Volume One: Days in the Shantytown - Shantytown Residents (Part Two)

To apprehend immortals who descended to the mortal realm without permission, the Immortal Emperor bestowed three immortal artifacts on the officers of the Immortal Apprehension Office: the Kun Dragon Whisker, the Heaven-Watching Net, and the Twelve Gold-Medal Command Swords. The Kun Dragon Whisker served as a warning. Launched from the immortal realm, it could reach the mortal realm directly and pierce the immortal meridians of an unauthorized visitor, sealing eighty percent of his immortal power. If an immortal returned at once after receiving this warning, he might be punished leniently—though even leniency meant being cast into the cycle of reincarnation and left to fend for himself.

The Heaven-Watching Net was used for arrests. Against an immortal who refused to return, it could be cast to haul him back from the mortal realm as easily as catching a fish. Artifacts bestowed by the Immortal Emperor were immensely powerful; almost no immortal could resist them.

If a truly powerful immortal descended without permission and neither of those artifacts worked, the ultimate weapon had to be deployed: the Twelve Gold-Medal Command Swords. Twelve swords in succession struck with power comparable to an immortal's tribulation. Even a ninth-rank immortal would be hard-pressed to escape death!

Not every Magical Artifact crafted by an immortal qualified as an "immortal artifact." Such artifacts had grades. Less capable immortals naturally produced their share of "defective goods," so the artifacts used by ordinary immortals were generally called Treasure Artifacts: the simplest Magical Artifacts made by immortals that functioned properly. Adding precious materials during crafting, or having a particularly skilled maker, could raise a Magical Artifact one grade, making it an imperial artifact. Only when the maker had reached a master's level and every material used was rare would the finished Magical Artifact possess peerless power and deserve to be called an immortal artifact. With the word "immortal" attached, it was naturally something extraordinary.

Above Treasure Artifacts, imperial artifacts, and immortal artifacts stood divine artifacts and sacred artifacts. What other wondrous Magical Artifacts existed beyond those was not something an ordinary immortal could know.

"I know that. How about... one million standard Immortal Jade?" Ling Xiaose asked, looking a little embarrassed. He was asking Luo Qian to take such a great risk for so little money; even he felt awkward about it. "I've spent too much time watching discs lately and fallen behind in my cultivation, so my father cut my allowance..." Ling Xiaose found it hard to say.

Luo Qian shook his head and addressed Ling Xiaose's father in his thoughts: Even if you want to push your son to better himself, that's no way to do it. Apart from coming to my place, this otaku hardly ever sets foot outside. He's more of a shut-in than a sheltered young lady. What good will cutting his allowance do? What Ling Otaku needs now is a maid to share his bed.

And you, Ling Otaku's old man—I'm not telling you any of this. If you won't pay me, I won't tell you. Luo Qian indulged in the fantasy.

When Luo Qian remained silent for some time, Ling Xiaose thought he was unhappy with the price. Ling Xiaose felt ashamed, but he truly couldn't bear to give up the discs now that he had them. After all, they featured his favorite actress. Where would he find women so uninhibited in the Immortal Realm?

"Old Luo? Brother Luo..." Ling Xiaose called softly. Luo Qian snapped back to himself and hurriedly put on a smile. "Oh, the price is easy to discuss. We go way back. Would I haggle with you over a little money? Things are tight for you right now, so take the discs and watch them first. Pay me the rest when it's convenient, haha..." His words sounded noble, but he hadn't discounted a single coin. He had merely offered credit.

How could Ling Otaku be a match for a seasoned businessman like him? A few words from Luo Qian moved him almost to tears. He quickly took out a lustrous piece of fine jade, warm to the touch and trailing wisps of mistlike Immortal Spirit Energy, and handed it over with both hands. Luo Qian was delighted. What a bargain! One High-Grade Immortal Jade is worth a million standard Immortal Jade. Good heavens, why are otakus so rare in the Immortal Realm?

Ling Xiaose took three rechargeable batteries from his robe. "Old Luo, could you charge these for me too? I still have two left at home... but they probably won't last long. Sorry for the trouble, but please hurry." Luo Qian froze. "These are high-capacity, thirty-five-thousand-milliamp-hour batteries. Each one can play for sixty hours. How did you...?"

Ling Xiaose blushed, and Luo Qian understood at once. The fellow had probably reached the point where he could watch discs all day and lose his taste for food. Luo Qian didn't want to embarrass such a good customer, so he laughed and moved on. "Don't worry. I'll set off tomorrow. Same price as always: five hundred standard Immortal Jade per charge."

After seeing Ling Xiaose off, Luo Qian set up a Formation at the entrance to his cave residence. It would keep birds, beasts, fish, insects, and the like from getting in, while also concealing the mundane aura of the "common goods" from the mortal realm inside, lest other immortals notice.

Once he had checked everything, Luo Qian picked up his laptop and prepared to go to the Mortal Realm. He had just gulped down a breath of Immortal Aura and was about to activate his mysterious technique when a shout came from outside. "Luo Qian, you should've replaced that crooked excuse for a Formation ages ago! It can't stop anything but birds and bugs. Are you in there jerking off? If not, I'm coming in..."

Luo Qian let his mouthful of pure Immortal Spirit Energy dissipate. "Come in. I'm not like you, doing filthy things whenever you have a spare moment." The Formation at the cave entrance spread apart like ripples on water. All the effort Luo Qian had put into setting it up had been undone just like that. A short man slipped into the cave residence, clear-featured and handsome.

"Heh, what's filthy about it?" the handsome young man said. "Am I supposed to hold it in until lust burns me alive?" He was another of Luo Qian's "outstanding" customers. Ever since Luo Qian sold him a high-performance gaming computer, Du Lengning—young master of the esteemed Distant Hall and an exceptional talent among the Immortal Realm's younger generation—had become a gaming addict. Lately, he had been obsessed with Magic Beast. A few days earlier, he had asked Luo Qian to get him a copy of Quick-Start Secrets for Magic Beast Experts, a book widely sold in the Mortal Realm, along with some videos.

"Well? Did you get what I asked for?" Du Lengning asked. Of everyone Luo Qian had met, Du Lengning was the least like his name: far from cold or reserved, he was almost too outgoing and was forever tormenting Luo Qian with lewd jokes. His fists were bigger than Luo Qian's, and he was one of Luo Qian's best sources of income, so Luo Qian could only accept the jokes with a smile. In truth, he was hardly any better himself.

"Sure did." Luo Qian went back to the storeroom. "Here's the guide, and here are the tournament videos you wanted. None of this was easy to find, especially this video. The match you asked for was years ago. I had to ask several enthusiasts before I tracked it down."

Du Lengning lived in the Immortal Realm, cut off from the Mortal Realm and its news. He knew about the match only because he had read about it in another "guide," so naturally he lagged far behind the Mortal Realm.

Du Lengning snatched up the discs and book, then shoved fifty Mid-Grade Immortal Jade at Luo Qian. "Damn it, quit crying poor. As if I don't know you! Is this enough?" Luo Qian slipped the jade into his pocket. "Heh, plenty, plenty!" They had similar temperaments and had done business together for years, so they were thoroughly at ease with each other.

Du Lengning pulled a large bundle from his sleeve. "Twenty-five batteries. Charge them for me. I'll pay you next time." He played so much that he claimed to have once gone thirty days without turning his computer off. Naturally, he burned through batteries. "No problem."

Universe in the Sleeve was only a third-rank immortal art; any immortal of third rank or higher could learn it. Unfortunately, Luo Qian had been in the Immortal Realm for decades and remained at the very lowest level: a First-Rank Immortal.

Du Lengning put away the discs and book, tucking them into his sleeve and wrapping them in immortal energy so no one would discover them. He waved goodbye to Luo Qian. "Old Luo, I'm off. I'll come back in two days."

With his second deal of the day done, Luo Qian was in excellent spirits. He packed his things and reset the Formation at the cave entrance. Standing in the middle of his cave residence, he drew a deep breath and pulled it inward. His sharply tailored black imitation-Armani suit swelled outward instead. The space around him caved in toward his body, then burst back out. With a muffled pop like a wine bottle being uncorked, Luo Qian vanished from the Immortal Realm.

(On the first day of the new year, I wish you all strong bodies, hearty appetites, sweet sleep, and great reading! The Smuggling Tycoon of the Immortal Realm is Xiao San's first book of 2008, a genuine "Olympic baby." It needs everyone's tender loving care, haha. Add it to your favorites, vote, and click often. Xiao San thanks new and old friends alike for your support, hehe...)

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