"If you only want to buy two hundred pounds, you don’t need to check every black market. The Cold Crow Village Black Market near Lishui District should have it."

Twenty-four taels of silver per pound. Two hundred pounds would be forty-eight hundred taels. Chen Cheng was short on cash and couldn’t afford that amount.

"If I have enough silver, could Luo’s Shop procure this batch of Black Gold for me?" Even though he didn’t have the money, Chen Cheng wanted to ask so he could plan for the future.

Chen Cheng was reluctant to go to a dangerous place like the Black Market. It would be ideal if Luo’s Shop could make the purchase for him.

Shu Xiuming shook his head and gave a wry smile. "The Black Market is too dangerous. We at Luo’s Shop don’t go there often."

"Besides, privately trading large amounts of Black Gold is against the law. Luo’s Shop has always been a law-abiding establishment. Our proprietor would likely not agree to buy Black Gold from the Black Market."

"My apologies, that was presumptuous of me." Chen Cheng gave an awkward laugh.

Shu Xiuming smiled placatingly and waved his hands. "Mr. Chen, you are a Tributor of Luo’s Shop. Both the proprietor and the young mistress have instructed us to do our utmost to assist you with any needs. However, a matter as serious as Black Gold is beyond my power to help with."

"But since you’ve asked, I will personally report this to the Patriarch later and see what he says."

Chen Cheng waved his hand and said seriously, "Shopkeeper Shu, you’ve already done your best. There’s no need to trouble Patriarch Luo."

"Yes." Shu Xiuming breathed a sigh of relief. He had genuinely been afraid that Chen Cheng would hold a grudge over this.

...

Night fell, and a light drizzle began to fall.

Chen Cheng stood alone on the balcony, listening to the patter of the rain, lost in thought.

There had only been occasional light showers recently, signaling that the flood was finally coming to an end.

To increase his training weight to three hundred pounds, he would need Black Gold and Profound Iron, which would cost over five thousand taels of silver. It would be difficult to raise such a large sum on short notice.

He could make money quickly like some scions of the great Inner City families: by killing troublemaking Jianghu figures in the Outer City District and acting as a righteous vigilante.

But that was too reckless. Walk a dark path long enough and you’re bound to meet a ghost. If someone with an agenda found even the slightest clue and traced it back to him, the gains wouldn’t be worth the loss.

Fortunately, with his current training weight, his progress in the Iron Armor Skill was only slowing gradually; his daily cultivation still yielded significant improvements.

A few more days passed. The scions of the great families and various Jianghu wanderers who had left the city to hunt Demon Beasts began to trickle back in.

One day, as Chen Cheng was resting and drinking tea in his office, Yan Jian bustled in excitedly.

"Mr. Chen, have you heard? Miss Shen is back in the city."

Yan Jian stared at Chen Cheng, his tone probing.

"Oh? When was that?" Chen Cheng lifted his teacup and took a light sip, feeling rather exasperated.

’He thought he was being secretive, but I figured it out long ago.’ Yan Jian had been sending one of his constables to the South City District City Guard Headquarters every day—once in the morning and once in the evening—for the sole purpose of gathering news about Shen Qingshuang.

And as luck would have it, after Yan Jian’s constable returned to report yesterday, Yan Jian had rushed over to the South City District City Guard Headquarters, where he was spotted by Chen Cheng’s own subordinate, Li Sheng.

’So now he comes here, playing dumb and asking about Shen Qingshuang’s return. I wonder what he’s scheming.’

"It was just yesterday morning. You didn’t know, Mr. Chen?" Yan Jian asked again, seeing Chen Cheng’s calm, unperturbed demeanor.

"I didn’t." Chen Cheng shook his head, not bothering to guess at the man’s petty schemes.

A hint of suspicion crossed Yan Jian’s face. "Mr. Chen, since Miss Shen returned, has she summoned you to report to her?"

"Report what?" Chen Cheng asked, feigning curiosity.

Yan Jian gave a sheepish laugh. "We both serve under Miss Shen. Naturally, we should report on the state of our duties in Lishui District."

"Now that she’s back, you ought to go report, shouldn’t you?"

Chen Cheng shook his head. "I’ve been on duty every day, and nothing major has happened. I don’t know what there is to report. I’ll think about it in a few days."

"You have a point, Mr. Chen." Yan Jian smiled, then took his leave and departed.

’Both serving under Miss Shen, are we? That man is a true sycophant and an opportunist!’ Chen Cheng thought, shaking his head slightly once Yan Jian was out of earshot.

’Judging by his recent actions, he must see me as a rival.’

’He’s so paranoid that he even feels the need to fish for information about something as simple as Shen Qingshuang’s return.’

’He probably thinks that since we both serve under Shen Qingshuang, I’m going to compete with him for resources from the Shen Family.’

He recalled Xiaoxing telling him that Shen Qingshuang gave him two Muscle Strengthening Pills a year, but only one to Yan Jian.

’At the time, I didn’t think anything of it. But now that I think about it, Shen Qingshuang probably instructed Xiaoxing to tell me that.’

’I can’t help but wonder if Shen Qingshuang and Xiaoxing said something similar to Yan Jian.’

’As expected of a scion of a great family. Shen Qingshuang is quite adept at managing her subordinates,’ Chen Cheng thought, before promptly putting the matter out of his mind.

’So what if I know? In the end, your own strength is what matters. Relying completely on the Shen Family or Shen Qingshuang isn’t realistic.’

「Three days later.」

Chen Cheng found himself at the South City District City Guard Headquarters Office after all.

Of course, he hadn’t come of his own volition; Shen Qingshuang had sent a constable to summon him.

"Greetings, Senior Sister," Chen Cheng said with a bow of his cupped fists.

Shen Qingshuang leaned back in her chair, studying Chen Cheng for a long moment before asking with keen interest, "I heard you took Mu Xiaowan on an outing to the Drunken Immortal Tower Ship a few days ago?"

"I did," Chen Cheng answered truthfully, though he was secretly puzzled. ’As the busy Chief of the South City Guard, she shouldn’t be concerned with such trivial matters.’

Shen Qingshuang’s expression suddenly turned stern, but her beautiful eyes held a rare, mischievous glint.

"Junior Brother Chen, you call me Senior Sister, but don’t you think you’re being a bit too distant?"

"When I returned to Linji City, even Chief Yan knew to come and pay his respects, yet you remained completely indifferent."

Chen Cheng replied with a serious expression, "Senior Sister, you are busy with your duties. You just returned from hunting Demon Beasts outside the city, so you must have a great deal of work to attend to. I was afraid of disturbing you."

"Heh, you’re certainly very considerate." Shen Qingshuang chuckled, then waved a dismissive hand. "Forget it. I’m not blaming you."

"If Yan Jian hadn’t mentioned it, I wouldn’t have known you went to the Drunken Immortal Tower with two members of our Shen Family. That, I must admit, was quite surprising!"

Shen Qingshuang sighed softly and then asked, "What is your impression of those two from my family?"

Chen Cheng glanced at Shen Qingshuang. Reading her expression, he finally understood why she had summoned him!

’Knowing Shen Qingshuang’s personality, she wouldn’t bother asking about a wastrel like Shen Qingpeng. She must be primarily interested in Shen Junmo.’

’And Shen Junmo’s real identity is Shen Qingyao, isn’t it?’

’But why she’d ask for my opinion of Shen Qingyao is completely beyond me.’

"Both Young Master Shens are quite impressive. Young Master Shen Junmo, in particular, seems to have very strong Martial Arts Power," Chen Cheng answered noncommittally.

"Oh? You only noticed that his Martial Arts Power is strong? You didn’t notice anything else?" Shen Qingshuang asked, her tone laced with skepticism.

After a moment of deliberation, Chen Cheng shook his head. "I’ve only just met Young Master Shen Junmo. We haven’t interacted much, so I couldn’t tell anything else."

Shen Qingshuang suddenly sat up straight, an enigmatic smile playing on her lips. "You didn’t notice that this Young Master Shen Junmo is very clever?"

"Yes, yes, of course. Young Master Shen Junmo is indeed exceptionally clever," Chen Cheng replied hastily. But Shen Qingshuang could tell his answer was somewhat perfunctory.

"That’s all. You may go," Shen Qingshuang said with a wave of her hand.

Just as Chen Cheng was about to leave, she spoke again. "Junior Brother Chen, you’d best not get too close to Shen Junmo. He’s the type who relies on his wits and enjoys playing tricks on people."

"Don’t let him run you in circles without you even realizing it."

Chen Cheng silently agreed. After all, Shen Qingyao’s disguise as a man had almost completely fooled him.

"Senior Sister, I will keep my distance from Young Master Shen Junmo in the future and will certainly avoid interacting with him."

Chen Cheng replied earnestly.

Shen Qingshuang was clearly satisfied with his answer. A small smile touched her lips. "Mm, that would be best."