Chapter 679

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Protagonist:

Shen Yao

"Amitabha, esteemed patrons, long time no see."

Master Yuan Kong had a kind and approachable appearance, truly a high monk of Huang Jue Si.

Everyone exchanged greetings, and Lin Xingzhi asked first why Master Yuan Kong had appeared on the road instead of staying at Huang Jue Si in Jingcheng.

"Hey, what else could it be? How did the Old Taoist come here back then? Master Yuan Kong came here today for the same reason."

Daoren Changsheng was old and cunning; he could not know anyone, but he absolutely could not not know his old rival, Huang Jue Si.

Lin Chengjing's talent was conspicuous, and Lin Chengyan and Lin Chengjue shared the same mother as him—could they possibly be mediocre?

It was also because back then in the palace, Daoren Changsheng had not striven as wholeheartedly as the abbot of Huang Jue Si, nor relaxed the requirements; otherwise, today he would not have only one closed-door disciple, but three outstanding disciples, and the prosperity of the Dao Guan in its long rivalry with the Buddhist temple would be within reach.

Master Yuan Kong heard Daoren Changsheng's words and only smiled without speaking, neither agreeing nor opposing.

Seeing this, Daoren Changsheng became even more displeased; those fine seedlings should have been his Daoist Sect's!

Lin Xingzhi and Shen Yao:...

The couple did not know whether to be happy or worried; the good news was that their three children had clear prospects, not inferior to imperial princes and princesses in status, nor afraid of any blind person or demon provoking them in personal strength; the bad news was that a bright future could not rely on talent alone—it required effort to realize, and for a long time, all three would have to leave their parents and live independently.

No matter what the future held, with Master Yuan Kong joining the group, safety was further guaranteed.

It was just that Daoren Changsheng would pester Master Yuan Kong to debate various sects' methods whether he had business or not; both were gentlemen, moving only their mouths and not their hands, but whenever they got into it, the aura they unconsciously emitted made ordinary people suffer terribly.

Not only Lin Chengjing, but even Lin Chengyan and Lin Chengjue, who focused on play, were bundled off to the two high persons' sides to deepen their understanding while cultivating.

Only a few Daoist Sect disciples completely gave up struggling; it could only be said that the world of geniuses was not suited for ordinary people, the gap in talent and comprehension was like a chasm between heaven and earth.

Daoren Changsheng no longer demanded of the few Dao Guan disciples as strictly as he had of Lin Chengjing; instead, he seemed to let them cultivate on their own, offering guidance only at key moments, otherwise leaving them free and unrestrained.

Huizhou Cheng

This was a city that made its living by producing ink; men, women, old and young in the city all had ink-making skills, and even the ink used by the royal family in Jingcheng came from Huizhou.

As the carriages and horses entered the city, from afar they smelled a fragrance of ink, light and faint, lingering long without dispersing.

"Wangye, Wang Fei"

The officials of Huizhou Cheng were respectful in attitude, no different from other cities.

Lin Xingzhi received Huizhou's specialty product that day, Yu Ling Ink, always sent as tribute to Jingcheng.

The ink block was only palm-sized; not only did the ink ground from it have a fragrance that lasted all year, but the words written with it were also wondrously floating.

Shen Yao leaned half over the desk curiously to observe Lin Xingzhi writing a secret letter with Yu Ling Ink, and in her heart she grew even more curious about the Yu family who could produce Yu Ling Ink.

"This Yu family wouldn't be jade that has become a spirit, would it?" The system thought it very likely; the demonic energy hidden in Yu Ling Ink was faint to the point of being negligible, but the Yu Ling Qi was abundant enough to overflow.

Although Yu Ling Qi was a type of demonic energy, it could not be lumped together with demonic energy; it was an extremely special kind of qi that only gold and jade objects could give birth to.

There was too much Yu Ling Qi in Yu Ling Ink; it must have come into contact with it during the production process, and the Yu family on the surface could definitely not escape.

"Perhaps it is even higher than jade becoming a spirit—there might be a living Spirit Vein."

System:...

The system indicated that the host's imagination was too big; this was not the Immortal Cultivation World, a living Spirit Vein? How many Jade Mines would it take to form one? Jade becoming a spirit was more reliable.

Shen Yao:...

"Xingzhi thinks, how are the officials of Huizhou Cheng?" Looking at Lin Xingzhi who had already laid his hairbrush flat, Shen Yao asked with a smile about their next focus.

"Yao Niang thinks, how is this piece of calligraphy?" Lin Xingzhi picked up the paper written with Yu Ling Ink and handed it to Shen Yao.

"Truly living up to its name; the great name of Yu Ling Ink makes Xingzhi's calligraphy even more light, graceful, free, and unrestrained." It was not a formula of one plus one equals two, but one plus two greater than three; the spirit of Yu Ling Ink added spiritual energy to the calligraphy, like putting a buff on the whole.

"Yes, so Huizhou Cheng is very important to Li Guo, especially the production and output of Yu Ling Ink," it could not be too little, nor too much.

Shen Yao heard the meaning behind Lin Xingzhi's words; the urgent priority for Huizhou Cheng was to maintain stability, and anything else could be postponed.

The old saying goes: if those above like something, those below will do it even more.

Yu Ling Ink was a tribute, exclusive to the royal family, and also a facade object pursued by many high-ranking nobles and rich merchants.

Every year, one-third of the abundant Yu Ling Ink produced in Huizhou Cheng was sent to Jingcheng as tribute, and the remaining two-thirds were sold at high prices to the ruling class of Li Guo's regions.

Of course, most of the money exchanged would enter the Guo Ku or Private Treasury through various means, becoming property the emperor could dispose of at will.

In other words, Huizhou Cheng was the emperor's money bag, just like Floating Clouds City back then.

Then, repeat the old events of Floating Clouds City?

Back then, Floating Clouds City was not what Lin Xingzhi truly wanted; it was purely that some officials inside were not human.

Huizhou Cheng was different from Floating Clouds City; the officials here were smarter, not like Floating Clouds City where they reversed guest and host and did not even understand their own status.

Lin Xingzhi began his daily inspection outings; the officials of Huizhou Cheng all accompanied him, and not only the top priority Yu Ling Ink, but even other less famous inks would be brought for Lin Xingzhi to tour.

Lin Chengyan and the three children were cultivating with Daoren Changsheng and Master Yuan Kong.

Shen Yao had nothing to do, so she simply brought her servants out to stroll the streets and see the local specialties of Huizhou Cheng.

"Princess Highness, this is Huizhou's specialty gauze silk," light and thin on top, with many gold and silver threads added inside, dazzling but not glaring under the sunlight.

Shen Yao raised her hand to touch it, casually humming and nodding.

Seeing this, the shopkeeper's eyes brightened again and again, and he hurriedly instructed the shop assistant to pack it carefully; they must not offend this noble guest.

Who did not know that Princess Jing spent money freely? It had only been a few days since she came to Huizhou Cheng, and on one street in South City, there was no one who did not know this Princess Highness, showing the importance of the God of Wealth in their hearts.

"Hmm? What is this?"

Shen Yao passed by a covered counter, inside which were all piled-up fabrics, with old colors and unappealing patterns.

But hidden among them was a piece of gauze silk that felt different to the touch from the others.

It was a pale pink, dotted with pearl-like ornaments, and Shen Yao found it curious—how could gauze woven by Fish People appear in an inland city like Huizhou Cheng?

Seeing Shen Yao casually unfold this piece of gauze, the shopkeeper's face clearly showed panic, and the shop assistants around him were all fearful and anxious, wanting to speak but held back by the shopkeeper's presence, so they could only desperately choose to lower their heads and keep silent.

Shen Yao raised an eyebrow at the sight, had the servant take this bolt of gauze from the counter, then turned and began selecting other fabrics.

"Princess Jing Highness"

The shopkeeper stepped forward toward Shen Yao, but was stopped by the servants' outstretched hands at three meters away.

"Shopkeeper, to be honest, this Princess Consort believes you must know the origin of that bolt of gauze."

Shopkeeper:...

He did indeed know, after all, he had bought this bolt of gauze back then because he misjudged it and was greedy for cheapness, and in the end couldn't sell it and lost money.

"Replying to Princess Consort Highness, this bolt of gauze was sold by a guest from the outer city; at the time, this petty person was blinded by greed and thought it was something valuable, so I spent a considerable sum to buy it."

The shopkeeper said while licking his mouth corner; what came next was truly strange, and if these things hadn't truly happened right before his eyes, he would also find it hard to believe.

"This bolt of gauze, this petty person sold it three times, and each time it changed hands, it would return to the shop at noon the next day," the shopkeeper opened and closed his mouth, his voice still unconsciously trembling slightly.

In the end, the gauze simply couldn't be sold, and the previous buyers were no pushovers either; the shopkeeper lost money and apologized before finally settling the matter.

If it weren't for Shen Yao happening to dig it out today, this bolt of gauze might not see the light of day for who knows when.

"Princess Consort Highness, please allow this petty person to report: I clearly placed it at the very bottom of the old stock, so how could Princess Jing Highness see it and find it?"

Shen Yao smiled lightly and calmly, indicating that this bolt of gauze possessed its own spiritual wisdom and would autonomously choose a person of fate.

A person of fate?

The shopkeeper's gaze toward Shen Yao was strange and puzzled, but due to the difference in status between the two parties, he had no choice but to keep silent.

"This Princess Consort already knows of this matter; still, please trouble the shopkeeper to inform us," Shen Yao continued directing the servants to pack up the fabrics she had taken a liking to, then paid in one lump sum and left gracefully.

Watching Princess Jing Highness walk away into the distance, the shopkeeper had not yet spoken when a shop assistant beside him couldn't help but mutter whether that bolt of gauze could come back again. By then, if Princess Consort Highness blamed them, what could we commoners do?

The shopkeeper gave a light hum, "Princess Consort Highness is kind and benevolent; she certainly won't quibble with the likes of us," besides, regarding the matter of the gauze, he had already explained everything; even if they took it away like this, what did it have to do with him, a businessman?

"You don't need to come tomorrow; take a day off," the shopkeeper thought it over again and again, but still felt he couldn't stay in the shop waiting for the result.

No matter whether that bolt of gauze could return at noon tomorrow or not, he would just pretend not to know.

'Pretend not to know? This shopkeeper has a guilty conscience; he's definitely hiding a lot from us.'

The system muttered in Shen Yao's brain, speaking ill of that person just now; the bolt of gauze brought back carried extremely strong spiritual wisdom fluctuations, as if something had been sealed inside.

'Once the seal on the gauze is undone, we will know the whole story,' if bored, one should find some fun for oneself.

Shen Yao led the servants toward another ornament shop of larger scale, continuing her shopping spree.

Returning to the Yi Zhan in the afternoon, she sent the others out; Shen Yao looked at the fabrics piled on the table and used a technique to draw the gauze to her hand.

Grasping a corner of the gauze, Shen Yao continued to cast spells with her fingers; strands of techniques fell upon the gauze, forming a light halo, but were completely absorbed within moments.

After repeating this several times, finally the gauze in Shen Yao's hand trembled slightly, floated in midair, and then blazed with brilliant light.

'Phew, fortunately this room has a forbidden restriction, but this seal is rather vicious; once I help undo it on my end, the other side will surely sense and know.'

Shen Yao wasn't sure how big the trouble behind the gauze was, but someone who could set up such a vicious seal meant that the two sides were definitely in a deadly, irreconcilable existence.

'Host, if someone really comes looking, it saves us time.'

Out of absolute confidence in her own host, the system felt that no matter how big the trouble behind the gauze was, it couldn't threaten the host's safety.

Who knows, maybe this is just an old melon of dog-blood gossip; in a love-brain world, anything could happen.

The light on the gauze slowly dimmed, and finally a black fish head poked out from within.

Pat—

Shen Yao:...

System:...

"Sir, save me!"

Seeing Shen Yao, the black fish spirit cried out with teary eyes.

Waaaaah

"Aren't you a fish demon from Yuan Shui? How could you be sealed inside gauze woven by Fish People?"

Moreover, they had only met two years ago; Yuanshui Cheng was governed flawlessly, and the elixirs she traded with the fish demons left everyone happy, so how could she end up like this? Who did it?

A fish demon from Run River? Or a Great Demon from the sea?

"I, I, I was blinded by lust and couldn't restrain my emotions for a moment."

The black fish demon cried even more sorrowfully, saying that Yuanshui Cheng was doing very well now, Run River was still their backing, but she was greedy and went astray, which led to this calamity she couldn't avoid.

Shen Yao and the system had nothing to say, no retorts to make, because everything here was a retort point.

Simply put, after this black fish demon obtained Shen Yao's elixirs, she was happy all day, but was finally tricked away by a woman from a coastal city; the woman spoke sweet words, the fish demon was bewitched, and in the end lost both wife and soldiers, being sealed in the gauze while the woman made a final profit.

"What are you going to do now?" With all her demonic power drained and her techniques completely lost, she was just a talking black fish.

Black fish demon:...

The black fish demon stammered, asking if she could first travel with the Sir; she had some modest property in her hometown Yuanshui, and when she returned she would definitely repay the Sir's life-saving grace with all her might.

Shen Yao raised a hand to touch her chin, indicating she didn't currently lack these few scraps, but she could help find a few decent temporary backings, guaranteeing the black fish demon could return smoothly to Yuanshui.

Black fish demon:...

Fine fine fine, why not, as long as she can be sent back to Yuanshui!

After being tricked out on a trip and left with nothing, the black fish demon finally experienced the poisonous beating of society; once back in Yuanshui she would enter closed-door cultivation and never travel far again.

Lin Chengyan and the other two obtained a black fish that could speak and was amusing; crucially, this black fish said that if they sent it back to Yuanshui, they would receive all its treasures.

Lin Chengyan and the other two grew up in noble and precious circumstances, so they lacked nothing in treasures, but they were curious—what would Yu Yu's treasures be?

Daoren Changsheng and Yuan Kong Master, as the masters who taught them cultivation, naturally also learned of this black fish demon's remarkable experiences.

The two said nothing, only letting Lin Chengyan and the other two take turns caring for the black fish demon; this would also let them understand the structure of aquatic demons, so that if they ever encountered such a vicious demon in the future, they would know how to strike most conveniently and quickly.

It was just hard on the black fish demon, who officially became a plaything of Lin Chengyan and the other two; every day she lived a full and busy life, with no time to grieve over spring and mourn autumn, her only hope being to return to Yuanshui as soon as possible.