THE SYSTEM IS NOT MINE

Teacher Bai did not hurry.

He walked through the merchant district with the same quiet rhythm he had carried through the slums.

It was a crowded place, with carts and wagons rolling past, stacked with silk, spices, timber, and grain.

”Didn’t we all agree to sell it at this price? Why did you lower yours?”

Merchants argued across the streets.

Yan followed several steps behind Bai.

Bai walked past three shops: a cloth merchant, a spice warehouse and a narrow store selling iron tools.

Then Teacher Bai stopped at the fourth building.

It was larger than the others, it was open with grain poured out everywhere around.

Teacher Bai entered it and disappeared from Yan’s view.

A moment later Yan stepped forward. After arriving at the front of that shop, he staggered, walked weirdly and fell down right in front of the entrance of the shop.

The dirty cloth around his shoulders slid upward, covering most of his face.

”Another drunkard”

The man who just arrived at the shop murmured.

Yan remained still.

Inside the shop, voices spoke quietly.

“… has it arrived?” Teacher Bai asked.

“Yes,” the shopkeeper replied.

Footsteps echoed across the wooden boards as Teacher Bai and the shopkeeper climbed the stairs.

After arriving on the second floor, Bai inspected bottles of green liquid placed in wooden boxes.

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He opened the lid of one bottle and smelled the liquid and said, “Good.”

And then he put the bottle back in its place and said, “Deliver them to the mansion today”

The shopkeeper hesitated.

“Would you like to use the same method?”

“Yes.”

Teacher Bai’s voice remained calm.

Footsteps returned toward the stairs, Yan did not move.

Moments later the door opened.

Teacher Bai stepped back into the street and continued walking toward the inner district without even glancing down.

Yan remained motionless.

But the shopkeeper stopped and looked down at the figure lying at the entrance.

“Check him out ”

Two guards stepped forward, one nudged Yan with his boot, ”He is alive, just drunk”

“Drag him to the corner.” The shopkeeper ordered.

They lifted his arms and pulled him across the stone road before dropping him beside a wall further down the street.

Yan stayed limp until the guards returned inside.

Only then did his eyes open, but he did not leave, he stayed there while his eyes were fixed on the shop.

By evening, the wagons began moving. Yan watched them from the same place.

People loaded the wagon with the grain, and hid the green liquid underneath it.

For the next few days, Yan returned to the same place and pretended to be drunk. He continued to observe each shipment. Sometimes the wagons were loaded with bottles of green liquid, while other times they carried only grain.

One day, Yan acted.

The wagon was on its way to deliver the grain to Chu Feng’s mansion.

”Neigh!”

The horses halted midway, while people continued walking around them.

”Damn drunkard” The driver cursed as he stepped down from the wagon. A figure lay on his stomach, blocking the only road through the residential area as houses lined both sides of the road.

”Wake up” The driver knelt and grabbed his collar and tried to pull the drunkard up.

He utilised more strength..but that man did not budge. The driver stood up and pulled with much more strength.

Then the drunkard who had closed his eyes opened them suddenly frightening the driver for a moment.

And that was enough, as the driver instinctively took a step back.

The soil under his legs became slippery as he fell on the ground and his head hit the ground with just enough impact to make him unconscious.

Yan immediately grabbed the unconscious man and leaned closer, pretending to listen.

”No..this can’t be..”

”No...What did I do..?

Yan said while people around looked. An old man in his sixties was nearby, Yan grabbed his shirt.

”Help me, let’s take him to sir Chu Feng. He said that name before passing away” Yan said as he looked into the eyes of the old man.

The old man half-opened his eyes. His lips moved, forming an almost inaudible ”No.” But then his gaze fell on the people watching him on the street.

”Ok..Fine.” The Old man reluctantly agreed.

Yan then put the man on the back of the wagon and into the grain.

Then he took over the driver’s seat, the old man sat next to him as the wagon resumed its journey to Chu Feng’s Mansion.