Where Immortals Once Walked

“He got his papers with the Stone Gate Merchant Guild. They had several people go through the registration process together, and he was simply bundled in with them, so he doesn’t count as someone of unknown origin,” his attendant said carefully. “Also, he finished processing his identity before you even gave word to the government office.”

“So fast?” Third Master Gan narrowed his eyes. “I’d only just left yesterday, and Stone Gate already came to pry at my Gan Family’s wall?”

He almost slammed the table again. “What the hell is the Shi Family even worth? When my big brother hosted a feast at Lotus Tower, they couldn’t even get a sip of soup!”

Right then, Old Madame Mao sent for him.

No one knew which old nanny had mentioned the rumors about him murdering his brother circulating outside. Still, she actually called him over to interrogate him, crying and cursing all the while.

Third Master Gan saw his mother’s mind was muddled, and he could not be bothered to hold it in anymore. On the spot, he smashed cups, plates, and even the medicine bowl, scaring both the nannies and his mother until they were trembling.

Second Master Gan rushed over, pointed at him, and shouted that he was unfilial.

The brothers got into a fight.

Second Master Gan took the loss. He stayed indoors year-round, so how could he compare to Third Master Gan, who loved hunting and was always throwing his fists and feet around?

The household fell into total chaos.

Third Master Gan won, yet his stomach was still full of fire. Forgetting there was mourning in the house, he stormed out the gate, called up his cronies, and headed straight for the red-light district.

In a moment like this, only strong liquor and women could cool him down.

When the wine and lust were at their peak, Luo Xunyi arrived at last.

He had originally been a second-tier steward in the Gan Family Merchant Guild. Due to him having been capable at running errands for Third Master Gan, he had been kept on, and now he was Third Master Gan’s most trusted brain.

The moment Third Master Gan saw him, he flung a wine cup. “At such a critical time, where the hell did you fuck off to?!”

Luo Xunyi dodged. The cup exploded into fragments against the wall behind him.

He was long used to Third Master Gan’s temper. He went straight to the point, “The Gan Family Merchant Guild is at a life-or-death pass. You can’t keep drinking!”

“Well, have you thought of any plans to get us in the clear?”

Luo Xunyi gave a soft “Mm,” then glanced around.

Third Master Gan’s head was not completely soaked through with wine yet. He drove everyone out before continuing, “Speak, quickly.”

“You have three options. The first is to go and apologize to that He fellow and beg until he changes his mind.”

Third Master Gan laughed coldly. “Say more garbage, and you can get out.”

“The second option is to wait until they set out, then arrange a robbery on the Stone Gate Caravan and snatch the token back. As long as that young man dies quietly outside of the city, it won’t stick to you at all. If you’re lucky, you can even take out the Shi brothers on the side.”

“That... sounds workable.” Third Master Gan rubbed his chin. “What’s the problem?”

“There’s no guarantee.” Luo Xunyi lowered his voice. “I heard from the hands who went in and out of the Demon Nest this time that that He fellow is viciously strong. He killed plenty of bandits, and even that greater spider monster, Zhu Erniang, treated him politely. Against someone like that, even if you hire another gang of bandits, it may still not be enough to handle him.”

Third Master Gan had grown up hearing about how terrifying Zhu Erniang was. A monster like that had only one way of dealing with ordinary people: knock them down, eat them, no nonsense.

If Zhu Erniang could be cordial to a human, that human’s strength was not going to be weak.

He let out a stifled breath and asked, “What’s the third option?”

“You can look for the spirit medium for help.”

“Her?” Third Master Gan’s face changed color. “Big Brother made me swear I’d never go looking for her again!”

“You don’t have to go yourself; you could just send me.” Luo Xunyi urged. “That doesn’t break your oath. Only if the spirit medium acts will your trouble be resolved, and only if we take back the Demon Nest travel token can the Gan Family keep standing in Wuze!”

“News of the eldest master’s death has already spread through the whole county. The other merchant guilds are wolves that smell blood, and they’re already prying at our walls. Several capable men in the guild have already been approached by outsiders, and that’s not even the worst of it.” Luo Xunyi continued heavily, “Puli Money House and Fuji Money House[1] both sent people today to feel things out, asking whether those loans we took can still be repaid. You know it, right? The Gan Family’s money is all pressed into goods. The little cash left is used to pay labor. There’s no way we can pull out a lump sum and repay them on short notice!”

Third Master Gan was startled. “Our family is actually short of money?”

Our household spends money like water. Since when have we ever lacked funds?

“Merchant guilds make money by turnover. The more capable you are, the more you borrow. The more you borrow, the more you earn. And only by earning more can you spend more,” Luo Xunyi said, perfectly clear on where Third Master Gan’s weak spot lay. “If the money houses can’t get their money back, then the Gan Family, including you, will immediately have no money.”

He then gestured toward the scene of debauchery and said, “This estate, these girls, and this wine, none of it is yours. So at the very least, we have to get that travel token back and let everyone know that the Demon Nest exclusive trade is still ours! Right now, Old Madame and Second Master Gan are useless. The only one who can save the Gan Family is you, Third Master. Do this, and the merchant guild naturally comes into your hands!”

Third Master Gan still hesitated. “But what if Zhu Erniang becomes unhappy?”

“The spirit medium will naturally make that brat nod and ‘voluntarily’ hand over the token.” Luo Xunyi sneered. “If both sides agree, what is there for Zhu Erniang to be unhappy about?”

“That’s true. Alright, you go find the spirit medium.” Third Master Gan nodded. “Whatever you need, go buy it.”

No one noticed a tiny spider slipping past along the ground.

* * *

That night, He Lingchuan stared at the little spider that had snuck back, furious with it for being so useless. “Why didn’t you switch onto Luo Xunyi on the way and see how he and the spirit medium plan to deal with me? You just came back like this?”

The eyeball spider lifted its legs in protest, as if it were saying, “If you wanted me to switch targets mid-run, you should’ve said so beforehand. If you don’t say it, how am I supposed to know? Anyway, the job’s done, so you better not short me on my pay. Give me food.”

He Lingchuan tapped its head. “Don’t rush. You still remember where Third Master Gan lives, right?” Dogs can find their way; how could an eyeball plucked off Zhu Erniang’s head not manage?

It nodded.

“Take me there.” He Lingchuan smiled. “Do this for me, and I’ll treat you and your little partner to a plate of silkworm pupae.”

* * *

That night, Third Master Gan slept in the red-light district. He had drunk too much and slept like a rock.

In his dream, his big brother was not dead and still controlling the Gan Family Merchant Guild, while he himself had beaten that He brat half to death, then tossed him into a pigsty.

Suddenly, a basin of cold water poured over his head.

It was only early summer, and well water ran icy. Third Master Gan yelped awake. Everything around him was pitch-black. The warm jade and soft fragrance beside him were gone. He seemed to be lying on a pile of straw, tied up like a dumpling.

No, I’m on a thatched roof.

“Sleeping well? Looked like you were even smacking your lips in your dream.” A man in black squatted nearby. The voice sounded familiar. When he pulled down his face covering, Third Master Gan’s teeth itched with hate at the sight of that face.

“Where am I?! What do you want?!”

He Lingchuan went straight to it. “Who is the spirit medium, and how is she going to deal with me?”

How could he possibly just sit around and wait for the other party to make a move against him?

If you meet a threat, you cut it off at the source immediately.

Third Master Gan’s face drained. “How? Nonsense! I don’t know what you’re talking about!”

His back bristled, though whether from wind or fear he could not tell. They had discussed this in private, and in the room, there were only he and Luo Xunyi, yet He Lingchuan had called out the spirit medium exactly.

Did he have ears on the walls or something?

Before the thought even finished, He Lingchuan drove a fist into his abdomen.

Third Master Gan folded in half from the pain.

“Who is the spirit medium?”

Third Master Gan sucked air and denied it. “I don’t know! You probably just misheard.”

He Lingchuan casually slapped him seven or eight times, then followed with two more punches. Third Master Gan saw stars. His belly cramped like it was being twisted apart, and he bent over vomiting.

Before he could even finish retching, He Lingchuan yanked his ear, a dagger pressed under the base of his ear. “This is the last time I ask. If you still choose not to answer, then I’ll cut your head off and send you to keep that tusked boar company.”

Thinking of his hunting pet’s severed head, Third Master Gan shuddered. “I’ll talk, I’ll talk!”

The spirit medium was a woman he had rescued from the water a few months ago. She was as plain-looking as could be, but she said that she would help him three times to repay the life-saving grace. Third Master Gan had not believed her. After all, if someone had that kind of ability, how did they even end up nearly drowning?

But the woman was unusually firm. So he had jokingly mentioned that his house had a tusked boar with a violent temper, impossible to discipline. He wanted to tame it into a hunting pet and asked if she could do that?

She could. Of course, she could. And so, that was the first request of his that she satisfied.

That tusked boar had been more stubborn than a donkey. If you pulled it, it would not move; drive it forward, and it backed up; bored, it bit people for fun. But after the spirit medium pressed a hand to its head, it abruptly became obedient and followed his commands.

Third Master Gan had not kept this secret. He had even told his eldest brother about it.

So the spirit medium’s second intervention was helping Eldest Master Gan “settle” a guest from Beijia. That man was arrogant to the bone, looked down on small-town merchants as if speaking to them another sentence would dirty his mouth. He was the type who was especially hard to handle, and he had been intending to hand the business to another guild.

But after the spirit medium’s “persuasion,” the man suddenly changed his mind and entrusted a huge order to the Gan Family Merchant Guild.

As for details, Third Master Gan knew none of them.

Afterward, Eldest Master Gan called him over and told him that the spirit medium was an evil ghost, and dealing with evil spirits such as her would never end well. He warned him repeatedly that under no circumstances was he to seek her help again.

Hearing that, He Lingchuan did not know whether to laugh or cry. “You didn’t believe your big brother?”

“I did.” Third Master Gan admired his eldest brother, even if he got scolded often.

As for Second Brother, heh, he’s not any better than me.

“Then why’d you dare go looking for her again?”

Third Master Gan opened his mouth, but no words came.

Isn’t it because of you?!

If He Lingchuan were not so damned hard to deal with, if he were not unable to handle him, if the Gan Family Merchant Guild were not being forced into a dead end, how would he dare contact the spirit medium again?

He Lingchuan thought for a moment before saying, “What happened to that guest from Beijia afterward?”

“He went back, I guess?” Third Master Gan looked blank. “Feels like he only came that one time.”

“What was his name? What business did he come to Wuze County for?”

“I... I don’t know.” Third Master Gan hardly ever paid attention to his eldest brother’s business contacts, and he rarely bothered to ask.

“Cancel the job, and I’ll spare your life.” When dealing with an issue, it was best to resolve it at the very root. Having gotten hold of Third Master Gan, who was the very client commissioning the spirit medium, he should no longer have to worry about the spirit medium, right?

“I... Alright, alright.” Third Master Gan had already flung his rage and resentment to the horizon. Nothing mattered more than his own life.

1. A money house (钱庄) or private bank is a private, traditional banking house that existed mainly in late imperial and early-modern China, operating through merchant networks. It handled currency exchange, deposits, loans, and remittance notes, relying on reputation rather than formal regulation. On the other hand, a modern, legally regulated bank offers standardized financial services within the formal national banking system. ☜