This humble Taoist priest, Qianhe, begins his quest for immortality by slaying demons and monsters.

Chapter 41 The Price of Blue and White Porcelain: Three Hundred Taels of Gold

Night gradually fell.

In the small courtyard.

Zhong Bai couldn't help but smile as he watched the four people across from him eating heartily.

"Senior Brother Four Eyes, now I truly believe that you have really suffered a lot."

Si Mu didn't care about Zhong Bai's teasing at all. When there are too many lice, they don't bite. If you're thick-skinned, you're not afraid to talk. At this moment, Si Mu really wished he could devour all the delicious food on the table.

After putting a delicious-looking poached chicken leg into his mouth, Si Mu slowly brought the aged Shaoxing wine in front of him to his lips for a sip.

“Tsk tsk tsk!

Such a wonderful life, such a wonderful life, Junior Brother Qianhe! If I had known you were eating so well, I would have switched places with you before I left the mountain.

Hmph, it's all my master's fault. He said that although Jiuquan Town is wealthy, it is located in the Three Evils position, and demons and evil spirits all covet this place, making it an extremely ominous place.

In retrospect, it seems I was ultimately wrong to have invested my resources.

Si Mu was clearly envious of Zhong Bai's current treatment. He had been given a courtyard and servants, and had everything he needed for food, drink, and money. Si Mu was extremely envious of all of this.

Zhong Bai simply smiled and did not respond to Si Mu's words.

These were just jokes from Si Mu. If it were really Si Mu to switch places now, he might not choose to stay in Jiuquan Town...

Less than half an incense stick's time later, the four of them, having eaten and drunk their fill, finally became serious.

“Junior Brother Qianhe, I don’t come here unless I have a reason. I’ve come here to see if you can help me.”

"With my senior brother's abilities, it would be really difficult to establish a dojo in a short period of time..."

"Senior Brother Four Eyes, given our relationship, there's no need to talk about helping each other. If you need anything from me, just say so!"

Zhong Bai is also very generous; he can offer appropriate support to Si Mu.

"Hahaha, I knew it! When it comes to Junior Brother Qianhe, you certainly won't stand idly by."

"So... did my senior brother bring it up?"

"Yes, please speak freely, senior brother."

“Well… Junior Brother Qianhe, setting up a dojo requires money. I’m afraid it will take at least a hundred or eighty taels of silver to buy the timber.”

Including hiring workers and other expenses, my senior apprentice estimates it will cost three or four hundred taels of silver.

After discussing the money, seeing that Zhong Bai's expression didn't change, Si Mu had a sudden inspiration and continued, "Junior Brother Qianhe, you also know that I came from the Corpse Driving Hall, and I will probably be traveling around the world driving corpses in the future."

Surely a temple can't be left unattended?

So if we could have a few servants with us..."

Seeing that Si Mu's words were getting more and more outrageous, Zhong Bai finally couldn't hold back anymore.

“Stop, stop, stop!

Senior Brother Four Eyes, I treat you like family, are you trying to rip me off?

"Hehe, that's why I thought you were too rich to care since you didn't react."

Zhong Bai felt rather helpless, but he understood that Si Mu was just that kind of person, that was just his personality.

"Senior Brother Four Eyes, paying for it shouldn't be a problem for your junior brother."

My junior brother recently returned to his hometown, slew a wolf demon, and by chance entered an ancient tomb…

"What! Junior Brother Qianhe, a wolf demon? What's its strength? If it's at the level of a demon soldier, it'll be worth a fortune. But even if it's not at the level of a demon soldier, it's fine. I'm confident I can sell it for a high price after taking its heart, liver, spleen, stomach, kidneys, wolf fangs, wolf whip, and wolf treasures!"

"Tsk tsk tsk, Junior Brother Qianhe, you have no idea, this wolf demon is a treasure trove. Of course, if Junior Brother Qianhe had killed a tiger demon instead, that would have been a real fortune!"

Seeing his senior brother's eyes sparkling, Zhong Bai finally spoke up to interrupt Si Mu's fantasy.

"Hmm, the wolf demon hasn't reached the level of a demon soldier yet, but it's close."

However… my junior brother didn’t take its demonic body with him, but left it in his hometown village.”

"ah?!!!"

Si Mu's mood was like a rollercoaster at this moment. His original joy had vanished completely, and Zhong Bai's cold water had made him feel completely dejected.

"Pity……"

"Senior Brother Four Eyes, I haven't finished yet. After entering the ancient tomb, I killed another six-winged centipede at the Demon Soldier level!"
"A six-winged centipede? A demon soldier at the realm of demons?"

"Junior brother, what about the demon core? The demon core of the six-winged centipede is very valuable; some fellow cultivators are even willing to offer a thousand taels of silver. Junior brother is truly lucky!"

Si Mu's previously low spirits surged again, her burning gaze seeming as if she were about to devour Zhong Bai completely...

"Ahem, senior brother, I'm sorry, I fed that demon core to the Angry Sun Chicken..."

With a deafening roar, Si Mu felt as if the sky had collapsed.

What a waste!

Junior Brother Qianhe, what use is your Angry Sun Chicken after eating the demon core? Even if you reach the Demon Soldier realm, without awakening supernatural powers, you're nothing.

How could you bear to do that…

Si Mu didn't understand; she just felt heartache and regret, her heart pounding wildly.

Seeing his senior brother's mood fluctuating wildly, Zhong Bai decided to stop teasing him.

"Brother Four Eyes, look what this is!"

After saying that, Zhong Bai took out a vase about a foot tall from the Qiankun Ring on his hand.

The blue-green patterns were clearly visible. The exquisite design of the vase made Si Mu pause for a moment, then he carefully held it in his hands and looked at the seal engraving on the bottom.

He sniffed again, and instantly, Si Mu's blood boiled with excitement.

"This is... a genuine Yuan Dynasty blue-and-white plum vase, from the official kiln. Junior brother, don't tell me you found this blue-and-white porcelain in the tomb..."

"Tsk, Senior Brother Four Eyes guessed right!"

Hearing this, Si Mu felt a sharp pain in his ears.

"Junior Brother Qianhe, I admire no one but you. Your luck is simply heaven-defying!"

Taking a deep breath, Si Mu carefully placed the blue-and-white plum vase back on the table, then his expression became serious.

“Junior Brother Qianhe, although we righteous cultivators of Maoshan disdain tomb raiding, your original intention in entering the tomb was to slay demons and eliminate evil. Bringing this plum vase out was also to let it see the light of day again.”

So, Junior Brother Qianhe, we'll sell it. You shouldn't have any objections, right?

At this moment, Si Mu was terrified of hearing Zhong Bai say that righteous cultivators disdain such things.

"no problem!"

Zhong Bai smiled at Si Mu and understood what the other person was thinking. Selling it to improve their life, what's wrong with that?
"Good! As expected of Junior Brother Qianhe, your adaptability is better than Senior Brother Lin's!"

As Si Mu spoke, it was as if he could already see Lin Fengjiao's serene expression upon entering the tomb and seeing the blue-and-white plum vase.

Four Eyes considered himself incompetent; he was a vulgar man, well, an unbearably vulgar Taoist.

Zhong Bai is the same, a commoner...

After arranging for Simu to settle in, Zhong Bai had Chunhua and Xiahe clean up the mess, while he himself went into his room, sat cross-legged on a futon, and continued his cultivation as always.

The next day dawned.

Before Zhong Bai had finished his cultivation, Si Mu knocked on the door.

“Junior Brother Qianhe, the weather is nice today. Let’s take this opportunity to sell that plum vase and exchange it for silver.”

My senior brother is an impatient person; he really can't wait a moment longer!

Zhong Bai opened his eyes, feeling helpless.

Pushing open the door, Zhong Bai saw that his senior brother, Si Mu, was already packed and ready to leave at any moment. He couldn't help but shake his head, both amused and exasperated.

"Brother Simu, there's no need for such trouble. The Yang family of Jiuquan Town has businesses in the surrounding counties."

Instead of us trying to find buyers, we should just hand it over to the Yang family for sales.

Given my junior brother's relationship with the Yang family, the price shouldn't be too low..."

"Yes, yes, yes! Look, even your senior brother is confused. The Yang family is a powerful force in the area, and they are definitely more capable than us fellow disciples in this regard!"

Junior brother is so clever, no wonder he has such good luck..."

When Si Mu caught Zhong Bai, he showered him with compliments. Zhong Bai also enjoyed the emotional value from his senior brother Si Mu. Tsk, so much so!
(End of this chapter)