That Young Sword Cultivator Was a Little Unhinged

However, Tan Shuchang now understood why that little girl had gone from grieving and miserable one moment to drawing her sword and hacking at him the next. Not only had she struck with increasing enthusiasm, but in the end, she had even laughed aloud.

It had not been a fake laugh, nor laughter born from extreme sorrow. She had truly been laughing with immense delight.

That was also why, before Tan Shuchang learned that the little girl came from the Dong Family of Heavenly Sword Manor in Chu Province, he had always mistaken her for a demonic cultivator.

After all, what proper sword cultivator was that unhinged?

"Why are you still here?" Tan Shuchang asked Qiu Junlin in surprise.

"Is this how you treat guests?" Qiu Junlin pointed at himself. Since entering, he had not even gotten a sip of tea.

Did this demonic cultivator understand etiquette at all?

"I have never been hospitable," Tan Shuchang said earnestly.

Qiu Junlin wanted to laugh upon hearing that, so he said, "You'll have no friends if you're like this."

"Friends? They are merely consumables. People are friends only when they share common interests. And when there are no interests involved, the ones who hurt you most can only be your friends. Before people know someone well enough, no one dares offend them lightly." Tan Shuchang spoke gently, smiling as he did.

If he had truly been only twenty years old, then at this moment, he ought to have been hot-blooded and valued brotherhood.

But unfortunately, he had lived two lives.

Though he could pretend to be a child when he was young, he would never truly regard himself as one.

After hearing Tan Shuchang's words, Qiu Junlin smiled as well. "That's not quite right. As far as I know, some people are utterly lawless."

"Including you?"

"Of course not!" Qiu Junlin glanced at Tan Shuchang. The reason he had assumed such a lofty attitude during their first meeting was, in the end, because he had investigated Tan Shuchang beforehand.

Before people know someone well enough, no one dares offend them lightly. Qiu Junlin agreed very much with those words.

"Then do the people you speak of dare offend you?" Tan Shuchang asked with a smile.

"Who would dare?" Qiu Junlin scoffed. Though he had made quite a few jokes of himself because of Luojia Mountain's young minor master, who would dare look down on him over that?

Much less offend him.

"Then there you have it. Those people you call lawless are, in the end, nothing but bullies who fear the strong. They do not dare provoke you and may even have to curry favor with you. The reason they dare act without restraint toward others is simply because they know their status is enough to make those people swallow their anger."

Qiu Junlin had no answer. If that bunch had not all had such good parents, honestly, he could not be bothered dealing with the so-called "lawless" people he had mentioned.

"Here." Qiu Junlin tossed over a small object resembling a token.

Naturally, he had not come solely because of that letter.

Whatever that little grandaunt of the Dong Family wanted to do, whoever she wanted to write to, even if it were the emperor, no one would dare say anything about it. After all, the Dong Family Head had only that one daughter.

And among Heavenly Sword Manor's direct bloodline, this generation had only that one sole sprout.

Back then, that little girl had casually saved someone. Since it had not been convenient to take him along, she had tossed him at the gates of the Qiu family. Hadn't he, the son of Pavilion Master Qiu, then had to take that person in as an attendant servant?

"What is this?" Tan Shuchang took the object and examined it. Though the crafting method was exquisite, it was not a magical artifact. It seemed to be a rather special token.

And that was indeed what it was.

"This is an entry token for the Peaceful Heart Charity Fair."

"The Peaceful Heart Charity Fair?"

"Luojia Mountain holds it once every three years. While cultivators from all realms exchange what they have for what they need, all profits earned are used to aid impoverished commoners everywhere," Qiu Junlin explained.

Tan Shuchang understood at once. He knew that Luojia Mountain was fond of saving the people. Whenever disasters struck and relief was needed, Luojia Mountain was always the most proactive, and officials of every rank did not dare embezzle too much. Luojia Mountain could be said to have rendered an immeasurable service in that regard.

So, after thinking it over, he said, "I can go, but I do not have much money. If you give me time, though, I can gather five hundred Upper Profound Seals."

The Upper Profound Seals on him had all been used to treat his injuries earlier.

As a transporter of money, Tan Shuchang had never been one to save it.

"You don't need to buy anything. You only need to show up. It's tonight." Having said that, Qiu Junlin turned and left.

Tan Shuchang watched Qiu Junlin depart, then continued attempting to nurture spirituality.

Unfortunately, by nightfall, the bead still showed no movement. He had no choice but to head out. The Peaceful Heart Charity Fair was not difficult to inquire about. It was within Heavenly Wonder Pavilion itself, after all, and this place was like a city.

The charity fair was set up along a street, and only those holding tokens could enter.

The moment he entered, Tan Shuchang discovered that this place truly sold no shortage of goods. Looking around, he saw pills from Rainbow Cloud Valley, magical artifacts from the Wu Family, sealed superior cultivation techniques, and more.

Every item here was enough to make the Rogue Cultivators outside fight until their heads were bloodied.

Especially the pills from Rainbow Cloud Valley.

Cultivators of the Jia Five Realm generally increased their cultivation gradually as they grew older. Of course, that did not include those who abandoned cultivation; such people merely gained seniority for nothing.

But nothing was absolute, and everything had exceptions.

Rainbow Cloud Valley had a kind of pill that could rapidly increase one's cultivation. Yet this pill was incomparably expensive, and often, having money alone was not enough to buy it.

Whether one could purchase that pill depended entirely on one's status.

That was why disciples of many great sects could emerge from the mountain with more than ten years of cultivation. They might not practice diligently every day, but they had certainly consumed that kind of pill from Rainbow Cloud Valley.

At this moment, Tan Shuchang saw that Rainbow Cloud Valley's disciples had directly brought out that kind of pill.

Though he had Fierce Ghost Lifting Lotus to increase his cultivation and deepen his understanding of cultivation techniques, the instant he saw this pill, Tan Shuchang could not help but be tempted.

Fierce Ghost Lifting Lotus was excellent, but fierce ghosts were hard to gather!

The Weird Game had currently imposed restrictions on him, forcing him to take fierce ghosts away only under "reasonable" circumstances. Thus, though there was still Langshou Ghost City, Tan Shuchang reckoned that he could take at most twenty fierce ghosts from that ghost city...

Besides, no matter how small a mosquito leg was, it was still meat!

It was the same reason no one would complain about having too much money.

Just as Tan Shuchang's thoughts stirred, he suddenly sensed someone approaching him.

The newcomer carried a fragrance like an ethereal lotus.

And Tan Shuchang was not unfamiliar with that scent.

He looked over.

The newcomer was not tall and not fat, looking small and thin. Though she wore a conical hat with a veil, Tan Shuchang recognized her at once.

Tan Shuchang could not help sighing inwardly—this truly was the same as disguising oneself and not disguising oneself at all.