Chapter Thirty-Nine: Antiquities

Page 1 of 3

Today, Cui Xiu came to Warm Jade Studio, naturally in search of source energy. The studio restocks every fifteen days, and so Cui Xiu visits with the same frequency, always under the guise of appreciation, while quietly probing for traces of source energy.

Of course, he would occasionally purchase some inexpensive items, so as not to arouse suspicion.

After seeing off Qi Ping, Cui Xiu began to carefully inspect the shelves. There were indeed many new additions, giving him a sliver of anticipation.

Unfortunately, he did not find much source energy this time.

Warm Jade Studio had always maintained a good reputation; most of the antiques sold here were genuine. While few of them could be considered truly precious, they were rare enough. This was one of the reasons Cui Xiu favored this place.

It was a pity that, after several visits over the past two months, he had already examined most of the items the shop had to offer. That his gains were meager today was only to be expected.

With a soft sigh, he did not linger. After exchanging a few words with the shop assistant Qi Ping, he left.

Warm Jade Studio was not the only antique shop in Anyuan County. The others were somewhat inferior, but still worth visiting, and Cui Xiu would never let an opportunity slip by.

...

After a busy morning, it was already afternoon when he returned to the Wu Family Pharmacy.

He glanced at the shop’s business—nothing out of the ordinary. After giving some instructions to the assistant, he made his way to the rear courtyard.

He now lived in the back courtyard, where there were two side rooms; he occupied the eastern one, while the other was for the shop assistant.

Cui Xiu went straight to his own room to organize his gains.

Though his rounds in town had not yielded much, it was still better than nothing.

Cui Xiu—

Martial Arts: Thirteen Basic Sword Forms (Perfect Mastery, 100%), Ninth Set of National Calisthenics (Perfect Mastery, 100%), Funiu Boxing (Perfect Mastery, 100%), Fiery Sun Blade (Perfect Mastery, 100%), Leaping Step Technique (Perfect Mastery, 100%)

Source Energy: 6.45

Every martial art Cui Xiu had acquired, he had cultivated to perfection. Naturally, this had cost him a great deal of source energy. Even with decent gains over the past two months, he now had only 6.45 left.

Such consumption made him feel a pang of regret.

Page 2 of 3

Of course, using up so much source energy to perfect all his martial skills had also brought him considerable progress.

For instance, under the pretense of a visit, he had once gone to see Guan Yuan, and casually brought up martial arts. Although Guan Yuan did not think highly of the techniques Cui Xiu practiced, he was still surprised by Cui Xiu’s progress. His attitude towards Cui Xiu changed somewhat, and he even taught him a certain Leaping Step Technique he had acquired by chance.

Yet, despite the advances in his martial arts, once he fully assimilated them, he had already reached a bottleneck, which made it hard for Cui Xiu to feel truly excited.

What pleased him most was that, after obtaining the Leaping Step Technique from Guan Yuan, he was astonished to discover that his own special ability had undergone another evolution.

It was as if, upon gathering five distinct types of martial arts, he had completed some hidden task—a mysterious message appeared in his mind, informing him that his Grey Mist Ability had evolved.

He was not unfamiliar with such changes; in his previous life, in a certain game, when a player collected a set number of martial arts, they could begin fusing them. By combining different martial arts, one could create an endless variety of new techniques.

Realizing that his Grey Mist Ability now included this feature, Cui Xiu was naturally delighted. The significance of this was far greater than simply fusing martial arts.

With this ability, as long as he possessed enough source energy, the martial arts he could learn would no longer be limited by the level of their origin.

He had been pondering how to gain access to the legacies of practitioners like Guan Yuan. Now, with this path of martial fusion, perhaps he had found another way.

Cui Xiu felt that, once these arts were truly fused, he might be in for a surprise.

Yet the problem now was his lack of source energy...

Anyuan County was, after all, too small. Even with a way of acquiring source energy, the circumstances made it difficult to collect enough.

This was somewhat frustrating.

And, in the short term, it was not convenient for him to leave Anyuan. So, even knowing how to strengthen himself, there was little he could do for now—he could only bide his time and diligently tend to his bookkeeping.

...

As the days passed, the disturbances caused by the new emperor’s ascension gradually faded away, leaving Anyuan County largely unaffected.

But Cui Xiu, who occasionally gleaned news from Wu Yu, knew this was merely the calm before the storm. Barely a month after the new emperor had taken the throne, the court was already roiling with intrigue and rumors spreading across the land. Anyone concerned with the imperial court sensed the impending tempest.

In short, some rejoiced while others worried.

For Cui Xiu, things weren’t too bad. Wu Yu had told him that while the imperial examinations might be affected, it would likely only impact the provincial exams, and even then, not drastically.

Page 3 of 3

Moreover, Cui Xiu’s turn to sit for the exams was still three years away—by then, affairs might have settled, and there was little need for anxiety.

It was Wu Yu’s upcoming metropolitan exam that was more uncertain. He would be leaving after the New Year to participate. This session coincided with the new emperor’s accession, which was a headache for all the scholars taking the exam alongside Wu Yu.

None had been able to prepare specifically for the new emperor’s reign, so the chances of making the honor roll were naturally slim.

This was especially true for scholars from the provinces. In the capital, at least, one might have had time over the past few months to adjust. But for those from afar, fortune was lacking—even if they got wind of news, it was always delayed and unreliable.

Thus, at this moment, Wu Yu was far more troubled than Cui Xiu.

As a result, Cui Xiu had cut back on his visits to the Wu residence, focusing instead on gathering source energy.

One day, while Cui Xiu was calculating accounts in the pharmacy, the end of the year was approaching. In another half month, it would be New Year’s Eve, and the year-end accounts would need to be prepared for delivery to the Wu family. So, in the coming days, Cui Xiu would be kept busy.

“Sir, are you here for some medicine?”

He was engrossed in his calculations when the assistant’s voice sounded from the front. Realizing a customer had arrived, Cui Xiu looked up and, upon seeing the visitor’s face, was taken aback.

It was someone he knew.

Recognizing the man, Cui Xiu immediately put down his pen and paper, walked out from behind the counter, and clasped his hands in greeting: “Captain Guan, it is an honor to see you here. What brings you to this humble shop?”

It was indeed Guan Yuan, though Cui Xiu could not guess his purpose at the pharmacy.

Guan Yuan did not answer immediately, but glanced around and gestured lightly with his hand.

Cui Xiu took the hint and instructed the assistant to prepare tea in the back.

Once the assistant had left, Guan Yuan spoke. “This time, I came here specifically to see you, Brother Cui.”