When Qin Tiexin walked to Green Cliff Town, it was noon on the third day.
He walked for two and a half days on the Fifty Mile Mountain Road. The injury on his leg was not smooth and it hurt when he walked in a hurry. He met three wolves again on the road, and he used Edgeless to beat two of them away. The remaining one refused to go, so he grabbed the skin by the scruff of the neck and threw it into the ravine.
The town is built along the cliff, with houses with black tiles and gray walls rising one after another, with the highest point almost touching the cliff. A main street winds upward from the entrance of the town. The street is paved with gravel and has been stepped smooth. There are various shops on both sides, including medicine shops, blacksmith shops, inns, and groceries.
There are many people.
Qin Tiexin stood under the stone archway at the entrance of the town, squinting and looking around. There were two types of pedestrians on the street: most were ordinary people wearing coarse cloth like him, those who carried burdens, carried baskets, and led animals. A few people were different - their clothes were made of better materials and brighter colors, bags hung on their belts, and weapons on their backs or waists. They walked with their backs straight, and there was something indescribable in their eyes when they looked at people.
Those are the "monks".
Qin Tiexin tightened the luggage on his back and stepped into the town.
The smells on the street were mixed: the aroma of freshly baked cakes, the bitterness of medicinal herbs, the smell of livestock manure, and a vague metallic smell, similar to that of quenching in a blacksmith shop. He walked up the main street, scanning his eyes left and right.
The monks walked together in twos and threes, speaking in strange tones and short syllables. Some of the words were unfamiliar to the ears, but the meaning was generally understandable. When they occasionally talked to mortals, they would change to a normal tone, but their tone was unconsciously condescending.
Qin Tiexin found the cheapest-looking inn. The name "Joyful Arrival" was written on the front. The door was small, the wooden door was open, and the light inside was dim.
He walked in. There was a thin man in his forties sitting behind the counter, looking down at his abacus. When he heard the footsteps, he looked up and looked Qin Tiexin up and down, and frowned - Qin Tiexin's clothes were really worn out.
"Staying in a hotel?" the shopkeeper asked.
"Yeah." Qin Tiexin nodded, "The cheapest one."
The shopkeeper looked at him again and stretched out a finger. "Twenty cents a night for a full shop, including breakfast."
Qin Tiexin took out his money bag from his pocket and poured out a few pieces of broken silver. This was the last gold and silver he had on him - the five hundred taels of silver notes he took with him when he left Ink City. He spent some on the way, and the rest was exchanged into scattered gold and silver before entering the mountain. Now there are more than three hundred taels of silver left. As for copper coins, they are not used here.
He exchanged two hundred coins for the copper coins here, counted out twenty coins and pushed them over.
The shopkeeper took the money, but added, "Sir, are you back Green Cliff Town?"
Qin Tiexin looked up at him.
"You can also use gold and silver here, but this is the hard currency." The shopkeeper took out a small wooden box from under the counter and opened it. It was covered with velvet, and on the velvet were dozens of milky-white pebbles the size of rice grains with a shimmering light." Spirit Crystal. The immortal masters only use this transaction. Although we mortals also use gold and silver, if anything comes from the immortal masters - for example, if you want to buy some leftovers of elixirs, or ask the immortal masters to treat your injuries - then you have to go to Spirit Crystal."
Qin Tiexin picked up one and took a closer look. The stone was warm and translucent, with mist flowing slowly inside. Holding it in the palm of your hand, you could feel a faint warmth - the same as the "Spiritual Qi" in the air, but more solid.
"How to exchange gold and silver?" he asked.
The shopkeeper stretched out two fingers. "The market price is twelve taels of gold for one grain of Spirit Crystal. For silver, it's one hundred and twenty taels for one grain. But you can exchange it at 'Myriad Treasures Pavilion' in the east end of the town. I only do hotel business here." He paused, "Look at you... you don't have much gold and silver, right?"
Qin Tiexin didn't answer and put away his money bag, "Stay in Tongbu for one night."
"Okay." The shopkeeper recorded the account, "Three people already live in the room on the far left in the backyard, which is a bunkhouse. You can take the bedding by yourself, they are all in the Horn Wood box in the house."
Qin Tiexin nodded and walked to the backyard.
The bunkhouse was in the corner, with the door ajar. When I opened the door, I was greeted by the smell of sweat and foot odor. There was a row of big bunkhouses against the wall, covered with straw mats, and three people were already lying there. There was a small table by the window, and there were some tools piled on the table: planes, chisels, and saws.
Three people sat up and looked at him. A strong man with a beard, a skinny middle-aged man, and a young man in his early twenties.
"New here?" the bearded man asked, his voice rough.
"Yeah." Qin Tiexin put the luggage on the empty bunk, walked to the Horn Wood box in the house, and pulled out a relatively clean thin quilt.
"Working or passing by?" asked the skinny middle-aged man.
"Looking for work." Qin Tiexin said.
"That's not easy." The young man interjected, "There is little work in the town. We can't do the work of the monks, and there is a lot of competition for the work of the mortals."
Qin Tiexin didn't answer. He spread the quilt and sat down, taking off his shoes. The blisters on his feet were broken and bleeding. He took out a clean cloth from his bag, dipped it in some water from the water bag, and wiped it slowly.
The three people looked at his movements, looked at each other, and stopped talking.
In the evening, Qin Tiexin went out to find something to eat.
The breakfast provided by the inn will not be provided until tomorrow, so he has to take care of it tonight. He walked down the street and found the cheapest food stall. It sold grain pancakes for two coins each. He bought five and ate them with cold water.
While eating, there was a noise from the other end of the street.
Two monks were arguing. One was wearing a blue shirt and the other was wearing a brown shirt. They were both in their thirties. The two were standing in front of a stall selling ore, and their voices were getting louder and louder.
"This Fire Pattern Stone was obviously my first sight!" The monk in blue shirt pointed at a dark red Shitou on the stall.
"Did you like it first? Have you paid?" The brown monk sneered, "I like it, and I'll pay now!"
The stall owner was a skinny old man in his fifties. He huddled behind the stall and did not dare to say a word.
The blue-shirted monk's face turned red, and he suddenly raised his hand and pointed - "You're looking for a beating!"
A red fire snake sprang out from his fingertips. It was about the thickness of chopsticks and about a foot long, and it rushed towards the brown-clothed monk's face with a burning breath!
The ordinary people on the street dispersed and hid far away.
The monk in brown clothes calmly took off a palm-sized bronze medal from his waist and held it in front of him. The bronze medal lit up with a light yellow light and turned into a translucent light shield.
The fire snake hit the light shield and exploded into sparks, scattering in all directions.
The light shield shook but was not broken.
"That's all you have?" the brown-robed monk sneered, put away the bronze medal, and raised his hand Hand Seals. The ground suddenly rose, and a thorn came out of the earth, stabbing the blue-robed monk's lower body.
The monk in blue jumped back and waved at the same time, throwing out three fist-sized fireballs. The fireballs dragged the tail flames and hit the monk in brown. The monk in brown once again offered his bronze medal, and the light shield reappeared to block the fireballs.
"Bang bang bang" made three muffled sounds, and sparks flew everywhere.
The two of them went back and forth, using fire snakes, earth thorns, Wind Blade, water arrows... all kinds of methods that Qin Tiexin had never seen before were alternately used. The light flickered, the energy was overwhelming, and several holes were blasted out of the stone slabs on the street.
The mortals around were dumbfounded, frightened and couldn't help but look at it.
Qin Tiexin stood by the food stall, forgetting to eat the pancake in his hand. He stared at the two people without blinking, staring at the Flame, earth, rocks, and water that appeared out of thin air.
This is Law Technique.
This is Law Artifact.
He thought of the words in Lin Feng's letter, and of Zhao Xuan's methods that night. It turns out that this is how real monks fight.
It's not the swords and guns on the battlefield, it's not the fists and kicks in the rivers and lakes. It's another kind of rule, another kind of power.
He watched carefully. When the monk in the blue shirt cast a spell, his fingers would quickly pinch out a specific shape; before the monk in the brown shirt offered a bronze medal, he would inject a glimmer of light into the medal. The two of them moved with particular steps, not running around, but following a certain footwork.
After about a cup of tea, both of them were out of breath. The monk in the blue shirt had a gash on his sleeve from a thorn, and the monk in the brown shirt had a lock of hair singed by the fire.
"Okay, okay!" the old stall owner finally had the courage to shout, "Two immortal masters, stop fighting! This Fire Pattern Stone... I will give it to you two, okay?"
The two stopped and glared at each other.
"No need!" The blue-shirted monk snorted, tossed his sleeves and walked away.
The monk in brown clothes also put away the bronze medal, took out a few Spirit Crystal from his arms and threw them to the stall owner. "I want Shitou." He picked up the dark red Shitou and turned around to leave.
The streets gradually returned to calm. The mortals gathered back, looking around at the pits blasted by Law Technique, and talking about them.
"Did you see that? The fire came out of thin air!"
"That shield is so powerful, it is invulnerable to water and fire!"
"Tsk tsk, the immortal master is the immortal master..."
Qin Tiexin silently finished the remaining pancakes, turned around and walked back.
When passing a shop, he stopped.
The shop has a spacious front and a sign with gold letters on a black background: "Metal and Stone Pavilion". Through the open door, you can see that the walls inside are covered with all kinds of weapons, including swords, guns and halberds. A fat shopkeeper in a silk shirt is sitting behind the counter, looking down at his account book.
Qin Tiexin I just took another look when I passed by.
But at this moment, the Edgeless on his back suddenly shook.
It wasn't an illusion. The blade of the knife trembled obviously as it was wrapped in cloth, and at the same time there was a clear, almost substantive feeling of "hunger". The feeling was so strong that Qin Tiexin paused in his steps.
What's even more surprising is that the long swords hanging on the wall behind the Metal and Stone Pavilion counter also made a slight trembling sound. Although it only lasted for a moment, the fat shopkeeper still raised his head and looked at the swords in confusion.
Qin Tiexin immediately quickened his pace and walked past the door of the Metal and Stone Pavilion.
After walking for more than ten steps, Edgeless's unusual movements subsided. But the "hungry" feeling was still there, as if a voice was whispering in the ear: hungry... need something to eat...
Qin Tiexin touched the handle of the knife and had some thoughts in his mind.
When they returned to the bunk room of the inn, the three of them were already lying down. When they heard him coming in, the bearded man turned over and said, "Boy, did you see a fight on the street?"
"I saw it." Qin Tiexin took off his shoes and went up to the bunk bed.
"Isn't it nice to see the immortal masters fighting?" the young man said excitedly, "If I can also learn how to use Law Technique, my life will be worth it!"
The skinny middle-aged man threw cold water. "Dream on it. You must have Spirit Root to become an immortal. We mortals will live in the next life."
"Isn't Metal and Stone Pavilion recruiting apprentices?" The young man refused. "I heard that they occasionally hire part-time workers to help carry materials and watch the fire. Although you can't learn real skills, you can at least get some fairy spirit."
The bearded man sneered, "You are a fairy? Do you know how difficult it is to get into the part-time job at the Metal and Stone Pavilion? How many people are squeezed out! Besides, once you get in, you are just doing hard work. Can someone teach you your real skills?"
The few people chatted for a while, and then gradually became silent.
Qin Tiexin lay on the bunk and looked at the roof with his eyes open.
The gold and silver he had on him, according to the price mentioned by the shopkeeper, were all exchanged for three grains of Spirit Crystal. What could three grains of Spirit Crystal do in this town? He didn't know.
I have to find work tomorrow. Metal and Stone Pavilion... maybe a place to go.
He closed his eyes and replayed the fight in the evening in his mind. The trajectory of the fire snake, the shape of the light shield, the gestures of casting spells, and the movement of footwork.
Little by little, keep it in mind.
Outside the window, the Green Cliff Town night became quiet. A few dogs barked occasionally in the distance, and further away, the outline of the cliff stood silently in the moonlight.
Qin Tiexin turned over and fell into a deep sleep.
In the dream, he saw a knife hanging in Flame, trembling with hunger.