Volcanic Age

"Z-Zhou Xuchuan?" Li Yicai mumbled his name in surprise. He soon realized his mistake and apologized. "I'm sorry, Great Hero Zhou. I made a grave mistake because of my surprise."

He naturally addressed Zhou Xuchuan with the title "great hero". There was not a hint of awkwardness at all.

"But what brings you here? Did the Fourteenth Sword Hero perhaps…" A glimmer of hope sparked in Li Yicai's eyes.

"No."

Zhou Xuchuan shook his head without hesitation.

"I see…"

Li Yican's disappointment was evident. The hope in his eyes had turned into despair.

"But I have some business with you." Zhou Xuchuan grinned, rubbing his thumb, index and middle fingers together.

"What do you mean?" Li Yicai asked, tilting his head in confusion.

"Y-yes, okay."

He has something!

Li Yican instinctively realized that Zhou Xuchuan's "business" was not a simple matter. He could smell something.

It's the smell of money!

Starting from his sense of smell, all his senses were telling him that the long-awaited opportunity had finally arrived. From what he could see, no, even objectively, Zhou Xuchuan was no ordinary boy. The fact that he was a member of the Lotus Pavilion elevated him above most people. However, he had a feeling that Zhou Xuchuan was even more special than that.

From what he knew, Zhou Xuchuan was only twelve years old. He may look fifteen, but the mature air around him, as well as his aura was extraordinary. He simply didn't look like a twelve-year-old, but like a middle-aged man, or even an elderly man who knew everything about the world.

Even the way he walked showed off his class, and his confident demeanor and body language were anything but ordinary.

He wasn't like this the last time I met him. I didn't miss it. He was hiding it.

Truly, he was the future Merchant King; he caught on quickly. Li Yicai realized that Zhou Xucuan was not ordinary and immediately prepared a separate place.

"I'll put aside the formalities and get straight to the point. You don't have to flatter me so blatantly either, sir merchant," Zhou Xuchuan said as soon as he sat down.

"E-ehem. Please speak at ease."

Li Yicai seemed to like Zhou Xuchuan's polite attitude and looked at him in a good light. Most martial artists tended to be arrogant, even if they were young. Driven by their pride, this trait was even more pronounced in members of large sects.

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Li Yicai had received disdain from many martial artists, as such, Zhou Xuchuan's attitude left a deep impression on him.

"It's okay. Isn't trading all about trust and etiquette? What I'm doing is natural."

Zhou Xuchuan couldn't help but smile inwardly as the situation unfolded according to his plan. Li Yicai, who would later be called the Merchant King, was definitely not someone of a lower status than him. This remained true even in this second life.

The Merchant King was someone who had survived earning money between the Orthodox Faction, the Evil Faction, and even the two Demonic Factions and the hidden faction.

His talent was indisputable. To receive help from him in the future, it was better to start off with an equal status than an unequal one. After all, an unequal relationship might easily offend the other party. That was too risky.

"When you say the point?"

"I'm interested in the business proposal you had for my Senior Uncle," he stated, revealing his curiosity."

Li Yicai's eyes widened at Zhou Xuchuan's words. He appeared utterly surprised.

"Is that true?"

"Yes."

"Hmm…"

Li Yicai stroked his beard. He seemed to be deep in thought. No, he appeared to be in complete disbelief. Zhou Xuchuan was satisfied by Li Yicai's response.

Good, now I know that he's not a simpleton. I was a little worried…

It would be strange if Li Yicai wasn't suspicious of Zhou Xuchuan.

"To be honest with you, this little merchant is no one significant. I do not understand what you saw in me to listen to my proposal. Also, it seems you are meeting me in secret, avoiding the Fourteenth Sword Hero or the other members of the Lotus Pavilion."

Li Yicai thought about whether Zhou Xuchuan was here just to humiliate him, or scheme against him. Of course, he was doubtful since Zhou Xuchuan was only twelve years old, but there was the possibility that the Zhuge Family was behind this, since they liked orchestrating events from behind the scenes.

Then again, he couldn't help but think that those people wouldn't put in so much effort to scheme against a minor merchant like him.

"It's because I also have a proposal for you."

"A proposal?"

"Yes. However, before we talk about that, I wish to hear about your plans first. Will that be okay with you?"

"Of course."

He was puzzled but not suspicious.

"In truth, I call it a business plan, but it's nothing major."

Zhou Xuchuan calmly waited for Li Yicai to continue. Li Yicai looked at Zhou Xuchuan's response, and sighed in relief when he saw that Zhou Xuchuan wasn't stiffening up and continued speaking.

"The primary item of trade for us Gold Will Merchants is grains. It's a product you can see anywhere. However, I plan to sell these grains as provisions."

I knew it.

It was just as Zhou Xuchuan expected. It appeared the event that made Li Yicai famous was not falsely reported to him.

"I see. So you need an opportunity to become a war merchant."

"...Yes, that's the case." Li Yicai nodded in surprise.

I didn't know he could think so fast.

Martial artists seldom ventured into trade. It would be a slightly different story for those in important positions of an organization, but this young boy was only twelve. Despite that, he figured out what Li Yicai was thinking, much to his surprise.

Of course, from Zhou Xuchuan's perspective, he knew about it from the beginning, but there was no way for Li Yicai to know that.

"Do you need financial backing?"

"I would be grateful if I could get some, but if it's not too rude of me…" Li Yicai cautiously probed.

"Yes, unfortunately, I cannot help you financially. How much money can a child possibly have?" Zhou Xuchuan smiled bitterly.

"Not at all, that's okay."

Li Yicai gulped. Although there was a hint of disappointment on his face, his reply seemed sincere.

"Beyond finances, there are many things you can sponsor me with."

"Please go on."

"...This might be a slightly sensitive matter. So great hero, please hear me out to the end," Li Yicai said nervously, sipping water before explaining. "To get straight to the point, I need connections. It doesn't matter where it is, so I hope you can give me the rights to trade provisions. The quantity in my possession isn't large, but I can prepare enough for a mid-sized sect."

Although this may seem obvious, there was no way the Orthodox Faction, including the Martial Alliance, would get involved with farming. Even if they did, they only farmed enough to feed themselves.

Consequently, they relied on merchants to procure provisions. Most of the time, these items were traded through family members of sect members, whether they were secular sect disciples or core disciples.

Due to the substantial amount of money involved in trading, it couldn't be left to just anyone to handle. It usually required an introduction.

"Also…"

Li Yicai looked extremely cautious, stealing glances at Zhou Xuchuan's face multiple times. He wanted to say something, but kept opening and closing his mouth without being able to voice what was on his mind.

Zhou Xuchuan knew what was making Li Yicai hesitate, but he pretended to be oblivious.

"I will not get angry, so please just tell me. I'll decide after hearing everything."

Hearing that, Li Yicai summoned courage.

"...You must have attended the major meeting hosted by the Kaiyang Branch Head alongside the Fourteenth Sword Hero as a member of the Lotus Pavilion. Am I correct?"

"Yes."

"In that case, you're likely aware of the ongoing conflicts in the Guizhou province. With that being the case… Could you provide me with information about places or individuals who are isolated or have difficulty finding supplies?"

Li Yicai's eyes clenched shut after uttering these words. He feared Zhou Xuchuan's reaction. Even a ten-year-old would understand the issue with his request. Li Yicai was blatantly asking for what could potentially be classified information.

His intentions were obvious. Selling his grains to areas facing supply shortages or urgent needs would yield greater profits.

Ha, it's just as I heard. His greed knows no bounds. But if I think about it, the person who originally helped the Merchant King wasn't someone ordinary either.

According to what was known to him, Li Yicai discovered places that required his provisions with frightening accuracy and earned a lot of money by selling them at a high price.

He might have been lucky once or twice, but it was impossible that he was always so lucky, which meant that he had his source of information. Sharing such information with him was definitely not the right thing to do.

To begin with, the Merchant King isn't someone who can differentiate good from evil. His merchant company isn't named "Gold Will" without reason. His sole allegiance lies with wealth. I expected this much.

Li Yicai's only motivation was money and greed. The ideologies of the Orthodox and Evil Factions, or the lunacy and cruelty of the two Demonic Factions, meant nothing to him.

Whether a venture earned him money or not was all that mattered to him. Zhou Xuchuan became convinced about this after this conversation.

"In the case of the former, I can help you. However, at best, I can introduce you to Weng'An."

The Weng'An branch was indebted to Zhou Xuchuan. Coupled with his status as a member of the Lotus Pavilion, they could do that much for him.

"That's okay!" Li Yicai's face lit up with excitement.

Weng'An was one of the front lines even in the Guizhou province. Which meant that supplies happened frequently. He could maximize his profits there.

"However, in the case of the latter, I refuse. I believe you understand why."

Even if he needed the Merchant King on his side, there was a line he couldn't cross. If it was revealed that he leaked information to him, even he, a member of the Lotus Pavilion, wouldn't be able to get off scot-free. The risk was too high. So, he refused without hesitation.

"Thank you for hearing me out. Honestly speaking, I am surprised that I still have my head on my neck." Li Yicai confessed, his face glistening with sweat.

"If you know, then you should weigh your actions carefully, regardless of urgency. Honestly speaking, you're still alive because you faced me. Had it been anyone else, they might be pointing their swords at you right now," Zhou Xuchuan warned. Li Yicai could get himself killed the instant he said something like that to someone else.

"I only had the courage to say it because it was you, great hero. I trust my judgment of people. It is because your generosity is as wide as the Yangtze River, so I believed that you wouldn't kill me at least. You're indeed a great hero."

Li Yicai smiled awkwardly and fawned over Zhou Xuchuan. He looked even more servile now that he might have lost his life.

"Well then, let me say my piece."

"Yes, please go on."

"Do you perhaps know about the Three-Eyed Godly Thief?"