Embers of Sword

Chapter 658 Journey North
The half-stick of incense has passed since Xie Xuanyi left.

Jiang Huang stood silently on the banks of the Lichao River, leaning against the stone railing, obediently gazing into the distance and waiting.

The little girl, with her hands supporting her chin, gazed at the distant river and sky with an innocent face. Suddenly, she became silent and solemn, and a fiery red glint flashed in her clear, watery eyes.

She stared intently at the figure in black at the end of the Lichao River.

The carp tide and river waves suddenly became quiet; the tidal bore stopped roaring, and the waves became fine and scattered.

"Crash."

The sound of flying swords piercing the air could be faintly heard from the void.

The red flames that flashed in Jiang Huang's eyes vanished instantly. When Xie Xuanyi returned to the riverbank, the little girl had already returned to her innocent and naive appearance.

……

……

Leaving Cari Tsao City, we headed north, following the route we took south years ago.

Jiang Huang did not want to ride a sword.

So Xie Xuanyi bought a carriage, personally driving it and acting as the coachman, taking the little one first to Tai'an City, then to Fengsui City, and finally out of Qingzhou Pass, heading straight for the territory of Beijun... The population gradually thinned out, and the environment became desolate. Beijun had once been prosperous, but after the garrison commanders were dismissed, many cultivators left.

Revisiting old places.

However, the desolate feeling of being adrift and wandering was gone.

Xie Xuanyi does not need to wear the "Characteristics of All Beings".

Jiang Huang didn't need to worry about her identity being discovered. When she fled to Qingzhou, due to the splitting of her soul, she slept in a daze every day and missed many beautiful sights.

The two, one large and one small, truly resembled "brother and sister," traveling north, stopping and starting along the way. Although Chen Jingxuan was busy handling trivial matters in the capital, he still cared about Xie Xuanyi's trip. The Imperial City Guard did not obstruct him at all as he passed through the pass. In a sense, this was the highest level of "concern." The checkpoints at Da Chu City were always strict; of course, given Xie Xuanyi's current status, he only needed to reveal his identity truthfully… but the fact that no one questioned him as he passed through the pass meant that the Black Scale Guards had already made arrangements. Throughout this northward journey, the Book Pavilion had been closely monitoring Xie Xuanyi's itinerary.

finally.

The two returned to Yuzhu Town.

"Is this Sister Baiyi's home?"

The carriage stopped not far from the entrance of Yuzhu Town. Jiang Huang observed the small town in the distance through the gaps in the bamboo curtain.

"……Yes."

Xie Xuanyi hadn't expected that Yuzhu Town, which used to be so dilapidated and lifeless, would be so much better now.

Even from miles away, you could hear the shouts of vendors, and groups of porters wearing thick coats carried their wares... The coats of these people even had the "Deng" official seal engraved on them.

Didn't the Deng family already move out of Beijun?

Xie Xuanyi casually released a wisp of divine sense and overheard the following conversation.

"The master instructed that this shipment is extremely valuable and must be delivered safely without any loss—"

Do you remember the price?

"Remember! Only one coin, no more!"

His divine sense swept over the area quickly.

These porters carried baskets filled with common southern foods.

To keep them warm, each basket was also affixed with the most common Taoist talisman, "Jade Cold," which emitted a chilling aura... For Xie Xuanyi, these talismans were nothing more than playthings that could be made at will, but to the mortals outside, these talismans were already considered miracles of immortal masters.

These foods were all transported from the south of Dachu, traveling thousands of miles to reach the market in Yuzhu Town.

Selling it for only one coin is obviously not for profit.

“Deng Chicheng…”

Xie Xuanyi seemed to be deep in thought, then he thought of Deng Baiyi's father who lived in the capital, and understood everything.

Born here, raised here.

If I ever achieve great success, I will never forget my hometown folks and elders.

"The town where Sister Baiyi lives is quite lively, unlike what you described as dilapidated." Xie Xuanyi put on a bamboo hat, drove the carriage into the town, and strolled around the market.

Jiang Huang bought a frozen pear, held it in her palm, took a big bite, and said in a muffled voice, "I thought... this town wouldn't exist anymore..."

"I didn't expect that either."

Xie Xuanyi chuckled silently.

The previous ruin of Yuzhu Town was due to demonic disturbances and banditry.

Now that Yinshan has been completely eradicated and the garrison commander is gradually returning, the bleak situation in Beijun will soon improve.

but……

Yuzhu Town has become what it is today.

This was mainly due to the full support of the "Master Deng" who lived in the capital.

Some time ago, Xie Xuanyi actually talked to Chen Jingxuan about Deng Chicheng—

He had promised Deng Chicheng that he would return to the capital and settle down in a residence.

Given his relationship with Chen Jingxuan, Deng Chicheng had the strongest and most solid backing in the capital, and he would almost never encounter any trouble.

Xie Xuanyi originally thought that this "master" of Yuzhu Town would choose to live a peaceful and leisurely life.

Unexpectedly, an old horse in its stall still aspires to gallop a thousand miles.

Chen Jingxuan had been closely monitoring the movements of the Deng family. After the upheaval in Qingzhou, Deng Baiyi became Tang Fengshu's disciple, and Old Master Deng's status also rose accordingly. He had been waiting for Deng Chicheng to speak to the book tower.

But I never expected it.

After arriving in the capital, Deng Chicheng started his business again on his own. He was quite principled; despite having very strong connections, he never contacted the bookstores, perhaps worried about using up the few favors his daughter had left. Relying on his years of business acumen, Old Deng started a bookstore business in the capital and earned a considerable amount of money...

The bookstore business has limited profit margins.

However, Deng Chicheng sold more than just books... he also sold talismans...

Every now and then, he would send a letter to his beloved daughter, asking for the abandoned talismans that Deng Baiyi had used for practicing her calligraphy.

During the sweltering heat of summer, when homes are scorching, the bookstore sells the "Jade Cold" talisman. If one buys one and hangs it above the central beam of a residence, it can keep one cool for seven days. There are many wealthy families in the capital, and the talismans from this bookstore are not expensive, and are of superior quality, much more practical than those from Fangyuanfang.

In winter, they sell charcoal stoves; a single talisman can melt snow and dispel the cold.

One to two to go.

The Deng family's bookstore business then improved.

The talismans from Fangyuanfang are actually not that expensive.

Taoist talisman masters are extremely rare.

This was never meant to be a plaything for ordinary people to use.

Deng Chicheng was selling his own daughter's talismans; how could the head of the workshop interfere? If nothing unexpected happened, Deng Baiyi would be the next "Grand Array Master" of the Daoist sect... How could a [Jade Cold] talisman drawn by a grandmaster be anything but useful? Who would use it to hang from the rafters to escape the summer heat?

of course.

Deng Chicheng wasn't stupid either.

He doesn't sell talismans to just anyone; he knows these talismans are rare.

The primary business of a bookstore is the sale of books; only those who buy a large quantity of books are qualified to purchase these talismans. For wealthy families who already spend a considerable amount of money at bookstores, this is a convenient way to buy them as well.

In this situation, Chen Jingxuan was at a loss for words, and could only turn a blind eye.

If Lao Deng is willing to do it this way, then let him do it this way.

Over time, Deng's Bookshop earned a considerable amount of money, but compared to the powerful and wealthy in the capital, this amount was nothing; it was really just hard-earned money.

but.

It's all Deng Baiyi's hard-earned money.

(End of this chapter)