The Martial Saint Started from Scavenging

At this moment, the oil lamp was still lit in the wooden shack where Liu the Cripple lived.

Ye Sheng pushed open the half-closed wooden door and saw Liu the Cripple leaning against a tattered rattan chair, smoking a pipe, the smoke swirling in the dim light.

"Oh? Kid, you're back safely from the ghost market?"

Without even lifting his eyelids, Liu the Cripple continued, "Did you sell that thing?"

"Sold."

"How many did you sell?"

"One hundred and eighty coins."

After saying that, Ye Sheng took out some copper coins from his pocket, counted them out, and placed them on the table.

"Mr. Liu, this is your capital and commission."

Liu the Cripple then sat up straight, picked up the copper coin, examined it carefully, and weighed it in his hand.

"Oh ho! One hundred and eighty coins?" He raised an eyebrow. "That worthless rock can sell for that price?"

"Just lucky," Ye Sheng replied briefly.

Liu the Cripple stared at him for a few moments, then suddenly laughed.

"Heh! Lucky? Kid, your eye for talent is more than just luck."

As he spoke, he tucked the copper coins on the table into his sleeve.

"To be able to find the right person among all those swindlers at the ghost market's outer market, and even negotiate a higher price, wow, you really are something!"

Ye Sheng didn't answer, but instead asked in a deep voice, "Master Liu, what about the boatmen's group?"

"What's your hurry?"

Liu the Cripple interrupted him, relighting his pipe. "Old Chen isn't someone you can just meet casually. I need to go and say hello first, and see when he'll be available."

"How long will this take?" Ye Sheng asked.

"If things go quickly, this afternoon. If not..." Liu the Cripple exhaled a puff of smoke, "...tomorrow."

tomorrow?

Ye Sheng's heart tightened.

Wang Laizi gave us three days; today is the second day. If we don't see Old Chen by tomorrow, what should we do when Wang Laizi comes to our door the day after?

"Could you arrange a meeting with him today?" Ye Sheng lowered his voice. "Master Liu, I really can't wait any longer."

Hearing this, Liu the Cripple squinted at him, and after a long while, slowly said, "Alright, I'll go to Longmen Gorge right now. But let me make this clear first, Old Chen is a man who values ​​money and rules. With the little money you have left, if you want to hang up the sign for three months first..."

He paused.

"It's hard to say."

"I understand," Ye Sheng bowed. "I hope Master Liu will do his best to convey my message."

Liu the Cripple waved his hand, stood up, and walked out with his cane. As he was about to disappear, he left a message: "Go back first, and come to me before noon to wait for news."

Upon hearing this, Ye Sheng bowed respectfully before turning and walking back towards his shed.

At this moment, the mist on the river gradually dissipated, and the rough and long shouts of boatmen could be heard in the distance.

When Ye Sheng returned to the shed, Ye Kai was already awake. He was leaning against the corner of the wall, flipping through a tattered book, when his eyes lit up when he saw Ye Sheng enter.

"Brother, where did you go?"

"Go and return the money to Master Liu."

Afterwards, Ye Sheng told Ye Kai about going to the Ghost Market to sell stones, and then took out the remaining copper coins from his pocket and waved them in front of Ye Kai.

"The stone I picked up sold for 180 coins. After deducting the commission and cost I gave to Master Liu earlier, this is what's left."

Hearing this, Ye Kai's eyes widened in surprise: "Brother, that stone can sell for so much?"

"Um."

Ye Sheng carefully collected the remaining copper coins and sat down next to his younger brother. "Brother, that stone is called a spirit stone fragment. Manager Hu and Master Liu were right; it can indeed fetch a price in the ghost market."

Upon hearing this, Ye Kai pursed his lips, seemingly wanting to say something but then stopping himself.

"Brother, is the Ghost Market... dangerous?"

Ye Sheng remained silent for a moment.

Images of the Ghost Market cave flashed through my mind, along with the figures wearing ghost masks and the dried corpse at the entrance of the inner market that instantly turned to ashes.

"It's a bit dangerous," he finally told the truth, "but as long as you follow the rules, don't do anything reckless, and are cautious, it'll be fine."

Upon hearing this, Ye Kai lowered his head, his fingers gripping the pages of the book tightly.

"It's all my fault..." he said softly. "If it weren't for me, you wouldn't have had to risk your life in a place like that."

"Silly little brother." Ye Sheng reached out and ruffled his hair. "What nonsense are you talking about? You're my brother. If I don't take care of you, who will?"

He paused, then added, "Besides, I got something good from the ghost market this time."

As he spoke, he took out the brass plaque from his pocket. The plaque gleamed with a dark luster in the morning light. The character "鬼" (ghost) on the front was sharply written, while the cloud pattern on the back was intricate and delicate.

"Huh? What's this?"

Ye Kai curiously leaned closer to observe carefully.

"This is called the Ghost Market Bronze Plaque."

Ye Sheng explained simply, "With this, I won't have to buy a pass from Master Liu every time I enter the Ghost Market, and this Ghost Market bronze token also grants me entry to the inner market."

"The inner city?"

Although Ye Kai only vaguely understood what he was hearing, he could tell that his brother valued the plaque very much.

"Brother, will you go to that place again in the future?"

"Maybe."

As he spoke, Ye Sheng carefully put away the Ghost Market bronze plaque and continued, "But not now. The most important thing now is to hope that the shipping guild will agree to let us keep accounts and list our business."

At this point, he stood up, walked to the window of the shed, and looked towards the Longmen Gorge.

Master Liu said he would bring him news of the meeting before noon. If he could meet Old Chen, he must find a way to persuade him.

After all, hanging up the peach wood plaque for three months is currently the only way for the two brothers to survive.

……

When the sun was high in the sky, Ye Sheng came to Liu the Cripple's wooden house again.

The door was still open, and Liu the Cripple was sitting on the threshold, holding a bamboo tube and scattering fish food into the river.

"You've arrived?" he asked without turning his head.

"Master Liu," Ye Sheng stepped forward quickly, "What did Old Chen say? Did he...?"

He agreed to see you.

Liu the Cripple interrupted him, "The time is set for late afternoon, at the incense hall of the Longmen Gorge boatmen's guild. Old Chen said he's only giving you fifteen minutes this time because of me."

Upon hearing this, Ye Sheng felt relieved.

"Thank you for your help, Master Liu. I will remember this kindness."

"Kid, don't thank me yet."

Liu the Cripple turned around, looking at Ye Sheng with a complicated expression, and said, "Old Chen is a very shrewd man. With the little money you have left, he might not agree to let you hang up the sign for three months."

"I know," Ye Sheng said in a deep voice, "but we have to try."

Upon hearing this, Liu the Cripple remained silent for a moment, then suddenly sighed.

"Alright, I'll go with you again then. I'll help you as much as I can."

He paused, then added, "But let me make this clear: if Old Chen really won't budge, don't force him. After all, the rules of the boatmen's guild aren't something we can negotiate."

"clear."

It was still early before Shenshi (3-5 PM). Ye Sheng returned to the shed, cooked a bowl of thin porridge for Ye Kai, and gave him the medicine that Manager Hu had left behind.

Although Ye Kai's leg has healed in the past two days, he still needs to rest for three months and cannot work. Therefore, for the next three months, Ye Sheng will have to shoulder the household chores alone.

Fortunately, he had some copper coins, so he didn't have to worry about food in the short term. He kept twenty coins from the money left over from selling the stones to make a living.

Once he gets the boatmen's agreement to lend him money, he can go to the mountains to chop more firewood or go to the riverbank to collect more medicinal herbs.

I unlocked the skill of [herb identification] yesterday while looking for snake tongue grass by the river. Although I'm still a beginner, I can at least recognize a few common medicinal herbs.

If I could gather more myself, I could sell it at the town's pharmacy...

As Ye Sheng was thinking, he suddenly heard footsteps outside.