Chapter Thirty-Five: Adversity on the Trade Route

Wanqing Qu was not the sort to be intimidated by anonymous threats. She carefully put Jiang Yu’s letter away, then plunged headfirst into the whirlpool surrounding the glass beads. The things had sprouted everywhere overnight like chives after spring rain, spreading at a breathtaking speed. She went from street to street, questioning everyone from roadside peddlers to wealthy merchants.

“What do you think of these glass beads?”

Some said they were beautiful. Some called them overpriced. Others claimed the things were sinister and glowed in the dark. Opinions varied wildly, and before long Wanqing’s head was spinning. Yet amid the confusion, she caught a glimpse of a business opportunity: no one seemed to know where the beads came from or how they were made.

She began gathering information from every possible source, studying ancient texts and even venturing into the desolate wilderness beyond the city in search of traces of glass-producing ore. Her persistence eventually paid off. She found an old craftsman who had supposedly once taken part in producing objects similar to the glass beads.

The craftsman was advanced in years, and his memory had grown hazy. All he could recall was that the technique had come from overseas. As for which country it was, he could no longer remember.

Just as Wanqing pressed him for more details, she noticed, with sharp intuition, a furtive figure lurking nearby. It was one of Shopkeeper Sun’s spies.

That old fox was after the glass beads too!

Clearly, some secret lay behind them.

When Shopkeeper Sun learned that Wanqing was investigating the beads as well, he inwardly cursed. The woman was as shrewd as a monkey. If she got there first, wouldn’t he suffer a tremendous loss?

He immediately sent people to disrupt her sources of information and spread rumors that she was blindly chasing the latest trend and was destined to lose everything. But Wanqing had no intention of sitting around waiting for disaster. First, she secretly uncovered several minor business indiscretions of Shopkeeper Sun’s. Then, when confronted with his rumors, she merely gave a cold laugh and paid them no heed. Instead, she worked even harder to uncover the truth, clinging to every clue like a hound that had caught the scent of its prey.

She skillfully evaded Shopkeeper Sun’s interference and obtained several crucial pieces of information through obscure channels. One night, disguised from head to toe, Wanqing slipped into a secret workshop on the outskirts of the city.

Darkness pressed in from every direction. She could not see her own hand before her face, and her heartbeat quickened despite herself. Tension spread through her entire body.

She was just about to uncover the secret of the glass beads when a shadow suddenly appeared and blocked her path.

Shopkeeper Sun’s sinister voice rang out.

“Shopkeeper Qu, it’s awfully late. Shouldn’t you be at home embroidering instead of sneaking around out here?”

Wanqing’s heart jolted, but she quickly regained her composure. With a soft laugh, she removed the veil from her face.

“Shopkeeper Sun, what a coincidence. Are you interested in these little beads too?”

She feigned surprise, as though she had no idea he had been following her or interfering with her investigation. Shopkeeper Sun’s face turned livid. One of his hands seemed to be fumbling behind his back, as if he were reaching for a weapon to threaten her. The atmosphere grew taut, ready to snap.

The following day, at the merchant guild’s regular assembly, Shopkeeper Sun assumed that the rumors had left Wanqing in disarray. He deliberately mocked her in front of everyone.

“Shopkeeper Qu has been busy chasing the latest fashion lately. I wonder how business is going? Be careful you don’t lose both your money and your dignity!”

The surrounding merchants waited eagerly to see Wanqing make a fool of herself. After all, the glass beads were of unknown origin and carried enormous risks.

To everyone’s surprise, Wanqing merely smiled with tranquil ease. Then she subtly revealed one of Shopkeeper Sun’s business indiscretions, prompting the other merchants to cast him strange and wary looks.

She followed that by proposing a partnership.

“Shopkeeper Sun is right. This new invention is indeed difficult to understand. So I have an idea. Why don’t we work together and investigate this new trend jointly?”

Her words caused an uproar throughout the hall.

Shopkeeper Sun looked as though he had been struck by lightning. He stood frozen in place.

What was this woman plotting?

He studied Wanqing suspiciously, wondering whether she had set some kind of trap. The merchants around them held their breath as tension spread through the guild hall.

“What do you say, Shopkeeper Sun?” Wanqing asked with a bright smile, though her eyes held an unmistakable firmness.

The terms she offered appeared fair on the surface, but hidden within them was a clever trap that left Shopkeeper Sun caught between two impossible choices. If he refused, the other merchants would consider him shortsighted and accuse him of passing up a golden opportunity. If he agreed, he feared Wanqing would seize the advantage from the very beginning.

After a fierce internal struggle, Shopkeeper Sun finally gritted his teeth and accepted. He knew that if he refused, his standing within the guild would plummet.

“Fine. I agree!”

The corners of Wanqing’s lips lifted slightly. She had achieved her aim.

She had successfully drawn her old rival into her own plans, turning him into a pawn. Once again, her business acumen had revealed itself. The other merchants admired her even more, while Shopkeeper Sun grew increasingly wary of her.

After the assembly ended, Wanqing watched his retreating back, a sly glimmer in her eyes.

“The game has only just begun…”

She murmured the words softly, then turned and walked away.

Suddenly, Wanqing thought of Jiang Yu. She reached into her sleeve and withdrew a jade pendant carved with auspicious cloud patterns—the token of affection he had given her. Her fingertips gently brushed across its smooth surface, and a warm current rose in her heart.

Whenever she had faced difficulties and wanted to give up, Jiang Yu’s words of encouragement had echoed in her ears. They had strengthened her resolve and urged her onward.

“I wonder what that fellow is doing now. He’s probably scheming against some unlucky soul again, isn’t he?”

Wanqing muttered under her breath, a tender smile curving her lips.

Amid the turmoil of this chaotic age, he alone was the firmest support in her heart.

The glass-bead business was even more complicated than she had imagined. It felt like playing a puzzle game on the highest possible difficulty: the clues were scattered, and traps lay everywhere. Wanqing felt as though she were groping her way through a dark maze, taking every step with caution for fear of triggering a hidden snare.

The merchants around her mocked and sneered, calling her delusional and insisting that she would come to grief sooner or later.

“Just wait and see. I wasn’t raised to be frightened by a few words!”

Wanqing encouraged herself silently and continued working with her head down. She tried every method she could think of, from visiting markets and studying ancient texts to spending a fortune buying information.

At last, just as she was on the verge of giving up, an important clue emerged.

An overseas merchant revealed that the technique used to make the glass beads came from a mysterious island. The island possessed a special kind of ore that was the key ingredient in their production.

The news filled Wanqing with excitement. It was as though she could already see the first glimmer of victory. She immediately began making preparations to travel to the mysterious island. She would uncover the secret of the glass beads before anyone else!

As her investigation deepened, the attitudes of those around her began to change. Their initial suspicion and mockery gradually gave way to admiration and anticipation. Even Shopkeeper Sun, who had once spoken to her with nothing but contempt, began to regard her in a new light.

The tense atmosphere slowly faded, replaced by a vibrant sense of hope.

But just as Wanqing was preparing to set out for the mysterious island, a sudden piece of news plunged her into an icy abyss.

She discovered that the trade secrets she had uncovered concerning the glass beads had been leaked. Worse still, the leaked information was the crucial detail about her planned journey to the mysterious island.

“Who was it? Who betrayed me?”

Wanqing’s face darkened, a cold gleam flashing in her eyes.

She looked around. Everyone appeared perfectly calm, but she knew the traitor was among them.

“Heh.”

Wanqing gave a cold laugh and slammed the documents in her hand onto the table.

“How interesting. Truly interesting…”

She slowly raised her head, her icy gaze sweeping across the gathered merchants.

“If you want to play, then I’ll play with you to the very end!”