Chapter 20: The Profits Have Arrived

The days of cultivating immortality are just this plain and simple.

Cultivate, cultivate, cultivate, and it's still just cultivating.

Sanyin Temple, backyard.

Chen Ci slowly exhaled a breath of turbid air, swallowed a portion of Dragon-Tiger Paste along with some steeped tiger-penis health wine, and the medicinal power slowly dispersed within his body, giving him a warm, heated sensation.

Oh no, it seems I've exposed something.

After ten or so days of practice, that Wind-Chasing Sword had already entered the threshold, though its form of expression on the Gold Finger was slightly different from other techniques.

Basic Sword Technique: Proficient/3/100 (Practice ten times a day, can advance one point; when intent reaches, the sword reaches, one sword can advance one point)

It was not the "Wind-Chasing Sword Technique" from the booklet, but simply "Basic Sword Technique," which was not too difficult to practice; practicing it a few times every day after the Stone Lock Hunyuan Art not only didn't tire him out, but actually helped stretch his muscles and bones.

Even the progress was advancing by leaps and bounds; in just over ten days, it had reached the realm of Proficient, becoming the technique with the most pleasing progress on his panel.

But that was about it.

"It was originally just a sword move from the mortal martial arts world; with my physical fitness, once I practiced these few moves until familiar, it naturally became proficient."

"However, I don't quite understand what this 'when intent reaches, the sword reaches' means. It seems that even for ordinary sword moves, it's not that simple to achieve something."

Chen Ci didn't take it too much to heart; having lived two lifetimes, he couldn't be called a genius, but he was slightly better than the average person, so it was normal not to be able to master it.

Just keep grinding slowly.

Moreover, as these days passed, no outsiders had come to Changping County to look for that man surnamed Ma, nor had he heard of any Ten Immortals Sect apprentices appearing nearby; it seemed this matter had just passed.

"I said it, in this social environment where communication relies entirely on shouting, how could killing someone become known to everyone? As long as one is careful... cough, I didn't mean it like that."

Chen Ci toyed with the Spirit Iron Short Sword in his hand, feeling a slight urge to refine a Dharma sword.

After all, practicing with a sword is indeed quite cool.

A single sword's frost chilling fourteen provinces—this is also a man's romance.

As far as he knew, among the thousand mountains and thousand methods of the He Mountain Sect, there were two Dharma swords that even Qi Refining cultivators could refine, and if refined to a high level, it was not impossible to nurture them into flying sword Dharma treasures.

The Five Poisons White Bone Sword, and the Hundred Spirits Poison Dragon Sword.

The former requires using five types of extremely violent poisons to slowly torture people to death; the corpses of these people contain resentment and poisonous smoke, and by using these remains to refine a Dharma sword, a single prick can poison an unprepared cultivator, and without an antidote, the cultivator will soon melt into blood, which is truly miserable.

The Hundred Spirits Poison Dragon Sword is similar, requiring the venom and bones of a hundred of the most poisonous snakes to refine; the effect is much the same, and one can win by letting the enemy smell a trace of the poisonous smoke released during a duel, both following the unorthodox path of poisoning everything with one sword.

"Forget it, I'll wait until I'm rich in the future to get a normal flying sword to play with."

"These two Dharma swords are truly disgraceful, and besides, I don't have the corresponding refining methods."

Chen Ci felt a bit melancholy; flying Dharma artifacts, fairy maidens and demonesses, and now he had to add a flying sword.

He didn't know when these little goals, aside from the path to Longevity, would ever be realized.

"Fortunately, there are no Dharma treasure loans or flying sword loans in this world."

Chen Ci shook his head violently, casting this deadly thought to the back of his mind.

"Bang, bang, bang."

"Master, the Head of the Family of the Huang Family requests an audience."

The Huang Family, what Huang Family?

Chen Ci was just about to wave his hand when he suddenly remembered that today seemed to be the day for the end-of-month settlement with the Wenxiang Sect.

"As expected of the Wenxiang Sect, the smell of this money is truly fragrant..."

"But a mere fifteen thousand taels of silver shouldn't be taken too quickly, cough, must be a bit more reserved."

"This humble old man, Huang Defa, pays his respects to True Person Chen."

The Head of the Family of the Huang Family was a ruddy-faced old man, looking to be over sixty, but he was full of spirit and exuded a capable temperament.

Zhoutian Consummation, a cultivation level of roughly having just opened one aperture.

Chen Ci sensed it slightly and raised his hand to return the greeting: "Daoist Huang, no need for such formalities."

Since he had opened an aperture, he was a fellow practitioner; a cultivator should still have this much grace, but this Head of the Family of the Huang Family was past his prime and his blood and Qi were declining; it was likely this method of opening the Zhoutian aperture was not something he had cultivated himself, so it was estimated he would have difficulty making any further progress on the path.

"This humble old man dares not overstep."

Huang Defa's attitude was respectful: "True Person Chen, this old man has come today to deliver this month's goods payment. Deacon Lin has said that all matters should be centered around True Person Chen; I wonder if the True Person has any requirements?"

"How so?"

"Although the monthly goods payment is not a huge sum, Changping County is remote, and it is not very convenient to spend real gold and silver."

Huang Defa explained: "If the True Person has needs, the Huang Family can deliver gold or silver; additionally, there are silver notes and gold notes from the Great Liang, which can be exchanged in any prefecture city, though a two-percent exchange fee is required. It depends on which one the True Person needs."

A two-percent exchange fee, that's a two-percent service charge; a bit unscrupulous.

But compared to moving thousands or hundreds of catties of real gold and silver back and forth, it was not unacceptable.

Chen Ci rubbed his chin and asked: "Can it be delivered in Spirit Pearls or Divine Sand?"

"It is possible; Deacon Lin has also given instructions regarding this matter."

Huang Defa paused before continuing: "However, because the price of gold fluctuates, the Huang Family is willing to exchange it at the price of one hundred and five taels of gold, but a ten-percent fee is required."

Ten percent!

Chen Ci's brows furrowed slightly, and he calculated with his fingers; that would be a service fee of fifteen hundred taels of silver per month, which was about the price of a little over a catty of Five Elements Divine Sand.

But if he went to the prefecture city to exchange it himself, it would take five or six days to go back and forth, so when calculated this way, it was actually about the same.

My heart hurts, I can't breathe.

Chen Ci pondered for a moment before nodding with difficulty: "Fine, just deliver it in spiritual items every month."

"True Person Chen, please forgive me; this is the rule set by Deacon Lin, and this humble old man has no choice."

Huang Defa was an old fox and naturally saw the change in Chen Ci's expression, so he quickly stood up to apologize: "If it is spiritual items, they can arrive in about three days, at which time this humble old man will deliver them personally."

"Mm."

Chen Ci waved his hand, and Huang Defa took his leave very consciously.

A family that was already not wealthy, now suffering from frost on top of snow.

"One Spirit Pearl less per month means twelve in a year, and thirty-six in three years; round that up and it's one hundred."

"That guy surnamed Lin is truly a piece of work!"

However, it seems the Wenxiang Sect has quite a bit of influence; I might be able to quietly look into it next time I go to the prefecture capital.

Chen Ci sighed; he used to be the one fleecing others, but this time he was the one being fleeced. This world, it just doesn't allow honest people to live a little better.

Practicing cultivation is still the best; once my cultivation level is high enough, I'll fleece it all back.

Three days later.

"True Person Chen, this is the Abyssal Sinking Sand from the Five Elements Divine Sand. Would you like to count it?"

The Head of the Family of the Huang Family respectfully presented a bag of divine sand.

Chen Ci reached out to take it, weighed the Five Elements Divine Sand in his hand, looked at Huang Defa to the side, and suddenly asked: "Daoist Huang, what is the meaning of this? The weight of this divine sand seems a bit off, doesn't it?"

(End of chapter)