Chapter Twenty-Nine: Could It Be That You Also Came From Another World?

“Go on, keep pretending, both of you!” No matter how heated the argument between Ren Cong and Guo Nu became, Zhang Qian remained silent, folding his arms and watching from the sidelines.

He had seen through it all—if there was one thing the great Tang Dynasty didn’t lack, it was masterful performers. Ren Cong and Guo Nu, one feigning simplicity, the other playing the rascal, both were in fact heirs to their fathers’ expert business acumen.

Though the two seemed on the verge of coming to blows, their quarrel was nothing but a show for his benefit. Otherwise, they would have first asked whether Zhang Qian was even willing to share his formula for the “elixir” that could banish unpleasant odors, rather than squabbling over who deserved to partner with him.

And whoever he chose as a partner, the “elixir” would no longer be Zhang Qian’s exclusive business. As for how the two would divvy up his surrendered shares in private, doubtless they had their own unspoken rules.

“Little Five, Second Young Master, what on earth has you two at such loggerheads?” Just as the spectacle was reaching its peak, a voice sounded from the main hall—Duan Huaijian, the young lord, his concern laced with sly amusement. “Come, tell me what’s going on. Perhaps I can arbitrate for you both.”

“It’s nothing, truly nothing! We’re just horsing around, just having a bit of fun,” both Guo Nu and Ren Cong replied in perfect unison, shivering as they turned toward Duan Huaijian. “Forgive us for disturbing you, young lord!”

“So it was only a game! I thought you two were truly at odds.” Duan Huaijian carried no airs of superiority, but the pressure he exuded was undeniable. “As long as it’s nothing serious. Though I did hear something about offering land and labor, and arguing that seasoned deals are better than new ones. I thought you meant to embark on some great business venture and were squabbling over who would invest more. How about this: no more fighting between you two. Whatever the shortfall, I’ll make it up.”

“Young lord, we’re just dabbling in small matters. How could we trouble you with such things?” Ren Cong was inwardly groaning but forced a polite refusal, laughing awkwardly.

Even his father, Ren Qiong, was merely a chief steward in service of the Marquis of Bao. If he were to go into business with Duan Huaijian, how much capital would he need just to earn a seat at the table?

As for “Stinky” Guo Nu, his face was ten times more “colorful” than Ren Cong’s. He turned respectfully to Duan Huaijian and bowed deeply. “Young lord, please accept my respects. I only hoped to partner with Master Zhang to earn a few coppers for pocket money. How could I dare trouble you to invest?”

“Oh? Yet just now I heard someone mention a life-saving elixir he hoped to get a piece of!” Duan Huaijian was a sly one, seizing on Guo Nu’s earlier slip and refusing to let go.

“Forgive me, young lord! Forgive me! My tongue got ahead of my brain!” At these words, Guo Nu’s hair stood on end. He bowed repeatedly in apology.

The situation had taken a turn for the worse. The stench made Duan Huaijian halt in his tracks, frowning as he scolded, “You rascal Guo! Up to your old tricks again. I’ll be sure to call on Magistrate Guo and recommend a strict tutor for you, lest your waywardness brings disaster one day!”

“Have mercy, young lord! You can’t destroy me over a single slip of the tongue!” Guo Nu cried in mock agony, retreating with his arms clutched tight. “You are, after all, an elder—I should call you Third Uncle!”

His tone softened halfway through, and after taking two more steps back—assured his stench would no longer reach Duan Huaijian—he put on a pleading face and continued, “Uncle, this is mere children’s play. Surely you won’t interfere? Pluck a single hair, and it’s thicker than a pillar. We’re your juniors—would we dare bargain with you?”

This last remark was the key. Duan Huaijian nodded slightly but did not immediately relent. Instead, he turned his gaze to Zhang Qian, who still watched with folded arms, and smiled. “Master Zhang, what say you?”

“Thank you, young lord, but please, just call me Zhang Qian! I’ve only learned a little from my teachers and dare not claim any lofty title.” Zhang Qian had expected the ball would land in his court sooner or later. Without hesitation, he replied with a smile, “As for partnering to make this deodorizing solution, I believe the first round is merely an experiment to see if it can be produced at all—it shouldn’t cost much. Why not let Young Master Ren, Second Young Guo, and myself give it a try? Once we have a prototype and need to expand production, the young lord can then invest further, based on the actual output.”

Though he did his best to couch his words in terms the people of Tang could grasp, his proposal left Duan Huaijian, Ren Cong, and Guo Nu momentarily baffled.

But their pedigrees ran deep. In less than the time it takes for a stick of incense to burn, all three caught on. Their eyes gleamed with excitement.

“Very well. After all, I am a generation senior to Guo and Little Five,” Duan Huaijian said, intrigued by Zhang Qian’s suggestion of multiple rounds of investment and quickly drawing further parallels. “But after the second round, if there’s a need to expand again, will there be a third round?”

“There will, so long as the shareholders in the first two rounds agree!” Zhang Qian replied, impressed. As a twenty-first-century postgraduate hopeful, he was familiar with angel rounds, Series A, B, and beyond. For Duan Huaijian—a nobleman of Tang—to grasp the essence so quickly was truly remarkable.

Moreover, judging by his tone, Duan Huaijian was already thinking of profit in terms of successive rounds, passing the baton and reaping rewards—a business talent who would have been dazzling even in the modern age.

“Excellent!” But that was not the limit of Duan Huaijian’s insight. Smiling, he added, “I believe this product’s uses go far beyond deodorizing. For ladies’ daily grooming, its effects could be even better. Master Zhang, perhaps you could adjust the formula and attempt to create several different scents?”

“Well said!” Zhang Qian could not help but clap his hands in approval.

If previously he’d accepted Duan Huaijian as a partner partly out of respect for his status, now that deference was replaced by genuine admiration for the man’s vision and capability.

Could he, too, be a traveler from another world?

Stealing a sidelong glance at Duan Huaijian, Zhang Qian’s suspicion only grew the more he looked. But soon, he banished the thought, laughing inwardly at his own childishness.

He was simply too lonely in Tang. Deep down, he constantly wished he might find a kindred soul. But this hope was doomed to be dashed, no matter how clever the people he met, nor how quickly they grasped knowledge from later ages.

There was one thing that always set him apart from those around him. It was subtle, easily overlooked, but to the sharp eye it stood out like a bonfire in the night: most of the time, he viewed those around him as equals, whereas they instinctively maintained the hierarchies of their world.

That included Ren Cong, Guo Nu, and Duan Huaijian.

No matter how Ren and Guo acted the fool before Duan Huaijian—feigning ignorance, pretending to bargain—they never overstepped the line. Outwardly, they seemed to resist Duan Huaijian’s financial backing, but in truth, what they feared even more was his noble status.

On the surface, the four of them were negotiating as equals, but as long as Duan Huaijian remained silent, none dared to take the initiative.

On the surface...

“Forgive me for showing off my meager skills, Master Zhang,” Duan Huaijian said, as if responding to Zhang Qian’s inner thoughts. Having addressed all that concerned him, he had no wish to linger among the younger generation. Smiling, he nodded and turned to leave. “I’ll take my leave first and await good news from the three of you. In due time, I’ll send my best people to discuss our partnership.”

With that, he departed, leaving the others to their plans.