UGB Chapter 51 Unexpected Wealth
Chapter 51 Unexpected Wealth
A dream of the future.
After having breakfast, Zhou Qiuyuan went to his master's residence as usual, and everything was as normal.
Lu Chengping resumed his usual amiable demeanor and, as usual, asked Zhou Qiuyuan if he wanted to exchange the Thunder-Nourishing Pills. The two successfully completed the exchange.
Everything seemed to have returned to yesterday; the relationship between the fellow disciples was harmonious, as if nothing had happened.
Lu Chengping is a man of deep thoughts. Just like a dog that bites but never barks, the Jiang family father and son have offended Lu Chengping and will definitely not have a good outcome.
After Zhou Qiuyuan finished his cultivation, he planned to find out about the two people's situation and then find an opportunity to eliminate these two potential threats.
Lei Huyin has reached the perfect realm and there is no further progress. The bones of his right hand and the flesh of his face have been tempered. Next, he can cultivate the Spirit Rhinoceros Sword Finger and the Face-Changing Secret Technique.
Zhou Qiuyuan found a secluded spot to sit down and focused all his attention on the secret art of face-changing.
By changing their appearance when fighting enemies, the risk of their identity being exposed can be reduced.
Tonight I also want to investigate the current situation of the Jiang father and son; I must master the secret technique of changing faces as soon as possible.
The Face-Changing Secret Technique is not difficult to master. By using special techniques to control the lightning spiritual power to act on the flesh and blood, the face can be changed. Once the lightning spiritual power used to maintain it is dissipated, it can return to normal.
Changing the distance between the eyes, facial contours, eyebrow shape, and hairstyle can all alter one's appearance.
This is similar to minor cosmetic surgery adjustments; by making a few modifications to key areas, you can easily get a new face.
After a day of practice, Zhou Qiuyuan had a basic grasp of the secret art of face-changing.
After Zhou Qiuyuan finished dinner, as darkness fell, he manipulated his lightning spiritual power to begin making subtle adjustments to his face.
Before long, he transformed into a middle-aged man with slightly wide-set eyes, droopy eyes, and slightly sallow skin.
Zhou Qiuyuan donned night clothes, picked up the Thunder Listening Sword, and headed straight for Tianxiang Tower, where he found Gong Lei.
"Who are you?"
Gong Lei stared warily at the man in black standing in front of the hidden door.
This person was about the same height as the contact, but the features revealed under the black veil were different from those of the previous contact; he was a completely different person.
Zhou Qiuyuan controlled a wisp of lightning spiritual power to linger in his qi channel, and said in a hoarse voice, "Xuan San has been promoted, and I will take over the intelligence gathering here."
"Any recent intelligence?"
Gong Lei reluctantly took out a slip of paper and handed it over.
"Grain prices in Black Swamp City have risen sharply, and many refugees in Skycraft City have nowhere to turn but to sell their belongings cheaply in the West Market. Many people have profited from this."
"I took advantage of the lull in business at Tianxianglou to wander around for most of the day and noted down several useful pieces of information."
Gong Lei took out a piece of paper covered with large, crooked characters, which specified the source of the intelligence, its exact location, the seller's time and information, as well as the type and value of the treasure obtained.
Human memory is prone to errors, and information is easily distorted or omitted when transmitted orally.
Zhou Qiuyuan then instructed Gong Lei to write down the price information and submit it.
Gong Lei's family declined early, and he was not very literate. He only started learning again after he gained status and position. Apart from his ugly handwriting, he was otherwise fine.
Zhou Qiuyuan glanced at the note in the dim light and discovered several opportunities, large and small, mostly worth between five thousand and thirty thousand coins.
During this period, the consumption of elixirs surged, and money was flowing out like water. However, a few small opportunities brought in a considerable amount of money, which can be considered a substantial income.
"Not bad!" Zhou Qiuyuan nodded, and left in a hurry without lingering there.
He didn't rush home. He asked around and eventually found the residence of the Jiang family, eventually arriving at a three-courtyard house.
It was already late, and the surrounding houses were completely dark, with no candles lit.
Zhou Qiuyuan gathered a wisp of thunderous yang energy in his lungs before carrying the Thunder Listening Sword and tiptoeing over the courtyard wall.
The main room's door was wide open, and one could vaguely see that the room was in disarray, with bloodstains still remaining on the floor. Two mangled bodies lay on the bed, already dead.
The flames from the tinderbox dispelled the darkness and illuminated two bloodied and mangled faces, their appearance so tragic that their identities were impossible to discern.
The Jiang family, father and son?
These are the two bullies who came to our door yesterday.
Under Zhou Qiuyuan's guidance, they ultimately met their demise.
Seeing the two men's miserable state, Zhou Qiuyuan gained a new understanding of Lu Chengping's ruthlessness.
With the enemy dead, we saved ourselves some trouble.
Since we've come all this way, we should at least see if we can gain anything extra, so that the trip won't be in vain.
The three-courtyard house had been searched by Lu Chengping's men beforehand, and the two magical artifacts were nowhere to be found. The house was empty, with only the rice and meat stored in the side room remaining.
Zhou Qiuyuan searched everywhere, not caring that the noise he made would wake the neighbors.
All the effort paid off. His finger tapped a tile with a different echo, and when he lifted it, a sealed ceramic jar was revealed.
Inside the earthenware jar was a house deed and a gold ingot weighing fifty taels.
The property deed corresponds to a different two-courtyard house, not the one rented by the Jiang family and Zhou Qiuyuan.
This property deed and fifty taels of gold ingots were not their entire fortune. Rather, they were a backup plan that the Jiang father and son had deliberately hidden to prevent any unforeseen circumstances, as capital for their comeback.
Lu Chengping's men found the land deeds and property of the Jiang family, mistakenly believing they had obtained all the spoils, which gave Zhou Qiuyuan the opportunity to snag a bargain.
Property prices in Black Swamp City have skyrocketed; this deed is worth at least three million coins.
The Jiang father and son are dead. If Zhou Qiuyuan takes out their house deeds to sell, wouldn't that be an admission of guilt? We'll find a way to deal with them later.
Tonight's harvest was good.
Zhou Qiuyuan arrived at the black market in the southern part of the city.
Aside from the night he fought the Jiang family father and son and was severely injured, he came to buy goods almost every day.
We can't miss it tonight either.
Before the day was up, the black market was much larger than before, with two or three times more stalls and customers.
After the body refiners from Tianqiao City entered Black Swamp City, those who were used to doing all sorts of business went back to their old ways and immediately sought out the city's black market upon entering.
They brought local specialties from Tianqiao City, attracting even more customers and making the black market exceptionally lively.
There are an unusually large number of stalls selling magical items on the black market, at least three times more than before.
Zhou Qiuyuan wasted no time and headed straight for the spirit tool stall with a clear purpose.
The stall had a large number of magical artifacts, more than thirty in total, including swords, axes, armor, and hammers. These magical artifacts all had one thing in common: a diamond-shaped hole in the middle.
Zhou Qiuyuan glanced around but didn't find any treasures that resembled lightning-type magical artifacts, so he asked, "Do you have any lightning-type magical artifacts on this stall?"
The stall owner was a man dressed in scholar's robes, wearing a blue ghost mask. He laughed and said, "You're in luck. I happen to have a low-grade Thunder Spirit Jade."
He took out a purple rhombus-shaped jade from his pocket and said with a smile, "This item is worth 850,000 coins."