— The Emperor’s Imperial Record, Entry No. 9 —

  I slinked away in the dark of night, making sure no one saw me.

  I was heading to the edge of the city walls. Far away from the city guards and the gate, and still in a place that would avoid detection. There stood a large birch tree, and behind it, right next to the wall and under the blackening shade of the tree in the night, I had hidden my lockbox.

  Making sure no one was around me, I took out my pouch and poured in one hundred silver coins, one at a time, so the clinking of the coins didn’t make too much noise.

  Even though I liked Huo Qianlei and his family, I didn’t want to risk leaving this kind of money around, especially not in a mudhouse. I took out the key from my robes and locked up the box before digging a hole under one of the thicker roots and covering it up.

  Nearby, I took the small tile of grass I had trowelled off earlier and placed it around the root, doing my best to make it look like it had before, which was made much harder by the lack of light.

  Now, I only had 17 silver coins in my pouch. It was still a significant sum, but I was meeting the blacksmith today and wanted to be able to leave an impression if the deal sounded right.

  I adjusted my clothing and wiped off as much dirt from them as I could. I also, took a trowel and pushed it down my robes. It looked a little blocky, but it was better than the alternatives of leaving the trowel there, clearly indicating where my money was, or just holding it in my hand. At dawn, in the middle of the night.

  Even if I hadn’t done anything wrong, I would still be stopped and questioned by any guards who saw me.

  The person who had told me about the blacksmith was the wife of one of the apprentices there. She had said something about my food, allowing her to be able to feed her children, but I was more concerned about the opportunity. ‘If this is what the daily roasts get me, then I’ll have to do them more often.’ I thought.

  But for now, I had to go back to Huo Qianlei’s house and sleep. It wouldn’t do if I weren’t well-rested for our meeting.

  The meeting would be set to early in the afternoon today, so I’d have to leave the roasting to the farmers, who had already started to help out months ago. They didn’t feel right by just eating the food of a boy who had spent the whole day hunting or laying traps for them.

  And, overseer Liang only cared whether I got the job done, not whether I was in the field or not. So, yesterday, I had set up more traps than usual. That way, even if I was breaking some unspoken rule by leaving early, the supervisor wouldn’t be angry at me when he saw how much I brought in.

  I was still sure that he was making at least double the money I was making just selling to Tarig and Azul. He knew far more people than I did, and also, he didn’t get immediately batted away when he walked up to a rich merchant or some low-ranking noble.

  When I had finished changing out of my more clandestine clothing, I fell on the mat and went to sleep almost immediately.

  A few hours later, I woke up to the sound of mooing. Old Bai had quickly taken me as her favourite, especially since I sometimes brought her treats and scratched whatever itches she couldn’t reach.

  I quickly got up and went to the forest. The guards were getting more and more used to me, so they didn’t ask why I was out so early, only asking if there’d be leftover food from the roast.

  Today, I wouldn’t be hunting. I’d made sure of that. I was just going around and checking my traps for any catches I could have made.

  By the time I was done going through all of them, I had counted and seen I’d gotten five squirrels, four swine, and 3 foxes. Two of my traps had been broken, and by the looks of it, by a bear.

  It wasn’t uncommon, but the blood and fur in the traps told me that not only did the bears break the traps, they had eaten whatever prey was in it, too. It took me till late in the morning to bring everything to the edge of the forest, then I called the field overseers' guards to come help me take the beasts.

  For all their bravado and skull thumping, the one thing they wouldn’t do was head into the forest.

  Recently, the guards had been getting more aggressive. It was not enough that they started to hurt me, but they were asking for more of the hunts now. Every time I brought in a new haul, they looked at me like I had stolen from them.

  But I tried to ignore it. ‘What can I do?’ I was still weak, and this was the place that allowed me to make money, whatever happened, I had to keep this hunting job.

  When we were done, I tried to leave, but the field overseer was standing right outside his door, waiting to see me.

  “I see you’ve been doing well, eh? Hunting in my forests is really a good deal. Huh?” He sneaked a peek at the carcasses on the ground, “How much are you making? I heard you’ve been selling your part to the butcher?”

  ‘Why was he asking?’ I quickly thought of something to say, with the way the guards had been acting lately, and this encounter, I couldn’t tell him the real number.

  “I barely make anything, most of it gets taken up by the feasts and Huo Qianlei’s house,” I wiped my hand on the back of my neck and tried my hardest to come off as a young naive child, “After all, I have to make sure my benefactor is doing well.”

  The overseer raised an eyebrow, “I see. What a grateful young boy,” but there was no mirth in his tone, “Fine, carry on.” And he turned to go back inside his hut.

  He was about to close the door when he stopped, “I was planning on selling some of the catches you bring to Tarig,” he scrutinised my face, looking for a reaction, but I didn’t show anything, inwardly, my heart was beating fast, “I’m sure I could fetch a good price,” then he closed the door, leaving me to my own devices.

  ‘Fast. I have to move fast, if he finds out how much money I’m making, then how long till he decides he wants more of my hauls?’

  I left the fields quickly, trying not to make it look like I was in a hurry, when I was sure I was out of the fields, and I couldn’t feel the field overseer’s gaze on me anymore, I ran all the way back to Huo Qianlei’s house and took a bath with water I had fetched from a well.

  ‘I have to make sure I find other ways of making money.’ I was sure that if things went on like this, I would soon be forced to give up more than I wanted.

  Huo Qianlei and his daughters thought it was abnormal that I always insisted on having a bath once a day, but I couldn’t stand the thought of filth and dirt running up all over my body and fitting into every nook and cranny. If I had to endure it while in the forest, fine. But not while I was out of it.

  When I was done, I put on new, clean robes and walked out of the house towards the center of the Mudfoot district, where the smithy was.

  I walked with noticeably quicker steps, not stopping as I usually did to greet the wives and the field hands who saw me. I only gave them a curt nod and walked past.

  This was the opportunity I had been waiting for, something that could push me up into the spheres of wealth I dreamed about.

  I tried to keep my hopes down without much success. This was different to hunting or being around some beast of nature designed to tear each limb from your body.

  This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

  My life wasn’t on the line.

  And so, whatever techniques I used to regulate my emotions were far less effective. *SUUU* *SUUU* I took in two deep breaths. If this paid off, I would be much closer to my dream. I dragged the locks of my hair back.

  Making sure I looked presentable and not like some ordinary peasant.

  I could hear the smithy before I saw it, and smell it long before I heard it. The one redeeming trait being that, even though it was at the center of the district, it was far at the end. Away from anything that would be bothered by the clanging and odors of the shop.

  It had a wide chimney at the top that spat out clear white smoke, the work of capable hands. It even had an ironworked display hanging above the entrance. A big black hammer as if it were about to bang itself against an anvil.

  Not even a few months ago, I would have lost my jaw at just the sight of the smithy, but having stayed in the city for a while, I only widened my eyes in shock. The largest building I had ever been so close to was the Awoken Moon sect’s pagoda.

  And I only ever frequented the places I had to. If it wasn’t about money, deals, or knowledge about cultivation, I didn’t care. I wasn’t here to sightsee.

  I approached the entrance of the smithy and reached the massive wooden door designed for moving raw materials and finished goods. On the door was etched the character for “skill” (技).

  The heavy wooden door resisted as I pushed, but my growing strength over the past months made the effort manageable. All the exercises I’d been doing were clearly paying off.

  On the inside, the air was thick and hard to breathe. It was filled with a damp heat, and smelled of smoke, burnt cedar, oiled leather, and the metallic tang of iron rang in the air.

  Tools hung on the walls in perfect alignment, and apprentices moved from place to place carrying tongs and glowing hot metal between them.

  On the bellows, and the aprons of the apprentices, and the tools that lay arranged across the wall, was the same character that was on the door. “Skill” (技).

  The smith himself–the man I had come here to meet was situated at the center, a long sword in his gloved left hand as he pounded the red metal with a hammer in his right. He was surrounded by a band of five apprentices.

  Sweat dripped down his face, onto his chin, and an apprentice wiped it off before it could fall onto the work.

  It seemed I would have to wait. I was early anyway. But I did not turn to go sit down. I continued to watch. The process was like watching a master zitherist sing chords of memories into existence.

  I stood there till they were done. I didn’t snap out of my trance till the large man was right in front of me.

  “Hey…hey,” he shook me, “Are you fine?”

  “Yes, of course, I’m here to meet, Big Randy.”

  The man in front of me had glowing white hair that started at the sides of his head. Muscles rippled through his body like waves every time he moved.

  “Aaaah, you must be the boy my apprentice told me about. Khan. Am I right?”

  I nodded my response.

  “Wonderful,” he turned around, “follow me.” He led me to the back of the smithy, to a small room I could tell was used for meetings like these. There was a circular desk between us, and two chairs on either side. The chairs were surprisingly comfortable. For someone who spent most of his time around either iron or fire, it was probably a luxury. He gestured for me to sit.

  An old lady, around Big Randy’s age, walked in as soon as we were seated. She set down a tray of biscuits and some freshly squeezed fruit juice. The man looked at her with a hint of pride in his eyes, “This here is Michelle, my wife,” he gave her a smile that she returned before leaving.

  Another man walked in right after, he was larger than Big Randy, and more slovenly, “And that one right there is Igor. Good man.” Igor sat down on a chair he had brought in from outside, but he didn’t sit at the table, rather, he sat off to the side, next to us. Watching me.

  I pretended not to notice.

  “Alright,” Big Randy continued, “you’re here for business. I’ve been doing this job nearing on fifty years, not counting my apprentice days. I know what I’m talking about.” He sat back in his chair and took a deep breath before continuing, “I’ve heard from a friend of mine—a steward— in the Awoken Moon sect that the sect is preparing for a big order–– iron, talismans, training equipment… everything. If we can get in, even if it's just to supply a small amount, we could become rich beyond our wildest imaginations.”

  I thought about it as I took a drink from the cup, “Excuse my asking, how are you going to be able to fulfill orders from a sect? From what you’re saying, there’s no way they ask for a small number of things. Even if it's raw materials.” I was young, but so many months of negotiation and barter had sharpened my business senses.

  I could at least analyse a deal without needing help or knowing all the details.

  Big Randy slapped his knee, “Hah, you’ve got a good on head on your shoulders, kid. Of course, for a place like the Awoken Moon sect, we’ll only be able to handle five percent. And that's if we stop forging metals and dealing with our other customers to focus on supplying the sect alone. Even with your investment.”

  He took a handful of biscuits and a drink from his mug of juice. It was gone in one gulp.

  “We make money because it’s a large order. And the sect pays the best rates. If you’re good and closer to them than, say, another smith shop, 4 or 5 cities away, we’ll be one of the first ones they call. I just want to be prepared enough to deliver as much of their orders as possible. With that, we can still supply the sect, while keeping the smithy open for business.”

  I raised up my eyebrow at that. ‘Were they using me to keep up their business while they made all the money?”

  Big Randy noticed my look and immediately tried to explain, “If all of a sudden, we stop completing orders for our clients, especially the high-status ones, and start buying up iron and raw materials in bulk, people will start asking questions.”

  I nodded my head in agreement. That cleared things up.

  Igor, the man who sat on the chair next to us spoke up, “Even if we act like complete buffoons, we still make all our money back and then sum.”

  Big Randy agreed, “Sects are so large, especially with how much they consume, that a morsel from their plate is years of feasting for us dogs. If you do it right, a lifetime. Your silver could help us with more storage, and even hire more apprentices when the time comes.”

  My ears perked up, and I sat at the edge of my seat. This was a chance to find out more about the sect. “Okay, but why mundane things like iron? Isn’t it a cultivation sect? I thought they would only use materials with qi in them. Or at the very least rare metals and things like that.”

  Igor chuckled beside me, “If they wanted rare materials like that, or even qi-touched metals, do you think we’d be the ones supplying them? Be glad you’re so young, or I’d have kicked you out for that kind of dopiness.”

  Big Randy chimed in, his tone more friendly, “Don’t worry about it kid, I know you’re not from here, listen,” he leaned in slightly, put his hands on the table, “The sect can’t rely on qi-touched or other purely exotic resources like flying swords or enchanted carriages–it’s too costly. Even for them.”

  Michelle, Big Randy’s wife, came in with some more pastries, this time, she brought some spiced millet pastries. “Sorry to interrupt, boys,” she put the tray down and looked at Big Randy, then at Igor and I, “let me know if you boys need something, okay.” She said it with such a warm smile, any outsider would have mistaken me for her son.

  After she walked away, we resumed the conversation, “Most of the sect initiates start with basic gear. Only core and inner disciples get things like flying swords and the like.” Big Randy laughed, “Did you really think it would be the powerful cultivators who would use these things?”

  Igor laughed with Big Randy, “If we were that capable, there’s no way we’d have our smithy in the Mudfoot district.”

  I honestly didn’t know. For me, every single cultivator was powerful beyond mention. I tried to hide my confused expression, but something was still bugging me, “Well, then how do you know they’ll buy from you instead of somebody else?”

  “That’s the risk we’ll have to take. I already know from a steward in the sect that they’ll want to be buying soon, and the fact that we’re so physically close to the sect gives us better chances, but even then, they could still choose not to bite. We’re still mortals. Our opinion doesn’t matter.”

  Igor pulled his chair closer to the desk. “Worst case scenario? They don’t buy at all. But we’ll still have plenty of iron in our storage. It’ll take longer, but iron always sells. Are you in?”

  I looked at him, then at Big Randy. The thought brewing in my mind. ‘Where else would I get an opportunity like this?’ I thought back to the 4 months I had spent here. More than a hundred silver coins was a significant sum of money, but, for the merchant caravan I was imagining, I would need at least 10 gold coins.

  If I wanted to move faster and be better than other merchants, I would have to have a significant advantage. Most of them started with 300 to 500 silver or so and got the extra two or three thousand from loans. I’d asked around.

  With that kind of money, they only traveled between three, maybe four cities a year. Not to even talk about what good they traded, or the bandits they met along the way. They had to seek investment from multiple partners and even family members.

  By the time everything was done, they weren’t profitable until four or five years in. And most of them either died to bandits or were captured by slavers. Those that didn’t fell to their large debts.

  I didn’t want to be any of them.

  “Fine, it seems like a good plan to me. How much do you need? And when do you need it by?”

  He got up to see me off, “Come by here tomorrow, there are other people also trying to invest in this, so we’ll let you know everything then.”

  “Alright, then, I’ll be here tomorrow.”

  I wiped the sweat from my palms. Tomorrow, I would be making what I hoped to be a life-changing decision.