The smoke over the West Ward didn't clear for two days. Neither did the panic.
Salt wasn't a luxury in the Great Yan Empire; it was life. Without it, meat rotted, vegetables withered, and the working class grew sick. When the Wang Family's massive reserves burned to the ground, the merchants of the Capital didn't just worry about their profits—they worried about riots.
Inside the small, previously abandoned counting house Han Jing had rented, the air was thick with the smell of sweat and desperation.
A line of merchants, many wearing silk robes that cost more than Han Jing's life, spilled out the door and into the muddy street. They were shouting, waving silver taels, and shoving each other like common beggars.
"One hundred taels!" a silk merchant screamed, slamming a pouch onto Han Jing's desk. "I need three crates! My curing houses are stalling!"
Han Jing sat behind the desk, his broken abacus replaced by a pristine, iron-bound ledger. He wore a clean, dark blue robe—paid for by Su Chen. His bruises were fading, but it was the coldness in his eyes that made the merchants uneasy. He wasn't the weak scholar they used to kick in the streets anymore. He was the Gatekeeper.
"The price," Han Jing said, his voice terrifyingly calm, "is two hundred taels per crate. As I told you an hour ago, Merchant Zhao."
"Two hundred?!" The merchant's face turned purple. "That is highway robbery! That is extortion! The magistrate will have your head on a pike for gouging the Empire!"
Han Jing didn't flinch. He slowly closed the ledger. "If you wish to petition the magistrate, you are free to leave the line. I am sure he will find you some salt in the ashes. Next."
"Wait! Wait!" Merchant Zhao frantically pulled a jade pendant from his neck and tossed it onto the silver. "Take it! Just give me the crates!"
Han Jing inspected the jade, nodded curtly, and stamped a wax seal onto a receipt. "Proceed to the back door. Do not dawdle."
From the shadows of the rafters above, Su Chen watched the scene unfold.
He was reclining on a wooden beam, tossing a copper coin in the air and catching it. His System interface was a waterfall of blue notifications, scrolling so fast it lit up the dark corners of the ceiling.
[Transaction Complete: +600 Silver Taels] [Transaction Complete: +200 Silver Taels & 1 Minor Jade Artifact] [Market Dominance in West Ward: 98%]
He had spent a total of one hundred and fifty taels to buy the three 'worthless' warehouses and bribe Iron Dog.
In the last four hours, Han Jing had brought in over twelve thousand taels of silver.
It was a staggering, incomprehensible amount of wealth. In this era, a commoner could live comfortably for a year on five taels. Su Chen had just earned enough to buy a small army.
"Master," Han Jing called out softly, once the doors were finally barred and the last desperate merchant had scurried away into the night.
Su Chen dropped from the rafters, landing silently. He walked over to the desk, looking at the mountain of silver ingots, gold leaves, and precious gems piled upon it.
Han Jing fell to his knees, pressing his forehead against the floorboards. He was shaking. "Master... we have done it. We have twelve thousand, four hundred taels. But... we cannot keep this. The Wang Family will investigate. The local gangs will smell the silver. We will be slaughtered before dawn."
Su Chen picked up a heavy silver ingot. It was cold and beautiful.
"Stand up, Han Jing," Su Chen commanded. "A boss does not kneel to his own money."
Han Jing shakily rose to his feet.
[System Milestone Reached: First 10,000 Taels Acquired!] [Reward: System Vault Unlocked] [Reward: 2,000 System Points] [New Feature: 'Shadow Subordinate' Slot Unlocked]
Su Chen swiped his hand through the air. "System, deposit everything except five hundred taels into the Vault."
Before Han Jing's terrified eyes, the mountain of silver vanished. Poof. Gone. Only a small, manageable pile remained on the desk.
Han Jing gasped, falling backward against the wall. "Sorcery... Master, you are an Immortal?"
"I'm an investor," Su Chen corrected him smoothly. "And our silver is now in a place where no Emperor, no gang, and no magistrate can ever find it. It is perfectly safe."
Su Chen walked to the window, peering out into the darkened street. He could see shadows moving at the edges of the alleyways. The local gangs had indeed smelled the blood in the water.
"You are right about one thing, Han Jing," Su Chen said, his modern mob instincts flaring. "We have the brains. We have the capital. But right now, we lack the muscle to protect our borders. We need a 'Cleaner'."
"A... cleaner?"
"Someone who makes our problems disappear," Su Chen explained. He opened the System Shop, staring at his 2,000 newly acquired points. He navigated past the technological upgrades and went straight to the [Mercenary Roster].
He needed an enforcer. Not a clumsy brute like Iron Dog, but a true terror of the martial world.
Suddenly, a loud, splintering CRASH shattered the quiet of the counting house.
The heavy oak front doors were kicked off their hinges, flying into the room and smashing against the desks. Rain and wind howled through the opening.
Standing in the doorway was a man who stood nearly seven feet tall. He wore the crimson, scaled armor of the Capital's Elite Guard, and he held a massive, blood-stained guandao (poleblade) in his right hand.
"The Magistrate sends his regards," the giant rumbled, his voice like grinding stones. "He wants the silver. And he wants the heads of the rats who burned the Wang Family warehouse."
Han Jing froze, the color draining completely from his face. "Master... that is General Yan. The 'Blood Demon' of the Imperial Guard."
Su Chen didn't panic. He didn't even draw back. He simply looked at the giant, then at the floating blue screen in front of his eyes.
[Target: Yan 'Blood Demon' Kuo] [Status: Imperial Enforcer] [Weakness Identified: Secretly addicted to 'Dream Lotus' poison. Desperate for a cure. Life expectancy: 1 Month.]
Su Chen slowly reached into his sleeve, pulling out a small, modern white pill he had just purchased from the System Shop for 500 points.
"General Yan," Su Chen said, stepping directly into the path of the giant's blade, smiling like a predator welcoming a guest. "You look terrible. Have a seat. Let's talk about your liver."