Dao of the Deal

Muchen was feeling pleased with himself as the day drew to a close. He had set in motion his plans to do business while he was in the capital. He had settled on the cargo he would take with him when he left the capital. He had even secured a source of information to aid in Xinyi's quest to restore her cultivation base. All that was left was to handle some social niceties before settling into bed for a well-deserved rest.

He took a bath and changed into a clean set of clothing before dinner. Fortunately, no further ritual was required than to make himself presentable.

The Wang family was wealthy, but in the end they were a merchant family. The quality of the food and the lavish decoration of the room would be second to none, but the overall dining experience wouldn't be nearly as strict as if he were rubbing elbows with true aristocracy.

A servant led the way to the dining hall. Muchen was pleased to note that they were headed for the private room reserved for members of the family and their guests. Not that he would have minded eating with the servants at the cafeteria style public dining hall, but it was nice to have his standing reaffirmed. After all, he still intended to freeload a stay in their estate for a few more weeks yet.

Muchen was led inside to find three people already seated around the table. Uncle Haoyu was there, of course, wearing a fancier set of clothes but welcoming Muchen with the same friendly smile. His wife was seated next to him, Aunt Baozhai identical to how she appeared in Muchen's memories save for a few wrinkles at the corners of her eyes. Seated across from them was an elegant young lady that Muchen was sure he had never seen before in his life.

She sat at the table with the grace and poise one would expect from a girl brought up from a young age by a succession of highly paid tutors. She gave Muchen a brief glance, her eyes lingering for no longer than courtesy allowed before she returned her attention to her parents. In that instant Muchen found that her eyes reminded him of Aunt Baozhai. That was enough to finally bring a deluge of memories crashing forth.

"Little Bandit?" he asked, astonished.

The girl hid her mouth behind her hand as she chuckled. "Please, I left such nicknames behind long ago."

Liling was the only child of Uncle Haoyu and Aunt Baozhai. She'd been brought up to be the heir to the family from a young age, receiving the sort of education that was usually reserved for young men.

She had also taken advantage of her favored position to run wild within the Wang family. In Muchen's memory, she had always worn her hair as short as any of the boys and had been just as eager to play in the mud. She'd even had her own little gang of cousins around her age that she had bullied into accepting her as their boss.

"The last time I saw you, I remember you dropped a ball of mud down the back of my shirt," Muchen said.

"Do you want another?" she snapped, before catching herself and clearing her throat. "As a proper young lady, I am of course willing to let bygones be bygones."

Muchen spared a glance for her parents. Uncle Haoyu was watching their exchange with a smile, while Aunt Baozhai was as hard to read as ever. He spent a moment trying to puzzle out what was going on before giving it up as something to worry about later.

"It's good to see you again," he said, before turning to the elders. "Thank you for inviting me to your home and to your table."

"Please," Uncle Haoyu, "there's no need for thank yous between us. Take a seat!"

The Wang family, of course, enjoyed a lavish spread of dishes for their dinner. Muchen spent some time eating his fill while listening to the idle talk of a family catching up on the affairs of the day. He'd never considered himself possessed of a particularly refined palate, but even he could taste the difference in quality from what he'd been ordering at the inns along the way. Not to mention the comparison to his own efforts to cook over the campfire.

He managed to sate his hunger before he was called upon to contribute to the conversation. Uncle Haoyu was naturally curious about what he had been up to and Muchen was happy to relate his recent experiences, though naturally he intended to leave Xinyi out of the story. As it happened, he didn't even get to that point before he was interrupted.

"Dealing with cultivators is a bad idea," Uncle Haoyu said, scowling at Muchen's tale of buying spirit rice.

"You can't make a profit without taking a risk," Muchen replied.

"It's one thing to risk losing money," Uncle Haoyu said. "With cultivators, much more is at stake."

Muchen paused for a moment before he replied. Uncle Haoyu had been in business for longer than he'd been alive. He couldn't dismiss his advice lightly. Even so, he couldn't help but feel that the idea of avoiding all possible physical danger was only practical for a successful businessman who had already settled down.

"Out on the road, there's no way to earn that much silver without braving danger," Muchen said. "If the only thing to worry about is keeping a cultivator happy, I'd say that's safer than driving back and forth through the Heizhao Forest or braving the Huxiao pass in winter."

Uncle Haoyu gave him a disapproving look. "Even if the cultivator is happy to start out, there's no telling when his mood will change. If he alters the deal you've struck, there's not much you can do."

Muchen smiled. "Then it's good that I'm halfway across the continent from Steward Fu. I certainly don't intend to go into a long term business partnership with the man."

Uncle Haoyu sighed. "At least you have some sense. Would that the Long family had shown even a modicum of caution."

"Oh?" Muchen asked. "I heard rumors of what had happened... were they not merely unlucky?"

At least according to what Muchen knew, if the Long family heir had still been safe and sound in his sect then their family would still be alive and well. Not to mention all the benefits they had reaped over the years by pursuing the path of cultivation.

"In this world we make our own luck. Especially cultivators," Uncle Haoyu said. "To rest the safety of your entire family on intimidating your enemies from retaliating, relying on just one young man's potential to support the whole thing... it's hard to call it bad luck when the scheme falls apart. A terrible tragedy for their family, and now the rest of us have to clean up their mess."

"Your business has been affected?" Muchen asked.

"Their mulberry plantations were the primary source of the cocoons that our workshops process into silk thread and then silk cloth," Uncle Haoyu said. "When the government seized their properties, it was a mess."

"Are the workshops still running?" Muchen asked. The Wang family was wealthy enough not to be completely reliant on any one industry, but he knew that their silk workshops were the primary source of that wealth. A disruption to the business wouldn't kill them, but it would hurt.

"Every business arrangement has to be approved by the acting controller," Uncle Haoyu said. "Our workshops are running as usual, but between the unnecessary paperwork and meetings I hardly have time to sleep. I can't wait until the property is auctioned off."

"Will you put in a bid?" Muchen asked. He knew the plantations would be well out of his own price range, but for the Wang family winning them at auction should be possible. It seemed to him that integrating more of their supply chain into their business would be a good idea.

"You are too young," Uncle Haoyu said, shaking his head. "A business that relies on outside supplies is vulnerable to disruption. A business that generates profits and isn't vulnerable to disruption is a prize waiting to be plucked by someone in power."

Muchen could see the logic in what he was saying. Any business operating on the Qianzhan Continent had to be wary of those who coveted the fruits of their effort. At the same time, for those in power, snatching an entire business enterprise wasn't something to be done likely. If there was a risk that the whole business could be shut down by, for example, the loss of its primary supplier, a greedy official or cultivator would be likely to turn his gaze to a more attractive target.

Just because he could understand the idea didn't mean that he liked it. The idea of deliberately limiting yourself and denying your own potential just to avoid the attention of the people in power irked him. He didn't know if it was his upbringing on Earth or the resolve that came from having taken his first few steps on the path of cultivation, but Muchen would rather put in the effort to build up the power he needed to protect himself than forever attempt to fly under the radar.

Uncle Haoyu chuckled at the expression on his face. "It's good to be bold when you're young, but when you reach my age you'll understand the importance of stability. After all, it's not just me who would suffer if disaster struck."

Muchen nodded, acknowledging the point. Maybe he would feel differently once he had established himself and had more to lose. Still, that was a worryfor the future. For now, he resolved once more to be diligent in his own personal road of cultivation.

“Tell me, what are your plans for the future?” Uncle Haoyu asked.

“I have a few business ideas that I want to try out,” Muchen said. “When the Long family auction takes place, I might go take a look.”

He might not have the money to bid on any of the big ticket items, but there was no telling when a bargain might fall into his lap. Besides, he wanted to get a chance to open his eyes and see what happened when the titans in the capital decided to compete on the basis of their wealth. With his status Muchen wouldn’t be able to network with the real movers and shakers, but it was still possible that he could meet people more at his level who would be interested in some kind of mutually profitable arrangement.

As for his tea business, he couldn’t expect to add much silver to his savings. The fact that he was forced to use durable mugs instead of disposable paper cups was enough to eat away most of his potential profit margin. Still, he was curious to test out how well his knowledge of branding, advertising, and customer service would play out on the largest commercial stage that the Qianzhan Empire had to offer.

And he wanted to boost his cultivation progress, of course, but that wasn’t worth mentioning right now.

“The future is more than the next few days,” Uncle Haoyu replied. “Do you intend to keep living on the road?”

“Not forever,” Muchen admitted. “The old man loved that kind of life. Carefree, not tied down to one place. I think, though, that staying on the move like that restricts the opportunities you can pursue.”

There was a lot to be said for life on the road, even setting aside any sentiments like personal freedom. It was harder to build up grudges when you entered town one day and left the next. It was also the safe approach for a cultivator trying to fly under the radar of the big sects.

Muchen couldn’t live his whole life only caring about safety. He wanted to make it big. He’d have to settle down and put roots down somewhere so his business could grow. Besides, staying hidden and on the move wasn’t the only way to be safe. If he could make enough money then he could build up a fortress that would at least keep casual thieves and bandits away.

“Business shouldn’t be the only thing on your mind,” Uncle Haoyu said. “I remember that you and Liling always got along so well.”

Muchen chanced a glance at Liling. She was giving him a warning glare. What she was warning him of, he could only speculate.

If he was reading the situation right, Uncle Haoyu was at least tentatively open to a marriage between them. He could see the logic of it. In order for their daughter to inherit smoothly, it would help if a reasonably capable husband was willing to subordinate himself and marry into the family. Of course, while Muchen could appreciate their careful planning, that didn't mean that he was interested in playing his part in their scheme.

Most meals ended with dessert. It looked like today's after-dinner entertainment would be Muchen's efforts to turn down his offer without getting kicked out of the house.