Volume One: Menial Servant of Changshui County Chapter Thirty-Five: Many but Not Proficient

“It’s not necessarily a good thing,” Lu Jiuzhang said quietly.

The Demon-Slaying Bureau already had those who wished him dead, and now he had offended the county magistrate as well—troubles seemed to multiply endlessly.

“What do you mean?” Zhou Cheng asked, not quite understanding.

“It’s nothing, Master Zhou. I’ll go cultivate for now.” Lu Jiuzhang cupped his hands in farewell and departed.

...

Lu Jiuzhang spent the rest of the day cultivating, until the end of work.

He remained in Zhou Cheng’s room, but this would likely be the last time. After his cultivation, he headed to the Thousand Mechanisms Pavilion.

The pavilion in Changshui County rarely saw many customers. The elderly man at the counter was the proprietor, commonly known as Manager Chen, and there were a few assistants besides him.

“Manager Chen!” Lu Jiuzhang greeted him with a cupped hand.

It wasn’t their first meeting; they were fairly acquainted.

“Master Lu, what a rare guest. Your deeds have spread across Changshui County today. I expect in a few days, word will reach Anxi Prefecture, and within half a month, the Northern Foothills Commandery.” Manager Chen approached, smiling.

Changshui County was small—within half a day, Lu Jiuzhang’s exploits were known everywhere. Anxi Prefecture and Northern Foothills Commandery were farther, so news would travel slower, but such events would certainly stir some waves.

“Manager Chen, you flatter me,” Lu Jiuzhang replied with an embarrassed smile.

“No one comes to the temple without a reason. What brings you here, Master Lu?” Manager Chen asked directly.

“Spiritual herbs,” said Lu Jiuzhang.

“There’s word that you’ve entered the ninth rank of the Scholar’s Path. If you need spiritual herbs, do you intend to break through in the Martial Path as well?” Manager Chen asked curiously.

He then remembered there were other customers in the shop, so added, “Master Lu, please follow me to the backyard.”

He instructed an assistant to tend to the guests, then led Lu Jiuzhang to a private chamber—a place reserved for business discussions.

The room housed over a dozen chairs and a central table with a teapot atop it.

Lu Jiuzhang had never been qualified to enter here before.

Now, having attained the Scholar’s Path, Manager Chen viewed him with newfound respect.

In his heart, Manager Chen rated Lu Jiuzhang as a top-tier talent.

Anyone possessing extraordinary aptitude in a particular path would draw the attention of the Thousand Mechanisms Pavilion. Every major power sought to recruit talents, and the pavilion was no exception.

People like Lu Jiuzhang were highly prized. Even if he hadn’t come in person, Manager Chen would have sought him out within days to see if he could be persuaded to join the pavilion.

“I do have such intentions,” Lu Jiuzhang admitted once they’d reached the private chamber.

He required a large quantity of spiritual herbs; there was no hiding it, so he might as well be candid.

“Ah...” Manager Chen was stunned for a moment, then said, “It’s not a wise move. There are three thousand paths, each demanding immense time and effort. Achieving even a modest accomplishment in one is as difficult as scaling the heavens.”

“If you pursue both the Scholar’s and Martial Paths, you’ll spread yourself thin. Not only will martial achievements be hard to come by, but your progress in scholarship will also stagnate.”

In his mind, Manager Chen downgraded Lu Jiuzhang from top-tier to second-tier talent.

All major powers had their own grading standards—basic levels were top, second, third, and fourth; higher levels existed, but Manager Chen had no jurisdiction over those.

“Don’t bite off more than you can chew”—an age-old truth.

Taking both paths severely diminished prospects.

“Manager Chen, you’re a businessman. I’ve come to do business, and yet you’re trying to chase me away. How does that make sense?” Lu Jiuzhang laughed.

“Hahaha, I’ve spoken out of turn. The efficacy and price of spiritual herbs vary greatly—the cheapest are a few taels of silver, the most expensive reach thousands, tens of thousands, even priceless treasures.”

“Master Lu, you haven’t yet entered the ninth rank of the Martial Path, correct? If it’s just for body tempering, I recommend the Nine Sun Herb.”

“The Nine Sun Herb grows atop cliffs, basking in sunlight all day. It’s highly effective for tempering the body. As for the price, a single plant costs fifty taels of silver.”

Manager Chen explained.

What?! So expensive?

Lu Jiuzhang was incredulous.

“It’s extremely difficult to harvest from cliffs—fifty taels is already a friendly price,” Manager Chen smiled. “The Nine Sun Herb is favored by many martial artists. It’s easy to use, requiring no other herbs. Its only drawback is its potency; body tempering with it is agonizing.”

“Moreover, for herbal body tempering, the first plant is most effective. The second and subsequent ones are much less so. By the tenth, it’s basically useless.”

“At that point, you’ll need either a stronger herb, a pill, or to abandon the herbal tempering path altogether.”

Manager Chen made things clear, lest Lu Jiuzhang fall into any misconceptions.

Hearing this, Lu Jiuzhang felt even more taken advantage of.

But there was no alternative. For the sake of strength, one must take whatever shortcut presents itself. Achieving the ninth rank of the Scholar’s Path as soon as possible would grant him the means to protect himself.

“I’ll take two,” Lu Jiuzhang said.

“Wait here, I’ll fetch them for you,” Manager Chen replied.

He strode to the front chamber, retrieved the Nine Sun Herb from the shop, and returned to the backyard, handing Lu Jiuzhang two black boxes.

Inside each box was a Nine Sun Herb.

Lu Jiuzhang opened one; spiritual energy surged forth, far denser than what he could absorb from meditating and drawing the ambient energy of heaven and earth.

“Here’s one hundred taels of silver,” Lu Jiuzhang said, laying some broken silver pieces on the table.

He originally had about one hundred twenty taels in total—a decent fortune.

Now, in an instant, he was reduced to poverty.

Only twenty taels remained; who knew how long they’d last?

The Demon-Slaying Bureau’s stipend wouldn’t be issued until next month.

And even then, it was only two or three taels.

There were other ways to earn extra money; veterans at the Bureau used their official status to help others resolve problems for a fee.

After enough time in the Bureau, one could build some connections. No one objected to earning a bit here and there.

But Lu Jiuzhang was new, his connections shallow—and with someone targeting him, he clearly had no access to such opportunities. For now, he could only rely on his fixed salary.

He wondered if the Bureau would show any appreciation for his entry into the ninth rank of the Scholar’s Path.

“Manager Chen, I’ll take my leave now,” Lu Jiuzhang said, cupping his hands and departing the pavilion.

In the private chamber, Manager Chen opened his mouth, intending to say something—perhaps to recruit Lu Jiuzhang into the pavilion—but after considering, he held his tongue.

It was better to wait. When Lu Jiuzhang was suppressed by Master Wang and beset by troubles, then would be the time to offer help.

Acting now would require too great a cost.

A merchant’s principle was to risk little for great gain.

From the pile of broken silver, Manager Chen took fifteen taels for himself.

The remaining eighty-five taels were recorded in the pavilion’s ledger.