Chapter 30

Ye Qingxuan suddenly hurriedly, of course, because he remembered something he had forgotten. This matter was extremely important to Qingxuan.

Because today was the day Jiao San would come to deliver the new issue of *Wulin Zashilu* (Martial World Miscellany).

For Qingxuan, the weekly *Wulin Zashilu* was one of the few pleasures he had in this world. This magazine, similar to a gossip weekly from a later era, was published by the world-renowned "Sihai Pavilion."

This "Sihai Pavilion" was the largest financial conglomerate in the world, with vast influence. It had branches in almost every town and city, boasting "omniscient, omnipotent, all-receiving, and all-selling." As long as you paid, they would do anything.

The "Sihai Pavilion," with its vast influence, was profit-driven rather than fame-seeking. Although it had the strength to compete with the "Ten Great Sects," it never did. The identity of the owner of "Sihai Pavilion" was mysterious, and no one knew who the real boss was.

Rumors in the martial world suggested that "Sihai Pavilion" had official or even royal backing, and some even claimed it was the emperor's private trading house... But the truth of such matters was beyond the knowledge of Qingxuan, a naive young Taoist, and he was not interested in it anyway.

What made Qingxuan happy was that "Sihai Pavilion" had a branch, albeit a small one, in Qingyang Town. Jiao San was a minor clerk at this branch, and his job was somewhat like a combination of a reporter, an advertising agent, and a salesperson in the modern world.

Reading *Wulin Zashilu* became Qingxuan's only way to relax and entertain himself in this strange world. The magazine recorded all sorts of big and small events in the martial world. Although the version Qingxuan bought was the Yunzhou local edition, which covered less than half of the martial world news from the nine provinces, it was still a good publication.

Qingxuan particularly enjoyed the "Wide Hearing" section, which featured stories about a certain expert being defeated, another challenging someone, a new martial genius emerging from a certain family, someone discovering a treasure, or obtaining a secret martial technique... Qingxuan read these with great interest.

Besides these, there were also "guidance" columns, where a famous martial arts expert would explain certain techniques to boost the magazine's sales.

However, Qingxuan never took these explanations seriously because the so-called martial arts experts were not truly skilled, and the techniques they explained were mostly common. They could only fool ordinary martial artists without a sect, and had little value for Qingxuan.

As for the true martial arts manuals, like the *Seven Seven Forty-Nine Movements Qingfeng Wuliu Sword Technique* that Qingxuan had previously admired, even the ordinary version without expert annotations was priced at five thousand taels of silver, which was far beyond Qingxuan's means.

Although he couldn't afford to buy martial arts manuals, things were different now. With the "Martial Arts Collection System" from the "Langhuan Lingmiao Pavilion," just one read was enough to collect a complete martial art.

A fool is one who doesn't take advantage of a good deal. With his relationship with Jiao San, Qingxuan was confident that he could get a look at the manuals without much trouble.

At this moment, Jiao San was pacing anxiously on the left path outside the Zixia Hall in the front courtyard.

Why hasn't the little Taoist Qingxuan come yet, as he usually does on time?

Although Jiao San was just a low-level clerk at "Sihai Pavilion," he was considered a person of some importance in Qingyang Town. His monthly salary of ten taels of silver was more than what a farmer would earn in half a year. However, Jiao San looked more like an old farmer, dressed in rough, patched clothes, though they were clean. At the age of forty, he looked like he was sixty, with a face full of wrinkles that could crush flies when he smiled. He had the appearance of a simple, honest farmer, but his eyes were sharp.

Everyone who knew Jiao San said he had the face of a dog and the mind of a weasel. No matter whether the items he sold were useful or not, he could always find a way to sell them to you. He was particularly good at acting humble and pitiful, making him a real scoundrel. But everyone had to admit that this old scoundrel was always fair in his business, never cheating anyone.

Jiao San had a clear sense of what was important. He knew that if he could establish a good relationship with Qingyun Temple, and each martial artist in the temple bought a copy of the magazine, he would easily exceed his quota and be promoted.

Every time he thought about this, his face, full of wrinkles, would break into a smile so wide that his eyes disappeared.

Jiao San's cousin was a minor official in Yunxia County, and Qingyang Town was just a small town under its jurisdiction. To be honest, Jiao San got his job at "Sihai Pavilion" through his cousin's connections. His cousin was very loyal and willing to promote his younger cousin, but Qingyang Town was small and sparsely populated, making it difficult for Jiao San to achieve much, which in turn made his promotion difficult.

This was why a little Taoist like Qingxuan, who was only eight or nine years old, was treated like a god by Jiao San just because he was a bit higher in the hierarchy of the temple.

Jiao San flipped through the few books he had brought. One was the latest issue of *Wulin Zashilu*, priced at half a tael of silver, while the others were much more expensive. They included the nine-province edition of *Wulin Zashilu* and several martial arts manuals, one of which was the *Seven Seven Forty-Nine Movements Qingfeng Wuliu Sword Technique* that Qingxuan had previously admired. This manual was rated as a mid-level blue-grade martial art, the highest level he could sell based on his position at "Sihai Pavilion."

These books were specially prepared for Ye Qingxuan. Of course, Jiao San had more than thirty books in his backpack, but based on Qingxuan's previous tastes, he was not very interested in most of them.

Recently, Jiao San's performance had been exceptionally good, better than ever.

In this not-so-important town, he had managed to sell several thousand taels of silver worth of goods every month for several months. The local manager, Mr. Liu, had even told him that if he exceeded his quota this month, he would be recommended for a promotion. If his cousin then put in a good word for him, he would definitely be transferred to Yunxia County. At that time, his monthly salary would be a hundred taels, not to mention the year-end bonuses. Thinking of the good times ahead, he couldn't help but smile, his face full of wrinkles seeming to disappear.

He had a plan, and it was almost complete, but unfortunately, he was stuck at the last hurdle because of a few dozen taels of silver. Jiao San had considered cheating and buying his way through, but "Sihai Pavilion" had strict audits, and if discovered, he would be immediately dismissed.

With no other options, Jiao San turned his attention to his old customer, Qingxuan.

A few dozen taels of silver was not enough to meet the quota just by selling magazines, so he had to bring some higher-end books to see if the little Taoist was interested. His greatest hope was that Qingxuan would buy the mid-level blue-grade sword manual.

Salespeople at "Sihai Pavilion" had to have the right qualifications to sell certain items. This mid-level blue-grade martial art was something he had earned through years of accumulated performance and was the most valuable item he could sell now.

Books are dead, but people are alive. Qingxuan, the little Taoist, was known for his soft heart. If Jiao San acted pitiful enough, he might just sell the manual.

Once the task was completed and he was transferred to the county, with his cousin's support and a better customer base, he would have a steady income, and his family would no longer worry about food and clothing. At that time, he would be a person of some importance, and his yellow-faced wife would no longer look down on him.

Thinking of the good times ahead, he became even more impatient. To make himself look more pitiful, he took off his shoes and rubbed his face with the soles, adding a few more earthy tones to his already wrinkled face. He would have to cry a bit, but the excitement in his heart made it hard to feel sad. In a moment of desperation, he punched his nose, feeling a mix of pain, numbness, and sourness. Tears and snot streamed down his face.

Oh no, I cried too early—

Jiao San frantically tried to stop his tears and snot, but the more he tried, the more they flowed.

Today was the temple fair, and Qingyun Temple was always crowded with people praying and making wishes. The entrance was filled with vendors, making it a bustling scene.

Every time, Jiao San would set up a stall at the temple entrance to sell his various books, which was a crucial moment.

After another fifteen minutes, Jiao San, who had finally controlled his tears and snot, saw that it was almost three in the afternoon. The little Taoist Qingxuan still hadn't come, and if he didn't set up his stall soon, even the least desirable spots would be taken.

With red-rimmed eyes, he looked around one last time. Sighing, he stomped his foot and turned to leave.

If he had time, he might find a few buyers in town. As for Qingxuan, he would have to try again later.

Just as Jiao San took a few steps, a familiar, young voice called out from behind him.