Li San stepped forward and knocked with the door knocker.
"Is Old Man Hex home?" Li San shouted.
"Who is it?" came an old woman’s voice from inside.
"We’re here to buy the Life Ship! We already discussed it. My name is Li San," Li San called out.
"Please wait a moment. I’ll go ask the master."
A short while later, the sound of light, slow footsteps came from within. The main gate opened, revealing an old woman in her fifties with salt-and-pepper hair. Hunched over and squinting, she carefully sized up the three visitors.
"Oh, it’s a Lord Official! Please, come in, come in." The old woman’s face bloomed into a wide smile. She bowed and scraped, moving aside to let them pass.
"You’re too kind," said Li Qingxian.
The three stepped over the threshold and entered the first courtyard. A wall stood on one side, with a two-story building enclosing the other three. Corridors on either side of the main hall led to a second courtyard.
The faint scent of medicinal herbs drifted through the air.
"Please follow me, you three Lord Officials. The master is in the courtyard, sunbathing."
Li Qingxian glanced around. It was a typical mansion of a prominent Divine Capital family. The walls, the buildings, the corridor pillars—everything spoke to the considerable wealth of the residence’s former owner.
However, time had taken its toll. The windows were broken, the red pillars were peeling, and tiles were missing from the roof. The place had clearly seen better days.
Li Qingxian grew more confused. ’If he can afford to sell a Life Ship, his family shouldn’t be in such a state. Could he be involved in gambling or drugs? Or perhaps he was scammed out of his money?’
Passing through a side corridor, they entered the second courtyard. There, they saw a white-haired old man with an ethereal bearing sitting on a lounge chair, rocking gently. He held a Zisha teapot in his right hand and tapped his fingers lightly on the armrest with his left, humming a little tune.
The morning sun fell upon the courtyard, filling it with life.
The scent of medicinal herbs was even stronger here.
Li Qingxian scanned the courtyard. A row of stoves was lined up against the wall of the eastern wing.
"Master, the people here to buy the Life Ship have arrived."
Li San smiled. "Old Man Hex, my master is here to buy your Life Ship."
Old Man Hex slowly turned his head to look at them.
The moment he saw the tiger insignia on Li Qingxian’s rank patch, his hand trembled, and he nearly dropped the Zisha teapot. WHOOSH! He shot to his feet, hastily put down the teapot, and bowed a full ninety degrees. "This student, Hex Shouwang, greets you, My Lord."
"There’s no need for such formality. My surname is Li. I hear you’re selling a Life Ship?"
"Yes, Lord Li." Hex Shouwang kept his hands obediently at his sides, his head slightly bowed.
"You come from a scholarly family, and I am a scholar myself. There’s no need to be so polite," Li Qingxian said.
"As My Lord says." Hex Shouwang stole a glance at Li Qingxian, but his deferential attitude didn’t change.
"Let’s get straight to the point. Take out the Life Ship so I can have a look," Li Qingxian said.
"One moment, My Lord." The white-haired, white-bearded old man hurriedly turned and entered a room.
Han Anbo said in a low voice, "That Zisha teapot is quite valuable. It’s the work of a master."
Li Qingxian nodded. He glanced around the courtyard; though the items were old, they were exceptionally elegant. The family had clearly been very wealthy.
A short while later, Hex Shouwang came out carrying a bundle wrapped in blue brocade. He placed it on the table next to the chair, carefully unwrapped it to reveal an old red wooden box, and gently opened it.
Inside the mahogany box stood a three-inch-long-storied ship, small enough to be held in one hand.
The hull was silver-white, and the pavilion on its deck was like gold. Inside the pavilion, a ball of fire burned.
Li Qingxian took one look with his Qi Observation Skill, and his heart leaped.
Within the transparent, glaze-like Destiny Star, a vast, sapphire-blue lake hundreds of miles wide was embedded in a great prairie like a gemstone.
In the very center of the sapphire lake, a drop of water fell from the void, landing on the surface and creating faint ripples.
The ripples spread, dissipated upon reaching the edge, and at the same moment, a new drop fell.
Destiny Star: A Drop of Water Becomes a Lake.
As the Fate Technique says: Gathered drop by drop, a year makes a puddle, a decade makes a pond, a century makes a lake, and a millennium makes a sea.
Li Qingxian mused, ’This is a Diligent Study and Advancement Type Destiny Star, on the same level as Accumulated Soil to Mountain. A Drop of Water Becomes a Lake is already very powerful. With the passage of time, it can advance further, turning from a lake into a sea and increasing its power tremendously. This is exactly what I need.’
Li Qingxian pretended to examine it for a long time before looking at Hex Shouwang. "How much?"
"For this humble Life Ship to have troubled you to come in person, My Lord, this old man will knock two hundred taels of silver off the price. How about seventy-eight hundred taels?"
"Done."
Li Qingxian took seventy-eight hundred taels in silver notes from his Qiankun Bracelet and handed them over, then stored the Life Ship in the bracelet.
"Cash for goods. Our transaction is complete," Li Qingxian said.
Hex Shouwang glanced at the Qiankun Bracelet, a look of regret flashing across his face. He quickly collected the silver notes, tucked them into the box, and closed the lid.
Li Qingxian stood in the open courtyard, looking around. "Mr. Hex, the Advanced Scholar plaque outside your gate—was that for your esteemed father or your grandfather?"
Hex Shouwang sighed. "My late father was an Advanced Scholar who reached the Sixth Grade in office. Unfortunately, my own aptitude is poor, and I’m a bad manager. I can now barely keep this family afloat."
"Mr. Hex, do you perhaps have an expensive hobby?" Li Qingxian asked.
Hex Shouwang’s old face flushed. "This old man has no other passions, save for a fascination with long life. That is what led to the family’s decline."
The three men had a sudden realization. So he was one of those unlucky souls chasing longevity. No wonder they kept smelling medicinal herbs.
"Chasing longevity" was a nice way of putting it. In reality, it meant spending a fortune on all sorts of medicinal herbs and elixirs, trying in vain to refine an Immortal Medicine.
This pursuit combined the worst of gambling and drug addiction, and its cost far exceeded both.
Li Qingxian smiled slightly. "Chasing longevity is a fine pursuit. It’s certainly better than gambling or drugs."
Hex Shouwang’s eyes lit up. "Lord Li is right! The people this old man looks down on most are those gamblers and addicts. How can worldly things compare to long life?"
"This Life Ship of yours—was it a family heirloom, or is there another story behind it? I also practice the Cultivation Fate Skill, so I’m quite curious," Li Qingxian said.
Hex Shouwang said hurriedly, "So you are also an esteemed Destiny Cultivator! Forgive my discourtesy. Years ago, my late father unexpectedly helped a Fate Master. To repay his kindness, the Fate Master gifted him this item. He said it was already damaged and thus difficult to price, but at the very least, it could be sold for emergency funds if the family ever fell on hard times. We kept it all this time, but I was forced to sell it due to a recent, urgent need for money."
"I see. Did the Fate Master say anything else?"
Hex Shouwang’s pupils suddenly dilated and then returned to normal. He shook his head and smiled. "I wouldn’t know about that."
Li Qingxian nodded. Just as he was about to leave, he heard a CRASH from outside, followed by angry shouts.
"You old bastard! You refused to do this the easy way, so now you get the hard way!"
"Did you think we wouldn’t dare smash up the home of an Advanced Scholar?"
"We told you to sell, but you wouldn’t. Now..." The voice cut off abruptly.
Several men dressed in short black jackets walked in from the corridor, looking at Li Qingxian with confusion.
Li Qingxian glanced at Hex Shouwang and saw panic on his face, but with a faint, underlying trace of ruthlessness. An idea sparked in Li Qingxian’s mind.
Then, with a cold expression, Li Qingxian looked the seven newcomers up and down. Two of them seemed to be Tenth Grade Martial Artists, while the other five were just ordinary Martial Cultivators.
The burly leader cupped his fist. "This humble one is Jiao Tieshou, a Tenth Grade Instructor from the Changyuan Martial Arts Hall. Greetings, My Lord."
Li Qingxian chuckled. "The Changyuan Martial Arts Hall certainly has a grand reputation. Breaking down doors in broad daylight... Old Han, which department is in charge of this area?"
"Reporting to Li Ke, it falls under the jurisdiction of the East Sector Hall’s Right Office," Han Anbo replied.
Jiao Tieshou’s expression changed drastically. He took another, closer look at the three men’s attire and hurriedly said, "This humble one was blind and failed to recognize Mount Tai. I didn’t realize a lord from the Patrol Bureau was present. I beg your forgiveness."
"I don’t wish to make things difficult for your martial arts hall, but I have a duty to uphold. How about this: pick two of your men to go to the Divine Capital Prefecture Magistrate’s Office and turn themselves in," Li Qingxian said.