The gates of Baohe were already closing for the night when Zhang Ming and his guide entered the city. The streets greeted them with the glow of lanterns and the sight of shuttered shops and stalls. The few remaining pedestrians hurried home, eager to sleep early so they could rise at dawn, when the first rays of sunlight brushed the rooftops and another day of toil began.

  Upon reaching the estate, Zhang Ming went straight to the spacious hall. The broken door still lay on the floor where it had been torn from its hinges. He took his seat where the former leader of the Mad Saber Gang had once sat.

  At his side lay Bigmouth Wang, bound hand and foot, waiting for his return with a deeply displeased expression. Zhang Ming had not dared leave him unguarded. A man so cruel and selfish would surely have attacked his people and fled at the first opportunity.

  “Untie me, sir,” Bigmouth Wang groaned. “My arms have gone numb.”

  “Mm,” lost in thought, Zhang Ming waved a hand, and Lu Piao loosened the ropes.

  “New Boss doesn’t trust me,” the former fat boss said, shaking his head as he worked off the last of his bindings. “But I’ve already come to my senses. I’ve decided to serve you faithfully.”

  “I’m in need of money,” Zhang Ming said, turning to him. “The boys found nothing, even after turning this estate upside down. Yet the locals claim you bled them dry. So where is it, you greedy bastard? Don’t tell me you kept it in a bank.”

  “I don’t understand what you mean, sir,” Bigmouth Wang replied, shaking off the final rope. “I’m a poor man. If I had money, would I live in the slums?”

  “You pay nothing here. You rob whoever you like, and you claim you have no money? I don’t believe you. Where are you hiding it?” Zhang Ming leaned closer, watching the fat man’s darting eyes. “If necessary, we’ll dismantle this place piece by piece.”

  “What? What are you saying, sir? I’m hiding nothing! I handed it all over!”

  “Mm. We found a few coins in the corners. But I understand. It’s not in the house.”

  “That was everything,” Bigmouth Wang sighed with striking sincerity.

  “It must be nearby. You’re too greedy and too distrustful to leave it far from you,” as he spoke, Zhang Ming carefully followed the direction of the fat man’s gaze. “Oh? Let’s take a look.”

  Hands clasped behind his back, he strolled slowly along the wall of the great hall, past shelves of cheap trinkets, wine jars, and various junk the bandits had accumulated. Near the door leading to the inner quarters, he paused and gestured for the former gang leader to follow. They entered Bigmouth Wang’s large chamber. Many valuables still remained, but Zhang Ming had no intention of wasting time selling them. He had ignored them, until now.

  He circled the room unhurriedly and stopped before a chest stuffed with bolts of cloth. His hand brushed over an expensive roll of silk. Behind him, the fat man stopped breathing. His sweaty palms clenched into fists. A faint smile spread across Zhang Ming’s face. One by one, he began tossing the bundles of cloth out of the chest, until he reached the wooden bottom.

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  “S-See? There’s nothing. I’m just a poor man,” the enormous, bear-like figure whimpered.

  For a moment, Zhang Ming simply stared at the empty chest. Then, without warning, he drove his fist down onto the heavy lid. With a sharp crack, it splintered. The force warped the wooden frame; the sides fell apart, and a thick board that had concealed the bottom slid aside. With a cheerful clatter, coins spilled out.

  Roaring, Bigmouth Wang lunged at Zhang Ming like a rabid dog defending its bone, but received a kick to the stomach instead. Sent flying into the wall, he staggered upright and attacked again, his face twisted in fury. With his entire bulk, the former leader slammed into the audacious thief who had dared touch his treasure. The house trembled at the impact as they crashed into the wall together.

  Emboldened by the collision, the Mad Saber leader rained down blows on Zhang Ming. Yet Zhang Ming dodged or blocked each one with ease. He could have ended the fight with a single uppercut, but he wanted to stretch his limbs a little. Unfortunately, his opponent was weak. The fat man’s strength drained away like water from a wicker basket. His strikes grew slower, feebler.

  “You weren’t this angry when I killed your aide… Heizi, I think,” Zhang Ming remarked, catching his fist midair and driving his palm into the man’s chest.

  “Kh—kh…,” gasping, the fat man clung to Zhang Ming’s clothes, drool and blood mingling at the corners of his mouth. “Mine… it’s mine…”

  “Yours? You greedy bastard,” Zhang Ming raised his fist. “Where did it all come from? How many lives paid for these treasures?” With a single blow, he smashed Big-Mouth Wang into the floor.

  “I heard the noise, commander!” Lu Piao rushed into the room at the crash.

  “Take him away. Tie him up. No food for three days.”

  “Understood, commander!” Lu Piao nodded eagerly. “Hey! Get in here! Help drag this carcass out!”

  As the enormous body of the former gang leader was hauled across the floor, Zhang Ming let out a slow breath and lowered his gaze to the scattered coins. Among the silver gleamed gold. Squatting down, he pulled out a pouch from his robe and gathered the gold coins one by one, eleven in total. His hands moved quickly, and the smile on his face grew wider and wider. A wooden box lay nearby amid the debris. He swept the silver coins into it.

  I’m rich! At last I can do what I’ve dreamed of ever since I became a mercenary, step into an alchemist’s shop. The excited thought sent goosebumps down his spine. I’ve passed one so many times, never daring to enter. I couldn’t even afford the dust on the doorstep. But now it’s different! I’ll break through a couple of levels. Maybe even help Lu Piao advance. Heh.

  “We’re going shopping first thing in the morning,” he declared. With such wealth, he felt generous.

  “Alright, Brother Zhang,” loyal Lu Piao replied.

  At early dawn, when the shops began to open, they headed to a small alchemist’s store, one of the most reputable in Baohe. It occupied a three-story building along the road from the port to the city center. From the outside, it looked no different from the other respectable shops catering to wealthy citizens. Two guards stood at the entrance, their imposing presence no less intimidating than Tang Gui’s.

  Coins jingling lightly, Zhang Ming sauntered past them into the shop. Inside, the air was thick with the scent of herbs and something sweet. They sold not only pills, but various alchemical ingredients as well. A smiling woman greeted them behind the counter, her experienced gaze already weighing the clinking box in his hands.

  As Zhang Ming examined the shelves and learned the prices, the joyful smile slowly faded from his face. After some assistance, he selected suitable pills. The goods were wrapped, payment taken. When Zhang Ming and Lu Piao left the shop, they carried only a small jade case containing four pills. Of the pouch of gold and the box of silver, only five coins remained.

  “How…?” stunned, Zhang Ming walked down the street, staring into the void as though he had lost his soul. “Where did all the money go? I should’ve become an alchemist…” he muttered.

  “Don’t worry, Brother,” Lu Piao tried to comfort him. “Pills are expensive.”

  “Tell everyone not to disturb me for the next four or five days. I’ll be in closed-door cultivation,” Zhang Ming ordered upon returning to the estate. “I should’ve become an alchemist….”