Chapter 124: 119 Sighing

In the mountain forest, dominated by green and earthy tones, the sudden appearance of such a colorful place was truly blinding to the eyes.

Shi Chunqing was dazzled, his spirit clearly impacted, and he asked, "Is... is this your shop? Do you like this style?"

He remembered that when he left the mountain, although Tang Zhao's Sword Hut had just begun to be decorated, the style was relatively elegant and lacked glaring colors; it was certainly not this dazzling.

Tang Zhao laughed, "A residence is a residence, and a shop is a shop. The first priority of a shop is to attract customers; to draw attention, one must choose colors not found in the mountains so that people cannot look away once they see it. Besides, this shop is a joint venture, and the style was decided by everyone together. There are also everyone's marks installed. The owl is the Senior Sister, and the red grass is the Third Senior Sister. That pair of wings in the back is the Eighth Senior Brother."

Shi Chunqing realized, and asked, "Then what about you?"

Tang Zhao said, "I named the shop myself. 'Hui' means sunlight, which is me. From now on, all my shops will be called Sheng Hui. Also, you can't tell now, but at night that sign will 'bling-bling' and glow; that is my mark too."

Shi Chunqing found it amusing and said, "You all are really something! You like it yourselves, but can outsiders accept it?"

As the two approached, they saw two carriages parked at the shop entrance; each was decorated differently, but both were high-end carriages pulled by fine horses, clearly belonging to wealthy people who had arrived separately from outside. Thinking of this deep mountain, very few people would come on foot, so the people in these two carriages were likely all the customers.

Shi Chunqing said in surprise, "Business is not bad at all."

Don't look at the small number of customers; this place was in the middle of nowhere, so having anyone show up was already good. Not everyone could afford Art Tools, and even Art Tool shops in big cities were not exactly bustling.

Tang Zhao said, "At first there were no customers, but later we promoted it vigorously, and it slowly got better. It's all thanks to Manager Liu's management and the owl sponsored by the Senior Sister."

Since there were customers in the front, he carried Shi Chunqing through the back door into the small shop's backyard.

The small shop did not look big from the front, but the backyard was spacious and had several sections, originally intended for guest rooms. Tang Zhao directly settled his Senior Brother in the largest room and went out to fetch water and find medicine to clean Shi Chunqing's wounds. Shi Chunqing grabbed him, telling him not to worry about his own injuries and that it was more important to send a message back to the villa to find someone to pick him up and take him back to the mountain.

After Tang Zhao left, a while later, the Boutique Shop manager Liu Qiguang came in carrying hot water, a medicine box, and a large box, saying, "Sword Master Shi, this is the wound medicine. Also, this is what Manager Tang ordered, an Art Tool for treatment..."

Hearing the words "Manager Tang," Shi Chunqing chuckled and said, "I remember Azhao likes this kind of title. He seems to have given every partner a title, and everyone is a 'Manager.' He even tried to get me to join the venture back then, but unfortunately, I was in a hurry to go down the mountain, otherwise I could be called 'Manager Shi' today."

Liu Qiguang laughed, "Is it hard for you to want to be Manager Shi? Just say the word to Manager Tang, and you can be one today." After saying this, he opened the box, which was filled with a dazzling array of various Art Tools, and he introduced, "These are all the boutique treatment Art Tools in our shop. You are an expert; which one would you like to choose?"

Shi Chunqing glanced at them and found that the shapes of these Art Tools were truly bizarre and unprecedented, and he asked, "Which one was made by Azhao himself?"

Liu Qiguang pointed to a metal cylinder and said, "This one."

Shi Chunqing said, "Then this one."

Liu Qiguang helped him take off his clothes, cleaned the wound with water, then picked up the cylinder and pushed it gently; a beam of light shone from the front of the cylinder.

The light shone on the wound, and the wound immediately shrank and recovered, and in the end, even the bloodstains gradually disappeared.

Although Shi Chunqing had long guessed that Tang Zhao's crafting methods were extraordinary, he was still dumbfounded to see this immediate effect.

At this moment, Tang Zhao pushed the door open and, seeing this scene, let out an "Eh?" and said, "Senior Brother, why did you choose this one?"

Shi Chunqing was still in disbelief, touching his skin, which was as smooth as before, and sighed, "What a powerful Art Tool! Junior Brother, one should look at a person with new eyes after three days of separation; after a year, I don't know how to look at you anymore. I regret wanting to test your skills; now it seems I can't even evaluate you. Even the treatment Art Tool made by our teacher himself might not compare to yours. This shape and method of use are even more unheard of; it's a stroke of genius. What is it called?"

Tang Zhao blushed a little from the praise, took the Art Tool, and laughed, "It's not that exaggerated, it just happens to be the right remedy. This is a Portable Trauma Hand Lantern. This model uses a special Rune Formula and can only treat external injuries; it cannot treat illnesses or poisoning, so the limitations are quite large. Therefore, the shop generally recommends it for martial artists to purchase, not for home use."

Shi Chunqing praised again, "As expected of you, these terms just keep coming. And what is this?" He pointed to a small mushroom drawn on the lamp.

Tang Zhao laughed, "This is the mark of our shop's treatment series of Art Tools—the Lingzhi Series. General treatment and recovery Art Tools all belong here. This is also a concept of mine; the boutique Art Tools launched this year all belong to their respective series. Later, we might split them into high-end and low-end series. It's business, after all; the trademark speaks for itself."

Shi Chunqing said, "Your business methods are truly... full of inspiration. Rune Formulas, martial arts, and business are all flourishing. At the time, I was afraid you would be too distracted; it seems I was overthinking."

Seeing the two chatting, Liu Qiguang felt it was inconvenient to stay long and prepared to go out, saying, "I'm going to deal with those vicious criminals from earlier; those annoying guys piled up there are really hindering our business. Should I interrogate them about their origins, and then dispose of them completely after the interrogation?" The last sentence was a question.

Shi Chunqing frowned and said, "Aren't they all dead? Can they still be interrogated?"

Tang Zhao said, "I didn't use Sword Light Acupoint Sealing, so they should all still be alive."

Shi Chunqing had never heard of the "Sword Light Acupoint Sealing" method and was very surprised, but thinking that Tang Zhao was young and probably hadn't killed anyone yet, it was inevitable that he would be soft-hearted, and there was indeed no reason to force a youth to see blood. He said to Liu Qiguang, "They are all just bandits; there is nothing to interrogate. Kill them all together."

Liu Qiguang thought that was fine and explained to Tang Zhao, "The Sword Master is right. Judging by their attire, they are thieves from Baixiong Mountain. This group of evil bandits are all murderers; not one of them is innocent."

Tang Zhao nodded. His current knowledge was not what it used to be; he knew that Baixiong Mountain was located in Lingzhou and was nominally the headquarters for all the mountain bandits and horse thieves in the world. The bandit leader Chen Aoxiong was the chief of the underworld in the Thirteen Provinces and a troublesome figure at the top of the Imperial Court's wanted list.

Liu Qiguang then sneered, "Baixiong Mountain reigns supreme in Lingzhou and has some prestige in the Central Plains, said to be able to stop a child from crying at night. But it doesn't work in Yunzhou; this is a place with the rule of law. A bunch of rabble dares to shout and kill people? If they had run into that expert from the Land Inspection Department on the road, a flick of a finger would have wiped them all out. It's only because Sword Master Shi is injured; otherwise, a single Sword Art would have taken them all down..."

Tang Zhao gave a slight look and said, "Since these bandits have chased us here, I fear they will be persistent. We also need to make some defensive arrangements in the shop. Sorry to trouble you, Manager Liu."

Liu Qiguang was the best at reading expressions and hurriedly said goodbye with a smile.

After he went out, Tang Zhao felt a bit apologetic and said, "Senior Brother..."

Shi Chunqing sighed, "It doesn't matter. He sees you all every day and probably thinks that a Talisman Sword Master should have very good martial arts, not knowing that people are different. How can I compare to you?"

Tang Zhao was silent. Just as Shi Chunqing said, a Talisman Sword Master's martial arts are also practiced by oneself and cannot automatically increase. However, other Talisman Sword Masters have many ways to protect themselves. Those with good talent have powerful martial arts, needless to say, but those with poor martial arts bones can carry more Art Tools for self-defense, because Talisman Sword Masters have strong Spirit, and can drive Art Tools anytime and anywhere, and can counterattack even when dying, which has a great advantage over martial artists in the Jianghu. It just so happened that Shi Chunqing's Spirit Talent was average, and he had to concentrate his Spirit to drive ordinary Heavy Art Tools. When he was injured, exhausted, or his Spirit was scattered, he could not drive the Art Tools, and the flaws were too great. Therefore, Shi Chunqing generally did not go down the mountain, but this time was an exception.

Tang Zhao said solemnly, "Senior Brother will be powerful in the future. Your Treasure Sword will roam the world sooner or later."

Shi Chunqing suppressed his melancholy, nodded with a smile, and silently stroked his sword.

The seemingly rusty giant sword in Shi Chunqing's hand was very famous in Zhuoyu Villa; it was a Dharma Artifact bestowed by Xue Xianyun and also Shi Chunqing's personal weapon. Other Dharma Artifacts, like swords, all added a sword designation; the Dharma Artifact of the Lihuo Sword was also called the Lihuo Sword, or at most the full name was the Lihuo Dharma Sword.

But this sword was just called "Treasure Sword."

Shi Chunqing said, "Don't talk about me. Is everyone on the mountain doing well? Is our teacher in good health?"

Tang Zhao said, "Everyone is fine, about the same as when you went down the mountain. Teacher's Sword Casting is reaching its final moment. We are just waiting for you to deliver the materials this time, and then he will go into seclusion to cast the sword."

Shi Chunqing nodded and said, "Then I must hurry up the mountain. But aren't you and the Eighth Junior Brother going to the Spring Talisman Assembly this year? You are leaving in these few days, right? Are you not participating in the Sword Casting?"

Tang Zhao said, "Of course I am participating. Teacher designated that we must participate. We must also go to the Talisman Assembly; we will go down the mountain in two days and return in a month or two. Teacher still has a period of time to process the materials, and then he has to choose an auspicious day to open the furnace for Sword Casting. It will just happen to coincide with our return. Sword Casting is the greatest event of Zhuoyu Villa, and all True Jade Disciples will definitely be there."

Shi Chunqing said, "That is exactly as it should be! Our teacher has been preparing for many years just for this Sword Casting; how can we as disciples miss it? When the time comes, whether we can help or not, we must join in the fun. But that is just joining in the fun; if we talk about who can help, I'm afraid one is the Third Junior Sister, and the other is you."

Tang Zhao said embarrassedly, "Senior Brother, why do you keep praising me? If you say more, I will want to find a crack in the ground to hide in. Sword Casting is mainly up to the teacher; if there is any credit, everyone is the same."

Shi Chunqing shook his head slightly and said, "That is still different. You can truly help the teacher; what can I help with? I might as well not enter the Sword Furnace and arrange chores outside. When you succeed in casting the sword, I will organize a real Sword Casting Ceremony that will shock the whole world. If I can make Zhuoyu Villa famous across the Nine Provinces this time, I will have no regrets in this life."

Tang Zhao couldn't help but say, "Senior Brother!"

Originally, although Shi Chunqing was hardworking and busy on the mountain, he was always happy in it and often took the initiative to help other Junior Brothers and Sisters, almost unable to stay idle. How could he be exuding an air of decadence after a trip down the mountain? He couldn't go three sentences without sighing, full of emotion and melancholy; if he kept talking, he would almost have no desire to live.

Did he encounter something sad down the mountain?

The two were silent for a moment, and Tang Zhao laughed, "I just sent a message to the Eighth Senior Brother; he will come to pick you up today, it will only take half a day. Would you like to rest for a while? Or take a look at my Boutique Shop?"