Spouting all this nonsense, wasn't this just an ancient version of a marketing account?
Shen Xiuhan finally understood.
The Wind-and-Cloud Pavilion's foundation was intelligence, but trading in reputation was their most profitable business.
This “Young Tiger List” wasn't so much a ranking of talent as it was a commercial catalog with clear price tags.
Even tenth place cost five hundred taels of silver, and the top spot was priced at a whopping one thousand taels!
Based on the precedent of the “Four Prodigies and Seven Elegances” being published semi-annually, if this “Young Tiger List” was released twice a year, they would rake in over ten thousand taels of silver just from these entry fees!
Good grief...
This rate of wealth accumulation was far faster than the Ji family exhausting themselves to transport Precious Fish and spirit herbs.
But what did that have to do with him?
Shen Xiuhan set down his teacup. His face remained calm, and his tone was extremely flat:
“I appreciate the sentiment, but I am simple by nature and dislike drawing attention to myself. Slaying demons was merely my duty, not something worth boasting about. Let us skip this business of spreading my name.”
Fame was a double-edged sword.
Spending over eight hundred taels to buy a hollow title on a list, drawing the eyes of the entire prefecture to himself...
Wasn't that just looking for trouble?
Hou Yulin's smile stiffened slightly at his words, but he quickly recovered, speaking with an amiable expression:
“Fair enough, fair enough. Since Core Disciple Shen is unwilling to be on the list, you must have your own considerations. However...”
He retrieved a token from his sleeve. A drifting cloud was cast on the front, while the words “Wind-and-Cloud” were engraved on the back. He pushed it in front of Shen Xiuhan and spoke with a hint of pride:
“This is our Wind-and-Cloud Pavilion's Cloud-Reflecting Token. Please accept it, Core Disciple Shen.”
“With this token, you can visit the Wind-and-Cloud Pavilion in the south of the city to access all kinds of intelligence within and outside Nanxiang Prefecture!”
“From Precious Fish, Precious Beasts, spiritual plants, and Precious Herbs above, to the movements of water bandits and demons below, and even the secrets of geniuses like the Four Prodigies and Seven Elegances—our Wind-and-Cloud Pavilion has records of it all.”
“Without exaggeration, within the borders of Nanxiang Prefecture, our Wind-and-Cloud Pavilion's news travels faster than the prefectural office's official gazettes!”
Shen Xiuhan took the token, chuckling inwardly.
Me, buying intelligence from you?
How humorous, my friend...
His expression unchanged, he tucked the token into his sleeve and cupped his hands to Hou Yulin. “Then I must thank Manager Hou for your kindness.”
Hou Yulin seemed to want to say more.
But Liu Chong, who had been suppressing a bellyful of anger, could not bear to listen any longer and cut in:
“Brother Hou, it is rare for my junior brother to visit today. We might have some important matters to discuss, so...”
Hou Yulin was a shrewd man. Seeing the situation, he did not take offense. He stood up smoothly and said calmly:
“Very well, then I shall not disturb you two any longer. Core Disciple Shen, Brother Liu, until we meet again.”
With that, he straightened his clothes, turned, and walked out of the private room.
Once the footsteps faded, Liu Chong looked deeply ashamed, his ears flushing red.
“Junior Brother, I had no idea that fellow had such intentions. If I had known he was here to... Sigh! He really had the nerve to ask for that much. Eight hundred and eighty-eight taels—why didn't he just rob us!”
Shen Xiuhan smiled and waved his hand dismissively. “There is no need to blame yourself, Senior Brother. Let's talk about our actual business.”
With that, Shen Xiuhan briefly explained his desire to recast Hanlin.
After listening, Liu Chong slapped his thigh and laughed heartily:
“Junior Brother, you've asked the right person! The reason my Liu's Sword Shop can stand its ground in the prefecture capital is all because of my clan uncle!”
“He has forged nearly a hundred high-grade precious artifacts to date, and has even crafted two spiritual embryos! Come, let's go find him.”
...
Liu's Sword Shop.
A short, stout bald man picked up the broken blade of the Laurel Sword, turning it over to examine it several times.
His rough, bark-like fingers stroked back and forth along the sword's surface. Occasionally, he brought it close to the furnace fire for a closer look, or lightly flicked the sword's spine.
After a long while, he clicked his tongue, set down the broken blade, and looked up at Shen Xiuhan.
“The materials used in this broken sword are quite decent. Combining it with the base of your Hanlin, melting them down to recast a high-grade precious artifact is more than enough. However, if you want a spiritual embryo, you will need three Yuan Stones.”
In the path of weaponry, once a weapon crossed the threshold of ordinary iron, it became a precious artifact capable of carrying a martial artist's blood qi. Beyond that were spiritual artifacts, which could fly and burrow through the earth alongside Gangjin and Xiantian experts.
Just like spiritual artifacts, precious artifacts were divided into low, mid, and high grades. Standing between the two categories was a unique threshold: the spiritual embryo.
As for the spiritual embryo, if one called it a precious artifact, it possessed a touch of a spiritual artifact's wonder. Yet if one called it a spiritual artifact, its power fell far short.
But ultimately, its sharpness, power, and value were far superior to any high-grade precious artifact!
Its requirement of three Yuan Stones to forge spoke volumes of its value.
Shen Xiuhan pondered for a moment, then retrieved the Yuan Stone he had obtained from the Prefectural Governor's Mansion and placed it on the table.
“I only have one Yuan Stone on hand. As for the remaining two... is it possible to purchase them?”
Liu Chong smiled from the side:
“Junior Brother, you might not know this, but our Star-Plucking Tower actually has Yuan Stones in stock. However, the price... is six hundred taels of silver each.”
Seeing the slight twitch in Shen Xiuhan's facial muscles, he quickly comforted him with a smile, “But since you are a core disciple, you can get a twenty percent discount by showing your token.”
Two stones, twenty percent off...
Nine hundred and sixty taels!
Shen Xiuhan sighed inwardly. This was almost his entire fortune.
The money that Hou Yulin didn't manage to swindle out of me has ultimately ended up spent on you, Hanlin. And I even had to spend several dozen taels more...
Whatever! Silver can't breed more silver by just sitting there. Enhancing my strength is the priority...
This money is spent!
Shen Xiuhan took a deep breath, looked up, and asked, “How long will the forging take?”
The bald man pondered for a moment and said succinctly:
“Fifteen days!”
Half a month...
Shen Xiuhan calculated briefly in his mind and cupped his hands.
“Then I shall trouble you with it!”
...
Wind-and-Cloud Pavilion.
Second floor.
Hou Yulin leaned back in his grandmaster chair, holding a cup of fragrant tea while humming a little tune.
Suddenly, a rush of footsteps sounded outside, and someone pushed the door open and entered, bowing to report:
“Manager, everything has been investigated.”
Hou Yulin took a small sip of tea and said without looking up:
“Speak.”
The man cupped his hands and said:
“Your subordinate used a hundred copper coins to bribe an apprentice at Liu's Sword Shop. The informant revealed that Core Disciple Shen went there to forge a precious sword.”
“The exact grade he is forging is currently unclear, but...”
He paused, then continued:
“He stated that Core Disciple Shen should be retrieving the sword from Liu's Sword Shop around fifteen days from now!”
“Fifteen days...”
Hou Yulin set down his teacup on the table, his fingers tapping idly on the armrest. After rolling his eyes in thought for a moment, he said:
“Go and sell this news to the people who were inquiring about him a few days ago. Price... one hundred taels!”
“Yes!”
Once his subordinate left, a smug smile spread across Hou Yulin's face, and he began to hum once more:
“A hundred coppers buy the wind and news, a hundred taels sell it to another. Silver clinks into my sleeve, exchanged for a cup of fresh tea... to moisten my throat and lips!”
Rate on N.U.
