"Qingshan, come here!"
Alex motioned for Teng Qingshan to come closer. When he was beside him, Alex whispered in his ear, "Here's the plan: you take her... Got it?"
"Understood, cousin. Be careful," Teng Qingshan nodded, then wrapped Chu Xin in a cloak and carried her up onto the roof. They moved swiftly, finding a small hidden space where they could hide.
The Li family's study was large, with many places to conceal themselves. From their hidden spot, it would be nearly impossible for anyone searching from below to find them.
Alex carefully observed the surroundings, ensuring they wouldn't be discovered, then returned to the desk. He picked up the pen and paper Chu Xin had used, along with some stationery from Qin San's study, and began writing.
Soon, a fresh "letter" from Qin San was ready. Alex lightly toasted the paper near a candle flame to dry the ink, then used his internal energy to age and crease the letter before sealing it in an envelope. With everything in place, he leaned back in a chair and pretended to doze off.
Outside, the Li family members were growing anxious. Master Li paced back and forth, while countless guards and servants gathered, surrounding the courtyard completely.
After a quarter of an hour, then half an hour, and finally a full hour, Qin Da and the others brought Master Li to the door.
"Bang!"
Qin Da burst through the door first, but inside, he only saw the damn thief.
"Qingyu, Qingyu, where's my daughter?" Master Li frantically looked around, shouting at Alex, "I agreed to your demands. Why did you still harm Qingyu?"
"Master Li, don't jump to conclusions. Miss Li is safe with us," Alex yawned, smiling as he covered his mouth. "Now, I think we can have a proper conversation."
"Talk? After you killed my junior brother and kidnapped the young lady, you dare stay here? You're asking to die!" Qin Er drew his sword, leaping into the air and sending seven sword flowers towards Alex.
"Don't be impulsive!" Alex activated his Tianya Xing technique, dodging while throwing a small vial towards Qin Er.
"Bang!"
The vial collided with one of the sword flowers, releasing a green smoke that quickly spread around the room.
"Cough, cough!" Master Li inhaled some of the smoke, feeling intense discomfort in his lungs.
"Whoosh!" Qin Da grabbed a guard's cloak and waved it, dispersing the smoke with a strong gust.
"Stop!" Alex suddenly opened his clothes, revealing numerous small vials similar to the one that had released the green smoke. Qin Er hesitated, realizing he couldn't dodge if they all exploded at once.
"This is the antidote. Give it to Master Li," Alex tossed a different vial to Qin Da. Qin Da sniffed the contents and tested a small amount of the smoke before giving a pill to Master Li.
"What do you want?" Master Li's breathing eased, and he stared at Alex with a slightly calmer expression.
"I told you, I want to talk," Alex sat down at the desk, twirling his green-bladed dagger. "Master Li, do you recognize this dagger?"
"Bi Han dagger, how did you get it?" Qin Da's eyes narrowed. The Li family's customized Bi Han daggers had unique markings and were given only to trusted guards.
"Have you not noticed a missing guard?" Alex swung the dagger casually, showing no concern for the four second-tier experts blocking his escape.
"Which guard hasn't shown up tonight?" Master Li demanded. A steward quickly checked and reported, "Master, Lang hasn't returned. He was sent on an errand by Qin San."
"Qin San!" Master Li's gaze shifted between Qin Da and Alex, trying to understand the situation.
"As I said, Qin San deceived us. He contacted us, offering 10,000 taels to kidnap your daughter," Alex's voice was cold. "But when we arrived, he sent Lang to cancel the plan and refused to pay the deposit. He treated us like fools, so we came to settle the score and took your daughter as originally planned. With one less person to split the money, we get more."
"You're lying!" Qin Er shouted. "My junior brother is dead because of you, and you dare slander him."
"Slander? He deserved it," Alex scoffed. "Why would I kill him if we had no enmity? Here's his letter. Master Li, see for yourself what kind of person your trusted guard was."
Alex tossed the forged letter to Master Li. Qin Da caught it, examined it, and confirmed it was Qin San's handwriting.
"It's his handwriting!" Qin Da's hands trembled. He hadn't expected his junior brother to be involved in such a scheme, planning to kidnap the young lady for ransom and worse.
"This must be a forgery!" Qin Er insisted, but Master Li had already accepted the truth. "Li Fu, search Qin San's quarters."
"Yes, Master!" Li Fu, the steward, returned shortly with a pile of incriminating evidence.
"That traitorous dog!" Master Li was furious, shaking with anger. He hadn't realized his guards were so corrupt, exploiting the family's name for personal gain.
"Investigate thoroughly. I want a full account of Qin San's team," Master Li ordered, now suspicious of all his guards.
"Master Li, can we talk now?" Alex smiled, knowing his plan had mostly succeeded.
"What do you want? Name your price," Master Li sat across from Alex. As a seasoned businessman, he was no stranger to negotiations, though he knew he was at a disadvantage now.
Alex smiled and held up two fingers.
"Two hundred thousand taels? Your appetite is quite large!"
Master Li announced a sum that left Teng Qingshan, hidden in the shadows, breathless. Two hundred thousand taels of silver was an amount that several Tengjia Villages combined might not be able to gather.
"No, no, two hundred thousand taels is too much. Besides, I'm not comfortable using silver notes."
Alex smiled and clarified, "What I actually mean is twenty taels, twenty taels of purple gold."
Purple gold, a unique mineral in the Nine Provinces of Jiuding, was used by the supreme ruler, Emperor Qinling, to forge the divine weapon 'Heavenly Sword.' In the Nine Provinces, purple gold symbolized esteemed status. Wealthy merchants and leaders of various sects preferred using purple gold due to its portability and high value.
One tael of purple gold was equivalent to one hundred taels of gold or ten thousand taels of silver. Although Alex's demand in purple gold matched the value of Master Li's offer in silver, the two couldn't be compared.
Two hundred thousand taels of silver, even in banknotes, would be a conspicuous large bundle. Additionally, withdrawing such an amount incurred a 1% handling fee, costing an extra two thousand taels.
Silver notes were traceable, and Alex didn't want to leave a trail. Purple gold, on the other hand, had a higher density than gold. Twenty taels of purple gold had a small volume and were easy to carry.
"Twenty taels of purple gold!" Master Li furrowed his brows. Although two hundred thousand taels of silver wouldn't be difficult for him as a major salt merchant, it would affect his business turnover temporarily. But he was willing to do it for his daughter. However, twenty taels of purple gold posed a real challenge.
As a salt merchant, his primary business involved salt, consumed mainly by the lower class, resulting in most of his income being in copper and silver. His treasury had very little gold, let alone the more precious purple gold.
Yicheng, although one of the nine major cities in Jiangning, wasn't very high in status. Truly influential figures were rare, and purple gold wasn't commonly circulated. According to Master Li, only Wanxiang Tower had a significant amount of purple gold, but the exchange rate was...
Alex grabbed a plate of snacks from the table and sniffed the tea, finding it unappealing. "Butler Li, would you mind bringing me a bowl of snow frog soup?" Alex smiled at the butler.
The Li family's tea might be good for this era, but Alex found it unappealing and unhelpful to his body. Snow frog soup, which a certain young lady had boasted about as part of her luxurious lifestyle, seemed a better option now that he had the upper hand.
The butler looked troubled but retreated to make arrangements after seeing Master Li nod in approval.
The Li family's servants were quick. In no time, a warm bowl of snow frog soup was brought to Alex. Their proficient movements suggested they were accustomed to such orders.
"Slurp!" Alex took a big sip. The soup's warmth filled his body, and he felt a slight improvement in his internal energy, explaining why the young lady consumed it daily.
However, without training in internal martial arts, most of the medicinal power couldn't be fully absorbed. For most martial artists, one bowl a day was the limit.
"Glug glug!" Alex's stomach growled as his internal energy maximized the soup's benefits.
"Ah~" He exhaled contentedly and smiled at the butler, "I wouldn't mind another bowl!"
The butler glanced at Master Li before heading out again.
"Damn it, this guy is too much!" On the study's roof, Chu Xin (Li Qingyu), unable to speak or move, fumed at the sight of Alex enjoying her family's food. It was infuriating.
"Ah! Much better!" After downing three bowls, Alex patted his now full stomach and smiled at the pondering Master Li. "So, Master Li, what do you think?"
Master Li sighed, "I can't meet your full demand. Twenty taels of purple gold, I can't get it all at once."
"I figured as much," Alex replied. "How about this: in ten days, without disrupting your business, how much purple gold can you gather?"
Master Li considered for a moment and said, "I don't have much purple gold in my various locations. In ten days, I could gather about ten taels."
"Ten taels will do. The rest, I want in rare medicinal herbs and treasures. You should have plenty of those. You can start by bringing out what you have in the house," Alex said.
"Agreed." Master Li nodded and instructed the butler, "Li Fu, go to the herbal treasury and fetch..."
"Great stuff!" Alex marveled at the five jade boxes brought before him. They contained treasures like a thick ginseng and a white jade-like lingzhi. These treasures were rare in the modern world and even in most martial arts worlds, but the abundant spiritual energy in the Jiuding world made them available.
"These five boxes are worth five taels!" Alex declared, wrapping the boxes in cloth. With these treasures, he was confident he could elevate his mastery of Tiger Form Fist and reach a high level, along with the internal energy manual, the second-tier realm was within reach.
"Very well." Master Li agreed, knowing that gathering another five boxes of such herbs within ten days was manageable.
"Master Li, would you mind escorting me out?" Alex asked, slinging the bundle over his shoulder and subtly signaling to Teng Qingshan.
"Please," Master Li responded, rising with a calm demeanor despite the situation.
Alex and Master Li walked out of the room and towards the Li residence gate, surrounded by over a hundred guards. The courtyard quickly emptied. No one noticed a shadow darting away in the opposite direction as the crowd dispersed.
"Master Li, this is far enough," Alex said, bowing slightly outside the Li residence.
Master Li did not return the gesture, instead warning, "I expect my daughter back unharmed in ten days. Control your men. If anything happens to Qingyu..."
Alex smiled, "Rest assured, your daughter, though beautiful, is too young for my taste. No need for idle threats. Farewell!"
With that, Alex leapt onto a rooftop. A puff of green smoke later, he was gone.
"Master! We lost him!" Two guards reported breathlessly a quarter of an hour later.
"Forget it," Master Li sighed deeply, turning back to the residence. He seemed to have aged a few years in just a few minutes.