Chapter 410 — The Two Crafty Merchants

Shen Mu slept a night through, and when he woke the sky was not yet light. He heard Granny Zhu's voice, stepped out of the room, and saw Granny Zhu directing a dozen fish-folk in preparing breakfast.

Shen Mu sat down on the stone steps before the hall and watched her back, and his heart was filled with calm. That was Granny Zhu, not Fan Xuanshu. Fan Xuanshu was truly dead.

For this former Cult Master, Shen Mu held no fondness. As a Cult Master, Fan Xuanshu had been inadequate; he had let the Heaven Sacred Cult miss forty years of development. Had it not been for the Patriarch, that pillar steadying the sea, the Heaven Sacred Cult would likely long ago have been swallowed and absorbed by Imperial Preceptor Jingping and Emperor Yanfeng.

Yet in the end, he had still done what a master ought to do. The "Great Nurturing" of the Great Nurturing Dark Demon Sutra—he had grasped it and passed it down.

But surveying the whole of his life, failure had been his greater lot. Granny Zhu turned and looked his way.

Shen Mu, seated on the stone steps, showed a smile.

In the east the sky was paling, like a great fish turning up its white belly; the sun rose and roasted that fish belly to a red-gold hue.

After breakfast, Shen Mu continued to treat himself, and once his wounds had improved somewhat more, he went to help treat the others again.

The several girls came to help as well. They labored for half a day; Shen Mu refined countless furnaces of elixirs and nearly worked himself to collapse again. The spirit medicines in his Taotie Pouch were by now nearly used up, and the spirit medicines in the Lord of Dragon Husbandry's Taotie Pouch had likewise been mostly consumed. Shen Mu wanted to go himself, but truly had no strength left, so he had no choice but to write out the names of the spirit medicines and send Snow Fox riding the Dragon Qilin to Shuzhou City to procure them.

"The shopkeeper of the medicine shop is one of the Heaven Sacred Cult's people. Holy Maiden Xiang, you go along as well, and have them prepare the medicinal ingredients. If they don't have them, ferry them in from elsewhere by swift boat.

Also, prepare twenty-six great cauldrons big enough to boil a man, and steamers. Some of the wounds are extremely complex and need to be boiled and steamed. " Yan Jingjing said eagerly, "I want to go too!

" Shen Mu hesitated a moment, then said, "Good sister, I originally said I'd bring you out to have some fun, but I didn't expect to run into this business. I have no leisure now to go out and keep you company.

It's fine if you go to Shuzhou City and look around a bit more. " Yan Jingjing was overjoyed. Si Yunxiang said, "Since it's the cult's own enterprise, it must be paid for. Moving swift boats also costs quite a few Great Feng coins.

" Shen Mu waved a hand. "Ling'er has money. You needn't worry. " Snow Fox and Si Yunxiang exchanged a glance, and firelight sparked in the eyes of both the demon and the woman—a posture as though a great battle might break out at any moment. The two girls sat upon the Dragon Qilin's back and went out of the estate. Snow Fox said with a cold laugh, "Holy Maiden Xiang, you may be able to swindle the young master, but you can't swindle me. Don't you dream of taking the slightest advantage of me.

" Si Yunxiang said with a smiling face, "I naturally know how formidable Ling'er is.

But what I said just now was also for the Cult Master's sake. Think—many of the wounded are not of the Holy Cult. If the Cult Master has the Holy Cult prepare the medicines, naturally there must be payment.

From whom? It can't be charged to the Cult Master, so of course it must be charged to the emperor!

Sister Ling'er, don't haggle with me—rather, raise the price as high as you can, and we'll make the emperor pay through the nose!

" Snow Fox shook her head. "There is a merchant's way in commerce.

If you want to fleece the emperor, that won't do either—the price must be set according to the value of these spirit medicines. " Si Yunxiang argued with her, but Snow Fox would not loosen her tongue no matter what. Once the two girls had agreed on a price, Snow Fox said inwardly, "I'll buy the medicine from you, then report a false price to the emperor and make a great profit!

If I collude with you, I'd have to split the spoils—but if I keep it all for myself, I won't have to share a thing! " It would still take more than ten days for the medicine shop in Shuzhou City to prepare the medicines. Shen Mu finished nursing his own wounds back to health, though some hidden ailments remained unhealed. Several days passed with nothing to do, and still Zai Fu did not return. Suddenly he thought, "Wang Muran's insight is extraordinary. He suggested that I join hands with Sister Yuxiu to devise a method of cultivating the Six Harmonies Primordial Spirit, to benefit those who come after.

I have been so busy these days that I forgot all about it. " He sought out Ling Yuxiu and told her of the matter.

Ling Yuxiu was astonished. "If we devise a method for cultivating the Six Harmonies Primordial Spirit, does that make us grandmasters? " "Grandmasters? " Shen Mu could not help but laugh.

"Is Imperial Preceptor Jingping a grandmaster? " The moment Ling Yuxiu mentioned Imperial Preceptor Jingping, reverence rose in her. "Imperial Preceptor Jingping—a grandmaster and more! Three basic sword forms are enough to make his name last ten thousand ages, immortal in this world! " Shen Mu smiled faintly. "The merit of his three basic sword forms is a shade less than that of the Six Harmonies Primordial Spirit.

Once the cultivation method and practice method of the Six Harmonies Primordial Spirit are complete, the arts of the Dao and divine powers will all be pushed forward one great step, to benefit ten thousand ages! " Ling Yuxiu's heart shook violently, and disbelief rose in her mind. "The Six Harmonies Primordial Spirit we refined by accident—can it truly be so remarkable?

Then what are we waiting for?

" She at once took Shen Mu by the hand and hurried out of the great hall in high spirits.

Emperor Yanfeng, the Empress Dowager, and the other wounded had been carried outside by a host of deer demons to bask in the sun. Emperor Yanfeng, gravely wounded, was speaking with Yu Zhaoqing when he saw this pair of youths come dashing out in high spirits, and the emperor hastily said, "Xiu'er, where are you going? " "To refine the Six Harmonies Primordial Spirit!

" Emperor Yanfeng was stunned for a moment. "The Six Harmonies Primordial Spirit? How does one refine it?

" Ling Yuxiu, leading Shen Mu by the hand, had already walked far off, and her voice drifted back: "Primordial Spirit dual cultivation, of course! My brother says it's called Primordial Spirit dual cultivation!

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