Most of the servants had seen Xu Jian already, but Ying Long took him on a tour anyway.

As expected from a palace, there was a scholar’s division, a spellwrite’s division, a research division, and a school. It’s likely Hyacinth Palace got its status from teaching the disciples of other sects. Of course, these divisions were all empty, at the moment.

Ying Long appeared unbothered by this. “I’ll fill them up soon. Weng Yu said she’ll get the entire sect back into operation by the end of the month. In the meantime, we need as many hands as possible to clean up.”

Xu Jian, who was already rattled by how well things were going for the demons, didn’t like this attitude. “Hyacinth Palace must have managed more than just the teaching of disciples, my lord? Even with a smaller sect like Wendian, they protected the populace from monsters and managed trade.”

“My demons are repairing their outer walls. It’s fine.”

“Do the residents of Yufeng know they can leave? Do traders know they can stay?”

“...You seem very mindful of these things,” Ying Long said with an edge of unhappiness.

“I was Wendian’s inheritor. This much is normal.”

“It’s a shame you’ve fallen so far. It would have been nice to acquire you after you’d already become the sect leader.”

Xu Jian wished he could rip this fool’s tongue out.

To his surprise, though, their next location was outside the palace, down to Yufeng. From the top of the hill, he can see demons in blue really had begun repairing the outer walls.

“Are we off to reassure the populace?” Xu Jian ventured.

“Hm? Oh, no. I wanted to find a cobbler. Shoe size is more precise than clothing size, after all.”

Of course.

Just as before, the streets were all empty. No one dared leave while demons were so close by. Xu Jian tried sliding off Ying Long’s back, but Ying Long caught him in one arm.

“Careful. Not a safe place to be barefoot.”

Upon closer observation, he wasn’t wrong. Broken glass and chunks of stone were everywhere, remnants of an attempt at pushing back while the demons were entering through the main road. The houses appeared to be empty.

“The next street over.”

Further away from the destruction, Xu Jian was allowed to walk on his own two feet. He knocked on a window. “Excuse me. You don’t have to open the door, but do you know where a cobbler is?”

Silence.

Ying Long moved forward, but Xu Jian used both hands to push him back again. It was a little awkward, as Xu Jian’s shoulders only reached Ying Long’s thighs.

He tried knocking on the window again. “Hyacinth Palace’s cultivators have been imprisoned without casualties, and Lord Ying only intends to take over the sect as his own. I just need to know where the cobbler is.”

More silence.

Then, a weak, heavily shaking voice. “Turn east in the heart of the city. Towards the wall.”

“Thank you for your help. I won’t trouble you further.” Xu Jian bowed at the window, and turned to see Ying Long looked unhappy. Well, if he wasn’t going to say anything, Xu Jian wasn’t going to respond to it. He climbed back onto Ying Long, and they returned to the main street.

The eastern stretch of the road that cut through the town horizontally was a business area. Most of the buildings were shuttered, but the smell of cooking food said that not every business was closed. Those who had to make a living were a little bolder.

The cobbler was a tiny, cramped, claustrophobic little shop, with windows dim with grime. Xu Jian suspected a more well-to-do tailor took care of most jobs to do with shoes. An old man was eating mantou in the corner of the shop, and even though Ying Long stayed out in the street, he still went white and let out a surprised curse. Xu Jinyue’s reputation was really the worst.

“I need shoes,” Xu Jian said, exhibiting his bare and bruised feet.

“You have money?” The man asked suspiciously. “I’ll serve even demons, but only if you got money.”

“I have money.”

“Then come here.” He pointed to a chair off to the side, surrounded by soles. Xu Jian sat down and held up a foot, which the man measured. He mumbled under his breath, and went into the back. After a moment, he returned with a pair of boots.

“Two taels,” the man said curtly.

Xu Jian tried them on. There was a plush padding inside, and it appeared to fit fine. Satisfied, he poked his head out the door, making sure to bend over before reaching it so it was obvious he wasn’t going to leave the building yet.

“He says it’s two taels. In coins, right?”

Ying Long tilted his head. “I don’t know how much that is.”

Xu Jian didn’t know either. Most of the things the author wrote Lai Mingliao buying was measured in silver taels, and that was considered absurdly expensive. It was a fantasy world too, so he couldn’t trust Chinese history to have the right value, either.

“It’s a tael, isn’t it? So it’s just 80 grams in bronze.”

Ying Long scoffed. “You think I carry that much bronze on me?”

This spoiled old money bastard. “If you don’t know, give me a silver tael, then. It’ll be an investment.”

“What do you mean, investment?”

Xu Jian opened his mouth, and closed it. He didn’t want to introduce the stock market to the ancient world. “An act of good faith, my lord.”

“The humans of this world are pitiful, for a single silver tael to be an act of good faith. Aren’t you embarrassed?” He still handed over a little silver...boat shape.

“A sycee ingot isn’t a tael. My lord. You measure them in taels. My lord.”

“It’s all I have.”

“Does money have so little value? My lord?” He bounced it in his hand. It was heavy. “I could buy this entire shop with an ingot of this weight, my lord!”

Ying Long’s expression soured at being yelled at. “If it’s enough to buy the shop, then buy the shop!”

“We don’t need to buy the shop! You think Yufeng doesn’t have a bank?”

“How would we find a banker? They obviously wouldn’t leave their houses!”

“That’s why I was saying you should have told everyone you weren’t here to ravage their town right away!”

“So I shall meekly wring my hands and beg their pardon?”

“Is walking into town to say ‘I am the ruler and you are the followers’ wringing your hands, now, my lord? So shallow-minded! Are you a child?”

“ENOUGH!”

Xu Jian was shocked into silence by the boom of Ying Long’s voice and bit down on his tongue.

Wasn’t...Wasn’t he supposed to be sweet-tempered and impossible to anger?

Ying Long was breathing slow and deep through his nose, his face scarlet with indignation. He pointed at the ingot and fixed his jaw.

“Buy the store.”

Xu Jian stared at the ingot with a furrowed brow, but still bowed his head. “As my lord wishes.”

When he turned, the cobbler was staring like an anxious horse. Xu Jian placed the ingot on the counter and fixed the man with the haughtiest look he could muster.

“We’re buying your store.”

The man nodded, gently took the ingot and his plate of mantou, and slid into the back room, not daring to look away even once.

Ying Long had collected himself when Xu Jian reappeared. Xu Jian considered apologizing, but as Ying Long was under the assumption he could only tell the truth, it seemed like a bad idea. Instead, Xu Jian simply said “I spoke unnecessarily, my lord.”

Ying Long’s lips pulled into a severe frown, but he didn’t berate Xu Jian, instead heading to the wall. “I must speak with my attendant. Come.”

Xu Jian followed on foot, feeling shaken. He didn’t understand how he had cut through Ying Long’s pride so quickly. Nagging shouldn’t have been enough to bother him. He must have missed something...but how can he avoid aggravating his benefactor without knowing what he did wrong?