Chapter Fourteen: Young People Are Easily Swayed

Feng Xue followed the two into the main hall, but the ominous atmosphere had quietly vanished. Judging by the slight tremble of the little white snake, there must be a powerful figure associated with this place.

Glancing at the ancestral tablet beside the ever-burning lamp, Feng Xue bowed slightly and respectfully. It was improper to casually pay respects to anyone other than his own sect’s founder, but showing respect was still necessary.

The two seemed not to notice his gesture, leading him straight to a table where guests likely discussed matters, and gestured for him to sit.

Once Feng Xue was seated, the junior disciple stood somewhat awkwardly to the side, while the senior disciple turned around promptly, picked up the kettle resting on the stove, and brewed a cup of tea for Feng Xue. He casually asked, “Sir, may I ask what your position is?”

“I have some family money and nothing much to do, so I’m just traveling around. But I’ve encountered some strange things along the way, so I’m planning to learn some basic mystical cultivation skills—not too advanced, just enough to avoid danger,” Feng Xue replied, lifting the tea cup. Subtly, his sleeve slid back slightly, revealing a wristwatch that looked quite expensive.

The senior disciple, who had a pocket watch, immediately brightened up but replied nonchalantly, “You must be tired from traveling. Why not stay for a simple meal?”

“I won’t refuse,” Feng Xue said, setting the cup down without drinking, nodding slightly as he watched the two quietly leave the main hall with some hesitation.

When they had walked a short distance away, Feng Xue pulled out a pair of earphones and slipped them onto his ears. As the gears in his device clicked softly, a faint smile played on his lips.

...

“Are you crazy? Selling our cultivation manual? If Master finds out—”

“Hey~” The junior disciple had barely left the main hall before whispering a complaint, but his senior brother quickly covered his mouth.

“Master won’t be back for three days. If we don’t say a word, how would he know? This young man’s obviously wealthy, richer than even Old Master Qin. He’s not asking for secret teachings, just some basic knowledge. What’s wrong with teaching him? Besides, don’t you want to buy some foreign makeup to win Little Fang’s favor?”

The junior disciple seemed swayed, hesitated slightly, then cautiously asked, “Then... how much should we ask for?”

“Uh...” The senior disciple paused, hesitating before awkwardly replying, “I haven’t thought about it. What do you think is reasonable?”

The junior disciple held up three fingers, then added two more as if summoning courage, extending his hand forward, “Five hundred wen, how about that?”

“You’ve got no ambition!” The senior disciple rolled his eyes and said, “Master charges a full coin just to check a tomb site! And that’s a chosen site; he only judges if it’s suitable. Even basic cultivation is a skill to earn a living—at least that much!”

“Ten coins? Isn’t that too much?” the junior disciple hesitated.

“You’ve got some nerve! If you want that much, just go buy a building! I say one coin!” The senior disciple gave the junior a light slap on the back of the head, then muttered, “But even if we sell it, we can’t just hand it over. He has to copy it himself; if he makes mistakes, it’d be troublesome. If he has questions, we can answer them, but only for two days. If he agrees, then we sell it.”

“It’s easy money, but if we get caught, we’ll be beaten!” the junior whispered.

“Say that again?” the senior challenged, prompting the junior to shrink his head silently. The two headed to the kitchen to prepare lunch.

Listening through his “bug,” Feng Xue nodded with satisfaction but didn’t turn off the noisy device, continuing to eavesdrop.

Though called a bug, it wasn’t the high-tech kind used in espionage films, but rather a simple audio amplifier one could buy for ten yuan near a primary school. His was a slightly more advanced model, costing about a hundred yuan, with decent performance but a bit harsh on the ears.

Still, when personal safety was concerned, a little noise was tolerable. Feng Xue was clear-headed about that.

As the brothers steamed the rice, their bantering was replaced by footsteps.

Feng Xue removed the earphones and tucked them into his pocket, holding the tea cup but refraining from drinking. When the brothers entered, he set the cup down again, observing their hesitant demeanor with some amusement.

Though young and easily influenced, their shyness was a bit troublesome. After a sigh, Feng Xue finally spoke directly, “Have you agreed on the terms?”

Caught off guard, the two exchanged awkward glances, but the senior brother bit his lip and said:

“Sir, we’ve agreed. We can sell you the manual, but you must copy it yourself. It’s not that we’re lazy, but if you copy it wrong, it’s troublesome. Copying it yourself is more reassuring. Of course, if you have questions, you can ask us, but only for two days. If you accept, we’ll sell it.”

Feng Xue frowned slightly but, seeing their conflicted expressions, nodded and said, “Alright, how much do you want?”

“This much!” The senior brother held up one finger but didn’t state a number, clearly unsure of the going price. Feng Xue, knowing their bottom line was one coin, replied, “Ten coins? That sounds reasonable.”

He watched the junior nearly cover his mouth in surprise and found it amusing. Without hesitation, Feng Xue pulled out a wallet that looked valuable, took out ten single-coin notes, and, under the brothers’ gleaming eyes, placed one note on the table as a deposit, tucking the rest away.

“This is a deposit. After copying, you pay 30% more, and settle the rest once I’ve learned it. How about that?”

“No problem! No problem!” the junior quickly agreed. The senior brother then stomped on him, laughing and nodding, “Sir, your approach is understandable. It’ll take some time for the rice to finish steaming. I’ll go fetch the manual now...”

“Not so fast,” Feng Xue smiled broadly, “Since we’ve agreed, consider yourselves half my instructors. Lunch is on me today!”

Hearing that a meal was ready, the brothers had no reason to refuse. Thinking of how their master always treated clients to a meal, they didn’t protest. The junior went to put out the kitchen fire, while the senior wandered around the rear annex. After some time, the three left the charity hall together.

Feng Xue’s invitation was not only to establish rapport but also a precaution. Though their conversation seemed normal, he couldn’t be sure the meal was safe. He wasn’t afraid of poison that could kill or shorten life, but sedatives or madness-inducing drugs would be troublesome. Better to eliminate the risk entirely.

Besides, dining at a respectable restaurant in town with a well-dressed wealthy guest and the two brothers served as a sort of insurance. Feng Xue knew he had no acquaintances here, but others wouldn’t know that.