Sword of Coming

After laughing heartily, Chen Ping’an cupped his fists and said, ”We meet again, Elder Hong.”

Much like the previous time they had met, the old man was still filled with vitality and energy. Indeed, a short few years was like the blink of an eye for cultivators, so it was only natural that Elder Hong didn’t appear any older than before.

The old man was called Hong Yangbo, and he felt increasingly puzzled as he looked at the swordsman in azure who had taken off his bamboo hat. Business was exceptionally good at the Green Beetle Shop located at Earth Dragon Mountain’s immortal ferry station, so it was very normal for them to have many customers walking in and out.

However, most transactions took place on the first floor, and only a small number of customers would make their way to the second floor. Even fewer of them would sit down to make any transactions. If Elder Hong had made a transaction with this customer before, then he should have recalled this person straight away. However, the young man standing in front of him dressed like a wanderer was truly an unfamiliar face. That being the case, why was the young man acting so familiar with him?

Regardless, this person was a guest, and the young man had also referred to him as Elder Hong. Thus, Hong Yangbo remained seated as he also cupped his fists to return the gesture. He then pointed at the space opposite him and gestured for Chen Ping’an to sit down, asking with a smile, ”Customer, are you looking to buy or to sell?”

Chen Ping’an carried a red antique-style chair over and sat down. This should have been the job of the female attendants of the Green Beetle Shop. Of course, they wouldn’t be serving tea and attending to customers for nothing, and they would naturally receive commission for every sale they made. If they managed to turn a customer into a repeat customer, they would further receive a bonus from the Green Beetle Shop.

Chen Ping’an remembered that the female attendant serving him back then was called Cuiying, but he didn’t have any plans to buy or sell treasures this time. Otherwise, he would have asked about Cuiying before coming to the second floor. To encounter each other was fate, and looking back to the past, Chen Ping’an and his companions had all been very satisfied with their transactions in the Green Beetle Shop. This left a good first impression, and this could also be regarded as a nurturing of goodwill. Cultivators all believed in these things.

Chen Ping’an was just about to close the door before sitting down, but Elder Hong waved a hand and said, ”There’s no need to close the door.”

Chen Ping’an hesitated for a moment, but he eventually followed Elder Hong’s instruction and sat down, smiling and saying, ”Since I’ve come to Earth Dragon Mountain’s immortal ferry station, I decided to come here to visit Elder Hong as well. Elder Hong might not remember me, but I visited your shop with a big-bearded martial artist and a young Daoist priest a few years ago and sold several items...”

The old man smacked the table and chuckled, ”I remember now, it was your companion who sold that pair of bamboo chopsticks to me! That was a great deal, and I was allowed to fulfil one of my biggest dreams at the time. I often take those chopsticks out to play around with when I have nothing else to do, and caressing the pair of chopsticks is like stroking the hair of Azure Divine Mountain’s Lady Zhu...”

Elder Hong didn’t continue, most likely feeling that he was acting far too familiar with the young man.

Zhang Shanfeng had sold a pair of bamboo chopsticks from Azure Divine Mountain to the Green Beetle Shop before, with Elder Hong purchasing them for a very high price. In fact, Elder Hong had paid a big premium for these chopsticks due to his fondness for them.

Elder Hong was very delighted, and he stood up as if remembering something and instructed, ”Qingcai, make haste and bring us some good tea!”

It wasn’t long before a young woman wearing a colorful palatial dress gracefully walked in from the corridor that was decorated with carpets from the Colorful Garment Nation, and she served a cup of high-quality hot tea to each person before taking her leave. However, she didn’t walk far, and her lithe figure remained near the doorway.

Elder Hong had worked in the Green Beetle Shop for more than fifty years, and he would often be very dismissive of customers whom he didn’t like the look of, appearing nonchalant about whether they bought or sold anything. On the other hand, he would be very open and enthusiastic toward customers whom he liked, and it was because of this that he had made a small bet with Xu Yuanxia back then after enjoying a hearty conversation with him and his companions.

Elder Hong smiled with squinted eyes and asked, ”Why didn’t the big-bearded martial artist with unique judgement come? I lost my bet with him, and the Five Mountain Bowl of the Ancient Elm Nation that I purchased from you caused the Green Beetle Shop to lose a bit of money. However, this is not a big deal, and it’s inevitable for there to be profits and losses when doing business.

”In any case, my strength is in appraising bronze wares, calligraphy works, and wood carvings. As such, it isn’t strange for me to occasionally miss the mark when appraising other kinds of treasures. However, I owe that big-bearded martial artist some wine, and I can’t leave this debt hanging over my head, can I? I’m not someone who likes to hold onto my debts, so this is a small matter that weighs on my mind from time to time. That being the case, why don’t I treat you to some wine at a good spot outside the Green Beetle Shop? And we’ll treat that as the debt repaid?”

Chen Ping’an smiled and shook his head, replying, ”We should wait for my friend to personally ask Elder Hong for this wine in the future.”

Elder Hong felt slightly helpless, but his eyes suddenly lit up as he said, ”You and your companions only sold treasures the last time you were here, and I actually have some top-notch goods that I’m usually unwilling to show other people. Do you want to take a look? You don’t have to buy them, and I’m not someone who will force people to buy things against their will. However, it’s rare to come across acquaintances whom I’m willing to chat with, so this is as good an excuse as any to show off these treasures and give them some fresh air. In any case, it’s not like these treasures are sensitive items that need to be hidden from view.”

Before Chen Ping’an could say anything, Elder Hong had already stood up to look through his treasures. It wasn’t long before three brocade boxes of different sizes were placed on the table.

Elder Hong carefully opened the boxes, revealing an imperial pine soot ink stick, a female clay statuette wearing a veiled hat, and a piece of calligraphy work written in cursive script.

There was a proud look on Elder Hong’s face as he introduced the items, saying, ”These three items are all rare treasures on the second floor of the Green Beetle Shop. They’re filled with abundant spiritual energy, and to say nothing of the clay statuette, the two other items also possess a strong scholarly aura. Not only can they be used as gifts for officials or nobles in mortal empires who understand the value of such treasures, but they’re even valuable enough to be used as gifts for scholars from Lake View Academy!”

Elder Hong pointed at the pine soot ink stick and continued, ”This pine soot ink stick is an imperial item from the Divine Water Nation, and not only is it made from materials harvested from a thousand-year-old ancient pine tree, but this ancient pine tree also has an impressive background, with the imperial court bestowing it the title of Grandfather Wood.

”The ancient pine tree is also known as the Not Drunk Pine, and this relates to a story that has been passed down through the ages. A great literati became drunk in the mountain forest, and after seeing a ’person’ blocking his path, he pushed the pine tree with his hands and said, ’I’m not drunk.’ However, it’s a shame that this ancient pine tree was also destroyed following the fall of the Divine Water Nation. As such, it’s extremely likely that this pine soot ink stick is the last of its kind in the world.”

Elder Hong then pointed at the clay statuette, a look of fervor in his eyes as he explained, ”I purchased this from a despondent vagrant cultivator in the past, and it could be said that I got a huge bargain. I purchased it for just two hundred snowflake coins, and when a senior from the third floor appraised it, we discovered that this clay statuette is actually from a set of twelve that was crafted by an outstanding Upper Five Tier immortal from the Middle Earth Divine Continent’s White Emperor City.

”People referred to these clay statuettes of celestial maidens as ’The Twelve Beauties,’ and the most unique thing about these statuettes is that their veiled hats also double as small and exquisite immortal tools. Only after activating the secret mechanisms can one witness the true appearances of these statuettes.

”However, it’s a shame that I still haven’t discovered the correct method to activate these mechanisms, so I’m unable to fully confirm the identity of this statuette. Otherwise, this statuette could become a top-notch treasure of the entire Green Beetle Shop. In fact, it could become the most valuable treasure of the shop! It’s important to understand that it’s incredibly difficult to obtain perfect sets when collecting treasures. However, it’s exactly because of this that people yearn to obtain perfect sets.”

Afterward, Elder Hong pointed at the calligraphy work and said with pity, ”This item is nowhere near as valuable as the previous two items. It’s the work of a sword cultivator from the Ancient Shu Nation, and even though it’s a copy of the real work, it’s almost no inferior to the real work. This calligraphy piece is called ’A Shame’, and this name originates from the first line of the poem written upon it: It’s a shame that my sword skills are lacking.[1]

”The calligraphy skill displayed on this piece is wonderful, and the content of the poem is also outstanding. However, it’s a pity that this piece wasn’t stored properly over the years, causing much of its spiritual energy to be lost. It’s like a hero who faded early and is now suffering in a haggard state. The title of this piece captures everything perfectly: A shame.”

Chen Ping’an only had mild interest in the pine soot ink stick of the Divine Water Nation and the female statuette with a veiled hat, not thinking too much about them after taking a look. However, he carefully examined the cursive script calligraphy piece, because he had always been extremely interested in written characters. More specifically, he had always been extremely interested in calligraphy.

”However, just like his Go skills, his calligraphy skills were also mediocre, with his writing being very ordinary and lacking in spiritual energy. Even though his writing was rigid and left a lot to be desired, Chen Ping’an was actually decently skilled at appraising at calligraphy works, and this was thanks to the seal script on the three seals from Mr. Qi, the many calligraphy pieces that Cui Dongshan had casually written, as well as the ancient calligraphy guide that he had purchased during his travels.

”Afterward, Chen Ping’an had witnessed the renowned works of many great calligraphers holding high positions in the imperial court during his trip through three hundred years of the Lotus Flower Blessed Land’s past. Even though he had only caught a fleeting glance of them, he was still able to remember their approximate style and intent.”

Because of these reasons, Chen Ping’an felt slightly tempted even though he hadn’t planned to purchase anything in the Green Beetle Shop. In any case, the imperial pine soot ink stick and the clay female statuette were definitely very expensive judging from Elder Hong’s description as well as their abundant spiritual energy. However, this calligraphy piece most likely wouldn’t be too expensive.

Chen Ping’an asked for the price, and Elder Hong raised an open hand and waved it back and forth.

Five lesser heat coins.

This was the same as the selling price of the pair of bamboo chopsticks from Azure Divine Mountain.

”I can’t afford it,” Chen Ping’an said with a shake of his head.

It wasn’t that he didn’t like it, but he truly couldn’t bring himself to spend five lesser heat coins for the calligraphy piece. After all, five lesser heat coins corresponded to five hundred thousand taels of silver in the mortal world!

Back in the county office of the Plum Glaze Nation, Chen Ping’an had only spent five pots of immortal wine to purchase a whole stack of cursive script calligraphy pieces from the drunken county lieutenant. All in all, he had spent less than one lesser heat coin.

When buying and selling treasures, the most frightening thing was to have one’s product compared to someone else’s!

If Chen Ping’an hadn’t exchanged wine for calligraphy pieces with the young and despondent county lieutenant, perhaps he would have gritted his teeth and bought this calligraphy piece from Elder Hong just like Elder Hong had bought the bamboo chopsticks from Zhang Shanfeng back then.

Elder Hong didn’t try to force a sale, understanding that this price was too steep for Chen Ping’an. Regardless, the fact that the young wanderer with a sword on his back genuinely appreciated and liked this calligraphy piece was already good enough. He hadn’t taken out this calligraphy piece in vain.

Right at this moment, the young woman wearing a colorful dress and standing at the doorway asked softly, ”Elder Hong, why aren’t you displaying the most valuable treasure in this room?”

Elder Hong chuckled in slight anger and replied, ”Qingcai, you weren’t the one who brought him here, so you won’t receive half a copper coin in commission even if I manage to sell something in this room. What are you causing a scene for?!”

The young woman clearly had a very good relationship with Elder Hong, and she joked, ”I can borrow our customer’s good fortune to take a few extra glances at these valuable treasures as well.”

She then smiled at Chen Ping’an and said, ”Young Master, since you’ve already come to this room, you definitely need to take a look at Mr. Hong’s most valuable treasure. Not looking at it would be a wasted opportunity.”

Chen Ping’an actually had no intention of doing this, but Hong Yangbo smiled and pointed at Qingcai, saying, ”Look at you siding with our customers instead of the shop. You should hurry up and find a man to marry, lest you have nothing better to do than screw over us old geezers in the Green Beetle Shop. Alright, we’ve looked at three valuable treasures already, so it won’t hurt to look at the most valuable treasure as well.”

After saying this, Elder Hong retrieved a square brocade box decorated with gold threads. After opening the box, a wave of bone-chilling air rushed into the room, but it didn’t feel eerie or sinister at all. Rather, it felt proper and upright like the heavy snow of winter.

Chen Ping’an focused his gaze and looked carefully, only to see four Heavenly Master Ghost-Slaying Numismatic Charms inside.

Elder Hong took the four charms out one by one, saying with a faint smile, ”These charms correspond to the thunder lord, lightning goddess, rain god, and fire lord respectively, and they’re all used to capture demons and subdue fiends. This is a set of extremely precious numismatic subduing immortal treasures, and it’s not only pleasing to the eye but also very practical.

”A member of the Luminous Vermilion Empire’s imperial family once hoped to purchase this immortal treasure, but the amount he offered was slightly lower than what I expected to sell it for. It wasn’t that I was completely unwilling to sell it, but that customer was far too haughty and domineering. Even though he was secretly delighted upon seeing the most valuable treasure in my room, he still pretended to be calm and collected. Just looking at him made me feel annoyed. So be it if he used these measly tactics in the marketplaces, but to embarrass himself in front of me? He was truly losing face for the entire Luminous Vermilion Empire as well. That being the case, I found an excuse to not sell the immortal treasure.”

Elder Hong smiled and continued, ”Anyhow, you can play around with it even if you don’t intend to buy it. It’s no ordinary porcelain ware or whatnot, so it won’t break even if you drop it.”

Chen Ping’an picked up one of the numismatic charms and carefully examined both sides of it. He then retracted his gaze and asked, ”How much for one?”

”This comes as a set of four, and we don’t sell them individually,” Elder Hong replied.

After saying this, he raised a hand and waved it around.

This naturally wasn’t five lesser heat coins, but five grain rain coins instead.

Chen Ping’an smiled and asked, ”There’s no room for discussion?”

Elder Hong shook his head and replied, ”I definitely can’t slash the price, or else that’s an insult to this set of precious numismatic charms that’s found its way over from the Pure White Continent.”

”Did the member of the Luminous Vermilion Empire’s imperial family bring the price down to four grain rain coins back then?” Chen Ping’an asked.

The old man nodded with a smile.

There was a bitter smile on Chen Ping’an’s face as he said, ”Then by the looks of it, I appear no different from him.”

Chen Ping’an also wanted to bring the price down to four grain rain coins, and he wanted to go all out and make these numismatic charms his. He was very fond of these charms.

Money was dead, while humans were alive.

After handing the parasol leaf minimization treasure to Wei Bo and before leaving his mountain, Chen Ping’an had asked Wei Bo to extract two sums of grain rain coins, with each sum containing five coins. Chen Ping’an took five grain rain coins with him, thinking that this would be more than enough to deal with any unexpected situation. As for the other five grain rain coins, he had asked someone to deliver them to Bamboo Scroll Lake’s Gu Can so that he could host two Heavenly Worship Ceremonies and Liberation Rites of Water and Land.

If Chen Ping’an truly came across something similar to the Five-colored Golden Box Cauldron owned by the Green Goat Palace’s Lu Yong, something that would command a price of fifty grain rain coins, he would regard it as a treasure that he was destined to encounter but not fated to obtain as long as it didn’t pertain to the foundations of his Great Dao.

After all, the only thing he was doing right now was spend, spend, and spend. Apart from the few dozen taels of silver that he earned from his two shops in Dragon Riding Alley each month, the rest of his mountains, including Downtrodden Mountain, didn’t have a single immortal coin in income right now.

He truly couldn’t continue this trend of only spending and not earning.

Elder Hong chuckled and replied, ”No, it’s still a little different, and you’re much more pleasing to the eye than that person. You can haggle all you want, but I won’t accept your low offers no matter what.”

A spark of inspiration suddenly came to Chen Ping’an, and he asked with slight hesitation, ”Dare I ask, Elder Hong, how many immortal coins does the Green Beetle Shop pay you each year?”

The Cloth Wrapper Shop on the Dragon Spring Prefecture’s Ox Horn Mountain had been vacated already, but the buildings and shops that had cost a fortune to build were still there. Moreover, this was the only immortal treasure shop on Ox Horn Mountain which also had an immortal ferry station. As such, it was indeed a suitable place for doing business.

The young woman standing at the entrance covered her mouth and laughed, but she still wasn’t able to prevent the sound of her laughter from escaping. From this, it could be seen just how strange and comical Chen Ping’an’s question was.

So be it if he purchased the four Ghost-Slaying Numismatic Charms which were each an immortal treasure, but he actually dared to steal someone from the Green Beetle Shop even though he couldn’t afford these treasures? Did he know that the Green Beetle Shop had already existed here for more than a dozen generations as the most influential force at Earth Dragon Mountain’s immortal ferry station? Even the Cloth Wrapper Shop had hit a brick wall here, ultimately choosing to not open their shop here.

Hong Yangbo was also very amused, and he waved his hand and replied, ”Don’t even think about this.”

He was just about to put away the brocade box with golden threads which was used to contain the chilly aura of the numismatic charms, but Chen Ping’an unexpectedly flicked his wrist and placed five grain rain coins on the table, saying, ”I’ll buy this, Elder Hong.”

The old man was quite surprised, and he asked, ”Are you sure you want to buy it? You’re not going to regret this? There’ll be no going back once you exit the Green Beetle Shop. We don’t accept any returns.”

Chen Ping’an nodded in response.

Elder Hong reached over, with each finger making contact with one grain rain coin. He then quickly retracted his hand after confirming that they were genuine grain rain coins from the mountains that were filled with properly circulating spiritual energy. This wasn’t something that could be faked.

”Are you sure about this?” he asked again.

Chen Ping’an glanced at the three other boxes on the table and asked with a smile, ”Can you throw in something extra?”

The young woman standing at the doorway couldn’t help but laugh out loud, and she hurriedly turned around and covered her mouth.

”I can do this if you help me repay the debt of wine that I owe your friend. What do you say?” Elder Hong replied semi-seriously.

Chen Ping’an shook his head and said, ”I can’t do that. Business is business.”

Elder Hong also shook his head, saying, ”Then I can’t throw in any extras. Business is business, and we deal with fair prices and no extras.”

”Alright, so be it if there are no extras. Things will eventually flow smoother, so we can discuss this again in the future.”

Chen Ping’an shifted his position slightly, blocking the sight of the young woman standing at the doorway as he placed the brocade box into his minimization treasure.

In the end, Elder Hong personally accompanied Chen Ping’an to the entrance of the room. It wasn’t that he couldn’t accompany Chen Ping’an to the entrance of the Green Beetle Shop, but doing so would be a huge taboo as it would attract too much unwanted attention and speculation.

”If you agreed to my proposal just then, which item would you have chosen as the extra? The calligraphy piece?” Elder Hong suddenly asked.

Chen Ping’an shook his head and replied, ”I would have chosen the female clay statuette wearing a veiled hat.”

Elder Hong smiled and said, ”Your appraisal skills are quite good, but they’re not the best. The most valuable item is actually the imperial pine soot ink stick. Its market value is nine lesser heat coins, so if you had agreed to help me return the debt of wine just then, the set of numismatic charms would have essentially been reduced to four grain rain coins. At that time, I would at most make a profit of half a grain rain coin. Now, however, I’m making a profit of one and a half grain rain coins. Even after taking away the cut for the Green Beetle Shop, I still don’t need to worry about wine money for the rest of my life.”

Chen Ping’an smiled and replied, ”Then Elder Hong should remember to treat my friend to some good wine the next time he visits. You should treat him to the most expensive wine possible.”

Elder Hong nodded and said, ”That’s only right.”

After stepping over the door threshold and saying to the young woman that there was no need to see him off, Chen Ping’an cupped his fists and bid farewell, saying, ”Till we meet again, Elder Hong.”

The old man nodded in acknowledgement, replying, ”Forgive me for not seeing you off any further. Here’s hoping that we can do frequent business and slowly grow our relationship in the future.”

1. This is a line from Tao Yuanming’s poem, 咏荆轲. Tao Yuanming was a Chinese poet and politician. He was one of the best-known poets who lived during the Six Dynasties period. ☜