Chapter 153 Is this a case of a foolish person with too much money?_1
Translator: 549690339
The first layer of the Acquired Realm coupled with a Treasured Sword and a moderately successful Slash Martial Skill, he was not entirely without fighting strength.
When wild animals hunt their prey, there is a law of injury prevention: the higher the intelligence of the wild animal, the more cautious its hunting.
Human intelligence far surpasses that of wild animals, and their actions are naturally even more cautious.
For a mere one hundred and fifty Silver Money, Old Master Huang’s family had a significant enterprise and would not resort to desperate measures.
But if someone believed that he had cultivated a Queen Bee stronger than the giant green hornet, then it would be difficult to say.
In any case, Old Master Huang’s mansion exuded a bone-chilling eeriness everywhere, and he definitely would not come back again.
The middle-aged man at the gate also made Qin Niu feel somewhat out of the ordinary.
His movements felt a bit stiff, his face was always without expression, and his eyes were even more bizarre. Also, when he handed over the silver note, the putrid smell emanating from his body was remarkably similar to that of a Corpse Bee.
All these details made Qin Niu’s hair stand on end.
He thought about the silver note, took it out and sniffed it at his nose, detecting the faint smell of decay once again.
“Master, was the transaction smooth?”
Xiao Qing crawled out from a hidden spot.
“It went reasonably well. That household is very strange; you must never go there. Let’s hurry on our way!”
Qin Niu briskly left with Xiao Qing.
“Are we still going to that family in the west of the city?”
“Yes, of course we are. There’s money to be made, why not earn it?”
“Haven’t you already earned quite a bit of Silver Money? The large silver notes are a hundred Taels each, and the smaller ones are fifty Taels. You’ve earned one hundred and fifty Taels, why take the risk?”
She asked somewhat puzzled.
“You little imp, you have quite the eagle eyes! I just sniffed the silver note, and you already know how much it is.”
Qin Niu said, praising her with a laugh.
“Oh, I get it! You definitely want to earn more money to marry those two beautiful sisters back home.”
She exclaimed as if she had an epiphany.
” What are you thinking about? Wan Yan and Cai Xian and I haven’t even started. I want to earn more money to buy mountains, buy land, get you new clothes, and to purchase Elixirs and cultivation techniques. There are too many uses.”
No one would think they have too much Silver Money.
Even for a Cultivator, with riches, companions, and fertile lands, money still comes first.
The master and servant arrived at Longwang Alley in the west of the city and found the house according to the address.
“This should be it! The same as usual: you wait outside for me. If something happens, go to the Insect Master Association and ask Chairman Li for help.”
Qin Niu didn’t know any other influential figures now.
The only person he could think of was Chairman Li.
As for Master Hu, although he treated him nicely, the status of an Insect Identification Appraiser was still somewhat low.
If he encountered a formidable opponent, Master Hu coming to rescue him might end up costing both of them dearly.
“Master, please be careful!”
Every time she saw Qin Niu risk his life for Silver Money, a particularly worried expression would appear on her face.
Because Qin Niu was her only support now.
“It’s okay, I’ll be careful.”
Once Qin Niu saw her hide her figure well in the distance, he knocked on the door.
Compared to Old Master Huang’s tall walls and spacious courtyard, this house looked much more shabby. The house was very old, the knocker was made of iron and had long been corroded. The low courtyard wall was covered in moss, and many places on the surface were patchy and peeling.
This family did not look like wealthy people who could afford a reward of a hundred Taels of Silver Money.
The door opened quickly, and an old man in grey clothes peeked out half his body.
“Old gentleman, is it your family that posted this notice?”
Qin Niu showed the notice to the man for inspection.
“Yes! I wonder what the young man’s skill in treating plants is like?”
Seeing his youth, the old man doubted his ability.
“I have some understanding.”
Qin Niu appeared very calm.
Given the miraculous nature of the Everlasting Spring Technique he cultivated, he was fully capable of healing most plants, allowing them to regain vitality.
The question was whether the other party could offer enough Silver Money.
“Here, it’s that potted plant. It’s badly withered now; do you think you can revive it?”
The old man turned and pointed at a potted plant under the eaves.
It looked severely wilted.
Its top leaves had completely dried up and turned black, only the leaves near the roots still had a bit of bright yellow, indicating it was not yet completely dead.
“People grey first at the head when old, trees wither starting from the roots when dying; it seems very likely that the roots of this plant are seriously dead.”
Qin Niu, now a mid-level farmer, was not lacking in planting skills.
After inspecting it, he gained some understanding of the plant’s current state.
“Old gentleman, you’re not being sincere!”
Qin Niu said and turned to leave.
“Wait, young man, why do you say that?”
The old man called out to him from behind.
“For just this potted plant, to bring it back to life, you would give me a reward of a hundred Taels of Silver Money? Buying a new one wouldn’t cost much at all, right? The problem with this plant lies in the roots, making revival extremely difficult. If it were valuable, perhaps I could give it a try. As it is, I advise you to give up.”
After saying that, Qin Niu walked out of the courtyard without looking back.
This family didn’t even qualify as slightly wealthy; they only owned this old and decrepit house in the city.
Selling the house wouldn’t even collect a hundred Taels of Silver Money.
It was a complete mockery.
“Don’t be hasty, young man; the reward on this notice is real, and my request for help in curing the plant is also genuine. If I can afford a hundred Taels of Silver Money, can you revive this plant for me?”
The elder said, and indeed took out a silver note of a hundred Taels from his bosom.
“This… Are you sure you’re not joking? A plant like this is not worth the effort of treatment!”
Qin Niu said in surprise.
“Just tell me, can you save it or not?”
“I can try. However, you can’t go back on this. I need to be paid first, then write a pledge, and only then will I try to heal it. If I save it, the hundred taels of Silver Money are mine as a fee. If I can’t save it, I will not take a penny.”
Seeing that the old man didn’t seem to be lying, Qin Niu decided to give it a try.
“Alright, that’s absolutely fine.”
The old man wrote a pledge on the spot and gave him a silver note for one hundred taels.
“This silver note is real, right?”
Qin Niu couldn’t help thinking this money was too easy to earn.
It made him feel very uneasy.
“The bank hasn’t closed yet. If the young man suspects there’s a problem with the silver note, I can accompany you to exchange it right now.”
“I was just asking casually, I trust the Old Master.”
After careful examination, Qin Niu found no issues with the silver note.
Moreover, since the other party had written a pledge, it should be genuine.
This old man probably belonged to the type rich and foolish.
A hundred taels of Silver Money was more than many people could earn in a lifetime, yet the old man was simply handing it over.
Qin Niu put away the silver note.
It seemed he would be staying overnight in the city.
He calculated and had Xiao Qing find an inn to stay for the night.
“Old Master, I will come by a bit later tonight. Keep this silver note for now, and give it to me when I arrive later, is that okay?”
It was not easy to make a trip to the city, and it was good to take care of everything he had to do.
If there was moonlight tonight, he would be able to earn this sum of Silver Money.
He planned to rush back to the countryside early tomorrow morning.
It would be even better if he had a mount.
That calf, Xiao Nui, was still evolving and likely wouldn’t be able to complete the process in the short term.
Raise another horse?
He had no such plans at the moment.
“Keep the silver note. You are free to go wherever you want in the city, but if you want to leave the city, make sure to come back and let me know first.”
The old man was extremely calm when he said this.
It showed he was not afraid of Qin Niu taking the money and running away.
Appearances can be deceiving, as can the depths of the sea.
What kind of background did this old man have?
A person who could casually bring out a hundred taels of Silver Money was definitely not ordinary.
By the sound of it, he likely wielded considerable power within the city.
“That works!”
Qin Niu thought it would be good to find a shop to verify the authenticity of the silver note.
After leaving the dilapidated house, Qin Niu met up with Xiao Qing.
“Xiao Qing, let’s go to the Cultivation Market first. I will come back to this household to treat the plant tonight. You find an inn and settle in. Tomorrow morning, once I have saved that plant, I will take you back to the countryside.”
Qin Niu shared the general plan with her.
“That household is really willing to pay you a hundred taels of Silver Money to save a plant?”
“Yes, it’s true. This is the silver note the old man gave me.”
Qin Niu took out the silver note and showed it to her.
“Is the silver note real?”
“Yes, it should be genuine. This is a silver note from the Heaven and Earth Bank. Not to mention ordinary people, even the Black Tiger Gang Leader wouldn’t dare to counterfeit it.” After examining it, Xiao Qing confirmed that the silver note was authentic.
“Is the Heaven and Earth Bank very powerful?”
When it came to these high-end institutions, Qin Niu was completely ‘illiterate’.
A country person, many have never seen silver notes in their lifetime.
They hardly ever see silver ingots. What they use most is copper coins, Silver Pieces.
“Of course, it’s powerful. The branches of Heaven and Earth Bank are spread all over the world, and no one knows exactly how many there are. It is known that almost every city has a branch of Heaven and Earth Bank, and they have a solid gold credit. With their silver note, you can withdraw money at any of their branches.”
This was indeed incredibly cool.
“I’ve also heard that Heaven and Earth Bank not only deals with mortals, but even cultivators keep their money with them.”
“Alt… so cool, no wonder you said even the Black Tiger Gang Leader wouldn’t dare to fake it!”
Qin Niu gained a deeper understanding of the Heaven and Earth Bank.
This type of existence even had the power to obliterate the Black Tiger Gang.
It could only be described as terrifying.
The master and servant entered the Cultivation Market and went straight to Miaodan Pavilion.
Qin Niu wanted to understand the use of Beast Cores.
He wanted to see if Miaodan Pavilion could help refine them into Elixirs that could be taken.
With the power of the Acquired Realm’s first level, he was eager to gain even stronger cultivation.
Miaodan Pavilion was just as busy as the last time he visited, with a never- ending stream of customers coming to buy Elixirs.
This time, Qin Niu directly put on an Insect Master’s robe.
As soon as he entered, he was warmly greeted by someone immediately.
“Respected Insect Master, what can I do for you?”
“I’d like to know, if I have a Beast Core, can you refine it into an Elixir for me?”
“Of course, we can! Miaodan Pavilion employs over a hundred Pharmacists and Elixir Masters. We are the largest Elixir shop in Black Tiger City, integrating the planting of medicinal herbs, alchemy, Elixir sales, herbal cultivation, and healing. Whatever the customer needs, we provide the highest quality service.”
The attendant proudly introduced the strength of Miaodan Pavilion.
Being able to sustain over a hundred Pharmacists and Elixir Masters, the scale was indeed astonishing.