There were six people in total. The one in front was probably in his forties and looked like a steward, while the others were all dressed as household servants.

The steward said with a smile, “The illustrious Mr. Thirteen, wealthy enough to rival a nation, can’t even come up with fifty taels of silver? What a joke... For you, fifty taels of silver must be less than a drop in the ocean, but for others, it’s a fortune that could lift them out of poverty.”

Brian Zane said nothing.

Henry Clark also remained silent.

Mr. Turner showed anger and rebuked, “Which family are you from, daring to be so rude and disrespectful to my young master?”

The steward replied slowly, “The Song family of Xuancheng, here on orders, offering a large sum to purchase an ancient book. My master sent me with one hundred taels of silver.”

The young man named Frank Ford immediately showed an expression of wild joy.

Mr. Turner's face instantly turned extremely ugly.

Brian Zane sat inside the carriage, his expression unchanged.

“One hundred taels of silver. Our Song family will take this ancient book.”

The Song family steward looked at the young man named Frank Ford and said with a smile, “Will you sell it or not?”

Frank Ford's expression shifted slightly, but he didn’t answer immediately and instead looked toward the carriage.

Mr. Thirteen was the wealthiest person in all sixteen prefectures of Huai’an.

For someone like that, a hundred taels of silver was nothing.

Now, with the Song family offering a hundred taels to buy the ancient book, it was clearly a slap in the face to Mr. Thirteen.

And just ahead was Bailing Lake. In Fengcheng, anyone with any status was over there, and at this moment, quite a few people were casting glances in this direction.

As a member of the upper class in the sixteen prefectures of Huai’an, reputation and face were extremely important. Surely, Mr. Thirteen would feel angered, want to regain face, and raise the price.

But just then, a calm voice came from inside the carriage.

“Henry Clark, it’s time to go back.”

...

Henry Clark gave the horse a pat.

The carriage began to move slowly.

In the eyes of the utterly stunned Frank Ford, the Song family steward, and the others, it gradually moved away.

The atmosphere in the scene became somewhat subdued.

...

“Young master, the Song family has gone too far, they...”

Mr. Turner's face was full of anger and unwillingness.

However, before he could finish, he heard Brian Zane's calm voice slowly speak.

“Qianyang, retrieve the ancient book and clean up the bodies.”

Chapter 004: A Few Lives, A Test

The carriage from the Zhuang residence slowly moved away.

The atmosphere at the scene was a bit awkward.

No one had expected that this Mr. Thirteen would actually swallow his pride.

The one with the most complicated feelings was none other than Frank Ford.

Frank Ford had thought he could make a big profit, but now he was starting to panic.

“This brother from the Song family...”

“Who’s your brother?”

The Song family steward looked at the ancient book in his arms and said sullenly, “Ten taels of silver. Will you sell it or not?”

Frank Ford's eyes widened instantly, and he stammered, “Didn’t you just say a hundred taels?”

The Song family steward sneered, “What kind of treasure is worth a hundred taels? I’ll give you ten taels. Take it or leave it!”

Frank Ford panicked inside. He had already thoroughly offended Mr. Thirteen, and he knew that the value of this ancient book was hard to determine. Aside from Mr. Thirteen, there probably weren’t many people willing to offer more than ten taels. Gritting his teeth, he stomped his foot and handed it over, feeling as if his heart was bleeding.

“Kid, you’d better keep these ten taels of silver safe.”

The Song family steward mocked, “This worthless book doesn’t seem valuable to me. The only reason I’m giving you these ten taels is to make a name for ourselves, to let people know that the ancient book Mr. Thirteen wanted was bought by our Song family right in front of him.”

Frank Ford was heartbroken beyond words. In the sixteen prefectures of Huai’an, only Mr. Thirteen would pay high prices for ancient books and relics. Without Mr. Thirteen, in the eyes of others, they were worth little, if anything at all.

Watching the Song family steward and the others walk away, Frank Ford couldn’t help but spit on the ground.

“A bunch of swindlers—sooner or later, they’ll die on the road.”

...

The Song family steward put the ancient book away, keeping it close to his body.

The one hundred taels of silver had indeed been given to him by the young master to buy this ancient book.

But he was a shrewd man. Seizing the opportunity, he bought it for just ten taels, and the remaining ninety taels went into his own pocket.

He was overjoyed. As a steward of the Song family, he only got a few taels of silver a month.

But he couldn’t keep it all to himself, so after a moment’s hesitation, he took out ten taels of silver and said, “You all split this.”

The attendants naturally understood what this meant. Each took their share and patted their chests, promising to keep quiet.

Only then was the Song family steward satisfied. Although he took the lion’s share, everyone got some silver. If word got out, according to the Song family’s rules, no one would escape punishment.

“The job’s done. Time to head back to Xuancheng.”

“Steward...” Just then, the young servant who had just received his share of silver hesitated and said, “Are we taking the main road toward the Xuancheng-Fenggu pass?”

“That’s right.” The Song family steward glanced at him and said, “Didn’t we come from this way?”

“But...” The young servant hesitated.