Chapter 54: My Dear Brother, What Are You Posturing For! |
"The Wang Clan of Anbei Kingdom."
The veiled female cultivator standing behind Yu'an softly repeated the name.
Her voice was quite unique. If Senior Martial Sister Ningyao's voice was that of a normal female cultivator, then this veiled female cultivator's voice fell into the breathy and seductive category.
It made Yu'an shudder, and a loud 'bang' immediately echoed from his artifact refining furnace.
Looking at Yu'an's utterly embarrassed expression, Yulou took a deep breath.
What a blockhead!
Yulou stood up, intending to greet this female Qi Refining cultivator named Yingxi whom his senior martial sister had brought over.
However, only after standing up did he realize that because he had just been burning charcoal, his current appearance was far from presentable.
The peach wood spirit charcoal had smoked his face completely black. Under the roasting heat of the high-temperature spirit fire, the sweat pouring down his face had carved several winding rivers through the thick layer of soot.
Senior Martial Sister Ningyao was introducing business to the Wang Clan, so Yulou couldn't afford to worry too much about his image.
He awkwardly wiped his face and offered a dry laugh as he looked at Senior Martial Sister Ningyao.
"Senior Martial Sister, who is this senior?"
The female cultivator named Yingxi also looked at Ningyao in confusion.
'You said these two were from the Wang Clan of Anbei Kingdom, but why does one look stupid and the other look like a lump of coal? Neither of them seems normal.'
"Fellow Daoist Yingxi wishes to custom-order a special sound-path magical artifact. It needs to be made with spirit wood as the base material, so I thought of your Wang Clan. That's why I brought her here."
Glaring with exasperation at the slow-witted Yu'an, who had only just belatedly stood up after his older brother, Ningyao then introduced Yulou to the female cultivator Yingxi.
"This is Yulou. You can discuss the details of your custom magical artifact with him."
Yu'an: 'What about me? I'm standing right here too!'
At this time, Yu'an was sixteen. He stood right beside Zhong Ningyao and the veiled female cultivator Yingxi, yet no one paid him any mind.
He secretly swore that he would conquer his inner demons. From now on, he would never be influenced by female cultivators again. He would become an uninhibited and carefree wanderer.
"Senior Yingxi, what kind of sound-path magical artifact do you wish to make? Guqin, harp, zither, pipa... our Wang Clan can craft them all."
Yulou's response was quite clever, tailored specifically based on his observation of this female cultivator.
She wore a white gauze veil that obscured her features, but she was dressed in a plain-woven lake-blue magical robe with silver floral patterns—a style that was exceptionally rich in spiritual energy yet relatively understated.
Moreover, her voice was so... well, unique and memorable.
Therefore, based on his comprehensive judgment, Yulou figured this senior probably wouldn't like the suona, erhu... large drum, small drum, waist drum... cymbals, gongs, or hand-bells.
Those simply didn't fit this female cultivator's vibe. Thus, he deliberately avoided mentioning those sound-path magical artifacts that sounded a bit less refined.
At the same time, he also shrewdly omitted the xiao flute, xun, bells, and so on. These shared a common trait: Hongmei was also capable of refining them.
"No need to call me senior. We are around the same age, so Fellow Daoist will do.
"I want to make a Seven-String Zither. Ideally, it should be a Seven-String Zither crafted from spirit wood. Can your Wang Clan make this?"
Yulou knew about the Seven-String Zither. This instrument was considered the origin of all zithers; its seven strings corresponded to the most fundamental seven musical notes.
"We can! Our Wang Clan possesses the relevant inheritance and experience.
"However, you might have to wait a bit. I first need to send your customization requirements to the artificer in our clan.
"Then, we will continue to discuss the details of the customization before finally determining the delivery date.
"Magical artifacts like the Seven-String Zither are already incredibly difficult to refine, and since you want a custom order...
"Fellow Daoist Yingxi, the final customization fee and the delivery date might not be ideal. I wonder if you can accept that?"
Although Yulou had no idea where Senior Martial Sister Ningyao had found this wealthy mark, he naturally intended to fully exploit her potential commercial value.
Simply put, it was time to make her drop some coins—and the more she dropped, the better.
Custom-ordering a sound-path magical artifact was already a rare request, and the Wang Clan couldn't just use their secretly inherited Wood Generation Method for spirit wood artifacts for free.
Perhaps the Wang Clan's Fire Method Metal-Stone Artificing Way wasn't entirely perfected, but that didn't mean their artificing path inheritances in other directions were flawed.
The spirit wood Seven-String Zither that Fellow Daoist Yingxi wanted fell exactly into the Wang Clan's greatest area of expertise.
What did "greatest area of expertise" mean?
It meant it could fetch the highest price!
"As for the fee... I only require a mid-grade magical artifact. Would eight hundred spirit stones suffice?"
She clearly didn't care much about the timeframe, but she did care somewhat about the price.
Yulou quickly grasped the key points.
This female cultivator wasn't in a hurry to use it. At the same time, her requirements for the magical artifact were very clear.
'I only require a mid-grade magical artifact.' If one analyzed this sentence carefully, it carried a quiet, subtle, unpretentious, yet undeniably present sense of composure.
Composure? Why was she so composed?
After a brief moment of thought, Yulou calmly spoke up.
"Eight hundred spirit stones, and you want the Wang Clan to custom-forge a Seven-String Zither for you?
"Fellow Daoist, let's just part amicably here.
"Senior Martial Sister, thanks for this time, but there is truly nothing for us to discuss."
Having said that, Yulou turned around, scooped up some water, and began washing his face.
Smooth, composed, natural, broad-minded, and dignified.
Meanwhile, beside him, Yu'an was struggling immensely—straining and straining to maintain a calm expression on his face.
He desperately wanted to rush over, grab his older brother's hand, drop to his knees, and beg him to stop posturing.
Eight hundred spirit stones! That was eight hundred spirit stones!
My dear brother, what are you posturing for!
That was eight hundred spirit stones!
Fortunately, the veiled female cultivator Yingxi was completely mesmerized by Yulou's response and impressive act, entirely missing Yu'an's bizarre expression.
"Then... then how many spirit stones does Fellow Daoist Yulou think is appropriate?"
The veiled female cultivator Yingxi's tone even carried a hint of solemnity.
Hooked!
"Fellow Daoist Yingxi, it is still too early to talk about the price.
"First, provide a deposit of three hundred spirit stones. We will start by discussing your requirements for the restrictions and selecting the type of spirit wood.
"You are well aware of the characteristics of sound-path magical artifacts. Differences in restrictions and base materials have an immense impact on their power.
"Only after confirming your specific requirements can we give you a reasonable quote.
"The price will definitely be more than eight hundred spirit stones. You must understand that the Wang Clan's attainments in the Wood Generation Method and wooden magical artifacts are worth at least a little something."
It was perfectly reasonable and logical. He didn't give a final quote, only stating that it would definitely be more than eight hundred spirit stones.
But after Yulou said this, the veiled female cultivator Yingxi unexpectedly felt a sense of anticipation.
She believed that this sum of spirit stones would be well worth the money.
"Here, this is the deposit of three hundred spirit stones. I want..."
It wasn't until the mysterious veiled female cultivator Yingxi left that Yu'an finally processed what had happened.
A deposit of three hundred spirit stones given just like that... exactly who was this female cultivator?
Senior Martial Sister Ningyao saw the female cultivator off and returned to the artifact refining furnace. She heavily patted Yulou's shoulder and said excitedly,
"I told you you were a genius in the ways of business!"
Senior Martial Sister Ningyao's cultivation base was two layers higher than his. Her pat nearly sent Yulou stumbling, but he quickly steadied his body and asked the question burning in his mind.
Zhong Ningyao raised a finger, pointed in the direction of the Prefecture Cultivator's Manor, and whispered,
"That person's daughter~"
Yulou was startled at first, but then he laughed heartily.
"Hahaha, then I didn't overcharge her just now. Even if I asked for a thousand spirit stones, it would merely be breaking even."
It was hard to say whether Yulou's words were meant as a compliment or an insult, but Ningyao smiled happily when she heard them.
That dog Mu Changze, sigh.
Their master hadn't returned all morning. While their senior martial sister minded the shop out front, Yulou and Yu'an continued refining artifacts in the back.
Their cultivation bases weren't high, and their spiritual energy was quite limited. Each of them only refined two items.
Yu'an blew one up during the process, but Yulou succeeded with both of his, successfully embedding four layers of restrictions into each.
These two magical artifacts alone helped him increase a section of golden light, directly filling up about a twentieth of the Ruyi.
Yulou estimated that if he refined this kind of low-grade magical artifact with four layers of restrictions, his mind's Ruyi would be completely filled with golden light after every forty pieces.
For the longest time, he hadn't yet tried to see what kind of benefits he would gain after consuming all the golden light.
Thus, he calculated in his heart that he needed to forge more artifacts and draw more talismans next to fill up the golden light as quickly as possible.
"Brother, you actually succeeded in refining both pieces! Three successes out of four attempts—we can totally set up our own shop!"
Looking at the three-finger-thick low-grade magical artifact, the Purple Copper Spell-Breaking Pestle, in his hands, Yu'an couldn't hide the excitement in his heart.
With a seventy-five percent success rate, if the two of them started their own business, they could actually sustain it.
"Correction: we successfully refined two and a half pieces," Yulou corrected with a smile.
Yu'an's smile vanished instantly.
His personality truly needed more polishing.
"Alright, you stay here and keep Senior Martial Sister Ningyao company. I'm going to check on the Hundred Treasures Pavilion and report the matter of Mu Yingxi's custom magical artifact to Uncle Rongsheng."
Being able to spend more time with Zhong Ningyao, Yu'an naturally wouldn't refuse.
However, looking at the Purple Copper Spell-Breaking Pestle in his hands, he seemed quite reluctant to part with it.
"Brother, how are we supposed to sell these Spell-Breaking Pestles?"
In truth, Yulou had already discussed this matter with Hongmei long ago. Yu'an was only asking because he didn't want to face Hongmei, or rather, he wasn't ready to face Hongmei yet.
Similarly, Hongmei's inexplicable disappearance this morning showed he had absolutely no intention of seeing the two of them, which meant Hongmei hadn't adjusted his mindset either.
Among the master and his two disciples who knew what had happened, only Yulou understood what he wanted and could calmly face these storms and setbacks.
"Just keep them for now. We're still missing two. We'll talk about it after we finish refining them tomorrow."
Initially, Yulou's plan was to sell these simplified version Spell-Breaking Pestles at the Forge Peak Residence, but now, he had some new ideas.
The Hundred Treasures Pavilion, the Hundred Treasures Pavilion... since it had a "hundred treasures," it wouldn't be strange for them to sell magical artifacts, right?
It was just that the quality of this batch of Purple Copper Spell-Breaking Pestles was truly a bit worrisome... that was a big problem.
——
"Are you saying that Mu Changze's daughter wants to commission our Wang Clan to custom-forge a Seven-String Zither magical artifact?"
Hearing the news Yulou brought, Wang Rongsheng was a bit stunned.
This was an opportunity, right?
But this matter... it looked suspiciously like the esteemed Town Guardian Cultivator had once again found an innovative new direction in the field of extorting the locals.
"Yes. I remember that we had two ancestors who both excelled in the sound path, and the Patriarch's proficiency in the Wood Generation Method is also extremely high.
"The Seven-String Zither Mu Yingxi wants needs to be crafted from spirit wood. Our clan lacks neither spirit wood nor profound wood-attribute techniques.
"Considering all this, we can't afford to miss this business opportunity. Therefore, I agreed to it."
Yulou's response left Wang Rongsheng extremely satisfied.
Seeing an opportunity, seizing it, and then successfully fleecing her for a deposit of three hundred spirit stones first.
Yulou didn't just have a talent for business; he was a business genius!
Wang Rongsheng summoned a carrier pigeon and manipulated a spirit pen to write a letter on a sheet of paper hovering in mid-air, instructing Yulou as he wrote,
"I'll contact the Patriarch right now. However, you must know that quoting a price too high can turn a friend into an enemy.
"But everything you told her made sense. In my opinion, it's best if I step forward in the end to bring the price back down to eight hundred spirit stones.
"This way, not only can we make a modest profit, but we can also establish a bit of a connection with the Town Guardian Cultivator.
"The daughter of the Town Guardian Cultivator represents the Town Guardian Cultivator himself, doesn't she?"
"Then... how many spirit stones does Fellow Daoist Yulou think is appropriate?"
There was even a hint of solemnity in the veiled female cultivator Yingxi's tone.
It worked!
"Fellow Daoist Yingxi, it's still too early to discuss the price.
"First, place a deposit of three hundred spirit stones. We will start by discussing the restriction layer requirements and selecting the type of spirit wood.
"You are aware of the characteristics of sound-path magical artifacts. Different restrictions and different base materials have a massive impact on the artifact's power.
"Only after confirming your specific requirements can we give you a reasonable quote.
"This price will certainly exceed eight hundred spirit stones. You must understand, the Wang Clan's mastery in the Wood Generation Method and wooden magical artifacts is worth quite a bit."
It was perfectly logical and reasonable. In the end, he still didn't give a quote; he only stated that it would definitely exceed eight hundred.
Yet, hearing Yulou speak like this actually gave the veiled female cultivator Yingxi a sense of anticipation.
She believed that spending these spirit stones would prove to be worth it.
"Here, this is the deposit of three hundred spirit stones. I want..."
It wasn't until the mysterious veiled female cultivator Yingxi left that Yu'an finally managed to wrap his head around the situation.
A deposit of three hundred spirit stones, handed over just like that? Just who exactly was this female cultivator?
After seeing the female cultivator off, Ningyao returned to the artifact refining furnace. She patted Yulou heavily on the shoulder and said excitedly, "I told you, you're a genius at business!"
Ningyao Shijie's cultivation base was two layers higher than his. Her slap made Yulou stagger, but he quickly steadied himself and voiced the question in his heart.
Zhong Ningyao raised a finger, pointed toward the Prefecture Cultivator's Manor, and whispered, "That person's daughter~"
Yulou was startled at first, but then laughed heartily.
"Hahaha, then I didn't overcharge just now. Asking her for a thousand is merely a break-even price."
It was hard to say if Yulou's words were meant to be good or bad, but upon hearing them, Ningyao also smiled happily.
That dog Mu Changze, sigh.
Their master hadn't returned all morning. Their senior martial sister watched the storefront, while Yulou and Yu'an continued to refine artifacts in the back.
Their cultivation bases weren't high, so their spiritual energy was quite limited. Each of them only managed to attempt two items.
Yu'an botched one, but Yulou successfully refined both of his, managing to embed four restriction layers into each.
These two magical artifacts alone helped him accumulate a segment of golden light, directly filling about one-twentieth of the Ruyi.
Yulou estimated that if he refined this kind of low-grade magical artifact with four restriction layers, the Ruyi in his mind would fill with golden light after every forty items he crafted.
For a long time now, he hadn't tested what kind of benefits he would gain after fully consuming all the golden light.
Thus, he calculated that he needed to refine more artifacts and draw more talismans moving forward to fill up the golden light as soon as possible.
"Brother, you actually succeeded with both! We successfully refined three out of four; we could totally set up our own shop now!"
Looking at the low-grade magical artifact in his hand—the Purple Copper Spell-Breaking Pestle, which was as thick as three fingers—Yu'an couldn't hide his excitement.
A seventy-five percent success rate. If the two of them started their own business, they could genuinely sustain it.
"Correction, we successfully refined two and a half," Yulou laughed.
Yu'an instantly stopped smiling.
His personality really did need a lot more polishing.
"Alright, you stay here and keep Ningyao Shijie company. I'm going to take a look at the Hundred Treasures Pavilion and report the matter of Mu Yingxi's custom magical artifact to Uncle Rongsheng."
Being able to spend more time with Zhong Ningyao was something Yu'an naturally wouldn't refuse.
However, looking at the Purple Copper Spell-Breaking Pestle in his hand, he seemed somewhat reluctant to part with it.
"Brother, how are we supposed to sell these Spell-Breaking Pestles?"
In truth, Yulou had already discussed this matter with Hongmei. Yu'an asking this just meant he didn't want to face Hongmei, or rather, he wasn't ready to face him yet.
Similarly, Hongmei had inexplicably disappeared this morning, showing no intention of seeing the two of them. It was evident that Hongmei hadn't adjusted his own mindset either.
Among the master and two disciples who knew what had happened, only Yulou clearly understood what he wanted and could calmly face these storms and setbacks.
"Let's hold onto them for now. We're still missing two. We'll talk about it tomorrow after we finish refining."
Initially, Yulou's plan was to place these simplified version Spell-Breaking Pestles for sale in Forge Peak Residence. But now, he had some new ideas.
Hundred Treasures Pavilion, Hundred Treasures Pavilion. It's called 'Hundred Treasures' after all; selling a few magical artifacts wouldn't be weird, right?
It was just that the quality of this batch of Purple Copper Spell-Breaking Pestles was truly a bit worrisome... This was a major problem.
—
"Are you saying that Mu Changze's daughter wants to commission our Wang Clan to custom-forge a Seven-String Zither magical artifact?"
Hearing the news Yulou brought, Wang Rongsheng was a bit stunned.
Was this an opportunity?
But this matter... it sounded exactly like the esteemed Town Guardian Cultivator had found yet another innovative new method to scrape the earth bare for wealth.
"Yes. I remember we had two ancestors who excelled in the sound-path, and the Patriarch's Wood Generation Method is also superb.
"The Seven-String Zither Mu Yingxi wants requires spirit wood. Our family lacks neither spirit wood nor profound wood-path techniques.
"Considering all this, we can't afford to miss this business opportunity. So, I agreed to it."
Yulou's response left Wang Rongsheng extremely satisfied.
Seeing an opportunity, seizing it, and first fleecing her for a three-hundred spirit stone deposit.
Yulou didn't just have a talent for business; he was an absolute genius at it!
Wang Rongsheng summoned a messenger pigeon and manipulated a spirit pen, writing a letter on a piece of paper suspended in mid-air while instructing Yulou, "I'll contact the Patriarch right away. However, you must know that quoting too high a price can turn a friend into an enemy.
"But what you said to her also made sense. In my opinion, it's best if I step forward in the end and bring the price back down to eight hundred spirit stones.
"This way, we can make a small profit while also extending some courtesy to the Town Guardian Cultivator.
"The daughter of the Town Guardian Cultivator represents the Town Guardian Cultivator himself, does she not?"