Chapter 120: 115 Bidding Farewell

Li Zhijing was queuing when someone suddenly patted him. He turned his head to look and saw a handsome youth who looked slightly familiar. After reacting for a moment, he said, "Ah, it's you. Junior Brother, you've come?"

Three or four days had passed in a flash. Although Li Zhijing still remembered Tang Zhao's unforgettable face, he had forgotten his surname. Even with a vague impression, he feared calling him by the wrong name, so he could only mumble vaguely.

Tang Zhao smiled and said, "I just came out and saw you again, Senior Brother. Senior Brother, isn't this the guest house? Why are there so many people?"

While trying to recall what his surname was, Li Zhijing smiled and said, "It is the guest house. If it weren't the guest house, how could it be this lively? It's just that some fat sheep have arrived, so everyone has gathered around."

Tang Zhao scratched his face and said, "Fat... fat sheep?"

He couldn't be talking about Xing Ji, could he?

Li Zhijing didn't stand on ceremony and said, "It just means rich people from the outside. You don't need to worry about this yet, but it's good to know early. Once we Rune Sword Masters enter the sect, even if we can't become official Rune Sword Masters yet, we will more or less make Art Tools. Everyone says making Art Tools leads to wealth, but you have to be able to sell them, otherwise, you just waste the materials. But with so many Art Tools on the mountain, who are we supposed to sell them to?"

Tang Zhao followed up, "Art Tools... are they hard to sell? Isn't it said that as long as it's an Art Tool, it's in short supply?"

Li Zhijing said, "That's for high-quality Art Tools; the Art Tools from the Martial Uncles and Senior Brother Zhen Yu are incredibly sought after. Not to mention Master's. But our Art Tools... actually, you'll know after you make Art Tools for a few years. Art Tools made with practical Rune Formulas, like those for Body Protection or refreshing the mind, are at least useful and someone will always want them. But many Art Tools made just to practice Basic Rune Patterns are things ordinary people can't use at all. Besides, everyone has roughly the same types of Art Tools; if you have them, I have them too. Can they all really be sold?"

"Our villa also has partner merchant firms that come to collect a batch of Art Tools at the beginning of every year, but they mostly need the same few types. If we happen to make a small boutique item in a year, we can offload it then. But those Art Tools of average quality that aren't very practical can't be handled. In the end, we can only wash off the Rune Formulas and use the materials again, but washing off the Rune Formulas costs more materials, and the original materials also suffer wear and tear, so it's a net loss. The hardest part is when we think something is pretty good, but the merchant firms don't think so. They can't be sold, and it feels a pity to process them, so we only wait for outsiders to come..."

Tang Zhao followed his lead: "Fat sheep?"

Li Zhijing nodded. A thought flashed through Tang Zhao's mind: The mountain's affordable goods can't find a market? Does it need a direct-sales store?

Huh—a business opportunity?

Chen Zong, I've finally found a business opportunity!

It was a pity that much of his knowledge was second-hand; Chen Zong himself wasn't very skilled at business, and the commercial knowledge he passed on to his disciples was a mess. Tang Zhao didn't draw up a blueprint immediately, but he silently kept the matter in his heart.

Li Zhijing continued, "I heard this fat sheep today is particularly fat. As long as you can squeeze in, you'll get something out of it. It's rare for everyone to have such an opportunity, so everyone who could come has come. Look, even the children from the Moyu Disciple group have come. They might not even make one complete Art Tool in a year, and they waste quite a lot of materials, living beyond their means, so they're counting on selling to the fat sheep to recoup their losses. It's a pity I came late and am at the back of the line; I don't even know if I'll be able to get a sip of soup."

Tang Zhao found it funny in his heart: Is Xing Ji being treated like a sucker? But he seems truly wealthy; if he wants to spend, he spends. Money can't buy happiness, but can it buy his willingness?

Thinking that Xing Ji's experience was far greater than his own, he certainly didn't need a reminder from him to be careful about being swindled. Most of these White Jade Disciples were also young; who would lose out in a real business deal was hard to say.

In a flash, he thought again: The Art Tools made by those Moyu Disciples are impractical, so they must be very cheap. If I had money, I could buy them in bulk! Anyway, my Glasses don't care if the Art Tools are practical or not when consuming them, as long as they are Rune Formulas. Consuming those boutique items would actually be a waste.

When he first came up the mountain, his idea was to make Art Tools for his own use, but seeing this scene, he had another idea: relying on himself to make Art Tools was too inefficient, and repeatedly making simple Rune Formulas hindered his progress. Why not specialize in boutique items, trade them for money, and buy other disciples' low-level Art Tools? This way, other disciples could cash out, and he could consume more Art Tools for his Glasses to exchange for better techniques and materials. His progress would certainly be faster, and he could make better boutique items to exchange for more ordinary Art Tools. Isn't this a win-win?

While Tang Zhao was happily planning, Li Zhijing remembered something and said, "By the way, which Senior Brother did you come with? Did you ask Master to speak for you?"

Tang Zhao was startled and said, "That, I didn't..."

Li Zhijing showed an "as I thought" expression and said, "It's good you didn't; no need to disturb Master for such a small matter. In my opinion, Eighth Senior Brother is still..."

Tang Zhao said, "Master told me to learn from him, so I shouldn't need to explain to the Senior Sisters and Senior Brothers again, right?"

Li Zhijing smiled and said, "That's true... wait, learn from Master? How are you learning?"

Tang Zhao explained, "It's just following Master to learn every day..." He felt he had said something redundant, "But Master also told me to go find Jiang Shixiong to learn martial arts, so that should count as following him too? At least it counts as half, right?"

Li Zhijing's eyes widened as he listened. By the end, the expression on his face shifted, clearly having a thousand words to say, yet unable to utter a single one.

Tang Zhao remembered another thing and said, "Senior Brother, what is the name of the Senior Brother who registered us with you yesterday?"

Li Zhijing was distracted and said offhandedly, "That is Junior Brother Zhen Can." He immediately realized and said urgently, "Do you have business with him? If you have business, come to me! Between the White Jade and Moyu valleys, there is nothing I cannot handle!"

Tang Zhao was actually just asking casually. He had a good impression of that Senior Brother yesterday and wanted to make friends if they met in the future. When Li Zhijing mentioned him, he remembered and said, "Senior Brother, I want to enter the guest house, but there are too many people."

Li Zhijing didn't even ask why he wanted to enter and said, "Such a small matter, leave it to me—everyone move aside! Junior Brother is here to see a distinguished guest on Master's orders, all idlers get out of the way!" His voice was like a thunderclap, startling several crows from the trees.

After some fuss, Tang Zhao successfully invited Xing Ji out.

Upon arriving at Gongyu Hall to verify the goods, Xing Ji was very satisfied. He also received a batch of standard Art Tools from the villa and a few Dharma Artifacts from Xue Xianyun's private collection. He paid the actual price, the silver and goods were exchanged, and he left satisfied.

With this, Xing Ji's mission was successfully completed, and he bid farewell to go down the mountain. Xue Xianyun told Tang Zhao to go out and see him off.

Tang Zhao saw him off to the valley entrance. Knowing that this parting meant they might not meet for several years, he couldn't help but feel reluctant, and his expression showed it.

Xing Ji was quite carefree and said, "It's not a permanent farewell, what is there to be sad about? Besides, it's not like we won't be in touch. The Land Inspection Division sends people up the mountain every year to purchase Art Tools; you can just have them bring letters to me. Perhaps in a year or so, you'll be living so happily and freely that you'll have forgotten who I am."

Tang Zhao shook his head, and Xing Ji sighed, "This place is nice, and the scenery is good. I am relieved that you are staying here. I was originally worried that your kind heart would lead to you being bullied by your peers. But it seems Sword Master Xue likes you quite a bit, his daughter also takes care of you, and those fellow disciples of yours are mostly simple and cute..."

Tang Zhao thought: Simple? Was that after you swindled them just now? He said, "What do you take me for? How can you tell I would be bullied? I am very good at making friends, okay? I was the leader of the children on the street where I lived."

Xing Ji smiled and said, "That's excellent. While you are at Zhuoyu Villa, you must respect your elders and be friendly to your fellow disciples. Do not bully others, and do not be afraid of being bullied. If someone truly provokes us, just go ahead and act. If the Land Inspection Division won't back you, I, your Chief Xing, will back you. Most importantly, you must study hard. If you are strong yourself, you won't fear anything wherever you go. And—do not lose your sincere heart."

He patted Tang Zhao on the shoulder, stared into his clear black-and-white eyes, and said, "I hope that when we meet again, your eyes have gained more substance, rather than losing their luster."

Tang Zhao agreed to everything. He wanted to say something, but hesitated.

Xing Ji smiled and said, "We're at this point now, what else do you have to say? It's just the two of us here; even if you wanted to rebel, you could tell me."

Tang Zhao quickly looked left and right. Sure enough, no one was there, and he breathed a sigh of relief—not for himself, but for Xing Ji. Was this lack of restraint going too far? He said, "It's not my business, otherwise I would have told you long ago. I'm afraid of overstepping in official matters—actually, I think the Bu De sword could be very suitable for Wei Zhangle. Because its Sword Intent is 'valuing', which has the same effect as the Disappearing Artifact, which is 'neglecting'."

Xing Ji pondered and said, "I hadn't thought of that. Can you confirm its Sword Intent? Was it analyzed by Manor Master Xue? It really is possible. But even if this sword is unconventional, it's not the turn of a trainee in the Training Camp to test it."

Tang Zhao said, "I know." Just because it was impossible, there was no need to say it.

Xing Ji said, "However, if the active-duty Division Guards who have made contributions have all tried and failed, I can request to let him try. But even if the match is successful, it would require him to trade it for a very, very great contribution. Perhaps at least ten years of accumulation or a life-or-death mission."

Tang Zhao didn't know how Wei Zhangle would choose. Thinking of his cautious nature, he would probably choose the steady path, right?

Tang Zhao added, "Can you call out Pi Gan Jian to say goodbye?"

Xing Ji found it funny and said, "You have this request too?" He then waved his sword and summoned the Manifestation of Pi Gan Jian.

After the Manifestation, the fur all over Pi Gan Jian's body was real to the touch, feeling exactly like a big cat. Tang Zhao touched its red head, and Pi Gan Jian shook its head in dissatisfaction, but didn't particularly resist.

After petting it thoroughly, Tang Zhao withdrew his hand, bowed deeply to bid farewell to Xing Ji, and watched as Xing Ji went down the mountain.

Once Xing Ji's red cloak disappeared from sight, Tang Zhao turned back.

A line of text flashed on the Glasses that no one else could see:

"Knock Sword complete. Record into Sword Manual?"

"Yes."

"Recording successful. Pi Gan Jian, entered into page 80 of the Sword Manual."

Heh heh.

Many thanks for the final gift, Chief Xing.

Looking back at the deep Jade Valley and the vast waters, Tang Zhao's mood shifted from excitement to calm.

Now, he was a person of Zhuoyu Villa.