Glassmaking Method

Bedroom.

Chen Mu slowly opened his eyes.

He was still holding that teacup, gazing out the window with a thoughtful look.

"Apricot Flower House..."

It was the most famous restaurant in the entire Capital of Great Yuan. It did not even receive ordinary guests; only true scions of wealthy families and high-ranking officials could enter.

In the original owner's memories, he had visited Apricot Flower House once, invited by someone else. Thus, Chen Mu had some understanding of its prices.

The finest wine at Apricot Flower House cost no less than twenty gold!

The exchange ratio between gold and silver in Great Yuan was one to ten. In other words, a pot of Apricot Flower House's best wine started at two hundred taels of silver, and that was calculated at the smallest serving.

As a Concubine's Son of Xuanguo Estate, Chen Mu received three taels of silver each month. There were many daily expenses as well, and his allowance had secretly been skimmed from. Those twenty-odd taels from before had already been everything he possessed, all of it given to Liu Lian's family. Now, he could truly be called short of funds.

Ren Yan had definitely pocketed quite a bit of silver.

But even if he got that portion back, it would still basically be impossible to scrape together two hundred taels of silver.

Using wine from an ordinary restaurant, or lower-quality wine from Apricot Flower House... well, there would most likely be no trouble. And if there was, it would probably not be good trouble.

After all, people could be fooled, but ghosts probably could not.

Ning Shi's figure flashed through Chen Mu's mind.

Should he borrow some from his sister-in-law?

But Chen Mu quickly shook his head.

She had already looked after him in every way. How could he keep making his sister-in-law handle everything whenever something came up?

According to the promise he had once made, it should be the other way around. Whatever Ning Shi needed, he ought to do his utmost to satisfy it. He had never been someone who merely made promises with his mouth.

"Forget it. I'll do it myself. It's only a small matter anyway."

Chen Mu let out a breath.

He searched through his past memories, then went to the desk and picked up paper and brush. He wrote as he pondered, and after a while, lifted a sheet covered with quite a few items.

After examining it briefly, Chen Mu rose and pushed open the courtyard gate.

"Someone."

He called toward the courtyard outside.

Not long after.

The door of a small room in the outer courtyard opened, and Ren Yan hurried over, respectfully bowing.

"Second Master!"

Chen Mu glanced at him and said evenly, "My monthly allowance has already been issued, hasn't it? It should all be with you."

Ren Yan froze. He was about to say something, but his body inexplicably stiffened, and he hurriedly replied, "Yes. With the weather so cold, this servant feared Second Master might catch a chill, so I collected it on Second Master's behalf."

Chen Mu said nothing and simply stared at him for a while.

The look made Ren Yan's scalp prickle. He had never felt such pressure from Chen Mu before. It nearly rivaled the pressure exuded by the masters of Xuanguo Estate!

Just as cold sweat was about to seep from Ren Yan's forehead.

Chen Mu withdrew his gaze and raised his hand, pinching that sheet of paper between his fingertips.

"Buy the things listed here according to the quantities I wrote. Not a single item may be missing."

"...Yes, yes!"

Ren Yan had nearly reached his limit already. He hastily answered and received the page Chen Mu handed over with both hands.

Only after watching Chen Mu return to the bedroom and shut the door did he finally let out a breath and wipe away the cold sweat on his forehead.

Then he lowered his head and looked at the blank sheet in his hand.

After all, this was Xuanguo Estate. Even servants like Ren Yan could read, though not much. Still, he could barely make out some of what was written on the page.

"Sand... soda ash... quartz..."

Ren Yan frowned as he looked it over, utterly baffled.

Though he did not understand the specifics, he knew the prices of some of the materials. In any case, three taels of silver definitely would not be enough to buy all of them.

He wanted to go tell Chen Mu that there was not enough silver, but when he recalled Chen Mu's gaze and that silent, oppressive feeling, Ren Yan could not help swallowing.

Forget it, forget it.

Ever since Second Master ran into a ghost, he had become somewhat abnormal. He should just honestly make up the difference himself.

Ren Yan turned and headed out into the snow.

As a servant of Xuanguo Estate, he was quite capable at handling matters. In just two short hours, he had bought all the materials Chen Mu listed and delivered them all to the courtyard.

Chen Mu had Ren Yan store everything in the small room of the outer courtyard, then entered the room himself.

Ren Yan had no idea what Chen Mu was doing, nor did he dare peek. He only felt some pain over the silver he had paid out during the day, silently praying that Chen Mu would not recklessly squander money again.

The next day.

Inside the bedroom.

The door was pushed open in one motion.

"Second Master, breakfast is served."

Undeterred by wind and snow, Xiao Mei appeared at the doorway, carrying a wooden tray as she walked in.

When she entered, she saw Chen Mu sitting at the table, writing something with paper and brush. She merely glanced at it from afar before losing interest and withdrawing her gaze.

Just then.

Chen Mu finished the final stroke. He picked up the paper, examined it carefully once more, and said:

"Ren Yan."

"Yes, Second Master. What are your orders?"

Ren Yan was sweeping snow in the outer courtyard. Hearing Chen Mu call for him, he immediately put down his broom and hurried over. At the doorway, he stomped the snow from his feet, but did not step over the threshold, replying from outside.

Chen Mu stood up. Without looking at Xiao Mei beside him, he handed the paper toward Ren Yan and said calmly, "Take this paper to Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion. When its shopkeeper comes out, tell him this is mine. I want half the profits from this item. Also, have him withdraw two hundred gold for me. I have a use for it."

Ren Yan first reached out and accepted the page, then heard the rest of Chen Mu's words.

He froze completely.

Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion?

That was one of the largest merchant houses in the entire Capital!

He did not understand anything about the later profits. All he understood was "the shopkeeper of Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion," along with the final "withdraw two hundred gold." He stared dumbfoundedly at the sheet of paper in his hand.

With just this sheet of paper, he was supposed to meet the shopkeeper of Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion and get two hundred gold in return?!

It was over!

Not only had Second Master become strange these past few days, even his mind seemed to have gone somewhat awry!

Ren Yan felt miserable inside. He wanted to say something, but when he saw Chen Mu's calm gaze, he ultimately did not dare speak. He obediently answered, then turned and left.

Beside them.

Xiao Mei also gave Chen Mu a strange look.

Though she believed only martial strength truly mattered, she also knew what an enormous sum two hundred gold was. If she had that much, she could even hire assassins from Stormwind Pavilion to take revenge!

Yet Chen Mu had spoken of such a vast sum so lightly, as though it mattered little to him. Could it be that running into a ghost had truly afflicted him with evil, even damaging his mind?

At that thought.

Xiao Mei's heart suddenly pounded several times, and she quickly left the bedroom.

It was not that she feared Chen Mu. Rather, she planned to return to her room and practice faster. So long as she had vigorous blood energy protecting her, no wandering yin soul or vicious ghost would be able to approach her.

Chen Mu paid no mind to Xiao Mei and Ren Yan's reactions. After Ren Yan left, he turned back around, walked to the table, and began eating breakfast.

If it had been an ordinary servant, he would have needed to remind them not to make a fuss.

But Ren Yan did not need that.

This servant was very clever and required no further instructions.

As for whether that page could bring back two hundred gold, there was naturally no need to consider such a question. What was written on it was something he had compiled after a night of experimentation.

The Glassmaking Method!

Though this was a world where demons and ghosts ran rampant, glazed glass and jade were still precious things. Something like the Glassmaking Method was naturally worth far more than a mere two hundred gold!

Chen Mu was not worried that Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion would dare take the method and swallow it for themselves.

Because he was a young master of Xuanguo Estate!

If he had gone personally, he could have negotiated for even greater profits. But he did not care about such things. Even the so-called half had merely been spoken on a whim.