Chapter 111: The Scholar of the Jiang Clan

It was the mid-morning hour in Xinzhou City.

A dozen villagers from Gushan Village had arrived to deliver the latest shipment of scented soaps and bars to the Fragrant Skin specialty store. Li Sanshui was among them.

The team was led by Niu Da, a thirty-year-old man who had once served in the military. He had lost an eye in battle, forcing him to return home to farm. When Xu Mo opened his soap workshop and required a delivery lead, the village head recommended Niu Da for the position. Despite his missing eye, Niu Da possessed the greatest leadership qualities among the young men of Gushan Village.

Niu Da had two younger brothers, Niu Er and Niu San. Niu Er, twenty-seven, and Niu San, twenty-three, had learned a bit of martial arts from their elder brother and now served as his right-hand men, making the delivery run a stable, daily family occupation.

Under Niu Da’s direction, the villagers quickly unloaded the goods and moved them into the store’s warehouse. With the work complete, Niu Da granted the group ninety minutes of free time in the city. This was their usual window to shop for their families or run errands for neighbors. Of course, they could simply wander the city if they pleased, provided they gathered outside the city walls at the appointed time to return to the village. Niu Da had set a strict rule: anyone who failed to return on time would be removed from the delivery team. Though the pay was less than that of the workshop laborers, the work was easy, and everyone cherished the position, ensuring no one dared to be late.

After reminding everyone to gather on time, Niu Da headed to the market with his brothers. The others dispersed as well, including Li Sanshui. While others traveled in small groups, Li Sanshui was always alone. His poor reputation and disagreeable personality in the village meant he had no close companions. Being a loner didn’t bother him; he found it more comfortable that way. He usually spent his time in cheap teahouses listening to storytellers, browsing the market, or grabbing a bite and a drink at a small tavern. Life was good.

Lately, however, Li Sanshui had developed a new obsession: rolling dice. He didn't frequent established gambling dens, but rather the mobile stalls tucked away in narrow alleys. After walking for a quarter of an hour, he turned into an inconspicuous alley where a small crowd had already gathered around a game.

Seeing the action, Li Sanshui squeezed into the throng, shouting, "Wait for me! Wait for me! I haven't placed my bet yet!"

The stall owner, having seen him for several days, paused for a moment. Once Li Sanshui placed his five-wen bet on "small," the owner shouted, "Bets are down!"

Moments later, the owner lifted the bowl. The dice showed one, two, and three—a total of six, which was "small." Li Sanshui beamed with delight. "Perfect! A great start! I knew my luck was good today! Hahaha!"

The owner handed him ten wen and chuckled, "Brother Sanshui, you bet too little. Only five wen—you wasted such good luck on this round."

"What's the rush? Soon, I'll make you lose enough to pawn your pants!" Li Sanshui boasted. The owner laughed, and the next round began.

Li Sanshui’s luck held; he won five times in a row, increasing his stakes each time until he had won over a hundred wen. Feeling invincible, he grew arrogant, determined to win even more before leaving.

But then, the tide turned. Within the time it takes for a stick of incense to burn, he had lost all his winnings along with the money he had brought. The owner told him to stop, advising him to go home and return only when he had more money. Refusing to accept defeat and feeling bitter, Li Sanshui accused the owner of cheating and tried to snatch back his losses.

The owner, having no patience for such antics, beat him soundly and tossed him onto the main street. "If you haven't got the money, don't come back here to embarrass yourself! Get lost!" the owner spat before retreating into the alley.

Once the owner was out of sight, Li Sanshui stood up, spat toward the alley, and cursed, "Bah! Dogs judging people by their clothes!" He continued to grumble, though he kept his voice low to avoid being beaten again.

As he cursed, a young scholar stepped up behind him. "Brother, you are from Gushan Village, aren't you?"

Li Sanshui turned, confused. "Who are you? How do you know that?"

The scholar smiled. "I know not only that you are from Gushan Village, but that your name is Li Sanshui, and you are part of the delivery team for the soap workshop."

Li Sanshui was startled and looked the man over, certain he had never met him before.

The scholar spoke politely, "My surname is Jiang. I have something to discuss with you. It is inconvenient here—would you care to join me at the teahouse ahead to chat?"

Li Sanshui, penniless and parched from his shouting match, thought, *Free tea? Why not?*

They found a quiet corner in a nearby teahouse, where the scholar ordered a pot of fine tea and two plates of snacks. As Li Sanshui began to eat without ceremony, he asked, "How do you know my name? Who are you, and what do you want?"

The scholar shook his head slowly. "You do not need to know who I am for now. I simply want to ask: do you want to earn some silver?" He produced a piece of silver, weighing about three taels, and slid it across the table. "Brother Li, this is a gift for our meeting. If you are willing to cooperate with me, you can earn much more."

The scholar locked eyes with him, a faint smile on his lips. Li Sanshui hesitated, observing the man carefully. "Master Jiang, what exactly do you want me to do?"

The scholar’s expression turned serious. He lowered his voice and said, "If you can find out the formula and the production method for the soap, one hundred taels of silver will be yours."

"One... one hundred taels?" Li Sanshui was thunderstruck. He had never seen that much money in his entire life.

Without a word, the scholar produced a bank note for one hundred taels. "I never lie."

Indeed, the man was Jiang Zhaoming. Since his failed attempt to sabotage Xu Mo by dumping waste, he had returned to He-yang. But he had not given up his grudge against Xu Mo and Chen Miaoyi. Half a month ago, he returned to Xinzhou to investigate them in secret. Upon discovering that Xu Mo was the owner of the soap workshop, he was consumed by jealousy and rage. He was jealous of Xu Mo’s success and furious that it meant Chen Miaoyi’s life would only get better—a reality he could not bear to see.