212: Chapter 211: Third Master Arrives 212: Chapter 211: Third Master Arrives Hou Niao looked up and realized it was an acquaintance, Luo Linwang, the sour scholar he had met in Jiangyou Town when he first came to Shan Country.
Back then, he had taken a set of scholar’s clothes from him without asking, and now, thinking back on the elegance of those four gentlemen, he still often felt moved.
He never expected to see them again today.
Knowing the quirky tempers of these four, who were not the stodgy type, he didn’t stop what he was doing and called out:
What a rare encounter.
I visited Jiangyou Town a few days ago but didn’t find you all.
I never expected to meet you here.
There’s tea in the pot; pour me a cup.”
To normal people, his words would seem quite rude—who ever heard of a guest serving the host?
But the four masters from Jiangyou Town just ate that up.
Luo Linwang hopped down from the wall, still clad in his perpetual white scholar’s robe, spotless and dashing,
“Haven’t seen you in three years, three years ago I was doing your laundry, and now I’ve been promoted to pouring tea?”
Despite his words, he walked over to the stone table, poured a cup of tea, and handed it over.
Hou Niao downed it in one gulp, “Brother, what did you just say?
How did this Sword Grinding Stone become the most famous one in Jin City?”
Luo Linwang couldn’t help but chuckle, “Didn’t you inquire when you bought it?”
Hou Niao had a bad feeling as time was nearly up, so he stopped grinding his sword,
The shop owner told me that the material was unknown, the properties unclear, and the uses undetermined; he said that in the last hundred years, two cultivators had bought it and ended up with nothing, returning it.
So, what’s the issue?”
Luo Linwang was at a loss for words, “Brother Hou, how have you been in the sect for three years and still so impetuous?
You buy things without any clue, and if you had only pulled aside a slightly knowledgeable fellow, they could tell you the legend of this stone, and you wouldn’t have spent Spirit Stones on such an ancestor.”
Hou Niao finally remembered to pour a cup of tea for his guest, “Brother, do tell me, what is going on?
If that shop owner deceived me, I’m going to tear down his shabby shop tomorrow!”
Luo Linwang scoffed, “Tear it down?
You think you can do whatever you want like back in Yinling?
This is Jin City, where sect rules bind us!
And the shop owner must have told you, advised you against choosing it, but if you insisted, they’d only give you half the price back, right?”
Hou Niao knew he was probably duped, or how else would Luo Linwang know the shopkeeper’s tricks so well?
Luo Linwang laughed heartily, “This Sword Grinding Stone is quite famous in Jin City’s market, not because the material is precious, but because this stone has really duped quite a few people.
The shop owner didn’t lie about one thing, the stone’s utility is unclear, many great cultivators couldn’t figure it out, and since its properties are unknown, it can’t be absorbed into the body for Inner Refining.
In other words, everyone who bought this stone did just as you—bent over in folly, grinding away, wasting time and youth.
The shop owner told you that several people have bought this stone, but it wasn’t the two or three people you imagined, it was actually nine people who fell for its trick!”
The most persistent one ground it for fifty years; originally a meteorite as large as a carriage frame, he ground it down to its current size, thinking it a heavenly chance granted to him until his death!
He died still wanting his family to treasure it as a family heirloom, a typical case of someone deeply deluded by reading too many extraordinary biographies; later, when his family fell into decline, his descendants had no choice but to return the stone to the shop for some pocket money.
Among the nine people, not one was successful.
The smart and nimble ones sensed something was off and took action immediately, while those who were truly gullible ended up ruining their entire lives over it.
That’s why I say it’s a legend among Sword Grinding Stones, deceiving without regret, famously known in the Jin City Cultivation circle.
In recent years, nobody had been duped anymore, thinking this thing would never be sold, yet here you are, the perfect sucker!
“From now on when you go out, don’t say you know me; I can’t afford to lose that face!”
Hou Niao was stunned.
It was originally the size of a cartwheel?
And now it’s been ground down to the size of a grinding disc?
If he still hadn’t seen any results, he truly doubted whether he had the perseverance and persistence of that predecessor.
People admire the persistence of grinding an iron rod into a needle, but if it’s done , it’s just foolish.
Persistence isn’t meant to be understood in this way.
“This unscrupulous shopkeeper, and to think I trusted him so much, how could he trick me into such a bad deal?”
Luo Linwang just laughed, “Well, he didn’t exactly deceive you, did he?
Everything he told you was true; he just didn’t reveal everything.
If he had, would you have willingly paid with Spirit Stones?”
Hou Niao felt somewhat defeated, “I thought that after three days, there seemed to be no change in the Sword, and I assumed it was because the time was too short for any effect to show, that I just needed to keep going…”
Luo Linwang burst out laughing, “Yes, if you keep going, you might just break the record of that predecessor!
But I doubt if it’s big enough for you to grind for fifty years?”
Hou Niao shook his head, not caring much.
It’s not a big deal; at most, he’d just get another Sword Grinding Stone.
The real issue was where to gather more Spirit Stones.
Setting aside these worries for now, he looked at Luo San Lord, “Third Brother, what brings you here?
Are you passing through Jin City on business, or…?”
Luo Linwang gave him a sidelong glance, “If you can come, why can’t I?”
Hou Niao was overjoyed, “Third Brother, so you’re also here to attend the debate in the Southwest!
This is great; I’ve finally found a strong supporter.
Ever since I bought this unlucky stone, I’ve been completely broke.
Following you, I definitely won’t starve.”
Luo Linwang was at a loss with him.
Although they had only spent a short time together, during that period in Jiangyou Town, the four of them had treated him as one of their own, as a little Brother.
What can they do when they encounter such a lazy fellow?
“Each state has two slots, fifteen states that adds up to thirty, plus the five from Yujing, that’s thirty-five strong supporters, many much stronger than me.
With your personality, I can’t protect you.”
Hou Niao was unconcerned, “What use is having more legs?
Third Brother can take care of my meals, but who else would?
By the way, what about our Big Brother and the others?”
Luo Linwang was gratified by his response.
Even though everyone is brothers-in-arms, closeness varies amongst brothers.
Having such a capable little brother to support one another makes things much more convenient than being alone.
“The eldest went to Yansui State, the second brother was transferred to Qingtang State, and the youngest is still in Da Feng Plain, but he went to Bimu Hill as a vice envoy.
You might even get a chance to see him.”
Hou Niao sighed, “After this Southwest debate, I still don’t know where I’ll be headed next.
Third Brother, what exactly is this debate in the Southwest all about?
With more than thirty people going, is it going to be a free-for-all brawl?”
Luo Linwang shook his head with a bitter smile, “You’re asking me, but who should I ask?
Everything will naturally be settled once everyone is assembled.
What’s the use of worrying about it now?
Come on, I’ve heard that in Yinling you, Hou Tu, made a name for yourself with your Sword Technique.
Let me see today what skills you have that dare to slay a family of Demon Beasts?”