owlsbooks Chapter 3: Living in the Immortal Market is no easy feat!
Chapter 3: Living in the Immortal Market is no easy feat!
Chen Bai frowned slightly.
If someone comes looking for him at this hour, could it be Fatty Wei? No, Wei Bo would never be so presumptuous.
The market has been quite unsettled lately, with prices of all kinds of spiritual materials rising. I've heard there's been a "robbery of cultivators" going on outside, with even dignified immortals resorting to robbery. The world is going to the dogs!
Carefully putting away the spirit stones, he approached the door with a slightly wary expression.
"Squeak—"
The wooden door opened, and a familiar face came into view.
The newcomer was named Xue Zhen. He was dressed in a standard light gray Taoist robe with an iron sword embroidered on his chest. This was the kind of clothing that only the menial disciples of the Spirit Sword Sect could wear.
His face was sallow, neither fat nor thin, with extremely ordinary features, except for his long, narrow, and bright eyes, which revealed a shrewdness.
Seeing Chen Bai at home, he braced himself against the door and preemptively shouted, "Finally caught you! Chen, it's time to pay your rent for the past six months! I've been here several times already—"
A large, calloused hand reached out in front of me.
"Where's the money? Enough talk, hand over five spirit stones!"
Chen Bai remained silent for a moment.
He secretly regretted it, damn it! How could he have forgotten about that old devil Xue who was chasing rent! If only he had come back later today, maybe he could have delayed it for a few more days.
My current savings are definitely not enough to pay the rent.
What should we do next?
"How about I borrow some money from Wei Bo... wait, he asked me for money yesterday, I guess he's in dire straits himself." Chen Bai racked his brains, thinking about how to get through this.
Not giving it to him is definitely not an option. If you're short even one talisman coin, that old devil Xue can just sell you off!
A few breaths passed.
"What! You're not planning to pay me back?"
Xue Zhen sneered, his narrow eyes squinting as he looked him up and down: "No one has ever dared to owe my Iron Sword Sect rent, hehe... You've got a good physique, and a fair complexion; you could fetch a good price."
As he spoke, he put one hand on Chen Bai's shoulder, as if he was about to take him away to pay off his debts.
"Give it to me! Who said I wouldn't give it to you... Manager Xue, don't be in such a hurry, let's talk inside." Seeing that the other party was about to make a move, Chen Bai couldn't help but sweat a few drops of cold sweat, and quickly beckoned the old devil Xue to come in.
"Stop with all that nonsense..."
Xue Zhen's face twitched, and he waved his hand impatiently, saying, "Just tell me if you have money or not! I'm in a hurry to go to that deadbeat Qi Jing's house! You peasants won't shed a tear until you see the coffin."
"Yes! I definitely have the money, but..."
Chen Bai took out five talisman coins from his sleeve and quietly slipped them into Xue Zhen's hand.
"This money is a gift to you."
Please be lenient... and grant me three more days. I promise to pay the rent in full and not cause you any trouble, Steward Xue!
Xue Zhen slightly raised his eyelids and coughed, "Ahem."
At the same time, he weighed the coins in his hand. Five talisman coins, worth half a spirit shell, were a pretty good deal for a three-day grace period. As a disciple of a dignified immortal sect, earning some extra money was only natural!
Besides, he was in a hurry to go to the home of Qi Jing, who had just died. Those lovely mother and daughter were waiting for his affection... Hehe! Just thinking about this made his heart warm.
Xue Zhen made a decision immediately.
After the rough hand deftly stuffed the talisman money into the small pouch at his waist, Xue Zhen's expression softened: "You're a smart kid. I'll give you three days at most. Remember that! Otherwise, you'll be in for a world of hurt."
Having said that, he hurried away without looking back.
Watching his departing figure, Chen Bai's smile turned cold.
"Three days...determined whether I could continue living here, or be driven out of the market."
As he closed the door, he glanced to the east, in the direction of Qi Jing's house.
After that honest and kind man died, all that was left were his good-looking wife and daughter. Even a fool could imagine what would happen... Fortunately, they had already been informed in advance. Whether they could escape unscathed was up to fate.
"Who has it easy these days...?"
Chen Bai shook his head and mocked himself, completely casting aside any weakness in his heart.
"Do what you are capable of."
afternoon.
The market town of Kokenyama was still bathed in sunshine.
For some reason, the previous heavy rain seemed to have no effect on this place at all. It was stopped by a mysterious light barrier several miles away from the market and turned into a rain curtain.
Inside the log cabin.
The boy slumped onto the bed, closed his eyes, and lowered the curtains.
Following the instructions in "Canqi Xuanfu Chujie", Chen Bai attempted to "enter a state of tranquility".
This state is also called "diving into the darkness," or "entering samadhi" in Buddhism, and is divided into great samadhi and lesser samadhi.
In short, it is about using various acquired methods to calm one's constantly restless consciousness.
This is the first step in proving "fetal breathing".
"When people can always maintain a state of tranquility, all things in heaven and earth will return to their proper place."
The Daoist scripture quoted in the "Initial Explanation of the Mysterious Talisman" states that entering a state of tranquility is an essential step for mortals who wish to draw spiritual talismans.
This is because a spark of innate spiritual light enters the blood of one's parents, and through the interaction of Yin and Yang, a person is born. From the moment a mortal is born until adulthood, their mind becomes filled with complex thoughts, constantly consuming this innate spiritual light.
A clear mind brings tranquility, and a tranquil mind brings enlightenment.
Whether it's spiritual practice or drawing talismans, one needs to enter a state of tranquility in order to return to one's original nature and find this innate spiritual light as a "guide" to receive external spiritual energy.
"Inhale...exhale...inhale...exhale..."
He silently counted his breaths, consciously or unconsciously controlling them to a very slow frequency.
From being able to hear one's own breathing, to a continuous, gentle breath that is not frequently used, it seems that the world has slowed down as well.
However, even after the body calms down, a series of distracting thoughts linger in the mind like maggots clinging to bones.
I wonder if I'll ever have a chance to go back...
If I hadn't traveled through time, I'd probably be in my rented apartment eating takeout and watching videos to watch while I eat...
As soon as one thought is eliminated, another one arises.
"With this cheat system, I can finally live the life of a male protagonist in a novel! Forget about becoming a celestial being through the womb, who knows, I might actually become an immortal someday!"
The cycle repeats endlessly, without pause, and the mind is never at peace.
One hour later.
"This is the thirty-second time. Why is it so difficult? Could it be that I really lack the talent for cultivation?"
Chen Bai failed to enter a meditative state again and woke up, opening his eyes helplessly.
A surge of anger welled up from the bottom of his heart, making him somewhat irritable and restless.
If you continue meditating, you won't be able to calm down at all, and the effect will probably only get worse each time.
Stretching out his somewhat numb legs, Chen Bai sat on the edge of the bed, rubbing his forehead and pondering: "Where exactly did I go wrong?"
Unfortunately, the old Taoist priest himself wasn't very skilled, and his explanations were vague, only briefly mentioning entering a meditative state. A thorough search of the lineage yielded no further information.
As dusk approached, the day was drawing to a close.
But there was still no progress.
Anxiety was building up inside Chen Bai, making him feel a lot of pressure.
It suddenly felt like I was a beast of burden in my past life, with my boss demanding that I complete the task at the last minute before the deadline.
"Coo coo coo..."
Chen Bai patted his stomach and smiled wryly with relief: "I just can't think of anything. Filling my stomach is the most important thing."
The simple lunch at noon had already used up all the food left in the house, and now even the mice probably wouldn't bother with it. Helpless, he decided to go to the market to see if there was anything to eat.
Take the talisman and money with you, and secure the wooden door.
Just as Chen Bai was about to leave, a furtive voice suddenly came from behind him: "Brother Bai!"
Turning my head, I saw a figure emerge from the bushes not far away, revealing a fair, round face full of surprise.
Before Chen Bai could speak, Wei Bo rushed over and hugged his legs tightly, refusing to let go.
"I'm in dire need of help! Brother Bai! Do you have any spirit stones? Could you lend me a few to tide me over?!"
Looking at Chen Bai's expressionless face, as calm as still water.
Wei Bo looked up miserably and said in surprise, "Huh? No? Spirit shells will do... cough, brother, I almost got caught by that old devil Xue, now I really can't escape."
"Get up first."
"You must have enough talisman money now, right?"
Wei Bo was still unwilling to give up. He sucked in his stomach and looked miserable: "I... I've been starving for almost a day."
Chen Bai looked up at the sky and said quietly, "Don't even think about it, Old Ghost Xue just came knocking on my door! I couldn't escape him..."
Upon hearing this, Wei Bo was stunned.
Without saying a word, he stood up and casually patted the grass clippings off his knees.
Chen Bai was speechless upon seeing this. This Fatty Wei was indeed flexible and adaptable. However, considering that he had helped him out before, he would reluctantly treat him to a meal.
the other side.
Wei Bo looked at him strangely with an odd expression and exclaimed, "Then you've signed a contract of servitude, haven't you? Brother Bai, you're in for a treat! You might even be sold to the Three Peaks Taoist Temple to work as a furnace..."
"Not signed!"
Before Wei Bo could finish speaking, he interrupted him directly.
Chen Bai was speechless for a moment, then said irritably, "But it'll be almost done anyway."
Wei Bo chuckled.
His eyes darted around, and he leaned closer, whispering, "Brother Bai, I have a way to make money. Want to give it a try?"
Tell me about it.
Chen Bai said indifferently, and started walking towards the market.
Fatty Wei quickly followed, beaming, "Recently, several brothels and manor houses are short of male companions. We two, with our fair skin and good skills, are said to be getting female customers, and even divine intervention. If our ancestors' graves are emitting auspicious smoke, we might even be chosen by someone..."
Chen Bai said indifferently, "Forget it, your idea is terrible. You might as well kneel down and beg your father; at least he'd actually give you spirit stones."
This Fatty Wei's father was a hermit who practiced fetal breathing.
However, he had too many children to manage. As long as they had poor aptitude, he would give them a few spirit stones when they came of age and leave them to fend for themselves.
"Ahem... To be honest, I was kicked out last month."
Wei Bo scratched his head, somewhat embarrassed, and then said, "Hey, you know, we're all out of ideas, why don't we learn from our fellow travelers and go to the market to sell some food?"
"No long-term plan?"
Chen Bai was stunned, and after being pointed at by Wei Bo, he seemed to have thought of something.
He had been so focused on the old Taoist's lineage of talismanic arts that he had subconsciously forgotten some of the knowledge.
By the way—I extracted more than just one talismanic inheritance from the small cauldron; there were clearly more than a dozen strange and wonderful knowledge skills!
Chen Bai was overjoyed to have figured it out; it truly was a case of "after the darkest hour comes the dawn."
Those seemingly chaotic white skill inheritances, though useless for cultivation, can be used in other ways.
Chen Bai froze, his eyes glazed over, lost in thought.
The knowledge and skills extracted from the small cauldron were arranged in my mind.
First, we can rule out strange and ingenious techniques like "The Seven Lucky Goddesses" and "The Secret Manual of Mandarin Ducks," as these might only be useful in the future.
There is also the "Dice-Rolling Magic Spell" and a technique called "Empty-Handed Magic".
Gambling? Theft?
Neither of these are long-term solutions, and neither will work.
"Ten Methods of Judging People"?
For an ordinary mortal to set up a fortune-telling stall, especially in a celestial marketplace, is simply presumptuous and unacceptable.
After a thorough elimination process.
The only thing left that could be done was that unremarkable "rouge mixing method".