Chapter 348: Spending Money to Avoid Disaster

Translator: yikaii Editor: yikaii

(TL Note: Extra chapter 2/5)

Even if only a small group of people were manufacturing flying carriages, the patent fees alone would be enough for Lu Yang to make a fortune.

Lu Yang had always thought that the patent was still under review and that the flying carriages had not yet been mass-produced, so he had put the matter of patent fees out of his mind.

But with the flying carriages boldly soaring overhead, it was hard to argue that the patent hadn’t been approved.

“Could it be that the Fifth Elder, with his kind appearance but dark heart, embezzled my patent fees?”

This thought flashed briefly in his mind but was quickly dismissed.

The Fifth Elder wouldn’t stoop so low for such a petty gain.

“Forget it, I’ll ask the Fifth Elder about it when I see him.” Lu Yang decided not to dwell on the matter.

The old horse pulled the carriage and brought Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou to the foot of the mountain, where a newly built inn was located.

The Qingzhou Festival lasted seven days each time, and during these seven days, cultivators couldn’t be expected to sleep rough—it would be undignified.

Since Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou had arrived early, there were still some vacant rooms.

“Two of your best rooms, please!”

“Sure, two “Heaven” Character Rooms. Would you also like to book a room for your horse?”

(TL Note: The rooms are graded from Human (人), Earth (地) and finally Heaven (天). It originates from ancient Chinese philosophy, particularly from Taoism and Confucianism. In Confucian thought, these three elements are seen as the primary forces that influence life and society. Heaven represents moral order and divine will; Earth represents nature and the environment; Human represents human actions and ethics. For Taoism, I’m honestly not too sure so feel free to explain in the comments. Also, I probably should have mentioned this in chapter 131.)

Meng Jingzhou was surprised, wondering if the innkeeper had somehow discerned the profound nature of his old horse and intended to treat it like a person.

The innkeeper smiled and explained, “Guests, it’s like this: we offer free care for spiritual beasts, but space is limited, so we keep all the beasts in the backyard. During the Qingzhou Festival, high-level cultivators often bring their high-level spiritual beasts, and when these powerful creatures are housed in the backyard, other spiritual beasts can be affected. If you don’t mind your spiritual beast being affected, we can care for it for free.”

Meng Jingzhou thought about it. Though he didn’t know the exact strength of the old horse, given that it was sent as a guardian by his family, it was likely quite formidable—more likely to bully others than be bullied.

However, considering the old horse’s penchant for flirting with mares, it seemed more prudent to book a separate room for it.

“Then let’s get a room for the old horse as well.”

“Alright, three “Heaven” Character Rooms it is!”

“Old horse, level with me—what’s your realm? I promise I’ll pretend not to know,” Meng Jingzhou whispered.

The old horse glanced at Meng Jingzhou, snorted, and clearly didn’t believe a word of it.

After Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou went upstairs, another group arrived at the inn, though they weren’t as wealthy as Meng Jingzhou.

“Innkeeper, three “Human” Character Rooms, please.”

“Sorry, guests, we don’t have “Human” Character Rooms.”

The group was stunned. “Are the “Human” Character Rooms all sold out?”

After calculating their remaining funds, they found they could barely afford it. “Then two “Earth” Character Rooms.”

They could manage with a little squeezing.

“I’m sorry, guests, but we only have “Heaven” Character Room available.”

“What?”

They were only at the Qi Training Stage; how could they afford such high-class accommodations?

“Senior Brother, let’s find another inn.”

The innkeeper smiled and said, “Forgive me for saying so, but other inns only have “Heaven” Character Room as well.”

Their faces turned dark. Were they really going to sleep on the streets on the first day of the grand event?

The innkeeper wasn’t surprised by their reaction. “It’s not as you imagine. Every year, when the event begins, there are fights over “Heaven” Character Rooms, so the Qingzhou government instructed us to upgrade all rooms to first-grade but keep the price of “Human” Character Rooms. The government subsidizes the difference.”

Rather than deal with the chaos of fighting cultivators, the Qingzhou government would rather spend a few extra Spirit Stones to nip the risk in the bud.

…

Meng Jingzhou was unaware that his first-grade room was priced so affordably; he never paid attention to such trivial expenses.

“Lu Yang, come out when you’re ready! I heard there’s a street on the mountain that sells all kinds of antiques and magical treasures.”

“Got it.”

Lu Yang didn’t have much to unpack. After a long journey, he took off his clothes, and since he didn’t know the Cleansing Spell, he used the room’s formation to wash up, changed into a fresh, tidy outfit, and stepped out for some fresh air.

The old horse had nothing to unpack. After the long journey, it set down its saddle and, being capable of using the Cleansing Spell, didn’t need the room’s formation to wash itself. It then extended its divine sense, checking if any mares were nearby.

“Foundation Building Pills! Containing pill patterns, guaranteed to help you reach Foundation Building! Full refund if it doesn’t work!”

“Beast fur, Peak of the Qi Training stage beast fur, the best material for refining magical artifacts!”

“Beast barbecue! Freshly stocked Peak of the Qi Training stage beast barbecue!”

“‘Solid Origin Technique,’ ‘Flowing Cloud Sword Technique,’ ‘Clear Sound Secret Tome’… all kinds of techniques and spells, we have it all!”

“The most complete star chart! I’ve observed the heavens for twenty years, painstakingly creating this star chart, an essential for cultivating star-related techniques!”

“Phoenix Blood Stone, a strengthening stone; Taiwen Stone, enhances the quality of blades and swords; Gold Absorbing Stone, capable of absorbing gold!”

The street was filled with constant shouting and bustling activity.

As soon as Lu Yang entered the marketplace, he felt a sense of suppression, not of his cultivation realm but of his divine sense.

After all, items like techniques could be easily scanned with divine sense, making it impossible for vendors to make a sale.

“They even have the ‘Flowing Cloud Sword Technique’?” Lu Yang was surprised. The Flowing Cloud Sword Technique was created by the Flowing Cloud True Lord two thousand years ago and was extremely rare, not publicly circulated.

Meng Jingzhou, with more experience in such matters, said, “Don’t trust the techniques here. The Flowing Cloud True Lord’s sword technique can be called ‘Flowing Cloud Sword Technique,’ but you could name any sword technique you write the same. Buyers likely haven’t seen the real ‘Flowing Cloud Sword Technique,’ and even if they find flaws, they can’t claim they bought a fake.”

“New techniques are created every day; identical names are quite common.”

Lu Yang suddenly understood; he hadn’t expected so many tricks in this place.

“Do you have a star chart?” Lu Yang noticed the vendor’s claim.

Although his cultivation technique had nothing to do with stars, buying a chart to guess which stars were Eldest Senior Sister’s Golden Core would be fun.

“Good eye, customer! This star chart was created using a far-seeing artifact. My cultivation technique is related to vision, so I poured my heart and soul into this, persisting tirelessly to complete it!”

“Can I take a look?”

The vendor immediately became alert. “No. I can’t discern your cultivation level, and even though divine sense can’t be used here, you might have mental space abilities and could memorize the chart just by looking at it.”

Lu Yang chuckled; he had no such intentions.

“How many Spirit Stones? I’ll buy it.”

“This is the only copy of this star chart in the world—two thousand Spirit Stones, no bargaining.”

Two thousand Spirit Stones wasn’t too expensive for Lu Yang. As he was about to pay, he heard a voice behind him.

“Senior Brother, look! There’s a star chart here!”

“What?”

The senior brother was overjoyed; he had a senior sister who cultivated a star-related technique and needed a star chart.

Wanting to please his senior sister, he felt that the star chart was a must-have.

He found Lu Yang’s appearance friendly and assumed he would be easy to talk to, silently rehearsing in his mind: Senior Brother, this star chart is for a beloved senior sister of mine. Would you be willing to part with it for me?

He repeated the lines twice, feeling that his phrasing and tone were fine. Suppressing his nervousness, he clasped his hands and spoke to Lu Yang:

“Senior Sister, this star chart is for a beloved senior brother of mine. Could you let me have it?”

Lu Yang turned his head, confirmed his gender and the other person’s, then silently took two steps back.

(End of the chapter)