Chapter 9: Chapter 9 Wentian Pavilion
After a long while, when everything had finally settled down, he withdrew from his Sea of Consciousness. Immediately he felt a surge of power within him, like he could destroy the world at will with a simple move of his hand.
Of course, this was a delusion caused by his sudden and drastic increase in cultivation, a misunderstanding brought about by an overwhelming surge of power in a short period of time.
Once his mind was settled, Wang Zijia did not immediately rise, but began to consolidate his cultivation incessantly.
It wasn't until dawn that Wang Zijia slowly wrapped things up, his powerful aura slowly receding.
His cultivation method, being that of an assassin, had characteristics of stealth and sneak. Therefore, after breaking through the innate realm, these effects were even stronger. As such, stabilizing his aura was quite swift.
First, he organized his elixirs: 27 bottles. He had purposely bought one extra bottle as spare, but only consumed a little over 25 bottles, leaving 5 pills.
Looking at the 5 Explosive Qi Pills, he decided he would not consume them today.
He placed them inside a small wooden box, and then counted his money. The savings from his predecessor's life, and his father's, had nearly hit rock bottom after a day of his spending spree, only 7 Magic money were left.
However, to achieve breaking the innate realm, it was totally worth it.
He pulled out the last Magic money and put it in the money bag. This money was not going to last anyway.
How did he suddenly become poor?
Didn't he inherit a large sum of family wealth?
He mysteriously had caught the poverty sickness from his past life; did he have some kind of curse?
Just yesterday, he was marveling at having a house, a carriage, and savings, a full and happy life. Today, with a huge downgrade in life, he suddenly had to count every penny, Wang Zijia was left speechless.
Money, truly a son of a bitch. Anywhere in the world it seems to evaporate, it never lasts!
Making money, feels like an almost impossible task!
Such a pain in the ass!
As thoughts swirled in his mind, Wang Zijia put the wooden box back into the dark compartment, he touched his belly and realized he was no longer that hungry.
Compared to the pure realm transformation from poison, the Explosive Qi Pills was indeed better. Temporary buffs did cause a significant eruption of True Qi, and after transformation, there was no need for any additional supplements.
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He put everything back in place, after tidying up the secret room as dawn was breaking.
Fortunately, Wang Zijia didn't need to sleep anymore, not only because of his youth, but also because he was an innate master. Going for three or five days without sleep wouldn't cause him too much fatigue, at most, it could affect the normal development of his body.
After pondering for a while, he began practicing martial arts in the courtyard.
"Squeak..."
"Master, you're getting up earlier and earlier."
Before he had finished once over, the maid Wang Dan opened the door to the courtyard and entered the room with a puzzled look in her eyes.
"I've been having trouble sleeping these past few days," Wang Zijia replied.
Wang Dan hesitated for a moment, then slowly said, "Master, it's been nearly half a year since your father's death. Perhaps it is time to let go."
Wang Zijia's movements faltered slightly, he then replied with a smile, "I understand, thank you for your concern, Wang Dan."
"That's good, that's good!" With that, Wang Dan did not press further, turning around she went into the kitchen to prepare dinner.
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Since today he had asked for a leave from work, after Wang Dan had finished cooking, he sent her away.
He took his time finishing his meal, somewhat clumsily cleaning up afterwards, contemplating his next moves throughout.
The biggest problem was the hidden hand behind the imposter incident a few days ago. But regarding this matter, he didn't have a clue, and neither did his predecessor. They were both completely clueless. He would just have to prepare to adapt to the situation as it changed.
Other than that, the upcoming issue was the problem with his Spiritual Roots.
Although his martial cultivation could still be improved, in this world, the Taoist School surpassed the ordinary world, and dominated it, so much that the rules were all inclined towards the Taoist School.
Thus, he did not plan to stubbornly stick to martial arts all the way.
If there was no opportunity, so be it. But even though he did not have Spiritual Roots, he did have the Balanced Scale, which meant it was not impossible.
Who would choose to pursue the Martial Way when they could cultivate and become an Immortal? After all, the benefits of the Immortal Path were far greater than those of longevity.
Therefore, his goal now was clear - to find a method to obtain spiritual roots and create one for himself.
He didn't need to defy the heavens; even the worst one would do.
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Having made up his mind and with noon upon him, Wang Zijia hesitated in front of the bronze mirror for a long time before going out to gather information, ultimately not daring to 'operate' on his body.
Using the Balanced Scale to disguise was simple enough: he could exchange away the excess fat and make minor changes to his face - nothing more than a 3D image editing job.
The ultimate reason he didn't act was that while it was easy to change one's appearance, changing it back without a hitch would be a real test of skill.
Considering all this, Wang Zijia didn't do any disguising in the end, nor did he bother hiding much. After all, his identity wasn't something that needed to be concealed.
After leaving the courtyard, he skillfully hailed a horse carriage and headed towards the central city district.
Halfway there, the carriage suddenly made a sharp stop at the side of the street.
"What's the matter?" Wang Zijia frowned slightly, asking while lifting the carriage curtain to look ahead.
"Sir, the Law Enforcement Team is on duty!" replied the coachman.
Without need for further explanation, Wang Zijia had already seen it. A group of monks in Wanyu Sect Outer Sect garb, the members of the law enforcement team, swiftly moved through the street.
Frowning, Wang Zijia watched them leave before asking, "What has happened these past couple of days?"
According to the memories of his predecessor, the law enforcement team rarely deployed such a large party. City Guards were usually the ones on patrol.
"I'm not too sure either, but this level of scrutiny has been going on for over three days now. There are rumors on the street that they are looking for someone, the city gates are nearly sealed off!" said the coachman as he resumed maneuvering the carriage.
After gazing at the street where the enforcement team had disappeared for a moment, Wang Zijia opted not to give it any more thought.
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Shortly after, Wang Zijia once again arrived on Wanyu Street in the city center. Of course, he wasn't there for work.
He walked through the street and arrived in front of a shop at the corner; one that was small in size and appeared quite ordinary.
Wentian Pavilion.
'This should be the place!'
Looking at the plaque on the storefront, Wang Zijia wandered into the shop with thoughts running through his mind.
The shop's layout was strange. There was no counter at the entrance, just a not-so-big hall with quite a number of attendants standing at the door.
On both sides of the room, there was a considerable side door.
As soon as Wang Zijia stepped inside, an attendant approached him. He didn't show any disdain due to Wang Zijia's youthful face, and respectfully asked, "Sir, are you here to buy or sell?"
Wang Zijia paused before saying, "Buy."
"Right this way, please!", the attendant responded, gesturing with a smile.
Wang Zijia was subsequently led by him through one of the side doors and into a side room.
This place was a different world altogether. The side room was not one, but a series of small rooms, closely resembling the Identification Rooms in Wanyu Pavilion.
Wang Zijia was led by the attendant into one of the rooms, a space of a few square meters with just a table and two chairs, resembling a private room in a high-end tea house.
The attendant bowed to Wang Zijia, gestured for him to take a seat in the room, and then left.
Coming here for the first time, Wang Zijia furrowed his eyebrows slightly. But before he could do anything, another man in his forties, dressed like a scholar and radiating Confucian elegance, walked out from another door in the room.
The man greeted Wang Zijia, who stood to return the gesture. Then, without the slightest bit of small talk, he got straight to the point, asking, "What would Fellow Daoist like to know?"
Hearing his words, Wang Zijia breathed a sigh of relief, at least the original owner's memory wasn't incorrect - this Wentian Pavilion was Wanyu City's information trading shop.
Similarly, Wang Zijia got straight to the point as well, "How can a mortal cultivate?"