The air in Pingyao Slum hung heavy with coal dust and the tang of despair. Li Wei, seventeen and lean from years of hunger, trudged through the muddy alleys of the floating island, a sack of scrap iron biting into his shoulder. His patched hanfu, stitched from his mother's old robes, clung to his sweat-soaked skin. His hands, calloused from hammering at his father's failing forge, ached under the weight. Above, the Tianyu Empire's auroras shimmered, mocking the crumbling island inspired by Shanxi's ancient merchant city, now a forgotten slum.
"Wei, move it!" his father, Li Qiang, shouted from the forge, his voice rough over the clang of hammers. "The tax collector from Xi'an arrives tomorrow, and we're five taels short. Don't dawdle!"
Li Wei bit his lip, swallowing frustration. Five taels were as unattainable as a Jade Essence crystal, the empire's glowing gems that fueled airships and talisman forges. In Pingyao Slum, such treasures were for nobles or cultivators, not a blacksmith's son. He dumped the scrap by the forge, his gaze drifting to the market across the street. Hawkers peddled Sichuanese peppers and chipped pottery, but one stall drew his eye: a merchant displaying dull Jade Essence shards, their faint green glow worth a few taels at best. If I could just trade one… Wei shook his head. Dreams didn't pay debts.
As dusk painted the sky with lantern-like hues, Wei slipped to the market's edge, where Old Zhang's junk stall sagged under broken fans and cracked jade trinkets. Zhang, a wiry elder from Chengdu, was Wei's only link to the empire's bustling trade hubs, whispering tales of bankrupt routes and noble schemes. Today, he was sorting a crate, muttering about "corrupt Xi'an lords."
"Old Zhang," Wei called, leaning on the stall. "Got anything worth a tael? Or just more trash?"
Zhang's eyes twinkled, his wrinkled face splitting into a grin. "Trash for fools, treasure for the clever. Look here." He pulled a jade-inlaid scroll from the crate, its surface etched with silver runes that pulsed like a living heart. "Found it in a wrecked airship near Wudang Peaks. Not just any scroll, boy. It's got the spirit of a merchant god."
Wei's pulse quickened. He'd heard of magical artifacts in Xi'an's Celestial Port, always beyond his reach. "How much?"
"One tael. But beware—it's no ordinary thing."
Wei hesitated, then handed over his only tael, earned from a crude dagger he'd forged. The moment his fingers brushed the scroll, a surge like lightning coursed through him, warm as summer in Sichuan. The runes flared, and a deep, Confucian voice echoed in his mind, sharp yet measured.
"A slum boy with ambition? Curious. I am the Jade Ledger, your system for wealth and power. Prove your worth, or I'll find a master with sharper wits. First quest: Sell an item in this pitiful market for ten times its value by dawn. Succeed, and I'll grant you 'Basic Market Sense.' Fail, and I'm gone."
Wei's breath caught. "A system?" he whispered, clutching the scroll.
Zhang cackled. "That's the Jade Ledger, old as the Tianyu Empire. Turned merchants into lords, or fools into dust. Good luck, lad."
The Ledger's voice snorted. "Zhang's half-right, which is more than he deserves. I'm your guide to riches, but only if you're cunning enough. Check your interface."
A glowing jade-green interface appeared in Wei's vision, like a scholar's scroll but alive, displaying in elegant calligraphy:
Quest: Profit x10
Objective: Sell an item for 10x its value.
Time Limit: Dawn.
Reward: Skill – Basic Market Sense (Analyze market trends).
Penalty: Loss of Jade Ledger.
Wei's mind raced. Ten times? In Pingyao Slum, where a tael was haggled to scraps? His eyes flicked to the Jade Essence stall. The dull shards were cheap, ignored by all but desperate traders. He'd seen Chengdu merchants twist words to inflate prices, playing on scarcity and greed. With the Ledger's system, maybe…
"Alright, Ledger," Wei muttered, gripping the scroll. "I'll take your challenge."
The Ledger hummed, its jade surface warm. "Challenge? This is your destiny, Li Wei. Win, and you'll rise above this slum. Lose, and you're just another Pingyao rat. Move."
Wei's lips curved into a determined smile. The Tianyu Empire was rotting, its markets strangled by greed and betrayal. But with the Jade Ledger's system, he'd carve his path from Pingyao to Xi'an—and perhaps, one day, rule the skies of Chengdu.