Chapter 686: Some Anecdotes
Osmanthus Island finally returned to Old Dragon City, slowly docking near the city outside the island. This return journey had been fairly smooth, a great relief.
The trio left the Gui Vein Small Courtyard. Wei Jin carried his sword on his back, Mi Yu wore his sword at his side with a wine gourd tied at his waist, and Wei Wenlong had empty hands. They disembarked and headed toward Old Dragon City. A sea road had been laid between the island and Old Dragon City. The young Osmanthus maiden, Jin Su, under the instruction of her master Madam Gui, escorted the three distinguished guests all the way, leading them to another ferry port in Old Dragon City. There they would change ships and travel along the Walking Dragon Path toward the central part of Bottle Gourd Continent.
Between the two ferry ports of Old Dragon City—one on the sea, one on land—lay the hundred-mile-long street that belonged to the Sun Clan ancestral estate.
Ma Zhi, the chief consecrator of the Fan Clan, who also served as a manager of Osmanthus Island, was a Golden Core sword cultivator. He wanted to hail a carriage, but Wei Jin politely declined, saying walking would suffice.
Jin Su deeply admired this young sword immortal from the Wind and Snow Temple's Immortal Platform. He had first challenged the heavens of Northern Juju Continent's Xie Shi, then hurried to the Sword Qi Great Wall to slay demons, and had only now returned.
Sword Immortal Wei, as the youngest Upper Five Realm immortal in Bottle Gourd Continent's history, was truly deserving of the title. Jin Su could assert that once Wei Jin returned from his travels to the Sword Qi Great Wall and went back to the Wind and Snow Temple, he would undoubtedly win great prestige for the temple.
According to some early rumors that had spread—true or false, no one knew, but they were passed around as quite mysterious—it was said that on the city walls of the Sword Qi Great Wall, Wei Jin had been allowed to build a thatched hut for cultivation, quietly nurturing his sword. This was a unique privilege. He became neighbors with the highest sword master of the Sword Qi Great Wall, an old immortal. There were two thatched huts, one large and one small, and it was rumored that Wei Jin was often instructed in swordsmanship by that old man.
This provided plenty of conversation material for the entire Bottle Gourd Continent's qi refiners. Every time this topic came up, they all felt honored. Nowadays, whenever cultivators from the continent discussed sword cultivators, they inevitably brought up Wei Jin of the Wind and Snow Temple.
Our Bottle Gourd Continent was the smallest of the nine continents in the Righteous Qi World, yet our fellow countryman Wei Jin—even among the cloud of sword immortals at the Sword Qi Great Wall—was still an outstanding presence, wasn't he?
Some immortal masters even began to think that once Divine Edict Sect's Heavenly Lord Qi Zhen ascended, or went into a long seclusion ignoring worldly matters, the next leader of the continent's immortal sects would most likely be Wei Jin. Once Wei Jin broke through to the Immortal realm and became the first Great Sword Immortal in Bottle Gourd Continent's history, when the time came, heaven and earth would unite in his favor. As the continent's sword path fortune gathered upon him, his achievements on the Great Path would be limitless.
As for Wei Jin's two friends of unknown origin, Jin Su could only treat them with courtesy. They were said to be adepts just one step away from the Golden Core Earth Immortal realm. In the Gui Vein Small Courtyard, Jin Su occasionally accompanied Madam Gui in brewing tea and discussing the Dao with the three. She also noticed some subtle differences. The guest surnamed Wei was somewhat reserved, not good with words, but he was extremely interested in Bottle Gourd Continent's customs and local conditions. Rarely did he take the initiative to ask questions, and when he did, they were about the business directions and money-making routes of Old Dragon City's major families, as if he were a merchant's offspring.
On the other hand, that Mi Gongzi, with his handsome appearance like a banished immortal from a book, seemed to care about nothing much.
On both sides of the road, mountain cultivators had created a scenic spot similar to Lotus Flower Pond, so the road was bustling with people and crowded with many tourists.
Mi Yu walked among them, a flower garden guest who had descended from heaven into the mortal world, a banished immortal.
Even though Jin Su's heart already belonged to someone else, and she was utterly devoted to Sun Jiashu, she had to admit that when it came to appearance alone, this Mi Gongzi was truly an immortal among immortals.
On the road, many women and ladies, with bright eyes and flowing glances, couldn't help but steal more looks at Mi Yu. Unconsciously, they looked less at the beautiful scenery of Lotus Flower Pond and more at that elegant gentleman.
Where is the immortal? Brewing elixirs by the well, testing ink by the pond. Lotus flowers for ten miles, clear breeze mirrors the water, bright moon clothes the sky.
Mi Yu murmured these words, which he had seen on a fan from the Yan Family Shop. The scholars of the Righteous Qi World indeed had excellent literary talent.
Moreover, in this Righteous Qi World, if you didn't talk about the people and only considered the various landscapes, it was indeed much better than the Sword Qi Great Wall.
Even before reaching Old Dragon City, there was such scenery.
At this moment, walking on the road, Wei Wenlong sighed with his heart voice: "So this is the homeland of the Hidden Official and Sword Immortal Wei."
Without needing Wei Jin to remind him, the term "Hidden Official" was a taboo of no small importance, not suitable to be mentioned frequently. Even if Wei Wenlong couldn't help but bring it up, he could only do so with his heart voice.
Wei Jin smiled and said, "If I hadn't traveled to other continents, it would be hard to talk about a homeland for such a vast continent."
But Wei Jin had no particular attachment to Bottle Gourd Continent, and in fact, he didn't even have a sense of belonging to the Wind and Snow Temple.
Jin Su pointed to the sky above Old Dragon City and introduced to the two outsiders: "In the past, our Old Dragon City had a Cloud Sea, rumored to be a relic of an ancient immortal, at least of half-immortal weapon rank. Riding a cloud ferry and looking down, you could see it, but when inside the city, you couldn't. However, a few years ago, the Cloud Sea suddenly disappeared for some unknown reason. Now it has become a strange tale among the mountains. Many mountain qi refiners have made special trips to confirm the truth of the news."
Wei Wenlong subconsciously began to calculate the estimated price of a half-immortal weapon in Bottle Gourd Continent.
Mi Yu remained composed and said to Wei Jin with his heart voice, laughing: "There are so many people in your Bottle Gourd Continent with nothing better to do?"
Wei Jin's impression of Mi Yu was not bad to begin with, and since he had become good friends with the Great Sword Immortals Mi Hu and Yue Qing, Wei Jin didn't stand on ceremony with Mi Yu in everyday conversation. He replied, "Anyone on the Sword Qi Great Wall can say such things, but you, Mi Yu, have no right to make sarcastic remarks—drunk lying on clouds and mists, pretending to be an immortal, fooling female cultivators from other regions, with a whole mess of romantic debts."
Mi Yu laughed heartily: "Mentioning a sore spot, huh? No wonder you, Sword Immortal Wei, are still single. How many sword immortals are there in Bottle Gourd Continent now? A dignified sword immortal, so young, and yet you have hardly any confidantes. I really don't know if it's because the immortal maidens of Bottle Gourd Continent have bad eyesight, or if you, Wei Jin, are just slow on the uptake. Could it be that every time you travel up and down the mountains, you stick a note on your forehead that says 'I don't like women'? Come on, Sword Immortal Wei, don't be shy. We're all family now. Quickly take out that note and let me and Brother Wei have a look, broaden our horizons..."
Wei Jin smiled and said, "I really don't have such a note. Sorry to disappoint Sword Immortal Mi."
Jin Su only knew that the three were communicating with their heart voices, but she didn't know what they were talking about that made them so happy.
A carriage stopped in the middle of the road. After Osmanthus Island docked, a young man with a high hat stepped down. A jade pendant engraved with "Old Dragon Brings Rain" hung at his waist.
It was the young city lord of Old Dragon City, Fu Nanhua.
Upon seeing Wei Jin and his party, he bowed with cupped fists and said, "Junior Fu Nanhua pays respects to Sword Immortal Wei."
Wei Jin nodded and said, "I won't go to the city to be a guest. I need to travel on."
If it weren't for the presence of Jin Su from Osmanthus Island, Wei Jin probably wouldn't have spoken a single word. In the martial world, Wei Jin could chat happily with those reckless warriors, but towards mountain people, he never showed any enthusiasm and was too lazy to curry favor.
Fu Nanhua stepped aside to make way, smiling: "I would never dare to disturb Sword Immortal Wei. Junior came because of admiration. In fact, I have already been very rude."
After leaving that sea road, the group rode the wind to the next ferry port.
Mi Yu clicked his tongue in admiration and said, "Wei Jin, you have such a face in Bottle Gourd Continent?"
Wei Jin smiled and said, "Are you mocking me?"
When they arrived at the ferry port, someone recognized the sword immortal of Wind and Snow Temple first. In an instant, there was a commotion. When Wei Jin landed, passersby made way for the sword immortal.
In Bottle Gourd Continent, where there were not many sword cultivators, an Earth Immortal sword cultivator was already enough to be honored as "Sword Immortal So-and-So," let alone Wei Jin, a genuine Upper Five Realm sword immortal.
So, people in the distance pointed and whispered. Those closer to Wei Jin took the initiative to bow.
Mi Yu added, "There are quite a few people cursing you."
Wei Jin said helplessly, "Mi Yu, stop this. Otherwise, once we board the ferry, we'll find a secluded scenic spot midway, get off the ship, and have a sparring match of swordsmanship?"
Mi Yu smiled and said, "I'm not stupid. I'm also in the Jade Rough realm, but I can only beat Sword Immortal Shao of Spring Breeze Studio, and I can't beat Sword Immortal Wei of Wind and Snow Temple."
Wei Wenlong was even more helpless: You two senior sword immortals, if you want to spar, go ahead, but why drag my master into it?
The three said goodbye to Jin Su and boarded a ferry.
Unlike the reclusive Wei Jin, Mi Yu still didn't want to stay cooped up inside, just like when he traveled on Osmanthus Island. Now he liked to often stand at the bow, looking down at the mountains and rivers, and said to Wei Wenlong beside him, smiling: "So in the Righteous Qi World, besides islands, there are so many green mountains."
It was the season of heavy snow. The ferry passed by a mountain gate sect.
High cliffs with multi-storied buildings, immortal pavilions and towers, row upon row. If one leaned on the railing and gazed into the distance, strange pines and odd cypresses, a few touches of emerald green in the snow, would make you raise your eyebrows. This kind of immortal scenery, how many private residences could have it?
On the opposite cliff, a figure in a blue robe with a long beard stood facing the cliff. There were also eight or nine immortal-like people, playing chess or watching chess. It was unclear who was the host and who were the guests.
Looking down at this unique human beauty of a foreign land, Sword Immortal Mi Yu seemed on the verge of tears and laughter at the same time.
Wei Jin rarely came out of his cabin. He walked to Mi Yu's side and said, "You said it yourself. In this Bottle Gourd Continent, there are few sword immortals. You can take a tour, drink some fine wine, and then catch up with the ferry."
Mi Yu had already regained his composure. "Forget it. There aren't even any female immortal cultivators. It wouldn't be interesting."
Wei Jin nodded. "Cloud Mist Mountain, the Fox Kingdom of the Xu Clan in Breeze City, the Everlasting Spring Palace north of the Great Li capital—those places have more female cultivators."
Mi Yu laughed and cursed, "I'm a romantic, not a lecher!"
Having spent time with the young Hidden Official and been influenced by him, Wei Wenlong suddenly muttered quietly, "That's debatable."
Wei Jin smiled knowingly.
Mi Yu gave a thumbs up, in a great mood. "That remark... has a bit of our Hidden Official's style!"
Mi Yu suddenly asked, "'Going to plant tangerines'—what allusion is that? Is there a story behind it?"
Wei Jin was completely confused and shook his head. "I don't know."
Mi Yu shook his head. "Brother Wei, your knowledge is lacking."
Wei Jin didn't mind and returned to his cabin to continue nurturing his sword intent.
Wei Wenlong went to the ferry's shop to buy a landscape gazette.
Mi Yu leaned alone on the railing. Thinking that soon he could go to Fallen Mountain to idle away his days and later watch the legendary Mirror Flowers, Water Moon, Mi Yu's mood improved even more.
But he wondered why the Hidden Official repeatedly mentioned Mirror Flowers, Water Moon, and every time he mentioned it to him, his smile was especially... sincere.
---
This was Li Huai's first intercontinental trip. He had boarded the ferry at Ox Horn Mountain Ferry. The spirit puppets dragged the ferry through the sea of clouds, moving like lightning. Whenever there was a rainstorm with thunder and lightning, those spirit puppets refined by the Pima Sect looked as if they were clad in golden armor, illuminating the front of the ferry as if the sun and moon were pulling the ship forward. Li Huai never got tired of watching. Since his cabin didn't have a viewing platform, Li Huai often went to the bow to enjoy the scenery, every time making a big fuss.
Pei Qian lived next door. She didn't like going out and at most would lean by the window to watch the bizarre celestial phenomena. Li Huai tried several times to persuade her to come to the bow, but Pei Qian always said she had traveled through thousands of mountains and rivers and had seen all kinds of strange things. Instead, she earnestly reminded Li Huai to be careful when going out alone, not to actively cause trouble, but not to be afraid of trouble either. If anything unexpected happened, she would help by informing Manager Su.
Li Huai looked at the mature and steady Captain Pei, who was practicing boxing in the slightly cramped room while speaking in an old-fashioned manner about worldly affairs. He was greatly impressed and sincerely said some nice things. But Pei Qian, who was about to start copying books, rewarded him with a "scram."
The Pima Sect had a deep relationship with Fallen Mountain. Nascent Soul cultivator Du Wensi and the highly anticipated True Heir of the Ancestral Hall Pang Lanxi both served as nominal consecrations of Fallen Mountain. However, this matter was not widely publicized. Moreover, each time the ferry made a round trip, there were large financial transactions between the two ancestral halls. After all, the entire financial route from Skeleton Beach to Spring Dew Garden now encompassed the entire southeastern line of Northern Juju Continent. Many mountain sects of various sizes, numerous businesses, actually had some connection with Fallen Mountain in the shadows. Fallen Mountain, which owned half of Ox Horn Mountain Ferry, received nearly one-tenth of the profit each year when the Pima Sect's intercontinental ferry made a round trip between Skeleton Beach and Old Dragon City. This was a very carefully measured profit-sharing amount. The Pima Sect, which contributed manpower, effort, and materials, along with Spring Dew Garden, their allies, and vassal sects, accounted for eighty percent in total. Northern Mountain Lord Wei Bo took the last tenth of the profit.
Therefore, Fallen Mountain and the Pima Sect, located at the southernmost tip of Northern Juju Continent, had both a gentlemanly friendship and a solid interest binding. When it came to friendship, if it could be recorded in the books and both sides could make money, and as the business grew without turning against each other, then this friendship was truly reliable.
The ferry manager, an old man surnamed Su, specially prepared two first-class cabins to entertain the two distinguished guests. However, when the girl surnamed Pei asked about the price, she absolutely refused to stay and insisted on changing to two ordinary cabins. She also asked the old manager if it would be troublesome to change cabins, and whether the empty first-class cabins would cause the ferry to lose two rooms.
The old manager, who was used to doing business and had developed sharp eyes, saw that she was sincere and not just being polite, so he spoke bluntly. Immortal masters who came to Bottle Gourd Continent for business, traveling such a long distance, would not be short of a few immortal coins as long as there were good rooms to stay in. Especially the immortal children near the Great Li capital, who now loved to travel to Northern Juju Continent, were all very generous with their spending. So there was no worry that rooms with high prices would remain vacant. But this kind of money, the Pima Sect really didn't care about earning or not.
Then the girl added some words: she truly appreciated the senior's kindness, but the price difference was too great. If they occupied two first-class rooms, it would cause the Pima Sect to lose two Minor Heat coins. She had come out to endure hardship, not to enjoy comfort. If her master found out, she would definitely be punished. So, both emotionally and logically, they should move.
The old man smiled and gave the girl a wooden token worth one Minor Heat coin. He said that with this token, she could buy an item worth one Minor Heat coin at the ferry's immortal shop, the Resentment Hatred Workshop.
The old man didn't give Pei Qian a chance to refuse, acting on his seniority, saying that if she didn't accept it, it would hurt their feelings. The girl said, "A gift from an elder, I dare not decline." She took the wooden token with both hands and bowed in thanks to this old Nascent Soul cultivator of the Pima Sect who held a high seniority.
The ferry manager was named Su, with the single name Xi, an old Nascent Soul cultivator of the Pima Sect. The shopkeeper of Resentment Hatred Workshop was surnamed Huang, named Shenyou. The two had been old friends for nearly three hundred years.
In fact, shortly after Pei Qian and Li Huai boarded the ship, the two idle friends had chatted about the two children. The old Nascent Soul said that compared to the previous one called Chen Lingjun, this girl was younger but much more experienced. However, he wondered how Pei Qian would use the ferry token worth one Minor Heat coin.
Manager Huang was delighted. A guest who, upon boarding, not only earned a Minor Heat coin from the ferry but also managed to gain a favor was rare. He also took the opportunity to say a few good words for Chen Lingjun, feeling that the kid was not bad, and once they got familiar, chatting with him was quite enjoyable.
Aside from idle chat, Manager Huang also had a serious question to ask his old friend: Was Fallen Mountain looking down on his small business? Because when he said he wanted to open a shop at Ox Horn Mountain, Fallen Mountain clearly had many vacant storefronts but said to discuss it later, only verbally agreeing to reserve the best location for him? Manager Su smiled to comfort his friend. The acting steward Zhu Lian, for whatever reason, did not allow the Resentment Hatred Workshop to open a branch at Ox Horn Mountain. There must be their own considerations. But it was definitely not because they looked down on Manager Huang and the Resentment Hatred Workshop. Fallen Mountain had its own traditions; they were not sycophants. And Zhu Lian, in dealing with people, was impeccable and not a short-sighted person.
His friend said so, and he knew the reasoning. But being rejected, Manager Huang couldn't help feeling gloomy. He only said that now Fallen Mountain, since they first knew Chen Ping'an, had become more and more prosperous, with a bigger family. That young man was rarely at his own mountain. How things would develop in the future, whether Fallen Mountain would become one of those suddenly wealthy sects that got carried away—it was hard to say.
From Spring Dew Garden in Northern Juju Continent all the way to Old Dragon City in Bottle Gourd Continent, along this invisible but profitable route, besides the earliest quartet alliance of Pima Sect, Spring Dew Garden, Piyun Mountain, and Fallen Mountain, the Fan and Sun families of Old Dragon City gradually joined. Additionally, there was a young man named Dong Shuijing. Later, three sons of the Great Li pillar statesmen's clans, including one of the Grand Canal Overseers Guan Yiran, the Dragon Province Supervisor Cao, and Prefect Yuan, had also begun to engage in mountain trade on a personal basis, taking only a very small share.
In fact, Piyun Mountain could have profited more, but Mountain Lord Wei had evenly divided the profits to Fallen Mountain.
Manager Huang didn't really plan to make much money at Ox Horn Mountain. More than that, he believed in the young man's character and was willing to take the initiative to form a good relationship with the flourishing Fallen Mountain. The cultivators of Northern Juju Continent had a strong sense of camaraderie and valued face. Over the years, Manager Huang had often boasted to all kinds of friends about his unique insight—he was the first in the entire Northern Juju Continent to recognize that the young mountain lord was no ordinary person. Even Sect Leader Zhu Quan couldn't compare to him. So, the more this was the case, the more disappointed the old shopkeeper felt. Immortal coins that one couldn't bring into the world or take away were just passersby living in one's money pouch. For a Golden Core who had no hope for the Great Path, earning a little more or a little less was a small matter. But whether one could mooch a drink and brag with others—was there anything bigger than that? No.
One day, the two old friends started drinking again. A woman who managed the specific business affairs of Resentment Hatred Workshop came over to speak with the two elders. After listening, Su Xi teasingly said, "Are those two kids collecting junk? Why didn't you stop them? Is the Resentment Hatred Workshop so unscrupulous in making money? It's a good thing I only gave a Minor Heat token; otherwise, after this battle, your workshop will never be able to open a shop at Ox Horn Mountain."
Manager Huang said helplessly, "I was afraid of complications, so I didn't even mention this to Lingjiao. The main reason is that the workshop just happened to be at the sixty-year-cleanup inventory. A pile of old items was dug up, many of which were bad debts. Old friends couldn't repay their debts, so they paid in kind. Many items worth only fifty Snowflake coins were taken in by the Resentment Hatred Workshop for one Minor Heat coin."
The woman manager, nicknamed "Lingjiao" by the shopkeeper, immediately understood the weight of the matter and already had a remedy in mind. Just as she was about to speak, the respected old Su smiled and said, "No need to do anything deliberately. Isn't this fine? Later, let your Manager Huang claim to be an old friend of Chen Ping'an in the name of an elder and give out a clever item worth one Minor Heat coin. Otherwise, that girl named Pei Qian won't accept it."
Saying this, the old man casually asked Lingjiao, "Bought a lot of junk. Is there any chance of finding a bargain?"
The woman smiled bitterly and shook her head: "We have a newly hired clerk at the workshop. Once it comes to making money, he's ruthless—daring to sell anything, setting any price. The appraiser masters at our workshop are all sharp-eyed. Those two kids only picked the cheapest items. If they keep buying like this, by the time they leave the ship, it will be hard for them to keep even ten Snowflake coins from one Minor Heat coin. Then our workshop will probably be called a scam."
Manager Huang had a peculiar expression.
The woman smiled and, knowing the relationship between the two old men, she wasn't afraid to reveal secrets, "That new clerk was even praised by our Manager Huang as a good seedling. He told me to cultivate him well."
It turned out that earlier that day, Pei Qian was full of energy, holding the Minor Heat token, and took Li Huai to the Resentment Hatred Workshop. Li Huai was even more elated, saying it was a coincidence—he had checked the almanac, and today was suitable for trading. "Let me handle it, let me handle it!"
The two first went to see the pair of dharma swords that Pei Qian's master had mentioned, just to feast their eyes. They certainly couldn't afford to buy them. Those swords, "Rainfall" and "Lamp's Hum," were ancient immortal lovers' legacy swords, badly damaged. To repair them to their original state would cost too much and wasn't worth it. When Pei Qian's master rode the ferry, the swords were already one of the shop's treasures, and now they still hadn't been sold.
Today, the Resentment Hatred Workshop had an especially large number of items, making Pei Qian's eyes blur. But the prices were all high. Indeed, on an immortal ferry, money was not money.
Li Huai claimed confidently that he would only buy cheap things. Pei Qian, who had been hesitant, finally handed the wooden token to Li Huai and let him try his luck.
Li Huai clasped his hands together, raised them high, rubbed his palms vigorously, and muttered, "Heavenly spirits, earthly spirits, today the God of Wealth is visiting my house..."
Pei Qian felt a bit more at ease.
A celadon brush washer with an immortal riding a raft. Ten Snowflake coins.
It looked quite immortal. The porcelain work seemed very masterful, not bad. Li Huai thought to himself: Where is my hometown? How could I not know the quality of porcelain? He sneaked a glance and found Pei Qian smirking coldly. Afraid she thought he was careless with money, he gently tapped the washer with his finger, producing a crisp, pleasant sound. Using his eyes, hands, and ears, he nodded repeatedly, saying the item was not bad, not bad at all. The young clerk beside him also nodded lightly, indicating that this buyer, despite appearances, had good eyesight.
An old, tattered scroll. When unrolled, it showed a fox worshipping the moon. Five Snowflake coins. At this Resentment Hatred Workshop, such a cheap item was rare!
The young clerk sighed beside him, "Guest, barring unexpected turns, you've probably found another bargain. Look at this long-dusty painting. Although it has no spiritual energy at all, just based on the painting skill, the meticulous detail—you can even see every strand of the fox demon's hair—it's already worth five Snowflake coins."
A red sandalwood stationery box inlaid with gold and silver threads, with a pair of small and exquisite three-color glazed lions as a gift. Fifteen Snowflake coins. Pei Qian rarely felt that this transaction wasn't a loss. The stationery box was like a treasure box; when opened, it contained items of various sizes, winning by quantity. Pei Qian had always had a good eye for such items.
A bundle of yellow paper talismans, tightly tied with two red strings and then knotted. The talismans were about a foot high. There were so many that they had been folded for years and were now uneven. Only the first and last talismans showed their patterns and ranks. According to the Resentment Hatred Workshop clerk, if even half of the over a hundred talismans inside had the rank of two of the visible ones, the purchase would be a sure win. These had been pawned to the ferry at a low price by a down-and-out passenger in the early years, who had agreed to redeem them within a hundred years. But after so many years, it wasn't until recently when the Resentment Hatred Workshop cleared its inventory that these talismans saw the light of day again. According to the appraiser master's estimate, just the red strings of unknown material, based on their toughness, could be worth at least one Snowflake coin.
In the end, the Resentment Hatred Workshop asked for thirty Snowflake coins. Li Huai, with a demeanor he thought was ruthless and uncompromising, bargained it down to twenty-nine coins, feeling a great sense of accomplishment.
Pei Qian had been watching coldly from the side, looking at Li Huai, who was happily holding a large bundle of talismans, and the even more delighted Resentment Hatred Workshop clerk, who would earn a commission from the sale.
Li Huai casually held the red string of the heavy bundle of talismans and whispered to Pei Qian, boasting, "When you hear it, it sounds like there's a story. Profit, profit!"
Pei Qian said impatiently, "Story? The snake oil peddlers in the market can all have a few ancestral stories! If you want to hear, I can make up eight or ten on the spot."
Li Huai was dumbfounded.
Pei Qian pulled Li Huai aside. "Li Huai, do you even know what you're doing? Don't just buy randomly! We've spent a whole Minor Heat coin, and there aren't many Snowflake coins left. I heard from my master that many mountain items acquired from the south, once taken north of the Grand Canal in Northern Juju Continent, if handled properly and the right buyers are found, have a chance to double their value."
Li Huai was stunned. He thought to himself, when have I ever not bought things randomly?
He always just went by what caught his eye, never caring about the price. If he could afford it, he bought it; if not, forget it. And after getting something, he never thought about selling it for money.
Li Huai felt a bit guilty but patted his chest and assured, "I promise to look more carefully from now on!"
Pei Qian was so angry she slapped Li Huai on the head. "So you haven't been carefully appraising items all along?!"
Li Huai said with a mournful face, "Should we return these items to the Resentment Hatred Workshop?"
Pei Qian was famously stingy, petty, and held grudges. If they really lost money, Li Huai wouldn't be able to bear the responsibility. So Li Huai suggested they just stop for the day. Unexpectedly, Pei Qian snapped, "Are you stupid? Today, when we trade at the Resentment Hatred Workshop, it's by our own eyesight, relying on our true skill to make money. If we lose on the purchase, and the workshop doesn't know our identities as people of Fallen Mountain, it's fine. But if they do know, and we come back next time to spend the remaining Snowflake coins, do you think we'll make a sure profit? But if we earn a few measly Snowflake coins, it will cost my master and Fallen Mountain a portion of our good will. Li Huai, you think about that."
So Pei Qian pressed Li Huai's head and told him to spend the entire Minor Heat coin.
After that, Pei Qian kept her arms crossed, her face stern, watching Li Huai coldly.
Li Huai was terrified. He bought two more items.
Back in Pei Qian's room, Li Huai carefully placed the various items on the table. Pei Qian spread open a new account book and slammed the table. "Li Huai! Open your dog eyes wide and see clearly. I'll record every item you bought and at what price in this account. If by the time we return home, they're all dead stock, you'll be responsible."
Li Huai scratched his head in frustration.
Pei Qian gave him a sidelong glance.
Li Huai immediately put down his hands and silently told himself, don't show weakness. Otherwise, even if he bought real goods, Pei Qian would treat them as fakes. This trip had just started; he couldn't let Pei Qian keep giving him trouble. So Li Huai sat on a chair, gently breathed on the celadon brush washer, and carefully stroked it. He whispered to the immortal on the raft, "Brother, brother, be a bit more competitive. You must be competitive. You don't have to make a profit, but please don't let us lose money. Once Pei Qian loses money, your big brother Li Huai is done for. Fate brings us together across a thousand miles; it takes a hundred years of shared cultivation to cross the same boat. Brothers and sisters, let's be a bit more chivalrous. Merry meetings, easy partings, a good start and a good finish, harmony brings wealth..."
Li Huai held the brush washer high. The bottom mark was very strange—not an engraved reign title, but a line of ancient seal-script poetry: "Riding a raft to escort immortal guests, we once reached the stars' side."
Li Huai said, "I've never seen this poem in any book."
Pei Qian said as she kept accounts, "How many books have you read?"
Li Huai was speechless.
Pei Qian put down her pen and said, separating public and private, "If we make a bad deal, it won't be entirely your fault. I'll take half the blame."
Li Huai felt a huge relief.
Pei Qian thought for a moment, picked up the bundle of talismans, and tried to untie the tight knot of the red string. It turned out to be quite difficult. It took her a long time to finally loosen the knot. She set aside the red string, which turned out to be over a zhang long. She was not unfamiliar with talisman materials. She first pulled out the first and last yellow paper talismans. They were the most common talisman paper, not the kind of yellow seal paper that immortal masters use when entering water to hold talismans. However, the talismans were indeed written by qi refiners. Otherwise, just this large bundle of yellow seal paper, even without considering any complete talismans with talisman cores and a spark of spirituality, would already be very valuable. Several Minor Heat coins might not even be enough to buy it. No way would they have gotten it.
Then, after Pei Qian pulled out the top and bottom two talismans, she flattened the whole bundle—and was stunned.
A thunderbolt struck Li Huai's head. He felt greatly wronged, as if he had died before the mission was accomplished.
A large bundle of talismans, except for the first and last four that were already drawn, the rest were all blank talisman paper worth nothing.
Pei Qian muttered, "As expected, as expected. Mountain trade is just like the street trade in the capital of Southern Garden Kingdom back in the day."
Pei Qian rubbed her face vigorously with both hands for a moment and finally sighed, "Forget it. We agreed to split the blame. These thirty-five Snowflake coins, I'll put them all on my account."
She spread the account book open again. Though she picked up the pen to write, she kept her head turned, staring fixedly at Li Huai.
Li Huai asked cautiously, "Should we go curse at the Resentment Hatred Workshop?"
Pei Qian gritted her teeth and said, "They didn't force us to buy or sell. What's the point of cursing?!"
Pei Qian closed the account book, leaned back in her chair, and rocked back and forth with the chair, muttering to herself, "There's no such thing as a free lunch."
When Pei Qian mentioned lunch, Li Huai felt a bit sad. He missed the pork and cabbage dumplings at home, or those with water celery and shepherd's purse—even without meat, they were delicious.
Thinking that he had only just set out on this trip and hadn't even reached Northern Juju Continent, yet he was already saddled with a huge debt of half a Minor Heat coin, Li Huai felt even worse.
Pei Qian said, "Alright, alright. That Minor Heat coin was a gift from heaven anyway. These items look passable. Otherwise, I wouldn't have let you buy them. As usual, we'll split them equally."
One celadon brush washer with immortal riding a raft, one painting of fox worshipping the moon, one old red sandalwood stationery box with a pair of three-color glazed lions as a gift, one imitation Luoxia style zither-shaped paperweight, one immortal embracing the moon drunk on wine inkstone, one green-glazed bowl with incised filled-in colors of a dragon chasing pearls.
To be honest, being able to buy so many "immortal artifacts" on a cross-continental ferry's immortal shop for just one Minor Heat coin was no easy feat.
Pei Qian lay on the table, examining the zither-shaped paperweight. Li Huai was looking at the fox worshipping the moon painting. They both looked up at the same time, exchanged glances, and then grinned together.
These items, perhaps not very valuable—of course, excluding the bundle of talismans that Pei Qian had already thrown into her book box—they actually liked them all.
When they reached Skeleton Beach Ferry, before disembarking, Pei Qian took Li Huai to say goodbye to Manager Su and Manager Huang.
Manager Huang cheerfully took out a farewell gift, saying, "Don't refuse. I'm an old friend of your master. You should accept it." But Pei Qian refused absolutely, saying that later, when the Resentment Hatred Workshop had its grand opening at Ox Horn Mountain Ferry, she would first give a small opening gift within her ability, and then shamelessly ask Grandpa Huang for a big red envelope. Manager Huang beamed and agreed.
Not only that, but Pei Qian also took out gifts prepared by Sister Nuan Shu—delicate bookmarks made from bamboo leaves planted by Piyun Mountain's Mountain Lord Wei. She gave them to the two old seniors on the ferry.
The leaves had some poems written on them, but they weren't written by the white goose; they were written by the old cook. Pei Qian thought that combined, they weren't as good as her master's calligraphy, but they were okay.
Fortunately, both old men smiled and accepted them. Their reactions were identical—they glanced over them briefly and then looked again more closely. Pei Qian had initially worried they would accept them to their faces and then throw them away; it seemed that wouldn't happen.
Ascending mountains and crossing waters, first worship the immortals and burn incense. Her master hadn't specifically instructed Pei Qian on this, but she had traveled such a long way with her master and learned without being taught.
So Pei Qian didn't go to Mural City first. Instead, she directly took Li Huai to Wood Clothes Mountain.
The person hosting them was still the Pima Sect's God of Wealth, Wei Yusong.
Zhu Quan happened to be on the mountain, so she came to meet Chen Ping'an's first disciple.
Just like before, carrying a bamboo book box and a traveling staff, the previous young boy in blue, Chen Lingjun, looked crafty and clever—not annoying, but not particularly pleasing either.
But this dark and thin girl in front of her, Zhu Quan found quite agreeable.
Women or girls, why do they need to be so good-looking?
This girl named Pei Qian was just fine.
Zhu Quan asked in detail about Pei Qian and Li Huai's travel route.
According to the girl, the early part of the journey was roughly similar to Chen Lingjun's: from Skeleton Beach, heading southeast to Spring Dew Garden at the mouth of the Grand Canal. After that, it would be completely different. Chen Lingjun went upstream along the Ji Canal, while Pei Qian and her companion would go directly north. But they wouldn't go all the way to the northernmost point; midway, they would change course to the left. As for the process of getting to Spring Dew Garden, Pei Qian and Li Huai wouldn't take an immortal ferry but would travel on foot. However, they still wanted to explore the scenery around Skeleton Beach near Wood Clothes Mountain first.
Li Huai had no opinion on this. Even if he did, would it matter? The captain was Pei Qian, not him.
Thanks to Zhou Mili, Pei Qian was already very proficient in the Northern Juju Continent dialect.
Compared to other continents, the Northern Juju dialect was commonly used across the continent, saving outsiders a lot of trouble in language. However, certain customs and habits of Northern Juju Continent were quite troublesome for outsiders.
Pei Qian was also already fluent in the official languages of several small countries around Dumb Lake.
When she really put her mind to learning something, Pei Qian was always fast.
But when she was by her master's side, she had to be slow in everything—slow in copying books, slow in walking, slow in growing up.
Zhu Quan rarely had such patience to listen to a young girl's words.
Even in her own ancestral hall meetings, she wasn't so attentive. She often sat cross-legged on a chair, propping her chin on one hand, yawning constantly. Whether she understood or not, heard or not, she nodded from time to time. The mountain's law-keeping ancestor Yan Su, the Pima Sect's God of Wealth Wei Yusong, and Du Wensi and the other ancestral hall members were all used to it. A few years ago, when the long-term trade route with Bottle Gourd Continent was established, Zhu Quan's confidence soared. She probably discovered that she was actually a business genius, so every ancestral hall meeting, she changed her old habits, full of fighting spirit, insisting on meddling in the details. But she was suppressed by Yan Su and Wei Yusong, especially Wei Yusong, who directly swore and told the sect leader to stop interfering, then chased her off to Ghost Valley's Green Cottage Town.
Before going down the mountain, Zhu Quan insisted on giving Pei Qian a meeting gift.
Just like at the ferry, Pei Qian didn't accept it, having a reasonable excuse ready.
If she were by her master's side, as long as her master didn't say anything, she would accept the gift. But when her master was not around, Pei Qian felt she couldn't be so casual.
So Zhu Quan took Pei Qian as her goddaughter, not giving Pei Qian a chance to refuse, and directly rode the wind to Skeleton Beach.
Leaving Pei Qian and Li Huai staring at each other.
The two went down the mountain to the Mural City at its foot.
After the fortune of the eight goddess paintings was gone, only a batch of lifeless, plain outline portraits remained. So Mural City became a gathering place for all kinds of pack-hawkers, a mix of dragons and snakes.
Here, Pei Qian remembered a little anecdote her master had mentioned. Back then, a woman had deliberately bumped into him, but since she didn't actually hit him, she had to drop a "genuine Flowing Sunset Bottle" worth three Minor Heat coins herself.
But Pei Qian didn't encounter that woman this time.
Actually, when she heard her master tell that story back then, Pei Qian had been pretending to be naive. At that time, she didn't dare tell her master that she had done the same thing when she was young, and much more skillfully than that silly woman. But it couldn't be done alone; you needed a partner. The older one had to be dressed decently, clean clothes, looking like they came from a well-off family. The smaller one, in winter, was the simplest—just have frostbitten hands covered in blood, break something, and the older one grabs the passerby, not letting them go. The smaller one immediately squats down, reaches out to mess around, mixing blood here and there, then wipes it on their own face. The action has to be fast. Then they start wailing loudly, heart-wrenchingly, as if their parents had died. That alone could scare people just by the look. Then they'd shout that it was a family heirloom, that they had pawned it cheap with their father to get money for their mother's medical treatment to save her life. Then they'd cry and kowtow. If they were clever, they'd kowtow in the snow. With blood and dirt on their face, it didn't matter—just wipe the face with the back of the hand again. Back and forth, it was even more effective.
If it wasn't winter, they'd have to suffer a bit. Pei Qian tried it once, got hurt, and never did that kind of work again. She went elsewhere to beg for a living. The reason was simple: at that time, she really couldn't stand the pain of being cut by broken porcelain. Besides, if there was no snow, kowtowing didn't hurt as much, did it?
There was an old master who managed that dirty business in the area. After Pei Qian ran away, he regretted it because later, when he met Pei Qian again, he said she was a good talent. When she cried, she was real, like a real funeral. Her eyes were big, and when she cried, her face was full of fake tears mixed with blood from her frostbitten hands on her face. That little face seemed to have only those big eyes left, and it could fool people into feeling sorry for her.
But that old master, who had broken the legs of many of Pei Qian's peers, the last time Pei Qian saw him was in a back alley in the capital of Southern Garden Kingdom. In deep winter, she didn't know if he was beaten to death or frozen to death, or maybe half-beaten and then frozen to death. Who knows? Anyway, there wasn't a single copper coin left on him. Pei Qian searched him secretly before the capital's patrol came to collect the body. She knew. She remembered swearing at him that even as a ghost, he'd be a poor ghost.
Li Huai asked, "What are you thinking?"
Pei Qian shook her head and smiled, "Nothing."
She was just thinking of her master.
Thinking of the master who made the girl Pei Qian of those days into the Pei Qian of today.