"Qi Yue Sword Technique, First Stance: Diary!"

"Left behind by a senior sword cultivator." "Understood." Taking a deep breath, Qi Yue adopted a solemn expression. "In that case, I name the first stance of my self-created sword technique 'Diary'! "And the style itself shall be known as the Qi Yue Sword Technique. "Qi Yue Sword Technique, First Stance: Diary!" "..." Chen Fan stared at him blankly for a long silence before asking in a hushed voice, "Could we maybe consider a different name?" "Is this name not good? Since this senior didn't hesitate to release his sword qi just to carve the word 'Diary' onto an ordinary bamboo slip, it must hold profound meaning. There must be something here that I have yet to comprehend." "Great. Take your time comprehending it, then." Too tired to argue, Chen Fan walked straight toward the canyon exit; he needed to head over to Fan City to check on his businesses. He had only given Qi Yue the slip with the fewest carved words, and several more remained. He was genuinely curious about how Qi Yue would name his subsequent stances once he finished meditating on those two characters. *Qi Yue Sword Technique, Second Stance: So Bored!* *Qi Yue Sword Technique, Third Stance: Want to Fuck Someone!* *Qi Yue Sword Technique, Fourth Stance: Me... I'm Really Amazing.* Just thinking about it felt bizarre. Whatever. Let the fellow play around by himself. "Right." Chen Fan suddenly halted and turned back toward Qi Yue. "Head to the canyon entrance later and wipe away the words 'Fan Gate' carved into the cliff. Change it to 'Fan Domain'. Make the handwriting look nice—put that Diary Sword Technique of yours to work." Without lingering any further, he strode toward the Nine-Five Dragon Carriage and left the camp. "Phew..." Standing in place, Qi Yue looked at the two characters "Chen Fan" that he had carved into the cliff face. A flicker of bewilderment passed through his eyes once more. The lingering sword qi preserved within the word "Diary" on the bamboo slip was immensely potent. Yet... That bamboo slip was merely an ordinary object. How had anyone managed to carve characters onto ordinary bamboo with such fierce sword qi without shattering it to pieces? To accomplish such a feat required command over sword qi as effortless as moving one's own limbs. He fell far short of that level. To think such a senior truly existed in this world. It was simply breathtaking. *** Inside the camp. "Is it done yet? Is it done?" Shao Qiu stood outside the Living Workshop, urging them on. "I have to set off right away. Can you pick up the pace a bit?" "Almost ready!" Clanging metallic rings echoed one after another from within the Living Workshop. Seven or eight bare-chested, burly men took turns hammering away. Before long, Xiao Qiu emerged, carrying over a dozen specially crafted command tokens, which he handed to Shao Qiu. "They're all here. Use them sparingly—the camp doesn't have many ghost bones left." "Much appreciated, Pavilion Master Qiu." Grinning, Shao Qiu carefully tucked the dozen-plus tokens into his robe. He glanced back at the group of subordinates he had trained over these past days, stepped out of the cavern, and looked toward the dozen Skeleton Horses tethered above the sinkhole. Leaping onto horseback, he swept his arm forward. "This is the Dark Pavilion's very first mission. Victory is the only acceptable outcome. "Let the name of the Dark Pavilion resound across Jiangbei! "Let the decree of the Dark Pavilion shake the souls of Jiangnan! "Move out!" *** The small disturbance had done nothing to dampen the mood of the Fan Domain marketplace. The atmosphere remained as lively as ever. Only a few people had deduced that something might have occurred from the violent tremors echoing from Nameless Mountain not long ago. After all, Domain Lord Chen's Nine-Five Dragon Carriage had departed the city shortly after that thunderous rumble. Yet none of them knew the specifics of what had transpired. When they saw the Nine-Five Dragon Carriage return to the city, however, many breathed a sigh of relief. Even though quite a few stood to gain if something happened to Fan Domain—as it meant the ghost stones they had borrowed from Fan Domain would never have to be repaid, effectively granting them a free windfall—most clearly preferred to make even greater profits rather than settle for a single haul. A one-time profit could hardly satisfy such people. Chen Fan entered a building along the street bordering the Fan Domain marketplace and strode up to Wang Kui, who was busy keeping the books. "Found a suitable candidate for the accounting yet? You can't just sit here keeping accounts every single day." A suitable replacement was difficult to come by. First, the candidate needed to be quick-witted, meticulous, and error-free, as well as loyal to Fan Domain. These criteria made Wang Kui the best current choice. "Is everything all right over at the domain?" "Just a minor issue. Already taken care of." Seated before the desk, Wang Kui hesitated for a moment before speaking. "I've been looking for potential targets over the past two days. I originally considered the old bookkeepers from the Qiuhe Wang family and the Jiangbei Chen family, but they're getting up there in years. "This position ideally requires someone without selfish motives. "I actually did spot a suitable candidate over the last couple of days. It's just... she's not one of ours in Fan Domain." "Who?" "Gongyang Yue." "The Gongyang clan's only daughter?" Chen Fan said impassively. "Are you out of your mind? Why don't you ask the Gongyang clan patriarch to come do our bookkeeping instead? Besides, her entire mind is wrapped up in Qi Yue. Where would she find the leisure or inclination to keep accounts?" "Then I'll keep looking." "No rush. Take your time." Chen Fan glanced around before walking over to inspect another street. This was the free-trade street he had designated, where different factions could freely conduct business with one another. Quite a few groups had already set up stalls. Aside from the minor interlude regarding the Silk Road, most factions had arrived carrying goods, their primary goal being to conclude transactions in Fan Domain. He decided to browse the stalls and see if he could pick up a bargain. Since an item like an Architect Token existed to turn an ordinary cultivator into an architect, did Alchemist Tokens or Artifact Refiner Tokens exist as well? He desperately needed an alchemist and an artifact refiner. Damn it... He needed them immediately! A massive hoard of Earth Gold lay waiting in the warehouse, clamoring for someone to come along and refine it. If all else failed, he would just kidnap one. As if casually strolling, Chen Fan cast his gaze over the street stalls. Most of the goods on display were unopened exotic treasures. He swiftly skimmed through their stat panels before finally coming to a halt before a stall, as though he had grown tired of walking. There were thirteen items in total: eleven white and two green. Their shapes were neither blueprints nor command tokens, but uniformly categorized under "Other." Their appearances were eccentric and varied—such as smoking pipes, nails, and couplets. Among unopened exotic treasures, value ranked from highest to lowest as follows: Blueprint > Command Token > Formation Plate > Weapon > Seed > Other. The "Other" category consisted of exotic treasures with strange and unconventional forms. Most items of this type were utter junk, with only an infinitesimal chance of yielding anything worthwhile. Yet precisely for this reason, people throughout the martial world called them blind boxes. Many took endless delight in opening blind boxes. Rogue cultivators opened the most, followed by profligate scions from various clans, who were equally obsessed with the gamble. "Domain Lord Chen." Seeing Chen Fan stop before his stall, the vendor hurriedly rose to his feet, a flattering smile spreading across his face. "Does Domain Lord Chen fancy trying his hand at a few blind boxes today? You might just open something extraordinary. "I recommend these couplets. "Though they bear no writing, who knows? Once appraised, they might turn out to be a fine exotic treasure capable of warding off evil." Chen Fan picked up the couplets, weighed them in his hands, and asked with a chuckle, "What's the price?" "Sixteen hundred ghost stones," the vendor replied earnestly. "Tsk, an unopened White-tier exotic treasure sells for five hundred ghost stones in the Jiangbei Market, but you're asking sixteen hundred here?" "You can't calculate it like that, sir." The vendor gave a helpless smile. "Unopened White-tier treasures are cheap in Jiangbei Market only because Jiangbei lacks purchasing power—they can't fetch any higher here, so in the end they still have to be hauled south to Jiangnan to sell. "Once they reach Jiangnan, the price surges to a thousand, even two thousand ghost stones. "Mine was brought all the way from Jiangnan, so naturally it can't be priced by Jiangbei standards. "What's more, with Fan Domain's recent rise in Jiangbei, a flood of factions have sent merchant caravans over. How could Jiangbei Market have any stock left? It's all been swept clean. Besides, the 'Miscellaneous' category has never had a fixed price range. Once, an unopened White-tier treasure of the 'Miscellaneous' category was priced at eight thousand ghost stones, and a Jiangnan faction bought it in the end." "Oh? What unopened White-tier treasure could possibly fetch eight thousand ghost stones?" "That one was truly extraordinary. It was a jade lion—just like the ones at the gates of Fan City, only much larger. Anyone could see at a glance that it was no ordinary item, so naturally the price was steep." "And what did the appraisal reveal?" "Afterward..." The vendor looked slightly embarrassed. "After the appraisal, it turned out its only effect was that when placed inside an encampment, no rats would chew on anything within the encampment's perimeter. You can't say it was entirely useless—at least it kept the grain stored in the warehouse safe from rats." "Splendid. Eight thousand ghost stones would have bought that faction enough grain to eat for over a dozen lifetimes, wouldn't it?" "Well, that is true, but that's blind boxes for you—sometimes you win, sometimes you lose." "Open it!" Chen Fan waved a hand. Sick Monkey, trailing behind him, immediately pulled out a pouch of ghost stones and handed it over. Chen Fan added, "Do you have an appraiser? Crack it open for me on the spot and let's see what it does. I'm taking this couplet!" "Right away!" Excited, the vendor took the ghost stones and beckoned an appraiser belonging to his faction over, preparing to have the treasure appraised for Chen Fan on the spot. Curious onlookers quickly crowded around. People inherently loved watching blind boxes being opened. Especially when Domain Lord Chen was the one opening it. That made it all the more thrilling. "Come look, everyone! Domain Lord Chen is opening a blind box himself!" The vendor rose and called out to the crowd. Before long, a dense ring formed around the stall, with those on the outer edges standing on tiptoe to peek inside. *Phew...* Seeing this, the vendor took a deep breath to steady his excitement. He hadn't been making a wild recommendation; based on his years of experience, this couplet truly had a decent chance of yielding something good. If it turned out to be an exceptional find, his stall's reputation would be made. Some blind box enthusiasts believed in following luck: they only opened boxes at stalls that had recently yielded great treasures. Others believed in avoiding jinxes: if a stall had just yielded something good, you had to avoid it for a while, as it certainly wouldn't produce a second. Either way, having a reputation was never a bad thing. "Would you like an open appraisal?" the vendor asked Chen Fan expectantly. "An open appraisal is fine." Chen Fan stood cheerfully where he was. An open appraisal meant the treasure's panel would be displayed for all to see, whereas a private appraisal meant only the buyer could view it, hidden even from the appraiser. All eyes turned to the middle-aged man standing behind the vendor. The middle-aged man wore a solemn expression as he cupped the couplet treasure in both hands. Threads of spiritual energy drifted out and seeped into the item. Soon, a panel composed of glowing white lines slowly materialized in the air above. Words gradually took shape. An appraiser was not a special class of cultivator, but rather a cultivator who practiced a specialized cultivation method. Even an ordinary person could become one, though mastering it was painstaking work. It was one of the few paths to wealth available to commoners; after years of hard study, anyone who qualified as an appraiser never lacked employment. They might not live in luxury, but they were certainly guaranteed a lifetime free from hunger and cold. Very quickly, the text fully formed. *** [Exotic Treasure Name]: Wordless Couplet [Exotic Treasure Tier]: White [Exotic Treasure Effect]: Characters written on this couplet will never fade or disperse, remaining forever as fresh as new. *** An everlasting couplet. It would never yellow or fade with the passage of time. As for its value... If put up for sale, it might fetch three to five ghost stones—perhaps someone out there wanted a wordless couplet. But having bought it for sixteen hundred ghost stones, he had lost down to the very shirt on his back. "This..." The vendor spoke with no small amount of awkwardness. "Blind boxes have always been a gamble. Before the appraisal, no one can say for sure what a treasure will be. I honestly thought it might ward off evil spirits or drive away ghost creatures." He wasn't lying; he had genuinely believed that. A collective sigh rippled through the crowd. Many sucked in cold breaths in sympathy, as though watching sixteen hundred ghost stones shatter right before their eyes—the equivalent of an entire Skeleton Horse, gone just like that. "Child," an elderly man in the crowd quietly cautioned his child with a grave face, "you can become obsessed with anything in the future, but never with blind boxes. Even a figure like Domain Lord Chen took a loss—what makes you think you'd turn a profit? "Buying one or two now and then for casual amusement is fine. "Never get addicted. "Do you hear me?" "Mm-hmm." The youth standing beside the old man nodded vigorously, his expression dead serious. Chen Fan smiled faintly without speaking, feeling no real disappointment. In fact, he suddenly realized that the Eternal Night Lord panel had robbed him of quite a bit of fun; he couldn't experience the thrill of opening blind boxes at all. Naturally, he had known what the treasure's panel was from the very start. Opening it publicly served several purposes. First, it showed that he respected the rules of the market and accepted his losses gracefully. Second, it proved to everyone that he had no special knowledge of what unopened treasures contained. Third, of course, it provided cover for... another unopened treasure he truly had his eye on. Yet in the eyes of the onlookers, his calm demeanor merely showed that Fan Domain possessed vast wealth and didn't care about such trivial losses. Right then— An old man suddenly darted out from the crowd and turned to Chen Fan with deep reverence. "Domain Lord Chen, this old man is exceedingly fond of this Wordless Couplet. Would you be willing to part with it for ten thousand ghost stones?" The crowd fell instantly silent. Everyone stared at the old man with bizarre expressions. *Are you out of your mind? Ten thousand ghost stones for a couplet? Have you lost your head? There's flattering someone, and then there's this—Domain Lord Chen might not even remember who you are tomorrow!* "Sure." Chen Fan didn't mind in the slightest, smiling as he handed the couplet to the old man. Yet a moment later, the old man reverently spread the couplet flat and said with palpable trepidation, "Uh... this old man has long admired Domain Lord Chen. Might I have the honor of asking Domain Lord Chen to inscribe a couplet for my Zhao family?" The onlookers were utterly dumbstruck. Was this just an everlasting couplet? No, this was an everlasting talisman of protection! Paying protection money to Fan Domain in full view of everyone—if anyone dared to touch the Zhao family in the future, wouldn't they have to consider Fan Domain's reaction first? Could an exotic treasure really be used like this?