Others were engaged in loud discussions, even gossiping about ‘Teng Qingshan,’ while Teng Qingshan himself ate swiftly, soon placing his chopsticks on the table.
“Heizi, I’m heading to the teahouse now. You take your time finishing up,” Teng Qingshan said, rising.
“The teahouse won’t close until deep into the night, Brother Qin. What’s the rush?” Heizi also stood up with a smile to see him off, noticing the box Teng Qingshan carried and solicitously saying, “Brother Qin, let me hold onto this small box of clothes for you. Isn’t it tiring carrying a box all the way to the teahouse?”
Teng Qingshan offered a mysterious smile: “This box of mine cannot leave my person. I wouldn't feel secure letting anyone else hold it.”
“Oh.” Heizi immediately understood.
It seemed Teng Qingshan’s wealth was hidden inside that box.
……
Teng Qingshan wore a felt hat and a thick padded robe, a curved saber hanging at his waist. His build was robust, and his complexion was dark. His attire immediately marked him as a resident of the Youyan region. The two prefectures of Youyan were lands of bitter cold. The local temperament was fiercely martial. Years of constant skirmishes with the numerous tribes of the Great Steppe had forged this ferocity, making the Youyan people bold and straightforward, yet ready to spill blood at the slightest disagreement!
Thus, across the Nine Provinces, outsiders generally preferred not to provoke the people of Youyan.
This reality led some merchants, even those not native to Youyan, to deliberately adopt the appearance of Youyan locals. At least, it served to intimidate others.
“Whoosh, whoosh~~”
The cold wind howled.
Yet, the streets of Huacheng were still crowded, and Teng Qingshan advanced leisurely, box in hand. It was dinnertime, and many groups were heading into the taverns to eat.
“Second Sister, is that Teng Qingshan really as handsome as you say?”
“Little Sister, you don’t believe me? Although I’m only an outer disciple, I went to watch when Commander Teng and Commander Zang Feng had their public match. Commander Teng… tsk tsk, he isn’t ugly like some martial artists. On the contrary, he’s quite refined. But that spear technique! With just a few rapid thrusts, he knocked Commander Zang Feng right off the combat platform. Among the female disciples in the Guiyuan Sect, many wish to marry Commander Teng. But it won’t be our turn.”
A voice drifted over from nearby.
Teng Qingshan glanced over and saw two men and two women walking ahead in the same direction as him. The speaker was a young woman dressed in a red fur cloak: “Is she from the Guiyuan Sect?”
“Xiaolian, that Commander Teng is now being hunted across the entire world, like a stray dog. You still think of him?” a youth in fine brocade laughed faintly behind her.
“How can you speak like that?” the red-cloaked girl frowned. “Commander Teng is being hunted by Qinghu Island because he killed quite a few of their Enforcement Elders… Qinghu Island and our Guiyuan Sect are mortal enemies to begin with. Commander Teng did that and earned us immense merit! Furthermore, across the land, how many people are important enough for Qinghu Island to pursue them this relentlessly? Young Master Hua, if you could achieve even one-tenth of Commander Teng’s accomplishments, I wouldn’t just marry you; I’d agree to be your concubine. If you lack the ability, don't speak such nonsense.”
Another man with thick eyebrows and large eyes chuckled: “Brother Hua, you’ve been put in your place, haven’t you? These Guiyuan Sect folk like Xiaolian are the most protective of Teng Qingshan.”
The brocade youth could only offer a bitter smile and apologize: “Xiaolian, I was wrong, alright! One-tenth the achievement? I’ll be content if I can reach the Xiantian realm in this lifetime.”
Soon, the two men and two women entered a large tavern.
Teng Qingshan felt a stir in his heart from what he’d heard: “At least the disciples of the Guiyuan Sect don’t treat me as a traitor!”
In these times, nobody was truly naive.
From many incidents, people could deduce a great deal. Within the Guiyuan Sect, Teng Qingshan was not only not a traitor, but his actions had inspired even greater worship and respect among many disciples.
……
After walking for quite a while, Teng Qingshan finally arrived at the Qingyang Teahouse.
The gilded horizontal plaque bearing the words ‘Qingyang Teahouse’ hung above the main entrance, where four guards stood. Teng Qingshan walked straight toward them.
One of the guards raised a hand to stop him: “Our Qingyang Teahouse does not sell tea retail. If you wish to purchase tea, please visit the tea shops or stalls ahead.”
“I am a merchant from Yanzhou.” Teng Qingshan grinned, revealing a flash of white teeth. That Youyan regional accent caused the blocking guard to immediately lower his hand and smile: “Ah, a merchant from Yanzhou, thousands of miles away! Our Qingyang Teahouse has plenty of excellent tea bricks. Please, please come in.”
The guard immediately led the way.
Someone who traveled from the northernmost Yanzhou must be there for big business. No one would travel nearly twenty thousand li round trip just to buy a small quantity of goods. Establishments like this large-scale teahouse typically only dealt in bulk sales.
“Master Zhou, this gentleman is a merchant from Yanzhou.” The guard led Teng Qingshan into a grand hall. An elderly man dressed in luxurious black fur robes approached them, smiling and cupping his hands: “My surname is Zhou. May I ask your name, brother?”
“Qin, Qin Wei.” Teng Qingshan spoke with a distinct Youyan accent.
In truth, Teng Qingshan could speak the Youyan accent easily because… that accent was quite similar to the dialect spoken in the Northeast region of the modern world in his previous life. As an assassin, he had trained in this regional dialect, making his current disguise effortless.
“Brother Qin, please be seated.” Master Zhou sat down opposite Teng Qingshan. At that moment, a serving girl brought a tray and placed two cups of tea before Teng Qingshan and Master Zhou.
“Drink,” Master Zhou smiled.
Teng Qingshan picked up his cup, took a small sip, and said, “A lingering fragrance on the lips, the soup color bright red-yellow—this is fine tea.”
“Brother Qin is also knowledgeable in this field,” Master Zhou chuckled.
“Just trying to make a living; how can I sell it if I don't understand a little? Master Zhou, which of your tea bricks does the Qingliang Teahouse carry?” Teng Qingshan smiled.
“Oh, I wonder what grade Brother Qin is looking for?” Master Zhou grew serious. “Our Qingliang Teahouse primarily divides its tea bricks into five grades. The price difference between each grade is substantial. For instance, the lowest, Grade Five, is compressed from discarded tea roots and is very cheap; common commoners drink it often. As you go up, the price rises. A Grade Three tea brick, one jin, costs around five or six taels of silver. A Grade Two brick of the same one-jin size costs about twelve or thirteen taels of silver. Due to variations in origin, there are subtle differences! As for the highest, Grade One tea bricks, a one-jin brick can cost tens of taels of silver.”
Teng Qingshan expressed admiration: “These Grade One tea bricks are even more valuable than silver.”
One jin of Grade One brick, say fifty taels of silver, equated to five jin of silver!
“The most expensive tea bricks cost nearly a hundred taels of silver per jin. If we speak of specially crafted teas, they are truly worth more than gold,” Master Zhou laughed. “However, those rare teas are produced in very small quantities. Our teahouse only receives a small portion annually. Most of the finest teas are pre-ordered by major figures.”
Teng Qingshan nodded with a smile.
Some extremely precious teas were valued at ten taels of gold per single liang of tea—such things existed! But that level of tea would never be compressed into bricks.
“Grade Two tea bricks!” Teng Qingshan stated. “In the prairie tribes, Grade Two bricks are already considered excellent for them… The cargo is too voluminous, and transporting it is troublesome.” Buying cheap bricks meant complicated transport. Thus, solitary traders usually opted for the more valuable bricks.
“Oh? Brother Qin intends to sell to the grasslands?” Master Zhou seemed surprised. “That place is quite chaotic.”
“I’m earning money with my head on the line, as usual,” Teng Qingshan replied with a faint smile. “For Grade Two tea bricks, how many varieties do you have here?”
“I have three varieties of Grade Two bricks currently in stock. If you plan to sell to the Great Steppe, given the preference of the prairie people, I suggest you choose the ‘Purple Fang Tea Brick’ among the Grade Two bricks! The prairie people favor this ‘Purple Fang Tea Brick’ the most,” Master Zhou advised sincerely.
Teng Qingshan nodded: “Mmm, what price can you offer for this Purple Fang Tea Brick? The one-jin size.”
“Thirteen taels of silver for one jin!” Master Zhou stated.
“Master Zhou, the regular tea shops outside aren't much more expensive than what you’ve quoted. Give me a real price!” Teng Qingshan laughed. “Besides, I’m buying a large quantity; we should all make good money together.”
“How much are you buying?” Master Zhou inquired.
“Eight hundred bricks!” Teng Qingshan announced.
Master Zhou’s eyes lit up. This was a huge deal. An ordinary commoner might only earn ten or twenty taels of silver in a year. This one-jin brick already cost thirteen taels, clearly a luxury only the wealthy could afford. And eight hundred bricks… that was indeed a major transaction.
“What price are you looking for?” Master Zhou asked.
Teng Qingshan was very direct: “Ten taels of silver per brick!”
“That… is too low,” Master Zhou demurred.
Teng Qingshan shook his head: “Master Zhou, that is not low at all. Even locals acquiring goods here probably only pay slightly more than that. And I am buying eight hundred bricks of Grade Two product all at once! I’m risking my life traveling to the Great Steppe. You should offer some support. I also need to purchase a Red Fire Horse from you, one thousand taels of silver per horse! Is that acceptable?”
Master Zhou pondered for a moment, then broke into a smile: “Brother Qin, very well. Eight hundred Grade Two bricks, plus one Red Fire Horse. That totals nine thousand taels of silver!”
Master Zhou had been hesitant about ten taels per brick. However, Teng Qingshan was also buying a Red Fire Horse, upon which they could profit two or three hundred taels. Thus, combined, he agreed.
……
In the warehouse, two large chests lay with their lids open.
Master Zhou, Teng Qingshan, and many staff from the teahouse were present.
Teng Qingshan opened the small box he carried. It contained ordinary items like clothes. He took out some silver notes from the pockets of his garments, then retrieved more from inside his robes. Master Zhou was unfazed; merchants had countless ways to conceal silver notes.
“I’ll place my clothing box here, leaning against the side of this large chest.” Teng Qingshan stood the small box vertically beside the larger one. “All right, everyone, start loading the tea bricks. Put fewer bricks in the large chest on the left; that way, I can easily access my clothing box later. Load more bricks into the large chest on the right.”
“Yes, sir.”
The teahouse staff immediately began placing the tea bricks inside. Teng Qingshan casually picked up one, unwrapped the paper covering it, and shaved off a small pinch of tea dust.
“This Purple Fang Tea Brick is absolutely fine tea.” Master Zhou quickly prepared a pot of tea.
Once brewed, Teng Qingshan tasted it and nodded in satisfaction.
To impersonate a merchant successfully, every detail, from start to finish, had to be convincing.