Chapter 00173: Need to Increase the Price
# Need to Increase the Price
Chapter 173
Novel: After the Immortals Disappeared
Chapter 173: Need to Increase the Price
Without needing to announce, the sound of the qin abruptly stopped, and the person playing behind the curtain asked, “What is it?”
“Deputy Liu introduced a guest to the shop for repairs, the eldest son of the newly appointed Governor of Xiazhou, He Lingchuan. Master Li said he wants to use Gold Essence; additionally…”
At this point, the person behind the curtain interrupted, “Wait a moment, the new governor of Xiazhou, also surnamed He?” The voice carried a hint of interest, “Is he the original County Magistrate of Qiansong County?”
“Should be. Young Master He’s attendant just boasted that it was the He family who captured National Master Sun.”
“Oh? I only know that He Chunhua made great efforts, risking his life to enter the Panlong Desert. How could his eldest son have any credit?” The person behind the curtain chuckled, “Could it be just boasting?”
“Well, I don’t know about that.” Steward Zhao only understood his own duties, “Master Li said the broken blade he brought is a spiritual weapon, and the heart eye is still intact. Master Li, please explain.”
Li Fubo stepped forward and respectfully said, “The spiritual weapon Young Master He wishes to repair is a Ring-Handled Saber, not of this dynasty’s style. The blade is relatively long and heavy, and the ring handle is a jiao, which is quite rare. It broke one-third down from the blade edge, and the heart eye is clear; not only does it recognize its master, but it also has a deep bond with Young Master He.”
The person behind the curtain asked, “The blade is broken, yet the heart eye is still clear?” After saying this, he took a book from the shelf beside him.
“Clear. Therefore, to repair the blade, Gold Essence must be used, as per the method of cultivating the blade.”
“Steward Zhao, what kind of person do you think this Young Master He is?”
“He’s only about sixteen or seventeen, full of vigor, and seems no different from an ordinary rich young master.” At this age, there’s really not much to say; a young bull thinks his father is the best in the world, and those who are humble and courteous are truly rare.
The person behind the curtain snorted, “A piece of ancient dynasty spiritual weapon would recognize a sixteen or seventeen-year-old, still wet behind the ears, rich young master as its master?”
Li Fubo replied, “Perhaps he has some opportunities.”
“This He family father and son are quite interesting.” The person behind the curtain elongated his tone, “Using Gold Essence to repair a spiritual weapon, it’s indeed making full use of resources. However, He Chunhua was originally just a governor of a poor border area; can his son really gather so much money to repair a blade? What a pity. Steward Zhao, sell him another weapon, give him a discount, and just say it’s a reward from Songyang Prefecture for his merits.”
Steward Zhao sighed, “I also advised him this way, but Young Master He took out National Master Sun’s Purple Gold Pestle and asked us to appraise it.”
The person behind the curtain snapped the book shut with a loud clap, his tone suddenly rising, “What did you say, Sun Fuping’s Purple Gold Pestle?!”
Both responded, “Yes,” and Li Fubo affirmed, “It has been verified; it is indeed this treasure pestle without a doubt, and it is intact!”
“How could that be…” The person behind the curtain became unsettled, but his subsequent words were too low for the two to hear.
Steward Zhao continued, “Such a treasure, with its fame, could serve as a store’s treasure. My lord, we cannot miss this.”
The person behind the curtain fell silent.
The two could only wait.
After a while, this lord finally said, “You’re right; we cannot miss it. Steward Zhao, exchange the Gold Essence for him, and also gift him thirty pounds of Gold Mud to nourish the blade.”
“My lord is generous.” Steward Zhao said, and he and Li Fubo withdrew.
After he left, the person behind the curtain neither played the qin nor read the book, merely leaning sideways on the couch, gazing out the window in a daze.
What kind of person was Sun Fuping, what kind of divine abilities did he possess, what kind of ambitions did he have, yet in the end, he died in regret in the border desert, at the hands of an inconspicuous minor official, even losing his beloved magical artifact, which is now being exchanged for money.
Ha, exchanging the Purple Gold Pestle for money.
If Sun Fuping knew of this in the afterlife, the coffin lid would almost burst open, right?
But what exactly happened in the desert?
After a little more than a moment, Steward Zhao returned, but his hands were empty.
His words were a bit hesitant: “My lord, Young Master He requests an additional one hundred thousand.”
“What?”
“He said the value of the Purple Gold Pestle far exceeds that of Gold Essence and Gold Mud, and the exchange is unfair, so… we need to increase the price.” Steward Zhao cleared his throat lightly, “I argued reasonably, but Young Master He said the Purple Gold Pestle is a hot commodity; if it can’t be sold here, he will go to another weapon sect.”
“Did you lose composure in front of the Purple Gold Pestle?” The person behind the curtain was dissatisfied, “This brat is the one being unreasonable.”
Steward Zhao felt embarrassed, unable to voice his thoughts.
He had appraised treasures for many years, and it was reasonable to say he should not show his emotions, so as not to be taken advantage of by outsiders.
But a country bumpkin actually managed to take out the Purple Gold Pestle, which completely broke his defenses.
This was the personal magical artifact of Sun Fuping, the former National Master and Grand Marshal, who nearly stirred up a storm in the capital!
Just this alone could create a significant sensation.
Not to mention its astonishing power in the hands of a great master.
Such a heavy treasure, no wonder he lost composure.
The person behind the curtain also understood this, thought for a moment, and said, “Fine, give him one hundred thousand, and waive the forging fee. During the blade cultivation period, have Li Fubo follow him closely.”
Steward Zhao gasped softly.
When would my lord ever offer such generous conditions to others? He reminded, “I see this Young Master He will only make a brief stop in Shihuan.”
“Hmm, the time spent on cultivating the blade is not short; let Li Fubo finish the blade before returning.” The person behind the curtain thought for a moment, “I have a few instructions for you to convey to him.”
Is this going to have Li Fubo follow Young Master He around? After Steward Zhao listened, he bowed and turned to handle it.
…
The response brought back by Steward Zhao surprised He Lingchuan as well.
In his view, increasing the price by one hundred thousand was still a bit low, but Li Fubo said that the thirty pounds of Gold Mud was worth at least a few thousand silver coins.
This was also an essential material for cultivating the blade.
Steward Zhao explained, “To cultivate crops, you need nutrients and soil; cultivating a blade is the same. Gold Essence is the nutrient, and Gold Mud is the soil; both are indispensable. Normally, after buying Gold Essence, you would also need to buy Gold Mud.”
He Lingchuan silently thought to himself, how does soil-less cultivation count?
Deputy Liu whispered to He Lingchuan, but this time he also spoke for the other side: “Young Master, Master Li is accompanying us; this is a rare opportunity that cannot be sought even with a lantern!”
What moved He Lingchuan the most was this point: Li Fubo would accompany him all the way until the broken blade was repaired and then return to Shihuan.
Songyang Prefecture was a genuine weapon sect, and the position of the chief master craftsman was very high, akin to the head elder of a certain immortal sect’s peak in ancient times.
Such a person would not casually come out to work; if it weren’t for He Lingchuan presenting a spiritual weapon, he wouldn’t even have had the chance to meet Li Fubo, let alone have this master craftsman accompany him north to Xiazhou.
There was no need to think; even if Li Fubo agreed for the sake of money, Songyang Prefecture would not relent.
If he were to seek repairs from another weapon sect, whether they had this technique or could repair it well was another matter.
Li Fubo had already said that the method of cultivating the blade could take as little as several months or as long as a year or two to complete.
This meant he would have to leave the broken blade in Shihuan City and return to retrieve it after half a year or a year.
With such a long time span, would there be any unforeseen circumstances?
Even if the weapon sect had a good reputation, the current Yuan Kingdom could hardly be described as peaceful; disasters and calamities occurred frequently.
The righteous army led by Hong Xiangqian nearly crossed the Hong River southward, pressing towards Shihuan City; the Grand Marshal had recently rebelled, almost seizing the capital.
If He Lingchuan left the broken blade in Shihuan City, what confidence would he have in retrieving it if chaos broke out?
Moreover, he had already entrusted most of his future cultivation prospects to the Panlong Illusion; he could not be separated from his beloved blade for even a moment.
Therefore, when the condition of “Master Li accompanying north” was proposed, He Lingchuan knew he could not refuse; this was no longer just about money.
“Alright, it’s settled!” He Lingchuan readily agreed, pushing the Purple Gold Pestle forward, “This belongs to Songyang Prefecture now.”
Steward Zhao happily accepted it, turning to command the Gold Essence and Gold Mud prepared in the back hall to be brought out.
To He Lingchuan’s surprise, this piece of metal worth over one hundred thousand silver coins turned out to be a black lump, looking like a large piece of coal, completely devoid of metallic luster.
If it weren’t for Li Fubo following him in the future, He Lingchuan would have almost doubted Songyang Prefecture’s integrity.
Mao Tao was also dumbfounded: “This, this is Gold Essence?”
“Don’t judge a book by its cover; it’s not like this inside.” Li Fubo said.
The Gold Mud, however, was indeed as described, looking like golden sealing mud, without a hint of impurities.
Steward Zhao explained that this was actually made from various heavenly materials and earthly treasures mixed in a certain proportion, and each weapon sect had different formulas for Gold Mud, with varying effects; of course, the one from Songyang Prefecture was of the highest quality, honest and fair, and so on.
He Lingchuan accepted both items, then signed a contract with Steward Zhao.
Since the content was about Li Fubo, the master craftsman also signed and stamped his handprint on it, then said to He Lingchuan, “Young Master He, please take care of me in the future.”
He Lingchuan smiled brightly, feeling extremely good.
Who would have thought that coming to the weapon sect to repair a broken blade would end up bringing back a master craftsman? He was also very curious: “Your lord is truly too courteous; I should thank him in person.”
Steward Zhao conveyed the exact words: “My lord said, where there is fate, there will be a reunion; Young Master He need not be anxious.”
He sent the three to the entrance of Songyang Prefecture before respectfully bidding farewell.
Li Fubo would return to pack his belongings and would come to find people at the inn where He Lingchuan was staying tomorrow.
He Lingchuan climbed back into the carriage and casually tossed a silver ingot to Deputy Liu: “This matter was handled well.” He then asked Deputy Liu, “Is the weapon sect in Shihuan this polite to everyone?”
“Impossible!” Deputy Liu laughed, “The big shots in the Daoist sect often ignore officials of the royal court. Although Songyang Prefecture conducts business, they emphasize fairness and integrity, but there’s no talk of humility and courtesy. That Steward Zhao I’ve dealt with several times; he always looks down on people, never smiled like today.”
He also felt a sense of pride: “In my view, it’s still because Young Master He presented a valuable treasure, even the Marquis of Songyang has to regard you with more respect.”
He Lingchuan laughed heartily, feeling very pleased with himself: “It seems Sun Fuping was quite popular near the capital; even his magical artifact carries an aura.”
“That’s the National Master, a person who controls the fate of a nation; it’s no joke! For over twenty years, even the nobles and gentry have to be extremely respectful when they see him.” Deputy Liu cupped his hands to him, “The He family was actually able to kill him; truly a family of generals, heaven bless the Great Yuan!”
Daily updates around noon, this book is first published on: Qidian Chinese Network.
(End of Chapter)