Why do I have so many masters?

The day of the full moon of the Mid-Autumn Festival ended in a cheerful atmosphere. The market dissolved, and tourists returned home.

Good scenes accompanied by wine are most intoxicating.

Most troubles in the heart were set aside for the time being, and the struggles for fame and fortune were extinguished from the mind at this moment.

However, humanity is diverse, and not everyone could rest even at this time.

Peng Xingbo, who was only seventeen years old, had drunk some wine the night before, but years of habit still had him waking up at the usual time, lying in bed and staring blankly at the ceiling, his mind a blank, until a moment later when he turned over to get up, wash up, and with the help of the slightly chilly water, dispelled the sleepiness in his heart.

He grabbed half of the remaining mooncake from the table, swallowed it with some cold tea, and quietly left the house. At this point, the streets were busy with people washing up; the Mid-Autumn Festival had passed, and the morning was quite cold, causing him to subconsciously raise his hand to tighten his collar as he hurried along.

He was a worker in a pawnshop in North Martial City.

Those in his profession had no breaks throughout the year. A phrase often on the lips of shop owners was that taking a rest today might mean missing out on news of a priceless treasure, so they argued against taking any rest.

He didn't really care about it, but the shopkeeper was, after all, the shopkeeper.

Despite myriad reluctances in his heart, for the sake of those bright, round Copper Coins, he had to leave the warmth of his bedding in the biting cold, cursing and resenting multiple times over, ultimately defeated by the basic necessities of life.

"It's really cold..."

Peng Xingbo murmured a couple of times, pulling his clothes tighter, his mind wandering.

Perhaps it was time to switch to some thicker clothes.

He had made a suit before the year began, and it was still seventy percent new, no need to tear up cloth.

The price of good cloth had just increased by a Copper Coin.

Profiteers.

His thoughts churned in his mind, he had already turned at the alley, the main road was wider than the narrower streets before, making the sparse pedestrians seem even more desolate, with his view almost completely unobstructed.

In his line of sight, he saw a tall man in his thirties, dressed in loose black clothes, with a solemn and steady demeanor; his expression inadvertently became slightly stupefied.

He recognized this man.

It was none other than a regular client of the shopkeeper and a prominent figure in North Martial State City over the past year, the leader of the Giant Peng Gang, Lord Gongsun.

Peng Xingbo had seen this lord jovially converse with the shopkeeper, but more often, he saw Martial Artists wearing the uniform of the Giant Peng Gang walking on the roads, their imposing appearance filling him with envy.

He had often thought about how he would behave if he ever met this important figure.

But now that he actually saw the Gang Leader, he only felt his body stiffen like a wooden mannequin, unresponsive, unable to approach him proactively, neither servile nor overbearing, showing excellence and thereby gaining favor and significant responsibilities as he had once imagined.

In this daze, Master Gongsun had already pushed open the door of the pawnshop and stepped inside.

Still, he couldn't bring himself to speak.

He failed to grasp this rare opportunity; upon coming to his senses, he was just feeling regretful in his heart.

If only... If only...

His thoughts were scattered like demons in his mind, considering how he should present himself later. When he snapped back to reality, he muttered a quiet curse and hurriedly rushed into the pawnshop, hoping not to be late today, not to waste those few Copper Coins. His thoughts were cast aside in an instant.

By the time he entered, Lord Gongsun was already talking and laughing with the shopkeeper.

He respectfully served the tea, and as he poured the tea for the Gang Leader, he wanted to speak up, but since his thoughts had not cleared up outside, his mind was still chaotic and disorganized, he still did not dare to speak, merely holding the teapot at the side.

Watching the shopkeeper and Lord Gongsun talk and laugh for a moment, it seemed Lord Gongsun was about to stand up to leave, the shopkeeper walked him to the door, all smiles, warmly asking:

"Gang Leader Gongsun, is there something specific you desire this time? We can keep an eye out for you."

Although this was a pawnshop, within the pawnshops of Great Qin, one could actually find jade of better quality than in Reviving Spring Hall and even stronger medicinal herbs than the ones in Heaven and Earth. Luck played a big part, but the shopkeepers often had familiar customers for whom they would keep an eye out for good items over time.

Peng Xingbo dared not follow them out, catching only bits of the conversation, and heard that steady voice speak:

"I am looking for beads like the eyes of a tiger, made of white jade. At least a pair, and if there are three or five, that'd be even better."

The youth clicked his tongue in awe.

Beads like the eyes of a tiger, and made of white jade to boot.

Indeed, wealth was speaking.

The pawnshop's owner turned around and came back, seeing his young assistant still dazed here. His face, previously amiable in front of the customers, instantly became more chilling than the autumn breeze. He raised his hand and smacked the assistant on the head, scolding with a frown:

"What are you dazing here for?"

"I pay you not to slack off. Go on, get to work quickly."

While speaking, he kicked the assistant again.

Meanwhile, he carried a purple-clay teapot, sat on a lounge chair, sipping tea while reading an ancient book until noon, when he finally walked back to the inner room. Peng Xingbo, outside, was gnawing on a steamed bun, smelling the enticing scent of meat from inside, rolled his eyes and bit harshly into the bun, finding it tasteless, and muttered under his breath: Stay tuned for updates on My Virtual Library Empire

"Swindler."

Inside the inner room.

The pawnshop's shopkeeper took a piece of paper, his eyebrows slightly knitted, devoid of any slyness and with a solemn gaze, he lifted his pen and wrote in code:

"Traces of White Tiger Hall have been spotted in North Martial State City."

"At least two strongholds."

He lifted his elbow, took the paper, and gently blew on it, the cryptic text that most people couldn't read gradually disappeared. Then, he resumed writing, listing various items as if asking the head of the house among the pawned items, were these included?

Seemingly to emphasize the urgency for these specific goods, he encircled the term "urgent need" with a cinnabar pen. The circle wasn't neatly drawn, most of the cinnabar covering the term "urgent," making it even more striking.

A moment later, a grey pigeon flew out of the pawnshop.

After several miles away from the city, the pigeon suddenly soared, shot up into the clouds like a streak of grey light, its speed comparable to that of crossbow bolts shot from a siege crossbow, sweeping across clouds and landscapes until the distant rumbling of war drums echoed.

Until between Heaven and Earth, a desolate eagle's cry meshed with the sound of horns, crushed amidst the stern shouts of valor.

The grey pigeon folded its wings and descended into the military camp.

It landed on the raised right arm of a burly general in armor. This middle-aged man removed the message carried by the grey pigeon, saw the bloodstain on it, and his expression grew stern. He turned and walked towards a room, steps hasty, without knocking, he pushed the door open.

Inside sat a man in white, flipping through a military manual. He slightly raised his eyebrow and looked at his subordinate, his gaze landing on the message in his hand, showing solemnity. He knew his subordinate's character well; if it were a trivial matter, he wouldn't be so flustered, and thus he directly asked:

"What has happened?"

The armored man knelt on one knee, responding:

"Reporting to the General, it's a report from the spies."

His voice paused slightly, then he solemnly added:

"Urgent with blood."

PS; first update of the day.