Chapter 235: Shang Xin Ci

第三十六节：商心慈

Translator: ChibiGeneral Editor: ChibiGeneral

The caravan travelled for the whole day, and chose a valley to camp for the night.

商队行进了一天，到了傍晚时分，选在一处山谷附近停下。

The day went pretty good for the caravan as they only came across three small beast groups.

这天大家伙的运气都不错，只是遇到了三小股兽群。

They killed two groups and chased one away. Calculating the losses and the profits they made from killing the beast groups, they had made some profits instead.

打杀了两股，驱逐了一股后。除开一些损耗，从屠杀的兽群里获得的，反而有些赚头。

The setting sun dyed the clouds with colors; red, orange, grayish red, purple… there were all kinds of colors. The clouds also formed into all kinds of shapes; appearing like a roaring lion one moment, or galloping pegasus the next moment, or a blossoming sea of flowers.

傍晚的天空，晚霞一片片。

红艳、橘黄、葡萄灰、茄子紫……霞云绚烂，色彩交杂，又变幻不停。时而形如怒吼雄狮，时而如天马奔腾，时而似花海盛放。

The multicolored sunlight shone upon the valley which resembled a jade-green gem. After the caravan finished all the arrangements for the night, there was a certain area in the caravan that was a cacophony of noises.

霞光照耀着翠绿如宝石般的山谷，在山谷中商队布置妥当，在某个角落圈出一小块地方，人声嘈杂。

“Come, have a look, today’s freshly slaughtered beast meat!”

“来一来，看一看啊，今天刚宰下来的新鲜兽肉！”

“Buttermilk, fragrant and sweet buttermilk…”

“酪浆，香甜的酪浆……”

“Only ten pieces of clothing remaining, stock clearance sale!”

“衣服只剩十件，清仓甩卖了啊。”

Fang Yuan and Bai Ning Bing were also among the crowd.

方源和白凝冰亦在人群当中。

They dragged their handcart and occupied an area; at their left was a stall selling wild herbs and at their right was a stall selling milk.

他们拖着板车，占据了一块地方，左手旁边是卖野菜的摊子，右手边上则是卖牛奶的。

Bai Ning Bing was rather interested in all this as she looked all around her: “To think there would be a small bazaar like this in the caravan.”

白凝冰颇感兴趣地来回打量周围：“想不到商队里，还会有这种小集市。”

“If there is consumption, there will be transactions, and the consumption will thus stimulate marketplaces.” Fang Yuan answered.

“有消耗就会有交易，有消费就会刺激市场。”方源答了句。

Bai Ning Bing’s eyes flashed, these words were truly incisive.

白凝冰目光闪了闪，这话真是精辟。

She looked at Fang Yuan: “Are you planning on selling these purple maple leaves?”

她看向方源：“这些紫枫叶，你都要卖掉吗？”

Fang Yuan slightly nodded his head: “We have already entered the caravan so we can just conveniently dispose of them now. Keeping them with us will only attract the greed of some scoundrels.”

方源微微点头：“已经加入了商队，这些紫枫叶随手甩卖掉。留在自己手上，反而会引来一些鼠辈觊觎。”

What’s more, it wasn’t easy to preserve purple maple leaves.

再者，紫枫叶也不易保存。

They had it for just over a day, and already the purple maple leaves on Fang Yuan’s cart were showing signs of withering. And as time continued to pass, their value will only get lesser and lesser.

才过了一天多，方源车上的紫枫叶，已经开始出现干枯的现象。随着时间流逝，价值会越来越贱。

Of course, Fang Yuan didn’t care about measly two primeval stones.

当然区区两块元石，方源自然不在乎。

However, just throwing them off wouldn’t be in accord to their current identities, and would only serve to raise suspicions.

不过随地丢掉，却不符合他们现在的身份，会惹来怀疑的。

“The small bazaar in the caravan is divided into two types. The one we are dealing in is only the transactions between mortals and it will be held every day. Another type is the transactions between Gu Masters, which is held once a week.” Fang Yuan said.

“商队里的小集市，分两种。我们参加的这种，只是凡人间的交易，基本上每天都会有。还有一种，是蛊师之间的交易，每七天一次。”方源道。

Bai Ning Bing’s blue eyes – covered by the straw hat – slightly brightened: “It would be helpful to us if we could join the small bazaar held for Gu Masters. Shang Clan City is still a great distance away; if not anything else, we need an investigative Gu to prevent any unforeseen circumstances.”

白凝冰掩盖在草帽阴影下的蓝眸，微微一亮：“如果能参加蛊师的小集市，对我们会有帮助。此行到商家城还有一大段距离，为防止突发情况，我们至少需要一只侦察蛊。”

“I have already planned this out but it’s still too early.” Fang Yuan confidently smiled as he thought of a certain thing in his tusita flower.

“这点我早有计划，不过现在还早了点。”方源想到兜率花中的某个东西，自信地笑道。

The two were discussing softly, when a male servant walked over while staggering.

两人正小声谈着话。

一个男性家奴步履蹒跚地走了过来。

He was wearing shabby and torn clothes, his face filled with bloodstains; a clear resemblance to beggars. As he walked to the stall beside Fang Yuan’s, and saw the pots filled with milk, he swallowed his saliva: “Brother, could you give me some milk to drink?”

他衣衫褴褛，满脸血污，形如乞丐。走到方源旁边的摊子前，看着盛牛奶的陶罐，吞咽了一口口水：“这位兄弟，能给我一口牛奶喝吗？”

“Go away. Don’t hinder my business!” The milk seller impatiently waved his hands.

“去去去。别妨碍我做生意！”卖牛奶的摊主不耐烦地摆手。

This male servant, helplessly, walked away towards Fang and Bai’s cart: “Two brothers….”

这家奴只好挪步，走到方白二人的板车前：“二位兄弟……”

He hadn’t even finished saying his sentence, when Fang Yuan walked to the front and kicked him, shouting with a vicious tone: “Screw off.”

还未说完，方源就走上前去，抬起一脚将其踹翻，恶声喝道：“滚。”

The male servant fell down to the ground, his ragged clothes were stained by the black muddy soil. His previous wounds were stimulated by the kick, making him grimace in pain.

家奴被踹倒在地上，黑色的泥泞沾满了破烂的衣衫。更牵扯到伤口，痛得他龇牙咧嘴。

He climbed up with great difficulty, and looked at Fang Yuan with hatred: “Good, I will remember this, we are all mortals, everyone has a bad day. Hmph…”

他艰难地爬起来，用仇恨的目光盯着方源：“好，我记住了，大家都是凡人，谁没有落难的一天。哼……”

Fang Yuan’s expression turned cold as he raised his feet again.

方源面色一冷，又踹上一脚。

Bam.

啪。

This servant fell to the ground again.

这家奴再次倒地。

“Dare to say one more word?” Fang Yuan stared down at this servant fiercely.

“你再说一个字试试？”方源居高临下。

The servant gave a vicious glare at Fang Yuan as he crawled up, but he didn’t dare to squeak a word.

家奴狠狠地瞪了方源一眼，爬起来，却再不敢啰嗦。

However, just as he stood up, he was again met with Fang Yuan’s kick.

但紧接着，他又被方源踹倒。

“I don’t like your expression.” Fang Yuan indifferently spoke with his arms crossed at his chest.

“我不喜欢你的眼神。”方源抱臂在怀，声音冷漠。

The servant lowered his head and crawled up silently, not daring to look at Fang Yuan again. He didn’t continue begging anymore and walked far away.

家奴垂头低眉，再不敢看方源，默默地爬起来，也不敢在这块继续乞讨，走远了。

Looking at his departing figure, Bai Ning Bing asked in bewilderment: “Strange, how can there be a beggar in the caravan?”

看着他离去的背影，白凝冰疑惑地问道：“奇怪，商队里怎么还有乞丐？”

“This is normal. This servant must have made a mistake or his master is in bad mood today. In short, he was beaten by a Gu Master and also had his meal cancelled.” Fang Yuan shrugged his shoulders, his gaze, however, coldly glanced towards a corner.

“这很正常。一定是这家奴犯了错，或者他的主人今天心情不好。总之是被蛊师打了，还取消了供应给他的饭菜。”方源耸耸肩头，目光却冷冷地瞟向不远处的一个角落。

In a corner, three to four sturdily built servants were catching new faces, bullying the newcomers.

角落里，三四个健壮的家奴正在捕捉新面孔，合计着怎么欺负新人。

After noticing the situation at Fang Yuan’s, they retrieved their gazes and looked at other targets.

看到方源这边的情形后，他们纷纷将视线扫向其他目标。

Mortals had cheap lives, their status were extremely low, and their survival was as difficult as walking on steel wire. Inside the caravan, the Gu Masters could easily beat them to death and take their lives like cutting grass. Anyway, mortals like them could be replenished easily in the hamlets along the way.

凡人命贱，地位极其低下，生存艰难，如走钢丝。在商队里，蛊师动辄打杀，命贱如草。反正沿途能从村庄中补充进来。

Every time the caravans came across danger, there would be large numbers of dying mortals.

每一次商队遇险，都会有大量的凡人丧命。

Besides these, there were also secret and almost desperate struggles between the mortals themselves. Fang Yuan had just arrived at the caravan, but two groups already wanted to find troubles for him.

除此之外，凡人之间也有近乎惨烈的黑暗竞争。方源刚到这里，就有两拨人马想找他的麻烦。

He, naturally, wasn’t afraid of these trouble, and could easily resolve them, but he would rather resolve them earlier.

他当然不怕这些麻烦，但能轻易解决，他都会争取提前解决。

Of course, there were some mortals who lived beautiful lives.

当然也有一些凡人，活得光鲜漂亮。

Most of them were those with backgrounds or were relatives and friends of Gu Masters; using this identity to do as they liked.

这些人，大多有背景，和某些个蛊师沾亲带故，于是狐假虎威。

After the beggar walked away, two groups of mortals approached Fang Yuan.

那个讨饭的家奴走后，就来了两拨人。

The head of one group was an old man with sharp eyes. After asking Fang Yuan for the price, he immediately lowered the price to a quarter. Fang Yuan reckoned this old geezer’s identity should be the chief supervisor in charge of arranging the tasks for the servants.

一拨的头目是个老者，眼神精明，问了方源价格之后，立即将价格压低到四分之一。方源估摸着这老东西的身份，应该是个总管，负责家奴调派。

The head of another group was a woman. She was actually wearing silk clothings and her eyes gave off seductive glances. Fang Yuan immediately understood she must be a sex tool of a certain or some male Gu Masters.

另一拨的领头，则是个女子。媚眼如丝，居然穿着丝绸的衣衫。方源立即了然，这一定是某个或某些男蛊师泄欲的工具。

The two heads were both accompanied by a large number of people, and although they were mortals, their status were extremely evident.

两人皆是前呼后拥，虽然都是凡人，但彼此阶级极为分明。

They lowered the price to a very low amount, with the intention of buying low and selling high. They had some wealth and were not like most of the servants who could not even be sure if they could get a meal that day.

他们将价格压得很低，打的就是低买高卖的主意。这些人手中都有些余钱，不像大多数家奴朝不保夕，混得惨的连饭都吃不上。

While Fang Yuan had no need for this cart of purple maple leaves, in order to match with his current identity and not let the cat out of the bag, he refused the lowered prices of these two people.

方源虽然根本看不上这车紫枫叶，但为了演足全套，不露出丝毫马脚，还是拒绝了压价的两人。

The old man left with pleasant countenance but there was threat hidden in his tone. The woman just walked away while cursing and swearing.

那老者和颜悦色，却暗含威胁。女子则骂骂咧咧的走开了。

“I will sell this cart of rotten leaves to the next person that comes to bid.” Just when Fang Yuan was pondering over his next action, the small bazaar suddenly went in an uproar.

“只要有第三人来问价，我就卖了这车烂叶子。”正当方源如此盘算之时，小集市中忽然骚动起来。

Some people excitedly cheered and shouted.

一些人在兴奋的欢呼，高喊。

“The kind-hearted lady of Zhang clan has arrived!”

“那个好心的张家小姐又来了！”

“Lady Zhang is compassionate and kind, she is a fairy incarnate!”

“张小姐心慈仁善，简直就仙女下凡！”

“She is a really good person, I won’t go hungry today…”

“真是个好人啊，今晚我不会饿肚子了……”

“What’s happening?” Bai Ning Bing surveyed the situation and saw a green image appearing through the entrance of the bazaar.

“怎么回事？”白凝冰眺望，只见集市入口，出现一抹绿色倩影。

Fang Yuan was also bewildered: What’s up with this ?

方源也纳闷，这什么情况？

“Lady Zhang!””Fairy Zhang!!” A group of servants flocked over to the woman, and instantly, the bazaar entrance was crowded.

“张小姐！”“张仙子！！”一群家奴蜂拥而去，一时间，集市入口摩肩擦踵，人头攒动。

These people were mostly the ones who were punished by Gu Masters and didn’t have anything to eat now. The man who Fang Yuan kicked earlier was also among them, extending his neck and arms.

这些人大多是被蛊师责罚，没有饭吃的。方源之前踹倒的那个男子，也在其中，伸长了脖子和手臂。

“Don’t be in a hurry everyone, there is plenty of it, slow down.” The green clothed girl said.

“大家不要急，都有的，都有的，慢慢来。”绿衣少女说道。

Her voice was gentle and soft, and was immediately submerged in the shouts of the crowd.

她声音温柔，音量不高，刚说出口，就淹没在人群的呼喊声中。

“Keep your mouths shut! Line up and come one by one. Anyone that dares to rush over or shout, will immediately be slashed by me!” Suddenly, a thunderous voice resounded within the little bazaar.

“都他娘的闭嘴！排好队，一个个的来。谁敢抢，敢在大呼小叫，老夫立即劈死他！”忽然一个声音如炸雷轰响，回荡在小集市中。

An old but tough Gu Master appeared in everyone’s sights. And as he gazed at everyone with his ferocious gaze, the noisy little bazaar immediately went silent.

一个苍老却身材魁梧的蛊师，昂首站了出来。虎目扫视一圈，沸腾的小集市瞬间安静下来。

This was the authority of a Gu Master!

这就是蛊师之威！

There was no one who didn’t believe he wouldn’t do what he just said. As a Gu Master, so long as their mood was bad, what was killing off two or three mortals considered?

没有人不相信他刚刚喊的话。以蛊师的身份，只要心情不好，随手杀两三个凡人，又算得了什么？

The crowd pushed and shoved each other, and soon lined up in a neat long row.

众人推推搡搡，很快就乖乖地排好长队。

In front of the queue, the green clothed girl held a basket of steamed buns and distributed them.

队伍前头，绿衣女子提着篮子，一个个的分发蒸饼。

The whole little bazaar was absolutely silent.

整个小集市，鸦雀无声。

Countless gazes looked at the green clothed girl with respect, worship and even love.

无数双目光，看向绿衣女子，包含着尊敬、崇拜，以及爱戴。

Bai Ning Bing was curious and asked the stall owner to the side: “Who is she?”

白凝冰生了好奇心，问向旁边的摊主：“这个女子是谁？”

“What, you don’t even know of Lady Zhang Xin Ci? You should be newcomers, right?”

“连张心慈小姐你们都不晓得？两位是新来的吧？”

“Zhang Xin Ci?” Fang Yuan asked, his brows tightly locked, “Speak up everything you know!”

“张心慈？”方源回首，紧紧皱眉，“把你知道的都说出来！”

The stall owner recalled how ruthlessly Fang Yuan had kicked the servant earlier; he didn’t dare to conceal anything: “Lady Zhang is is also one of the deputy leaders of our caravan. She doesn’t have aptitude towards cultivation and is a mortal like us. However, she has a strong background in her clan, the Gu Master beside her is her bodyguard. I have lived for so long, but truthfully, I have never seen such a kind-hearted person; Lady Zhang brings some food almost every evening for the starved servants. She comes even if the weather is bad… Sigh, heaven is unfair, they prevented such a person from cultivating.”

摊主想到刚刚方源踹倒家奴的狠辣劲，也不敢隐瞒：“这张家小姐，也是咱们商队里的一位副首领呢。她没有修行资质，和我们一样都是凡人。但她在家族很有背景，她身边的蛊师就是她的护卫。我活了这么多年，说实在话，从未见过这么好心善良的人。张家小姐真是太善良了，几乎每天晚上都会带些食物，来送给饿肚子的家奴。哪怕是刮风下雨，都是这样……唉，老天不公啊，这么好的人却不能让她修行。”

Bai Ning Bing nodded her head and smiled, saying towards Fang Yuan: “Truly, all sorts of people exist in this world.”

白凝冰点点头，笑了笑，对方源道：“果然林子大了，什么鸟都有。”

Fang Yuan didn’t respond.

方源却未有回应。

Bai Ning Bing glanced at Fang Yuan in confusion, and saw something wrong with Fang Yuan’s expression.

白凝冰奇怪地瞟了一眼方源，却见到方源神情很不对劲。

The latter was gazing fixedly at the green clothed girl, his brows almost furrowed into a knot.

后者目光灼灼地盯住绿衣少女，眉头几乎都拧成一个疙瘩。

The green clothed girl had silky jet black hair draping over her shoulders, accentuating her beauty. Her eyebrows were like thin like smoke, her eyes as clear as the moon. Her skin was snow-white, and her lips were pink and tender.

这绿衣女子，一头黑发披于双肩，细致乌黑，尽显柔美。眉如淡柳龙烟，眼似明月清波。肌若雪白，樱唇粉嫩。

She had no makeup on her face, looking soft and gentle. The slight smile she gave from time to time when distributing the steamed buns, was pure and innocent.

脸上未着粉黛，线条极为柔和。分发蒸饼，时而浅浅一笑，纯洁无暇。

She was wearing green clothing and had a fresh and plain aura. She was elegant like an orchid, graceful like a lotus and gentle like water. In terms of looks, she was on the same level as Bai Ning Bing, but she could be said to be once in a thousand years beauty.

她身着绿衣裙，散发着清新素雅之气。她清雅如兰，秀美如莲，温柔若水，论姿容竟和白凝冰不相上下，却别有千秋之美。

If a woman has fine appearance, they can only be considered to be good-looking, just like common beverages. Only with disposition, can they be called beautiful, like well-aged liquor.

女子容貌精致，只能算是好看，好比普通饮料。唯有气质在身，才能称之佳人，如同陈年美酒。

No doubt, this green clothed girl was an absolute beauty.

毫无疑问，这绿衣女子便是个绝色佳人。

However, no matter how beautiful you were, how moving your disposition was, they were all pointless in Fang Yuan’s eyes!

但管你有多美，气质有多动人，在方源心中，都是个屁！

Fang Yuan was not looking at her appearance; no matter how beautiful and what disposition one had, if you cut open their skin and flesh, they were all skeletons.

方源看的不是她的容貌，任凭多美的容颜和气质，掀开皮肉，都是白骨。

However, he was baffled as he thought of a certain figure: “Isn’t this girl Shang Xin Ci?”

他心中大奇，想到某个人物，心道：“这女子不就是商心慈么？”

Shang Xin Ci was one of the young masters of the Shang clan.

商心慈，乃是商家的少主之一。

Within a clan, the clan leader’s sons and daughters were all called ‘young masters’. Only the heirs who are able to obtain the elders’ approval, could be called ‘young clan leader’.

在家族中，族长的子女皆称之为“少主”。唯有获得家老认同的继承人，才可称之为“少族长”。

With her identity as the young master of the Shang clan, Shang Xin Ci was a girl with good fortune.

单凭商家少主这个身份，商心慈就是天之骄女。

Everyone knew the Shang clan members were greedy and treacherous, but this Shang Xin Ci was the only exception. She was soft and weak, didn’t like fighting, and was very lenient; she was the worst businessman of the Shang clan.

世人都说商家人心黑贪婪，但这商心慈却独独是个例外。她生性柔弱，不善争斗，心慈手软，是商家中最不会做生意的人。

When she did business, she not only made frequent losses, but was also frequently cheated by others. She easily trusted others, and the crucial point was she didn’t learn after being cheated and would continue to be cheated by others.

她做生意，不仅经常亏本，而且时常被人欺骗。她很容易就相信别人，关键是被骗一次也不长记性，被人屡骗不止。

As the young master of the Shang clan, she was once taken as a disgrace of the Shang Clan and was someone no one thought highly of. However, considering that she possessed the bloodline of the Shang clan leader, she was not expelled from the clan.

作为商家少主，她一度被商家上下引为耻辱，最不被人看好，但总算念在是商家族长的血脉，因此留情，没有驱逐出家族。

She didn’t discriminate mortals but instead felt strongly sympathetic towards them, giving care and assistance. Several times, she had even bought off all the slaves in auction, and was severely reprimanded by the Shang clan leader.

她对凡人也一视同仁，抱有强烈的同情心，多有体恤和救助。甚至好几次，在拍卖会上赊账买下全部的奴隶，让商家族长数次痛骂。

However, fate was truly wonderful, in the end, she became the head of the Shang Clan!

然而命运实在是精彩，到了最后，反倒是她成为了商家之主！

《蛊真人》中英文对照版 第三十六节：商心慈

《蛊真人》中英文对照版第三十六节：商心慈