112 The Tavern Scholar

112 The Tavern Scholar

The young NPC beggar Le Tian was scurrying through the village, looking for Zhan Xiaobai to settle a score, and finally caught up with him at the bustling market. Li Asan was in hot pursuit, but he couldn't match the little beggar's speed.

Clutching his newly crafted Level 10 "Little Flying Knight" set, the little beggar ran up to Zhan Xiaobai and shouted, "My Lord, look at this! I made these clothes myself. Don't they look good?"

Zhan Xiaobai was taken aback. He took the garment to examine it; there was nothing wrong with the craftsmanship, and the style was far more trendy than the plain tunics the players were currently wearing. But... where did the little beggar get the fabric?

He saw Li Asan rushing over, panting, and recalled how Li had asked him earlier if the beggar knew anything about tailoring. He immediately understood: the little beggar must have swindled Li Asan out of his cloth to make these clothes, which certainly didn't match the old man's conservative tastes. Zhan Xiaobai found it amusing; the little rascal certainly had a knack for causing trouble.

Li Asan was so flustered he nearly wept. "My Lord, this brat has ruined me! The bolt of fine cloth you granted me has been butchered by him. I beg you, My Lord, please do me justice!"

The little beggar made a face and stuck his tongue out at Li Asan. "Pfft, what's so special about one bolt of cloth? I've cut up more fine silk than I can count. When I’m rich later, I’ll just pay you back for a bolt."

Zhan Xiaobai felt a headache coming on. Both of these were high-value NPCs that couldn't be easily reprimanded. How should he handle this?

A group of players had already gathered around to watch the spectacle. One male player, seeing the stylish outfit in Zhan Xiaobai’s hands, was amazed and asked to borrow it to try on. Zhan Xiaobai handed it over, and the player equipped it instantly.

"Whoa!" The crowd gasped in exclamation.

The player was now dressed in a sleek white form-fitting suit, with a belt cinched at the waist and a sharp blade at his side. He looked clean, agile, and every bit the classic wandering swordsman. Unlike the baggy, ill-fitting tunics worn by the other players, he stood out like a crane in a flock of chickens, looking exceptionally dazzling.

Equipping the set even changed his status.

[Class: Little Flying Knight (Disguise) — NPC petty thieves will mistake this player for one of their own and will not initiate combat.]

The male player was thrilled. Looking around, he boasted, "I’m buying this set! Boss Xiaobai, name your price—let's just say 100 copper, and I’ll take it. Damn, it’s only a few thousand yuan; I’ll splurge today and buy it."

The onlookers immediately realized his "scheme" and protested, "No way! That’s cheating; if you wear it, it’s yours!" "It must be auctioned; everyone should have a fair chance!" "That's right, how can it just become yours? Take it off!"

The heated scene left Li Asan and the little beggar stunned. Was a set of clothes really worth that much? It had actually fetched a high price of 100 copper.

A sharp-eyed merchant player named "Qian Bian Tian Xia" quietly approached Zhan Xiaobai. "Boss Xiaobai, are there any more of these? I doubt there’s anything like this in the entire game; it’s a goldmine! Bring me a set, and I’ll sell them in other villages."

Zhan Xiaobai patted his shoulder and chuckled, "Not right now. But once we produce more, there will naturally be some for you, brother."

Qian Bian Tian Xia beamed. "Deal, thanks a lot, Boss Xiaobai."

Zhan Xiaobai signaled for the noisy crowd to quiet down. "Alright, everyone, there’s no need to argue. There is more than one set. The village tailor shop will have them for sale shortly. However, because cloth is scarce in our village, there will only be a limited number, so it will be first come, first served."

With the dispute quelled, the players stopped bickering and instead swarmed the village tailor shop, waiting to snap up the clothes.

Zhan Xiaobai then turned to Li Asan with a smile. "Asan, I’m afraid your bolt of cloth will have to be a contribution to the village. Use it to make more sets. I will compensate you with another bolt later."

Li Asan quickly replied, "No need, My Lord. As long as it brings in profit, it is only right to use that cloth; it can make at least five sets. But this brat... My Lord, you really must discipline him... Wait, where did that brat run off to?" He looked around, bewildered.

Zhan Xiaobai and Li Asan searched everywhere, but Le Tian had vanished again. Helpless, Zhan Xiaobai told Li Asan to go find the boy and get more clothes made to meet the market demand.

...

In a guest room at the Xiaobai Village inn, the little beggar was surrounded by several female players. Unable to break free, he began to curse loudly.

These women were members of the "Rose Legion," the only all-female player group in Xiaobai Village, led by Jing'er. They had realized early on that it was this little beggar who had tailored the Little Flying Knight sets and had orchestrated this kidnapping.

The women didn't care about his shouting. They had consulted their leader, Qiushui, and with her tacit approval, they felt protected no matter what happened.

Jing'er coaxed him with a smile, "Ah Le, I’ll buy you candy if you help me make a pretty female version of the knight set. Then I’ll let you go."

The little beggar huffed, "I’m not a three-year-old; I don't want your candy... But, do you have fabric?" He was suspicious, as people rarely asked him to make clothes. He couldn't resist the urge to work.

Jing'er cheered, "Of course we do! NPC black market merchants often pass through the village, and they sell cloth."

"If you can get the fabric, I might consider it."

"Yay!" The players cheered as the little beggar agreed.

They pooled their money, spending a massive 1,000 copper to buy a bolt of cloth from a black market merchant and handed it to the beggar. He asked them to leave so he could work in private, but they refused, insisting on watching him. Faced with these rude and violent "female demons," the little beggar could only roll his eyes and begin crafting the female version.

The women watched in amazement. After a short while, they couldn't help but start meddling with the design.

"Here... no, not like this! It’s too baggy. Make the chest tighter. It needs to be form-fitting."

"The neckline needs to be lower, lower, show a bit more! Get rid of the sleeves—make them short to expose the entire shoulders."

"Why are the pant legs so long? That's a waste of material! Cut that whole section off! And here, leave three inches of the waist exposed!"

Hearing all these demands, the little beggar burst into tears. "I protest! I have design freedom; don’t interfere!"

"A little brat like you wants to talk about freedom? Do as we say!"

Half an hour later, the little beggar was completely subdued, forced by the gaggle of women to "improve" the set—more, more, show more skin!

As he worked, he cried, "Ladies, if you wear clothes like this, it’s scandalous! The Lord will scold me!"

"Scandalous your head! This is called fashion, get it? A little brat like you talking to us about morals!"

"Tormented" by the women until evening, the little beggar finally finished the [Modified Version] of the female Little Flying Knight set. A single bolt of cloth could usually make five men's sets, but thanks to the women's "economy of materials," the same bolt produced ten modified female sets—the efficiency was incredibly high.

"I’m never making clothes again!"

Leaving the room, Le Tian’s legs were trembling; he was terrified by the madness of these players.

Inside the room, Jing'er and the others put on the trendy sets and cheered. "Amazing! It’s so pretty! Jing'er, your skin looks so fair!" "We must send a set to Sister Qiushui; she’ll definitely love it."

The little beggar was nearly scared out of his wits by their cheering and scrambled away to hide.

Li Asan was sweating profusely as he searched for him, cursing, "Brat, come out! We need to make more clothes! You were so eager to steal my cloth this morning, where did you disappear to now?"

The little beggar, panicked, dove into a pile of construction straw and refused to come out, screaming, "No! No! I’m not tailoring anymore!"

Li Asan heard the noise and dragged him out by the collar. "Move! We have clothes to make!"

The little beggar finally tasted the bitterness of his own medicine, his face long as he was dragged back to the tailor shop. He was the only one who knew how to make these trendy outfits; Li Asan’s wife could only handle basic, standard clothing.

...

The trendy [Modified] female Little Flying Knight set spread to every village in Longyou within two or three days. As for more distant villages, they were too far away to come to Xiaobai Village to buy them. The leaders of major villages in Longyou were suffering from headaches; their girlfriends were demanding these trendy outfits, threatening to break up if they didn't get one.

When they sent people to Xiaobai Village to ask, they were told, "We only produce one set a day. The female sets are 300 copper each, and we can’t keep up with demand. Want one? Get in line and wait."

It was expensive—the price had risen to 300 copper—and yet it was sold out before it was even made.

The leaders of Xiaobai Village hadn't anticipated the massive profitability of the female sets. Elder Jianba slashed the production quota to one per day, driving the profit up by over 200%. This single project alone generated a net daily income of 200 copper.

When Qiushui wore the modified set for the first time, she happened to run into Zhan Xiaobai.

Zhan Xiaobai froze and suddenly burst into a laugh.

Although he rarely saw her dressed up, he couldn't deny she was quite beautiful. The rare heroic spirit between her brows was perfectly highlighted by the knight set. If she weren't an elder and legion commander of Xiaobai Village, the number of people pursuing her would surely be endless.

Qiushui blushed with embarrassment and anger. "What are you laughing at? Is it that ugly?!"

"It looks great! I guarantee that as soon as you step out of this courtyard in that outfit, the number of your admirers will swell tenfold. The Xiaobai Village Qiushui Legion wouldn't be big enough to hold all the players who would want to join!"

Qiushui turned beet red and immediately rushed to change out of the revealing outfit, returning to her usual attire.

Zhan Xiaobai shrugged, sighing to himself. It was a pity. He shouldn't have opened his big mouth.

...

As Zhan Xiaobai passed the village tavern, the proprietress, Madame Xu, suddenly ran out to stop him, smiling, "Village Chief, you haven't sat in our tavern for a long time. Why not come in for a drink today? It’s on the house."

"Oh, alright then!"

Zhan Xiaobai entered the tavern with a smile. Having an NPC villager treat him was a rare treat. Accepting the invitation was good for building closer relations and increasing loyalty.

The medium-sized tavern was spacious, with over a dozen tables. Quite a few players and NPCs were drinking and eating. Some players were resting, waiting for NPCs to post quests, which were displayed on a bulletin board in the tavern.

Zhan Xiaobai found a seat and sat down.

Madame Xu brought over a pot of fine wine and several high-quality dishes.

Zhan Xiaobai was surprised, as these dishes would cost at least twenty copper. "A simple side dish would have been fine, Madame Xu. What is this for?"

Madame Xu hesitated, then said, "Village Chief, I actually have a favor to ask. I was hoping you could help, though I don't know if the village would be willing."

"Oh? Tell me," Zhan Xiaobai replied with a smile.

Madame Xu then explained, "Sigh, it’s like this. I have a younger brother from whom I was separated over a decade ago. He is a scholar with quite a bit of learning. Unfortunately, he is too proud. He sought a career in Chang'an but met with constant rejection and was never recruited by the imperial court. Now, he is penniless and destitute... I wanted to provide him with some funds, but he refuses to acknowledge a sister who once worked as a courtesan, and he won't accept my money. I was hoping you could talk some sense into him, Village Chief. With your prestige, he might listen to you."

Zhan Xiaobai was startled. A scholar?

He quickly asked, "Where is he?"

"He’s in the inn next door, drinking himself into a stupor."