Chapter 14: Young People Are Easily Fooled

Feng Xue followed the two into the main hall, where the gloomy aura had vanished quietly; yet from the white snake's slight shiver, he guessed this place was likely under the protection of some great power.

Glancing at the ancestral tablet beside the eternal lamp, Feng Xue bowed slightly with solemn respect—he wouldn't casually worship anyone else's ancestral master, but courtesy must still be observed.

The two acted as if they hadn't noticed Feng Xue's gesture, leading him straight to a table where guests usually discussed matters and gestured for him to sit.

Seeing Feng Xue seated, the junior brother stood awkwardly to one side, while the senior brother swiftly turned, picked up the kettle resting on the stove, and brewed tea for Feng Xue, casually saying:

"Where might you be from, Mr.?"

"My family has a bit of money, nothing much to do, so I've been traveling. But I've encountered several strange things on the road, so I'm looking to learn some occult arts—not anything too advanced, just enough to avoid those dangers." As he spoke, Feng Xue reached for the teacup, subtly letting his sleeve slip down a little to reveal the expensive-looking gold watch on his wrist.

The senior brother, whose pocket held a pocket watch, his eyes lit up instantly, though his voice remained casual:

"Mr., you've clearly traveled far—you must be tired. Why not stay for a simple meal?"

"Then I won't refuse your kindness." Feng Xue set down the teacup, barely near his lips, nodded slightly, and watched as the two slowly withdrew from the main hall.

Once the two had moved a short distance away, Feng Xue pulled out a pair of earphones, slipped them on, and as gears turned, a faint smile curled at his lips.

…

"Are you crazy? Selling their Cultivation Technique—if the Master finds out…"

"Hey~" The junior brother had barely stepped out of the main hall when he began muttering, but before he finished, the senior brother clapped a hand over his mouth—

"The Master won't be back for three days. If you don't tell and I don't tell, how will he know? This young master clearly has money—more than Old Qin ever had. He doesn't want secret transmissions, just basic introductory techniques. What's wrong with teaching that? Don't you want to buy him some fancy Western lipstick to win Xiao Fang's favor?"

The junior brother seemed swayed, hesitating slightly, but then said:

"Then… how much would be appropriate?"

"Hmm…" The senior brother paused, hesitated, then said awkwardly, "I never thought about it. What do you think's fair?"

The junior brother held up three fingers, then quickly added two more, thrusting his hand forward as if summoning courage—

"Five, five hundred cash?"

"Look at your pitiful ambition!" The senior brother glared at his junior, then said, "Old Qin paid a full tael just to have the Master inspect a burial site! And that was for a site he'd already picked—just to check if it was suitable! Even a Foundation Skill is a livelihood. How could it be less than this?"

"A tael? Isn't that too much?" The junior brother hesitated. The senior brother rolled his eyes:

"You're dreaming! If you want that much, just go buy a house! I said one tael!" He slapped the junior brother's head, then muttered quietly:

"But we sell it—we won't give him the original. Let him copy it here. If he doesn't understand something, we'll explain it. Once he's done copying, money and goods are settled. By the time the Master returns, he'll be long gone. How easy is this money to make?"

"It's easy—but if we get caught, we'll get beaten!"

The junior brother muttered under his breath, then shrank his head as the senior brother shouted, "What did you say?" The two then headed to the kitchen to prepare lunch.

Feng Xue, wearing the "bug" on his ears, nodded in satisfaction but didn't turn off the noisy device—he kept listening.

Though called a bug, it wasn't some high-end spy gadget from a movie—it was a ten-cent item you could buy at any elementary school gate, basically just a sound amplifier.

Of course, his was slightly better than the ones sold near schools—costing about a hundred yuan—but the effect was quite good; the only downside was it was a bit ear-splitting.

But since it concerned personal safety, a little noise was acceptable—Feng Xue understood that well.

As the brothers steamed the rice, their banter-like conversation was replaced by footsteps.

Feng Xue removed the earphones, tucked them into his pocket, and held the teacup without touching the tea. When the brothers entered, he set the cup down again, but their stiff, nervous demeanor made him sigh.

Though young people had low thresholds and were easy to persuade, this reluctance to speak up was frustrating. After a sigh, he finally spoke directly:

"Have you decided?"

Caught out, the two were embarrassed, but the senior brother gritted his teeth and said:

"Mr., we've agreed—we can sell you the Cultivation Technique, but we can't give you the original. You must copy it yourself. Not because we're lazy, but if you copy it wrong, trouble follows. Copying it yourself is safer. Of course, if you have questions, you can ask us—but only within two days. If you accept, we'll sell it."

Feng Xue frowned slightly, watching their tense expressions, then nodded with an "Ah, I see" look:

"Alright. How much do you want?"

"This much!" The senior brother held up one finger but didn't name the amount—he didn't know how much it was worth. Feng Xue knew their bottom line was one tael, yet he said:

"Ten taels? That price is reasonable."

Seeing the junior brother nearly cover his mouth, Feng Xue smiled inwardly but unhesitatingly pulled out a wallet that looked extremely valuable but was worthless, withdrew ten one-tael paper bills, and under the brothers' wide-eyed, gold-lit stares, slipped nine back, leaving only one on the table—

"This is the deposit. Pay three more tenths after copying, and settle the rest once you've learned it. How's that?"

"Perfect! Perfect!"

The junior brother nodded eagerly. The senior brother stomped on his foot, then smiled and nodded:

"Mr., your approach is perfectly reasonable. Lunch isn't ready yet—I'll go get the Cultivation Technique…"

"Not so fast." Feng Xue smiled, adopting a grand gesture. "Since we've agreed to this deal, you two are half my instructors. Today's lunch is on me."

Hearing there was free food, the brothers had no reason to refuse. Remembering how their Master always had clients treat him to meals, they accepted without protest. The junior brother went to turn off the stove, the senior brother wandered twice around the side hall in the back courtyard—no one knew what he did—then the three left the mortuary together.

Feng Xue's invitation wasn't just to complete his persona—it was also a safety consideration. Though the brothers' conversation had seemed normal, who knew if the meal would be safe? He wasn't afraid of poison that killed or shortened life—but if it were a mind-altering or madness-inducing drug, that would be trouble. Better to eliminate the risk outright than carry suspicion.

Besides, a well-dressed wealthy guest dining with the two brothers at a major restaurant in town was also a kind of insurance. Feng Xue knew he had no real connections here—but others didn't.

Regarding this novel's outline: those familiar with me know I'm merely a ghostwriter—the plot is decided by the Dice Mother. This novel is the same.

I wrote the module; the Dice Mother determines the path. For example, at Dr. Lan's place, there's a route to learn techniques; at the mortuary, there's a route with the Master present—where learning is impossible—so you'd go to the shamaness, who may or may not accept you; then there are heretical paths, and so on. Different paths branch into different outcomes. But since the tone differs from my previous two novels, I won't explicitly state where these paths lie.

Simply put, the protagonist's starting profession has four options: "Chu Ma Xian (Specialist)," "Sorcerer (or Mage, most comprehensive)," "Wu Xi (greatest rewards)," and "Heretical Path (most sinister)." If all four fail (unlucky), there's still the grand road of the Demon Sect's Furnace Vessel (laugh). Surprisingly, he passed on the second roll—his luck's not bad.

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(End of Chapter)