Chapter 41: The Weaver Girl Gathers Lake Silk

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The fat ghost wandered toward the golden light in a daze. Its shadow twisted, then fell into the Soul-Luring Lamp.

Zhao Xing did not stop it. That ghostly fortune was far too distant, and prying out the whereabouts of the treasure might even require him to help the fat ghost fulfill its vow.

Far too troublesome. Zhao Xing had come to make a windfall from the ghosts, and his chief concern was getting rich in an instant. If there were too many twists and turns, he might as well go home and farm.

Besides, this involved the temple personnel’s assessment. Putting himself in their place, he would not want outsiders interfering either. There was no need to offend anyone over a little money.

“No hurry. There will be plenty of opportunities.” Without even looking back, Zhao Xing soon returned to the vendor’s stall.

When Xu Laoba saw him return, he finally let out a sigh of relief. He had truly feared that Zhao Xing would disappear without returning, then spread gossip everywhere and ruin the reputation of the river dredgers.

“Young Master, you certainly kept me waiting. You vanished in a flash.”

“Oh, I ran into an acquaintance. Come on, let’s go take a look around South Lake District.”

It was the same perfunctory excuse again. Xu Laoba did not dare ask further. Seeing that they were finally getting down to business, however, he immediately perked up, grabbed his equipment, and followed.

When they reached South Lake District, the place was still ablaze with lights, though most of the illumination came from the lake rather than the land.

The atmosphere had also grown quieter, with far less noise and commotion.

“Hm?” As they walked along the covered bridge by the lakeside, Xu Laoba suddenly stopped and looked in a certain direction.

“What is it?” Zhao Xing asked.

“Oh, I saw an acquaintance.” Xu Laoba waved his hand.

“...” Zhao Xing looked at him with an ambiguous smile. So now it was his turn to fob him off?

But Xu Laoba had truly been misunderstood.

“Young Master, don’t get the wrong idea. I really did see someone I know. Do you see that woman ahead in hemp clothing? Yes, the one beside the girl in white.” Xu Laoba pointed in a particular direction.

“I see her.” Zhao Xing nodded.

Not far away, a small boat was moored by the shore. A mother and daughter sat aboard it, with several fishing lights burning around them. They seemed to be busy with something.

“That’s Lin Sanniang of Ping Si Bay. She’s from the same place as me. Her husband used to do this work too, but after he died in an accident, she took his place and became a river dredger herself.”

“After her son married and established himself, however, she stopped going into the water. She hasn’t worked for years. I wonder why she’s taken up the old trade again today.” Xu Laoba looked puzzled.

Zhao Xing studied them carefully. Under his Clear-Sightedness Spell, he could tell that Xu Laoba was not lying. The middle-aged woman’s clothing and tools were much like his own.

As for the young girl, she was dressed neatly, and her plain garments shimmered faintly with light.

“Hm? A first-rank spell robe?” Zhao Xing turned to Xu Laoba. “Is her daughter a weaving girl from the Weaving Directorate?”

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Xu Laoba shook his head. “She doesn’t have a daughter. That’s her niece, Lin Baiwei, though she might as well be one. Lin Sanniang raised her from childhood. I believe she really did enter the Weaving Directorate of Gucheng.”

Weaving girls were clerks of the Weaving Directorate. Great Zhou had always been open-minded, and it was perfectly ordinary for women to go out to work or even hold office.

The main duty of a weaving girl was to weave spell robes. It was, in fact, a fairly important magical profession.

Zhao Xing nodded slightly. “It seems Lin Sanniang has taken up her old trade again for the sake of her niece.”

“How can you tell?” Xu Laoba asked.

Zhao Xing pointed toward the boat. “Lin Sanniang doesn’t look as if she’s trying to dredge up some treasure. She’s preparing to gather lake silk.”

“Most of the Weaving Directorate’s assessments are related to weaving spell robes.”

“It’s already the Beginning of Autumn season, in late August. The ordinary first, second, and final broods of silkworms are all gone.”

“Only water-silkworm lake silk can still be gathered, and its quality is even better.”

Seeing Xu Laoba’s look of admiration, Zhao Xing continued, now in the mood to explain a little more.

“Unranked weaving girls can generally use only this as their material. When the silk is white, fine, and resilient, the resulting garment is called a Harmonious Silk Spell Robe.”

“Wearing one keeps the body warm in winter and cool in summer. It can ward off dampness, wind, and cold ailments, and it can even help frail children grow up healthy.”

“Silk of slightly inferior quality produces a Five-Strand Spell Robe, and the next grade down is called a Plump-Luster Spell Robe.”

“Lake silk is almost always used to make Harmonious Silk Spell Robes. But the conditions for gathering it are harsh. It can generally be found only around the River Lantern Festival, and only at night. During the day, the lake silkworms curl up, making them impossible to dredge out.”

“That is why I say Lin Sanniang has resumed her old trade for the sake of her niece. In this matter, you river dredgers are actually more efficient.”

Xu Laoba could not help giving him a thumbs-up. “Young Master, you certainly know a great deal.”

Zhao Xing smiled. “Since she is an acquaintance, would you like to go over and say hello? I’m in no hurry.”

Xu Laoba shook his head repeatedly. “Lin Sanniang has to take off her clothes before entering the water. What if I happened to see... What kind of man do you take me for? I’m not going. Not going.”

Zhao Xing gave a soft laugh, reassured at last that Xu Laoba was not that sort of man.

................

Since a temple on shore was organizing the assessment, Zhao Xing rented a small boat and went out onto the water.

By then, very few people remained to release river lanterns. There were still several large vessels and a dozen or so small boats on the lake, their candle flames scattered like stars across the surface. The surroundings were utterly quiet.

Zhao Xing said nothing. He simply listened and watched.

He did not see a single person, but he saw plenty of wandering souls.

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Some crouched beside the river lanterns, while others swam beneath them, feeding on the incense and yellow paper offerings.

Not all of these wandering souls had once been human. Some were the spirits of creatures that lived in the water, while others were grotesque combinations of various forms.

For instance, as Zhao Xing rowed past one place, he saw a wandering soul with a fish’s head and a human body.

Even those that survived for a long time would eventually be cleared away by temple officials.

He could also hear:

“What are you doing?”

“I’m trying to get across.”

“What are you doing?”

“I’m trying to get across.”

Not far away, beside a large river lantern, two strange-looking wandering souls were engaged in a mechanical conversation. Back and forth, they repeated the same two lines: one wanted to cross, while the other kept asking what it was doing.

Without a Wisdom Soul, with only the spirit remaining, this was what became of them.

But it was as he had said: these wandering souls possessed no real power of attack. They were simply a natural phenomenon, and the vast majority would dissipate within seven days.

“Stop here for a moment.” Zhao Xing suddenly pointed toward a certain spot.

Xu Laoba immediately rowed over, his eyes lighting up. “Young Master, the water here is clear, yet quite a few fish are swimming about. There may be some treasure attracting them. I’ll go down and take a look.”

“Mm.”

Zhao Xing’s Clear-Sightedness Spell easily revealed the lakebed. Two first-rank, superior-grade East Lake Pearls lay below.

Their value was merely average. At market price, they were worth about one tael of silver. Fine specimens might fetch a little more, but never more than two taels.

East Lake simply had no shortage of such things. Only pearls of the second or third rank could command a truly good price.

Sure enough, Xu Laoba soon surfaced, holding a bright, egg-sized pearl.

“Young Master, I dredged up two lake pearls!”

“Thank you. Come up quickly.” Zhao Xing took the pearls. Both were first-rank, superior-grade specimens, which meant he had more or less recouped his expenses.

Before he had time to admire them properly, a series of tiny sounds drifted through the wind.

“Light... such enormous light. It hurts my eyes.”

“Turtle... turtle. Over there... It’s so cold, so cold I could die. I want to get farther away from it.”

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