Chapter 110
Chapter 110
The next day, a grief-stricken Shen Lang sought out Big Dummy for a heart-to-heart.
“Big Dummy, I hear the Grandmaster is taking you to the mountains to teach you martial arts?”
“Yeah. My master said he’s taking me as his closed-door disciple. What’s a closed-door disciple?”
Shen Lang was filled with jealousy. To be the Grandmaster’s closed-door disciple meant he would dedicate the rest of his life to training Big Dummy.
“A closed-door disciple means you’re responsible for closing the door for your master every night when he goes to sleep.”
“Oh, so that’s what it means. You’re so smart, Little Dummy.”
Shen Lang sighed.
“Big Dummy, it seems that if a man isn’t strong, he has no standing at home and is always bullied by his woman.”
“Little Dummy, did Lady Mulan pin you to the floor and bully you again?”
*What? Even Big Dummy knows about that?*
Shen Lang nodded.
“That’s why a man must be strong. We can’t let women walk all over us. A man must know shame, find his courage, and strive to better himself.”
Big Dummy was pleased and relieved to hear Shen Lang’s words. He, too, had thought his dear, brother-like friend was too weak. Now that Shen Lang wanted to become stronger, he couldn’t be happier as a brother. Shen Lang stood on his tiptoes and patted Big Dummy’s shoulder.
“So you must train hard, Big Dummy. When you become incredibly strong one day, you have to find a way to share some of your martial arts with me. Then I won’t be bullied by my wife anymore, and I’ll be able to live with my head held high.”
Big Dummy was stunned. After a long moment, he replied with a serious expression, his voice firm.
“Alright. I’ll be sure to work hard, master my skills, and then share them with you.”
For a moment, Shen Lang was the one left dumbfounded. Big Dummy’s words felt like a solemn vow. Just then, Jin Mucong, who was passing by, suddenly chimed in.
“Hey, Big Dummy, how about you share some of your martial arts with me, too?”
Big Dummy thought for a long while before answering.
“No. I can’t share them with you, Youngest Dummy.”
Jin Mucong didn’t object to the nickname at all, only questioning with displeasure why he wouldn’t share his skills.
“Why not? We’re good friends too.”
“Because there’s always someone trying to beat up Little Dummy.”
Suddenly, Shen Lang felt a little miffed.
*You… are you speaking the truth as if it were nonsense? Does that sound like I enjoy causing trouble? Big Dummy, are you just pretending to be a fool?*
***
Of the three days Xu Qianqian had given, only one remained. The hundred thousand people living in the fief of the Count of Xuanwu’s Estate grew more anxious by the day, as still no one was buying their silkworm cocoons. As a result, new rumors spread daily.
“Master Shen Lang is standing by, refusing to save the dying.”
“No one in the entire State of Yue will buy their cocoons. They’ll have no choice but to let them rot at home.”
“Someone is trying to starve all one hundred thousand people in the fief of the Count of Xuanwu’s Estate to death.”
The situation grew increasingly tense. Every day, Xu Qianqian watched with smug satisfaction as the situation in the Count of Xuanwu’s Estate worsened. She imagined Shen Lang must be drowning in anguish and anxiety. She was right. Because from the second day on, Xiao Bing had been trying every trick in the book to seduce him.
At first, she would sneak a kiss; later, she would casually brush her chest against him. But Shen Lang didn’t dare react strongly. He had only just realized that he absolutely could not sleep with Xiao Bing before sleeping with Mulan. He and Mulan needed a special catalyst for their mutual love to erupt into a frenzy and reach its peak. But before that could happen, Xiao Bing was trying to seduce him in every way imaginable… It made Shen Lang, a man with a rich passion for women, all the more miserable and restless. He never knew Xiao Bing was this kind of woman.
*What was I doing back then? If you hadn’t pulled your tricks on our wedding night, why would my right hand be so calloused?*
***
The number of people kneeling outside the Count of Xuanwu’s Estate, pleading for help, grew larger each day. This morning, several thousand people from the fief were already kneeling outside. But they weren’t causing a disturbance or shouting; they were just kneeling quietly. The Count, of course, did not drive them away. Instead, he provided them with food and water.
Because the Count of Xuanwu had won the hearts of the people, their anxiety hadn’t yet erupted into a popular revolt. But people are extremely practical. If, after more time passed, no one bought their cocoons and the farmers had no money for food, this simple tension would surely escalate into a major disaster.
The outcome of a hundred thousand people starving was unimaginable. If a hundred thousand people became enraged, that fury would instantly consume the Count of Xuanwu’s Estate. Unless the Count of Xuanwu took out all his money to buy food and feed them all, the conclusion was obvious. Shen Lang composed himself for a moment and stepped out of the estate’s main gate. The moment he did, his expression transformed into one of utter torment.
***
Shen Lang did not go to Xu Guangyun’s residence but instead went to the home of Lin Mo, the owner of the Brocade Pavilion.
“Lord Lin, I’ve come to make a deal with you. What do you say? I will give you the secret formulas for purple and rainbow dyes, free of charge. With these two formulas, your business will flourish even more. You will surpass the Xu Clan and become the number one silk merchant in the entire Tiannan Province.”
A proud and smug expression appeared on the face of Lin Mo, owner of the Brocade Pavilion. A few days ago, when his son Lin Zhuo got into trouble, he had been anxious that his son would be disowned by the daughter of the Count of Jing'an’s Estate, reducing the Lin Clan back to a mere merchant family. Lin Mo had thought that with such a scandal, Count Wu Zhaozhong of Jing'an would surely break off the engagement. But after Lin Zhuo went to the Count of Jing'an’s Estate, knelt for four hours, and pleaded tearfully before the Count for an hour, not only did he avert the crisis, but their engagement was also upheld.
However, when Lin Zhuo returned home, there was a deep gash on his neck. It had nearly severed his carotid artery. Lin Mo couldn't understand the thinking of these nobles who acted as if nothing had happened despite such a huge scandal, but he was overjoyed. Looking on the bright side, since Lin Zhuo was now fine, it meant big trouble for Shen Lang.
Lin Mo had also realized that Shen Lang had framed his son, Lin Zhuo. It was just that he was the type to have a sweet tongue but a malicious heart, and he didn’t like to appear outwardly vicious. The Lin Clan had naturally played its part in the multi-pronged assault on the Count of Xuanwu’s Estate and the blockade of its finances. Like everyone else, Lin Mo was looking forward to seeing Shen Lang in dire straits.
Lin Mo said with a smile, “Young Master Shen Lang, you say you’ll give me those two formulas, which are of immense value, for free?”
“That’s right.”
“And your condition is?”
“That you, Lord Lin, buy the silkworm cocoons produced by the farmers of our fief.”
“Young Master Shen Lang, are you begging me right now?”
“Yes, I am begging you. The livelihoods of a hundred thousand people are at stake. Heaven values all life, so I implore you, Lord Lin, to show mercy.”
As Shen Lang pleaded, he calculated inwardly. The incubation period for the virus was usually about two weeks, so it would be some time before the virus in Lin Zhuo’s body would manifest. The mere thought of it filled him with anticipation.
Lin Mo finally couldn’t hold back and burst into loud laughter.
“Hahaha! Shen Lang, to think a day like this would come for you. Has it really come to this? Weren’t you all-powerful not long ago? Weren’t you so high and mighty just a while back? Did you ever think this day would come when you were harming my son, Lin Zhuo? I never imagined this day would come when I had to close the Brocade Pavilion for a month because of you. The heavens are not blind! Finally, Shen Lang, your time of desperation has come!”
Shen Lang asked in a grief-stricken voice, “Lord Lin, surely you won’t just stand by and watch as the hundred thousand people of our fief starve to death?”
“And what if I do? It’s not me who’s starving, is it? I look forward to the moment those hundred thousand starving people mercilessly devour you and your Count of Xuanwu’s Estate.”
Shen Lang pointed a finger at Lin Mo, his voice trembling.
“You… you are utterly vicious!”
“It takes one to know one! Men, see our guest out!”
A dejected Shen Lang was thrown out by Lin Mo. And news of this quickly reached the Xu Clan.
Xu Qianqian smiled smugly.
“That beast can’t hold on any longer. He’ll come begging to us by tomorrow at the latest.”
Xu Guangyun said, “He’s a fool, after all. His stupidity shows at the most crucial moments.”
***
Late at night, inside the Count of Xuanwu’s Estate.
Shen Lang said calmly, “The play has gone on long enough. We need to wrap it up tomorrow. My lady, I’ll need your help with the rest.”
Mulan nodded. Shen Lang carefully used a needle to poke a hole in each silkworm cocoon, injecting a white, water-mixed powder inside. Then, he flattened the hole again, making the cocoon look perfectly intact from the outside. Mulan worked even faster and more carefully than Shen Lang.
“My lord, what is this powder you’re putting inside the cocoons? I’ve never seen it before!”
“White phosphorus!”
White phosphorus ignites spontaneously in temperatures over 40 degrees Celsius. Once these cocoons containing white phosphorus entered the Xu Clan’s workshop, what would happen? There was no need for many; just a few hundred cocoons mixed in with countless others would suffice. When the temperature rose, the cocoons would suddenly burst into flames, and the fire would be impossible to contain. The entire workshop would burn to the ground, and a fortune’s worth of silk and silkworm thread would go up in smoke.
Because Xu Qianqian was set to marry Zhang Jin, the Xu Clan had been frantically expanding their business, buying up nearly all the silkworm cocoons in the entire Tiannan Province. They had probably invested most of their family fortune into it. When the time came, and their workshop caught fire, with massive flames soaring into the sky, what a spectacular scene that would be. How much deeper into ruin could it drag them?
White phosphorus did not yet exist in this world. The phosphorus they were putting in the cocoons had all been extracted by Shen Lang. He had used this very same white phosphorus to create the will-o'-the-wisps in front of Lady Song before. It was deep autumn, so the temperature at night was at most around 10 degrees, meaning there was no risk of the phosphorus igniting. Of course, the secret room they were working in was much warmer than elsewhere. That was because Shen Lang’s body was hotter than ever.
Why was he so hot? Shen Lang had deliberately made the workbench low, and they were working while sitting on it, without chairs. Mulan was slightly bent over, carefully injecting the white phosphorus into the cocoons. For ease of movement, Shen Lang had asked her to wear a tight-fitting leather combat suit. Imagine a woman with a figure as stunning as hers, bent over and working with such focus. When you see the curve of her back that could drive a man mad, and her long, elegantly stretched legs, wouldn’t you get hot too?
Shen Lang’s breathing grew ragged, to the point where he could barely breathe. He was afraid that if he opened his mouth and exhaled, his hot breath might ignite the white phosphorus.
“My lady, you’re doing wonderfully. You’re faster and more precise than I am.”
He praised her, but it was a complete lie. Though he had no martial arts, he had been a surgeon who wielded a scalpel, so he was much faster and more accurate at such extremely precise work.
“Thank you… for the compliment.”
“Since you’re so good at it… The capable do more work, so I’ll leave the remaining thousand or so cocoons to you.”
Mulan pursed her lips and ground her teeth. And then Shen Lang, that rogue, actually let go of his work. He brought over a stool, sat down about a foot behind Mulan’s rear, and contentedly sipped his tea while admiring his wife’s back. His gaze was so vulgar that it was fixed on the pants she was wearing, as if it could pierce right through them…