Meeting Up

"Only Concentrated Spirit can interfere with Concentrated Spirit."

Xu Songnian explained, "My School of Heavenly Principle emphasizes single-minded cultivation and relying on no outside help. We have achieved quite a bit in body refinement and Concentrated Spirit. The Concentrated Spirit cultivated by my sect can disturb that of others."

"This item was left behind by one of my predecessors. He nurtured it with his Concentrated Spirit for decades. When I activate it using my sect's method, it can release the Concentrated Spirit within and disrupt yours."

"That's incredible..."

Chen Wu was amazed. He found the idea ingenious, and it had some things in common with the Heaven-Intercepting Dao-Exposition Method.

"It's not as powerful as you think." Seeing how interested Chen Wu was, Xu Songnian hurriedly added, "The Concentrated Spirit on this seal is, after all, water without a source. After a few uses, it's no longer effective. Besides, it can only be activated with my sect's cultivation method."

Seeing Xu Songnian looking so tense, as if he feared Chen Wu would snatch the Jade Seal, Chen Wu couldn't be bothered to keep discussing martial arts with him.

"How dull." Chen Wu said, "What kind of person do you take me for? Do you think I'd steal your things?"

"I was being small-minded and judging a gentleman by my own standards." Xu Songnian quickly apologized.

"All right, all right. You can go!"

At that, Xu Songnian let out a long breath of relief. He bowed at once and was about to leave.

Chen Wu suddenly felt he'd forgotten something and hurriedly called out, "Wait a moment!"

"What can I do for you, sir?" Xu Songnian tensed up again.

"I delivered goods for Shopkeeper Qin, and he promised me a big raft. You asked me to deliver a letter for you. Are you really going to send me off empty-handed?"

It had just occurred to Chen Wu that if he didn't collect a fee, wouldn't he be getting taken for a ride?

Great Shun already had a stock exchange. With capitalism flourishing so vigorously, how could he let someone take advantage of him for free?

"This..." Apparently, Xu Songnian hadn't expected such an expert to speak in such a mercenary way. He was at a loss for words for a moment before steadying himself and replying, "You're right, sir. It's just that I don't have many banknotes on me. If I offered them to you, I'm afraid it would be an insult."

"I'm not short of money." Chen Wu suddenly remembered what Old Ma had said earlier and continued, "I'm curious about the School of Heavenly Principle's method of nurturing weapons to temper Concentrated Spirit."

Xu Songnian's expression immediately relaxed. "It's not that other schools don't use this method. They just have no need for it."

"Once the martial arts of other schools give rise to Concentrated Spirit, it is already complete and cannot be altered." Xu Songnian continued, "But my School of Heavenly Principle emphasizes painstaking cultivation over time. The Concentrated Spirit we develop is a seed, not yet complete, and has to be tempered bit by bit. That's why we have this method of nurturing and tempering it."

"A Concentrated Spirit seed?" Chen Wu thought of the Concentrated Spirit he'd borrowed. Did that count as a kind of seed, too?

"Exactly." Xu Songnian nodded. "That's why the Concentrated Spirit of my School of Heavenly Principle is weaker than that of other schools in the early stages. But after tempering it for ten or twenty years, it becomes slightly stronger than theirs."

"You're already an expert in Concentrated Spirit. You have no use for this method!"

"Don't worry about whether I can use it." Chen Wu's sword rang out once more.

"Then remember it well."

Xu Songnian immediately began reciting a secret method.

After listening, Chen Wu had him recite it twice more. Once he was certain there were no mistakes or omissions, he put away his sword and sauntered off.

Xu Songnian relaxed all over, only to realize that his back was soaked with sweat. He hurriedly hurried away with his lightness skill, returned to Dark Cloud Steed, mounted up, and rode off.

By the campfire, Shopkeeper Qin and several workers huddled together, staring in the direction Chen Wu had gone without daring to blink.

Suddenly, footsteps rustled in the distance. Before Shopkeeper Qin could make sure who it was, Chen Wu had already called out, "Shopkeeper Qin, are you all right?"

"Oh, yes, yes. I'm fine." Shopkeeper Qin answered hurriedly, finding Chen Wu ever more mysterious.

He had thought Chen Wu was just a raft man who'd learned a few tricks from some country bumpkins, with enough courage to take on this job for him.

Now, seeing him return with his sword, he realized that he'd meant to worship at a temple but had unwittingly invited a great deity instead.

"Get some rest!" Chen Wu pulled up a blanket and went to sleep fully clothed.

The next morning.

The group loaded the goods back onto the raft and drifted downstream. A little over ten days later, they reached their destination, Jiuyuan Prefecture.

Chen Wu watched Shopkeeper Qin unload the goods, find a business partner he knew, and sell off the medicinal herbs. Then, despite Shopkeeper Qin's profuse thanks, he took his leave.

Jiuyuan Prefecture was an essential route for passing beyond the frontier to the Mongolian tribes. Goods flowed between north and south, and merchants came and went in great numbers.

Ever since Great Shun had crushed the Dzungar in a decisive battle, it had brought the Mongolian tribes completely under its control, designated grazing grounds and pastures, and forbidden them from forming alliances or fighting among themselves. Trade along the route flourished even more.

Chen Wu asked a few caravans for directions to Yan'an Prefecture, then set off south.

He traveled through Shang Prefecture to Yan'an Prefecture, covered in dust from the road. At last, he saw the pagoda on Jialing Mountain.

Chen Wu knew he had reached his destination.

After Great Shun established its dynasty, Yan'an Prefecture had seen no major construction projects. After all, the Great Ming's secondary capital, Fengyang, had been burned down after Li Zicheng captured it. Now that he ruled the country himself, he couldn't help feeling uneasy.

Taking to heart how the construction of the Great Ming's secondary capital had drained the people's strength, Great Shun's Taizong, Li Guo, decided not to build a palace in Yan'an Prefecture. Instead, he had several buildings erected, including the Imperial Temple and Merit Temple, where people would be sent to make offerings at the seasonal festivals.

But Yan'an was, after all, Li Zicheng's hometown. The people here all seemed to think they were fellow townsfolk of the emperor, and looked down their noses at others. Twice Chen Wu asked for directions, and both times people gave him a few perfunctory words, unwilling to explain.

Fortunately, the third person was more helpful and clearly pointed the way. At last, Chen Wu figured out where to go and, after winding through the streets, reached his destination.

It was a three-story building on a busy street. A shop occupied the ground floor, and Chen Wu glanced up at its sign: Jinheng Watch Shop.

Chen Wu pushed open the door. Cabinets filled the shop, and watches and clocks of all kinds, large and small, met his eyes.

There were mantel clocks and pocket watches. Their decorations featured people, flowers and birds, animals and geometric patterns. Some had Western designs, others Eastern patterns, and still others looked to be in the artistic styles of India and Persia.

Behind the counter sat a craftsman in his fifties. A magnifying glass was perched over his left eye, making him look as if he were wearing a miniature telescope. He held a screwdriver in one hand, carefully taking apart a pocket watch.

"Sir, what would you like to buy?" A voice interrupted Chen Wu's inspection.

It came from a man around forty standing nearby. Seeing Chen Wu enter, he greeted him warmly. "Our shop carries every kind of clock and watch. We have Guangzhou-made, Suzhou-made, and Western-made. What would you like to look at?"

It seemed he was the shopkeeper.

"Ahem—" Chen Wu steadied himself. "I don't want any of those. I've come to have a watch repaired."

As he spoke, Chen Wu took out his Cloud-Pattern Pocket Watch and handed it to the shopkeeper.

The shopkeeper took the pocket watch and gently pressed its spring. The cover flipped open, revealing that the hands had stopped and all pointed to the third quarter of the Shen hour.

The shopkeeper's expression changed at once.