Li Daoxuan stood at the dock with a bottle of soy sauce in his hand, looking faintly ridiculous.
Had he been holding a wine gourd while gazing over the river, he might have resembled a wandering immortal, aloof and poetic. But a bottle of soy sauce? That was harder to romanticize.
The people nearby were completely baffled.
What exactly was Dao Xuan Tianzun doing?
Yet the strange thing was that even standing there with a bottle of soy sauce, he somehow still looked imposing. In fact, the more they stared, the more they felt that this must be some fashionable gesture from the celestial realm. Perhaps immortals no longer carried wine gourds. Perhaps they all stood by rivers holding soy sauce bottles with profound expressions.
If that were the case, then it was clearly far more elegant than a gourd. Mortals simply lacked the vision to understand.
While everyone was still lost in speculation, several large river sea vessels appeared upstream. They cut through the water swiftly. On the bow of the leading ship stood a sailor holding a tin megaphone, shouting at the top of his lungs.
"Clear the way. Clear the way. This vessel carries Dao Xuan Tianzun's special decree and urgent cargo. Do not obstruct the passage."
The words "special decree" were enough.
Merchant ships immediately shifted aside without hesitation. No one dared to delay anything connected to Dao Xuan Tianzun. As the vessels passed, sailors craned their necks and whispered among themselves.
If it was personally commanded by Dao Xuan Tianzun, it must be extraordinary. Perhaps a new divine weapon. Perhaps some secret celestial treasure. Perhaps a figure of immense importance.
Curiosity burned in every pair of eyes. This was a commercial dock, not a military fortress. A few stolen glances were hardly a crime.
The ships docked swiftly. The sailors, seeing Li Daoxuan already waiting, hurried ashore and knelt in neat formation.
"Reporting to Dao Xuan Tianzun. The mission has been completed. We returned at maximum speed."
Li Daoxuan nodded. "Well done. The entire crew is awarded Third Class Merit."
The sailors' eyes lit up at once. Merit meant bonuses. Bonuses meant real silver.
Energy surged through them. Large vats were brought out immediately and filled with seawater from the holds. Once filled, the sailors carefully transferred massive abalones, lobsters, crabs, and other sea creatures into the vats and carried them forward.
"How many died?" Li Daoxuan asked.
"About thirty percent," the transport officer replied, scratching his head. "The ones that were clearly failing, we salvaged and ate on the way. We were afraid their corpses would foul the water and kill the rest."
"Thirty percent is acceptable," Li Daoxuan said calmly. "Select one of each kind. Prepare a table. We will taste them first."
The sailors moved quickly. They had gained experience during the journey and no longer handled seafood like clueless inland peasants. Some items were sliced thin for raw tasting. Others were steamed. Some were boiled, some braised, some roasted.
Before long, a lavish seafood feast was laid out beside the dock.
It was the kind of banquet that, in another era, would cost a small fortune.
Li Daoxuan deliberately had the table placed in full view of the dock traffic. Every merchant could see it clearly. He took Gao Yiye's hand and sat down, then turned to Bai Yuan.
"Come. Sit. Eat with us."
Gao Yiye had eaten fish, shrimp, and crab before, but these strange sea creatures were entirely new to her. When she saw the mantis shrimp, with its segmented body and sharp forelimbs, she instinctively leaned back.
"What are these strange insects? Are they truly edible?"
Li Daoxuan laughed. "They are called mantis shrimp. Some people call them prawn creepers. They are shrimp, not insects."
Even Bai Yuan looked doubtful. "Shrimp? They look nothing like shrimp."
Li Daoxuan picked one up and peeled it with practiced hands. The shell came away cleanly, revealing a firm, white piece of meat. He dipped it lightly into the soy sauce he had brought, then placed it into his mouth.
The flavor spread instantly. Sweetness from the sea. A hint of brine. The deep umami of fermented soy. It was the taste of a coastline condensed into a single bite.
He closed his eyes briefly in satisfaction.
Gao Yiye and Bai Yuan followed his example. They fumbled slightly with the shells, then dipped the meat into the soy sauce and tasted it.
Their expressions changed almost at once.
Gao Yiye's eyes widened. Bai Yuan straightened slightly, as if something had struck him.
Around them, the merchants stared openly now. Their envy was no longer concealed.
"If Dao Xuan Tianzun enjoys it so much," someone muttered under his breath, "it must be extraordinary."
Li Daoxuan looked up and beckoned to the nearest merchant.
"You. Come here."
The merchant froze and pointed at himself. "Me?"
"Yes. You."
The man nearly stumbled in his haste to approach. He bowed deeply.
"To be summoned by Dao Xuan Tianzun is already an honor. How may this humble one serve?"
Li Daoxuan pointed at the mantis shrimp. "Try one."
The merchant hesitated only a moment before picking one up. His peeling technique was clumsy and awkward, but he eventually extracted the meat. He dipped it into the soy sauce, placed it into his mouth, and chewed.
His face transformed.
The smile that spread across it was not polite. It was genuine.
"Well?" Li Daoxuan asked.
"I have never tasted anything like this in my life."
"What price could it fetch?"
The merchant did not hesitate. "At least twice the price of beef. No, that is too conservative. Five times. I am confident I could sell it at five times."
"They die easily," Li Daoxuan warned. "You have no experience keeping them alive. If they perish during transport, your losses will be severe."
The merchant fell silent for a moment, calculating rapidly.
"I will sell them before they die," he said firmly. "If entrusted to me, I will deliver them directly to the Prince of Fu's residence at the fastest speed possible. The Prince of Fu is a large man, well over three hundred catties, and adores delicacies. I am confident I can draw thousands of taels of silver from him."
He grew more animated as he spoke.
"There is also the Prince of Tang in Nanyang. He will certainly pay. And within Luoyang alone, there are countless officials and wealthy families who can afford such luxury."
"If I truly cannot sell them in time," he continued, lowering his voice slightly, "I will use ice blocks to preserve them. That will extend their freshness for several days."
A peculiar glint appeared in his eyes.
"If ice is required, costs will rise. Higher costs justify higher prices."
Li Daoxuan smiled and gave him a thumbs up.
"Excellent. I admire your way of thinking. I will wholesale two vats of mantis shrimp to you at a favorable price, along with a crate of Dao Xuan Seafood Soy Sauce. You determine your profit margin. I will also give you a block of ice."
As his words fell, a colossal golden hand descended from the sky and placed a massive block of ice beside the dock. It stood taller than two men and looked like a small house carved from winter itself.
Gasps erupted from the surrounding crowd.
"You may chip off what you need," Li Daoxuan said calmly. "In the future, I will frequently provide ice. If you run out, come here and collect more."
The merchant nearly prostrated himself on the spot.
"Dao Xuan Tianzun has bestowed upon me unimaginable fortune."
He departed in a daze, repeatedly bowing as he went.
After he left, Gao Yiye turned to Li Daoxuan with curiosity.
"Why grant him such an opportunity? Has he rendered any special service?"
Li Daoxuan only smiled.
Bai Yuan, standing nearby, let out a soft chuckle.
"Saintess, Dao Xuan Tianzun is fishing."
"Fishing?" Gao Yiye repeated.
"Yes," Bai Yuan said. "This merchant will earn greatly from these two vats. When they are gone, what will he desire?"
Gao Yiye thought for a moment. Her eyes slowly brightened.
"He will want more."
Bai Yuan nodded.
"And once he wants more, he will not wait for it to be given. He will seek supply himself. He will spread word that such seafood exists. He will create demand in places that have never seen the sea. Others will follow him."
He looked at the bustling dock, at the merchants whispering among themselves, at the vats of seafood gleaming under the morning light.
"A single taste," Bai Yuan said softly, "and the hook is already set."