Chapter 19: Everything Depends on Money (Part 1)

  As expected, the next morning, Zhang Mingzu, the leader of the Chang'an Gang, came to visit with Huang Shujun to apologize and also to see his son.

  He made a move, but it was much more generous than Xiao Si's. He said it was a congratulatory gift for the opening of the silver ticket office, and he gave a full 3,000 taels of silver ticket. In private, he also sent 6,000 taels to Xiao Si, which is twice as much as what he gave to Hui Tong Silver Ticket Office, naturally to thank him for his help yesterday in settling the dispute with General Qu Da.

  With this one move in and out, Xīao Sì unexpectedly made a small profit.

  However, there is worry amidst the joy. For the opening ceremony of the pawnshop on March 8th, hundreds of invitations were sent out a few days ago, but most of them were met with rejection. Either they claimed to be physically unwell or conveniently had to go out, in short, very few accepted.

  But this didn't affect Xiao Si's happy mood at all. He dragged Yi Bo along, wandering around Chang'an City every day, and had long thrown the matter of Jin Cheng Gongzhu to the back of his mind. In his free time, he went to Shengping Fang again to drink with Wei Tuo, and casually gave away 2,000 taels, thinking that when there's wealth, everyone shares it, and when there's money, they make it together.

  Qu Tu Tong Da was moved, and after a night of drinking that lasted until midnight, he insisted on keeping Xiao Si in his home for the night. In just a few short days, the two had become close friends.

  That noon, Xiao Si and Yi Bo returned to Liu Yuan drunk, pushed open the door and saw Bu Suanzi sitting in the house.

  "Disciple, when did you come back?"

  "Only just arrived," replied Baoyu, pulling out a waistband made of black silk from his sleeve and saying, "Change into this."

  Xiao Si took it with a surprised expression and asked: "What is this?"

  Bō Suàn Zǐ said: "I had someone help you refine a 'Dragon Binding Waistband', which contains a virtual realm that can store all the things on your body."

  Xiao Si's eyebrows opened with a smile: "The apprentice still understands me." He hastily changed into the dragon waistband, and according to Bu Suanzi's instructions, he put all the emerald plates, talismans, silver tickets, etc. hidden on his body into it.

  Although he was blind in both eyes, he seemed to see clearly and said with a smile: "You are indeed good at making money, and you welcome all comers."

  Xiao Si smiled slyly and said: "We're all friends, if I don't accept it, I'm afraid others will think I'm being ungrateful."

  "Are you talking about the incident where someone from the Fang Mingzu school came to Liu Garden to cause trouble? It's surprising that they thought of using the Imperial Guard to exert their power, they learned quickly."

  Xiao Si's face turned red with rage: "What kind of joke is this? I'm the master, if anyone needs to learn, it's you following me."

  "Then what's with Princess Jincheng?" Bozhanzi asked coldly.

  Xiao Siyi's face immediately turned ashen upon hearing the girl's name, and he cursed, "This little wench gave me a sugar-coated pill to get me to help her break the formation. Sooner or later, I'll find a way to deal with her!"

  "Where is the formation chart?"

  Xiao Si rummaged under the bed for half a day, finally found that scroll and spread it on the table: "Damn if I know where she got this thing from. Only gave me ten days to work on it, now... only two or three days left before I have to hand it in."

  "What benefits did she promise you?"

  Xiao Si said with disdain: "Just one six-grade broken Dao symbol, does he think I'm a beggar in tattered clothes?"

  Ba Suan's lips curled up into a faint smile: "A sixth-grade Dao symbol, not bad. But we don't need to take her Dao symbol, let this little girl exchange it for cultivation materials."

  Xiao Si's eyes lit up and he said: "Disciple, are you going to share your master's worries?"

  Divination Master said calmly: "I suspect this is a decomposition diagram of a tomb or an underground treasure."

  "If it's really like that, then I'm an expert."

  "Actually, you don't need to calculate all the changes in the formation, just find a simple and safe way through, that's a great achievement."

  Xiao Si suddenly enlightened, patted Bo Suanzi's shoulder and said seriously: "Disciple, this matter is now left to you."

  "Alright, all the materials will belong to me."

  "Don't even think about it," Xiao Siyi grabbed the scroll and said: "The waistband from earlier will serve as this month's punishment."

  "During these few days when I wasn't around, did you refine any talismans?"

  Xiao Si said with a sneer, "One moment it's General Yuwen, the next it's Princess Jincheng. I'm busy to death, where do I have time to practice my skills? Let's talk about it another day when I'm free."

  "Can't stop," said Bo Suanzi, shaking her head. "You can practice a few more moves and take them to the black market in Chang'an to auction."

  "Auction? Will it be able to fetch a very high price?"

  "Mine is okay, yours is no good."

  "Why?"

  "Symbol goods."

  "Don't even mention moral integrity, I'm better than you in terms of character."

  "Refining the talisman is refining the Tao. Your understanding of the Heavenly Tao is insufficient, and the talismans you refine have only form but no spiritual essence or Taoist aura. The difference is like comparing your 'Preface to the Orchid Pavilion' with Wang Xizhi's - one is heavenly and the other earthly."

  "You think I'm saying Laozi is in heaven and Wang Xizhi is on earth? I don't think the gap is that big."

  Even if the city governor's mansion was closed, he couldn't help but roll his eyes and say: "You fool, every time you deduce an array, every time you refine a Taoist symbol, it will increase your Taoist heart, until you comprehend the mysteries of heaven and earth and reach the pinnacle of the Great Way."

  Xiao Si lazily said, "You speak of Tao with your mouth, and think of it in your heart, as if you really understand the principle. Why don't you go and compare notes with Lao Dao? I think it's nothing special."

  "Thousands of people, thousands of paths, each with their own understanding, and ultimately different attainments. I enter the Tao through arrays, comprehend heaven through symbols, and establish my own school without needing to compare with others."

  Xiao Si thought to herself, "You can't beat the old thief, so you might as well comfort yourself." However, she didn't dare to mock him again, lest the old blind man's face lose its composure and his sudden passion ignite.

  The next day, he used the method of divination to decipher the formation chart on the scroll in just half a day's work, but waited until the tenth day before sending it into the palace.

  Jincheng Princess said after reading it: "It seems that I underestimated your attainments in the art of Qimen Dunjia."

  Xiao Si didn't show any humility either, and sneered: "This thing, I can easily finish it with just two strokes."

  Jincheng Gongzhu said: "In that case, I gave you ten days too much leeway. This time it's five days."

  Xiao Si heard this and couldn't help but want to slap himself in the face. He smiled wryly and said, "Your Highness, can we add a few more days?"

  Jincheng Princess was straightforward, and in one breath, she agreed: "Seven days, I want to see the diagram." As she spoke, she pushed a six-product Taoist symbol and a scroll towards Xiao Si at the same time.

  Xiao Si glanced at the Dao symbol and said, "I think I'll just take the materials directly." He placed a list written in his own handwriting on the table.

  Jincheng Gongzhu hesitated for a moment, picked up her pen and wrote the character "zhun" on the list, followed by an upper flourish.

  Xiao Si smiled and said: "Doing business with Your Highness is indeed pleasant. However, the treasure that fell into my hands..."

  Princess Jincheng said: "After the formation is complete, I will give you the antidote."

  Xiao Si's heart was filled with hatred: "You still want to deceive me, little girl. I am a master of burning bridges after crossing the river. Once the entire formation is broken, I will not be far from death."

  But now he can only take it one step at a time, holding the scroll with the list to exchange materials and return to the Liu Garden.

  These days, everyone in Tongbao Bureau is getting busier and busier, even Ruan Er is nowhere to be seen all day.

  Xia Peiheng came to the door several times, hoping he could take on the important task of vice captain and work together with everyone to make the opening ceremony of the Chang'an branch a grand success. However, Xiao Si pretended to be deaf and dumb, and refused to accept the task from the start.

  He brought back a pile of refining materials worth tens of thousands of taels and placed it in front of the old blind man, who gurgled as he poured himself a mouthful of cool tea.

  "Try it out and see if you can refine a true six-product Dao symbol that belongs to you. Don't consider the effect, nor worry about the cost of materials, as long as this Dao symbol is yours."

  Xiao Si's eyes widened as he stuttered: "You're not feverish, are you? How could the talisman made from my own refined materials be someone else's? That cost me 10,000 taels of silver! Who dares to snatch it from me? I'll fight them to the death!"

  Mo Ran was silent for a moment before speaking, "You've refined one hundred large thunder sword talismans, but in the end, they're all just other people's things. A painter who only copies and imitates their whole life will never amount to anything. Talismans need to have spiritual resonance, need to have a strong foundation!"

  But then Xiao Si shook his head and said in a decisive tone: "As long as it can be sold for money, everything else is fake."

  "This time, Bo Suanzi's silence lasted even longer. After a while, he spoke up: 'Do you know which Taoist symbol is the most valuable?'"

  Xiao Si thought for a moment before responding: "Of course it's a Ninth-Rank Dao Symbol!"

  "Hey," said Bo Suanzi, "if everyone could refine it, then the Ninth Rank Dao Symbol wouldn't be anything special."

  Xiao Si suddenly enlightened, his interest greatly increased: "I understand, what's truly valuable is the kind of Taoist symbol that can't be bought on the market, this is called 'having a rare treasure that others don't have'!"

  Divination son taught: "If you want to make a lot of money, you must refine new symbols that are different from others."

  Xiao Si nodded repeatedly, deeply convinced, and her mind quickly began to turn.

  For several days afterwards, he locked himself in the house and did not go out. He constantly drew sketches and calculated arrays, thinking day and night about how to use the least amount of material to refine the most valuable talismans.

  Xiao Si was originally not good at doing things, but the strange door escape armor breaking array symbol was his interest. More importantly, the money was limitless and brilliant. It's just that this light must be a golden light.

  Another evening, Xiang Si couldn't stand the smell on himself and went to take a bath in the water room.

  He soaked himself in the large wooden tub, gazing at the white mist rising up, dazed for a long time, until the bath water turned icy cold without realizing it.

  Suddenly, a gentle knock at the door was heard, and Wan'er's voice came from outside: "Xiao Si, hurry up and come out, I've been waiting for half an hour!"

  Xiao Si suddenly woke up, looked at his body soaking in cold water, and like a great sage from a foreign land thousands of years ago, he had an epiphany and jumped up excitedly, shouting: "It's done, I'm going to make it big!"

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