Chapter 86

Yujiazhen is the only market for the fishing villages around the southern shore of Dongting Lake. Many villagers come here to sell fish. The towns and cities around Yueyang also come here to buy fish. Ning Wuxie and the young men from the village entered Yujiazhen, but he was not there to sell fish; he was there to buy paper and books.

To the south of Yujiazhen is the fish market, and to the north are various shops. Ning Wuxie walked into a bookstore that sells paper and pens.

There were some calligraphy and paintings hanging in the shop, and the scent of ink was overwhelming.

"Shopkeeper, how much do you say this brush costs? It’s not a rare item, why should it cost one hundred strings of coins?"

A scream came from a few young masters standing beside a shelf, where a wolf-hair brush, about a foot long and as thick as a thumb, was hanging.

Several scholars gathered around, secretly gasping. A hundred strings of coins for a brush, that’s too expensive!

One string of coins is enough for an ordinary family to live for half a year!

Ning Wuxie looked in the direction of the noise and was slightly taken aback.

"Magic artifact?"

The brush emitted a faint magical fluctuation, with a shimmering light, and a white, vast aura condensed on it. Over the past two years of his travels, Ning Wuxie had seen many scholars who had a vast aura in their chests, unafraid of ghosts, spirits, and demons. This aura was even comparable to that of some great scholars.

"Are they the Jinghe Dragon Princes from last night?"

Noticing the young masters standing nearby, Ning Wuxie raised an eyebrow. The dragons who had caught his eye last night had transformed into human form after their transformation, which was irreversible unless they learned some transformation techniques, like Sun Wukong’s seventy-two transformations or Tianpeng’s thirty-six transformations.

These young dragons had only cast an illusion to hide their dragon horns, not a transformation technique.

Illusion techniques are much simpler than transformation techniques. Even Ning Wuxie could cast different forms. Illusions are merely deceptive techniques; with deeper cultivation, one can see through them at a glance. Ordinary people with a clear mind can also see through some illusions.

"Several young masters, this brush is a family heirloom. If it weren’t for the lack of money at home, I wouldn’t have put it up for sale. Normally, even if you offered me a thousand strings of coins, I wouldn’t sell it."

A thin, old scholar stood beside them, wiping the sweat from his forehead. These young masters in fine clothes clearly had extraordinary backgrounds, making him nervous.

"It’s just a broken brush, a thousand strings of coins? You’re robbing us! Here are fifty strings of coins, and I’m taking the brush!"

The young master in blue clothes sneered, throwing fifty strings of coins from his sleeve, which piled up on the ground. He reached out to grab the brush.

"Fifty strings of coins, that’s too little. I’m not selling this brush anymore!"

The old scholar’s eyes turned red; this was an outright robbery. He reached out to grab the brush.

"Hmph... Old man, if it weren’t for my uncle, I wouldn’t give you a single coin. Move aside."

The young master in blue clothes pushed the old scholar away. This push was done with hidden force, and the old scholar, caught off guard, stumbled back a few steps and fell to the ground. The surrounding young masters laughed, and the young master in blue clothes grabbed the brush, a look of joy in his eyes.

"Let’s go..."

"Give me back the brush, I’m not selling it..." Seeing his family heirloom being taken away, the old scholar scrambled to his feet and grabbed the young master in blue clothes by the leg.

A fierce light flashed in the young master’s eyes, and he struck the old scholar with his right hand, "Old man, you’re asking for death!"

Slap...

A hand tightly gripped the young master’s striking hand, and he was startled, looking at the owner of the hand with surprise, "It’s you?"

"Let it go where it can, doing too much evil will bring retribution!"

Ning Wuxie coldly snorted, holding the young master’s hand. If this strike landed, the old scholar would never be able to get out of bed for the rest of his life.

"Stinky scholar, let go, how dare you touch my hand, a mere mortal?"

The young master in blue clothes tried to break free from Ning Wuxie’s grip, a cold and murderous look in his eyes.

"Is that so? I’m afraid touching your hand would dirty mine!" Ning Wuxie released his hand, using a subtle force, and the young master in blue clothes was pushed back several steps, a look of disbelief in his eyes.

"Brother..." The surrounding young masters supported him, glaring at Ning Wuxie.

The young master in blue clothes pushed away the surrounding people, coldly staring at Ning Wuxie, "Good, very good, stinky scholar, you’ll remember this, let’s go!"

Ning Wuxie blocked the door, smiling, "Wait, you can take the brush, but shouldn’t you pay first?"

"Boy, do you know who we are?" A young master in purple clothes coldly shouted.

Ning Wuxie glanced at him, "Who cares who you are? Whether you’re dragons or snakes, it’s none of my business. If you want to buy something, pay for it. The value of that brush isn’t something worldly wealth can measure."

"You’re asking for death..." A young master in yellow clothes, clearly short-tempered, rushed at Ning Wuxie, his hands enveloped in cold wind.

The young master in blue clothes stopped the young master in yellow clothes, his face dark, "Second brother, stop, we haven’t settled the matter with Third brother yet. Don’t ruin Third brother’s affairs. There will be plenty of opportunities to deal with one person."

"Here are fifty strings of coins, take them, don’t let them disappear!"

Another fifty strings of coins rolled out of the young master in blue clothes’ sleeve. The thin old scholar stared in amazement; how could so many coins fit in a sleeve? A hundred strings of coins weigh several dozen pounds!

"Let’s go..."

The young master in blue clothes glared at Ning Wuxie with a cold, murderous look, unashamed and unhidden.

"Wait, a hundred strings of coins is enough? And do you really think I’m a fool? You’re a fool, don’t treat others as fools."

Ning Wuxie smiled faintly, pointing his finger, and the hundred strings of coins on the ground suddenly disappeared, leaving only a pile of broken stones.

"Trying to cheat with a pile of rotten stones? That trick is outdated. I see the jade on your waist is quite nice, leave it for the shopkeeper."

The old scholar was stunned, and the scholars in the shop looked as if they had seen a ghost, pointing at the young masters.

"So they’re frauds..."

"Who would have thought that these people in fine clothes are just street performers."

Seeing Ning Wuxie expose their illusion and hearing the surrounding ridicule, the young master in blue clothes’ handsome face turned red, then green, then purple, and the others were no better.

They were all young masters from the Jinghe Dragon Palace. How could they endure such humiliation, especially from a mortal?

"What, do you want to fight? Afraid of ruining your affairs?" Ning Wuxie smiled, crossing his arms, standing at the door.

The young master in blue clothes took a deep breath, pulled the jade pendant from his waist, and threw it to the shopkeeper, glancing at Ning Wuxie, "Don’t let me see you again, let’s go!"

"Stinky scholar, you’re dead!"

Ning Wuxie watched the young dragons leave, thinking that he might see them again soon.

"Thank you, young master, thank you, young master..." The thin old scholar bowed in gratitude.

"Helping when I see injustice, it’s my duty. Do you have any good talisman paper and cinnabar here?"

"Yes, yes..."

On the shores of Dongting Lake, the young dragons gathered, kicking several large rocks to pieces, "It’s too infuriating, a mere mortal dares to treat us like this. If we don’t kill him, I can’t relieve my anger."

"Let’s not act rashly for now. Wait until Third brother’s matter is settled. Fortunately, the Spring and Autumn brush is in our hands. A jade pendant for a Confucian treasure, it’s worth it."

The young master in blue clothes reached into his sleeve, his face suddenly changing, looking extremely ugly, "Damn... The Spring and Autumn brush is gone. It must have been taken by that boy when he grabbed my wrist."

"What? The Spring and Autumn brush is gone?" The surrounding young dragons’ faces changed, "Let’s go back and find him."

"Wait, I have a feeling we’ll meet again soon. Going back now might not help us find him. A mere mortal, who knows a bit of sleight of hand, dares to challenge us. I’ll make sure he doesn’t know how he dies."

The young master in blue clothes was furious, clenching his fists, and sneered.

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