Chapter 35: Don’t Take It to Heart, Junior Brother

Chapter 35: Chapter 35: Don’t Take It to Heart, Junior Brother

"Fellow Daoist Yang, if you don’t mind me asking, why do you need magic to hide your Cultivation? You’re a prodigy of Purple Bamboo Peak. Surely you can’t be like us Loose Cultivators, just trying to make a living in the Marketplace?"

In a small alley of the Marketplace, a man shrouded in a black robe spoke in a hoarse voice. ’Do disciples from Purple Cloud Valley also need to hide their Cultivation? Lying in wait for an assassination?’

"This is a simple transaction. I give you Spirit Stones, you give me the magic. You sell to Loose Cultivators all the time. Or am I less trustworthy than them?"

Yang Haichen said nonchalantly. Reputable Cultivators rarely bothered to hide their Cultivation, and neither did most Loose Cultivators near Purple Cloud Valley. There was simply no need.

’But Junior Brother Liu is a Spirit Chef, so the more life-saving techniques he has, the better. Other items are difficult to acquire and I’m still gathering them. Only this magic for hiding his Cultivation is relatively easy to get.’

’If it can hide even the fluctuations of his Cultivation, then hiding his aura will be child’s play. That way, when Junior Brother Liu is out and about, he might be able to avoid some trouble.’

"Senior Brother Yang, please wait a moment."

The man in the black robe fell silent. Their entire operation only existed because Purple Cloud Valley turned a blind eye. If they directly offended an Inner Sect Disciple, the valley’s Law Enforcement Hall would be more than happy to conduct a large-scale "cleansing" of the Marketplace.

Although Yang Haichen wasn’t an Inner Sect Disciple yet, everyone knew he was guaranteed to become one.

’Under the circumstances, he had no choice but to agree. Besides, it’s not like buying the technique guaranteed success in cultivating it. Of all the ambitious Loose Cultivators who’d bought it before, only one or two had ever managed to grasp the basics.’

"This is the Resting Technique. Once you master the basics, it can hide the fluctuations of your Cultivation. It’s only effective on Cultivators of a lower Realm than your own."

The man in the black robe took a piece of paper from within his garment. Since Yang Haichen was dead set on buying, he decided to pull out the best one he had. It was also the most difficult to learn. Whether the man could actually master it was not his problem.

’In any case, he knew this was supposed to be the most effective of all the magic he possessed, but he’d never managed to master even the basics. He was only guessing its effects based on other, similar techniques.’

"A pleasure doing business with you."

Yang Haichen took the paper, paid the Spirit Stones, and immediately turned to leave. ’I have too much to do to waste time lingering here.’

"Please, Fellow Daoist Yang, don’t spread this around. We have a business to run, after all."

The man in black couldn’t help but add this. An ordinary Loose Cultivator would be bound by the rule of secrecy, but if they tried to use their enforcement methods on a disciple of Purple Cloud Valley, they’d be having their last meal at the Law Enforcement Hall by nightfall.

"I know. Tell your people that if they encounter a Cultivator who has mastered this magic in the future, they should keep their distance. Don’t say I didn’t warn you."

Yang Haichen waved his hand dismissively. ’I’ll pass it to Junior Brother Liu, but who he passes it to is anyone’s guess. Before any of that, though, I need to have my master check if there are any problems with this magic. Loose Cultivators are a motley crew to begin with, to say nothing of the assassin types among them.’

"There’s nothing wrong with the magic, it’s just very difficult to cultivate. The effects after mastering it should be quite good, though."

The Grand Elder of Purple Bamboo Peak looked at the paper for a moment before handing it back to Yang Haichen. He was familiar with this kind of magic, so he could naturally tell if the contents were fake. The underlying principles for such techniques were often shared.

"Then I’ll take this to Junior Brother Liu."

Yang Haichen glanced up at the hour. It should be about time. Now that he understood the true value of Spiritual Cuisine, he felt a bit sheepish. Forget getting two portions for twenty stalks of Purple Bamboo Grass—he probably couldn’t even afford two mouthfuls.

"What about the introduction to Swordsmanship I had you prepare?"

The Grand Elder nodded, then remembered Yang Haichen’s own muddled Talent for Swordsmanship. If the materials he prepared ended up leading a disciple astray, that fellow Mo Xuan would likely come looking for a duel.

Technically, he was of the same generation as Mo Xuan’s own master, but that wouldn’t matter in such a situation.

"Right here."

Yang Haichen took out a Secret Manual and handed it to the Grand Elder. The Grand Elder inspected it carefully, and only after confirming there were no issues did he return it to Yang Haichen.

"Go on, then."

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"Junior Brother, including what I owe from yesterday, here are forty stalks of Purple Bamboo Grass."

In the Bamboo Garden, Yang Haichen pushed four brocade boxes toward Liu Chen, his eyes full of sheepishness. He was afraid the acting Peak Master would storm out and give him a beating, since the items in their exchange were of completely different value.

"Senior Brother, what is the meaning of this?"

Liu Chen hesitated. While more Purple Bamboo Grass would certainly be helpful, he had already made an agreement yesterday and didn’t like to go back on his word.

"Junior Brother, I’ll be blunt. If you don’t accept these, I’ll be too embarrassed to even show my face here tomorrow. If you were willing to reveal your identity as a Spirit Chef, you could get this much for a single portion of your Spiritual Cuisine."

Yang Haichen was very frank. He then took out the Basic Sword Skill Secret Manual and the paper with the magic written on it. "This is the original. I made a copy for myself to study."

"Very well, then. But in the future, Senior Brother, you mustn’t insist on adding more to the price. Otherwise, my conscience will not rest easy."

’Liu Chen nodded. For the sake of his long-term plans, he needed to maintain a good relationship with this senior brother. After all, when choosing between forty stalks of Purple Bamboo Grass now and the potential for even more later, the choice was obvious.’

"It’s a senior brother’s duty to look after his junior brother. Don’t worry about it."

Seeing that Liu Chen had agreed, Yang Haichen exchanged the two food containers and promptly got up to take his leave.

’I get the feeling this senior brother has someone guiding him from behind the scenes.’

Watching his retreating figure, Liu Chen couldn’t help but shake his head. Senior Brother Yang’s behavior now was completely different from their first meeting. ’If he doesn’t have a split personality, then someone must be advising him. And it’s most likely his master, the Grand Elder of Purple Bamboo Peak.’

’Liu Chen thought for a moment. Judging by his own master and mistress, as well as the Grand Elder, it seemed disciples were treated quite well. He just wondered what things were like in the other Bamboo Gardens.’

Lunch was the same as always. In the afternoon, Liu Chen first completed a session of Body Tempering before turning his attention to the Secret Manual and the paper describing the magic skill.

"’Basic Swordsmanship, and a magic to hide my Cultivation... Senior Brother Yang is very thoughtful.’"

After reading the contents, Liu Chen was even more certain that someone was advising Senior Brother Yang. It didn’t make much difference to him, though. He could trade what he considered a trivial amount of Spiritual Cuisine for such valuable resources.

Besides, Senior Brother Yang provided all the ingredients himself. This time, he had left three bags of Spirit Rice. He hadn’t left any Bamboo Shoots, but there was no need; they grew back very quickly.

It was only because the bamboo forest on the back of the mountain was small. According to Senior Brother Yang, disciples from the seven Bamboo Gardens on the front mountain were sent to sell Bamboo Shoots at the small plaza within Purple Cloud Valley every day.

Liu Chen reined in his thoughts and planned out his schedule. He would split his two-hour sword practice session in half, using the time to cultivate both the Basic Sword Skill and the Cyan Lotus Demon-Slaying Sword.

As for the Resting Technique, he could practice it anytime, as long as he kept an eye on his Spiritual Power consumption.