Purple Thorn Token

Shang Yan Fei awards one each to Fang Yuan and Bai Ning Bing as thanks after they deliver Shang Xin Ci. Shang clan city uses nine token ranks from black stone through purple thorn. Issuing a purple thorn token needs the clan leader, or agreement among ten elders. About two hundred such tokens exist at that time. ^{ch. 271}

Form and control

The blank is cercis chinensis wood, palm sized, with Shang Clan on the front and a minimap of Shang Liang mountain on the back. Shang Yan Fei has a special token Gu draw the holder’s blood, then the Gu explodes into blood that merges into the wood. Only then does the token glow purple and bind to that person, so outsiders cannot use a stolen blank. The finished token only carries leftover token Gu power, which fades over time, so the holder must return to Shang clan city for a new one when it fails. That renewal loop is how Shang clan keeps control of the privilege. ^{ch. 271}

City privileges

With the token, Fang Yuan can enter and leave the second inner city freely. Shops cut prices for token holders, and on small auctions the holder can pre-order goods that would otherwise wait for the sale. Large auctions do not allow that advance buy. ^{ch. 272} At a large scale auction, Fang Yuan sits in a private room where others cannot see him. ^{ch. 296}

Protection in Shang clan city

Inside Shang clan city, crowds expect even Tie clan pressure to stop short of killing him there, because failing to protect him would read as Shang clan yielding to Tie clan. ^{ch. 294} Tie Ruo Nan later names the token as the main reason Tie clan does not seize Fang Yuan in the city, and she adds that the shelter ends once he leaves. ^{ch. 303}