The leader, seeing the other party remained silent, added, "If our Vice-Hall Master has offended your young master, I am willing to apologize on his behalf!"
The leader was extremely polite, even though the people from Hengyuan Merchant Association present numbered in the hundreds.
Situ Kong's hand, which had been choking the胖子's (Fatty's) neck, now held his collar. From beginning to end, the living Yama had no intention of killing the胖子. If she truly wanted to harm him, would he still be breathing now? He would have been long dead!
This was also why she hadn't used the胖子 as a shield against the hidden weapons earlier. Who knew if they were poisoned? In the travel permit written by the magistrate of Wucheng, her name was deliberately omitted. If the胖子 were poisoned and the other party didn't have an antidote, her identity could be exposed.
In short, for the sake of her own life, Situ Kong became extremely cautious.
"Alright, let him go!" Nan Shiying's voice drifted closer. She held a plant in her hand, a red grass, and beside her, Xiaoman held a bag of candy.
A specialty from the Liao Frontier, horse milk candy!
"Young Master!"
Situ Kong first bowed to her, then obediently loosened his grip on the胖子's collar.
The胖子 quickly ran behind the leader, as agile as a plump rabbit. However, the leader's frame could not entirely conceal his corpulent body, with half of his backside still exposed!
"Shen Xing, she—she doesn't respect the Hengyuan Merchant Association at all. Quickly get your men to capture her!"
The胖子 tugged on Shen Xing's sleeve and, like a fox borrowing a tiger's might, waved a fist at Nan Shiying. Shen Xing turned to look at Li Dazui. This damned胖子, if he weren't such a skilled businessman, the brothers in the association would have long ago thrown him into the river.
"Capture her, and then what?" Shen Xing asked.
"Then? Then, of course, we'll torture her and extract every last bit of money from her!" the胖子 said matter-of-factly.
So, you're capturing her for robbery?
"And then what?" Shen Xing asked again.
The胖子 blinked. "...And then? Then, of course, we'll kick her out of the border and throw her into the Liao Frontier!"
Shen Xing: "..."
That makes sense!!
Nan Shiying interjected at this point, asking Shen Xing, "I want to buy his life. One hundred taels of gold, is that enough?"
One hundred taels?
Gold?
To be honest, if not for the association's rules, for just one hundred taels of silver, or perhaps even fifty taels or less, they would have sold this胖子.
Shen Xing instinctively asked, "Do you have it? I mean, did you bring it with you... No, I mean..."
Mid-sentence, Shen Xing suddenly realized what he was saying. His words twisted and turned, and he couldn't quite salvage the end of the sentence.
Li Dazui, the胖子, clutched himself. The gazes everyone cast upon him were like wolves spotting a well-bathed, de-fuzzed sheep lying on a dining table – their eyes were green, and they were drooling!
Upon hearing Shen Xing inquire if she truly carried so much money, Li Dazui snapped, his voice sharp as a chicken whose neck was being stepped on, "Shen Xing!!!"
Shen Xing smiled brightly, not daring to look at Li Dazui's face.
Nan Shiying ignored the furious Li Dazui and replied, "The bone fan in my hand is enough. Of course, if you want silver, you can withdraw it from any money changer."
Who wouldn't like money? But Li Dazui, as unpleasant as he was, was also a Vice-Hall Master of the association. Money could be earned in any way, but if righteousness was lost, the association's reputation would be gone.
"Esteemed Young Master, I, on behalf of our Vice-Hall Master, offer you our apologies."
Shen Xing bowed and took out a jade pendant from his embrace, engraved with the four characters of Hengyuan Merchant Association. As he stood up, he handed the jade pendant to Nan Shiying. "From now on, wherever you go, as long as there is a branch of our Hengyuan Merchant Association, you can use this jade pendant to visit the restaurants, wine shops, and inns established by our association. All your expenses will be covered by Hengyuan Merchant Association. If you need to transport any goods or travel, the fees will be halved."
"Although it is not a grand gift, please accept it."
Li Dazui snatched the jade pendant from Shen Xing's hand. Shen Xing turned, about to get angry, when he saw the胖子 pull out a gold-inlaid jade pendant from his embrace.
In their association, the Head, Vice-Hall Master, and Hall Master each had a few jade pendants.
The Head's pendant was pure jade, the Vice-Hall Master's was jade inlaid with gold, and the Hall Master's was gold inlaid with jade.
Each type of jade pendant represented a different rank.
The higher the rank of the jade pendant, the more preferential treatment its holder received.
The胖子 threw the jade pendant to Shen Xing. He remained hidden behind Shen Xing, peeking out to say to Nan Shiying, "My jade pendant is more senior than his. It represents greater sincerity from our Hengyuan Merchant Association."
Despite his plumpness, the胖子 possessed no martial arts skills. However, his father had established the Hengyuan Merchant Association together with the old Hall Master. This pampered, often erratic, money-grubbing, and frequently deceitful胖子 was actually a skilled businessman. Therefore, the Hall Master was very lenient with him, and he had essentially attained the position of Vice-Hall Master through his own capabilities.
Shen Xing accepted the jade pendant and then handed it back to the other party.
Nan Shiying's gaze lingered for only a moment before shifting upwards from the jade pendant to the胖子's face.
The flesh on the胖子's face twitched slightly, clearly unwilling to meet the gaze of this ruthless individual. He did not want to relive the feeling of being on the brink of death.
Nan Shiying smiled. She glanced at Situ Kong, who, understanding her intent, took the jade pendant from the leader and presented it to Nan Shiying with both hands. Nan Shiying waved her hand and said casually, "It's for you!"
The胖子's expression changed. His large head emerged from behind Shen Xing.
He realized then that the other party was not trying to humiliate their Hengyuan Merchant Association, but rather truly did not regard them with any importance. Although she often wore a smile as pleasant as a spring breeze, her core was infused with a hint of defiance and contempt.
It was not superficial; it was the kind of defiance and contempt that came from standing at the pinnacle, viewing the masses as ants, yet restraining oneself to treat others with kindness, but still instilling a sense of unease and dread!
Even more so, the胖子 saw a sense of weariness in her.
A weariness born from having already obtained much.
The胖子 swallowed hard, feeling fortunate for his timely capitulation. The leader's expression was somewhat displeased. Their Hengyuan Merchant Association's Vice-Hall Master-level jade pendant had been casually given to a subordinate in front of them?
Nan Shiying narrowed her eyes and smiled at Shen Xing, "Do you have an opinion?"
The胖子 pushed Shen Xing aside and chuckled, "No, no. The jade pendant given to Young Master is his to do with as he pleases, according to his mood."
"Is Young Master heading to the Liao Frontier? Our association's merchant ships still have some space. If Young Master doesn't mind, I will arrange for you to board immediately."
The胖子's speech was rapid, as if afraid Shen Xing would interrupt. Seeing the胖子's actions, Shen Xing hesitated and glanced at him, but ultimately said nothing.
Instead, he respectfully invited the person onto the ship.