Worldly Wisdom

Chen Ye had absolutely no desire to get entangled with the Qinghe Sword Sect.

In his heart, cultivation was the only thing that mattered. He had come to Cui County specifically to refine blood pills, hoping to make rapid progress on his path of cultivation.

He had gone to great lengths to orchestrate that elaborate performance earlier, all to build a reputation and catch the eye of wealthy merchants, hoping to leverage their influence to gather the livestock needed for his cultivation.

However, such methods were time-consuming and exhausting. Now that he had coincidentally encountered this Miss Su, it seemed he could strike up a friendship. Chen Ye had a bold idea: he wanted to take a shortcut.

Although the side effects of the Blood Refining Method could be eliminated, the Qi Condensation Pill was ultimately more convenient. Swallowing a single pill would save him a great deal of effort and make his cultivation journey much smoother.

Su Chunyi pondered for a moment, then shook her head. "I do not have any Qi Condensation Pills."

Chen Ye felt a twinge of disappointment. It seemed that this path of cultivation truly offered no easy shortcuts.

However, Su Chunyi changed the subject and continued, "However, I do have the materials to refine Qi Condensation Pills. If you can resolve my confusion, I am willing to trade them with you."

Chen Ye's eyes lit up. Without a second thought, he agreed, "Deal."

Chen Ye knew how to refine the Qi Condensation Pill, but the incredibly precious Xuanji Dew was hard to come by. Now, as long as he could obtain the Xuanji Dew from Su Chunyi, reaching the Dantian Qi Sea would be just around the corner.

Su Chunyi readily produced several exquisite jade bottles and placed them before Chen Ye; they contained all the materials needed to refine the Qi Condensation Pill. Chen Ye took a closer look and saw that these materials were of the highest quality, far better than he had originally estimated.

As expected of the Qinghe Sword Sect, they were truly wealthy and powerful! Furthermore, Su Chunyi had handed them over so straightforwardly, seemingly without any fear that Chen Ye might go back on his word.

Perhaps this was the confidence of a prestigious sect. In this world, there were likely very few cultivators who would dare to toy with the Qinghe Sword Sect.

Chen Ye did not stand on ceremony with her. He generously tucked the materials into his storage bag, then said to Su Chunyi with a calm expression, "I am merely a rogue cultivator, without support or backing. I have no choice but to rack my brains regarding those wealthy merchants, wondering if I can trade with them for cultivation resources."

"The performance I put on with Wang Sanqi was actually to build my reputation. Ordinary folk don't have much money to begin with, so it's better to tell their fortunes for free and have them spread the word, which in turn attracts wealthier clients for me."

Su Chunyi frowned slightly and asked softly, "No matter how much money a mortal has, how can it be of any help to cultivation?"

Chen Ye curled his lips into a smile and explained patiently, "Miss Su comes from a prestigious sect, so perhaps you are not familiar with the ways of the world. Although this Xuanji Dew is rare and hard to find, it can still be purchased if one is willing to spend a large sum of money."

Upon hearing this, Su Chunyi suddenly realized, nodding gently. "So that is how it is. You intend to swindle more money."

Chen Ye's heart skipped a beat at these words. Why did it feel like Su Chunyi was digging a pit for him?

If he admitted to the charge of being a "swindler," would a flying sword come whistling over to take his head off?

Who knew what the Qinghe Sword Sect's criteria for good and evil were? Chen Ye naturally dared not admit to being a swindler, so he quickly waved his hands to explain, "It is certainly not swindling for money. I refine some pills that strengthen the body as a trade. Although the price might be a bit high, I am definitely not doing this to swindle people."

This was actually the truth. Chen Ye had previously calculated that once his reputation was established, he would engage in some hype and packaging, boasting that the pills he used to treat illnesses were immortal elixirs capable of bringing the dead back to life. That way, he could sell them for an even higher price.

However, Su Chunyi seemed like a child who knew nothing of the world, and she continued to press, "Deliberately raising the price—is that not considered swindling?"

Chen Ye's heart tightened. This person's questions were quite tricky. He hurried to explain, "Whether it is worth it depends on the contest between the buyer and the seller. Doing business is inherently about buying low and selling high; otherwise, how would merchants make money? Who can clearly define at what point raising the price becomes swindling? Take antiques worth ten thousand gold, for example—most are actually just fired clay. The extent of the markup is entirely a matter of human perception. I do not forge anything; the pills are real. How much they sell for is simply my ability."

Chen Ye spoke with some urgency, truly afraid of being labeled a swindler and inviting a fatal disaster.

Fortunately, Su Chunyi was a reasonable person. Hearing Chen Ye's explanation, she nodded slightly to show her agreement. But the sword cultivator's questions seemed endless, and she immediately followed up, "I understand your actions, but there is still one thing I do not understand. You said you actually do not know the art of divination, so how were you able to be so accurate?"

Chen Ye did not hide anything and explained frankly, "It is nothing more than some street tricks. I did not calculate the family background of those seeking blessings; I inferred it from their words and deeds. What people seek is nothing more than wealth, peace, marriage, and offspring."

"As the saying goes, if an old man asks about offspring, even if he has many, they are few; if a youth asks about offspring, even if he has them, they are likely daughters; if one looks dull and weary, that person is currently in a predicament, and nine out of ten plans will fail; if one looks radiant and speaks loudly, that person is currently blessed, and nine out of ten things will succeed..."

Chen Ye recited a long list in one breath, all of which were methods for inferring a person's family situation and current status from behavioral details.

If an old man came to ask about offspring, there was no need to think twice; he must have few descendants and no one to carry on the family line. If a young man came to ask about offspring, he likely had no children yet, or had only daughters.

If the seeker looked listless and their questions were complex and confusing, they must have made several bad decisions recently, causing trouble for their family. If one encountered someone with a glowing complexion and a hint of pride in their tone, then naturally, good things were happening, and a little flattery would easily win their trust.

There were many such tricks.

By carefully observing a person's speech, conduct, and eyes, one could roughly distinguish their personality. If one met a frivolous person, a few compliments would make them overjoyed; if one met a gentleman, treating them with sincerity would surely lead to being regarded as a confidant.

Once the seeker felt that Chen Ye "got everything right," the rest was easy.

For those seeking wealth, remind them to be cautious and stable; for those seeking peace, give them two body-strengthening pills; for those seeking marriage, advise them to value character; for those seeking offspring, wish them a hundred sons and a thousand grandsons.

As long as the words were vague, the seekers would project their own situations onto them and believe Chen Ye was truly a "living immortal."

Even if he guessed wrong, it didn't matter; he could just casually brush it off by saying his magical power was exhausted for the day and he had made a slight error.

Since he didn't charge money anyway, people wouldn't hold it against him, and those who believed he was accurate would even speak up to defend him. Today, his luck was truly good; Chen Ye had told the fortunes of dozens of people, and he had guessed correctly for almost all of them.

This ability of Chen Ye's to navigate human relationships was not something he learned from cultivation, but something he had honed through the ups and downs of his corporate life in his previous existence.

Su Chunyi had originally been listening quietly, but later, she found herself nodding frequently. By the end, she even exclaimed, "You are highly talented, I have learned much."

This Miss Su had changed her tone for the first time, truly shocked by Chen Ye's ability to read people. Although this was not a spell, it was far more powerful than one. If this person had malicious intent to deceive, even someone with high cultivation might not be able to guard against it.

Chen Ye was not proud; on the contrary, he felt a bit helpless.

"It is just a low-level trick, of no benefit to cultivation. If it weren't for the fact that life as a rogue cultivator is difficult, I would rather hide in the deep mountains to cultivate, and I wouldn't bother to spend the effort to fathom the human heart."

The backstabbing and scheming in his previous life had been exhausting enough; if it weren't necessary, Chen Ye really didn't want to return to his old ways.

Upon hearing this, Su Chunyi said to Chen Ye, "You are too modest. This kind of ability cannot be practiced even after hundreds of years of cultivation in the mountains."

"Miss Su is too kind."

Chen Ye offered a few modest words, then heard Su Chunyi say in a deep voice, "I have one last question. Please, clarify it for me."

Her tone seemed different from the coldness she had displayed earlier.

"Please go ahead, Miss Su."

Chen Ye felt a sense of intuition; it seemed that after all their previous conversation, the crucial moment had finally arrived, though he had no idea what this high-ranking disciple of the Qinghe Sword Sect intended to ask.

To Chen Ye's surprise, before asking her question, Su Chunyi removed her bamboo hat and met his gaze with a pair of eyes as clear as autumn water.

Su Chunyi was very beautiful, but what truly caught Chen Ye's attention were her eyes.

They were the clearest eyes Chen Ye had ever seen in his two lifetimes, as if they could peer straight into his heart while simultaneously making no attempt to hide her own thoughts.

Chen Ye did not know how to describe this feeling; this girl looked like she would be very easy to deceive, yet at the same time, very difficult to fool.

This sense of raw, heart-to-heart sincerity upon a first meeting made Chen Ye, a social veteran polluted by years of worldly affairs, feel somewhat uncomfortable.

Chen Ye finally understood why Su Chunyi had chosen to remove her hat; the difficulty of lying while looking into those eyes was extraordinary, and even an old fox like him might not be able to pull it off perfectly.

With such solemnity, what exactly did Su Chunyi want to ask?

However, Su Chunyi merely asked a question she had already posed before: "May I ask, fellow Daoist, can helping a villain like Wang Sanqi truly be considered an act of kindness?"