Jiang Chao Ge had always been someone of strong self discipline and extreme perseverance. Once he set his mind on something, he would definitely persevere till the end, otherwise he wouldn"t be whatever he set out to be. Only, his path of cultivation was accompanied by many hindrances…..
"I want to go out." Zhi Xuan slapped Jiang Chao Ge"s thigh.
Jiang Chao Ge opened his eyes. Those bright golden pupils stared at him unblinkingly, "Go where?"
"Don"t know, I want to go out and play."
"I"m cultivating."
"No, I want to go out." Zhi Xuan"s small paws tugged at his collar, wanting to drag him out of bed, "Take me to drink alcohol, buy things to eat. I will bite you to death if you let me eat steamed buns again."
Jiang Chao Ge propped his chin and played with his long, soft hair, "Didn"t you say you could go without eating or drinking?"
"I want to eat and drink."
Jiang Chao Ge took a deep breath, and silently thought about that word he had to think about many times everyday: endure! He pressed Zhi Xuan"s small thin shoulder, "Zuzong, let"s come to an agreement. We can go out, but you can"t grab whatever you see."
Zhi Xuan gave him a glare, "Why?"
"Because I don"t have money."
"Those ignorant ma.s.ses should deliver things before me anyway, or else I"ll eat them all."
Jiang Chao Ge squeezed his face, "Who would you eat eh, who would you eat? You"re only this big right now."
Zhi Xuan stretched out his hands wanting to slap him and wasn"t able to all because his arms weren"t long enough. He got so angry, his two feet stamped the ground fiercely.
"Ok ok, I"ll buy you alcohol and yummy food but we agreed, you can"t randomly take things. I"ll take you out now, ok?"
Zhi Xuan bared his teeth and showed him a fierce expression but matched with that smooth and round face, it really was somewhat comical.
Jiang Chao Ge changed his clothes, held Zhi Xuan and went out.
He had already been in Hu An City for five days. These few days, he spent all his time on cultivating. Those dozens of copper coins they earned last time was pretty much used up these few days. Meng Sheng once again began to lead them to gnaw on steamed buns. He thought that it was also a good time to think of a way to earn some money or else they wouldn"t even be able to support this Zuzong.
Zhi Xuan really liked going out to play but Jiang Chao Ge could also understand. If he"d laid dormant for many years, and saw that the whole world was completely different once he woke, everything he looked at would also seem new.
"This, give me this." Zhi Xuan slapped Jiang Chao Ge"s arm and said while pointing to a small Dragee Candy Man.
Jiang Chao Ge saw that, that small candy figurine was only one copper coin and bought him one.
Zhi Xuan took it and licked it twice, "Pah! Disgusting." And wanted to throw it away.
"Give it to me, don"t waste." Jiang Chao Ge took it and gave it a bite. It was sweet enough to sicken dead people but after thinking about how poor they were, he still ate it.
"That." Zhi Xuan stretched out his hand and pointed again.
Jiang Chao Ge looked and saw that it was a fur hat. It looked expensive at a glance, "Can"t afford it."
Zhi Xuan tugged at his ear and said angrily, "Make money then trash."
"Sell you?"
"You dare!"
Due to their voices being quite loud, the people around them cast sidelong glances at them, saying all sorts of comments, "This child is really spoiled, simply disgraceful."
"Exactly, it"s a pity he"s so good looking, to actually call his own father "trash" at such a young age….."
Zhi Xuan was just about to flare up. Jiang Chao Ge hurriedly covered his mouth and said with a sneer, "The mother of the child died early, I spoiled him rotten." After saying that he carried Zhi Xuan and ran away quickly.
Zhi Xuan shouted loudly after pushing away his hand, "I"m going to eat…."
"Alright, who can you eat? Can"t even finish an apple."
Zhi Xuan"s eyes burnt with a raging flame. He gnashed his teeth and said: "Wait until I return to my real body….."
"The first one you"re going to eat is me. I know."
Zhi Xuan glared at him for a long time and then opened his mouth and bit downwards onto his neck.
Jiang Chao Ge was already accustomed to how he could go mad at any time. The self esteem of this little brute was really high enough.
Zhi Xuan ruthlessly bit down and only after venting his anger did he loosen his mouth. Jiang Chao Ge felt his neck. It was bleeding and was even stained with the little brute"s saliva.
Zhi Xuan gave a humph and said without remorse, "Buy me alcohol."
Just as Jiang Chao Ge was about to speak, suddenly, a familiar voice called "Big Brother" from behind. He turned his head and looked. It was actually the vendor he had helped sell pearl head ornaments a few days before.
The vendor ran over, face full of pleasant surprise, "Big Brother, I"ve been trying to find you for so many days."
Jiang Chao Ge smiled: "Why are you trying to find me? How"s business these days?"
The vendor smiled: "I imitated the way you sold things and earned more money these couple of days than I did a few months before. Big Brother, you really are a person of eminence to me. Oh that"s right Big Brother, I haven"t asked your name yet. I"m called Sun An."
"I"m called Jiang Chao Ge."
"Big Brother Jiang!"
Jiang Chao Ge smiled: "Ai, do you want to earn more?"
Sun An nodded his head as if he was pounding garlic.
"Let"s go. Treat me to a meal and we"ll chat."
The three entered a restaurant. Sun An praised, considerably lacking judgement: "Big Brother, this is your son? I haven"t seen such a beautiful child even after growing this big."
Jiang Chao Ge covered Zhi Xuan"s mouth and whispered: "If you want to drink alcohol, don"t talk."
Zhi Xuan gave him a scornful glance and really became quiet. He sat on Jiang Chao Ge"s leg and played with chopsticks.
Sun An began to talk about how he marketed things these past few days with dancing eyebrows and a radiant face. Initially, he still felt embarra.s.sed but after letting go, he felt that his entire person was different.
Jiang Chao Ge also discovered that, that gloomy appearance of his became quite pleasing to the eye in a short period of time.
It seemed that Sun An had really earned a bit of money. He ordered a table of dishes and there was also two pots of alcohol.
Jiang Chao Ge poured a small handleless cup of alcohol and gave it to Zhi Xuan.
Sun An said with surprise: "Big Brother, why are you giving him alcohol?"
"It"s alright, he drank from childhood."
Zhi Xuan took the alcohol cup and actually emptied the cup in one gulp, giving the two a scare.
After swallowing cup of alcohol, Zhi Xuan"s small face became red at a speed which could be seen by the naked eye. He stuck out his tongue, and revealed his first smile after so many days.
Although Jiang Chao Ge hated his devilish brat, he had to admit, this devilish brat was too beautiful. He didn"t know if all rare beasts appeared this super mundane and refined when they appeared in human form, a smile gave him a type of illusion that a thousand flowers had bloomed,
Zhi Xuan raised the alcohol cup towards his face.
Jiang Chao Ge poured him another cup and later simply gave him the whole alcohol pot.
Sun An"s face was full of astonishment, "Big Brother…."
"Don"t need to care about him. Let"s get down to business."
"Mn, you talk."
"The morning market you mentioned last time, what does it sell?"
"Everything. The biggest morning market opens once every seven days. The entire street runs through from the east to the west of Hu An City. You can"t even stroll through the entire street in half a day."
"Oh? When is the next morning market? Take me to take a look."
"What a coincidence, it"s tomorrow."
"Ok, then we"ll meet at this restaurant early in the morning tomorrow. I"ll look to see if there are any good things. You provide money, I"ll provide ideas. I promise you will not regret it."
Su An said readily, "Big Brother, I believe you!"
Zhi Xuan carried the alcohol pot and drank quite a few mouthfuls to his hearts content. Even Jiang Chao Ge couldn"t stand it a little, "You aren"t going to eat any food?"
Zhi Xuan turned a deaf ear.
"Is this alcohol really that tasty?"
Zhi Xuan gave him a scornful glance, "Can"t you only afford this type of alcohol. I"m forcing myself to drink it." After that he hiccuped.
Jiang Chao Ge ate his fill without humility and also packed the food he didn"t finish to take home. He held the tipsy Zhi Xuan with one hand, carried the packaged leftovers with another, and headed home.
As soon as he entered the door, Meng Sheng ran over, face full of agitation, "Where did you go?"
"Went out to eat, look, the things we bought back for you."
Meng Sheng sighed with relief, "In the future, don"t run all over the place if there"s nothing important. It"s only 700 Li to Tian Ao City from here and it"s also the biggest port city in the middle region. Prince Shu can quite possibly chase us to here."
Jiang Chao Ge shrugged his shoulders, "Its because the little Zuzong insisted on going out to play."
"You gave him alcohol to drink?"
"He wanted it himself….." Jiang Chao Ge had hardly finished speaking when Zhi Xuan"s lower abdomen suddenly contracted, vomiting on his body with a bleaugh.
Jiang Chao Ge"s face became green then white. This was really his only—— set of well fitting clothes.
Zhi Xuan hugged his neck and drunkenly looked at him, "Water, I want water."
Jiang Chao Ge carried him towards the bathroom. Once he entered the bathroom, he stripped him clean and put him into the bathtub, wanting to wash him clean.
Zhi Xuan flopped around with a spray of water, wanting to stand up, "Foolish person, who allowed you to touch me!"
Jiang Chao Ge pushed him back into the bathtub, "Your body is extremely dirty, you even vomited on your hair. Do you want to sleep like this?"
Zhi Xuan glared at him for a while, "Just this once."
Jiang Chao Ge held the water ladle and poured water onto his head and body. That water was ice cold but fortunately, Zhi Xuan was not afraid of the cold or heat.
Zhi Xuan sat in the bathtub drowsily with half lidded eyes, "Foolish person, wash my hair clean. Use that thing with the fragrance."
Jiang Chao Ge looked at his naked body, swaying like a fat white self righting doll and couldn"t help but want to smile. He carefully washed Zhi Xuan"s body and hair, fingers stroking that soft tender flesh and couldn"t help but feel rueful in his heart. If he had a child, would they be this small and soft? Unfortunately, he"d long planned not to have a female partner in this life. A person like him who"d been abandoned since childhood, how could he possibly be a good father?
As they washed, Zhi Xuan fell asleep in the bathtub. His long eyelashes cast a fan shaped shadow around his eye sockets. The wing of his nose moved slightly, his breathing soft yet even.
After wiping Zhi Xuan clean and placing him on the bed, he also took a bath. Then he tidied up the clothes of the two.
Zhi Xuan"s body was still as warm as a small heater. Jiang Chao Ge hugged him and snuggled for a while. His body became warm very quickly, and he gradually fell into a dream.
The next morning, Jiang Chao Ge greeted Meng Sheng and brought Zhi Xuan to find Su An. After joining with Su An, they walked towards the morning street market.
Zhi Xuan slept for an entire night and was extremely spirited. When they arrived at the morning street market and saw shops and stalls filled with a superb collection of beautiful things on both sides, even Zhi Xuan, who wanted anything he saw, didn"t know which one to point at first.
Jiang Chao Ge sighed with feeling: "Its really lively."
Su An smiled: "Big Brother, anything you can think of, can be found here."
"Are there also a lot of spirit tools here?"
"Of course, but we can"t buy spirit tools. Many of them are fakes."
Jiang Chao Ge walked past a very big shop. That shop sold animal bones and animal skins. There were many people choosing things inside but most people were looking at those scattered and incomplete bones. Jiang Chao Ge asked: "What are they choosing?"
Su An said, surprised: "Big Brother, where do you come from? You don"t even know this?"
Jiang Chao Ge became temporarily alert in his heart, "My hometown is in a small fishing village in the southern part. I have never been to a big city."
"Really? Big Brother doesn"t seem like someone who had never seen the world."
Jiang Chao Ge smiled: "I really haven"t seen it."
Su An also wasn"t suspicious and began to enthusiastically explain to him: "That shop, is a famous animal bone shop in our Hu An City. It specially sells raw materials that make spirit tools. Actually, it"s not limited to bones. There"s fur, skin, muscle and so on. In any case there are many good things but they are all particularly expensive. Those scattered and incomplete bones are materials collected by the shopkeeper from all over the place. Many shopkeepers don"t even know themselves what they are. Often, people will come here to search for treasures. If they can pick a good material from this hideous pile of things, they"ll suddenly become rich. I remember last year, there was an unskilled spirit tool master who spent thirty copper coins and bought a leg bone that still had fur from this very shop. He made it into an Earth grade spirit weapon and sold it for five hundred silver coins in an auction. It"s enough to spend for several years."
Jiang Chao Ge felt rather interested as he listened. He recalled that Meng Sheng had chatted with him about these people that sought treasures. Having only spiritual awareness is not enough to do this sort of buying and selling, one also had to have knowledge. One certainly couldn"t confuse the bones of spirits and monsters with the bones of poultry. And even if one could identify what type of beast it was, buying it also had quite a large risk, because beast spirits can only be sealed in one type of spirit tool. In other words, if someone had already used the beast"s leg bone to make a spirit tool, then if other people wanted to use other parts of the beast to make spirit tools, it would be impossible. Therefore, even if one spent money to buy an animal bone, the animal spirit could"ve very likely been taken and used long ago. In fact, this was the same as gambling, like betting on a rock. n.o.body knew if the thing bought with money was actually a precious jade or a rock. Yet there were still many people who relied on this to make a living. After all, the majority of people couldn"t afford a complete rare spirit or monster body. Just like the spirit tool master Su An spoke about, one just needed to gamble right once to make enough money to break even.
Su An gave him a tug, "Big Brother, lets go. I"ll take you to walk around a bit more. You see what type of small business we should do?"
Jiang Chao Ge followed Su An and began to stroll through the morning market. Zhi Xuan once again began wanting this and that, and after being stopped by Jiang Chao Ge with a few words, he turned his head way and became sullen.
The two strolled for an entire morning untiringly and looked through the entire street once. Finally, Jiang Chao Ge became interested in a thing called Ming Ling Gra.s.s.
It was a type of wild gra.s.s that could be seen everywhere on mountains. It"s price was inexpensive but it was nevertheless an important material in making spirit tools. When making spirit tools, spirit tool masters must use a primer along with spiritual power to summon the beast spirit and seal it in the spirit tool. There is a large variety of primers, flora, quartz rock, insects, Gu etc. The possibilities are numerous. Ming Ling Gra.s.s was the cheapest and most common type of primer. Although it could be replaced with other things, the price was expensive and the function was about the same. Therefore, Ming Ling Gra.s.s was the preferred choice of spirit tool masters, yet the Ming Ling Gra.s.s used to make spirit tools cannot be fresh. It could only be a primer after being exposed to sunlight and moonlight for forty nine days. Because the cost was cheap, vendors that sold Ming Ling Gra.s.s could be seen everywhere. This type of small thing had never been regarded heavily, yet Jiang Chao Ge actually saw a commercial opportunity here.
He grabbed a handful of sun dried Ming Ling Gra.s.s and asked Su An: "You say, how many people sell Ming Ling Gra.s.s in Hu An City?"
"Too many. This Gra.s.s can be seen everywhere on the mountain. It can sold for money after just being sun dried. Average people are not at all willing to go up the mountain to pick it, too far. Only those in a particularly difficult situation will rely on selling Ming Ling Gra.s.s to make a living."
"If you wanted to buy all the Ming Ling Gra.s.s in the morning market, how much money would that need?"
Su An jumped in fright, "Big Brother, what"re you going to do by buying so many?"
"You answer me first."
Su An scratched his head, "Don"t know. A bundle like this is only five copper coins. A single stall can have around a hundred bundles? You can probably buy everything with about five silver coins."
"We walked from beginning to end, were there fifty stalls that sold Ming Ling Gra.s.s?"
"There should be."
"Then we only need two or three hundred silver coins to buy all the Ming Ling Gra.s.s in the morning market, right?"
Su An"s eyes widened, "Big Brother, I understand what you want to do, but where can we go to get two or three hundred silver coins? So much money, I haven"t even seen that much in my lifetime."
Jiang Chao Ge smiled: "I strolled a whole circle and this is the smallest thing on the market. You don"t even need to spend a gold coin to buy the entire market of Ming Ling Gra.s.s in Hu An City. This really is a great opportunity, Su An."
Su An nodded, then shook his head, "But, Big Brother…."
"Let me think of a way. Before the next morning market arrives, you help me ask around at the large and small stalls. If you trust me, follow what I do. I guarantee you can earn enough money to spend for half a lifetime."
Su An gritted his teeth, "Big Brother, I trust you."
Jiang Chao Ge patted his cheek, "Good guy. Don"t talk about it with other people. If you want to find me, go to the sixth household on Scorpion Alley, West City."
After seeking a little money from Su An, the two separated. Jiang Chao Ge weighed the money bag in his hands, "Little Zuzong, don"t be angry. Do you want to buy a little something?"
Zhi Xuan gave him a scornful glance, "What can a penniless good for nothing like you afford?"
"Can still afford food."
Zhi Xuan stretched out his hand and pointed, "That roasted sausage looks pretty good."
Jiang Chao Ge immediately bought him one.
Zhi Xuan"s brows relaxed and he ate while strolling through stalls. When he pa.s.sed a animal bone shop, his nose wrinkled, "The smell of Li Li."
"What?"
"Li Li. Looks like a pig, claws are like a chicken. I"ve eaten it before, it tastes ok. Zhi Xuan forcefully took a bite of the roasted sausage, recalling the delicacy he ate in the past.
"Where is it?"
Zhi Xuan stretched out his hand and pointed towards that pile of scattered bones that had no pattern.
Jiang Chao Ge held him and walked over, "Which one? Can you be more specific?"
Zhi Xuan glared at him, "What are you doing? Only bones are left."
"You can smell it out even when there are only bones left?"
"Of course."
Jiang Chao Ge smiled: "Sir Zhi Xuan, how about you tell me where that Li Li bone is and I"ll buy you a pot of good alcohol?"
Zhi Xuan"s eyes lit up, "You let me down. I"ll give it a sniff."
Jiang Chao Ge put him down onto the pile. Zhi Xuan walked to and fro and picked out a bone that was half a metre long, "This one."
Jiang Chao Ge"s eyes shone, "Boss, how much is this?"
The boss stroked his chin, "This is quite a large bone, fifty copper coins."
Jiang Chao Ge smiled: "No matter how big the bone is, it can only be used as a broom. What"s important is still, whether or not it"s good beast material. Twenty copper coins, I"ll gamble once."
"Thirty, not bargaining anymore."
"Just twenty." Jiang Chao Ge looked at him smilingly.
"Ok ok, take it."
Jiang Chao Ge gave all the money in the bag to the boss, took the bone and left.
Zhi Xuan argued noisily: "Alcohol, I want alcohol."
Jiang Chao Ge felt his pocket, "Aiya, no more money. Buy it for you another day alright?"
Zhi Xuan"s eyes burned with rage, grabbing firmly at his hair and pulling, shouting loudly: "You dare deceive me! I"m going to eat you——"
Bathroom/水房- it literally translates to waterhouse or water closet but bathroom just keeps the flow better and has the same meaning
Primer/引子- I think it"s kind of a starting point or a guide to help the spirit tool master the make the spirit tool
Gu/蛊- it"s a legendary poisonous insect
Good guy/好样的- in Chinese, it has a slightly deeper meaning and is kind of praising someone"s moral integrity or courage
Li Li/狸力- A legendary mythical creature in Chinese folklore. Basically a pig or a boar with feet like a chicken. Sounds pretty horrendous huh?
Translator"s Comment
Sorry for the lateness. Slightly longer chapter than usual and I also had life to work out so… hope you don"t mind. Also…. is that an indirect kiss I see with the candy? (///▽///)