Refining the Mountains and Rivers

Chapter 1687B – Swallow Mountain

Everyone obediently complied with the instructions and left the ferry in an orderly manner.

Of course, there were some exceptions to this too.

Numerous sword hums started to arise and there was a shrieking sound as people zipped through the air and flew into the mountain. These sinister sword intents undoubtedly showcased that these swordsmen were originally from Swallow Mountain.

Soon, a few more shrieks sounded. A few young men were ecstatic as they never imagined that the old cultivator who was chatting casually with them just now was an elite sword immortal.

Did this mean that they had fate with a sword immortal? With this thought, their smiles grew even brighter.

People around them stared at them in jealousy.

This was not just the first or second time that a sword sect chose to conduct a test on a ferry with a sword immortal onboard. A few sword sects would specially assign men to work on the ferries so that they could headhunt for talents.

Qin Yu glanced at the few young men who were grinning in satisfaction. He nodded to himself; one of the ladies and another young man had good potential.

Rourou’s lips twisted, “Your own sword skills are mediocre. Don’t try to judge others here.”

Qin Yu was taken aback and he wore a helpless look on his face. All these elders acted as they pleased, they could not bother with saving face for others at all.

Alight alight!

The harbor was as busy as it always was and the situation here was not different just because this was a sacred ground. After all, sword cultivators were also human and they needed to eat, drink, as well as use resources to cultivate.

Where did these resources come from? Of course it was from immortal money. Otherwise, even though Swallow Mountain was self-governed, it would have been destroyed a long time ago having been exploited by generations upon generations of sword cultivators. People had to hand in a sum of immortal money to enter Swallow Mountain.

Goods that were sold at the harbor were mostly useful items for swordsmen. This included badly damaged sword manuals of unknown origins. From their appearance, it was evident that they were buried under the earth for numerous years, but the salesmen would brag about the items to impress potential buyers.

Of course, there were also imitations of famous sword immortals’ swords that were sold as souvenirs. These were bestsellers for the stores and waves upon waves of swordsmen would buy them, resulting in a constant revenue stream for these shops.

Qin Yu and Rourou did not want to shop at all and they walked ahead after they disembarked from the ferry. However, right as they were about to leave the harbor, Rourou suddenly stopped and her attention was sucked towards a particular store.

Compared to the other stores, this one was mostly hidden out of view. Most people who alighted from the ferry would have bought their goods before they came to this store. Similarly, when swordsmen were about to leave the mountain, they would control themselves and avoid buying too much since they had already walked along the harbor before and bought what they wanted.

As a result, the skinny old man of the store had not sold anything today. He gritted his teeth and considered whether he should just give up this store and rent a better location. Therefore, his eyes suddenly lit up and he beckoned, “Dear guests, come over. I sell various treasures at a bargain. My stuff is sold at a fair price!”

Rourou walked over and stretched her arm forward to pick up a severely rusted short sword that was covered with spots and stains on the surface, “How much?”

The old man had a strong impression of every item he sold at his store. This was also one of the basic skills that every salesman should have.

This was a short sword that he exchanged with a drunkard for half a jar of wine three months ago. Originally, he thought that it had a good outer appearance and he could sell it at a profit. However, no one was interested in it.

He had pushed down the temptation to sell it to a second hand shop because it took up space being displayed at his shop.

The old man coughed lightly and made a thumbs-up, “Immortal, you have a good eye. This short sword had a long history and if nothing had happened to its owner, it would not have…”

Before he could finish, Rourou cut him off, “How much?”

The old man was not offended but he was grinning instead. Many years of experience at sales told him that those expressionless buyers were mostly rich people. They hardly bargained, and if he played it well, he could earn a big profit this time.

The half pot of wine was worth it!

He sighed internally and made a pained expression. His eyes showed reluctance and he appeared like he was struggling internally.

“Three copper coins!”

Rourou suddenly stood up, startling the old man.

He thought he had asked for too much and shocked the brat away with his miscalculation. He should have called for a lower price. Young lady, you surely don’t know how to shop.

If the price I called is too high, you can ask for a lower price. Just don’t leave directly. Just as the store owner was about to call after her to stay, Rourou reached her hand forward and took the sword.

“Pay up.”

Qin Yu had already prepared three copper coins. He smiled lightly and placed the money on the table, “Check it and store it carefully.”

With trembling fingers, the old man took the three copper coins and confirmed that they were real. When he looked up again, the two people turned and disappeared in a flash.

After he finally regained his senses, he looked down at the three copper coins in his hand in shock. Did he misjudge the value of that short sword? Was that short sword a treasure?

No, no way!

Although his cultivation realm was nothing good, he had very discerning eyes and he would not miss out on a treasure that was right in front of him.

In the beginning, he did find that short sword interesting and that was why he exchanged wine for it. However, after carefully looking at it many times, his final conclusion was the same. It was just a useless piece of rusted metal.

It was not even worth one copper coin!

Exchanging it for three copper coins was a big profit to him. He could use this money to sustain his living expenses for three years.

He felt the jealous eyes from neighboring store owners and the last bit of suspicion in his heart disappeared. He flipped his palm and stored the three copper coins well.

He swiftly packed up the items displayed in the store and carried them away. After earning big, he would not be able to stay here in case something bad happened.

Even though it was a pity that he had not reached the end of his rental agreement, the losses in this area could not compare to three copper coins. He would ensure his safety first and find somewhere else along the harbor to set up his store again.

Once they were away from the harbor, Qin Yu asked in a low voice, “Is it good?”

Rourou nodded.

Qin Yu was utterly thankful. My dear Rourou, you pick things up like you are eating or drinking. Furthermore, you are not excited nor eager. How much treasures did you pick up casually to achieve such an attitude? I am so jealous.

Not far in front of them was the entrance to Swallow Mountain. Of course, the entrance was just symbolism; they could enter the mountain at any other place.

However, if they did not buy the ‘road ticket’, then if they met a sword cultivator, they would need luck to get by. If they were unlucky and they met a sword cultivator who did not turn a blind eye to them, they would need to hand over their heads.

As such, no one was willing to count on luck.

Although the ‘road ticket’ was not cheap, it could not compare to their lives.

Qin Yu handed over the money. These trivial things were tasks that he took on voluntarily. Sometimes, he would start to miss the times when Yang Fanshan was still with them.

It was easy to go from frugality to extravagance, but the reverse was not so easy. This saying is talking about me!

When he paid the money, he encountered an incident. That old swordsman who boarded the same ferry as him to Swallow Mountain was in a spot.

He did not have enough money. Even though he saved a lot while on the ferry, he did not have enough for the ‘road ticket’.

So much time had passed and the value of the ‘road ticket’ that this fellow’s ancestors passed down to him had inflated wildly.

There was a look of sympathy on the swordswoman opposite the old man who was in charge of taking the ‘road ticket’ money. She was about to say something but her companion gave her a look.

The rules of Swallow Mountain were set by an agreement among all sword sects. Regardless of who was on duty at the entrance and whichever sword sect they came from, they could not break the rules.