Chapter 103: I’m Not Paying

"Old man? Why aren't you answering? What are you doing?"

A voice came from the inner room. With the rustle of clothes and then footsteps, the woman inside pushed aside the fabric curtain and emerged, only to see her husband sprawled on the ground, sweating profusely and gasping for breath.

Frightened, the woman quickly knelt to help him up, but as she did, she found Zuo Boran's body was stiff.

"Oh, old man, what's wrong with you?!"

Reaching out, she touched him and found Zuo Boran's hair was soaked. Seeing his pale face, she quickly began rubbing her husband's chest to help him breathe.

Perhaps feeling the warmth of his wife's hand, Zuo Boran finally started to recover, circulating his inner qi to calm himself.

"Huh... phew... just now, I thought I was going to die..."

"What on earth happened? You look like you've seen a ghost!"

"Shhh!"

Zuo Boran immediately grew agitated, cautiously glancing towards the main door.

"Don't talk nonsense! I saw deities! The Judges, both civil and martial, under the City God of Juntian Prefecture—they were just here!"

Zuo Boran pointed to the spot in front of the Eight Immortals table, still feeling a lingering fear.

"Phew... I thought my time was up. But the two Judges said they were instructed by a revered master to establish the family's destiny... Phew..."

Zuo Boran's voice still trembled. The close encounter with deities and spirits had caused a palpitation that was unimaginable, far different from the thrilling tales told by storytellers. All he felt was fear.

However, by this point, a faint sense of excitement also began to rise, steadily growing stronger. It wasn't long before Zuo Boran's face transformed from pale to flushed.

Zuo Boran was, after all, a martial artist. He rubbed his legs, stood up, and walked to the Eight Immortals table, gazing at the calligraphy on it. He recalled that Mr. Ji had mentioned speaking with the City God of Juntian Prefecture, and sure enough, the Judges had arrived that very night.

Meanwhile, Zuo Boran's wife had initially doubted her husband's story about encountering the Judges, but seeing the calligraphy on the table, she began to believe it might be true. After all, it was a promise from an immortal.

It was almost half an hour later before the couple finally returned to bed.

The next day, the news of Zuo Boran's encounter with the Civil and Martial Judges spread among the Zuo descendants. The Yan family also gradually learned of it, but the area around the Yan family's workshop was full of their own people, who never divulged any information outside.

The fourth day after Zuo Boran's nighttime encounter with the Judges arrived.

A peculiar phenomenon had been observed at the Yan family's workshop for the past two days: two to three dozen muscular blacksmiths, ranging from young to old, weren't engaged in their usual forging. Instead, they were all making sword scabbards.

Some collaborated on the entire process, from shaping to polishing and oiling, while others completed the whole task independently. It was like a traditional artisan workshop, and the thought of crafting scabbards for an immortal sword filled the group of craftsmen with excitement.

As for the instigator of all this, he was currently oblivious, sightseeing within Juntian Prefecture city.

Arriving at the teahouse where he had gathered information upon his first visit to Juntian Prefecture, Ji Yuan had intended to finish listening to "The Legend of General Huang." However, the storyteller had changed, and the tales were different.

"Please come in, honored guest! We have soups, fried dishes, and various brewed teas available!"

A tea server, seeing Ji Yuan standing by the entrance for a while without entering, stepped forward to greet him.

Ji Yuan merely smiled and shook his head, then turned and left without a word. With the storyteller changed and "The Legend of General Huang" no longer being told, his interest had waned.

The tea server scratched his head, watching the distinguished gentleman walk away. He didn't seem like someone who couldn't afford a pot of tea.

Ji Yuan used no magical arts or movement techniques, simply walking slowly out of the city towards the Yan family's workshop by the Yuanzi River.

This time, Ji Yuan had no intention of disturbing them further. What needed to be done was done, and there was no need to startle the Yan family again. Upon reaching the Yuanzi River, Ji Yuan made himself invisible using an illusion spell before entering the vicinity of the Yan family's workshop.

Today was a little strange; there was no sound of forging from the Yan family's side at all. Instead, many wooden friction sounds and murmurs came from behind the blacksmith's workshop.

Ji Yuan first returned the umbrella he had borrowed without asking, then followed the sounds and smells towards the back of the Yan family's crafting workshop.

"Hiss..."

Rarely did Ji Yuan take such an exaggerated breath.

By now, while there were still things in the mortal world that could surprise Ji Yuan, they weren't many. This current sight was one of them.

Under several large sheds, two to three dozen bare-chested blacksmiths were all grinding and crafting sword scabbards. These were just the unfinished ones in their hands; on the nearby racks and on the ground, at least dozens of completed scabbards were already stored.

From material selection to style, from color to carvings, they were all varied and unique...

'Have the Yan family lost their minds?'

As this thought crossed Ji Yuan's mind, he immediately laughed, realizing the reason: it all stemmed from him, the "immortal."

Just looking at so many scabbards, Ji Yuan wondered how much manpower, materials, and money the Yan family had spent. Originally, he had only planned to leave a hundred coins as payment for a scabbard and a note.

But now, with so many scabbards, Mr. Ji certainly didn't want to be the patsy who paid for them all.

To be honest, among all these scabbards, Ji Yuan liked many of them, especially the less ornate ones. He quietly approached a wooden rack at the very edge, reached out, and picked up a simple pale green wooden scabbard, which disappeared with him.

Then Ji Yuan hesitated for a moment, still finding it both amusing and exasperating, before taking out two one-tael silver ingots from his pocket. With a gentle force, he tossed them towards Old Master Yan, who, despite being seventy or eighty, was still vigorously polishing a new scabbard.

"Clink clink~~"

The two silver ingots, despite being thrown gently, made two distinct clinks as they hit Old Master Yan's head. The old man, thinking someone was playing a prank, instinctively caught the silver as it fell from his head, yet was inexplicably enraged.

"Who? Which scoundrel threw silver at me!"

At that moment, Ji Yuan's teasing voice drifted faintly from afar.

"Who told you to make so many scabbards? I only have one sword! As for the rest of the cost, you can sell the scabbards yourselves to recoup it!"

The voice faded into the distance, clearly indicating his departure.

Old Master Yan immediately covered his mouth, fine beads of sweat appearing on his forehead. Had he just cursed an immortal?

At this point, all the craftsmen had heard the voice and stopped their work. The blacksmith shop became momentarily silent, with many secretly glancing at Old Master Yan to see his reaction.

After a dozen breaths, confirming that the immortal had likely left and had no intention of holding a grudge, Old Master Yan suddenly realized an important question and immediately shouted at the top of his lungs.

"Whose scabbard was chosen? Quickly, check whose scabbard was chosen, which one is missing? Everyone, look!"

"Yes, yes! Quick, see which one is gone!"

"But the one in my hand isn't finished yet..." "Finish what, you idiot!"

"I hope it's mine, I hope it's mine!" "It must be mine!"

The group of craftsmen eagerly checked the racks beside them and the scabbards on the ground, hoping to find one missing.

"Ah hahahaha... It's mine! It's mine! My scabbard was chosen! Hahahahaha... My plain green lacquered wooden scabbard from the very edge is gone! Hahahaha, the immortal must have taken it!"

A blacksmith in his thirties was so delighted he almost jumped up and danced, pointing at the wooden rack and laughing uncontrollably.

Many blacksmiths nearby still wouldn't give up, continuing to flip through their own creations, only to face the cruel reality that none were missing.

Finally, everyone watched the jubilant blacksmith, pouting and sighing, offering a couple of perfunctory congratulations.

As the man was basking in his triumph, he saw the Elder Master leave in the direction of the ancestral hall. He immediately slapped his forehead, remembering that the silver hadn't been given to him yet, and quickly chased after him.

"Elder Master, Elder Master! That silver, shouldn't it be given to me? At least one ingot? The immortal gave it, Elder Master!"

"Hmph, you know it was given by an immortal, but you don't understand its true significance! Giving it to you would be a waste of a heavenly treasure. I'll take it to the ancestral hall and offer it, placing it with the ancestral tablets, so everyone can see it when we offer incense!"

Old Master Yan didn't look back, quickening his pace, leaving that remark which struck the man speechless, rooted to the spot.

PS:Here, I'd like to recommend something personal and a bit tricky, to help those suffering from a "book drought" (evil laugh): the WeChat book recommendation account "36 Stratagems for Book Famine."

Last year, I saw posts constantly mentioning "Brother Jiu's recommended books." Out of curiosity, I inquired and followed it. It's a place that can "detoxify" you and help you find a bunch of high-quality similar books. I'm writing this here, not in the "Author's Notes," specifically so everyone can see it.

I chatted with Brother Jiu for the first time a few days ago and was a little excited. There's definitely a "PY" involved, but it's not something to hide, because "36 Stratagems" genuinely has this quality, which is why I can boldly write such a long recommendation, haha. I hope those who find books are happy, and please don't hit me if you end up with an even worse book drought! ^_^