Immortal Path to Heaven c1-725

by Heaven's White Crane

  Chapter 146 - An Encounter On The Way

  The prefecture was where the county’s capital was located. It was a bustling place that could not be compared with the military camp, which was fortified and faced the boundless immense forest.

  Ni Yunhong and his younger sister led the way. They were heading to the prefecture’s night market.

  In the prefecture, people had completely different living habits than those from the military camp and the town. For most people here, nighttime was the real beginning of a day.

  When the siblings and Ou Yangming arrived at a brightly lit street, Ou Yangming suddenly smiled and said, “Look.”

  The siblings were slightly stunned when they looked toward where he was pointing, but they quickly laughed.

  A familiar old man was standing there.

  It was Zheng Ziwen, the Yi Pavilion’s appraiser. He was looking around at one end of the street as though he was searching for something.

  Ni Yinghong grinned. “It’s such a coincidence that we’re able to encounter him here.”

  “Let’s go meet him.” Ou Yangming nodded and smiled. “He’s a good person.”

  Ni Yinghong instantly pursed her lips and smiled so that even her big eyes were narrowed. “Yes, he’s indeed a good person, a really good person!”

  They smiled at each other as they recalled the days of their appraisal task in the basement. In order to let Ou Yangming understand appraisal art, Ni Yinghong had prodded Zheng Ziwen and used other tricks to make the appraisal master employ the art. She only stopped when Zheng Ziwen was exhausted and had no energy left. Without Zheng Ziwen’s selfless help, Ou Yangming could not have grasped appraisal art.

  Ni Yunhong was rather jealous when he saw his younger sister and Ou Yangming smiling at each other. He decided to keep an eye on Ou Yangming so as to prevent his dear sister from being captivated.

  Ou Yangming went with the stream of people in the crowd and shouted, “Master Zheng, what a coincidence!”

  Zheng Ziwen was startled, but his eyes lit up when he turned and saw Ou Yangming. He could not help but flash a bright smile as he responded, “Haha, Master Ou, you’re… Uh, ah… I have something else to attend to, I’ll talk to you next time!” He was actually elated when he first saw Ou Yangming, but he quickly noticed Ni Yinghong, who was behind Ou Yangming. A penetrating chill immediately arose from the bottom of Zheng Ziwen’s heart because he recalled his miserable experience that lasted a few days in the basement.

  Equipment appraisal was supposedly a small matter-like daily life—for him. However, the task that they did together had given him a taste of how tormenting hell would be.

  After continuously using appraisal art for a few days, not only was Zheng Ziwen’s mental power exhausted, but he had also made an overdraft of it. As a result, he was mentally disorganized for the next few days and had no energy to do anything at all.

  In a way, Ni Yinghong had left him with an incredibly deep and unerasable impression.

  Upon seeing the little devil, Zheng Ziwen could not help but shiver. He was mumbling something to himself, and he subconsciously wanted to leave.

  Just as he began shifting his feet, Ni Yinghong’s voice was heard. “Master Zheng, how have you been!”

  Zheng Ziwen halted and smiled, but he looked more awful than if he was crying. “Oh! Isn’t that Master Ni? Forgive me for not noticing you earlier.”

  Ni Yinghong replied to him with a smile, “Master Zheng, you’re a busy and proud man, so it’s not strange that you didn’t notice a nobody like me.”

  “Master Ni, you misunderstood me, that was not the case.” Zheng Ziwen’s face changed. Ou Yangming could not bear watching them anymore, so he asked, “Master Zheng, are you waiting for someone?”

  Zheng Ziwen sighed a breath of relief because he dared not be entangled with the little devil any longer. He quickly answered, “Ah, Master…”

  “Brother Zheng, it’s too difficult for us to keep addressing each other as masters. How about we just use terms of address for friends?” Ou Yangming waved his hand and suggested.

  He was not over 16 years old yet, hence it was quite funny for him to be calling a man, who was in his thirties, a brother. Nonetheless, Zheng Ziwen, who knew Ou Yangming’s abilities very well, was delighted. “Okay, it’s my honor to have a friend like you, Brother

  Ou.”

  All of a sudden, a figure showed up from a distance away, and that person laughed when he saw who were present. “It’s Master Ou and the Ni family masters!” The person who came was Head Shopkeeper Lin from the town. He nodded at everyone else and asked, “Master Zheng, is Old Tributary Shen still not here yet?”

  “Old Tributary Shen? Are you talking about Old Sir Shen Xiyuan?” Ni Yunhong suddenly blurted.

  Lin Yichen’s face took on a grave expression as he answered, “Yes, it’s Old Sir Shen.”

  Feeling surprised, Ni Yunhong questioned, “Old Sir Shen hasn’t gotten involved in external affairs for years, why are you looking for him?” “Master Ni, there’s a small issue in the Yi Pavilion. Someone came to gamble on stones, and the person who came has ill-intentions, so we’re hoping to invite Old Tributary Shen to oversee the matter and give us some pointers.”

  Ni Yunhong furrowed his eyebrows and commented, “How can someone from the prefecture not treat the Yi Pavilion with respect?”

  Zheng Ziwen interrupted. “The person isn’t from the prefecture, he’s an influential person from Linlang County.”

  Ou Yangming was moved, so he began paying attention to the matter.

  They were in Changlong County at the moment, which was right next to Linlang County. Due to the counties’ geographical location, they competed with each other in many aspects. It was not only survival of the fittest between the officials, but also among civil organizations.

  Ni Yinghong suddenly laughed and said, “Shopkeeper Lin, even if someone from Linlang County has come, it doesn’t have anything to do with you, right?”

  Lin Yichen smiled bitterly and spread out his hands. “Indeed, it wouldn’t be appropriate for me to meddle in the issue half a month ago, but I was ordered and transferred to the prefecture to be the head shopkeeper. There’s nothing I can do…”

  “Head Shopkeeper Lin, you’ve been promoted! Congratulations!” Ni Yinghong’s eyes wandered about.

  Lin Yichen waved his hand. Coincidentally, a young man, who was drenched in sweat, ran over and reported, “Head Shopkeeper, Master Zheng, Old Tributary Shen is unwell and is bed-ridden, so he can’t come today!”

  The faces of Lin Yichen and Zheng Ziwen changed right away. Old Tributary Shen was renowned for being adept in identifying raw gemstones, thus they would be confident if the tributary came, but since he could not come, they felt troubled.

  Ni Yinghong suddenly chuckled. “Head Shopkeeper Lin, you only thought of Old Tributary Shen. You’ve forgotten about someone else who also has great achievements in stone gambling.”

  “Who is it?” Lin Yichen asked as he was shocked.

  “Someone who seems so far away but is actually very near,” Ni Yinghong answered slowly.

  Lin Yichen turned to look at Ou Yangming, but he remarked with a bitter smile, “Master Ou previously opened a top-notch gem, but it was only a coincidence.”

  AS

  Ni Yinghong smiled and expressed, “I thought it was a coincidence too, but now I know that might not be the case.”

  Ou Yangming trembled a little and looked at Ni Yinghong as he was surprised. ‘Could she have noticed something?’

  On the other hand, Lin Yichen asked in a serious manner, “Master Ni, what do you mean?”

  Ni Yinghong put her hands behind her back and answered proudly, “Brother Ou has apprehended the integration of Heaven and man, so he has a superb sense toward the way of nature. Even if he can’t fully perceive raw gemstones, he’s much more powerful than ordinary people!” “What? The integration of Heaven and man?” Lin Yichen’s face changed drastically. He looked deeply at O
u Yangming and bowed respectfully. “I have eyes but was too blind to see, please forgive me, Master Ou.”

  Ou Yangming quickly replied to him, “Head Shopkeeper Lin, you’re being too polite.”

  Zheng Ziwen looked at Ou Yangming in disbelief because he did not expect the young man, whom he had worked with for several days, to be such a substantial figure. Nevertheless, Zheng Ziwen glanced at the little devil again and cursed.

  ‘Master Ou is still so humble, even though he’s fathomed the integration of Heaven and man. On the opposite, you’re so proud for some reason…’

  Lin Yichen rubbed his hands and said, “Master Ou, He Liangce, the He family’s eldest young master, mainly runs a business of raw gemstones and gems in Linlang County. He’s now at the Yi Pavilion, and he specifically asked to contend with the prefecture’s stone gambling master. If you can defeat him, our pavilion will definitely reward you well!” Ou Yangming looked at him and smiled. “Why? Do you have a business conflict with the He family?” Lin Yichen smiled without saying a word, but the answer was crystal clear.

  Zheng Ziwen suddenly spoke, “Brother Ou, He Liangce is a new famous appraiser from Linlang County, and he has suppressed Changlong County. If you can be victorious, you mustn’t hold back at all. You must pursue him so that he loses his reputation!”

  Ou Yangming was actually uninterested in challenges as such, but he was a little moved when he heard how impassioned Zheng Ziwen was.

  It was a battle between the two counties, hence he should do it without any hesitation because he was from Changlong County. Besides, it would be the perfect opportunity to repay Zheng Ziwen’s kindness.

  “Okay, since you’ve said that, I’ll go take a look, Brother Zheng.”

  Lin Yichen and Zheng Ziwen were overjoyed, so they quickly led the way. However, Lin Yichen wondered throughout the journey, ‘Since when have Zheng Ziwen and Ou Yangming suddenly become so close? It looks like I should rely on him more in the future.’

  They quickly made their way to the Yi Pavilion.

  A few people approached Lin Yichen as soon as they saw him, and they looked rather anxious.

  Despite that, Lin Yichen flapped his sleeve and instructed, “Go and invite Young Master He Liangce over, we’ll go pick some stones in the backyard.” A 50-year-old elder asked cheerfully, ‘Head Shopkeeper, has Old Tributary Shen come?”

  “Old Tributary Shen can’t come because he’s ill, but we’ve invited Master Ou.” Lin Yichen looked plainly at him, then said to Ou Yangming after a pause, “Master Ou, let’s go ahead.”

  The other people were dumbfounded when the head shopkeeper addressed the teen as a master. They reacted as though they had just seen a ghost.

  ‘Is a young man like him actually a master?’ ‘Head Shopkeeper Lin, even if you can’t find a suitable candidate, you can’t try to please the public by randomly getting someone to fill the spot…’

  Chapter 147 - Appraise Raw Gemstones

  Ou Yangming entered the backyard while being dubiously looked at by the workers.

  Although it was quite late at night, the backyard was still brightly lit. On top of that, Ou Yangming was surprised to see that layers of different raw gemstones were already gathered.

  Lin Yichen let out a hollow laugh and explained, “Master Ou, our store isn’t usually fully opened at night, but it’s different today.”

  Ou Yangming had already been attracted by the various raw gemstones; there were at least 10,000 of them. The raw gemstones had different appearances, and most of them were useless while a part of them contained amazing attributes.

  For example, the Substitution Gem that Ou Yangming possessed. If the gem’s function was leaked, he would not be able to keep it safe.

  Ou Yangming felt like he had just entered a treasure mountain when he looked at the numerous gemstones.

  He was carried away and lost self-control at the mere thought of the mysterious attributes hiding inside the raw gemstones. Needless to say, he was excited because he had a trick to sense the gems inside the raw gemstones. On the other hand, even the most powerful appraiser would not have such a crazy feeling Lin Yichen smiled when he saw how highly spirited Ou Yangming was. “Master Ou, if you’re able to defeat He Liangce in the raw gemstone challenge today, as the host, I’ll let you keep all the gems you pick!”

  “Hehe…” Ni Yinghong puffed out her cheeks and commented with a smart look in her eyes, “Head Shopkeeper Lin, you’re really acting as you please. According to what I know, He Liangce has just risen in Linlang County, but he has challenged more than just one precious stone store throughout his journey here.”

  “Master Ni, did you forget that the Yi Pavilion doesn’t mainly deal with precious stones? Hehe, besides, isn’t it the natural responsibility of people from Changlong County to defeat people from Linlang County?”.

  Ni Yinghong exclaimed, “You’re really good with your speech, but I suppose the raw gemstones that you were talking about doesn’t include these few?”

  She pointed with her slim finger, and the rest could not help but laugh when they looked in that direction.

  There were over 10,000 raw gemstones in the backyard, but only three gems were placed where she was pointing at.

  The three gemstones were gigantic. In terms of their size only, they were much larger than the rest of the raw gemstones combined.

  Lin Yichen shook his head and smiled bitterly. “Master Ni, you’re kidding. It’s obvious that the three gemstones contain a gem each. Stone gambling tests one judgment and experience, but it also involves one’s luck. If these three gemstones are among the other gemstones to be picked, wouldn’t it be considered cheating?”

  Everyone else laughed. It was also then that several people arrived together. The person who led the group of people was the white-haired supervisor from the Yi Pavilion. A few men and women, who dressed differently from the other people, followed behind him. They surrounded a young man, who was in his twenties, like stars twinkling around the moon.

  The man had a complexion as clear as jade, and he seemed to be giving off a warm aura, hence one would feel inclined to approach him.

  Ou Yangming was slightly stunned. Based on Lin Yichen and Zheng Ziwen’s expression of urgency, he had pictured the He family’s young master to have a threatening aura, which was why they were so anxious. Therefore, Ou Yangming was taken aback when he saw the man because his outer appearance and attitude were out of his expectations.

  He Liangce’s eyes wandered about, but he laid eyes on Ni Yinghong for a second before looking away.

  He grinned. “Head Shopkeeper Lin, where’s Old Sir Shen?”

  Lin Yichen cleared his throat and replied to him, “Young Master He, unfortunately, Old Tributary Shen is ill, so he can’t show up for the time being.”

  “Ah…” He Liangce openly showed how regretful he was. “How unfortunate indeed. I’ve come all the way from Linlang County and passed by seventeen cities, where I’ve exchanged views with precious stone appraisal masters in each city. Many of them recommended Old Sir Shen to me, so it’s quite a pity that I’m not fated to meet him in the prefecture.”

  He was obviously boasting a little, but due to his expression and attitude, nobody actually despised him. In fact, the other people vaguely sympathized with him for having missed the opportunity.

  Ou Yangming somehow had a feeling that something was abnormal, as if He Liangce had the power to influence someone else’s emotions and senses. That said, Ou Yangming did not know if the power came from He Liangce himself or if the young master had achieved it through other means.

  “You may not have the chance this time, but perhaps you’ll meet him in the future.” Lin Yichen chuckled, then introduced after a pause, “Young Master He, this is Ou Yangming, the Yi Pavilion’s appraisal master. He’d like to gain insight on the skills of Linlang County’s number one precious stone appraisal master.”

  Ou Yangming thought, ‘What do you mean by the Yi Pavilion’s appraisal master? You’re
speaking carelessly…’

  Nevertheless, he was not going to expose the lie in front of everyone else.

  The other people from Linlang County cast strange looks at Ou Yangming.

  It was not odd for a young man to be an appraiser because, while not many people were born with mental power, there were definitely more than just a few who were.

  However, it would be quite a joke to say that a young man like Ou Yangming had great achievements in raw gemstone appraisals.

  Even though the people from He Liangce’s side reacted that way, He Liangce kept a plain smile on his face. “Okay, since it’s the Yi Pavilion’s appraisal master who asked, let’s have a challenge.”

  “Young Master He, every raw gemstone that the Yi Pavilion has acquired lately is here, you may select together with Master Ou.” Lin Yichen nodded with a smile, then added in a serious tone, “According to the rules, you both have an hour to choose ten raw gemstones from the pile. Once stone-cracking is done, you’ll be judged based on the number of gems and their quality, and the superior one will be deemed victorious.”

  О

  .

  Someone from He Liangce’s side suddenly blurted, “Head Shopkeeper Lin, since he’s the Yi Pavilion’s raw gemstone appraiser, he must’ve studied the gemstones here more than once. Isn’t the challenge unfair?”

  “It’s fine.” He Liangce waved his hand.

  Though he had only uttered two words, it was obvious how confident he was.

  Ni Yinghong expressed all of a sudden, “Master Ou has never been here before, and if you don’t believe it, there’s no need to go on with the challenge.”

  The other people were stunned, and they looked at her with shock.

  He Liangce laughed out loud and remarked, “Since the Ni family’s little princess has spoken, of course, we believe it.”