Chapter Thirty-Eight: The Elder of the Imperial Realm

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When he heard that it was Lin Wan, he went to open the door. After all, he and Lin Wan were business partners.

Lin Wan was essential to his second mission: making a name for himself.

“Is something wrong?” Qin Tian asked as he opened the door.

Lin Wan smiled brightly. “Sir, we printed one thousand copies of your book yesterday. Each was priced at one supreme-grade spirit stone, but they sold out almost immediately.”

“There are still many people waiting to buy it. Once The Legend of the White Snake becomes widely known, it will surely become even more popular.”

Qin Tian was secretly delighted. It seemed that it would not be long before he completed his second mission as well.

“Your story ends at the part where the waters flood Jinshan Temple. We hope you can find time to continue writing.”

“And I truly love the story too.” After saying this, Lin Wan lowered her head shyly, displaying the bashful manner of a young maiden.

Qin Tian nodded and agreed.

At the Aoki Trading House, a woman in red hurriedly carried a copy of The Legend of the White Snake to see her father—

Qing Hongming, president of the Aoki Chamber of Commerce.

The woman in red was the eldest daughter of the Aoki Trading House, Qing Yu.

“Father, yesterday the Lin Trading House published The Legend of the White Snake, and it caused quite a stir throughout Azure Mountain City.”

With that, Qing Yu handed the book to him.

Qing Hongming opened it and flipped through a few pages. His expression soon grew serious.

“How is the situation now?”

Qing Yu replied, “The Legend of the White Snake has already begun spreading on a small scale. Before long, it will spread everywhere.”

“When that happens, people will be drawn to them. Then they can take advantage of the attention to promote and sell their pills and weapons.”

“We may find ourselves at a serious disadvantage.”

“We only purchased a large shipment of goods a few days ago. If we cannot sell them, our chamber of commerce may soon lack the spirit stones needed to keep operating.”

After hearing Qing Yu’s analysis, Qing Hongming also realized how serious the matter was.

“Summon the managers of all our branches for a meeting.”

Before long, the shopkeepers and managers from every branch of the Aoki Trading House had gathered in the main hall.

Qing Yu repeated what she had said earlier.

The people below immediately began discussing the matter.

Some suggested that they hold promotions as well, but the idea was rejected at once.

That would be a strategy that injured the enemy by a thousand while costing them eight hundred themselves. Besides, even if they did so, they still could not compete with the Lin Trading House.

The other side had a means of attracting customers. They did not.

At that moment, the branch shopkeeper who had previously rejected Qin Tian was filled with regret, though he maintained a calm expression on the surface.

Just as he was congratulating himself that no one knew about it, the manager beside him stood up.

“Master, I would like to report something.”

The branch shopkeeper’s heart sank. He could tell that the manager intended to use this opportunity to climb over him, but there was nothing he could do.

Qing Hongming glanced at the manager.

“What is it?”

“Some time ago, a young master came to our shop carrying The Legend of the White Snake and asked us to publish it.”

“But the shopkeeper rejected him without even looking at the manuscript.”

Everyone immediately turned to look at the shopkeeper.

Cold sweat poured down his face. He knew that he was finished.

Qing Hongming glared at him, grinding his teeth with rage. In that instant, he wished he could kill the man with a single slap.

Qing Yu, however, spoke up.

“Father, since the author of The Legend of the White Snake came to our Aoki Trading House before, it means he still has some goodwill toward us.”

“I can take this shopkeeper with me and have him offer a sincere apology. If we give the author some additional spirit stones, perhaps we can still persuade him to work with us.”

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Qing Hongming stroked his beard.

“Then I’ll trouble you to make the journey, Yu’er. If his apology is not sincere enough, break both his legs.”

Qing Yu then took the shopkeeper and headed for Qin Tian’s art studio.

Lin Wan’s personal maid was a spy whom the Aoki Chamber of Commerce had planted within the Lin family. Through the information she obtained, Qing Yu deduced that the author of The Legend of the White Snake was staying at the Artistic Vision Studio.

When they arrived, Qing Yu began knocking on the door.

The moment Qin Tian opened it, the shopkeeper recognized him and immediately fell to his knees.

If Qin Tian forgave him, he might still survive.

Qing Yu spoke as well.

“Sir, my subordinate was blind and failed to recognize your worth. I brought him here to apologize.”

“I accept your apology.”

With that, Qin Tian prepared to close the door.

Qing Yu immediately slipped through the gap and pressed close to him, whispering, “Since we have shown such sincerity, perhaps you would consider working with us again.”

As she spoke, she winked at Qin Tian, allowing a trace of feminine charm to show.

She had always been confident in her beauty.

Qin Tian frowned slightly. He took a step back, pushed Qing Yu outside with one palm, and shut the door.

What?

Qing Yu clenched her teeth in fury.

In Azure Mountain City, she was considered one of the foremost beauties. If she merely gave the word, the men pursuing her could form a line that stretched for several streets.

Yet Qin Tian had remained unmoved by her advances.

She could not help wondering whether he was even a man.

After a while, Qin Tian decided to go out for a stroll, sample some local snacks, and buy a few novels to pass the time.

As he walked along the street, an old man caught his attention.

Qin Tian sensed an intense aura of death emanating from him. Although the old man appeared vigorous on the surface, he was actually forcing himself to hold on.

He was using his formidable cultivation to suppress the deathly aura within him.

Qin Tian judged that the old man had reached the Imperial Realm—and was certainly not merely at the first level.

Qin Tian had crossed hands with Jian Wuchen before, and the old man’s aura was even more powerful than Jian Wuchen’s. Yet despite that, his lifespan was still being consumed continuously.

The old man had probably come here to spend his final years in peace and await death.

Beside him stood a young man in white robes, worry written across his face. He was likely one of the old man’s descendants.

After seeing the old man, Qin Tian fell into thought.

He then went to the largest restaurant in Azure Mountain City and had a meal. The food was decent, though the ingredients were somewhat lacking. There was not even any Demon King meat.

At that thought, he decided to make a trip to the Azure Cloud Mountains later and hunt down a Demon King.

After eating, Qin Tian went to the Lin Trading House.

He saw that The Legend of the White Snake had its own dedicated purchasing line, with cultivators waiting in a queue.

He was delighted that his work had been accepted so warmly.

Afterward, he bought several other illustrated storybooks and novels before returning.

Once he reached the art studio and put everything down, he took up his kitchen knife and set out for the Azure Cloud Mountains.

Qin Tian advanced toward the depths of the mountains, kitchen knife in hand, slaughtering his way forward. But before he had gone very far, the weather suddenly changed.

A vast mass of dark clouds gathered overhead, and flashes of lightning streaked across the sky from time to time.

A torrential downpour was clearly about to begin.

He therefore wanted to find somewhere to take shelter. At present, he had no way to use spiritual power.

Once the rain began, all he could do was stand beneath it and get soaked.

He would not fall ill, but being drenched was still an unpleasant experience.

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Then he remembered passing a small manor on the way.

He immediately ran toward it.

Ten minutes later, just as the torrential rain began to fall, he finally crossed into the manor.

The estate covered more than a thousand square meters, and various flowers and plants grew throughout the courtyard.

Qin Tian crossed the yard and knocked on the door of the house in front.

Knock, knock, knock!

“Is anyone there? The rain is pouring down. May I take shelter here for a while?”

Inside the house, a beautiful young woman in a long blue-green dress was absorbed in reading a copy of The Legend of the White Snake.

When she heard the voice, she rose and opened the door.

She saw Qin Tian standing outside with slightly damp clothes, though he was not at all disheveled. He was handsome, and there was something exceptionally soothing about his presence.

However, she could not sense the slightest trace of spiritual power from him, so she concluded that he was simply an ordinary mortal seeking shelter from the rain.

“Please, come in.”

“Thank you, miss.”

Qin Tian entered and found a chair to sit in.

The young woman brewed him a cup of hot tea, then sat to one side and continued reading The Legend of the White Snake.

Seeing how engrossed she was, Qin Tian did not disturb her.

Before long, she reached the end of the book. The ending contained a poem, which she could not help reading aloud:

“A merciful goddess points the way; the white serpent repays her debt.
Across Broken Bridge, beneath the lake’s emerald sheen—when shall they meet again?
She laments that gratitude remains unfulfilled,
And travels a thousand miles in search of her husband.
At the Safe-Haven Apothecary, she heals the world’s suffering…”

When the young woman finished reading, a faint sorrow flickered through her eyes. She felt indignant on behalf of the white serpent.

Qin Tian asked, “Miss, do you enjoy reading The Legend of the White Snake?”

“Yes! It’s just that the author updates far too slowly. I’ve gone to ask twice already, and there still hasn’t been anything new.”

Qin Tian smiled awkwardly.

“It should be soon.”

The young woman brightened.

“How do you know? Could it be that you know the author?”

“I suppose you could say that.”

Qin Tian then recited several lines of poetry himself, offering her a glimpse of what was to come:

“When the white serpent’s fury rises, all living beings suffer;
A misguided tide is summoned to assault Golden Mountain.
Defying Heaven’s law, she is condemned at last;
Thunder Peak descends to imprison that peerless beauty.
The scholar regrets believing careless words,
While strings and songs can no longer preserve their former tenderness.”

After hearing this, the young woman opened her mouth, then closed it again, unable to find anything to say.

The two of them soon began chatting, and Qin Tian learned that her name was Qian Xue.

Not long afterward, a woman in white pushed open the door and entered.

She was also exceptionally beautiful, and bore some resemblance to Qian Xue. Her name was Qian Wei.

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