Chapter 141: Extreme Darkness
Shopkeeper Zhang’s aura was restrained, making it impossible to gauge his true strength.
But given his age of around thirty-five and his knowledge of Visualization Martial Arts, it was clear he was at least a Veteran Martial Artist, or perhaps even Extraordinary.
Tang Wen was dying to know the answer but didn’t dare to be presumptuous.
He took a sip of tea, scheduled a meeting for three days later, and rose to leave the inn’s teahouse.
It was now mealtime. As he passed through the inn’s main hall, the aroma of meat, wine, and other dishes wafted over.
His stomach full of questions, he decided to sit down right there. A waiter eagerly approached.
Tang Wen pulled out a piece of broken silver and tossed it to him. "Are there any older, more experienced maids available?" he asked.
"Understood, Sir. Please wait a moment."
The waiter felt the silver in his hand, his face breaking into a wide grin.
After pouring a cup of tea, he turned to fetch someone.
He muttered to himself, ’There’s a fetish for everything, I guess. This sir doesn’t look old, maybe in his early twenties, but who would’ve thought he’s into older, married women.’
’Who should I send over...’
Two cold dishes were served, and Tang Wen began to eat slowly.
He had too little information. He couldn’t for the life of him figure out why the Night Divine Fist was the most difficult Fist Technique to master.
’What exactly makes it so difficult?’
"Sir, Yun Niang pays her respects."
A pleasant, faint fragrance wafted over, not at all overpowering.
A beautiful woman with a fair complexion, black hair, and a black dress sat down gracefully. Her hair was styled in the bun of a married woman.
A roasted fish was brought to the table.
The beautiful woman picked up some fish with her chopsticks and expertly removed every bone, large and small. Without any intimate gestures like feeding him, she simply placed the tender, white fish meat onto a plate and set it before Tang Wen.
He took a few bites and they exchanged a few words.
Tang Wen took out a piece of silver and offered it to her. The beautiful woman’s eyes narrowed.
Yun Niang was a woman who had seen the world.
She was also a "seafood" merchant.
She understood the principle of "service for payment."
Once she took the money, she would have to agree to the client’s demands, whatever they might be.
In her heart, Yun Niang had always been a queen. When she was younger, she had high standards and was picky about her clients.
She would typically ignore crude and boorish customers.
Only after getting married and growing older, with fewer opportunities to come out, did she lower her standards.
But that didn’t mean she was a woman without principles.
She glanced around. The main hall was bustling with people. ’Does this sir want to do it... here?’
They were seated in a relatively secluded corner, but still.
’It’s still a public place. Isn’t that a bit too... bold?’
’This sir isn’t unpleasant, but this piece of silver is clearly less than two taels. Isn’t that a little too cheap?’
Seeing her hesitate, Tang Wen was also a bit surprised. ’A girl who doesn’t love money? Is there such a thing?’
He said softly, "You’ve worked here a long time. I have a few questions for you."
Yun Niang’s fair cheeks turned crimson. Realizing her misunderstanding, she quickly accepted the silver and shifted her plump hips closer to Tang Wen. "Sir, please ask. Whatever Yun Niang knows, I will tell you everything."
Tang Wen chose his words carefully. "I need a favor from one of your shopkeepers and want to give him a gift, but I don’t know his preferences."
He knew that if he asked directly about a specific shopkeeper, this beautiful woman likely wouldn’t dare say a word.
Even if he pressed her, she would probably just make something up to deceive him.
The Four Seas Inn had several shopkeepers. Yun Niang didn’t ask which one. She picked up a flatbread and began to speak as she ate. "Shopkeeper Li is a woman of refined tastes. She loves beautiful women, fine clothes, and cosmetic powder."
Huh?
Tang Wen’s straight face wavered. "You mean Shopkeeper Li, she...?"
Yun Niang blinked. "She’s a woman."
"Ah. Continue," he said, lowering his head to pick at his food. ’Well, I’ll be damned,’ he thought.
"Shopkeeper Lin loves fine wine. He never goes anywhere without his wine gourd."
"Shopkeeper Liu smokes a dry pipe. The smoke is harsh and pungent. He smokes like a chimney, especially when he’s gambling!"
"Shopkeeper Zhou is a glutton who loves archery and hunting..."
Hearing this, Tang Wen was at a loss for words.
Watching Yun Niang speak as she reminisced, he could tell she wasn’t lying.
So, in other words, she had described four shopkeepers whose collective hobbies were eating, drinking, whoring, gambling, and smoking!
The most impressive was Shopkeeper Liu.
He covered both gambling and smoking all by himself.
As she spoke, there was still one person missing: Shopkeeper Zhang, the one Tang Wen cared about.
Yun Niang paused. She brought her teacup to her lips, using the lid to cover her mouth, and whispered four quick words: "Shopkeeper Zhang loves money."
Loves money!
Tang Wen gave her a deep look.
Yun Niang lowered her head and said no more.
She had clearly guessed that the person Tang Wen was asking about was Shopkeeper Zhang.
The reason was simple: Shopkeeper Zhang was on duty today.
On her way over, she had asked the waiter and learned that the sir she was to attend to had just met with the shopkeeper.
Learning as much as possible about a client beforehand was part of her professional conduct.
"Are all the shopkeepers Extraordinary?"
Yun Niang’s hands, which were peeling a shrimp, paused. She nodded lightly.
Tang Wen paid no mind to her little schemes. He tucked two pieces of broken silver into her sash, his palm accidentally brushing against her flat stomach.
’Hmm, this woman has no excess fat. She’s kept her figure well.’
His next question was more direct. "Which shopkeeper practices the Night Divine Fist?"
Yun Niang traced the character for "Liu" with her finger, then immediately wiped it away.
Shopkeeper Liu?
’The one who loves to gamble and smoke a dry pipe?’
’A degenerate gambler?’
’His character can’t be trusted.’
’Besides, abandoning Shopkeeper Zhang to seek out another would be risky in itself.’
Tang Wen asked casually, "How much silver do you think it would take to persuade Shopkeeper Zhang to give me some guidance? Hmm, I’m a Martial Artist, looking to practice Visualization Martial Arts."
But Yun Niang just shook her head and said helplessly,
"Sir, you’re asking the wrong person. I’m a mere Maid, just a Martial Disciple. How would I know about such important matters?"
Tang Wen didn’t press further.
For the rest of the meal, Yun Niang’s hands were busy serving food and pouring wine, and her mouth never stopped talking.
Knowing Tang Wen was from out of town, she continuously shared stories and bits of information she knew.
With one talking and the other listening, the meal quickly came to a satisfying end.
Tang Wen returned to his room, took out his hidden gold and silver, and weighed it in his hand, shaking his head grimly.
The old saying goes, "Poor scholars, rich warriors." It was certainly true.
’Hmph, my name is all wrong!’
’How could I be named Tang Wen?’
’If my name were Tang Wu, I might have been rich by now.’
He counted out two hundred taels of silver and, waiting until evening, went to see Shopkeeper Zhang again.
"What is it?"
Shopkeeper Zhang was eating, attended by three lovely young women.
Tang Wen smiled and handed over the sealed packet of silver, saying respectfully, "I’d still like to ask you a question. The Night Divine Fist—what exactly makes it so difficult? And is there a solution?"
A flash of impatience crossed Shopkeeper Zhang’s eyes. "This isn’t enough money. I can only tell you what makes it difficult!"
Tang Wen held his breath and listened intently.
"Visualization Martial Arts are all about Visualization. Have you ever seen the night?"
The night?
Tang Wen’s pupils contracted to pinpricks.
"The more extreme the darkness of night, the better!"
’Extreme Darkness?’
Just as Tang Wen was about to ask more, Shopkeeper Zhang’s gaze swept past him toward the door.
Two hundred taels of silver was worth those two sentences, and not a word more.
Tang Wen deliberately grit his teeth, pulled a stack of golden leaves from his robes, and placed it gently on the table.
Shopkeeper Zhang glanced at it. "Let’s put it this way: the power of the Night Divine Fist comes from the night, from darkness.
The purer and more extreme the night you visualize, the greater the power of the Fist Technique.
Bring me another five thousand taels of silver, and I’ll let you experience it once."
Hearing the price, Tang Wen was first shocked, but the second half of the sentence brought him a surge of joy.
"Thank you, Shopkeeper Zhang."
"No need. Go raise the money! If you want to master the Night Divine Fist, you’ll be spending a lot more!"
"Thank you."
Tang Wen clasped his fists in a salute, took two steps back, and turned to leave.
A maid closed the door behind him.
Shopkeeper Zhang took a drink, smiling as he told the maid to put the money away.
Walking down the road, Tang Wen was both worried and confused.
’Shopkeeper Zhang is a dignified Extraordinary, a shopkeeper at the Four Seas Inn.’
’He’s incredibly strong and his salary must be sky-high.’
’He has a stable job with great hours, working from mid-morning to late afternoon.’
’He can probably even get reimbursed for his wining, dining, and womanizing.’
’There’s nothing for him to spend money on. What does he need so much for?’