"’Anything not seen as it truly is remains unlearned.’ What a powerful saying. I understand now." Li Qingxian nodded. Zhao Yishan had many elegant nicknames, from Mr. Quan Jie to the Scars-Eating Layman. They were all odd, and he had come up with most of them himself.
But Zhou Chunfeng said, "It took Mr. Quan Jie twenty years of study to distill that principle. Do you truly understand it?"
Li Qingxian cleared his throat. "Uncle Zhou, if there’s nothing else, I’ll head back to memorize the Life-Seeking Skill."
"Go on. If you can really open a Life Land, do it as soon as possible. If you want a good Destiny Star, you can go to some Literary Gatherings and seek out talented scholars who have been demoted. Or, you could find injured Tributors at Martial Arts Halls. As long as the price is high enough, both types of people are willing to sell their Destiny Stars. Moreover, their Destiny Stars are mostly related to diligence, perseverance, study, and the like, which would be of great benefit to you."
"Uncle Zhou, you know me best! That’s exactly the kind of Destiny Star I need!"
"Don’t you prefer the ones that sound nice and have practical uses? Why the sudden interest in a Diligent Study and Advancement Type Destiny Star?"
"Have you forgotten? I told you about that Life Play. I’ve replayed it in my mind hundreds of times since, and now I can recall almost every detail. The more I think about it, the more I feel that a Diligent Study and Advancement Type Destiny Star might seem useless in the short term, but it’s like rolling a snowball down a long, snowy hill. It starts small, but once it gains enough momentum, it becomes a terrifying behemoth capable of sweeping over the world. Flower-Seeking Master Liuu’s Life Formation was no random arrangement. That kind of Life Play definitely changes based on real situations. The people and events within it could very well be real."
Zhou Chunfeng looked at Li Qingxian with gratification. "You’ve finally matured. Good, very good."
"I don’t have a choice. If I don’t work harder, I might end up as a corpse on the street tomorrow," Li Qingxian said.
"Don’t talk nonsense. By the way, even if you obtain a Diligent Study and Advancement Type Destiny Star, you can’t become complacent. A Destiny Star can set your path, but not your heart. You’re well aware of this."
Li Qingxian smiled. "I understand. For example, I recently discovered someone has a Destiny Star called ’Voice of Bone Carving.’ It can make a person train arduously and even strengthen their will, but it is rooted in misfortune and born from disaster. If I were to use it recklessly, it would surely lead to calamity. The Diligent Study and Advancement type I want must be the peaceful and stable kind. After that, I’ll study slowly, gradually fusing myself with the Destiny Star, and strive to form a Great Diligent Study Life Formation."
"Good." Zhou Chunfeng gave a few more instructions before letting Li Qingxian leave.
Li Qingxian had only taken a few steps from the Chunfeng Inn when he saw Han Anbo jogging toward him.
"Brother Han, what’s wrong?" Li Qingxian asked.
"I finally found you. Come on, we’ll talk on the way!" Han Anbo quickly turned toward a side gate. Li Qingxian threw out two Spirit Talismans, and a green wind swirled around them, letting them walk as if flying.
"What happened?" Li Qingxian asked.
Han Anbo lowered his voice. "Ye Han used the excuse that an elder in the Marquis Mansion was gravely ill and wanted to go home to visit for a day. Lord Songg is cold on the outside but soft on the inside, so he approved it. You told me to follow him, so I had my men tailing him. On his way to the Marquis Mansion, he ran into someone selling a Life Artifact. It was a Life Ship, and the seller claimed it contained a Fate Grid. But there were no Fate Masters nearby to verify it. Ye Han happened to be passing by, watched for a while, and decided he wanted to buy it. And then... guess what?"
"How could I possibly guess?" Li Qingxian chuckled.
"He didn’t have his purse," Han Anbo said with a smile.
Li Qingxian froze for a moment, almost bursting out laughing. "Didn’t he give me his purse, along with the silver coins inside, at my birthday banquet? So that’s how it is. He’s been cooped up in the Demon Hunting Bureau and had no use for a purse, so he never bought a new one. Of course he wouldn’t be carrying much money."
"Exactly. So he said he was going to get money. The person following him got the seller’s home address, rushed to the Night Guard, and I came to find you immediately."
"It must not be cheap, otherwise you would’ve just had someone buy it directly."
"At first, he was asking for ten thousand taels of silver. Later, he said he’d sell it for eight thousand."
Li Qingxian nodded. "That’s not a low price. Even Ye Han might not have that many silver notes on him right now." He couldn’t help but chuckle again after saying that.
"What’s the condition of the Life Ship?" Li Qingxian asked.
"According to Li San’er who delivered the message, it’s very old and slightly damaged. A few antique experts said it’s most likely broken and the chance of it containing a Fate Grid is slim, though I don’t know if they were just trying to drive the price down. Still, it is a Life Ship. If you were to melt it down for Life Materials and resell them, you could get more than ten thousand. But there’s a risk, so many people didn’t make a move."
"A carriage is too slow. Let’s use Spirit Talismans and run there. We need to be quick. I have a feeling that anything Ye Han takes a fancy to must be a real treasure!"
Li Qingxian recalled a previous conversation with Ye Han. Ye Han had said he didn’t care about his Destiny Stars; even if he sold them, someone would probably show up at his door to sell him new ones.
Li Qingxian had taken note of those words, which was why he had arranged for people to keep an eye on Ye Han.
’Inviting Ye Han to the birthday banquet was absolutely the right move.’
’If Ye Han hadn’t gifted me his purse, he probably would have put some money in it. With all his lucky encounters, he might just have had enough silver notes.’
The two of them walked out of the Night Guard’s side gate. Li Qingxian saw it was one of the Night Guard brothers—a short, plain-looking man named Li San. He even had the same surname.
Li Qingxian slapped out a Spirit Talisman, and the three of them shot off in a blur, far faster than any carriage.
The three of them ran to the antique street but didn’t see anyone, so they immediately headed for the address they were given.
After running for a good while, the trio arrived at Minglan Street in the Inner City and finally slowed their pace.
There were no house numbers here, so the three of them had to ask around for a while before they found the exact location.
"This area is mostly home to wealthy, Entering Grade merchants. It seems this family has fallen on hard times," Han Anbo said.
"This family must have some connection to Fate Masters. Ordinary wealthy people rarely collect items related to Life Artifacts," Li Qingxian said.
"You’re mistaken there. Plenty of rich merchants aren’t very scholarly, but don’t they still collect poetry and paintings? Life Artifacts are a hot item in the collector’s market. It’s just that, first, the prices are too high, and second, even Fate Masters can’t appraise them accurately. So, there’s a lot of asking and looking, but few actual sales. However, when a sale does happen, it’s usually for at least ten thousand taels of silver. This is especially true for items used by famous Great Fate Masters—even if it’s just an ordinary antique, the price at least doubles."
"I see. So the admiration for the person rubs off on their things?" Li Qingxian asked.
"Exactly. Who wouldn’t want an item from a Great Fate Master to protect their own fortune?"
"By the way, could you help me find some down-on-their-luck scholars who’ve been demoted and some old, disabled Martial Cultivators?"
Han Anbo had a flash of insight. "I don’t have any experience with this, so I was thinking about it the wrong way. That’s the right direction to go. Don’t worry, I guarantee I’ll find you someone willing to sell a Destiny Star within three days."
Li San laughed. "Is there anything Brother Han doesn’t know?"
"Our Li Ke here is different from ordinary people," Han Anbo said.
Li San nodded in deep agreement, giving a thumbs-up. "Right now, the whole Divine Capital is praising Li Ke for being unmatched in righteousness and with courage that surpasses armies. He’s the only one in the entire Night Guard who could clash with the Evil Demon Child and come out unscathed. He’s number one!"
"Please, don’t. The last thing I want right now is to attract trouble. Low profile, low profile."
The three of them chatted and laughed as they walked up to a large residence.
It was a grand house with high walls, but moss grew on the steps and the main gate was dilapidated. Above the door lintel hung a plaque inscribed with the two words "Advanced Scholar," with a small signature to the side.
"The house of an Advanced Scholar?" Li Qingxian and Han Anbo exchanged a glance.