Chapter 7

"Hey? Zhao Yun."

The carriage drove into the main street, drawing the gazes of passersby, who whispered and pointed. The night before, he and his Zhao family had been in front of the Liu family's mansion, basking in glory, which had become a topic of conversation during tea breaks.

"I heard he didn't drive Liu Ruxin away."

"Since he married her, a blind man and a cripple! Truly a match made in heaven."

"Judging by this, he must have been expelled from the family."

There were many comments, some mocking and derisive, and some filled with regret and sighs.

Zhao Yun ignored them, driving the carriage past. He had long grown accustomed to such ridicule and derision over the years.

He had seen it all before.

In the past, he was the young master of the Zhao family, a genuine martial arts genius. Everyone he saw would bow and scrape, flattering and fawning, how glorious it was. After his meridians were severed, the true nature of people became evident. The humility they once showed him was returned, and even more so, with increased intensity.

The coldness of the world was clear to see.

The three years of humility were also three years of tempering his mind.

As the comments grew, he gradually moved further away.

At some point, the carriage stopped, and he lifted his gaze to see a shop in front of him, the Zhao family's armory. The storefront was grand, with a stone lion squatting on each side, looking quite intimidating.

"Young Master."

As soon as he got out of the carriage, two young men came out, one named Yang Da and the other Wu Er.

"The head of the family has already given instructions, Young Master, please come in."

Another elderly man came out, looking kind and gentle.

Zhao Yun recognized this old man, known as Old Sun, an outsider in the Zhao family. It was said that he was a beggar picked up by Zhao Yun's grandfather during a trip, and he had spent his entire life being grateful to the old head of the family.

"These are just tokens of my appreciation."

Zhao Yun smiled and distributed the three wooden boxes he had brought to the three of them.

This was a gift for their first meeting, as they would be working together in the future. Even for outsiders, it was important to maintain good relations. Family members sent out on assignments would generally take care of such matters, as human relations were still important.

"Thank you, Young Master."

"Please call me Zhao Yun."

Zhao Yun smiled and then entered the armory.

The people on the street stopped to watch, seemingly aware of the implications of Zhao Yun's arrival, clearly indicating that he had been dispatched by the family. If not for Zhao Yuan still being the head of the family and having personal interests, he would have been sent to a more remote location.

Zhao Yun was already sitting at the counter.

Old Sun brought the accounts, and whenever a main family member came, this was a necessary process. Checking the accounts was essential, recording how many weapons were sold and how many supplies were purchased, every detail had to be clear.

Even if it was just a formality, it still had to be followed.

Zhao Yun read the accounts with a serious demeanor, able to read quickly due to his past as the young master. His father had raised him to be the head of the family, so he had to learn everything, including account checking, which was a required skill.

"Close it!"

After a short while, he closed the accounts. Apart from not making a profit, there were no other issues.

In the city of Wanggu, there were many shops selling weapons, not just his family's.

There was competition, and people would go to the shop with the best quality or the lowest price.

After checking the accounts, there was nothing much to do.

Sitting at the counter, he propped his face with his hands, looking around. The armory was not small, with all kinds of weapons, and the quality was above average. The best weapons were in the Liu family's armory, thanks to their skilled weapon smith.

A weapon smith was a highly sought-after profession, always treated as a guest of honor.

Similarly, alchemists were even more sought after.

However, such people were extremely rare, as the conditions were too strict, and they were usually passed down through a single lineage.

He looked away from the armory and towards the street.

Across the street was a casino, with a prominent "Gambling" sign, and many people coming and going. Even from across the street, he could hear the loud shouts inside, as people lost money and felt miserable.

Next to the casino was a pawnshop.

Yes, a pawnshop, with a high "Pawn" sign, also quite eye-catching.

The location of the casino and the pawnshop was not coincidental.

People who lost money would naturally look for a way to recover their losses, and the pawnshop was a good place to go. Jewelry, property deeds, antiques, anything the pawnshop would accept could be pledged for money, allowing them to return to the casino for more gambling.

In short, the pawnshop and the casino were a mutually beneficial business.

One earned gambling money, the other earned commission, a long-standing tacit agreement.

And that pawnshop was also a property of the Zhao family.

In addition, there was a tavern in the east of the city, a medicinal shop in the west, an antique shop in the south, and an old teahouse in the north. Even the underground black market had the involvement of the Zhao family.

It could be said that in every industry, the major families had some financial stake.

These were things he, as the young master, had long known and had to learn.

The business of the armory seemed to be not very good. A few people came in and out, and if one person came in and bought a weapon, it was already considered good. Most were just browsing, and the number of times they looked at Zhao Yun was more than the number of times they looked at the weapons, and their gazes were not very normal.

It seemed they were not there to buy weapons but to gawk.

"Have you heard that Liu Ruyue's master bestowed her with a Rank Earth secret manual?"

"How could I not know? The whole city of Wanggu is talking about it."

"Rank Earth! I've never even seen a Rank Yellow secret manual. The Heavenly Sect is really generous."

The conversations in the armory continued.

The few customers were not there to buy weapons. They had not stopped talking since they came in, chatting happily, and they would glance at Zhao Yun from time to time, with a certain meaning.

The meaning was clear.

Zhao Yun remained calm, propping his face with his hands, looking around.

His gaze was like he was looking at clowns.

What were they doing, coming here to chat in broad daylight, just to make him uncomfortable?

As for Liu Ruyue, he just smiled.

Was the Heavenly Sect so impressive? Was a Rank Earth secret manual so terrifying? He had a god in his mind.

Wait and see, none of them would get away.

He did not respond, but some people continued to chatter incessantly.

Old Sun could not stand it but did not know what to say.

In business, every customer was a master, and one could not offend them.

After about an hour, Zhao Yun finally stood up.

As a new shopkeeper, he had to make an appearance when he first came to the armory.

After the formalities were over, he needed to find something to do.

"Go rest, Young Master."

Old Sun smiled, a kind old man, at least not showing any disdain for Zhao Yun being demoted from young master. The head of the family had already given instructions, as long as the surface was maintained, there was no need to be too serious.

"Sure."

Zhao Yun smiled, not being polite. Compared to being a shopkeeper, cultivation was more important.

"There's a treasure."

The Moon God, who had been silent for a long time, suddenly spoke.

A treasure?

Zhao Yun, who had just lifted his foot, put it back down, his eyes shining brightly.

"On the street, that fat man." The Moon God's voice was calm.

Zhao Yun looked in the direction.

The street was bustling with people, and there was indeed a fat man, bare-chested, pot-bellied, looking like a Maitreya Buddha. He had just come out of the casino, clearly having lost everything, his face red and neck swollen, cursing and glaring at everyone, a short man with a tall attitude.

Could that guy have a treasure?

Zhao Yun raised an eyebrow, walked out of the armory, and stepped in front of the fat man.

"Are you blind?"

The fat man cursed, having lost everything in the casino and looking for someone to vent his anger on.

"It must be this small gourd."

Zhao Yun glanced up and down, his gaze landing on the fat man's waist, where a purple-golden small gourd hung, about the size of an adult's palm, with an incomprehensible pattern carved around it.

The fat man had nothing left except for this small gourd.

"Are you the young master of the Zhao family?"

The fat man stroked his chin, having walked too quickly and only now recognizing Zhao Yun, a well-known figure. That night, he had been one of the onlookers, and Zhao Yun and the Zhao family had become the biggest laughingstock in the city of Wanggu.

"Brother, are you selling this?"

Zhao Yun smiled, pointing to the purple-golden small gourd.

"This is my family heirloom."

The fat man's eyes darted around, a cunning person, and if someone wanted to buy it, he had to make it sound important.

"The price is negotiable."

"Ten taels."

"Or I'll give you a knife and you can rob someone."

Zhao Yun sneered.

When he was still the young master of the Zhao family, he only received three taels of silver per month.

Don't underestimate three taels of silver; it was a small amount for the rich but enough for a common family to use for a long time.

This guy was asking for a lot!

"Three taels." Zhao Yun said, holding up three fingers.

"You can't haggle like that." The fat man pouted, tightly hugging the small gourd, and started to chatter, "This is a family heirloom. Besides, a noble young master like you, would you care about such a small amount of money?"

"Three taels, no more."

"Come on, at least add a little." The fat man grinned.

"Fine, I'll pass."

Zhao Yun left, knowing that the fat man, who had just lost everything, would sell it.

"Alright, alright."

The fat man grabbed Zhao Yun, handed him the small gourd, and was eager to get money to recover his losses at the casino.

"Win big."

Zhao Yun was also straightforward, handing over three pieces of silver.

"Got it!"

The fat man pocketed the silver and rushed to the casino, his steps quickened with the money.

"Is this a treasure?"

Zhao Yun walked back to the armory, holding the small gourd, examining it from all angles. Apart from the incomprehensible pattern, it seemed no different from an ordinary small gourd, and he had spent three taels of silver on it.

"A mountain of gold is not as precious as this."

The Moon God said calmly.

"Really?"

Zhao Yun was surprised and instinctively hugged the small gourd.

"Can such a treasure be measured by money?"

"What can it do?"

"Keep it for now, and I'll teach you how to use it later." The Moon God said.