The soft, welcoming look on Shao Zihan’s face was in sharp contrast with the apprehensive look on the junior Shao’s face.

It was no secret that Shao Wu disliked Ling Ye, much like many other villagers. Shao Wu abhorrence went a step further as he felt troubled each time his uncle was ridiculed.

Shao Zihan had been eager to impress when Shaluyu attacked their village, but after seeing his comrades die and being maimed, he made the wise decision of retreating. He found it difficult to assuage his guilt towards those that sacrificed their lives and felt that Ling Ye’s treatment was a just punishment.

Shao Wu, on the other hand, felt that Ling Ye was out of line. With Shao Zihan gone, the vast majority of the villages would be unable to survive. They were highly dependent on him as he was the only capable craftsman around, having succeeded his father and currently training a new apprentice. Had Shao Zihan chosen to throw away his life, Shaluyu would have probably slaughtered the entire village as their gains would be little.

To make matters worse, Ling Ye would come over with all sorts of requests whenever he felt like; a custom-made toy cart, a custom-made cabinet or a toy bird which took over a hundred hours to craft which he had thrown away simply because he fancied so. He did this so often until Ling Su got wind of it and had him return all the goods albeit the discarded bird.

Ling Su had never been able to converse freely with any member of this family and would always try to get by without their help. A solemn look always graced her face when she needed to make a request. Shao Wu’s heart wrenched whenever he saw her. He did not think it possible to see a soul so miserable. He was once tempted to give her the wooden bird he had searched for for days, polished judiciously when he found it, and stowed in a little box underneath his bed. He, however, had no feelings towards her unruly brother.

Shao Wu took a step forward to shoo Xiao Ye away but was intercepted by Shao Zihan.

“Good morning, Ling Ye. Is there anything I can help you with?”

“Umm… I was thinking I could help you instead.”

Shao Wu looked up, mouth agape.

He doesn’t mean to steal my apprenticeship position?

Shao Zihan blinked and responded after a quick glance towards his nephew.

“It’s great to see your enthusiasm, but we never teach this trade outside the family.”

Huo Ye looked from uncle to nephew and realised he had been misunderstood.

“Please don’t be alarmed. I have no intention of working here. I’m rather interested in working with you.”

Huo Ye then looked at Shao Zihan, awaiting his response. He chose not to give any more information but to wait for Shao Zihan to take the initiative. By doing so, he was making it seem more like Shao Zihan was the one to suggest a cooperation and make it much easier for him to sell is idea and maybe also because he had no idea how to approach the topic. Shao Zihan was also equally quiet, refusing to let go of the upperhand in the situation. He did not want to seem desperate for whatever Ling Ye was offering and so chose not to make a move. The tense silence was shattered as Shao Wu piped up.

“How do you plan on helping if not in the shop? What could you possibly have to offer a carpenter if not your hands?” he asked incredulously.

“Wood.”

The one word reply shocked not only Shao Wu but his uncle as well. Did he take them for fools? It was already so difficult to procure wood from the villages nearby. The transportation cost alone ate into much of the profit. The only reason why the business was being kept afloat was because they had a monopoly. Should there be one more carpenter in town, their business would go under. Where did this little boy think he could get wood that they hadn’t thought of before?

Huo Ye continued once he saw he had them hooked.

“I can get you large quantities for the same price that you are paying now.”

“Why would we buy your wood and not others if you are offering the same price?”

Shao Wu just could not understand how Ling Ye’s mind worked. He had to offer an advantage over the others if he wanted them to work with him. Not only was it doubtful that he could obtain the amount of would they would need for the same cost as they received lots of discounts, but they would also have to dissolve quite a few contracts, losing them a lot of money.

Huo Ye began to speak, interrupting Shao Wu’s train of thought.

“Spiritual wood.”

Shao Zihan was bewildered.

“Doesn’t harvesting spiritual wood take a lot of time? Afterwards you’d still need time and people to refine it. There’s no way you’d make any profit.”

Shao Wu made a face at his uncle.

If he truly does have spiritual wood, why question how much he makes? If he’s a fool, it only benefits us.

“You don’t have to worry about that. I’ll bring over a sample in a week.”

Huo Ye could tell Shao Zihan was beginning to get interested so decided to push a bit more.

“You don’t have to dissolve any of your contacts as of now. You can keep them going on for three months just as a precaution, but after that I want a monopoly of your business. To satisfy you I can deliver small batches for your use over this period.”

Shao Zihan knew the value of spiritual wood. He had a bit of experience with it from Shaluyu. They did a huge number of jobs and were quite rowdy as well hence were always in need of repairs. The top brass had a few items made out of spiritual wood and although more durable than regular wood, their fast paced life had Shao Zihan going out quite often.

Spiritual wood retained its durability, flexibility and lustre even after being cured. To push items crafted with it could help him expand his market to other villages or even further. He swallowed and with a shaky voice said,

“How about you bring me a log, two metres high and a diameter of half a metre.”

“Hmm…”

Huo Ye frowned and focused on the floor.

Shao Wu was beginning to feel irritated. If this was all an elaborate prank he’d be sure to drill a hole in Ling Ye’s skull with his awl.

“If that won’t be possible I don’t see how we can cooperate.”

Shao Zihan felt discouraged as he came to the conclusion that he’d once again been taken advantage of by Ling Ye.

“You are right. I really don’t think I’d be able to get one so small.”

Two identical faces stared at their ‘business partner’, looked at each other, then resumed their staring.

Huo Ye giggled on the inside, trying his best to maintain a straight face. No one in the village would ever think that he would plan to cut down the trees in the spiritual forest. After all, how was he ever to cure trees from such dense spiritual energy? They were unaware of the array underneath their house and assumed the siblings just had immunity, which was true for the most part. Even the members of Shaluyu who had come up to their house could not sense the subtle change in energy after being poisoned throughout the entire journey. The only way they would be able to do so was to meditate in the clearing and purge their body of the toxic energy. They were however very reluctant to do this and would immediately rush down after finishing their inspection.

“I’d need to borrow a cart though to transport the wood.”

At the matching sceptical looks he received, he quickly spat out

“It’s only until I have enough to buy the wood.”

Huo Ye blinked up at them innocently.

Shao Zihan sighed deeply, “I usually get such a load for two silver.”¹one silver coin is equivalent to one hundred copper coins

Huo Ye was more than surprised. He didn’t know much about the cost of goods but judging that a single axe sold at eighty copper, an entire log for two silver was a scam. Sure finishing goods took time, but the profit would still be huge. Huo Ye was seriously reconsidering not pushing to work in the shop.

He nodded and looked Shao Zihan in the eyes. “I’ll be back next week.”

Shao Wu followed him out with the pretence of getting him a cart. He scowled as he turned around to face Huo Ye.

“I don’t need to tell you what would happen if you try to scam us.”

Huo Ye laughed inwardly as he was threatened by a boy not much older than ‘himself’. As a salesman, selling goods with a few embellishments was the core of his job. However, as he had few buyers, he had to maintain the relationship with the Shao family.

“If I fail to deliver, I’ll offer you my sister as compensation.”

Shao Wu gulped audibly. He was enraged at the thought of Ling Su being used as a bargaining chip, but was secretly overjoyed by the thought of Ling Su paying him attention.

 “Keep your compensation. You’ll have to work off the money and pay for the time spent as well.”

Huo Ye struggled to keep from rolling his eyes as he hadn’t spent as long as the average customer would. Even if his entire operation failed, but he could always pay off the debt with the money from the spiritual herbs.

Before he could think of a comeback, Shao Wu was called back into the store.

Huo Ye decided that it was enough for the day and turned away to go home. His first encounter with a villager had him a bit nervous, but after realising that no one noticed that something was amiss, his courage had grown in leaps and bounds. He strolled confidently all the way up the mountain eager to put his plan into action.