Chapter 111: Rip Off

“I’m Mo Ruyan. Greetings, Master,” she said cupping a fist before her chest.

“Master Mo, would you agree to do what I just asked?” said Mu Yi. If Mo Ruyan agreed to escort him, everything would be fine. He didn’t want her because she was beautiful but because she was strong. She wasn’t as strong as Qiu Yuetong, but she wasn’t weak.

She was definitely a strong martial artist. She wouldn’t be so famous if she wasn’t.

“If you had asked me this morning, I would have been able to. At this time, I have already accepted a request to take goods to Luoyang. You can come with me if you wish,” said Mo Ruyan.

“Miss,” said the middle-aged man after listening to her words. He wanted to say more but she waved to cut him off.

“If I refuse, the Far Ink Professional Organization will not give me an escort, right?” asked Mu Yi.

“Yes,” said Mo Ruyan with a nod.

“Alright, I’ll come. When do we leave?” asked Mu Yi. Even though he didn’t want to travel with other people, he had no choice. It was better than traveling alone with Big Slave anyway. It would spare him lots of trouble.

“Early tomorrow morning. Can you pay now?” asked Mo Ruyan.

“No problem. How much?” said Mu Yi.

He knew it wasn’t really the standard procedure, but he was convinced she wouldn’t try to rip him off either. Her reputation would be tarnished.

“One thousand Liang,” said Mo Ruyan. (translator’s note: one liang = 50 grams or 1.763 ounces)

“No problem,” Mu Yi could afford it so he didn’t mind.

“I’m talking about one thousand Liang of gold,” said Mo Ruyan.

“What?!?!”

The outburst hadn’t come from Mu Yi but the middle-aged man next to her. He could see that Mo Ruyan was doing this on purpose. He didn’t know why though, she was usually virtuous and fair. People admired her for her integrity and honesty.

Were there tensions between her and Mu Yi? The middle-aged man thought while shaking.

“The reason?” asked Mu Yi after remaining silent for a few seconds. What Big Slave had in his bag was more valuable than one thousand Liang, but Mu Yi didn’t like being ripped off.

In the current time, one thousand Liang of gold was already an incredible amount. On the market of precious metals, one thousand Liang of gold was equivalent to thirty thousand Liang of silver. In the past, an ordinary family didn’t spend more than a few dozen Liang of silver. Those people never had one thousand Liang of gold in their entire lives.

“He’s the reason. Is that enough?” said Mo Ruyan while pointing at Big Slave.

Mu Yi quickly deduced that Mo Ruyan probably recognized Big Slave. After all, the Church of the Thousand Children wasn’t a secret group, and when people saw Big Slave, they would remember him easily. Now, he knew why the middle-aged man had also made a face. The professional organizations were well-informed, indeed.

Since they knew that Big Slave was from the Church of the Thousand Children and that he wanted to leave Qingjiang Prefecture, he could understand her position.

After all, Mu Yi could leave if he wanted but not Mo Ruyan. She had a business in Qingjiang Prefecture and the Church of the Thousand Children was powerful in the region. She didn’t want to offend anyone for a little bit of money. Therefore, she was trying to make things difficult for Mu Yi. She wanted him to refuse and give up.

Of course, Mu Yi had only taken some educated guesses, he could be wrong.

“That’s enough. However, for that price you will take us there personally, right? You will ensure our safety?” asked Mu Yi.

One thousand Liang of gold wasn’t a problem. He didn’t lack gold.

“Indeed. The Far Ink Professional Organization’s reputation is also my reputation,” said Mo Ruyan.

“Alright, one thousand Liang of gold it is,” said Mu Yi taking out 25,000 Liang of silver.

It was half of the wealth he had saved. The Su Clan was rich but only per the scale of Lin’An County. Li Hu had robbed seven wealthy families and stolen one million Liang of silver. Even though the Su Clan was rich, they had only saved one to three hundred thousand Liang. That amount wasn’t considered bad, though.

When Mu Yi had said he was leaving the county, Su Chongshan had prepared one hundred thousand Liang of silver for him. Mu Yi didn’t take it. When he finally left, he accepted thirty thousand liang and he still had some Craibiodendri Yunnanensis leaves which were worth forty thousand Liang of silver. Now, he had to give that to Mo Ruyan.

Mu Yi was supported by the Su Clan, otherwise, he wouldn’t have been able to pay such an amount. It would have also been extremely difficult to go to Luoyang alone.

It would be much easier with Mo Ruyan escorting them. Mu Yi wouldn’t need to worry. He would be able to meditate peacefully on the way. That’s why he wanted an armed escort.

“Master, you were careless and reckless,” said the middle-aged man after Mu Yi left.

“Uncle Zhao, don’t worry. Even if he’s a member of the Church of the Thousand Children, so what? Besides, the Far Ink Professional Organization is not so easy to deal with,” said Mo Ruyan.

She didn’t care about any of that. She was happy. It was a lot of money she had received.

“You know that’s not what I meant. What I mean is your father has told you many times not to leave for longer than one or two months. When he comes back, what will I tell him?” said the middle-aged man.

“Don’t worry. Next month, there will be the big ceremony. I will be back before that,” said Mo Ruyan.

“There’s also Sub-Prefect Li,” said the middle-aged man.

“Regarding that, tell my father it’s not possible,” Mo Ruyan said interrupting the middle-aged man.

She didn’t wait for him to finish. She took the money and left hastily. When the middle-aged man saw that, he only shook his head. He understood Mo Ruyan’s feelings.

****

At the foot of Little Frost Mountain, it was very cold and dark. Halfway up the hill, there were three people surrounding the tomb, Qiu Yuetong and the two sisters.

“Chief, you really want to go?” asked Qiu Zhu.

“There’s a possibility, so I’ll try,” said Qiu Yuetong after a few seconds.

“Doctor Sun said it was only a legend, maybe it’s not even true. Besides, if you really leave, what will we do? What will happen to Little Frost’s fortified village?” asked Qiu Zhu nervously.

“I won’t be gone forever. You will be able to take care of Little Frost’s fortified village in my absence. Besides, Doctor Sun is here so nothing will happen,” said Qiu Yuetong indifferently.

It was obvious that she was determined.