Chapter 46: Waiting

Is this Huang fellow crazy?

Or is he possessed by an evil spirit?

Chen Ci held two Soul Fixing Talismans in his sleeve and kindly handed one over: "The world is unstable lately, and prices have risen. I'll sell you this Soul Fixing Talisman cheaply for six hundred taels of silver."

Huang Defa: "."

"True Person Chen, this old man is fine."

Huang Defa's aged face crumpled into a ball, and he simply knelt on the ground: "This old man is willing to offer up half of the Huang Family's assets; I beg the True Person to take action."

Whoa!

That really is a grand gesture.

Chen Ci pondered for a moment before waving his hand: "Head of the Family Huang, as fellow cultivators, you should stand up to speak."

Huang Defa remained kneeling on the ground, not moving, until Chen Ci gave a cold shout: "Stand up, I told you to stand up."

This Head of the Family Huang, who had once held sway in the martial arts circles of Xishan Prefecture, then stood up with a face full of bitterness.

He looked much older in an instant.

Chen Ci tapped the tabletop, and in a short while, he had roughly sorted out the connections.

It seems this Huang fellow is worried that the matter at Qingquan Village has ties to the Wenxiang Sect, which might lead to an investigation into the Huang Family, and then he'll be done for.

Just as it seems that 'if by chance' good things rarely succeed, while 'if by chance' bad things never fail to happen, this Head of the Family Huang's worry is not without reason, and he has the resolve of a warrior cutting off his own wrist to survive.

But what does that have to do with him?

Though his sword is sharp, he, Chen, is not fond of fighting by nature.

"It is better to rely on oneself than on others; surely Head of the Family Huang doesn't fail to understand even this principle?"

Chen Ci shook his head. Small matters would be one thing, but to come seeking him, an outsider, to resolve such a major issue was truly being a bit ungrateful.

"If Deacon Lin rushes to Changping County, the earliest he can arrive is the beginning of next month. If by chance the high-merit Daoist from Longhu Mountain arrives during this time, True Person Chen, half of my Huang Family's assets is worth..."

"Stop, stop."

Chen Ci waved his hand to interrupt: "I am tired and don't want to hear it. I cannot help with this matter; Head of the Family Huang should think of another way yourself."

"By the way, one thing is one thing, and business is business. It is almost the end of the month; Head of the Family Huang should understand what I mean, right?"

Watching the lonely figure of the Head of the Family Huang as he left, Chen Ci let out a long breath and shook his head helplessly.

One should seek help appropriate to the nature of their relationship; to not understand this point at his age was truly losing face and left both sides quite unhappy.

As for half of the Huang Family's assets...

To be honest, this Huang fellow is a person of some standing, but when it comes to the survival of his family, he has truly become muddled.

If his Huang Family were truly done for, as the local snake of Changping County, wouldn't Sanyin Temple be able to get the share it deserves?

Truly using my own things to ask me to do things for them—what Shen-style talk.

"Sure enough, everything obtained in life has already been marked with a price in the dark."

"The Huang fellow relied on the Wenxiang Sect to break through to Zhoutian Consummation, and look, the price has arrived."

Chen Ci sighed as he walked toward the backyard, deciding to hurry and improve the method of using the Soul Fixing Talisman.

One must rely on oneself.

Huang Mansion.

In a tall building, Huang Defa stood before a window, looking at the myriad lights of Changping County with a dignified expression, no longer the submissive person he was at Sanyin Temple.

Behind him was a middle-aged man who resembled him by five or six parts, his expression somewhat ugly.

"Father, that True Person Chen didn't agree? More than a hundred thousand taels of silver couldn't satisfy him; it really is..."

The middle-aged man was the current manager of the Huang Family, Huang Defa's second son, Huang Yongxing: "You must know that back then, Sanyin Temple's annual income was only ten thousand taels of silver, and they still had to send out carts of wealth to grease palms. If it weren't for our Huang Family..."

"If you don't shut up, this old man will make you kneel to death in the ancestral hall."

Huang Defa threw out a cold sentence.

"But what is the use of shutting up?"

Huang Yongxing stamped his feet in anxiety: "If it really comes to that, we might as well drag that Chen fellow into the water. With the ledger showing over ten thousand taels of silver in monthly turnover, what does it matter if we say he is in cahoots with the Wenxiang Sect?"

"Slap!"

Huang Yongxing was sent flying by a slap and couldn't get up for a long time.

"You bastard, whether this matter will implicate our Huang Family is still uncertain. Even if there is some connection, Longhu Mountain wouldn't go so far as to wipe out an entire family; at most, they would execute the chief culprit and confiscate the family property."

A murderous intent flashed in Huang Defa's eyes: "But if we offend a He Mountain Sect cultivator to death, I fear our Huang Family won't even have a chicken or dog left. If you dare to speak nonsense again, this old man will kill you."

Chen Ci: "." Not necessarily, really not necessarily. The dogs might be finished, but the chickens are so cute, they would still be left behind.

Above the tall building, in a shadow, Chen Ci stood quietly, pressing down on the Five Yin Evil Qi Bag, silent and wordless.

Ever since he was kind and well-intentioned last time but was almost jointly reported by others, Chen Ci knew that in this world, good people are always bullied, just like him.

So Chen Ci wanted to see if the people of the Huang Family would bully his kindness and ignorance of the methods of a He Mountain Sect Apprentice.

"We cannot be anxious. Deacon Lin has invested quite a lot in Changping County and will not easily give up on our Huang Family, as long as we can wait for him to arrive..."

Huang Defa pondered for a moment: "Tomorrow I will prepare some gifts. If the high-merit Daoist from Longhu Mountain arrives early, I will ask True Person Chen to host a banquet to delay them for two days. This small matter that can be done in passing should not be a problem."

It seems he will be sending himself gifts tomorrow.

Chen Ci nodded slightly, his figure flickering a few times before disappearing from the Huang Mansion, heading toward Sanyin Temple. If he returned late, it would delay today's progress in cultivating Three Yin True Qi.

However, looking at it this way, there might really be something in Qingquan Village related to the Wenxiang Sect.

This is getting interesting. Originally, he thought only a high-merit Daoist from Longhu Mountain would come, but now it seems someone might be even more anxious.

"Medicinal herbs...?"

Chen Ci pondered for a while, then shook his head. He hadn't even mastered refining Bigu Pills yet; even if there were some heaven-sent treasures, they had nothing to do with him.

"I will draw more Soul Fixing Talismans during this time to store up. The world is restless, and a freshly made Soul Fixing Talisman has risen to eight hundred taels. Is this reasonable? This is very reasonable."

"I truly have a talent for business. The marketplace is indeed a good place!"

Five days later.

Sanyin Temple.

From the apprehension of half a month ago, to the anticipation of the past few days, and now to the helplessness of today, Chen Ci truly felt how the times and circumstances had changed.

Why haven't they come yet?

Whether it was the high-merit Daoists from Longhu Mountain or Lin Banshan of the Wenxiang Sect, neither had actually shown their faces.

He had several Soul Fixing Talismans in his hand that were almost expired, for goodness' sake.

Chen Ci even began to wonder if he had been making too much of a fuss; in the eyes of others, was Qingquan Village not a matter of any consequence at all?

Two more days passed, and Chen Ci still hadn't waited for the fellow practitioners from Longhu Mountain and the Wenxiang Sect, but instead, he waited for the large haul of wild game delivered by Shi Sanniang.

Good heavens, the wild game delivered this time was truly substantial: a pair of fierce tigers, three wild boars, two giant wolves, five mountain deer, and there was even a rhinoceros beast.

Combined, the flesh and blood were estimated to exceed five thousand catties, valued at over four hundred taels of silver.

It seemed that Shi Sanniang and the mountain folk of Yunshi Shan had indeed put in a great deal of effort; Chen Ci inspected the quality and was very satisfied: "Sanniang, you have truly put in the effort, but there are only a little over a hundred Bigu Pills; the rest will be converted into grain as usual."

"That works too; this period of time has truly exhausted me, I haven't had a single day of rest."

Shi Sanniang also fanned herself with her hand: "A little over a hundred Bigu Pills is enough, but you could give me more Frost Sugar; the mountains are quite lacking in such supplies."

"Easily done; you have been sleeping in the open and eating in the wind in the mountains during this time, which is indeed hard work. Back when I went to Xishan Prefecture..."

Chen Ci smiled while reaching out to take the Bigu Pills.

Unexpectedly, Shi Sanniang asked in surprise: "Sleeping in the open and eating in the wind in the mountains? Not at all; I have been in the village during this time and haven't had much time to go out."

In the village, and haven't had a single day of rest?

How did this sound more and more peculiar?

Chen Ci wanted to say something but stopped; forget it, better not to ask. He took out the bag containing the Bigu Pills, handed over the standard Bigu Pills, and kept the improved version.

"Hey, Master Chen, why are you still holding back?"

Shi Sanniang was not happy about this and tugged at Chen Ci's sleeve: "What happened to giving me all the promised Bigu Pills?"

"No, those are the Bigu Pills, these are..."

Chen Ci mumbled vaguely: "These in my hand are all defective products."

"Really?"

Shi Sanniang looked full of suspicion: "Let me see; I'll take the defective ones too."

"You misunderstood, these really are seconds..."

Chen Ci was also speechless; if he hadn't been distracted just now, he wouldn't have pulled them all out together.

Seeing that Shi Sanniang was relentless, Chen Ci could only hand the twenty-plus improved Bigu Pills to Shi Sanniang.

"Misunderstood?"

The more Chen Ci said that, the less Shi Sanniang believed him. She took the bag and looked inside; the Bigu Pills were not only firmer, but they also smelled more cloyingly sweet. She took one and tasted it, and her eyes lit up—this flavor was more than a notch better.

Defective products?

This must be the Premium Bigu Pills he was hiding to eat himself!

This man surnamed Chen is truly dishonest; it's a good thing I kept my wits about me, otherwise I really would have been fooled by him.

"Master Chen, you are going too far now."

Shi Sanniang stamped her foot fiercely: "You have better Bigu Pills hidden away to eat yourself, and you give me these cheap goods; doesn't your conscience hurt?"

"No, you have to believe me..."

Chen Ci still wanted to explain, but he was interrupted after just two sentences.

"Believe what? Can't I tell which Bigu Pills are better? One taste and I know. I don't care, I want this kind of Bigu Pill!"

Shi Sanniang rolled her eyes; this Apprentice of the He Mountain Sect was truly stingy: "If these aren't the Premium Bigu Pills from now on, I won't put in the effort."

Watching Shi Sanniang go off to pick out the Frost Sugar, satisfied with all the Bigu Pills, Chen Ci looked at the wild game tied up beside him and felt some heartache:

"This is all other people's hard-earned money; I really deserve to die!"

(End of this chapter)