Volume Five: Down and Out, Gazing North at the Cloud Stele Chapter Nine: Emptying the Purse

"You'll pay? Where would you get eight thousand gold pieces?" Yan Muyun stood fully upright, looking at Su Geweng with a mocking sneer.

"Yes, Father! Where would we get so much money?" Su Mengling asked in a panic, hurriedly tugging at her father's sleeve.

"Since failing the imperial examinations in my youth, I have engaged in trade and accumulated a modest fortune. My merchant caravan travels between the great continents year-round, yielding a net annual profit of six to seven hundred taels of gold. Valuing this caravan at three thousand gold taels is not unreasonable, is it?" Su Geweng looked up at Yan Muyun and said.

"Not unreasonable indeed. A caravan that nets six to seven hundred taels of gold a year is well worth that price," Yan Muyun replied.

"My Su Family Fur Emporium also enjoys quite a reputation in West Qi Continent. I will transfer it to you, along with my suppliers and clientele, valued at fifteen hundred taels of gold. Is that a fair price?" Su Geweng laid out his life's work word by word. Though his tone was calm, the turmoil in his heart was plain to hear.

"Indeed! Your fur shop is one of the largest taxpayers in Moon-Viewing City. I know exactly how much tax you pay each month down to the last copper. That price is very fair." Yan Muyun nodded, his lips curling upward in a smug grin.

"I will also give you two thousand taels of gold. It is currently held in the draft bank; I will have the bank drafts sent to you later." By now, Su Geweng had begun to tremble slightly. This was the accumulation of his entire life's work!

"Still short by fifteen hundred taels," Yan Muyun said, crossing his arms. The devious smirk on his gaudily powdered face made him look all the more ridiculous.

"I will sell you all the land under my name. Is that enough?!" Su Geweng snapped his head up, staring at Yan Muyun with eyes so wide they seemed about to burst.

"As they call you 'Half-the-City Su,' you naturally own vast estates. I will have the estate clerks verify them later, but they should easily cover fifteen hundred taels of gold." Yan Muyun maintained that faint, sinister smile throughout.

"Then when will you give us the Qi-Stabilizing Bead?" Su Geweng asked feebly, catching his breath.

"I said it was enough, but that was just now. I have changed my mind. I believe this exquisite bead is worth no less than ten thousand taels of gold." Yan Muyun uttered these words with utter composure.

"Shameless!" Su Mengling spat at Yan Muyun, grabbing her father's sleeve. "Father, let's not buy it from him. We can search elsewhere. If Moon-Viewing City doesn't have one, we can go to other cities in West Qi Continent. If West Qi Continent doesn't have one, we can go to other continents."

Zhuo Hua also advised Su Geweng, "Geweng, Ling'er is right. Let us return and think of another way."

"In these times, I'm afraid no new Brightmoon Stones will ever appear again!" Yan Muyun turned his back to them, speaking in a deliberately mysterious tone.

Su Geweng hurriedly took two steps forward, grasping Yan Muyun's sleeve. "What do you mean by that?"

Yan Muyun shook off his hand and assumed an air of supreme insight. "Months ago, the army of the Cloud Palace wiped out the remnants of the Zhuyuan Clan. A cousin of mine from the Yan Clan serves in the Twelve Guards of the Cloud Palace. He told me that all the Brightmoon Stones over the years actually came from beyond the heavens, appearing in the temple of the Zhuyuan Clan each year. Now that the descendants of the Zhuyuan have either perished or fled, no one knows the location of that temple. How could any new Brightmoon Stones possibly be brought out?"

Su Geweng gasped. "No wonder both raw materials and finished Qi-Stabilizing Beads have vanished from the markets of Moon-Viewing City in recent months. Could it be...?" As he spoke, his gaze drifted toward the smug Yan Muyun.

Yan Muyun did not answer directly, but merely said with affected depth, "A rare commodity to be hoarded! A rare commodity indeed!"

"Big Brother, you are the Sovereign of the Cloud Palace. Is he lying to us?" Su Mengling refused to give up, turning to look at Zhuo Hua, hoping her big brother would nod and give her the answer she wanted to hear.

But reality did not bend to her wishes. Zhuo Hua shook his head and said, "Though what he says is not entirely accurate—it was the Dark Fiend Vanguard, not the Twelve Guards of the Cloud Palace, who slaughtered the Zhuyuan Clan—I have indeed heard of that temple. What he says is true."

"So, the Qi-Stabilizing Bead is now a treasure beyond price, with no supply left on the market?" Su Geweng muttered to himself.

Unexpectedly, Yan Muyun overheard this. He chuckled and patted the older man's shoulder. "Geweng, my friend! If you truly want this bead of mine, it is not entirely impossible. You've already put together most of the sum. You're only short by two thousand taels."

"This old man has offered up his entire livelihood. I have nothing else left to my name." Su Geweng shook his head, his face filled with regret.

"Don't you still have that manor of yours?" Yan Muyun nudged Su Geweng with his shoulder, wearing the classic, scheming grin of a villain egging someone on to ruin.

"No! That manor is my father's life's work! Countless scholars and gentlemen offered tens of thousands of gold pieces for it, and my father refused to sell it no matter what. How can it be worth a measly two thousand taels to you?" Su Mengling pulled her father behind her, planting her hands on her hips as she glared and shouted at Yan Muyun.

Yan Muyun sucked in his breath through his teeth, shaking his head at Su Mengling. "Such a pretty young lady, yet so fierce. Careful, or you might never find a husband! You don't have to buy it, of course. But I doubt you could search the entirety of West Qi Continent and find another Qi-Stabilizing Bead worthy of our Sovereign."

Zhuo Hua took Su Mengling with one hand and gave Master Su a gentle pull with the other. "Let us go," he said.

Su Mengling stamped her foot, turning to storm off in a huff.

Yet, Su Geweng did not budge.

"Very well. It is a deal." As soon as these words left his mouth, not only were Zhuo Hua and Su Mengling shocked, but even Yan Muyun, who had assumed the deal was dead, gaped in disbelief.

"I shall return to prepare the deeds and contracts, and I will bring the bank drafts with me. Ten days from now, we shall make the exchange in the main hall of the City Lord's Manor. Have your Qi-Stabilizing Bead ready." Su Geweng spoke with absolute resolve.

"Good! Excellent, excellent!" Yan Muyun was so thrilled he could only stammer his agreement. In his eyes, the most satisfying part of this transaction was the Su family manor, which he had coveted for a very long time. He fancied himself a refined scholar of artistic tastes, and in Moon-Viewing City, the Su family estate was renowned as the most prestigious residence of literati. He had previously sent several intermediaries to inquire about buying it, only to be turned away every time. To have it fall into his hands so effortlessly today was an unexpected stroke of fortune.

As for the gold and the Qi-Stabilizing Bead, he could not care less about them.

"Are you not afraid the Cloud Palace will investigate you for such blatant extortion?" Zhuo Hua's gaze was ice-cold, and his tone sent a shiver down the spine.

"What are you saying, Sovereign? You saw it yourself—it is a willing buyer and a willing seller, a mutually agreed transaction. How can you call it extortion? Besides, the Su family's assistance in helping the Sovereign return to the Heavenly Palace is a monumental service. When the time comes, any minor trinket the Sovereign deigns to bestow upon them will be worth far more than a mere ten thousand taels of gold." He turned his face to Su Geweng. "Brother Su, wouldn't you agree?"

Su Geweng cupped his hands in a silent, expressionless salute. "Farewell," he said simply. He turned, took hold of Zhuo Hua and his daughter, and walked out of the City Lord's Manor.

With a loud bang, Su Mengling kicked open the door to her room. The maid behind her jumped in fright and gently cautioned, "Miss, that door is made of precious pearwood! It is highly valuable!"

Su Mengling snapped back irritably, "What is there to value? This manor will soon belong to the Yan family anyway."

Su Geweng stepped inside after her and waved his hand, dismissing the maid.

"Father! Why must you insist on buying his bead? Just thinking about that man living in this house gives me goosebumps! People outside say he has a penchant for men. How could such a disgusting person be worthy of living in the courtyard you spent your life cultivating?"

The more Su Mengling spoke, the angrier she became, until she finally collapsed onto the table, weeping.

Su Geweng closed the door, walked over to Su Mengling, and stroked his daughter's head, speaking with earnest warmth. "Ling'er, let me ask you: if your Big Brother had not come to save us in that ruined temple back then, what would have become of us?"

Su Mengling slowly raised her head, blinking her tear-filled eyes, and sobbed, "Then we would have been killed by that tiger demon, our corpses left to rot in the wilderness, and we would have become wandering ghosts."

Su Geweng nodded. "Indeed, wandering ghosts. And how could wandering ghosts possess such wealth?"

Su Mengling looked at him in confusion. "What do you mean, Father?"

The aging father dotingly pinched his daughter's cheek. "Ling'er, without your Big Brother, we would not have the life we enjoy today. Now, the dark fiends are ravaging the continent, and we do not have the time to search city by city for an affordable Qi-Stabilizing Bead. In ancient times, sages would sacrifice their very lives for righteousness. If I can save the common people from fire and water by merely giving up some worldly possessions, why should I not do so gladly?"

"But still!" Su Mengling wiped her tears. "Father, you are getting old. If we sell the manor, where will we live?"

"Come with me to the Cloudtop Heavenly Palace." With a creak, the door was pushed open by Zhuo Hua.

"Sovereign!" Su Geweng gasped.

Zhuo Hua raised a hand to stop him. "Your words just now were noble and profound, Geweng. I feel humbled in your presence. When you return with me to the Cloud Palace, I will have an identical manor built for you on Mount Cuiwei."

"Really?" Su Mengling beamed, completely forgetting how she had just been weeping like a rain-drenched pear blossom.

Yet Su Geweng shook his head repeatedly. "Sovereign, my actions today are solely to repay your kindness for saving my daughter and me all those years ago. I have no desire to curry favor with the powerful. If we follow you to the Cloudtop Heavenly Palace and enjoy blessings rarely seen in the mortal world, how would the world judge Su Geweng? I have loved bamboo all my life, believing that one may dine without meat, but one cannot live without bamboo. The character 'Ge' in my name, Geweng, represents the very shape of bamboo leaves! I beg the Sovereign never to mention taking us to the Cloud Palace again, for that would destroy the reputation of integrity I have spent a lifetime building!"

Zhuo Hua nodded and said no more. Uttering only, "We shall discuss this later," he turned and walked out.