Chapter 52

Qian Chen, clutching the Luo San and carrying his book box on his back, walked into Jiao Bu Town.

Jiao Bu Town was a small town that had developed around a wharf. Several large rivers nearby converged into the Jiu Zhen Great Marsh, so from the Jiu Zhen Great Lake, the waterways extended in all directions; as long as one followed the reliable shipping lanes, water transport was indeed convenient. Added to this were the martial arts experts from all over the country who came every year to venture deep into the Great Marsh to gather medicinal herbs...

Rhinoceros horn, crocodile skin, and precious medicinal herbs were traded from here to the Jing and Jiao provinces, a business worth tens of millions of taels of silver every year.

There were indeed many martial arts experts in the town. The men from local gangs carried three-foot-long willow-leaf short swords tucked into their waists. The Wu Yue sword-fighting style was prevalent, and Qian Chen could see from their footwork that they were well-trained.

There were also martial arts experts carrying swords and blades coming and going, speaking in various accents from the north and south, and the air was filled with the scent of wine and medicinal herbs.

Endive, benzoin, borneol, storax, liquidambar, mugwort... these were all aromatic medicines secreted by plants deep in the Great Marsh. There were also cinnabar, rhinoceros horn, crocodile skin, ivory, kongqing, du ruo, dendrobium, spirit pearls, beautiful jade... all kinds of local products were piled up in the shops, waiting to be transported to the wharf to be taken away by boat.

Qian Chen was all alone, carrying only an umbrella as he ventured into this place, appearing like a white rabbit that had suddenly popped up in a den of jackals. It drew the attention of those tough martial arts experts, who sized him up with all sorts of looks...

Fortunately, in broad daylight, no one dared to commit a crime.

Jiao Bu Town was a county seat built entirely around the wharf, so all kinds of shops were by the lake. There were many taverns, brothels, medicinal herb shops, and product stores here. Qian Chen found a shop and asked for directions, only then learning that while there were many famous wealthy families in the area, the only one that could be called a prominent clan was the Wei family.

The Wei residence was in Wu Yi Lane, not far from the wharf.

"What kind of status does this Wei family have, to dare call the lane they live in Wu Yi Lane!"

Qian Chen arrived in front of a small lane only nine feet wide. There were only a few households in the lane, yet the area they occupied was comparable to the wharf district. Each household was a garden complex with several buildings, occupying an area comparable to the Humble Administrator's Garden he had visited in his past life. It was truly a deep mansion with a large courtyard, and its total area was not inferior to the Si Hai Hall of the previous world.

Qian Chen walked slowly from the entrance of the lane for three quarters of an hour before seeing the main gate of the Wei residence.

The vermilion main gate had several rows of copper nails, and two gold-lacquered tiger-head door knockers holding copper rings looked majestic and ferocious. To Qian Chen's Dharma Eye, however, the souls of two real tigers were imprisoned upon them; they were two magic treasures that had been blood-sacrificed with white tiger blood. Ordinary ghosts reaching the gate would be devoured by the tiger heads on the copper rings before the two stone lions could even open their mouths to roar.

Qian Chen pulled the copper ring and knocked lightly twice. The heavy copper sound was like a tiger's roar, carrying a very majestic feeling.

The interior of the Wei residence was extremely quiet. If Qian Chen hadn't used his spiritual sense to see the blood qi of hundreds of people rising into the sky, he would have thought there was no one in the residence. Just a few breaths after he knocked on the copper ring, someone quietly opened the side door. A gatekeeper dressed in black silk poked his head out from inside. According to custom, Qian Chen should have presented a visiting card, stating the time of his visit, and then the servant would present the card inside, passing through several levels of the steward's scrutiny before receiving a reply from the master.

The whole process, making the guest at the door wait for several hours, was not an exaggeration.

Qian Chen was impatient to wait like that, and he had no background; even if he presented a visiting card, no one would pay attention to him. He feared that waiting at the door for three days would yield no results, so he deliberately used a clever trick. With a casual pinch, he folded a piece of talisman paper into a paper crane and said to the gatekeeper: "Please lead the way, sir, and tell the master of the Wei residence that a fellow Daoist has come to visit and hopes for a meeting."

Having said this, the paper crane flapped its wings and flew in front of the gatekeeper.

At this moment, the gatekeeper dared not be negligent and hurriedly invited Qian Chen inside, while he himself ran to report to the steward... The steward had no choice but to lead him into the main hall to find the head of the Wei family, who was currently entertaining guests.

The head of the Wei family was hosting a banquet in the main hall for a Daoist in black. There were many people accompanying him; not only were there disciples of the Wei family, but even the leading figures of the nearby Tuo Long Gang, Si Hai Xing Zhou Fang, Jiu Zhen Shang Alliance, and Fei Yu Gang had come to the banquet.

Wei Lecheng, the head of the Wei family, was drinking and chatting, and the atmosphere was harmonious. Seeing his steward leading a paper crane, the paper crane bowed its head three times, then unfolded in the air, turning into a letter that fell into Wei Lecheng's hands. Qian Chen had written a few lines on the talisman paper, stating that the wandering practitioner Qian Chen had come to pay his respects to the head of the Wei family, and so on...

Sitting below Wei Lecheng was his second son, Wei Taiping. Just by looking at the heading that did not conform to the format of a visiting card, he said disdainfully: "It's just a small trick of the left-leaning path, yet he brings it out to show off. Nowadays, do all kinds of wandering sorcerers dare to come to our Wei family's door?"

After saying this, Wei Taiping turned to the Daoist in black and immediately changed his expression to one of flattery.

"Daoist Zhen's cultivation is profound, and yet you are so humble... If it weren't for the fact that the great Tuo deep in the Great Marsh approached the wharf today and almost sank our Wei family's cargo ship, it would be hard to see the Daoist take action. The Daoist captured the crocodile Tuo with a mere backhand, which makes this young one yearn for it, and that is why I invited you in every possible way... Fortunately, the Daoist has favored us."

The Daoist in black had an unusually high brow bone, and he was the very same practitioner of the side path who had appeared in San Yang Village earlier.

He smiled and raised his cup, saying: "It was just a small matter, Young Master Wei is too kind."

The people at the table flattered him one after another. This Daoist Zhen had reached the Realm of Penetrating the Law and also possessed several magic treasures, making him an extraordinary figure among wandering practitioners. Among those present, except for Wei Lecheng, no one could compare to him. Everyone helps carry the sedan chair; anyway, flattery didn't cost money. If one could form a good relationship, why begrudge a little saliva?

When Qian Chen walked in with the steward, he heard the "majestic divine power" of Daoist Zhen in everyone's mouths, the great ability who captured the Tuo with one finger.

He felt ashamed immediately.

"My wandering practitioner's method of carrying the sedan chair hasn't even entered the door! I thought that by showing off a little, I would smoothly enter this high-walled gate, which counted as having some means. Now it seems like I'm just a third-rate sorcerer recommending myself. If I had known, I wouldn't have bothered with the paper crane message. The threshold is too low. If I had flown in with sword light to create the persona of a cold, indifferent sword immortal, I wouldn't be so passive, making it look like I'm begging for help!"

Qian Chen reflected on his own methods; others were invited in when they took action, while he was "begging for an audience"...

In an instant, his status was completely gone!

Seeing Qian Chen enter, the Daoist Zhen had a strange light flash in his eyes. His tone changed, and he mentioned, seemingly unintentionally, that Jiao Bu Town was a place where outstanding people and spirits gathered, with excellent feng shui, and that there was a large plum tree nearby with a canopy covering several acres.

At this time, someone tactfully took over the conversation and brought up the incident that had happened in San Yang Village not long ago.

The second leader of the Tuo Long Gang vividly told the story of a strange snake hiding in the large plum tree, a high-level expert passing by who noticed it, and bestowed a magic treasure to eliminate the demon.

At this time, the Daoist in black had been observing Qian Chen's expression, but he saw that Qian Chen was indifferent and did not show any special expression.

"Could it not be this person? No... how could there be such a coincidence, a passing practitioner just eliminated the big snake I raised, and then another person comes to visit the Wei family in Jiao Bu Town?"

The Daoist in black wanted to test him, so he smiled and said: "Speaking of which, it's a coincidence. That was exactly what I did when I passed through San Yang Village!" After saying this, he watched Qian Chen's expression, but saw Qian Chen lift his head upon hearing this, looking somewhat puzzled. Was there no reaction? It seemed there was some movement, but was there a reaction? It didn't look like the anger of someone whose name had been stolen...

The Daoist in black was not afraid of being exposed. If Qian Chen threw out the corpse of the big snake now, he would certainly lose face, but he could also be sure that Qian Chen was the person who had ruined his good deed. In the future, whether by plotting or calculating, he could always get the corpse of the big snake. As for face, what was the face of a practitioner? Even if he lost face, could it hurt him at all?

But Qian Chen's reaction was just between having a connection and not having one.

It really made it hard for him to judge...

"This person has some depth!" The Daoist Zhen's thoughts turned several times, and he decided to test him. Even if he became enemies with this person because of it, it was no big deal. Anyway, after parting in the world of martial arts, they would never meet again, and such karma was of no concern.

Qian Chen really didn't care... He was just a little surprised. This Daoist in black had strong cultivation, and eliminating a snake demon was just a small matter. Why did he have to risk losing face to claim someone else's merit? He also had no interest in exposing others for showing off...

As the saying goes: stopping someone from showing off is like killing their parents...

He immediately paid his respects calmly to the master of this place, the head of the Wei family, Wei Lecheng.

Wei Lecheng did not neglect Qian Chen. After inviting him to take a seat, he smiled and said: "Fellow Daoist, what is the reason for your visit?"

Since Qian Chen had already met the main person, he stopped playing tricks and said honestly: "I intend to enter the Great Marsh to gather medicinal herbs. The path is unfamiliar, and I fear losing my way, so I would like to exchange spirit pills with the head of the family for a map of the Great Marsh to take a look at."

Before Wei Lecheng could answer, the Daoist Zhen interrupted: "Oh! You actually have spirit pills to exchange. If they are high-quality spirit pills, this deal is not a loss. If the quality of the spirit pills is not good, it is somewhat inappropriate to exchange them for a secret map of the Great Marsh, which concerns the family business."

He smiled and said: "Did you refine these spirit pills yourself, Fellow Daoist?"

Qian Chen nodded and said: "I did refine them myself. The quality should not be bad. I believe I can exchange them for a secret map."

Upon hearing this, Daoist Zhen shook his head and said: "Since you can refine spirit pills, why are you so ignorant of the rules?" This made everyone stunned, not knowing why Daoist Zhen was suddenly making things difficult for the young Daoist who had come to visit. Qian Chen was also a bit puzzled, but this was not worth him getting angry. He still said in a good-natured way: "Where does this fellow Daoist start?"

Only then did Daoist Zhen wave his sleeves and sweep the table, saying: "The heading of your visiting card says you are a wandering practitioner of the martial arts world, which shows you have no background... Pills entering the mouth are such important things. Once a pill refiner has malicious intentions... wouldn't that ruin the reputation of our profession? Therefore, spirit pills refined by pill refiners without a clear background and known roots cannot circulate... Ordinary wandering practitioners without a background want to exchange things with spirit pills."

"Do you think that's appropriate?"

Upon hearing this, Qian Chen reflected on his own rashness. Previously, Cui Dan had treated the pills as treasures, and unknowingly, Qian Chen had raised his expectations for his own spirit pills. Although the Qi Pill was very miraculous and worth thousands of gold in the eyes of those who knew it, exchanging it for a map could only be said to be a bit cheap...

But as the saying goes: sell treasures to those who know them, and give things to those who have a connection.

He, Qian Chen, had no name, and he couldn't say he was a true disciple of the Tai Shang Dao... It was indeed a bit rash to take out spirit pills refined in this way and declare that he wanted to exchange them for a map that a prominent family used to make a living every year. He should take out hard currency whose value even those who didn't know the goods would understand.

For example, the magic treasure embryos and materials piled up like a mountain in his Qian Kun bag!

Qian Chen nodded lightly and said: "It was my rashness! If spirit pills are not allowed, I can also..."

Daoist Zhen raised his hand to interrupt him and continued: "So according to the rules of pill refiners, when you first arrive in a place and haven't made a name for yourself, if you want to sell pills or exchange pills, you must set up a pill assembly—in front of fellow practitioners who intend to buy or exchange pills, you must refine spirit pills yourself with medicinal herbs provided by local fellow practitioners. This is to show openness and be supervised by everyone, to prevent the pill refiner from doing anything to the pills."

"Why not ask those who intend to buy pills to inspect them themselves?" Qian Chen asked curiously: "Careful inspection, although it cannot prevent all tricks, can also detect seven or eight out of ten clues, right!"

Daoist Zhen showed a sneer, which seemed to confirm that Qian Chen was indeed an outsider.

He mocked: "How can ordinary practitioners inspect tricks buried in pills?"

Qian Chen was stunned: "Can't they?"

At this time, even the Wei family boy who had just entered the threshold of cultivation and was serving at the banquet couldn't help but cover his mouth and giggle, knowing that this was an outsider. Qian Chen thought carefully and suddenly realized that the threshold for practitioners in the world to break through the sensory barrier was even rougher than he had imagined. It turned out that there were far more practitioners who could not sense the subtlety of the spirit pill's primordial energy than he had imagined.

Whether the medicinal properties of a spirit pill are pure requires sensing the subtlety of primordial energy... For a true disciple of the Daoist sect, this is just a matter of a spiritual sense sweep.

Unexpectedly, in the world, it could be considered a unique skill.

Qian Chen continued to reflect on himself, making the mistake of taking things for granted again, always using his own vision and level to measure the wandering practitioners and even the children of prominent families in the world. From Cui Dan's cultivation level, it could be seen that a Core Formation demon cultivator like his great enemy Master Master Miaokong could actually be considered a giant of the demonic path in the world...

Yet he felt that Master Master Miaokong seemed to have died as soon as he was pinched by the Tai Shang Dao... although it was indeed the case when facing a Nascent Soul True Person.

But they had at least wiped out the entire Lou Guan Dao!

In this world, a Nascent Soul True Person was probably already a legend like the ancient immortals.

Even when performing tasks in the place of reincarnation, in that small world whose foundation was far inferior to the Central Lands and the heavens, the people Qian Chen saw—figures like the Twelve Yuan Chen—were already the top experts in a realm, which could be said to be the essence of a realm.

Their knowledge and cultivation might not be as good as ordinary practitioners in the Central Lands. But regardless of aptitude, temperament, or even foundation, they were already top-notch outstanding people.

Although the Central Lands had outstanding people and spirits, the most outstanding handful were all among the true disciples of the Daoist, Buddhist, and Demonic sects. The remaining ones, who were slightly inferior, were scattered throughout this vast world, and the red dust only occupied one percent of the land. The remaining ordinary prominent family disciples and wandering practitioner outstanding people, although their knowledge and cultivation were not weak, were still far inferior to those who could become the top experts of a world, with infinite experience and even requirements for personal quality.

"I thought the average quality of practitioners in this world was about one-tenth of mine. Now it seems I was optimistic! Sure enough, there is no right to speak without investigation!"

Qian Chen couldn't help but sigh, bowed slightly to Daoist Zhen, and said: "I have been taught!"