bestfiction Chapter 43 The Shopkeeper Appears Again 2
Chapter 43 The Shopkeeper Appears Again 2
Seven days have passed, and Zhong Ming is stuck at an awkward juncture.
After a period of intense cultivation, he quickly reached the peak of the second level of Qi Refining. If he were to break through to the next level at the Taoist temple, he would not be able to return to the riverbank and the Jishuishan Mine on time.
He had mastered the art of using the mirror-polishing brick. With his master's help, he had placed certain restrictions on it to conceal the excessive spiritual power. It could not only be used to polish longswords, but also to nurture any treasure with a form.
It can be said that he has entered the realm of nurturing artifacts.
In the words of my master.
This path isn't particularly difficult, nor does it require transforming an ordinary weapon into a divine one to achieve mastery. It can also be achieved through quantity; the more types of weapons one has nurtured, the more proficiency one can gain.
Zhong Ming knew that his master's words meant he agreed to let him join the army.
Xiao Zhao gave it to him.
The two rowed the small boat toward the riverbank, and Xiao Zhao thoughtfully repeated the old Taoist priest's instructions.
"After you get there, first accumulate military merits, then prioritize exchanging for language jade slips, you remember that, right?"
I remember that although Zhong Ming was not very literate, he could understand the meaning of the jade slip directly when he injected spiritual energy into it, which made it very useful.
The same applies to language jade slips. They allow direct understanding of a language, but the amount of information is enormous, requiring a long time to digest, and few cultivators are willing to do this kind of thankless and arduous task.
This is the benefit of militarization. The Chen Dynasty has extraordinary ambition. This unprofitable deal is subsidized with special spirit stones so that when a large number of cultivators are recruited and hired during wartime, they can be quickly integrated into the army.
What's a little extra money if we win the war?
War is a continuation of politics, and politics is a collection of interests.
Similarly, there are also a series of jade slips containing information on the identification and use of common standard weapons, the forms of military orders, etc., which can quickly train cultivators into members of the army.
"Master also said that after you finish learning the language, you should exchange for some commonly used spells. Don't rush to learn flying spells for now, as your spiritual power is too low. First, learn skills like scaling walls and walking on water, which will be useful for escaping. You also need to learn the Records of Monster Encounters and the Book of Rare Treasures..."
After rambling on and on, and with each chime of the bell, Xiao Zhao hadn't finished speaking by the time the small boat docked at the riverbank.
Just then, Zhong Ming remembered something else.
I brought a black harbinger fish as a gift when I visited the mine last time. Should I bring something this time too?
So, on the deserted riverbank, one person talked incessantly, while another stared intently at the river, trying to catch a few fish.
After a stick of incense.
“Zhongming, we will wait for you to come back. Don’t push yourself too hard. You are, after all, a disciple of our Taoist temple. You went out to travel without studying the Taoist scriptures. I believe the Taoist priest has made arrangements, but it’s still better to be cautious. That’s my opinion. Well, I wish you a safe journey.”
Xiao Zhao handed him a storage bag, then waved goodbye. The small boat gradually sailed away on the undulating river, eventually becoming a small black dot.
Zhong Ming held the storage bag in his hand, his heart filled with mixed emotions.
Ginger is still old and spicy.
You're a disciple from a legitimate Taoist temple, the kind with a single lineage, who would believe you don't have a storage bag?
The old Taoist priest simply gave him one, so that others would hardly notice the storage stone denture.
This storage bag looks big, but it doesn't actually hold much space. It's about the size of a cupboard, and it's just enough to hold some clothes and bottles.
He threaded a rope through the storage bag, wrapped it around his arm, and hid it inside his sleeve. Zhong Ming looked around and saw that the speed at which the people of Yunzhou were being evacuated was beyond his expectations. There were no fishing boats to be seen on the riverbank.
According to the boatman, the bandits were going to go upstream on the Juejiang River, and their speed wouldn't be too fast. He wondered if they could get the boatmen by the roadside to pull the boat.
The boatmen would certainly be willing to do it, but the roads would definitely be very congested.
Thinking of this, Zhong Ming strode forward and went to check out the small shop first.
After running around on the ground for a while, he jumped onto a big tree and looked around. He quickly found the small shop and, to his surprise, there were still people there.
He quietly approached and discovered that it was the waiter tidying up.
"Oh, you haven't left yet? If you start evacuating now, walking will be quite difficult."
"Master." Upon seeing the newcomer, the waiter immediately stepped forward and bowed respectfully. "My father and the others have already gone ahead. I'm just responsible for packing up the remaining pickled goods to take away. Although they're not worth much, every little bit helps."
He smiled sheepishly.
Perhaps it's a pretense, or perhaps it's a way of relaxing.
Zhong Ming looked at the long table, which had four large earthenware jars on it and a wooden cart next to it. There were also figures inside the shop, so there should be more than one person.
"Oh, I see. Well, your job must be a bit strenuous. Why don't you just sell it to me?"
"If you want it, Immortal Master, you don't need to mention 'selling' it. I can just give it to you directly."
"No, no, no, even brothers should keep clear accounts; it's just about spending money."
As Zhong Ming spoke, he laid out a few pieces of silver and bought a jar of pickled fish intestines and a jar of pickled scallions.
Pickled fish intestines are something that might unexpectedly become a hit, while pickled scallions simply taste good.
"The Immortal Master is back? Would you like to come with us?" Two people came out of the house, carrying several rows of smoked fish.
There was even a smokehouse inside! Zhong Ming hadn't gone in to see it last time, so he really didn't expect that.
"How about you sell me two rows of your smoked fish?"
The two men looked thin, but they were actually quite strong. They picked out two rows of smoked fish, all of them large.
“Immortal Master, it’s not that we don’t want to sell to you, it’s just that you bought so many things at once, it’s not easy to carry them all, and given our situation, we don’t have time to deliver them to your door.”
That means they don't want to sell.
Having walked the streets and alleys for so many years, Zhong Ming understands a basic principle: merchants will never easily reveal their dissatisfaction; they will find another reason to decline. Otherwise, wouldn't they be severely pressured to lower the price if their bottom line was taken into account?
It doesn't matter, I have my own skills.
"Thump~~thump".
A golden bean landed on the long table and bounced a few times.
The eyes of the three men also blinked a few times as it did.
Gold!
"Master, you've gone to too much trouble. We can't accept this." The three of them swallowed hard at the same time.
Zhong Ming looked at them with a smile.
cool!
That's cool!
Secret technique: Treat others with sincerity.
Explanation: To throw money at someone.
In terms of real value, this single gold bean is only worth a few strings of copper coins. Buying these large fish to make smoked fish would actually cost only 10% to 20% more.
But who buys fish with gold?
This is a little trick used by merchants to obscure the concept of money.
These small merchants were very good at calculating with copper coins, but with the less common gold, they needed to convert it. The weight of gold beans would definitely not be an integer, making it even more troublesome.
Zhong Ming had more to think about than just that. If he could set his own prices, he would announce that thirteen copper coins would be exchanged for one copper coupon, seven copper coupons for one copper ticket, and seventy-nine copper tickets to buy your fish. He would guarantee that the fishmonger would be so confused by the calculations that he would hand over the goods without even realizing it.
"Immortal Master, where are you going? Let us consider whether there is enough time to deliver the goods to you."
"No need," Zhong Ming said, assuming a horse stance, holding his breath, raising his arms and slowly lowering them, before shouting:
"Behold my magical powers, a universe within my sleeve!"
He brushed his arm across the two earthenware jars and quietly put them into his storage bag.
The three exchanged a glance and exclaimed in unison, "The Immortal Master's Taoist magic is truly boundless!"