The Most Powerful Young Master of the Northern Song Dynasty

Chapter 21: Thirty-One Guan

Erya had also arrived. She’d been riding a donkey alongside Old Liao, but now she jumped down, ran over, and threw her arms around Wang Bang’s waist, weeping. She couldn’t think of anything nice to say; she just loved the Da Bang he was now, and as long as he was safe, that was all that mattered. Wang Bang’s feelings, however, were quite complicated. This whole situation felt like he’d boarded a pirate ship, yet it also felt like he’d hit the jackpot—as if Lin Mu’er herself had fallen from the sky. However, fortune and misfortune go hand in hand—it’s both good and bad. As for me, Da Bang, who is destined to soar to great heights, I certainly wouldn’t lack older female companions in this era. But now, here I am: I’ve tied my little horse to her big tree, willingly giving up an entire forest. After all, my promise to Bai Yutang was to be “devoted with all my heart.” It’s not that being devoted is a bad thing—it’s just that, for a great warlord, it’s a bit too virtuous. With his daydream over, Wang Bang pointed at the giant centipede on the ground and said, “Old Uncle Liao, let’s take this beast with us—we can sell it to the herbal pharmacy for a high price.” Old Liao nodded and chuckled, “Yeah, it’s worth a fortune. Bai Yutang is a total airhead—she actually forgot to bring its fruit?” Wang Bang was very protective of his wife and said, “Don’t talk about her like that. She’s actually pretty cute. She hates it when people talk behind her back. If she finds out—even though she can’t beat you—she’ll hold a grudge for the rest of her life, and that wouldn’t be good.” Thinking about how Zhan Zhao was currently being targeted by that crazy woman, Old Liao realized he’d spoken out of turn and immediately clammed up… Wang Bang, looking far-sighted, perched on Old Liao’s neck, raised her little hand to shield her eyes as she looked ahead. Mm-hmm, she could already see the city walls. Seeing the city was like seeing money. In later generations, centipedes were sold by the piece, with larger ones commanding higher prices. A 30-centimeter-long wild “Laos Giant” went for about two hundred dollars each. Centipedes from the Song Dynasty were even harder to come by. For instance, the legendary Hong Qigong was willing to use chickens as bait to catch centipedes, which meant the centipedes themselves were worth more than the chickens. Chickens were already a rare and precious commodity in the Song Dynasty, so centipedes were even more so. In later generations, centipedes became little more than a gimmick, as there were many substitutes. However, in ancient times, they were of great importance. People in ancient times rarely suffered from cancer, and average life expectancy was already quite low, so the centipede’s anti-cancer properties were of little use. Its most important functions lay in “killing parasites and neutralizing toxins.” For example, since people in ancient times often had many parasites in their bodies and there was no “Intestinal Worm Cleanser” available, centipedes could be used to eliminate these parasites. In traditional Chinese medicine, this is known as “fighting poison with poison”—a specialized “domain” of the centipede as the leader of the “Five Poisons.” What was strange about yesterday’s incident at Lanruo Temple was that Wang Bang didn’t see a single insect there—otherwise, a place like that would have been teeming with spiders and the like. Yet there were no insects; even wild wolves stayed away. This reflects the centipede’s fundamental ability to eliminate parasites. Its ability to counteract venom is the most important aspect. In ancient times, when the world was more like a wild frontier, far too many people died from insect or snake bites. Without specialized antivenoms, centipedes served as a highly effective antidote—not merely a health supplement. Scorpions generally require the entire body to be used for medicine, so once they’re dismembered, they lose much of their value. Centipedes, however, don’t have this requirement. At least, it doesn’t make much of a difference… After entering the city, Old Liao said, “I’ve got something to take care of. You guys go ahead; I’ll catch up with you later,” and left. Wang Bang carried a backpack filled with large centipedes, intending to sell them for money. Erya followed along gleefully, full of excitement. The girl knew Da Bang was the best; once they sold the centipede, they’d surely have something to eat. Qi’antang was the largest, time-honored herbal pharmacy in Shuzhou, with a stellar reputation. It was renowned as a long-established establishment that treated everyone fairly, young and old alike. This was information Erya had shared; Wang Bang wasn’t aware of it. “Stop right there! Who are you, you little brat? Trying to sneak in and take advantage of the situation?” Just as they reached the entrance, they were stopped by two men who looked like security guards. Wang Bang was livid—he’d just endured a terrifying night at Lanruo Temple—so, defiantly, he pointed at a young gentleman who had just happened to walk in and asked, “Then why is he allowed in?” “He’s wearing fine clothes—he’s a Xiu Cai. How can two little brats like you compare to him? Get lost—stop causing trouble.” The two guards approached impatiently, each slapping Wang Bang on the back of the head, intending to chase him and Erya away. The thing was, Erya was already wearing patched clothes, and although Wang Bang’s clothes didn’t have patches, he’d just spent a night of turmoil at Lanruo Temple and was filthy from head to toe. As they were being chased away, Erya—who had always been timid—burst into tears. She tugged at her brother’s sleeve, urging him to leave. “Let’s not sell anything.” The two guards then noticed a pile of dark, shapeless things in the basket on his back. They leaned in to take a closer look and were startled at first—it was a massive centipede. Working at the herbal pharmacy, they naturally knew how much it was worth, so while shooing them away, they forcibly took Wang Bang’s basket off his back and said, “Where did you come from, you little beggar? Trying to steal? This belongs to our herbal pharmacy. Get out of here right now, or I’ll report you to the authorities.” I @# Wang Bang was truly at a loss for words with these two. Speaking in a refined tone, he said, “You two fools, don’t look down on a poor young man. If you don’t want to pay the price, hand the goods back right now.” “You little bastard—you dare talk back after coming to the pharmacy to steal? I’ve seen plenty of swindling, cheating beggars like you.” The two men charged toward him, but before they could kick Wang Bang, Chief Huang happened to be patrolling by and said, “What’s going on here? Trouble again? Do you think Old Huang doesn’t exist?” The two men immediately walked over and said respectfully, “Oh, it’s Chief Huang! You’ve arrived just in time. These two little beggars dared to come into our Qian’an Hall… Aaaah!” Before they could finish speaking, Chief Constable Huang sent them flying with a few powerful kicks. Chief Constable Huang’s legs flew back and forth like a “shadow kick,” whack, whack, whack, whack, whack, whack After knocking the two men to the ground, Old Huang hopped around and stomped on them a few times before snapping coldly, “You two scumbags! The son of the Wang Caosi family—and you dare call him a little beggar?” Terrified, the two men knelt on the ground, not daring to utter a word, realizing they’d gotten themselves into deep trouble. Smack, smack He slapped each of them across the face again, swelling their cheeks, before Chief Huang barked, “One more time like this, and I’ll cripple both of you, you two scoundrels. I don’t usually want to meddle in your affairs, but keep your eyes open from now on.” “Yes, yes, yes.” The two men kept their heads bowed as drops of blood trickled from their noses onto the ground. Chief Constable Huang was a man who didn’t like to meddle; this was already going above and beyond for them. But now that his dignity had been restored, Wang Bang didn’t want to say any more. He picked up his back basket and stubbornly walked back into the herbal shop, determined to sell his goods there… The scene at Anqi Hall was truly spectacular. Countless herbalists, bookkeepers, shop managers, and others—all in the herbal trade—stared wide-eyed as they crouched in a circle, gawking at this colossal centipede that had been sliced into eight pieces with a single stroke. Wow, they’d never seen a centipede weighing nearly four jin before. “A divine creature! That’s exactly how a centipede should look to be truly formidable.” “You fool, if all centipedes were like this, would you even bother catching them?” A few clerks were arguing among themselves. The shopkeeper, who looked like a demonic Taoist priest, twirled his mustache and said, “What a pity, what a pity. If a centipede like this could be caught without its body breaking, it would be top-grade.” As soon as Wang Bang heard this, he knew the unscrupulous merchant was trying to drive a hard bargain. Ugh—the reputation of this so-called “time-honored herbal pharmacy” that Erya had raved about was probably just hype created by paid promoters. Wang Bang threw the clerk’s words right back at him: “Old man, if it doesn’t damage the body, why don’t you go catch it yourself?” The shopkeeper thought for a moment and said, “In that case, ten guan will do.” “For centipedes at ten guan each, I’ll take every single one you have—and I’ll even double your price,” Wang Bang shouted. “Twenty guan for four jin—I’m buying up every centipede in Anqi Hall.” “What a bold claim! Who thinks they can buy up all the centipedes from my pharmacy?” A voice drifted out just as a slightly sickly-looking young nobleman emerged from the inner chamber. “Huh, it’s you?” Wang Bang was slightly taken aback. This guy was the one he’d encountered last time, strutting through the marketplace with a gang of henchmen in tow. So he was from the Experience Pharmacy after all—he hoped his name wasn’t Ximen Qing. This guy clearly recognized Wang Bang. Since he also attended the Prefectural Academy, he was technically Wang Bang’s classmate—though Wang Bang couldn’t recall anything about him. “It’s me. Why has the magistrate’s son come to my pharmacy to cause trouble?” This man clearly wasn’t afraid of the Wang family either; his expression was far from friendly. “I’m causing trouble?” Wang Bang pointed at the enormous centipede. “Get your facts straight first. I came here to sell medicine, and for herbs of this quality, your clerk only offered me ten guan.” The young aristocrat froze for a moment; upon seeing the centipede, he was startled as well. A flash of murderous intent crossed his eyes as he glared coldly at the shopkeeper. Frightened, the shopkeeper hurriedly bowed his head; he knew the young master was blaming him for causing a major problem. After a moment’s hesitation—the young nobleman didn’t want to deal with Wang Bang, nor was it convenient to deceive people so brazenly—he waved his hand impatiently and said, “Give him thirty guan. You bunch of idiots—keep your eyes open from now on and don’t cause me any more trouble.” As he reached the door, he turned back to glance at Wang Bang, thinking to himself, “You despised rat, if you cross me again, you’ll be in for it. Let’s see how long the Wang family can keep kicking around.” As it happened, the scoundrel was thinking exactly the same thing; Wang Bang was also watching him, plotting his next move to screw him over. Finally, after the wealthy young master had left, Wang Bang haggled some more and stubbornly insisted on thirty-one guan. And just like that, he secured his first windfall: thirty-one guan. That’s over twenty thousand copper coins, right? The little girl, however, was beaming with joy. Carrying this sum on their backs, the siblings didn’t feel the weight at all—our family was truly getting off the ground.