Martial Cultivator

The two of them entered the jade shop.

As soon as they stepped inside, they saw that a row of shelves ahead was indeed filled with all kinds of jade pendants and small carved ornaments, everything imaginable.

There were little animals, decorative pieces, all of them looked quite nice.

Especially a small jade tiger, it was exquisitely lifelike, catching Chen Chao’s eye immediately.

Meanwhile, Xie Nandu was looking at a small jade plaque, on which a short line of text had been engraved.

She murmured softly, “Romance of the mortal world, bright moon in the sky, waxing and waning, as it has always been, don’t let it weigh on your heart.”

Chen Chao leaned over for a look and shook his head. “That’s not what I’d call a good saying.”

Xie Nandu smiled. “It’s just the plain truth. Why isn’t it a good saying to you?”

Chen Chao wanted to speak, but swallowed the words back.

“Miss, you have a keen eye. This jade plaque may have been made in-house, but the inscription on it was engraved by a renowned calligrapher himself. That calligrapher, to tell you the truth, he’s no small figure. Back then, who knows how many people sought his calligraphy and couldn’t get it. But few people know that besides being accomplished in calligraphy, he’s also a master at engraving.”

A hearty voice rang out as a middle-aged man dressed like a scholar stepped out from behind the counter. The lighting had been dim earlier, and only now did he get a clear look at the young woman before him; she was truly stunning.

For a brief moment, he was dazed. Then, consciously shifting his gaze away, he looked at Chen Chao and smiled. “Sir, you are truly fortunate.”

Seeing the warmth in the man’s eyes, Chen Chao felt as if spring rain had finally come after a long drought. A wave of warmth spread through his heart.

So many people, and finally someone who spoke like a decent human being.

Xie Nandu said softly, “Ning Shidao.”

The middle-aged scholar was taken aback and asked curiously, “Miss, how did you know?”

One had to know that the engraving on this jade plaque differed significantly from the calligraphy Ning Shidao usually penned on paper. Although many of his calligraphic works remained in the world, there were very few examples of his engravings.

Even those who had seen Ning Shidao’s ink treasures would likely find it difficult to recognize his carving style.

“It only seems different, but the brush technique is part of the same lineage. It’s not hard to recognize.”

Xie Nandu spoke slowly. She had read so many books since childhood. Though she could not claim mastery over the ages when it came to cultivation, in matters like this, it was hard to stump her. If that were not the case, she would not have taken the top rank in the literary exam back then.

The phrase “a scholar with the knowledge of five cartloads of books” was often an exaggeration. But when used to describe Xie Nandu, it was probably an understatement.

The middle-aged scholar gave a slight smile. He appeared indifferent, but the look he gave Xie Nandu carried a deep and sincere admiration.

Such a learned young woman at this age was truly rare.

“How much is it?”

Chen Chao glanced at the middle-aged scholar and smiled. “If I buy it together with this little jade tiger, can I get a discount?”

The scholar looked a little troubled. “The jade plaque is an authentic work of Master Ning. I won’t part with it for less than two hundred skygold coins. As for the little jade tiger, it’s cheap, just twenty skygold coins.”

That single sentence had the young shop assistant grumbling in his heart: I already said it, everything in this shop is insanely expensive.

Chen Chao said in surprise, “Two hundred skygold coins for the work of an ordinary calligrapher? That seems a bit too expensive, doesn’t it?”

Though Chen Chao had money now, he was still not the kind of person who spent recklessly. Two hundred skygold coins still felt painful to part with, even if it was something the young woman beside him liked.

“A treasure of the heart is worth more than a thousand gold.”

The middle-aged scholar chuckled. “What’s more, this young lady has a discerning eye. If she doesn’t take it with her, I fear she may lose sleep over it.”

Chen Chao replied matter-of-factly, “Since it’s a case of discerning eyes spotting a fine treasure, shouldn’t it be cheaper? Otherwise, if it ends up with someone else, it’ll only gather dust.”

When it came to bargaining, Chen Chao was well-practiced. In his younger years, he had sold who knew how many demon beads. If he had not bargained each time, he would have lost a fortune.

The middle-aged scholar opened his mouth, speechless for a moment. When he had first seen this man and woman enter the shop, he thought the sale would be easy. But this young man had truly caught him off guard. After all, in business, it did not matter how good or bad the item was, or how high or low the price, the most important thing was understanding people.

Usually, when a lone man and woman were out together like this, no matter how outrageous the price, the man would grit his teeth and buy it. Haggling was not expected.

The only exception would be if the two were already Dao companions.

But judging by how young they were, that seemed unlikely.

Since that was the case, the middle-aged scholar could not help but admire this young man’s boldness.

Having the guts to haggle, he was no ordinary man.

After hesitating for quite a while, the middle-aged scholar was just about to speak when the young man smiled and said, “Business is about back-and-forth. A one-and-done deal isn’t good for anyone.”

The scholar thought it over, then gritted his teeth and said, “Fifty skygold coins off the jade plaque. No discount on the jade tiger.”

Chen Chao just kept smiling without saying a word.

That left the scholar no choice but to glance at Xie Nandu next to him. She had not said a word and was just quietly examining something else.

She did not seem like an ordinary woman either. Even when she came across something she liked, she did not insist that someone else buy it for her.

Strange, strange indeed.

The middle-aged scholar shook his head. But in the next instant, he nodded again. If not for this, these two probably would not have come together.

In this world, men and women could easily come together because of certain attractions, whether it be appearance or personality. But if they truly wanted to last long, they had to be genuinely in tune with each other.

I understand you, and you understand me as well.

I don’t make things difficult for you, and you don’t make things difficult for me either.

After a moment of silence, the middle-aged scholar spoke. “Another twenty off, I really can’t go lower than that.”

Chen Chao shook his head and said softly, “A total of one hundred skygold coins, and you have to let me pick three more items, how about that?”

The middle-aged scholar gave a bitter smile and said, “That’ll make me lose all the way to my grandma’s house.”

Chen Chao was indifferent, he just looked toward Xie Nandu to the side and said softly, “Let’s go?”

Xie Nandu nodded.

The middle-aged scholar sighed and said, “Alright, alright, deal.”

But after he sighed, it was Chen Chao’s turn to sigh. This young man, who now held a noble status, sighed and said, “Still ended up overpaying.”

Hearing these words, Xie Nandu at his side merely smiled faintly and said nothing more.

She just found it amusing.

However, her state of mind at this moment was no longer quite the same as the first time she saw Chen Chao bargaining while selling demon beads.

After that, Chen Chao paid the money.

Then he carefully picked out three items.

One was a set of Go pieces. The board was carved from white jade, not particularly outstanding, but what Chen Chao valued were the stones. Both the black and white stones were exquisitely crafted.

Another was a jade folding fan, also extremely well-made. It was linked together with gold thread, and on the fan surface were the characters: Gentle Spring Breeze.

The last item was a jade brush. On the brush handle were the characters: Calm the Heart, Straighten the Will.

These three items happened to be the gifts Chen Chao intended to give to his three disciples.

Before leaving the jade shop, the middle-aged scholar suddenly spoke up, “May I carve a jade figurine of this young lady, as a gift for her? When you return next time, it should be finished. I will present it with both hands then.”

Chen Chao wanted to speak, but swallowed the words back.

The middle-aged scholar smiled and said, “No need for you two to remain in the shop any longer. The elegance of this young lady is already engraved in my heart.”

Xie Nandu gave a slight nod. She did not really mind either way.

Once they stepped out onto the street, Chen Chao handed over the small jade tiger and the jade token he had bought to Xie Nandu. After she took them, she looked at the small jade tiger and asked curiously, “You like tigers that much?”

She remembered that Chen Chao had previously bought her a little tiger plush as well.

Chen Chao smiled and said, “The white tiger symbolizes slaughter. Giving you this is to wish you victory in every battle on the battlefield.”

Xie Nandu smiled. “And the other three are gifts for those three little ones?”

Chen Chao nodded. “Guess which is for whom?”

Xie Nandu said softly, “The jade brush is for Qingfeng, the jade fan is for little He. But I don’t understand, why are you giving that little girl a Go set?”

“I can’t quite say for sure. Just have a feeling she’ll like it.”

Chen Chao shook his head, a strange and inexplicable feeling arising in him.

Xie Nandu did not say more. She simply followed him as they wandered the market, though afterward, she rarely stopped at any stalls.

But just then, a sudden commotion broke out at the far end of the long street. Over a dozen shirtless, burly monks rudely pushed aside the itinerant cultivators along the street, forcefully clearing a path.

Chen Chao narrowed his eyes.

Xie Nandu on the other hand showed no change in expression.

Chen Chao pulled Xie Nandu to the side to stand still. The street was quickly cleared, and from a distance came the roar of a beast.

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