Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
âHow dare you!â Shangguan Ru pulled away. Her friend threw punched him.
When she made contact with Jiang Chen, it was as if he had been punched by a shadow. Her arm pierced through his body, but he felt nothing. These two women were not real!
âWhat are you? Humans or ghosts?â Jiang Chen asked in surprise.
âYou really donât know or are you just pretending you donât know?â The woman who had attacked him gave him a stare.
âThis is the projecting formation of the Yunzhen Chamber of Commerce. We are on the Saint Reaching Continent. These are only our projections.â
âOh, thatâs great? Does this mean I can go to the branches of the chamber of commerce on the other two continents?â Jiang Chen asked excitedly.
The two women did not answer him. They just threw him an odd glance.
Jiang Chen knew he behaved like he was behind the times. Fortunately, he had disguised himself, so he did not have to worry about it. Currently, he looked like a man about 30 years of age, who was a little crazy. The way he had behaved perfectly matched the character he had designed for his disguise.
âNever mind. Letâs go.â
Shangguan Ruâs friend was totally disappointed in him. She was going to pull her good friend away from the con man.
Shangguan Ru walked toward the door, but then she stopped.
âMaster, can you fix these?â She showed him the Aeolian bells.
Rolling her eyes, her friend could do nothing but let her do what she wanted.
âDoctrine Aeolian bells? You are sure you want to fix them?â Jiang Chen asked out of curiosity.
âTell me what you know about them first,â the woman said tentatively, stopping Shangguan Ru from speaking.
âThey are used to practice.â
âWhen wind blows, the sound of the bells can calm people down. They can guide practitioners through the comprehension of the lore of wind.â
Shangguan Ru was happy with Jiang Chenâs answer. It meant the man in front of her did know something.
âBut they are already outdated,â Jiang Chen added.
Due to their complicated fabrication and their weak effects, Doctrine Aeolian Bells had been replaced with new artifacts.
âMaster, they are very important to me. Can you fix them?â Shangguan Ru said.
âYou should have seen the board at the door. I donât do business with artifacts below doctrine level,â Jiang Chen said.
âI donât think you can fix...â
Pulling on her friendâs arm, Shangguan Ru said, âHow much does fixing a Doctrine Artifact cost? Iâll pay you the same.â
âItâs not about money. Itâs a question of principle.â
Shangguan Ru frowned at him. She also thought he was too stubborn.
âWhat about this? Iâll fix them for you for free, but you will help me publicize my shop,â Jiang Chen said.
âNo problem,â Shangguan Ru agreed immediately.
However, Shangguan Ruâs friend was somewhat surprised. Jiang Chen really did not seem to care about money.
âMany masters told me the magic pattern inside them had been worn out. Itâs impossible to fix them.â Shangguan Ru was brutally blunt. She did not want to be disappointed when she came back here to fetch them.
âLet me have a look.â Jiang Chen took the Aeolian bells, but when his fingers had felt through the bells, he realized that the persons and the things in front of him were all mere projections. So, Jiang Chen had to approach Shangguan Ru to observe the Aeolian bells in her hand.
âThatâs correct. They have lost all of the magic pattern. Itâs almost impossible to fix them,â Jiang Chen said. He certainly was only able to fix things that could be fixed. The magic pattern of these bells had been worn out.
The woman wanted to say something, but this time she had learned to be smarter. She refrained herself from speaking.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om
As expected, Jiang Chen went on speaking. âI can carve the magic pattern again. What do you think?â
âSenior Mo said this kind of magic pattern had been lost to the world,â Shangguan Ru said in surprise.
âThere are no such words as âlost to the worldâ for me,â Jiang Chen said with a casual smile. âIf you trust me, send the Aeolian bells to me. The shop will be closed at dusk.â
âThank you, Master. How long will it take you to fix them?â
âAn hour.â
Shangguan Ru and her friend, Han Congâer, walked out of the shop. They looked puzzled.
âDo you trust this guy?â Han Congâer could hardly believe him.
âAre you always so sure?â Shangguan Ru asked out of curiosity.
âNo. I mean he does look like a master, but what he said was quite exaggerated. Most important, he is so young. Itâs weird to call him Master.â
âWhatever, I have nothing to lose.â Shangguan Ru decided to give it a try.
âIf this is a con, Iâll destroy the shop right away.â
Walking through a door, the two women went back to their physical bodies. They returned to the Saint Reaching Continent, and were going to send the Aeolian bells back.
âHe has got business!â The crystal of the chamber of commerce not only showed advertisements, but also a ranking of all of the shops. At the moment, it showed the Sundry Goods Store had one transaction in progress. At first, people were surprised. It was not so weird, because people would go out of curiosity.
But then it said the customer of the shop was Shangguan Ru. This news created an uproar.
When the news was leaked, the man in charge of the Yunzhen Chamber of Commerce went to apologize to Shangguan Ru. He said, âMiss Shangguan, weâre very sorry. We have fired the guy who leaked the news.â
Shangguan Ru said it was okay. She also told him not to fire anyone. After brushing off the man in charge of the chamber of commerce, Shangguan Ru was going to send the Aeolian bells to the Sundry Goods Store.
However, at this moment, Master Mo from the Mysterious Weapon Pavilion arrived.
âMaster.â
This was a real master. Even Han Congâer had to greet him with respect.
As the most famous shop, the masters the Mysterious Weapon Pavilion hired were also very well-known. This Master Mo was a recognized master. He was 70 years old, but he looked younger. His white hair did not make him look weak either.
âMiss Shangguan, are you really going to send that pair of Doctrine Aeolian bells for repair?â Master Mo looked very mature. He did not sound like he was blaming her.
But Shangguan Ru and Han Congâer knew things could not be that simple.
âYes.â
âItâs none of my business, but I checked those Doctrine Aeolian bells too. This isnât a problem of skill. They just canât be fixed,â Master Mo said.
âBecause the magic pattern inside them has been worn out?â Han Congâer said.
âExactly.â
âThat man said the same thing.â
Master Mo was very surprised. He said, âYes? The owner of the Sundry Goods Store? If he already knows that, why would he try an impossible thing?â
âHe said he could re-carve the magic pattern.â
âHa, ha, ha, ha.â Master Mo burst out laughing. He didnât think that was possible.
âMiss Shangguan, Miss Han, no practitioners can live without artifacts or elixirs. Elixirs are a difficult and profound subject, but so are artifacts. Spiritual weapons have spiritual patterns. Magic weapons have magic patterns. And Doctrine Artifacts have doctrine patterns. Every kind of pattern is different. They were created by legendary people who had been inspired by the universe. The magic pattern of Doctrine Aeolian bells has been lost to the world. Even if he really can re-carve it, it wonât have the same effect. I could fix them for Miss Shangguan in this way too, but I donât want to cheat you.â
Jiang Chen, waiting for the Doctrine Aeolian bells to be sent over, suddenly sneezed. He thought someone must be speaking ill of him.
Han Congâer was persuaded. What Master Mo had said made sense to her. She said, âHe probably just wants to cut corners, since he knows how important they are for you.â