Seeing that he was hesitant, the others laughed at him, saying that he was too timid as a young man and that the worst that could happen was that he would be sold out!
The martial arts expert was speechless. It turns out he wasn't selling to you guys!
In fact, quite a few people in the manufacturing camp hoped to be taken in as Tang Fengxing's apprentices, so that they could learn his skills and not starve no matter where they were sold.
Moreover, Tang Fengxing sold not only her previous apprentice, but all eighteen of her apprentices.
However, a few people came back to visit her last year, bringing her a lot of good things. They said that they are now doing very well thanks to the skills she taught them, and they have wives and children and eat meat every meal.
So what if they were sold? It's still better than them earning meager wages and only being able to afford meat for their children during holidays.
The old man told Chuanwu a lot about Tang Fengxing's deeds, such as how the improved crossbows could kill more enemies on the battlefield, how the ingenious mechanisms they developed were popular in the martial arts world, and how the emperor's amusements were all made by Tang Fengxing.
The martial arts master couldn't help but yearn for it again, but he needed a thousand taels of silver to become an apprentice. Where was he going to get a thousand taels of silver?
Chuanwu, who would never take a single penny out of his own pocket, was in a dilemma. After leaving the manufacturing camp, he walked down the street with his head down, thinking about where the thousand taels of silver came from. As he walked, someone called out to him from behind. He turned around and looked at the person, who looked like someone's servant, but he didn't recognize him.
"The Second Prince has long admired you, sir, and has come to ask me to invite you over for a small gathering."
The servant greeted him with a smile. Chuanwu was puzzled because he didn't have any connection with this second prince. After following the servant to the second prince's residence outside the palace, he realized why the second prince admired him.
The second prince held the book of immortal cultivation he had written in his hand, his eyes filled with respect as he looked at him and pulled him aside to ask for his guidance on the methods of immortal cultivation.
I had long heard that the Second Prince was obsessed with becoming an immortal, and seeing it today, it is indeed true.
Chuanwu was kept in the discussion for a long time, and his stomach started growling with hunger. The Second Prince quickly ordered someone to set out a meal.
Chuanwu was honest and unceremonious, eating and drinking to his heart's content. However, he had one question: why was the Second Prince looking at him with increasing admiration? It was just a meal.
The Second Prince thought to himself, "Sir, you truly have the demeanor of an immortal, unconventional and unrestrained! Everyone else reveres you as a prince, not daring to speak loudly or chew their food heartily. Even those wandering Taoist priests who claim to have attained high levels of spiritual cultivation treat you with utmost respect. How can they compare to this gentleman before me, who is so free and unrestrained!"
After the meal, the Second Prince invited Chuanwu to his alchemy room. When Chuanwu arrived at the alchemy room, he was completely stunned.
The shelves were filled with gourds of medicinal pills, each with a label indicating its type: Great Tonic Pill, Vitality-Nourishing Pill, and Foundation-Strengthening Pill. The sight of them dazzled Chuanwu.
The second prince then proudly pulled Chuanwu aside to introduce his large alchemy furnace.
Chuanwu looked over and saw a Taoist priest and three young disciples refining elixirs. The cauldron, as tall as a person, was glowing red, and he didn't know what it was burning.
This was the first time he had ever seen this thing. Chuanwu looked at it in amazement. The Second Prince came over and looked at Chuanwu with anticipation. "They are refining the Hunyuan Youqing Great Soul Pill that you wrote about in the book."
Chuanwu almost coughed up. Um, he made that up! Even the name was made up...
The second prince was still rambling on, "It's just that some of the ingredients are hard to find, so we used other substitutes first. We don't know if we can successfully refine them."
Traditional martial arts? Ha! It would be strange if anyone could even master it.
There's a plot in those cultivation novels that's similar to Chang'e flying to the moon, where the pill she ate was the Hunyuan Youqing Great Soul Pill. To increase the credibility of the novel, Chuanwu even detailed how it was refined in the upper realm and the raw materials.
Surprisingly, there are actually fools who believe it.
Chuanwu looked at the Second Prince, finally unable to bear the thought, and advised, "You can't refine it like that. That pill is mine..."
"Do you have that kind of pill?" the Second Prince asked eagerly before Chuanwu could finish speaking.
Chuanwu shook his head. The Second Prince was slightly discouraged, but he quickly cheered up again. Even if the teacher didn't have it, with the teacher here, how could he not be afraid of not being able to refine it!
"I would be very grateful if you could offer me some guidance, sir!"
The second prince's eyes were expectant, and Chuanwu's eyes also flickered.
"I have a Mixed Spirit Grass at home, which is an important ingredient for refining the Mixed Yuan Netherworld Great Soul Pill. If the Second Prince needs it, I will go and fetch it right away."
Chuanwu had a conscience, but not much. Upon hearing that he would be richly rewarded, he thought that his one thousand taels of silver for becoming a disciple was secured.
The Second Prince was overjoyed and immediately sent someone to fetch a hundred taels of gold. Chuanwu did not refuse, but said, "I gave you the Mixed Spirit Grass, so I need to take some other things from you to offset it, so that our fates will not be out of balance."
The second prince nodded in agreement, without any suspicion that the other party was deceiving him. On the contrary, he thought the other party was open and honest.
Chuanwu left the Second Prince's residence with the gold in his pocket, his teeth practically sticking out. He returned to the Marquis of Changxing's residence, went to the kitchen, found some chives, packed them in a box, and delivered them to the Second Prince.
"I obtained this spiritual herb by chance these past two days. Now that it is not nourished by spiritual energy in the lower realm, it will wither quickly. You need to find the other ingredients as soon as possible."
Chuanwu instructed the Second Prince, who had never seen chives before. The Second Prince accepted the vegetable as if it were a sacred object and said anxiously, "Please, sir, bestow upon me the other ingredients as well!"
He was just an ordinary mortal; where could he find those spiritual herbs and stones? He had searched for so many days before but hadn't found a single one.
Chuanwu replied, "I only obtained this spiritual herb by chance. I have no chance to see the others. Whether I can collect them all and whether this pill can be refined depends entirely on the Second Prince's fate."
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