Free Web NovelChapter 23: Chapter 23: Retrieving the Silver
The twelfth lunar month.
After bringing his two sons home, Chen Li drove the ox-cart alone, heading for Luoyan Collection in the neighboring Lixian County.
Luoyan Collection was situated on the banks of the Lishui River.
It was originally an unremarkable little village. After the Court built the Lishui Pier here, it gradually prospered with the dredging of the river and the growth of trade.
The market town wasn’t large—just a small street about two li long—but it was exceptionally bustling.
Boats laden with goods came downriver from upstream to dock here for a rest, or to restock on fresh water and provisions.
So many traveling merchants came and went that the narrow, bluestone-paved street teemed with people.
As the sun set, more and more boats moored by the pier. Boatmen and Tugmen gathered in small groups to drink and chat. The air was thick with a mixture of fish and sweat.
Chen Li drove his ox-cart into Luoyan Collection in the evening.
He wore a faded, indigo-dyed, coarse-linen padded jacket and a bamboo hat, looking no different from any other weary, traveling merchant.
He narrowed his eyes slightly, his calm gaze sweeping over the market town.
Loafers with vacant eyes squatted at the entrance of an eatery with a faded wine banner; shouts rose and fell from the doorway of a gambling den; a heavily made-up woman leaned in the mouth of a dark alley, her lazy gaze sizing up the passersby.
It was chaotic and noisy, yet possessed a kind of morbid prosperity.
’A mix of high and low, a real nest of vipers.’
Chen Li’s vigilance soared.
’This Luoyan Collection doesn’t seem to be a simple village like Lingxi.’
He didn’t linger. Following the flow of the crowd, he walked down the muddy main street.
With what seemed to be a casual glance out of the corner of his eye, he committed his surroundings to memory.
Finally, Chen Li stopped at a street corner.
Before him was a two-story wooden building. A half-new, half-old sign hung on the lintel: "Celestial Gate Inn."
The location wasn’t the best.
But its advantage was that it was relatively quiet, and a narrow, dark alley piled with junk behind the inn would make a good escape route if needed.
More importantly, the Kan Well was just a few hundred zhang behind the inn.
Chen Li stepped into the inn.
The main hall was dimly lit. A few groups of customers sat around several greasy, square tables. Some were dressed as merchants, while others were rough-looking men with their chests bared, revealing tattoos.
"Sir, are you here for a meal or a room?"
Behind the counter, a shrewd-looking Shopkeeper with a goatee lifted his gaze.
Chen Li’s voice was flat. "A room. One of your best, and a quiet one."
"Room nine. Second floor, in the back. Quietest one we’ve got. The price, though... five maces of silver a day." The Shopkeeper chuckled and held up one hand, palm open.
Chen Li said nothing more and handed over a small piece of broken silver.
"Right away! This way, sir." Seeing the silver, the Shopkeeper’s face broke into a grin as he handed over a Brass Key.
Chen Li took the key, his gaze sweeping nonchalantly across the main hall.
As he turned to go upstairs, his eyes fell upon a square table by the window in a corner.
A young woman dressed in apricot-colored martial attire, with a worn, thin red cloak over it, was sitting there alone.
Her head was lowered as she took small bites of the plain noodles in her bowl. Her long, black hair was tied back simply, revealing a smooth forehead and a stretch of fair neck.
’It’s her!’
A thought stirred in Chen Li’s mind.
The valiant, dashing figure in red, galloping her horse on the official road, instantly surfaced in his mind.
’Why is she here?’
She looked weighed down by worries, her gaze drifting from time to time to the building diagonally across the street, which flew a "Gambling Den" banner.
Her brow was slightly furrowed, and her fingers unconsciously rubbed the rough rim of the bowl, lost in thought.
But the three Officials who had been chasing her were nowhere to be seen.
As if sensing she was being watched, the woman looked up and glanced at Chen Li.
Chen Li withdrew his gaze and impassively followed the attendant upstairs.
’The Jianghu is a treacherous place. It’s best not to get involved.’
Room nine was in the eastern corner of the building. When he pushed the door open, a faint musty smell hit him.
The room wasn’t large and the furnishings were simple, but it was reasonably clean.
He walked to the window, pushed it open, and looked out over the street. From here, he had a clear view of the activity below. freewebnovel.cσ๓
Chen Li stood by the window and observed quietly for a while. After confirming that everything was calm, he sat down in the room to meditate and rest.
The next day, Chen Li went out and wandered unhurriedly around the market town for a few hours. It wasn’t until the afternoon that he arrived at the place where the silver was hidden.
Judging from the crumbling walls and ruins, the place had once been a grand residence, but for some unknown reason, it had been abandoned.
Now, the residence was as dilapidated as an old man on his last legs, looking as if it might collapse in a strong wind.
Weeds and trees grew wild, and the air was filled with a nauseating, mixed stench of rot and dampness.
Seeing no one around, Chen Li circled the area once before quickly finding the dry well.
The mouth of the well was half-covered by a huge bluestone slab, which in turn was covered with thick moss and dead vines.
After observing the area, Chen Li left.
Moving during the day, he was bound to run into people.
After all, it was twelve thousand, three hundred taels of silver, weighing over 1,200 jin.
Although it wasn’t heavy for him now—he could lift it with ease.
But the haul was simply too large. He would have to come back at night to retrieve the silver.
Night fell slowly amidst the clamor.
Chen Li didn’t light a lamp. He sat quietly in the shadows of his room, regulating his breathing and bringing himself to his peak condition.
By the Hour of the Ox, the market town’s clamor finally began to subside.
All that remained was the occasional bark of a dog in the distance and the listless sound of the night watchman’s clapper.
Chen Li opened his eyes. He changed into a set of dark gray clothes he had prepared and covered his face with a black cloth, leaving only his eyes exposed.
Then, as silently as a leopard cat, he slipped out the back window and dropped into the junk-filled alley.
After getting his bearings, his figure flickered and blended into the deeper darkness, sneaking toward the abandoned Kan Well he had scouted out during the day.
Soon, he was back at the place he had scouted during the day.
Chen Li didn’t approach immediately.
He crouched in a patch of waist-high weeds, concentrating, listening intently, and scanning his surroundings.
Only after confirming no one was around did he flit to the well’s edge like a gust of wind.
Channeling his Inner Qi, Chen Li quickly moved the bluestone slab covering the well.
The well was pitch-black and seemed bottomless.
Chen Li took out a copper coin, flicked it into the well with his finger, and cocked his ear to listen.
The dull thud of the copper coin landing indicated that the bottom of the well was not deep. freewёbnoνel.com
He hesitated no longer and leaped into the well.
As expected, the bottom of the well was dry. Chen Li lit the flint he carried, and its faint light illuminated the narrow space.
He soon discovered a loose brick in the well wall. After prying it open gently, he revealed a hidden cavity. Inside the cavity were four coarse cloth sacks.
Chen Li dragged the sacks out and opened one. Gleaming silver ingots shimmered in the firelight.
After a quick count, he resealed them and tied the sacks securely with a rope he had prepared.
’This went more smoothly than I expected.’
Chen Li felt a wave of relief and leaped out of the Kan Well.
Then, he used the rope to haul the heavy sacks out of the well.
He glanced around, confirmed it was safe, and then hefted the four sacks. Once again, he melted into the night, sneaking back toward the Celestial Gate Inn.
