Heavenly Delight Inn.
After handing the wooden case to Master Wu, Lin Yuan went out again.
At the street corner, the little beggar had already been waiting for a long time.
He tilted his grimy face up and stared straight at Lin Yuan.
Everything that had happened earlier at Spring Revival Hall had deeply shaken his young heart.
"Is there anywhere in town that sells martial arts manuals?"
"Yes! The Treasure Pavilion in the east of town has everything!"
The little beggar jogged ahead to lead the way, glancing back at Lin Yuan from time to time, longing written all over his face.
After about a quarter of an hour, the view ahead opened up.
A five-story pavilion rose from the ground, with upturned eaves, carved beams, and painted rafters.
The little beggar pointed at the enormous black-and-gold signboard.
"Young master, this is the place."
"The Treasure Pavilion was opened by the county deputy magistrate together with several great clans. You can buy all sorts of rare things here."
Lin Yuan nodded slightly, took out ten copper coins, and offered them to the little beggar.
"Sorry for the trouble today. You can go now."
The little beggar did not reach for them.
He stepped back half a pace, bent his knees, and dropped to the flagstones with a thud.
Lin Yuan paused and raised an eyebrow.
Not enough?
The little beggar slammed his head against the flagstones, producing dull, repeated thuds.
"I don't want money!"
"I only ask that you take me as your disciple and let me learn martial arts from you!"
The little beggar trembled, his eyes fixed on the tips of Lin Yuan's shoes.
In this world where the weak were meat for the strong, the only way a little beggar like him could make a decent life for himself and his younger sister was to practice martial arts.
Before, he had had no connections. He could not even get a foot through a martial arts school's door.
But today, he had witnessed Lin Yuan's prowess with his own eyes.
This was his only chance in this lifetime to turn his fortunes around!
No matter what, he had to stake his life on seizing this chance.
He kept kowtowing, blood streaming from his forehead.
Lin Yuan stood where he was, watching him expressionlessly.
Wanting to become his disciple after merely showing him the way-this little beggar thought far too highly of himself.
He turned his wrist, and the ten copper coins clattered to the ground.
"We have no such fate."
Leaving those words behind, Lin Yuan stepped through the Treasure Pavilion's entrance.
Behind him, the little beggar silently turned and left, a flicker of unwillingness passing through his eyes.
The first-floor hall was extremely spacious, with dozens of rosewood counters neatly arranged amid a hubbub of voices.
A maid in a blue ruqun had just seen off a customer when she turned and noticed Lin Yuan in his long robe, his bearing distinguished.
She immediately came forward, her face wreathed in smiles.
"Welcome to the Treasure Pavilion. We stock every kind of rare treasure you could want. What can I help you find, young master?"
"Do you have Qi and Blood Pills?"
The blue-clad maid's smile grew even warmer.
"You may not know this, young master, but the methods for refining Qi and Blood Pills are all held tightly by the major powers."
"Even if one or two occasionally find their way onto the market, they're kept for auction."
At this point, she added in passing.
"But your timing is excellent, young master. Our Treasure Pavilion happens to be holding an auction in three days. There may be Qi and Blood Pills up for bidding then."
Three days from now?
Lin Yuan made a mental note, then changed the subject.
"Then do you have saber manuals?"
The blue-clad maid's eyes instantly lit up.
Martial arts manuals always commanded high prices. Selling even one would earn her a commission worth more than half a year of her usual work.
She moved half a step closer, her voice gentle.
"Of course! We currently have three Human Grade saber manuals in stock, all created by renowned masters. Each costs only a hundred thousand taels of silver."
A hundred thousand taels?
Lin Yuan rubbed his nose.
Even if he emptied out everything Lin Dafu had left him, he could not afford half of one.
Lin Yuan gave a dry cough and asked tentatively.
"Do you have any Mortal Grade ones?"
The smile on the blue-clad maid's face abruptly froze.
Suspecting she had misheard, she leaned her neck forward slightly.
"What did you just say, young master?"
"I asked whether you have any Mortal Grade saber manuals."
Lin Yuan repeated himself.
The blue-clad maid's face twitched, and her manner turned cold.
Coming to a place like the Treasure Pavilion and asking to buy Mortal Grade martial arts that were a dime a dozen?
She rolled her eyes and, not even bothering with perfunctory courtesy, turned away with a sway of her waist.
Dressed up like someone respectable, but he's actually a pauper. What a waste of breath.
"Hey."
Lin Yuan called out.
The blue-clad maid acted as though she were deaf and did not even turn her head.
She swayed her slender waist as she approached a wealthy merchant in silk, instantly putting on a smiling face again.
Lin Yuan stood there, speechless.
What a dog-eyed snob.
With his hands behind his back, he began wandering around the hall.
As he approached a pillar in the northwest corner, he heard a stream of harsh scolding.
"You can't even wipe a counter clean! If you can't do the job, get out before you waste any more time!"
"If your mother weren't sick and dying, who would bother keeping a clumsy girl like you!"
An older maid in her thirties stood with one hand on her hip, jabbing a finger at the forehead of a young girl before her.
The girl was about thirteen or fourteen, small and thin, a young lotus just showing its pointed tip, dressed in a pale green ruqun.
She stood huddled in the corner, her eyes red.
After scolding her for a while, the older maid gave a loud snort and left.
Lin Yuan waited until the older maid was far away, then walked over.
"Your name is Xiao He?"
Xiao He jumped, hastily scrubbed at her face with her sleeve, and forced out a smile uglier than a crying face.
"What do you need, young master?"
"I want Mortal Grade saber manuals."
Perhaps Xiao He had only recently started working here and had not yet become so mercenary.
"Mortal Grade saber manuals cost ten taels of silver each. What kind would you like, young master?"
Hearing that there was hope, Lin Yuan immediately waved a hand.
"I'm not picky. Any saber manual will do."
"Of course. Please wait a moment, young master!"
Lifting her skirts, Xiao He jogged into the back room.
About half a quarter of an hour later, the curtain over the back doorway was pushed aside.
Straining, Xiao He dragged out a dust-covered wooden chest, wobbling with every step.
The chest hit the floor with a thud, sending up a cloud of dust.
She coughed twice from the dust and raised a hand to wipe the fine sweat from her forehead.
"Young master, would you like to take a look?"
Lin Yuan casually picked up the top three books and quickly leafed through them.
A short while later.
Red light flashed repeatedly before his eyes.
[Martial arts: Firewood-Chopping Saber Technique (uninitiated 1/5)] [Martial arts: Cloak Saber Technique (uninitiated 1/5)] [Martial arts: Pig-Slaughtering Saber Technique (uninitiated 1/5)]
Thoroughly satisfied, Lin Yuan snapped the booklet shut.
"Good, good, good. I'll take them."
Delighted, Xiao He hurriedly held out both hands to take the three booklets from Lin Yuan.
Lin Yuan drew his wrist back and gave her an odd look.
"What are you doing?"
Xiao He froze and blinked timidly.
"I'm going to wrap these three up for you, young master."
Lin Yuan pointed at the wooden chest on the floor.
"I meant this entire chest. I'll take all of it."
"Huh?"
Xiao He sucked in a breath of cold air and stood rooted to the spot, her mind buzzing.
What normal person would buy over a hundred Mortal Grade saber manuals in one go?
Could he even practice them all?
At ten taels each, with at least a hundred books in this chest, that was a thousand taels of silver!
Under the pavilion's rules, she would get at least fifty taels in commission!
With that money, Mother's illness could be treated, and her family would no longer have to go hungry!
Xiao He's eyes grew hot, and tears pattered down as she hastily crouched to count the booklets.
After counting the last one, she looked up, her voice trembling.
"Young master, there are a hundred and three books altogether, totaling a thousand and thirty taels. Since you're buying so many, we can take thirty taels off!"
Without another word, Lin Yuan took a thousand-tael banknote from inside his robe and handed it over.
Before Xiao He could reach for it, a figure suddenly darted out from beside them and snatched the banknote.