Chapter 26 – Breakthrough
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Having listened to Lin Ming’s words and seeing this exceedingly long list, the storekeeper flushed red. Did this country bumpkin think that the Hundred Treasure Hall was somewhere that he could just play around in? Such a large order would cost several thousand taels of gold at the bare minimum! It was as if this young little boy was buying bok choy at the market! Spending a few thousand gold taels, not even the sons of those aristocratic families would be able to afford so much!
He waved the list impatiently and placed it on the counter, then said, “I’m going to give you two a warning, for anyone that intentionally causes trouble in the Hundred Treasure Halls, there will be severe consequences!”
“I’ll warn your mom!” Lin Xiaodong slapped his hand against the storekeeper’s hand. The storekeeper had only ever done business and did not have the talent to practice martial arts, and with a loud pat from Lin Xiaodong, he pitifully screamed.
“You!” The storekeeper could not believe this hooligan would dare to cause a scene in the Hundred Treasures Hall!
“Look you snobby little son of a bitch, us young masters have money!” As Lin Xiaodong said this, he reached into Lin Ming’s robes and took the golden bank notes near his chest. He slammed them on the counter with 100 jins of strength, and the counter shook. With gold notes in hand, Lin Xiaodong’s confidence shot through the roof. This storekeeper was already a sore in his eyes; how could he miss this opportunity to teach the rude man a lesson?
The storekeeper froze when he saw the golden bank notes. His eyes flashed as he fiercely calculated the total amount in that stack of bills. They were banknotes worth 1000 gold taels each! With that the total amount had to be at least several thousand taels! He immediately realized that the golden banknotes were the real deal. As long as he went to a bank that was part of the chamber of commerce, he could exchange them for gold taels.
The storekeeper was thoroughly shocked. He sized up Lin Ming and also Lin Xiaodong. These two little guys were by no means the children of an aristocratic family. Just a few days ago that Lin Ming was just a poor boy that was door-to-door selling symbol papers. Where did he suddenly come into so many riches? Did he actually sell those symbol papers?
It was impossible; an apprentice inscriptionist’s inscriptions would be inconceivable to sell for that much money
Two upstart nouveau rich boys; he did not realize that they were suddenly high class characters and had been acting arrogant in front of them….in the storekeepers heart was only melancholy. But money was god, and this was a temple.
He rubbed his hand which had swelled like a grapefruit and put on a smile. Taking the list, he quickly scanned it. On it were listed materials that weren’t cheap! In addition to those items that Lin Ming had wanted, he quickly calculated that this business transaction would almost be 6000 taels of gold!
This was equal to the price of two rare treasures! And with the commission he could earn 120 gold taels for himself!
This was not a small number! Although his heart was still a little resentful, it wasn’t worth it with the amount of money on the line. So the storekeeper groveled and bowed and said, “My foolish self did not recognize such esteemed guests of honor had appeared. Please wait, I shall prepare everything immediately.”
The storekeeper’s keeper body was bloated like a pig with too much gas and yet he moved like the wind. Lin Ming wanted a variety of materials that were all in different sections of the store, but the storekeeper was quick on his feet and fast with his hands and soon gathered everything together. The storekeeper had a radiant smile as he said, “Two esteemed guests, please examine the authenticity of the goods. The total is 5800 gold taels.”
Seeing the stacks of goods, Lin Xiaodong asked Lin Ming, “Is this everything, brother Lin?”
Lin Ming said, “Yes, it looks like this is it.”
By now, Lin Xiaodong’s mouth twitched and he slyly smiled and said, “I’m sorry, this is embarrassing but I would like to see a different storekeeper to pay.”
The storekeeper’s happy face instantly stiffened.
In such a high class store like the Hundred Treasure Halls, it was only natural that a storekeeper’s worth was dependent on his ability to sell. Therefore, all the storekeepers here took commission on all items they sold themselves.
Lin Xiaodong understood this, and decided to give the slimy man a hard time. “Please move a bit faster, we’d like to finish this as soon as possible.”
The storekeeper realized that Lin Xiaodong was messing with him intentionally, and his heart ignited with fury. If a junior of an aristocratic house had decided to play a joke on him then he would bear with it, but these two were only some newly minted hicks that came into some wealth. They didn’t have the right yet to be so insufferably arrogant! How could he let himself be at their mercy? His voice was cold as he said, “In this Hundred Treasure Hall, I am the only one storekeeper. Who do propose I find another?”
“You little clown, don’t try to lie to us. Hurry and go, otherwise I’ll complain to your boss!”
“Go ahead!” The storekeeper sneered. Boss? The idiot thought that he could see the boss just because he wanted to? He was preparing a few more harsh words when his eyes suddenly caught on something. In the golden banknotes was a purple gold colored card. It was the card that Muyi had given to Lin Ming; the VIP card! Everyone who used one would automatically be given a ten percent discount on all shops that were under the government’s jurisdiction!
It was the Martial Quarters and Imperial Family’s purple gold VIP card!
The storekeeper’s heart skipped a beat. This VIP card was given by the chamber of commerce to Royal Family and Martial Quarters to please them. To date, there had been less than 100 sent out!
The only ones that had the qualifications to own one of these was either a member of the Imperial Family or a top-tier figure within the Martial Quarters. Any of these figures could squish him like a bug!
He was finished! Everything was over! These two little punks absolutely had the background and qualifications to do as the wished! It might even be possible that they were the Emperor’s little sons putting on some disguise and coming out of the Imperial Place to play around.
F*ck! His luck was such dog shit! The storekeeper despaired.
“Two young masters, this lowly one was wrong and foolish and deserves punishment! This lowly one will look for another storekeeper for you, please have grace and mercy and do not keep in your heart my pathetic transgressions.” The storekeeper began to slap himself, and although it wasn’t heavy, the fat on his cheeks jiggled.
Lin Xiaodong was dumbfounded. This guy, did he take some crazy pills?
The storekeeper moved with fear and trepidation and found another storekeeper to close the deal. He kept apologizing and finally also called a carriage to bring them back.
As they returned to Lin Ming’s lodgings, Lin Xiaodong did not know that the reason for the storekeeper’s actions was the purple gold VIP card. He thought that it was the gold that overawed the snobby storekeeper so his mood at the moment was excellent. “Haha, that was fun. Damn, remembering that storekeepers scared shitless expression really makes me want to laugh! Brother Lin, if you weren’t in a hurt I would have complained to that Hundred Treasures Hall’s boss and made that little snob pack up his bags and leave.”
Lin Ming had actually been watching clearly, and knew that when the storekeeper had looked at the purple gold VIP card, his expression had greatly changed. He could not restrain a sigh of emotion as he thought that the Martial Quarter’s power and influence that had accumulated over time was no less than that of the Imperial Family!
He said, “Little people have their little ways of living. Flattery and rudeness was what they were forced to learn in order to live. There’s no need to be so ruthless towards them. Xiaodong, this flexible armor and these three Golden Deer Pills are for you.” The Golden Deer Pills were able to remove impurities in the body. The first one was the most effective, and afterwards the efficacy halves. Taking more than three would generally be a waste.
As for the Soul Gathering Pellet, there was no limit to taking them, but it was only suitable for those that were diligent in practice; Lin Xiaodong naturally had no use for them.
The three Golden Deer Pills and flexible armor added to a value of nearly a 1000 taels of gold. To Lin Xiaodong this was a great sum of money, and he hesitated for a moment until he thought of Lin Ming’s story. If it were true then 1000 gold taels was only a drop in the bucket compared to what he would make in the future. Thinking of these he accepted the items and smiled with a laugh as he said, “Then I will shamelessly accept them. Brother Lin, later you will become my protective umbrella, haha.”
Lin Ming smiled and said, “We are brothers, there is no need for formalities between us. In addition…” Li Ming took out the remaining 3000 gold taels, “When the family messengers come next time to Sky Fortune City, help me get this to my parents and have them buy the restaurant.”
Lin Ming’s parents had invested more than half their lives into that restaurant, and naturally have a close attachment towards it. Lin Ming first thought of helping them by buying it.
“Alright, let me handle this matter.”
As Lin Xiaodong left, Lin Ming returned to his room alone. He looked at the calendar and saw that the Seven Profound Martial House entrance exam was fifty days away. In these fifty days, he must be reborn!
Regardless of the Golden Deer Pill or the Soul Gathering Pellet, these medicines were not able to directly increase the cultivation of a martial artist. The former eliminated impurities of the body, and the latter made it easier to train with soul force. Combined together, they could increase the rate he could practice.
As for directly increasing ones cultivation, these medicines could be bought, but they had implications in that they created more impurities in the soul force. Although cultivation would increase quickly, the foundation would not be steady, and one would have to spend a massive amount of time to consolidate the foundation in order for it to be stable.
Therefore Lin Ming did not rush to buy this sort of medicine.
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At the moment, Lin Ming was among the treetops, and had finally begun to take the first Golden Deer Pill.
Although the Golden Deer Pill was expensive, it was not really a rare medicine. Although Lin Ming knew how to increase the potency of medicine with inscription techniques, it wasn’t necessary for the Golden Deer Pill, so he ate them directly.
Lin Ming had filled a large wooden barrel with water. He stripped himself and then jumped in. In his body, the medicine began to dissolve with him. He could feel a flow of heat circulating in his chest.
Lin Ming began to meditate and revolve the ‘True Primal Chaos Formula’. The soul force stirred in his body and the Golden Deer Pull began to display their use.
With the onset of the effects, Lin Ming felt a slight tingling sensation and his body began to purify.
The body of a martial artist, ever since it comes from the womb, would constantly be exposed to the contaminated houtian air of the world. This kind of air was contained in every breath, in the grains they ate, in the rivers and streams and lakes they drank from. It was inevitable that the impurities would accumulate in the body. The Golden Deer Pills contained a hint of xiantian air from the deer embryo, and thus they could purify the body.
Lin Ming lay in the wooden barrel for the entire night. The surface of the water began to shimmer with greasy dark oil. This was Lin Ming’s impurities! An aristocratic family’s junior would begin this process as early as twelve years of age. They would practice martial arts after their body had been tempered and purified. Soaking in baths of rare medicines were commonplace for them, and they naturally had fewer impurities in their body, and it would be much easier to integrate the soul force. Even if they were a grade three talent like Lin Ming, he would find it difficult to keep pace with these juniors.
At dawn, Lin Ming finally opened his eyes. The Golden Deer Pill had been completely absorbed by him, and his body had been purified.
Lin Ming again revolved the ‘True Chaos Primal Formula’. It really was easier to circulate the soul force in his body! Lin Ming also found something else; it seemed the soul force had spread throughout his entire body. This was the starting stage of the Second Stage of Body Transformation!
Lin Ming had finally reached the Second Stage of Body Transformation!