Chapter 2 Life

  PS: This new book has been launched on the main site, I hope old readers will like it.

  World B

  The brush danced on the fingertips, fine iron filings fell, and a beautiful pattern appeared on the spherical shape with an elliptical hollow. Yang Yunqiu finished this hand warmer, put a storage crystal on it and placed it aside, then picked up the crossbow next to him and inlaid the inscription that enhanced its hardness on the arrowhead.

  He was fully focused, engraving the inscriptions quickly and accurately, his hands moving deftly. In half a day, he had made thirty hand warmers, seventy explosive crossbow arrows, and over a hundred ordinary crossbow arrows. After tidying up, he placed them in a basket woven from rattan strips and hung it on the wall.

  The grocery store was not very large, with an area of only over 70 square meters. It was old and shabby, and the position by the window was Yang Yunqiu's operating table, which he had made himself. The exterior was not very delicate, but it was sturdy and durable.

  He stood up, put on the warm gloves and silently calculated that if everything could be sold, not only would he be able to repay part of his external debt, but this month's rent would also be enough, and there would still be a surplus of twenty silver coins.

  This winter is unusually cold, the remaining money can be used to buy more down jackets for my mother and sister, it's also a good idea. Hand warmers consume too much energy, don't mind what he says, old people are reluctant to use them anyway.

  Yang Yunqiu sighed, on this side of the city and town, business was indeed difficult to do.

  He is now doing all consumables, a hand warmer can only be used for about a month, and a burst crossbow arrow can only be used ten times before being discarded. Even so, his store sells only ten hand warmers a day, and thirty or so crossbow arrows.

  However, the winter in Changsu Town is very long, nearly five months. On average, a person needs about 5 or 6 hand warmers because the place is small and the land is barren, food is scarce, even on winter days, they can't avoid going to the wilderness forest to hunt, crossbows are also essential supplies. It seems that Yang Yunqiu's business still has a good future.

  It's been half a month since I returned home, my mother is seriously ill, my sister is thin and frail, the old house was sold out long ago, only the ironworkshop left by my stepfather can barely provide shelter. Yang Yuqiu now regrets not listening to WaWa's words back then, going to the base to scavenge for some valuables, even if it's just a few pieces of gold, it would have been enough, sparing him from worrying about money every day.

  Patting her forehead, Yang Yunqiu smiled bitterly. Fangzhou was ruthless and decisive, and in one night, all the cultivators in the entire base were slaughtered. If he hadn't been prepared and left in time, he might not have even had his bones left behind. Now that he had managed to save his life, it was already a stroke of luck from heaven, so how could he still ask for more?

  "Little Autumn."

  "Master Gu." Yang Yunqiu stood up and saw Master Gu of Wanfangzhai on East Street standing in front of the door, and hurriedly helped him take out the crossbow arrows and arranged them in a row on the counter.

  Mr. Guo carefully checked and was very satisfied.

  "Not bad, the hardness is sufficient, the energy is stable, I'm afraid we can't find a few people in Changsu Town who are better than your skills. It seems that Xia Qiu really learned something from your master."

  Yang Yunqiu just lowered her head and smiled shyly.

  He sold himself to Fangzhu for three years, but Fangzhu only treated them as slaves and made them do some copying and drawing work. He never taught any skills or passed on the array diagram, tool techniques, and a group of monks just muddled through their days, how could they learn anything?

  In Changsu Town, Xian Shi's name is still very useful.

  Fortunately, Yang Yunqiu at that time was deceiving his mother to sell himself. Of course, if he didn't hide it, his mother would have sold his sister instead and wouldn't have agreed to sell him.

  All these years, his mother had thought that he was chosen by some immortal master to be a disciple, and for this reason, no matter how bitter or tired she was, she never gave up hope.

  Yang Yunqiu this time escaped from the barbarous forest and returned home, saying that he had learned enough, his master had gone on a trip, because he thought of his widowed mother and younger sister, so he let him return. Because he was always honest and wouldn't lie, his mother didn't suspect anything either.

  Gu Boss quickly put away the hundred explosive crossbow bolts and handed over five silver coins to Yang Yunqiu.

  "Next month when I come again, you'd better leave more of these crossbow arrows for me."

  Yang Yunqiu smiled and nodded, and then Old Qi leisurely walked away with a wicker basket full of crossbow arrows, his face filled with smiles.

  Yang Yunqiu's explosive crossbow arrows, although only a first-rate object, are better made than the average second-rate equipment, with greater power and lower prices than those on the market. He can sell them for 20% more profit, which is a 30% return.

  In a place like Changsu Town, a 30% profit is already quite good. Moreover, it doesn't take any effort, which is equivalent to picking up free money.

  After finishing the deal with Old Man Guo, Yang Yunqiu put away his tools, grabbed a handful of copper coins and went out, hanging up the "Closed" sign.

  As soon as the door opened, a blast of cold air hit Yang Yunqiu, making him shiver from head to toe. The two hand warmers on his wrists rotated simultaneously, releasing heat and slightly improving his complexion.

  Yang Yunqiu slowly walked to the pharmacy on South Street, and all the way, girls kept stealing glances at him, their faces turning red. It had to be said that he really didn't look like someone from Long Su Town.

  Changsu is a border town, and even the women are mostly born with a sturdy build, rough and robust. Their skin is often dry and cracked from the wind and sun, and many have a reddish complexion. Someone like Yang Yiqiu, with her delicate features and refined demeanor, would be rare even in the imperial capital of Longcheng, where scholars gather. How much more so in a small border town?

  Yang Yunqiu was a rare flower in their village in the 21st century. Many girls were willing to take a second look at him, but at that time, it was a remote area and TV networks were also readily available. The girls had seen countless handsome male celebrities, so even though Yang Yunqiu was pretty good-looking, he wasn't particularly eye-catching.

  In Changsu Town, however, it was different. A beautiful young man like him with a handsome appearance was extremely rare, and his appearance moved people's hearts.

  When Yang Yunqiu arrived at the door of the pharmacy, an old man with a white beard and hair was already standing respectfully at the entrance, holding a jade bottle in both hands. As soon as he saw him, he quickly walked a few steps to greet him, smiling: "Young master, the Jingxin Dan is ready, please inspect it."

  This old man was over a hundred years old, but standing in front of Yang Yunqiu, he seemed like a junior who had just done something very pleasing and was seeking praise from his elders.

  Yang Yunqiu opened the bottle and sniffed it, smiling with satisfaction: "Not bad." He casually handed over a handful of copper coins and bid farewell.

  The old man saw him off with a smile on his face, carefully picking up the copper coins in both hands.

  The two disciples behind him almost dropped their eyes - hey, aren't you always on the arrogant route? When did you become so 'kind and amiable'?

  The Gao family's pharmacy on South Street has been in operation for over 570 years, and the only fifth-grade pharmacist of this generation is Gao Yiran.

  He is an old man with a proud temperament, and can even be said to have a somewhat fiery temper. After all, he deals with fire every day. Normally, when customers come to buy medicine, he would often ignore them, which made people complain about him. But this time, when he met the young apprentice, not only did he personally attend to him, but also treated him with utmost respect and courtesy, it was really... extremely unusual.

  The two disciples seriously suspected that their master had been possessed by an evil spirit!

  Gao Yiran stood on the stone steps, staring at the back of the departing youth in a daze. Others didn't know, but he did - that the three dan formulas casually given by the youth, as well as the art of alchemy, not only allowed him to step into the sixth rank with ease, but also helped him smoothly and effortlessly charge into the seventh rank.

  The seven grades are different from the six grades; only when one enters the seventh grade is it truly cultivation. Below the seventh grade, all is false and illusory.

  Gao Yiran's eyes sparkled, still remembering the first time they met, that Yang surname youth handed over the Dan Fang with a big smile, and also indicated the method of alchemy. He didn't care at first, but after taking a look, he was shocked to the extreme. The ingenuity of this Dan Fang is enough to be a secret heirloom in any thousand-year-old family.

  What surprised him even more was that this young man with the surname Yang not only didn't worry about keeping secrets, but also meticulously explained the art of alchemy to him in great detail, as if afraid he wouldn't understand something.

  Gao Yiran didn't understand, the inheritance here is a very serious matter, acquiring knowledge is extremely difficult, and a large part of ordinary people can't read or write their whole lives. But in Yang Yunqiu's world, any knowledge can be easily obtained, in his opinion, there is only knowledge that doesn't want to learn, no knowledge that cannot be learned. Since it's about asking someone for help with alchemy, of course, you have to tell them the detailed elixir formula and alchemy method, otherwise if something goes wrong, who will suffer?

  It's just a difference in ideology.