Lu Qingshan’s plan to turn the Stone Axe Gang into a more lawful force needed to be supported by experts. And a new Marrow Tempering expert might be easier to recruit than some of the ones currently in the city. Those had already joined other factions.

  Making friends took time. Who better to do it than Qin Ye, a young man with lots of time on his hands?

  “You want to explore the world, don’t you, Qin Ye?” Lu Qingshan asked.

  The young man nodded. “Of course!”

  “Then you can take up the task of befriending that expert and their companions. Learn more about the wider world from them. Such a faraway group must have seen a lot during their travels here.”

  Qin Ye smiled. “Thank you, sect master. You know, you’re pretty young too. Why don’t you come with me and we can learn together?”

  Lu Qingshan looked at his palms. That was right. He had gotten used to feeling older than he actually was. In this life, his age was only twenty-six.

  “Alright,” he muttered. “I should show that person some sincerity. Li Fanghua, do you want to come too? It might be good to be upfront with them about the city’s problems.”

  She hesitated, taking a look at the unfinished pile of reports she hadn’t finished reading yet. Then she sighed, and eventually nodded. “Let’s go,” she said.

  “Not yet. We should discuss this with Meng Zhang first.” Lu Qingshan wanted to consult him about his current experience with the Stone Axe Gang and if the plan was feasible. The man’s past few monthly updates had mentioned the gang’s attitude, but Lu Qingshan had been too busy to dedicate much time towards it.

  His Bloodsense Bug found the Elder out patrolling the streets. “Meng Zhang,” he said. “I have a plan to quell the gang’s recent conflicts. Do you think it will work?”

  Lu Qingshan’s initial plan was to sway the foreign expert to their side. A new Marrow Tempering martial artist would help a lot for keeping control over an area of territory. How to ingratiate the Stone Axe Gang to this new expert was something that could be discussed later. He just wanted to know if the gang would be receptive to the plan.

  “It might be difficult,” Meng Zhang muttered. “I don’t usually appear in front of the gang. Only some of the Bone Tempering experts know about me, including the Wang brothers. Whatever change you want to make needs to go through them and not me.”

  “But they listen to you, right? Why? Is it just because you’re a Marrow Tempering expert?”

  Meng Zhang shook his head. “Back when I was an assassin for the ghost markets, I had a master who taught me all I knew. That man took in a few other disciples as well without the ghost market knowing about it. An escape plan, he told me.”

  “He’s dead now. The four of us worked together over a year to kill the people who killed him. That’s why they trust me so much. And the four of us have the most control over the gang.”

  “So as long as the four of you approve of a new expert, there’s nothing more to be said?”

  “Maybe. Maybe not. I know about some of the people the Wang brothers recruited. They’re ambitious, and having their power stolen away by a mere Marrow Tempering expert would enrage them. You’d have to get someone at Viscera Tempering, or close to it.”

  Liu Yingting had been an option, but he refused the task. Cleaning up after the Stone Axe Gang’s mess was not what he wanted to spend most of his time doing. Instead, the man had used the past year of peace in the Azure Wind Gang to continue polishing the Hundred Poisons Body. He had tempered his kidneys and was well on the way to finish tempering his liver as well.

  “Thank you,” Lu Qingshan said. It seemed the Stone Axe Gang’s situation was more delicate than he thought. He only hoped the foreign expert would give him a good surprise.

  Meng Zhang returned to his duties while the three of them hurried over to the tavern where Li Fanghua saw the six travelers. Surrounding the building was a small crowd of people discussing what they were about to eat. They were all nicely dressed.

  Lu Qingshan peered up at the sign hanging above.

  “Nine Wines Restaurant,” he murmured. “Sounds opulent.”

  “It is.” Li Fanghua had a small smile on her face. “I’ve been there once or twice almost a year ago,” she said. “The food is excellent.”

  Loud chatter made its way into Lu Qingshan’s ears the moment he stepped through the entrance. He could almost taste the food through smell alone. Its aroma was heavenly, full of sharp flavor and spices.

  Li Fanghua took the lead, guiding him through the crowded wooden tables and chairs towards the target. The group of six sat in a corner, speaking quietly to themselves.

  A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

  The three of them sat at a nearby empty table and watched them talk. “How do we approach them?” Qin Ye asked.

  “We need to make it look natural,” Lu Qingshan said in a low voice. “They can’t know that we know otherwise it would look incredibly off-putting.”

  He searched around the restaurant for something that could be used as a connection between them. Other than the food, he had no ideas.

  Lu Qingshan realized he had no idea how to build connections with other people. Spending so much time in seclusion and focusing solely on his martial arts made him more of a recluse. He looked towards Li Fanghua for help.

  “I’ll try,” she said.

  When the server arrived, she ordered a set of truly grand dishes. Four flavors of wine, three sets of rice, and a host of various meats and vegetables were all named without her missing a beat.

  “Has she only been here a few times?” Qin Ye whispered into Lu Qingshan’s ear. He watched wide-eyed as all the dishes began to pile up on the table.

  Lu Qingshan looked at the plate in front of him. A wide variety of mushrooms, green leaves, berries, and crispy insects accompanied a perfectly cooked piece of bear meat. The sauce it sat in was still sizzling while he stared at it.

  Exotic combinations like the wine-soaked Bitter Tears Tiger Tendon, Thousand Spices Venison, and the Forest Prince Bear in front of him were not the most expensive dishes she ordered. As more and more plates filled the table, his mind was buzzing.

  “How much money is that?” he whispered.

  “It’s not a lot,” Li Fanghua said, her face a little red. "Trust me on this."

  Qin Ye looked excited. He had bright eyes and a wide smile on his face as he gazed at all the food in front of him. Some of the plates caused his eyes to linger a little while longer.

  "Feel free to eat," Li Fanghua said. "You don't have to wait for me."

  Qin Ye immediately picked up his chopsticks and grabbed a pile of food onto his plate. All types of animals, insects, vegetables, berries, sauces, and even wines were mixed together. Then the young man scooped them up, consuming the entire mixture together.

  His eyes went wide. "How's it taste?" Lu Qingshan asked.

  It took a while for Qin Ye to swallow it all down. "Delicious," he said.

  Lu Qingshan didn't know if that would be the same for him. But he felt like he should try some of these meals. The Thousand Spices Venison looked the most palatable to his past life's taste, so he went for that first.

  The flavor exploded in his mouth. Salt and pepper were there, but accompanying the two classics were a whole host of other tastes. There was the sweetness of berry juice, the spicy tang of ginger, the softness of something silky, and even things he had never tasted before. Lu Qingshan found himself taking bite after bite before he managed to put his chopsticks down.

  "That's good," he said.

  Li Fanghua was slowly eating her portions as well. She favored the Thousand Spices Venison like him, but also had two sets of flavored wine beside her plate. Besides that, she ate steamed mutton and boiled pheasant as well. "You should try the Bitter Tears Wine," she said. "It's one of their famed nine wines."

  Lu Qingshan shook his head. He instead picked up the Sweet Berry Wine, made from multiple sweet berries found across the province. He wasn't really one for wine, but found that it washed down his meal quite well. Two sips was enough for him while he continued eating the venison.

  They ate for the time it took to brew a cup of tea. Lu Qingshan's appetite could not be satiated with only one serving of venison, so he consumed a second and a third. His glass of wine disappeared, only to be replaced by freshly brewed Clear Spirit Tea thanks to the attentive server.

  Finally, Lu Qingshan flicked a glance at the table of six travelers to the side. They were staring in his direction. He gave them a quick smile before he returned to his food.

  The third chunk of venison vanished into Lu Qingshan’s throat. So did the glass of tea. He took a look at his companions when he finished the drink, only to see Qin Ye grabbing the last piece of meat from a plate of roasted boar. Li Fanghua’s eyes were beaming.

  “Hello there,” a feminine voice said. Lu Qingshan turned his head up to see one of the six travelers standing in front of their table. They were a dark-haired woman, dressed in light green and dark blue.

  “Hello,” he replied. “Are you here for the first time as well?” he asked, glancing at the table of travelers. One of the men was standing up to go join her.

  “No,” the woman said. “One of my friends was wondering if he could try some of your leftover wine. We haven’t had much of a chance to sample all the different flavors.”

  Lu Qingshan glanced at Li Fanghua, who looked pleased with herself. “Go ahead,” he said.

  “Thank you.” The woman returned to her table, settling down the other man as well. The travelers continued to laugh and chatter away, but this time they often snuck a few glances at Li Fanghua’s wealthy bearing.

  “Another round!” Li Fanghua said, calling to the server. They enjoyed another set of delicious dishes before they were full. Lu Qingshan felt his blood energy become more vigorous and smooth in its flow.

  He didn’t take another glance at the six travelers. The three of them left the Nine Wines Restaurant, tracing a path back to Li Fanghua’s residence.

  “Was that good?” she asked, eyes sparkling, once the two of them were sitting down.

  “It was.” Lu Qingshan stared at her relatively meager furniture and frugal room. “But how many times can we afford that?”

  “A few more times,” Li Fanghua said. “Really, it’s not a problem.”

  “Give me the exact number.”

  She stopped speaking, a small smile still on her face as she stared at him. Lu Qingshan frowned. Most of his money acquired from the bandit camps had been used to accelerate the gangs’ progress in the city.

  Qin Ye also shook his head when he looked at him.

  “You’re right,” Lu Qingshan said with a sigh. “That plan works. But we really need more money.” He sighed again.