Having studied for a hundred years, why do you call me the Martial Saint?

Two days later, early in the morning, before it was fully light.

Gu Shuxian was pulled up by Qian Le.

"Let's go! Junior Brother Gu, I have a big deal!"

Qian Le's eyes lit up as he pulled the man away, speaking in a low voice like a thief.

"What kind of business is more important than sleeping?"

Gu Shuxian rubbed his eyes, sighing that Qian Le was grateful he wasn't grumpy in the morning; preventing people from sleeping in was the most vicious thing in the world.

"A profitable business!"

Without saying a word, Qian Le pulled him outside.

The two left the servants' quarters one after the other and walked along the mountain path toward a pavilion.

The mountain breeze in the early morning is cool, making it hard not to feel refreshed.

Gu Shuxian felt a little admiration for Qian Le.

Qian Le thought that with the arrival of winter and the loss of mountain produce, he would quiet down for a while, but unexpectedly, he found a new way to make money.

broker!

They help people inspect goods and take a cut, without any capital investment or risk; the middlemen make all the profit.

If Qian Le were a little more unscrupulous, he would definitely become one of those super-rich businessmen... Gu Shuxian thought to himself absentmindedly.

When they arrived at the pavilion, two people were already waiting there.

A middle-aged man in his forties, with a short knife hanging at his waist, was clearly a江湖客 (jianghu ke, a person of the martial arts world).

The other was a fat man dressed in silk, wearing a jade thumb ring, looking like a merchant.

The two seemed to be arguing about something, and neither of them looked very happy.

"Your price is outrageous! I won't even earn back my travel expenses for this trip!"

"Outrageous? Go ask around and see if this is a fair price! If you don't believe me, find someone knowledgeable to take a look!"

Qian Le happened to be there at that moment, grinning as he approached:

"Gentlemen, calm down, I've brought the person for you!"

The two turned their heads at the same time, their gazes falling on Gu Shuxian.

He frowned at the same time.

"Him?" The middle-aged man looked him up and down suspiciously. "Brother Qian, didn't you say you were looking for someone knowledgeable? Isn't this just a kid?"

The portly merchant narrowed his eyes: "Brother Qian, you didn't just send someone to fool us, did you? What could this kid possibly know about medicinal herbs?"

That's incorrect!

Qian Le grinned, his face impassive as he began to boast, "My junior brother Gu may look young, but he's incredibly skilled at identifying medicinal herbs! You know the Pill Hall, right? My junior brother Gu works there, and all the senior brothers and sisters there rave about his expertise in identifying herbs!"

How come I didn't know about this?

Gu Shuxian listened expressionlessly.

Yes, Qian Le brought him over to provide technical support.

Upon hearing this, the middle-aged man's expression relaxed slightly: "The Pill Hall, really?"

"How could it be fake?" Qian Le patted his chest and assured him, "What kind of place is this? The Suishan Sword Sect! Who would dare to cheat and swindle people here?"

The man and the merchant nodded in agreement upon hearing this.

The Sword Master's reputation is well-known, and ordinary scoundrels wouldn't dare to cause trouble here. The old forests of Suishan are probably safer than the alleys of Wancheng.

"Alright then," the man relented. "Let this young man take a look!"

The portly merchant hesitated for a moment, then looked me up and down before reluctantly nodding: "Alright, but let me make this clear from the start: if you all team up to scam me, this isn't over!"

"Am I that kind of person, Qian Le?"

Qian Le greeted Gu Shuxian with a grin, "Junior Brother Gu, come and take a look."

Gu Shuxian walked to the stone table in the pavilion. On the table was a small wooden box containing some medicinal herbs.

He knew everything with a single glance.

"How is it?" the fat businessman asked nervously.

Gu Shuxian didn't rush to speak, but instead pretended to pick it up and smell it.

If something is presented too easily, others won't perceive it as important.

"Purple Jade Ganoderma, approximately fifteen years old, cap intact... Blood Ginseng, over twelve years old, cross-section still bright red, top grade..."

He looked at each item one by one and then described its characteristics.

The man's eyes went from doubt to surprise, and then from surprise to admiration.

"This seven-leaf lotus has lost about 20% of its medicinal properties, which is probably due to improper harvesting time..."

The man was taken aback, then smiled helplessly: "Young man, you have a good eye. This plant was left in the mountains for a few days."

The merchant's eyes lit up, and he began to haggle with the man over this.

However, after a while, they reached a deal.

Qian Le took a piece of silver from the fat merchant, his eyes crinkling with laughter.

"We've struck it rich!" He weighed the silver in his hand and lowered his voice, "Junior Brother Gu, this is much better than us searching for medicine deep in the mountains! All we have to do is talk!"

Gu Shuxian's lips twitched.

Those wicked middlemen.

The middle-aged man put away the silver, walked over and clasped his hands in thanks to Gu Shuxian, saying, "Thank you for speaking up for me, young brother. If it weren't for you, this business deal wouldn't have been possible today."

Gu Shuxian waved his hand to indicate that it was alright, and noticing the man's attire as a江湖客 (jianghu kè kè, a person from the martial arts world), he casually asked:

"This brother must have been wandering the martial world for quite some time. In your opinion, do you know what kind of book in this world can be called a peerless masterpiece?"

"A peerless book?" The middle-aged man was taken aback, then smiled helplessly, "How would I know?"

Gu Shuxian nodded, not disappointed, as it was just a casual question.

"However, speaking of unusual books, I bought one at a street stall the other day. It seemed quite interesting. Young man, you helped me a lot, so I'm giving you this book as a thank you gift."

The man suddenly changed the subject, took out a yellowed booklet from his pocket, and handed it over.

Gu Shuxian took the book, which was titled "Missing a Subject".

What is this thing?

Gu Shuxian thanked him.

However, he wasn't particularly moved.

Over the past few months, he has learned from people in various places that the strange books they recommend all have impressive-sounding names and outrageous contents, but Langhuan Pavilion only gives them a rating of one day's work.

This book will likely end up the same way.

Gu Shuxian tucked the book into his pocket, intending to wait until he finished reading those "strange books" before making a decision.

"Let's go, let's go!" Qian Le pocketed the silver, tugged at Gu Shuxian's sleeve, and said, "Let's go back and split the money!"

The two bid farewell to the middle-aged man and the merchant, and walked back along the mountain path.

……

At noon, Gu Shuxian planned to go find Zhou Ji.

As we approached the entrance to Mingjian Residence.

A familiar person walked out from inside.

Meng Ping.

Not far behind him stood a familiar face, Zhou Ji.

Gu Shuxian paused for a moment, his steps faltering slightly.

Meng Ping also saw him, and was equally taken aback before nodding in greeting: "Junior Brother Gu."

"Senior Brother Meng," Gu Shuxian returned the greeting.

The two passed each other without saying much.

Gu Shuxian glanced back at Meng Ping's receding figure, feeling that something was off, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

When he arrived at Zhou Ji's house, Zhou Ji smiled as soon as he saw him:

"Junior Brother Gu, you've come at the perfect time! I just ran out of medicine, come on, have some!"

Gu Shuxian nodded, followed him into the house, and casually asked:

"Senior Brother Zhou, do you know Senior Brother Meng Ping?"