjian smiled and replied, “So you’re saying, during our time in this town, we need to cooperate with each other sincerely. We shouldn’t hide anything from each other, am I right?”

In the dark alley, Fu Nanhua flashed a suave smile. “Not to mention…” He looked back and then lowered his voice. “We still need to be careful of those two. They’re not from a reputable sect or family. They’re unhinged, their way of doing things unpredictable.”

The tall slender woman smirked and said in a charming voice, “That’s why I chose you, Young Master Fu.”

Fu Nanhua said, “Let’s go, although there is the sage here to hold the balance between all the parties, it’s best if we be careful. We don’t want to let this chance slip through our fingertips. This is our moment.”

The talented youth’s Dao heart hardened. He recited in his mind, Dao I seek, all who block me, die!

He looked forward and noticed a frail boy approaching from afar. This was their second time meeting him.

The two continued to walk leisurely. Cai Jinjian also saw the boy and joked, “Over there, in that alley, we ran into him at the gate before, do you think that boy can—?”

Fu Nanhua understood what she was getting at. Puzzled by her words, he interrupted, “Fairy Cai, there are 600 households in this town. If we include the slaves and servants, there are nearly 5,000 people. Although there are a handful of hidden talents that originated here, over the years, almost all of the ones with good fortune have been divided up between the powers. We are here to clean up the leftovers. Even this, is all in accordance with the whims of the higher powers.”

The woman let out a self-deprecating laugh, a little embarrassed by her naive thoughts.

After a pause, Fu Nanhua continued, “I don’t know what your elders taught you, but father gave me a word of advice. If someone in this place gives you shivers down your spine, retreat. Keep a distance and do not be reckless. Certain people hidden here have unfathomable strength. Most of the people here that are against us are opponents of this town’s treasure hunt. There are also people here that may have good fortune that one can take advantage of. As long as we do not kill recklessly and break the old rules in place, whether we buy, scam, or steal…”

Cai Jinjian smirked. “Will depend on our mood.” 

Suddenly, she frowned and said, “Young Master Fu, why didn’t you let me bring along that Zhao family kid. Although I did learn a bit of this town’s dialect before leaving, I—”

Fu Nanhua interrupted her, shook his head, and said, “The big families in this town all have secret communication channels to the outside world. They can even deliver small bits of information under the nose of the sage. It’s just they don’t dare go over the limit. Those families are backed by powers stronger than Dragon City and Brilliant Cloud Mountain. Since we are outsiders, it’ll be a hassle for us. If you don’t want to talk, I’ll do it for you.”

Cai Jinjian smiled. “It’s whatever, just some rural speak. I don’t mind.”

Fu Nanhua smiled. The pair walked on in silence.

The two’s alliance was out of self-interest. They in no way felt close to each other. Besides, to the ambitious, anything, including family, was disposable.

Fu Nanhua’s smile was tranquil, graceful. He leaked his father’s teachings to Cai Jinjian because of a simple reason. The moment he stepped through the town’s gate, out of the three people with him, including the mute middle-aged man and cold black-clothed girl, he felt the woman beside him, Cai Jinjian of Brilliant Cloud Mountain, had the heart of a killer!

Fu Nanhua subconsciously touched the green pendant around his waist. Its craftsmanship was superb, fitting for a nobleman. 

Cai Jinjian thought for a bit, closed her eyes, and then opened them. “Song Jixin or Gu Can… I choose Gu Can.”

Fu Nanhua raised his brows. “Okay, deal!”

The boy moved seamlessly through the alley. Just as he was about to enter, Fu Nanhua walked forward with Cai Jinjian and smiled, “What a coincidence, we meet again.”

The boy was Chen Pingan who had just left Gu Can’s house. Upon hearing the voice, he turned around, nodded, and asked, “Something the matter?”

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Fu Nanhua said fluently in the town’s dialect, “We are in Muddyrun, correct? I wonder if there is a person called Song Jixin and a child called Gu Can here. I’m from the capital and my family is friends with Song Jixin’s father. The woman next to me has the last name Cai. She is from Gu Can’s mother’s family. We all just so happened to be walking in the same alley. What a coincidence indeed. It feels like we all came together because of fate.”

Fan Nanhua maintained a calm smile even when talking to the poor boy. He slightly bent his back when talking to the boy so as to not appear pretentious. He did not seem like a person that had bad intentions. He seemed like a respectable man.

Chen Pingan raised his head and pondered for a bit before saying softly, “It really is a coincidence.”

Fu Nanhua’s smile deepened. He said warmly, “Then, where do those two people live?”

To his surprise, the boy shook his head and said, “I was a pottery apprentice not too long ago. I lived outside the town for many years. I just moved here, and I’m not too familiar with the people around here. Perhaps you’ll have better luck asking someone else?”

Fu Nanhua smiled, not in a hurry to speak, as if he was contemplating his words.

The beautiful woman smiled and said, “Ah, it’s not good to lie. Do you think we’re bad people? Dear goodness no, we’re in broad daylight. What bad can we possibly do?”

Chen Pingan blinked. “I don’t really know.”

Cai Jinjian went back to her usual tone and asked Fu Nanhua, “Does this child want a reward?”

Fu Nanhua’s face remained the same. He replied, “Doesn’t look like it.”

Cai Jinjian’s eyebrows twitched. “If he doesn’t speak, we’ll just have to go door to door and ask. We’ll find them sooner or later.”

Fu Nanhua shook his head and said patiently, “Come on, little boy, if you do us this one small favor, how about I give you something? Sounds good?”

Chen Pingan scratched his head, his figure gaunt, his eyes clear and pure.

Fu Nanhua suddenly stood up straight. He saw a youth with a scholarly air sitting on the wall nearby. The boy was looking at them.

Near the boy stood a young girl. The top half of her face was shown. 

Fu Nanhua began to feel at ease. The boy in front of him was his goal.

The boy stood up and asked loudly, “Are you looking for someone?”

Fu Nanhua and Cai Jinjian raised their heads. Fan Nanhua said, “Yes, I’m looking for you. The miss beside me is looking for Gu Can. Can you help us?”

The boy frowned. “You know me?”

Fu Nanhua smiled and said, “I know Sir Song, but not you.”

Song Jixin went straight to the point and asked, “I could help you find that snotty-brat Gu Can, but what will you give me in return?”

Fu Nanhua took off the green pendant around his waist and threw it to the boy. “That.”

Song Jixin grabbed it. A little shocked, he looked at it and then said to Zhi Gui. “Lead the way.”

Zhi Gui nodded and walked out of the yard. When the girl stood in the narrow alley, Muddyrun seemed to brighten up in an instant.

Fu Nanhua smiled at Chen Pingan. “Little guy, let me give you a word of advice. Rain cannot help grass lacking roots.” He then began following the girl.

Cai Jinjian did not move and gave Chen Pingan a teasing gaze. She whispered to him, “Do you know what that means?”

Her eyes sparkled with interest inexplicably. Before waiting for the boy to answer, she sneered. “I’ll just tell you that you missed a big opportunity. As long as you get even a sliver of that man’s help, you’ll be able to live a fulfilling life under the mountain. It’s a good thing ignorance is bliss. You wouldn’t want to know what you missed. You’ll just live to regret it, your insides churning at what could’ve been.”

Fu Nanhua heard Cai Jinjian and felt that her words were falling on deaf ears. What a waste of words. Would that boy understand her?

Life outside this small town was so unimaginably different from inside the town after all.

Cai Jinjian followed Zhi Gui by walking backward, so she could face Chen Pingan. She said, “Rain cannot help grass lacking roots. Remember that.”

The boy showed no reaction to her words. He just said loudly, “Watch out, behind you, there’s—”

Cai Jinjian’s body suddenly stiffened.

 The boy lowered his voice. “Shit.”

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