Chapter 515: Pondering
Chen Ping'an walked out of the Jingzhe Residence, holding an emerald green walking staff that matched the bamboo grove perfectly, alone, and walked to the edge of the bamboo forest.
He hesitated for a moment, then summoned the talisman boat and rode the wind toward Yuying Cliff. In truth, during his time at the Spring Dew Garden, besides borrowing the talisman boat, the residence maids had mentioned that a pouch of spirit coins had been prepared at the Jingzhe Residence to cover all expenses for the talisman boat's trips between the residence and Old Locust Street. But Chen Ping'an had never opened it. When in Rome, do as the Romans do; following the rules was one thing, but he also had his own rules. As long as the two didn't conflict, he could move freely within them, and the cage of rules became a talisman boat that helped one appreciate the magnificent mountains and rivers.
When Chen Ping'an piloted the talisman boat, a Taoist talisman crafted by the Taizhen Temple lineage, and arrived at Yuying Cliff, he saw Liu Zhiqing barefoot, with sleeves and pant legs rolled up, standing in the stream below the clear pool, bending over to pick up pebbles. When he spotted one that pleased him, he would, without raising his head, accurately toss it into the clear pool at the cliff's edge. After Chen Ping'an landed and stored the treasure boat as a talisman into his sleeve, Liu Zhiqing still didn't look up. He walked barefoot downstream and said in a displeased tone, "Shut up. I don't want to hear you talk."
More likely than not, this young grandmaster of the Golden Crow Palace didn't trust that the money-grubber would actually put the several hundred pebbles back into the clear pool. The bigger reason was that Liu Zhiqing was somewhat demanding about things he had set his mind on, striving for perfection. He should have long since flown his sword back to the Golden Crow Palace, but halfway there, he kept feeling that the clear pool seemed empty, and it disturbed him. So he simply returned to Yuying Cliff. Having already said goodbye to that surnamed Chen at the Old Locust Street shop, and not wanting to force the money-grubber to put the pebbles back, Liu Zhiqing had to do it himself, picking up as many pebbles as he could.
Chen Ping'an also took off his boots and stepped into the stream. He picked up a lovely, lustrous pebble and was about to toss it into the clear pool.
But unexpectedly, Liu Zhiqing said, "That one won't do. The color is too garish."
Chen Ping'an still threw it toward the cliffside pool. However, Liu Zhiqing swung his sleeve, knocking the pebble back into the stream. Liu Zhiqing snapped, "Surnamed Chen!"
"Alright, alright. Good intentions are wasted on you. From now on, we each mind our own business."
Chen Ping'an reached out and grabbed the pebble, wiped it clean with both hands, blew on it, and smilingly tucked it into his Sunspot Pouch. "Every bit is real gold and silver. Heavy, truly heavy."
The clear pool under Yuying Cliff had its water source at the confluence of mountain root veins, a natural wonder, rich with spiritual energy. The stones at the bottom of the clear pool were of the finest quality, having been soaked in the spiritual spring for who knows how many millennia. The stones in the stream were slightly inferior, but they were still excellent for carving seals or making hand-held pieces like mutton-fat jade. With a little refinement, they could be first-rate scholarly items for high officials and nobles. Such items could bring a sense of peace and beauty to a study; they might not extend one's life, but they could certainly uplift one's spirits.
Liu Zhiqing picked and chose very meticulously, tossing dozens of stream pebbles into the clear pool.
He seemed more particular than choosing a wife or a dao companion.
Chen Ping'an followed behind Liu Zhiqing, picking up the leavings—mostly pebbles Liu Zhiqing had examined briefly then put down—and gained another forty or fifty pebbles. Chen Ping'an had already planned: at Old Locust Street, there was an old shop specializing in scholarly items. Forget the old master craftsman; he couldn't afford him, and the man might not even look favorably on these pebbles. Chen Ping'an just needed to find one or two shop apprentices, even if they had only half the skill of the old master, they would be more than enough to handle these pebbles. Have them carve the pebbles into plain seals, hand-held pieces, or small inkstones. Then he could put them in his Ants' Nest shop, claiming they were from the old quarry at Yuying Cliff, and casually tell a compelling story about the Golden Crow Palace's Sword Immortal Liu contemplating the stones to comprehend the sword, and the price would naturally skyrocket.
As for the pebbles he had taken from the bottom of the clear pool, he would still honestly put them all back. If you want to do business for the long haul, shrewdness always comes after integrity. After all, having acquired a shop in the Spring Dew Garden, he was no longer a true itinerant merchant. Why did the Spring Dew Garden's Founder Hall give him a shop? Simple: the old woman from the Iron Rudder Manor, whose appearance could ward off evil, had already hit the nail on the head. The little book "Spring Dew in Winter" would indeed have to write a few lines about "Sword Immortal Chen." But when Song Lanqiao mentioned this, he made it clear that the writer at the Spring Dew Garden would, before Chen Ping'an left the Spring Dew Garden, present him with the newly printed edition's passages about him for his review—what could be written and what couldn't. The Spring Dew Garden had long since figured this out. Having done business in the immortal mountains for so many years, they were very clear about the taboos of immortals.
Chen Ping'an thoroughly enjoyed these business principles for making money. He didn't find them tiresome at all. At the time, he had chatted quite animatedly with Song Lanqiao, thinking that he could later apply these lessons at Fallen Mountain.
After Liu Zhiqing came ashore and walked toward Yuying Cliff, he saw that the fellow still hadn't come ashore, apparently intending to scour the stream once more, lest he miss anything.
Liu Zhiqing laughed angrily, "Brother Good Man, are you totally obsessed with money?"
Chen Ping'an bent down and picked up a pebble as smooth and black as ink jade, gently turning it over to see if it had any pleasing natural patterns. He laughed, "I was poor when I was little, no other way."
The reason Liu Zhiqing hadn't left the Spring Dew Garden by sword was naturally because he wanted to see with his own eyes that the fellow put the several hundred pebbles back in their original place, so he could rest assured.
But now Liu Zhiqing even suspected that this guy might immediately collect them again as soon as he left. He always felt that this kind of crazy thing, that surnamed Chen, could really do it.
Chen Ping'an put the ink-jade-like pebble into his Sunspot Pouch, his gaze shifting. Picking up money from the ground was much easier than taking money from someone else's pocket and putting it into his own purse. If he didn't bend down and reach out for this, Chen Ping'an was afraid he'd be struck by lightning.
Because of Chen Ping'an, it took a full half hour for Liu Zhiqing to walk back to Yuying Cliff.
When they reached the thatched pavilion, Chen Ping'an stood still, and Liu Zhiqing just stared at him.
Chen Ping'an slapped his forehead and muttered, "Oh, what a memory," then waved his sleeve. Several hundred pebbles fell like rain into the clear pool. Liu Zhiqing focused intently on the stones. The approximate number was about right, and crucially, none of the dozen or so pebbles he liked best were missing. Only then did Liu Zhiqing's expression improve. If even one were missing, he felt he could never come here to drink tea again. Whether the money-grubber was greedy was his own business, and making money from him was his skill. But breaking a promise was a completely different matter. If Yuying Cliff fell into the hands of such a person, Liu Zhiqing would consider it ruined and feel no more attachment to it.
Chen Ping'an patted his sleeve and said, "Have you ever considered that picking stones from the stream could also be a form of cultivating the heart? I roughly understand your temperament. You like to pursue perfection and flawlessness. This state of mind and nature might be good for refining swords, but when it comes to cultivating the heart, using the hearts of people in the Golden Crow Palace to wash your sword, you'll probably find it very distressing. So now I somewhat regret telling you about those threads of events."
Liu Zhiqing shook his head, "The more troublesome it is, the more it shows that once the sword washing succeeds, the harvest will be greater than I imagined."
Chen Ping'an laughed, "I'm just finding an excuse to give you a heads-up."
Liu Zhiqing hesitated for a moment, then sat down and began to draw talismans with his fingers. But this time, his movements were slow, and he didn't deliberately conceal his spiritual energy ripples. Soon, two more vivid red fire dragons coiled around. He looked up and asked, "Did you learn it?"
Chen Ping'an shook his head, "I memorized the technique, and I can roughly see the trajectory of the spiritual energy flow, but I can't do it right now."
Liu Zhiqing frowned, "If you were willing to move half the effort you spend on doing business to cultivation, would you be in such a miserable state?"
Chen Ping'an smiled bitterly, "Liu Zhiqing, it's easy for you to sit here and talk big. I'm someone whose Bridge of Longevity was broken. Being where I am today is already not miserable."
From the three previous sparring sessions, Chen Ping'an had a good measure of Liu Zhiqing's character.
They had agreed that Liu Zhiqing, a sword cultivator at the bottleneck of the Golden Core realm, would only exert fifty percent of his strength. Chen Ping'an would only use his fists.
Chen Ping'an drew a circle ten zhang in radius and faced Liu Zhiqing's flying sword with the cultivation he had at Old Dragon City.
The first time Liu Zhiqing wielded his flying sword, underestimating the toughness of Chen Ping'an's physique and being unaccustomed to this style of trading injury for injury—finishing with one punch and not throwing a second—the flying sword, originally named "Waterfall," was aimed at a spot an inch above his heart, as they had agreed to spar rather than fight to the death. But Chen Ping'an let the sword pierce his shoulder and instantly closed in on Liu Zhiqing. The extremely fast flying sword spun back and pierced Chen Ping'an's ankle. Just as Liu Zhiqing moved a few zhang away, Chen Ping'an followed like a shadow and punched him out of the circle. Fortunately, the other had deliberately held back after the punch landed, but Liu Zhiqing still fell to the ground, sliding several zhang, covered in dust.
Liu Zhiqing was merely a bit disheveled. After getting up gracefully, looking at the man whose shoulder and ankle had indeed been pierced by the flying sword, he asked, "Doesn't it hurt?"
The troublesome thing about a sword cultivator's flying sword, besides its speed, was that once it pierced the opponent's body or qi palace, it was extremely difficult to heal quickly, and it produced a terrible effect akin to "dao conflict." Other offensive treasures could also cause lasting damage and endless trouble, but none were as troublesome as the lingering sword qi—urgent and fierce, like a sudden flood bursting a dam. It was like a powerful dragon breaking into the small world of a person's body, churning the seas, greatly hindering the flow of spiritual energy in the qi palace. In a life-and-death battle for cultivators, a single disruption of spiritual energy could be fatal. Moreover, ordinary qi refiners tempered their bodies weaker than military cultivators and pure martial artists. A sudden, sharp pain would inevitably affect their state of mind.
If one sword strike was like this, what about taking several more?
At that time, the man had smiled and said, "Doesn't hinder punching."
Later, in the second sparring session, Liu Zhiqing began to be careful about the distance between them.
Because, you know, sword cultivators, especially earth immortal sword cultivators, were proficient in both long-range and close-quarters combat.
Chen Ping'an began to face the enemy with the cultivation he had when he first arrived at Skeleton Beach, using it to avoid Liu Zhiqing's elusive natal flying sword.
After that match ended, the two sat cross-legged outside the circle. Chen Ping'an was covered in countless small wounds, and Liu Zhiqing was also covered in dust.
At that moment, Chen Ping'an couldn't help but ask, "I once experienced the flying sword of an old Golden Core sword cultivator. Why is yours so fast when you only used seventy percent of your strength?"
Liu Zhiqing was in a bad mood at the time. "Seventy percent, take it or leave it."
On the third day, Liu Zhiqing looked at the guy who seemed perfectly fine. "Are you faking it? Today, I'll use ninety percent of my sword strength. Although we agreed not to fight to the death..."
Before Liu Zhiqing could finish, the man laughed, "Just swing your sword."
Chen Ping'an faced the enemy with his cultivation after surviving the Cloud Sea Heavenly Tribulation, only refraining from using some of his trump card fist techniques.
In the end, Liu Zhiqing stood outside the circle and had to rub his swollen cheek with his hand, slowly dispersing the bruise with spiritual energy.
Chen Ping'an stood on the line of the circle, smiling brightly, with a few bloody holes on his body. No big deal; they weren't fatal, just needed some time to heal.
Liu Zhiqing had to ask the same question again, "Does it really not hurt?"
Chen Ping'an blinked at the time. "You guess?"
After the three sparring sessions.
They became friends.
Chen Ping'an and Liu Zhiqing both knew it, but neither wanted to say it out loud.
Otherwise, with Liu Zhiqing's aloofness, would he have been willing to go to Chen Ping'an's Ants' Nest shop on Old Locust Street to show his support? And to grit his teeth, force his temper, and drag a skeleton along the street?
At the moment, the scene under Yuying Cliff of the waterbed shimmering had been restored. Having lost and regained it made it especially moving. Liu Zhiqing was in a good mood.
As for the matter of Chen Ping'an's Bridge of Longevity being broken.
Although Liu Zhiqing was shocked in his heart, wondering how he had managed to rebuild his Bridge of Longevity, he wouldn't ask further.
Liu Zhiqing dispelled the two slender fire dragons formed by the talisman characters on the table and asked, "How are your injuries?"
Chen Ping'an laughed, "It's fine. I've been recuperating and making money at Old Locust Street these days without conflict."
Liu Zhiqing asked again, "You mentioned earlier that the fist manual that is the foundation of your fist techniques comes from the southeastern part of our Beiju Continent, and the clue is related to ants moving stones into the water. Have you found anything?"
Chen Ping'an shook his head, "Earlier, to save effort and make money, I announced that no discounts would be given at the shop, which caused me to miss many opportunities for conversation. A bit regrettable."
Liu Zhiqing nodded, "Serves you right."
Chen Ping'an smiled helplessly.
Besides the origin of the Mountain-Splitting Fist manual, there was another matter.
It was about the cross-continent ferry of the Daoji Mountain that was destroyed in the central part of the Baoping Continent. But Chen Ping'an didn't need to ask much, because he couldn't find anything—that immortal sect had been closed for years. The stack of landscape gazettes that the little water monster had bought on the ferry also had a few pieces of news about Daoji Mountain, mostly trivial and scattered rumors. And Chen Ping'an was an outsider; abruptly inquiring into the inside story of Daoji Mountain would bring unforeseen consequences that human calculations couldn't predict. Naturally, Chen Ping'an was extremely cautious.
So Chen Ping'an had already planned to go to the central part of Beiju Continent and travel along the great river that traversed the continent from east to west and flowed into the sea.
He needed to carefully avoid, naturally, the Chongxuan Bureau's Xiaoyao Palace in the Dayuan Dynasty.
That Yang Ningxing, aside from the "scholar" who was the incarnation of a mustard seed of evil thoughts, was actually a cultivator with great presence.
But the Chongxuan Bureau of the Dayuan Dynasty had a mixed reputation in Beiju Continent, and their actions were extremely fierce and domineering—that was a huge problem.
So that long journey along the great river, inspecting the landscapes, shrines of gods, and immortal forces of various countries, required Chen Ping'an to be extremely careful.
Regardless, setting aside Lu Chen's calculations, since it was the opportunity for his young green-clad boy's future enlightenment, and Chen Ping'an had repeatedly discussed it with Cui Dongshan and Wei Bo, all of them believed it was feasible to do now. So Chen Ping'an would naturally do his best to handle it.
Chen Ping'an remembered something. He slapped the Sword-Nurturing Gourd and summoned First and Fifteen.
Liu Zhiqing glanced at them and said in displeasure, "A waste of heavenly gifts."
He had long noticed that the vermilion wine gourd was a Sword-Nurturing Gourd, half by its aura and half by guess.
As for these two flying swords, whose quality he couldn't fully discern, in Chen Ping'an's hands, the phrase "a waste of heavenly gifts" didn't wrong this "Brother Good Man" at all.
Liu Zhiqing said slowly, "The speed of these two flying swords, if a sword cultivator had truly refined them, would be very fast. Unfortunately, you are not a naturally born sword embryo. They are not your natal objects. I don't know how lethal that Golden Core old sword cultivator you mentioned was, and setting aside his natal flying sword's strange talent, at least his flying sword speed was really slow. If you think that sword cultivators in Beiju Continent, besides me, Liu Zhiqing, all have such turtle-speed flying swords, then you are in for a big shock. When an earth immortal sword cultivator fights to the death, they don't just use ten percent of their sword strength. After using some secret techniques that consume their essence, they can even reach twelve percent."
Chen Ping'an extended his palm. Two miniature flying swords, one snow-white and one dark green, hovered gently over his palm. He looked at First, whose original name was Little Fengdu. "At first, I wanted to refine this one as a natal object outside the Five Elements. I succeeded by luck. I dare not say it would be as good as a sword cultivator's natal flying sword, but it would certainly be better than my current situation. Because the giver, I had no doubts about. But this flying sword wasn't willing. It only wanted to follow me and stay in the Sword-Nurturing Gourd. I couldn't force it, and even if I tried, I wouldn't succeed."
Chen Ping'an shifted his gaze to the flying sword Fifteen. "This one, I like very much. The person I did business with, I also trust. Logically, I could have no doubts. But I was just afraid, afraid of what if. So I've always felt I've let it down."
Liu Zhiqing said solemnly, "Refining such flying swords left behind by sword immortals, the higher the grade, the greater the risk. I'll only say one thing: do you have the key acupoints suitable for them to perch, nurture, and grow? If this doesn't work, nothing works. It has nothing to do with how many spirit coins you've earned or how many heavenly treasures you possess. There's a reason why sword cultivators are the most precious in the world."
Chen Ping'an smiled and nodded, "I do. Even three of them."
Liu Zhiqing suddenly said, "Surnamed Chen, teach me a few swear words!"
Chen Ping'an waved his hand, "Me, my fists have some weight, but I'm the worst at cursing people."
Liu Zhiqing stood up, "Nothing to talk about. I'm leaving."
Chen Ping'an also stood up, his smile fading. He asked, "Liu Zhiqing, before you return to the Golden Crow Palace to wash your sword, I want to ask you one last thing."
Liu Zhiqing asked, "Speak freely."
Chen Ping'an said slowly, "Why do you insist that a Golden Crow Palace must suit your every wish?"
Liu Zhiqing was silent.
Chen Ping'an said, "It's better to think it through clearly before washing your sword."
Liu Zhiqing smiled, "Simple. As long as I succeed in washing my sword, the Golden Crow Palace can have one more Nascent Soul sword cultivator. Those who suffer from my sword washing now will reap the blessings of my Nascent Soul protection in the future."
Chen Ping'an curled his lip, "Sword cultivators really are straightforward."
Liu Zhiqing smiled, "Or should I learn from you, sunbathing at the shop door and groping for stones in the stream?"
Chen Ping'an waved his hand, "Get out of here. Just looking at you annoys me. The thought that you might become a Nascent Soul sword cultivator annoys me even more. If we spar again, how can I make your Sword Immortal Liu eat dirt."
Liu Zhiqing sneered, "You'll be annoyed? Those pebbles in Yuying Cliff water, originally worth a few hundred taels of silver, you couldn't maybe sell one or two for a Snowflake coin's sky-high price? I bet you've already planned it: those forty-nine pebbles, don't rush to sell them. Hold them, wait for the right price. It's best to wait until I reach the Nascent Soul realm before you sell them."
Chen Ping'an laughed heartily, "It's a pity you didn't learn business from me. You have the makings of a talent, a real talent."
Liu Zhiqing was about to ride his sword far away when Chen Ping'an suddenly said, "I'll give you a little free advice. When you get to the Golden Crow Palace, don't rush to wash your sword. First, you can be… an accountant. Copy a copy of the Founder Hall's register and keep it at hand. Then, from your own peak, silently observe the Golden Crow Palace for a year or half. Watch all the cultivators' words and deeds from afar. Write down who said what and did what. Compare them with their earliest origins and current realms. Think more about why they said and did those things. The longer and more you watch, the more you'll untangle the threads of human hearts, like a god surveying mountains and rivers in the palm of his hand. When you later wash your sword, it should be more handy."
Liu Zhiqing nodded, "Feasible."
Chen Ping'an waved goodbye, "Wishing Sword Immortal Liu a good sword washing."
Liu Zhiqing asked, "After you leave, what about the shop on Old Locust Street?"
Chen Ping'an laughed, "I'll entrust it to one of Song Lanqiao's disciples or a cultivator from the Night Thatched Cottage. Nine-one split. I've left a few treasures in the shop: a pair of large and small golden crowns, and a dragon throne from a certain lake lord of Cangyun Lake. Anyway, the prices are fixed. When I return to the shop and check the inventory, I'll know how much spirit coin I've earned. If something gets lost or stolen while I'm away, surely the Spring Dew Garden will compensate at full price. So I'm not worried. I'll be safe regardless."
As for the Gorgeous Purple Robe and such, Chen Ping'an wouldn't sell them.
These immortal items were special, extremely rare, similar to military armor pills. They often commanded a huge premium and were still in short supply on the market. In the future, when Fallen Mountain and other peaks had more people, they would only want more, not less.
Liu Zhiqing suddenly hesitated.
Chen Ping'an said, "Which one catches your eye? Friends are friends, business is business. I'll make an exception and give you… twenty percent off at most. No lower."
Liu Zhiqing laughed, "All those hardbound albums of Goddess Paintings from the Mural City at Skeleton Beach—you're selling them for two Small Heat coins each at your shop. Looks like you still have a lot of stock. How about giving me a set? Talking about money hurts feelings. What twenty percent off? I won't buy. Just give me one."
Chen Ping'an glanced toward Old Locust Street, "It's far away."
Liu Zhiqing sneered, "I can go to the Ants' Nest shop and pick it up myself. Remember to change the lock when you get back."
Chen Ping'an sighed in lament, took out a set of tracing-and-filling versions of the Goddess Paintings from his Sunspot Pouch, and tossed them with the wooden case to Liu Zhiqing.
Liu Zhiqing tucked them into his sleeve, satisfied.
Beautiful women and beautiful scenery, fine wine and fine tea—he, Liu Zhiqing, still liked them. The several maids on his Cast Peak in the Golden Crow Palace were all quite attractive, but only for the eyes. Moreover, if Cast Peak hadn't taken them in, with their beauty and mediocre talent, falling into the hands of his fellow disciple's wife, the palace master, they would merely have been some lightning ripples on a thundercloud one day.
Chen Ping'an suddenly said, "Actually, I have two sets of Mr. Pang's finest works. Compared to these sufficiently fine tracing-and-filling versions, they are still worlds apart."
Liu Zhiqing shook his head, "Keep them for yourself. A gentleman does not take what others treasure."
Chen Ping'an extended two fingers and gently rubbed them together.
Liu Zhiqing snapped, "No money!"
Chen Ping'an withdrew his hand and laughed, "Those two sets of Goddess Paintings, I can't give them to you. But later, after I return to the Hemp-Clad Sect, I can talk to Old Mr. Pang and see if I can get him to move his brush again. If it works, I'll send them to your Cast Peak at the Golden Crow Palace. If not, consider it never mentioned."
Liu Zhiqing flew his sword away from Yuying Cliff.
Chen Ping'an also summoned his talisman boat and returned to the Bamboo Sea.
One evening, he practiced walking on stakes and cultivated. This was truly multitasking, doing both without neglecting either.
In the dead of night, Chen Ping'an took off his Sword-Nurturing Gourd and placed it on the table. He took out the Sword Immortal from his bamboo box, and retrieved an object from the flying sword Fifteen. With lightning speed, he drew the sword and slashed, splitting a long whetstone in two. First and Fifteen hovered nearby, eager to try. The entire arm with which Chen Ping'an held the sword began to go numb, temporarily losing sensation. He hurriedly lifted the Sword Immortal and squinted, carefully examining the blade. Seeing no tiny flaws or nicks, he breathed a sigh of relief.
Chen Ping'an sat cross-legged and began to slightly refine the two pieces of Dragon-Slaying Platform, planning to store them into two of his acupoints, so that First and Fifteen, after leaving the Sword-Nurturing Gourd, could sharpen their blades on them, slowly consuming the two separated pieces of the Dragon-Slaying Platform.
This piece of Dragon-Slaying Platform was the largest of the three whetstones that Sword Sister had given him after appearing at Old Dragon City.
He had always been reluctant to let First and Fifteen consume it.
Now that he had truly embarked on the path of cultivation, especially after making up his mind to simultaneously refine First and Fifteen as his natal objects, to live and die together, there was no need for any hesitation.
Through his sparring with Liu Zhiqing, a sword cultivator at the Golden Core bottleneck, Chen Ping'an felt that his trump cards were still lacking, not enough, far from enough.
More skills don't weigh down the body.
Even his talisman techniques could be used as a layer of camouflage.
Wearing the robe, hiding a thick stack of ordinary talismans in his sleeve, pretending to be a talisman cultivator who wins by quantity.
When close, become a pure martial artist.
During battle, assess the situation, then seize the opportunity to switch to a sword cultivator. The two natal flying swords, their speed greatly enhanced, would make it so the opponent couldn't dodge First and couldn't dodge Fifteen.
Finally, there was the Sword Immortal.
At dawn, Chen Ping'an went to Old Locust Street, but didn't open the shop. Instead, he went to the old shop specializing in scholarly items, found a chance to get close to an apprentice, and roughly finalized a business intention. The young apprentice thought it was no big problem, but he insisted on one thing: the forty-nine pebbles from Yuying Cliff would be carved by him into various elegant items. That was fine. Within three days, at most ten days, for ten Snowflake coins. But they couldn't be sold at the Ants' Nest shop; otherwise, he wouldn't be able to make a living on Old Locust Street anymore. Chen Ping'an agreed, and they arranged to discuss it further at the Ants' Nest shop after the shop closed.
Chen Ping'an then went to the somewhat distant Night Thatched Cottage to meet one of the Spring Dew Garden's two wealth gods, Immortal Master Tang. This man was also a legendary cultivator of the Spring Dew Garden. In his early years, his talent wasn't outstanding, and he hadn't become a core disciple of the three Founder Hall lineages. But he excelled at business, relying on generous split earnings to break through realms time and again, eventually reaching the Golden Core realm. No one dared underestimate him, as the Spring Dew Garden's cultivators had always valued commerce.
Tang Qingqing was naturally present.
However, Wei Bai of the Iron Rudder Manor and the old woman had already returned to the Daguan Dynasty.
Tang Qingqing personally brewed tea. As they sat and chatted, Immortal Master Tang learned that the young sword immortal planned to be an absentee manager, so he proactively offered to send a clever cultivator to help at the Ants' Nest shop.
Chen Ping'an said a nine-one split. Immortal Master Tang smiled and said there was no such good thing. A ten percent cut was too much. It was just a simple job of squatting in the shop and collecting money every day. Better to set a fixed salary. Over a year, the cultivator sent by the Night Thatched Cottage would be sufficiently compensated with thirty Snowflake coins. But Chen Ping'an still felt the nine-one split was more sensible, and Immortal Master Tang agreed. Instead, he meticulously asked, if they managed to sell items above the marked price on Old Locust Street without harming repeat customers or the shop's reputation, using eloquence and skill, how would that be calculated? Chen Ping'an said they would split the excess fifty-fifty. Immortal Master Tang smiled and nodded. Then he tentatively asked the young sword immortal if he could allow the shop assistant sent by the Night Thatched Cottage, after taking over the Ants' Nest shop, to raise the existing prices by ten to twenty percent, so that customers could haggle. The floor price for haggling, of course, would not be lower than the young sword immortal's current marked prices. Chen Ping'an smiled and said that would be best. His own business acumen was still shallow; entrusting it to the Night Thatched Cottage was indeed the best choice.
After drinking tea and finishing business, exchanging pleasantries about how good the other was, Chen Ping'an took his leave.
Tang Qingqing stood with her father outside the gate. She said doubtfully, "Dad, I told you everything about the ferry clearly. Now that our Spring Dew Garden values him so highly, and he's a master who could make Sword Immortal Liu leave Yuying Cliff and personally invite him to tea at the Jingzhe Residence, for him to come to our house today and drink our tea—what a great honor! Why did you have to haggle so much? If you really want to befriend him, our family doesn't lack spirit coins. We could have just bought out the shop's entire inventory. He would make a big profit, we would take a small loss—it's not a losing deal. Wouldn't that be better?"
The man shook his head, "No business is done that way in this world. If this young sword immortal had come to ask for money openly, I would have given it, and a large sum, without even frowning, considering it a loss to avoid trouble. But since he came to do business with our Night Thatched Cottage, we need to follow the rules accordingly. Only then can it truly last, and not turn a good thing into a bad one."
Seeing that his daughter still didn't fully understand, the man smiled, "Except for cases of sudden wealth, in all long-term businesses in the world, all kinds of merchants, all kinds of ways to make money, there is one common point."
The man took out a common copper coin from a mountain kingdom's dynasty, one he had treasured for many years. He placed it flat on his palm. "One must respect this."
Chen Ping'an then visited an old woman, the master of the Golden Core ferry owner Song Lanqiao. The old woman was also a Golden Core cultivator, but she had a seat in the Spring Dew Garden's Founder Hall, while Song Lanqiao did not. Simply put, when the Founder Hall of the Spring Dew Garden held discussions, the old woman, along with the elder Tan Ling and seven others, had chairs to sit on. Tang Qingqing's father also had a chair, but at the very back, while Song Lanqiao could only stand.
When the old woman saw the young sword immortal, she beamed and pulled Chen Ping'an into pleasantries for a full half hour. Chen Ping'an remained calm and unhurried the entire time until the old woman herself said she wouldn't delay Sword Immortal Chen's cultivation anymore, only then did Chen Ping'an take his leave.
The gift he brought when visiting the old woman was a spiritual artifact that he hadn't put in the Ants' Nest shop—not garish, not too valuable, but very pleasing.
The old woman wanted to give a return gift, but Chen Ping'an politely declined, saying that if she did that, he wouldn't dare come empty-handed next time. The old woman laughed heartily and let it go.
When Chen Ping'an returned to Old Locust Street, it was just past noon. He opened the shop door and sat on the small bamboo chair to sunbathe again.
Business was a bit slow.
People came and went, lively to look at, but in one hour, he only made one sale, earning six Snowflake coins. A young female cultivator bought a boudoir item from a Moon Palace species. She threw down the spirit coins at the counter and hurried out the door.
It made Chen Ping'an too embarrassed to even say "come again."
Chen Ping'an somewhat regretted not dragging Liu Zhiqing back to be a shop assistant.
Sword Immortal Liu was fine shamelessly taking a set of tracing-and-filling Goddess Paintings, so why should he be embarrassed to ask him to help attract business for the shop?
This was helping you, Liu Zhiqing, cultivate your heart, wasn't it?
As dusk fell, the apprentice from the old shop walked briskly. Chen Ping'an hung up the closed sign and took out a package containing the forty-nine pebbles, piling them on the counter.
The young man swallowed hard and asked nervously, "Are they really from Yuying Cliff?"
Chen Ping'an laughed, "Don't worry. They're not hot items. Don't ask how I got them. You just need to know that I own a stationary shop on Old Locust Street, and I have such valuable things stored inside. Do you think I would risk testing Sword Immortal Liu's flying sword speed for a few spirit coins?"
The young man breathed a sigh of relief.
He picked up a pebble, weighed it in his hand, then examined it carefully. He laughed, "No wonder they're stones from the spiritual spring at Yuying Cliff. The stone quality is exceptionally clear and lustrous, and warm. No trace of that fiery aura that's hard to get rid of in mountain jade. Truly good stuff. In the eyes of a mortal craftsman, they would probably say fine stones need no carving. Boss, I'll take this deal. After all these years, I've finally learned a full set of skills from my master. But good items from the mountains are hard to find. Our shop has high standards, and my master doesn't want to waste good materials, so he likes to do the work himself. We disciples just watch from the side. We have no way to practice. These are just right for me to hone my skills..."
At this point, the young man looked a bit embarrassed.
Chen Ping'an laughed, "It's fine. No matter how unpleasant the truth, it's still the truth. But I hope that when you practice, you still put in some thought. There are only this many stones from the old quarry at Yuying Cliff. If you ruin one, there's one less."
The young man pressed his two fingers together, twisted his wrist, and his face was full of confidence. He patted his chest and promised the young boss, "This will be my first few cuts since I started my career. I won't be careless."
Chen Ping'an leaned on the counter and smiled, "Then I'll give you the first pebble as a gift, to congratulate Little Master Xu on his first cut."
The young man was a bit shy, "That's not very good."
Chen Ping'an pointed to the pile of pebbles and laughed, "Pick one at will. But you must promise me: the first pebble you carve is yours. For the rest, you must also put your heart into every cut."
The young man's face flushed, "Boss, rest assured! I guarantee every single stone will get my full strength, my full skill! Maybe there will even be a stroke or two of inspired genius. In short, I won't let the Ants' Nest shop down."
Chen Ping'an smiled and nodded.
Carving stone is like pulling clay on a potter's wheel.
Both require practice to master perfection. Everything is hard at the start.
That first pebble, which belonged to the young man himself, as long as he really put his mind into it, then for the subsequent pebbles, his carving would be like a natural flow. Even if he was a bit distracted, compared to carving purely for business, the overall quality of all the stones would still be better. The Ants' Nest shop could naturally sell them at a higher price, easily making up for the loss of that one Yuying Cliff pebble. If nothing unexpected happened, the Ants' Nest shop would only profit more.
Things in the world are never simple. It all depends on whether one is willing to ponder.
As for whether taking on private work at the Ants' Nest shop would harm the young apprentice's future with his master.
There were plenty of clever people in the Spring Dew Garden who could do the math.
Chen Ping'an let the young apprentice take the pebbles, package and all. After carving each item into a scholar's piece, he could either come to the Ants' Nest shop himself or send a friend to deliver it, saying he was a friend of the old boss. The new boss wouldn't cause any trouble. Or he could bring one carved piece to the shop each time before taking the next. The young man weighed the pros and cons and felt the latter was safer. He told the easygoing young boss to rest assured; if he lost a pebble, he would pay for it himself. If he couldn't afford it, no problem; as long as his skills were there, the Ants' Nest shop could discuss it.
The young man left with a smile.
Chen Ping'an stood at the shop entrance, watching him go.
He vaguely saw the shadow of a young straw-sandaled boy delivering and collecting letters.
Then, the next day. After two days of being closed, the Ants' Nest shop opened for business. But there was a new boss. Those with good eyes knew this man came from the Night Thatched Cottage of Immortal Master Tang. He greeted customers with a smiling face and a perfect manner, leaving no gaps. And the goods in the shop could finally be haggled over.
On that day, Chen Ping'an, still in an ordinary blue shirt, shouldered his bamboo box, put on his bamboo hat, and held his walking staff. He told the two residence maids that he would be leaving the Spring Dew Garden today.
The young female cultivator, a direct disciple of a Golden Core cultivator, said that Elder Tan had sent word to the residence: the talisman boat was a gift to Sword Immortal Chen. No need to be polite.
After thanking them, Chen Ping'an really didn't stand on ceremony.
He summoned the talisman flying boat and went to Old Locust Street. At the end of the street was the old locust tree, shading several acres of land.
The young man in blue stood under the locust tree, looked up, and stood for a long time.
Many past people and events were thinkable and thinkable about, but unattainable.