Chapter 173: Need More Money

"A guest introduced by Liaison Officer Liu came to the shop to repair a blade; it is He Lingchuan, the eldest son of the newly appointed Xiazhou Superintendent, He Chunhua. Master Li says he needs to use Upper-grade Yu Gold; additionally..."

The words were interrupted by the person behind the curtain: "Wait a moment, the new Superintendent of Xiazhou, and his surname is He?" The voice carried a hint of interest. "The former Governor of Qiansong County?"

"It should be. Young Master He's attendant boasted just now that National Master Sun was taken down by the He father and son."

"Oh? I only know that He Chunhua put in great effort and risked his life to enter the Panlong Desert; how did his eldest son also have a hand in it?" The person behind the curtain laughed. "Could it be just boasting?"

"This, I do not know." Steward Zhao only knew his own job. "Master Li says the broken blade he brought out is a Spirit Tool, and the heart-eye is still awake. Master Li, please speak."

Li Fubo stepped forward and said respectfully: "The Spirit Tool Young Master He wants to repair is a ring-pommel blade, not in the style of this dynasty. The blade is long, the weight is heavy, and the ring-pommel is a flood dragon, not the common 'Yazi'. It broke one-third of the way down from the tip, but the heart-eye is awake; it not only recognizes its master but also has a deep bond with Young Master He."

The person behind the curtain asked: "The blade is broken, yet the heart-eye is still awake?" After saying this, he took a book from the shelf on the side.

"Awake. So to repair the blade, one must use Yu Gold and employ the Blade-Planting technique."

"Steward Zhao, what kind of person do you think this Young Master He is?"

"He is only sixteen or seventeen, high-spirited, and seems no different from ordinary wealthy young masters." There was really nothing to say about a youth of this age; newborn calves all thought they were the best in the world, and those who were humble and polite were rare as phoenix feathers and unicorn horns.

The person behind the curtain scoffed: "An ancient Spirit Tool that recognizes a sixteen or seventeen-year-old, wet-behind-the-ears wealthy young master as its master?"

Li Fubo replied: "Perhaps he has some fate."

"This He father and son are quite interesting." The person behind the curtain drew out his tone. "Using Jade Gold to repair a Spirit Tool can be considered making the best use of everything. However, He Chunhua was originally just a governor of a poor, bitter frontier land; could his son have scraped together so much money to repair a blade? What a pity. Steward Zhao, you should sell him another weapon instead, give him a lower discount, and say it's Songyang Prefecture acknowledging his meritorious service."

Steward Zhao said "Ah": "I originally tried to persuade him this way, but Young Master He brought out National Master Sun's Purple Gold Pestle and asked us to appraise it."

The person behind the curtain closed the book with a *snap*, his tone suddenly rising: "What did you say, Sun Fuping's Purple Gold Pestle?!"

Both of them replied "Yes" in unison. Li Fubo confirmed: "It has already been verified; it is indeed this precious pestle, and it is completely undamaged!"

"How could..." The person behind the curtain was no longer calm, but the following words were too low for either of them to hear.

Steward Zhao added: "Such a treasure, with the added fame, would be a treasure of the shop if we acquired it. Lord, we must not miss this."

Silence behind the curtain.

The two of them could only wait.

After a good while, this Lord said: "You are right, we must not miss it. Steward Zhao, exchange the Yu Gold for him, and also gift him thirty jin of Gold Mud for blade maintenance."

"The Lord is generous." Steward Zhao said, and retreated with Li Fubo.

After he left, the person behind the curtain neither played the zither nor read the book, but just leaned on the couch, staring out the window in a daze.

What kind of person was Sun Fuping, what kind of supernatural powers, what kind of ambition, yet in the end, he died in a frontier desert, killed by a little-known minor official, and even his beloved magic tool was snatched away and now brought here to be exchanged for money.

Heh, exchanging the Purple Gold Pestle for money. If Sun Fuping knew about this in the underworld, he probably wouldn't be able to keep his coffin lid down, right?

However, what exactly happened in the desert? After more than a quarter of an hour, Steward Zhao came again, but empty-handed.

His words were also a bit hesitant: "Lord, Young Master He demands an additional one hundred thousand."

"What?"

"He said the value of the Purple Gold Pestle is far above the Yu Gold and Gold Mud, and the exchange is unfair, so... need more money." Steward Zhao coughed lightly. "I argued on grounds of reason, but Young Master He said the Purple Gold Pestle is a hot commodity; if it can't be sold here, he will go to another Tool Sect."

"You lost your composure in front of the Purple Gold Pestle, didn't you?" The person behind the curtain was dissatisfied. "This kid is the one who knows how to open his mouth like a lion."

Steward Zhao felt ashamed and stammered, unable to speak. He had appraised treasures for many years; logically, he shouldn't show his joy or contempt, so as not to be taken advantage of by outsiders. But a wealthy young master from the countryside was actually able to take out the Purple Gold Pestle, which broke his defenses in one go.

This was the personal magic tool of Sun Fuping, the former National Master and good partner of the Grand Marshal, who almost turned the capital upside down!

Just this one point could create plenty of hype. Not to mention its terrifying power in the hands of a great expert.

Such a heavy treasure, no wonder he lost his composure.

The person behind the curtain also knew this point. After thinking about it, he said: "Fine, give him the one hundred thousand, and waive the casting fee. During the blade-planting period, order Li Fubo to stay by his side."

Steward Zhao let out a soft hiss.

When would the Lord ever offer such generous conditions to others? He reminded: "I see that this Young Master He will only stay in Shi Huan for a short while."

"Hmm, the blade-planting takes a long time; let Li Fubo repair the blade and then return." The person behind the curtain thought for a moment. "I have a few instructions; you convey them to him."

This meant Li Fubo was to follow Young Master He everywhere? Steward Zhao bowed after hearing this and turned to carry it out.

He Lingchuan was also a bit surprised by the reply Steward Zhao brought back.

In his view, an additional one hundred thousand was still a bit low, but Li Fubo said that those thirty jin of Gold Mud were worth at least a few thousand silver. This was also an indispensable base material for blade-planting.

Steward Zhao explained: "To plant crops, you need nutrition and soil; planting a blade is the same. Yu Gold is the nutrition, and Gold Mud is the soil; both are indispensable. Under normal circumstances, after you buy the Yu Gold, you also have to buy the Gold Mud."

He Lingchuan thought silently in his heart, how does soilless cultivation count? Liaison Officer Liu whispered to He Lingchuan privately, but this time he also spoke for the other side: "Young Master, Master Craftsman Li is following you; this is a good thing you couldn't find even if you held a lantern!"

The thing that moved He Lingchuan the most was also this point: Li Fubo would follow him all the way until the broken blade was repaired before returning to Shi Huan.

Songyang Prefecture was a bona fide Tool Sect, and the status of the chief craftsman of the middle furnace was very high, like the head elder of a certain peak of an immortal sect in the ancient times. Such a person couldn't just come out to work casually. If He Lingchuan hadn't shown the Spirit Tool, he wouldn't have even been able to see Li Fubo's face, let alone have this great craftsman follow him north to Xiazhou.

There was no need to think about it; even if Li Fubo agreed for the sake of money, Songyang Prefecture wouldn't let go.

If he went to look for another Tool Sect to repair the blade, whether they had this technique or could repair it well was another matter. Li Fubo had already said that the blade-planting method would take a few months at the shortest, and one or two years at the longest to complete. That meant he would have to leave the broken blade in Shi Huan City and come back to retrieve it in half a year or a year or two.

With such a long time span, would there be any changes? Even if the Tool Sect had a good reputation, the current Yuan Nation could definitely not be called peaceful; there were natural and man-made disasters every few days. Hong Xiangqian's rebel army almost crossed the Hong River to the south and pressed toward Shi Huan City; the Grand Marshal had also rebelled not long ago and almost took the capital. If He Lingchuan left the broken blade in Shi Huan City, in case of war and chaos, would he still have the confidence to get it back?

Moreover, he had already pinned most of his future cultivation prospects on the Panlong Illusion; he couldn't be separated from his beloved blade for even a moment.

So when the condition of "Master Craftsman Li following north" was put forward, He Lingchuan knew he couldn't refuse; this was no longer a matter of money.

"Good, it's a deal!" He Lingchuan was also very straightforward, pushing the Purple Gold Pestle forward. "This belongs to Songyang Prefecture now."

Steward Zhao happily accepted it, and turned to order someone to bring out the Yu Gold and Gold Mud prepared in the back hall.

To He Lingchuan's surprise, this metal worth over one hundred thousand silver was actually a black lump, looking like a big piece of coal, with no metallic luster at all. If it weren't for the fact that Li Fubo would be following him the whole way, He Lingchuan would have almost doubted Songyang Prefecture's integrity.

Mao Tao was also dumbfounded: "Th-this is Yu Gold?"

"Don't judge a book by its cover; it's not like this on the inside either," Li Fubo said.

The Gold Mud was true to its name, looking like golden seal paste, without a single impurity. Steward Zhao introduced that this was actually a mixture of various heavenly materials and earthly treasures in a certain proportion; every Tool Sect had a different recipe for Gold Mud, and the effects varied in quality. The one produced by Songyang Prefecture was naturally of the highest quality, honest and fair, and so on.

He Lingchuan collected both items and signed a contract with Steward Zhao. Because the content was about Li Fubo, the great craftsman also signed and pressed his handprint on it, and then said to He Lingchuan: "Young Master He, please give me your guidance in the future."

He Lingchuan smiled, in an exceptionally good mood. Who would have expected that coming to the Tool Sect to repair a broken blade would end up with a great craftsman? He was also very curious: "Your Lord is truly too polite; I should thank him in person."

Steward Zhao conveyed the original words: "The Lord said, if there is fate, we will surely meet again; Young Master He need not be anxious."

He sent the three of them to the main gate of Songyang Prefecture before respectfully saying goodbye. Li Fubo had to go back to pack his luggage and would naturally come to find them at the inn where the He family was staying tomorrow.

He Lingchuan got back into the carriage and tossed a tael of silver to Liaison Officer Liu: "This matter was handled well." He then asked Liaison Officer Liu, "Is the Tool Sect in Shi Huan City always so polite to people?"

"How is that possible?" Liaison Officer Liu laughed. "The big shots in the Dao Sect are often indifferent to the officials of the Royal Court. Although Songyang Prefecture does business, they focus on fairness and integrity, and there is no such thing as humility and respect. I have dealt with that Steward Zhao several times, and he always looked at people with his nostrils; when has he ever smiled so fawningly as today?"

He also felt proud: "In my opinion, it is still the treasure Young Master He brought out that has weight; even the Marquis of Songyang has to look at you with three parts more respect."

He Lingchuan laughed, looking very self-satisfied: "It seems Sun Fuping was quite successful around the capital; even his magic tool comes with a halo."

"That is the National Master, the person who coordinates the destiny of a nation; no joke! For the past twenty years, even princes and nobles had to be respectful when they saw him." Liaison Officer Liu bowed to him. "The He family was actually able to kill him; truly a father and son of a military family, Heaven blesses Great Yuan!"

Updates daily around 12:00 noon; this book is first published on Qidian Chinese Network.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 174 =====