Chapter 27: Chapter 27: Purchase and Reminder

Lu Zhao’s gaze lingered on the profound, rippling patterns of the Hundred Waters Magic Disc, his mind racing.

A thirty percent enhancement to his magic was far more tempting than a simple Attacking Spiritual Artifact, especially for someone like him who relied on the Little Spirit Rain Technique and its derivative Ice Magic for both offense and defense.

To say nothing of its potential for growth, which was like a beacon illuminating the long path of his cultivation.

However, his expression remained unchanged. His fingertips brushed lightly across the cool surface of the disc, feeling the subtle resonance of its Spiritual Power. He slowly shook his head. "I must disagree, Shopkeeper. While this item is marvelous, its limitations are also immense."

Shopkeeper Liu’s smile stiffened slightly. "Oh? And what is your esteemed opinion, Mr. Lu?"

"First," Lu Zhao said, holding up a finger, his tone even but striking at the heart of the matter, "this disc is only effective for Water and Ice Magic, which serves a very niche audience."

"To anyone not specializing in this path, it’s practically useless. Second," he raised another finger, "the ones who can maximize its value are those who have deeply studied magic and achieved profound mastery."

"However, such cultivators are mostly Wanderers. You know better than I do how destitute Wanderers are, Shopkeeper. Ninety-five Spirit Stones is an astronomical price for them. Those who can afford it don’t need it, and those who need it can’t afford it. That is my second point."

He paused, looking directly into Shopkeeper Liu’s small, slightly evasive eyes. "Third, Spirit Water is difficult to find.

"Cold Pool True Water, Earth Vein Yin Spring... which of these isn’t controlled by a major power or hidden in a treacherous location? How is an ordinary cultivator supposed to acquire them?"

"The idea of ’nurturing’ it is nothing more than a pipe dream for most people. Fourth, the thirty percent enhancement is likely an ideal scenario."

"In practice, achieving a stable twenty percent boost would be remarkable. When you do the math, the value for money is... well."

With every point Lu Zhao made, an almost imperceptible twitch ran through the flesh of Shopkeeper Liu’s face. How could he not be aware of these drawbacks?

It was for this very reason that the Hundred Waters Magic Disc had been gathering dust in a corner of his Warehouse for years.

"You’re being a bit too harsh, Mr. Lu."

Shopkeeper Liu forced a smile. "This disc was difficult to refine. The Vortex Sea Cyan Jade it’s made from is a rare Spiritual Material, and it even contains a natural, water-aspected Dao Rhyme. How could it be an ordinary item? Ninety-five Spirit Stones is a sincere price, offered because I can see you’re an expert."

"The Vortex Sea Cyan Jade is good, and the Dao Rhyme is precious, but a pearl cast into darkness is no different from a common stone."

Lu Zhao was unmoved, his tone still even. "Shopkeeper, rather than letting it gather dust here, you’d be better off finding a customer who can and will actually use it."

"Eighty-five Spirit Stones. If you agree, this is mine, and I’ll take that pair of Water-Splitting Needles off your hands as well." He played his trump card: a package deal.

"Eighty-five?!"

Shopkeeper Liu nearly jumped to his feet, his round face flushing red. "You drive a hard bargain, my friend! That doesn’t even cover my costs!"

"Costs?"

The faint hint of a smile on Lu Zhao’s lips deepened. "How long has this been sitting in your inventory, Shopkeeper?"

"A Spirit Stone that doesn’t circulate is a loss."

"Turning it into liquid assets today is cutting your losses. Besides," he said, his tone shifting to one of absolute confidence, "other than me, do you really think you’ll find another buyer anytime soon who is both interested in this item and can put up that many Spirit Stones?"

A brief silence fell over the Quiet Chamber, broken only by the steam spiraling up from the Spirit Tea.

The fat on Shopkeeper Liu’s cheeks quivered. His small eyes darted from Lu Zhao’s placid face to the Hundred Waters Magic Disc glowing with a faint blue light on the table. Finally, he let out a long sigh thick with the pain of financial loss.

"Fine, fine! Mr. Lu, I’ve seen what that sharp tongue of yours can do!"

He slapped his thigh hard as if making a momentous decision. "Eighty-five it is! We’ll call it building good karma! But the Water-Splitting Needle—one hundred and ten Spirit Stones. Not one less!"

"Done."

Lu Zhao acted without hesitation. He pushed the bag of Spirit Stones across to Shopkeeper Liu and simultaneously reached out, his hand closing firmly around the Cyan Jade Magic Disc that seemed to hold the Sea of Vortexes within it.

A peculiar sensation, warm yet cool, instantly flowed into him, as if the disc was resonating with his own Water Spirit Power.

He ran his fingertips over the two Magical Artifacts. His Water Spirit Power seeped into them like a gentle spring creek, strand by strand. Lu Zhao closed his eyes to concentrate. Half a day later, both Magical Artifacts were fully refined.

A day later, the cold mists of Cyan Rattan Stream still clung to the churning surface of the Dark River, and Lu Zhao’s life slipped back into its familiar routine.

In the mornings, his Flowing Cloud Sparrow would break through the thick fog and soar hundreds of feet into the air, its compound eyes surveying every inch of the ravine.

By 7:00 PM, he would return to his stone chamber, where his Cyan Heavy Iron Carving Saber would trace the natural patterns on Demon Beast corpses, sending shavings rustling to the floor. He had temporarily stopped making Ironwood Guards, but work on the other two types of puppets continued.

The pile of expensive scrap material in the corner was a silent testament to the high cost of crossing the threshold to become a Tier One Middle-Grade Puppet Master.

While patrolling the southeast corner of the main herb field one day, he was hit by a thick, acrid scent of herbs mixed with the damp, fishy smell of the Dark River.

Zhou Qixing was hunched over, his twig-like fingers carefully wrapping the roots of a Bone-Eroding Orchid around the corpse of a freshly killed Ink-Scale Snake. His murky eyes were focused with an almost devout concentration.

"Elder Zhou." Lu Zhao stopped and cupped his fist in greeting.

Zhou Qixing didn’t stop what he was doing, merely grunting in acknowledgment. After a moment, he slowly straightened up and wiped at nonexistent sweat on his brow with a dirt-caked sleeve. His murky gaze, sharp and scrutinizing, fell on Lu Zhao.

"Making a name for yourself in the Zhou Family, kid?" His voice was raspy, like sandpaper scraping against rusted iron.

Lu Zhao felt a prickle of alarm, but his expression remained neutral. "I’m afraid I don’t understand what you mean, Elder Zhou."

"Hah."

Zhou Qixing scoffed, his bony finger pointing toward a few Bone-Eroding Orchids deeper in the field that were breathing out a red mist. "See those? Good stuff, but they draw a lot of attention.

"And there’s no shortage of snakes trying to be the one to fertilize them." A complex, mocking glint flickered in his murky eyes. "Right now, you’re that new little Bone-Eroding Orchid that just sprouted. A few of the brats from the Ping generation, not to mention those old geezers from the Qi generation who manage general affairs and the Warehouse, have all caught your scent."

He paused, his twig-like fingers unconsciously fiddling with a Mulan Leaf. His voice dropped even lower, laced with a bleak, world-weary tone. "This great tree of the Zhou Family has deep roots and lush foliage, it’s true. The people at the very top, like the Elder Ancestor and the few Elders in power, have vision and skill. They’re hungry for talent, and their methods are reasonably open-minded."

"But when a tree gets this large, its lower branches become a tangled mess. How can the sun and rain possibly fall on every one of them equally?"

His murky gaze swept over Lu Zhao’s young, composed face, carrying an almost imperceptible warning. "Factional infighting, struggles for power, sucking up to the powerful while stomping on the weak—that filthy business is the norm at the bottom."

"You think those benefits and promises are just gifts from heaven? They’re bait! It’s easy to swallow, but try spitting it back out without the hook tearing your throat open!"

Zhou Qixing’s withered fingers suddenly clenched the Mulan Leaf. The leaf disintegrated in his grasp, leaking a dark red juice that looked like clotted blood.

"If I hadn’t been dragged into some bullshit affair within the Qi generation back in my day, if I hadn’t taken the fall for someone else, would I have ended up in this godforsaken place, staring at these bloodsucking weeds for fourteen years?"

His voice was thick with resentment and bitterness, his murky eyes fixed on the dark red stain on his fingers. "A bright future? The family’s support? Bah!"

"I was just a pawn, discarded in their power games! All they care about is their own little patch of turf. They won’t tolerate any stone that gets in their way, and they certainly won’t tolerate a chess piece that doesn’t obey!"

He violently flung the crushed leaf fragments into the Dark River and watched as the inky current silently swallowed the dark red stain. He exhaled a long, turbid breath, and his resentment seemed to sink with it, leaving behind only profound exhaustion and a bleak, all-seeing cynicism.

He turned to Lu Zhao, his murky eyes holding the complicated wisdom of experience. "You’ve got talent, kid. That’s a good thing, but it’s also a magnet for trouble. What the Zhou Family can offer you is far more than that paltry Salary of yours."

"But it’s a bowl of rice that’ll burn your mouth. If you want to hold it steady, skill isn’t enough. You need to be discerning, and more importantly... you need to have a thorn of your own, one planted so deep no one can easily pull it out!"

Lu Zhao returned to his stone chamber and sat cross-legged on the cold stone slab, his fingers unconsciously stroking the smooth Cyan Jade Magic Disc hidden in his sleeve.

Zhou Qixing’s raspy warning echoed in his mind.

’I remember when I first arrived at the Zhou Family Marketplace,’ he thought. ’My Cultivation was so low I couldn’t even find work as a Demon Hunter.’

’When I first joined the Zhou Family, Steward Ming’s face was as cold and impersonal as ice. He docked my Salary and withheld my Cold Jade Pills without a shred of mercy. He never would have shown me a sliver of kindness if he hadn’t later wanted me to marry into his family.’

’When I was a Wanderer with a stall, others would be doing a roaring trade while mine was completely deserted. Old Huang’s small talk was a rare moment of warmth back then.’

’And now? With my Qi Cultivation Fifth Layer, my increasingly refined Puppetry, and especially my "eye" that can soar a thousand feet in the air, I’ve become a "Bone-Eroding Orchid" in the eyes of certain people in the Zhou Family.’

’Steward Zhou Ming’s friendly attempts to recruit me, the Nine Abyss Pavilion’s Shopkeeper offering "support" at a near-loss and his subtle protection, even an Array Master like Chen Moyang willingly offering information about Cyan Pattern Wood...’

’Every bit of this "kindness" rushing my way has a price tag. Every single one is tangled in schemes.’

’Ability is a passport, but it’s also a beacon for trouble. When my Cultivation was low, the world felt as cold and hard as a mine wall. But the moment I could pry away a sliver of profit for myself, even the mists of the Cold Pool started to seem "welcoming."’

Lu Zhao slowly let out a long breath. The Hundred Waters Magic Disc in his hand remained cool to the touch. ’In the end, the path through the Cultivation Realm must be carved out with the knife in my hand and the Spiritual Power in my Dantian—one cut, one chisel, one step at a time.’

’The kindness and malice of others are nothing more than loose stones on the path, either decoration or a stumbling block.’

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