ATPnovel Chapter 117 The Mysterious Wanfang Chamber of Commerce
Chapter 117 The Mysterious Wanfang Chamber of Commerce
Qin Sheng was so stunned by the seventh-grade talisman that he didn't notice these things.
Following the gaze of the woman in palace attire, he was immediately taken aback.
The package contained a small amount of goods, but it was clearly not an ordinary item.
In particular, the bottle of elixir was engraved with the words "Golden Core Formation".
Qin Sheng, momentarily disregarding his master's presence, asked, "Brother Chu Nan, could this really be a Golden Core cultivator?"
Qin Sheng is currently in the late stage of Foundation Establishment, and he is not far from reaching the Golden Core stage.
Given his qualifications, his young mistress should bestow upon him the Golden Elixir.
But they certainly won't bestow three of them.
Seeing Qin Sheng's expression, Chen Chunan smiled slightly: "I will always remember your kindness, brother. These few pills are just a small token of my appreciation. Please accept them without worry."
Qin Sheng was momentarily speechless: "This, this is inappropriate. I didn't do anything. I just... it was all Miss's idea. I feel unworthy of it."
Hearing Qin Sheng's excitement, the woman in palace attire didn't forget to take credit for herself. Her initial hesitation instantly turned into a decision.
"Alright, Qin Sheng, since this fellow Daoist is offering this gift out of kindness, you should accept it. It was your own idea to give away the talisman and the insights, as well as to lend money. There's no need to pin all the credit on me."
Qin Sheng looked terrified: "Miss, I, I just..."
The woman in palace attire looked at Qin Sheng and shook her head slightly: "Alright! Stop acting like that. Since Fellow Daoist Chen wants to give you another opportunity to preside over a region, I'll grant it to you. It just so happens that I recently broke through to the Nascent Soul stage and am preparing to return to the Central Region. I'll leave Lingzhou to you to preside over."
Upon hearing this, Qin Sheng was certain that his young mistress truly intended this, and his chest was instantly filled with joy.
He immediately bowed and thanked the woman in palace attire and Chen Chunan.
The woman in palace attire helped Qin Sheng up with a flick of her sleeve, then bowed respectfully: "Qian Qianqian, the seventh daughter of the Qian family of the Wanfang Chamber of Commerce, greets fellow Daoist. Would you have the honor of inviting me upstairs for a chat?"
Chen Chunan could tell that the woman seemed to want to befriend him, and he was also very curious about the Wanfang Chamber of Commerce.
He immediately nodded in agreement.
The woman gave Qin Sheng a meaningful look, then waved her hand and summoned a mechanical dragon.
"Fellow Daoist, please!"
Chen Chunan nodded and then called to his sister and apprentice, who had been silent, to prepare to go over together.
The woman in palace attire paused for a moment upon seeing this. The matter she wanted to discuss with Chen Chunan was not suitable for having too many people around.
But just as she was about to speak, she cut Chen Chunan off, saying, "This is my sister, my direct disciple, not an outsider."
The woman in palace attire nodded and said nothing more.
The four of them boarded the dragon's back, and after a slight rumble, the world instantly changed.
Based on the distance they had ascended, Chen Chunan estimated that this was probably the top floor.
The furnishings in front of me looked quite luxurious, with four auspicious beast incense burners at the four corners, from which the smoke of incense was faintly rising.
The spiritual fruits displayed on the main table were several levels better than those in the Cold Jade Cave.
It seems this woman holds a high position in the Wanfang Chamber of Commerce.
The woman in palace attire summoned her maid, Cui'er: "Brew four cups of Jade Dragon Spring Snow tea, and also serve three portions of pastries and fruits."
Cui'er quickly nodded in agreement, then couldn't help but steal a glance at Chen Chunan's face, wanting to see what her master's guest looked like.
Upon seeing it, her eyes widened in surprise: "It's you!"
Chen Chunan was taken aback when he heard this. Did this maid know him too?
The woman in palace attire blushed slightly and quickly scolded Cui'er, "Cui'er, how dare you be rude! Go and prepare tea and refreshments!"
Cui'er knew that her exclamation was too impolite, so she quickly lowered her head and took small, quick steps out of the reception room.
The woman in palace attire looked at Chen Chunan somewhat embarrassedly: "My servants were unruly; please forgive their rudeness, fellow Daoist."
Chen Chunan chuckled lightly: "It's alright."
The guests and hosts then took their seats.
Cui'er lowered her head, her face burning, and served tea and snacks in a soft voice before taking her leave.
Unlike Chen Yunling, Hongxian was not reserved. After getting her brother's permission, she launched a fierce attack on the tea and snacks without any hesitation.
Chen Chunan took a sip of tea before speaking, "I wonder what you would like to discuss, fellow traveler?"
The woman in palace attire's mind raced: "May I ask who your teacher is, fellow traveler?"
Chen Chunan was slightly taken aback, as he had never seriously considered who his master was.
The tradition of Neidan (internal alchemy) has a very long history and has undergone several changes.
My understanding of the classics comes half from Wei Boyang's "Zhouyi Cantongqi" written in the Han Dynasty, and half from the first seven chapters of Journey to the West and the ordeal at Banana Cave.
The methods for distinguishing the medicinal properties, weight, and effects of drugs are half derived from Master Ziyang's "Wuzhen Pian" and half from the dilemmas encountered in the Tongtian River and Zhu Zi Kingdom during the Journey to the West.
Furthermore, there are poems and songs about the Golden Elixir for reference.
Ultimately, Chen Chunan couldn't say for sure who his teacher was, but in terms of importance, Journey to the West was naturally the primary one.
After a moment of contemplation, Chen Chunan said, "My knowledge is quite diverse, but it is largely inherited from Changchun Quande Shenhua Mingying Zhenjun."
The sheer length of the title immediately stunned Qian Qianqian.
She naturally wouldn't equate this True Lord with the current Nascent Soul True Lord; these True Lords, True Persons, and Venerables are nothing more than empty shells carried by others.
Based on their words and deeds, few of them deserve the title of "true man" or "true ruler".
If they weren't the Nascent Soul cultivators of today, then they would be—immortals?
The thought of this possibility made Qian Qianqian's heart pound wildly.
Even if one receives the inheritance of an ancient immortal, one can at least reach the Nascent Soul stage. If one has high talent, achieving the Void Refinement stage or even transcending the Tribulation is not out of the question.
Of course, this excludes a certain Chen Ying swordsmanship inheritor.
"I never imagined you were a descendant of an ancient immortal. My apologies for my lack of respect!"
Chen Chunan saw that she had misunderstood, so he didn't explain further.
"He's just a successor from a previous generation who has only received a small portion of the true teachings."
"That's also an ancient immortal's inheritance. Fellow Daoist, you must have entered the Nascent Soul stage by now?"
Chen Chunan, thinking that he was no longer under any pressure in dealing with the initial stage of Nascent Soul cultivation, agreed, "I have entered the Nascent Soul stage. Fellow Daoist, please speak freely."
"Since you have entered the Nascent Soul stage, you must have heard of the Eight Great Holy Lands of the Central Region?"
"Naturally, I have also dealt with disciples of the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion and the Dao Yi Sect."
"People only know about the Eight Great Holy Lands, but they don't know that there is also the Wanfang Chamber of Commerce outside of the Eight Great Holy Lands."
"Fellow Daoist Qian, please speak frankly."
"Our Wanfang Chamber of Commerce is currently recruiting talents extensively. If you are willing to serve as a guest elder in our Wanfang Chamber of Commerce for a thousand years, our Wanfang Chamber of Commerce will support you in entering the Refinement Void Realm! Currently, our Wanfang Chamber of Commerce already has hundreds of Nascent Soul and even Deity Transformation cultivators serving as guest elders. You might want to consider this carefully?"
A thousand-year tenure?
Are you serious?
If I were given a thousand years, even if I couldn't attain the status of a Celestial Immortal, I would still have one foot in the path of immortality.
This so-called Void Refinement technique held absolutely no appeal for him.
But why is Wanfang Chamber of Commerce recruiting so many people?
Can they really afford to support themselves with the businesses they run?
It seems their ambitions are far from small.
After a moment's thought, Chen Chunan immediately declined, saying, "Thank you for your kind offer, fellow Daoist, but I still have family ties to bear, and I'm afraid I am not qualified to take on the position of guest elder."
Qian Qianqian smiled slightly: "Fellow Daoist, there's no need to rush to refuse. Just take a look at the strength of my Wanfang Chamber of Commerce, Cui'er!"
Qian Qianqian gave a call, and the little maid immediately ran over.
"Miss is here!"
"Go and fetch the Book of Spiritual Creatures, take down the first volume!"
Cui'er was taken aback, as the second volume was only usable by those at the Nascent Soul stage or above.
But she dared not say a word, quickly agreed, and went to retrieve the Book of Spiritual Objects.