Chapter Thirty-Six: Another Deal

"I'll take it."

Chen Zhuo agreed immediately, then reached up to rub his temples, trying to massage away the throbbing headache caused by the martial art being forcibly imprinted into his mind.

"That's the spirit. With me here to clear up your doubts, I guarantee you'll master this martial art thoroughly and soar to great heights in the future."

Old Blind Man smiled and held up five fingers. "Five hundred for ten sessions, plus the cost of this manual—a package deal for five hundred and fifty taels. Given our relationship, I can knock five taels off for you."

"Fifty taels. I only want the book. You don't need to give me a discount; I may be young, but I dislike taking advantage of others."

Chen Zhuo took several silver ingots from his pack, weighed them in his hand, and set them down with a clack right in front of Old Blind Man.

"You only want the book?"

Old Blind Man's expression shifted slightly. "This martial art looks simple, but without careful instruction, you could run into serious trouble. Don't come blaming me if that happens."

"Rest assured, if I train it wrong and die, that's just my fate."

Chen Zhuo remained firm, unmoved by Old Blind Man's words.

No wonder Old Blind Man kept trying to lure him into buying martial arts; the real trap was in the after-sales service.

"Are you sure?"

"Of course."

"With such talent and bone structure, it would be a pity to ruin yourself."

"It's all fate."

Seeing his resolute attitude, Old Blind Man finally gritted his teeth and accepted the fifty taels of silver.

"If you don't buy it today, the price won't be the same when you come looking for me later."

Old Blind Man didn't seem to have given up yet.

"What if I manage to master this martial art on my own? Then I won't have to trouble you."

Chen Zhuo tucked the thin book carefully into his robes, feeling an indescribable sense of satisfaction.

The value of a martial art that opens the meridians was worth far more than fifty taels.

A small profit.

Old Blind Man realized he had lost money, but he said nothing. A smile remained on his face, as if to say:

"Kid, you'll be back."

Any martial artist who has reached the second realm, regardless of the technique they practice, requires the protection of a master or a close relative to locate their meridians and guide their qi and blood to open them.

Unless, of course, one is a peerless genius, one in a million, capable of opening their meridians through their own strength.

Old Blind Man didn't believe it.

In this tiny Baiyun County, what kind of genius could there possibly be?

There were no geniuses, but there were plenty of young martial artists who didn't know the immensity of heaven and earth.

"I won't see you out."

With the deal done, Old Blind Man lost interest immediately.

Chen Zhuo smiled, not at all annoyed.

It was just business.

"No rush. Besides paying back the money I owe you, I came here primarily to propose a business deal."

Without even shifting his seat, Chen Zhuo took the remaining silver ingots from his pack and slowly pushed them toward Old Blind Man.

"Oh?"

Old Blind Man's face showed surprise.

Chen Zhuo had a feeling that while the old man was blind, he wasn't truly blind.

Though his eyes couldn't see, he seemed to perceive the gleaming silver on the table in some other way.

Chen Zhuo didn't mince words, stating bluntly, "The yamen will be conducting the Autumn Hunt in a few days. I would like to hire you to protect me in the mountains."

"Oh?"

Old Blind Man said with a cryptic smile, "You want to hire me as your bodyguard? With just this pittance?"

"This is the deposit."

Chen Zhuo continued, "Ten-Day Demon Sweep. I only need ten days of protection. I'll pay the rest once it's over."

Old Blind Man didn't respond, merely snacking on peanuts one by one. He wanted a drink, but when he tilted his wine gourd, he only managed to squeeze out a drop or two.

Chen Zhuo watched him quietly, saying nothing.

Little Black Donkey couldn't stand the heat any longer. It tried to stand up and pull the cart, but its legs were weak, and it couldn't budge an inch, letting out a helpless whinny.

"My apologies, I'd forgotten about you for a while."

Hearing the sound, Chen Zhuo hurried over to lead Little Black Donkey to Old Blind Man's side.

"Pfft."

The Little Black Donkey snorted, shot Chen Zhuo a fierce glare, and flopped back down onto the ground.

"Fifty taels a day, half upfront. If you're still alive after ten days, pay the rest."

The Old Blind Man raised his wine cup. Before Chen Zhuo could speak, he gave the cup a flick and barked at the Little Black Donkey, "Open up."

As if it understood, the Little Black Donkey immediately opened its mouth wide.

Two drops of wine mixed with demon blood slid down its throat. The donkey kicked its legs and stood bolt upright, looking as vigorous as a dragon and as fierce as a tiger.

"Business is business, favors are favors. I hate owing favors, and I hate owing a donkey even more."

"These two drops of wine are the wages for the few hours you've spent keeping me company."

The Old Blind Man smiled faintly and asked Chen Zhuo, "Well?"

"Deal."

Chen Zhuo didn't hesitate for a second.

His life was worth far more than five hundred taels of silver.

It wasn't expensive at all.

Chen Zhuo pulled a stack of banknotes from his robes, counted out ten, and placed them in the middle of the pile of silver on the table.

"The extra silver here—next time, you can settle it by giving me demon blood instead."

"Fine."

The Old Blind Man waved a hand. The black cloth on the wooden table moved without a breeze, instantly wrapping the silver and banknotes up tight.

He weighed the bundle in his hand and flashed a satisfied smile.

"Well, I finally make a fortune, only to spend most of it in the blink of an eye."

Chen Zhuo shook his head to himself.

But he had no regrets; the money was well spent.

It also served as a way to fence the stolen goods.

"Rest well, old man. I'm off."

With everything settled, Chen Zhuo stood up to leave.

Just then, two figures in black robes appeared silently at his side.

"Liansheng Sect?"

Chen Zhuo glanced over, his body trembling as his skin tightened like a drawn bowstring, ready to snap into action.

His hand instinctively rested on the saber hidden beneath his robes.

These two black-robed members of the Liansheng Sect gave him an incredibly dangerous feeling.

In the next instant, both black-robed figures prostrated themselves on the ground, kneeling beside Chen Zhuo.

To be precise, they were kneeling before the Old Blind Man.

"Grandmaster, a thief has appeared in the Ghost Market and killed many people. Our Sect Leader fears the thief might disturb you, so he sent us two to await your orders."

One of the black-robed figures said coldly.

The other fixed his gaze on Chen Zhuo.

"Disturb me?"

The Old Blind Man scoffed. "Or is it you two who are doing the disturbing?"

"We wouldn't dare."

The two black-robed figures bowed again.

Chen Zhuo looked at the two figures in confusion, then turned his gaze toward the Old Blind Man.

Grandmaster?

It seemed there was more to the Old Blind Man's relationship with the Liansheng Sect than met the eye.

And he was even familiar with the yamen.

"Don't guess blindly; it's all ancient history."

The Old Blind Man seemed to be a worm in Chen Zhuo's stomach, guessing his thoughts immediately. Since he didn't seem to want to talk about it, Chen Zhuo kept his mouth shut.

"Fine, I know exactly what your Sect Leader is thinking."

The Old Blind Man sneered. "Rest assured, it wasn't me. If I had made a move, do you think the commotion would be this small?"

"The Grandmaster is right."

The two black-robed figures bowed once more.

Chen Zhuo didn't let his eyes wander, but he still felt as if the Old Blind Man was "looking" right at him as he spoke.

"This is a friend of mine. See him out safely, and do not hinder him."

"Understood."

Under the Old Blind Man's orders, two figures in black robes respectfully escorted Chen Zhuo out of the Ghost Market.

Standing once again on the bridge where he had first arrived, Chen Zhuo watched the crowds at the entrance undergoing meticulous inspections and suddenly felt a sense of absurdity.

He had been worrying about how to handle the security checks, only to be ushered out with such deference.

What kind of situation was this?

"Good thing I made that deal with the Old Blind Man."

Thinking of the Old Blind Man, Chen Zhuo instinctively opened his hand, where three peanuts given to him before his departure still rested in his palm.

"Why do these peanuts look so strange? There's actually a layer of powder on the outside."