After eating at a small restaurant just outside the manor’s front door, the first place I went was a nearby book store. This place had a section for Cultivation techniques, a section for Spell techniques, a section for various skills, and a section for entertainment books, which included educational and historical ones. The last two sections seemed to be the most popular, as mortals, those who couldn’t or didn’t yet cultivate, made up ninety percent of the population. Of course, they were still less than half of the business here, as almost all cultivators were literate, and they also tended to have far more money, not to mention a need to constantly acquire new techniques. Normal people usually only needed the skill and entertainment books, which were much cheaper than the cultivator books due to not needing layered writing. Of course, some of the books did include such writing, but it was mostly used the way we use footnotes, offering alternative translations when retelling ancient stories or different wording for various concepts. The books meant for mortals also never included layers more complex than the ones I labeled ‘magic eye puzzles’, as mortals couldn’t alter the color of light they could see or properly adjust their brains or souls to read the text.
As I was making no effort to hide my cultivation, upon entering the store a middle aged man behind the desk stood up and came over. He was at the peak of first level, and no doubt recognized a fellow cultivator, someone who had considerable money, would be able to earn this business a significant profit. “Greetings, sir.” he said, bowing to me. “My name is Ji Cha. May I help you find anything in particular?”
“You’re from the Ji family?” I asked, a bit surprised. “I thought their main interest was in alchemy.”
The man nodded. “Yes sir, both the main and branch families specialize in alchemy, but I didn’t have any interest in that field, nor was I able to concoct even the most basic pills. Instead, I decided to start a book store, providing reasonably priced books to the people of this city.”
I nodded, but was still curious about something. “I don’t mean to pry if it’s a sensitive topic, but I’m currently staying at the Ji estate, and the family members I met yesterday around my age were all in the second level. The family doesn’t seem to have a shortage of adequate cultivation techniques, so I was wondering if you ran into a bottleneck or heart demon which prevented your advancement?”
The man looked a bit sad, but answered me. “While it isn’t something I would normally talk about, it isn’t a secret that I only possess a Gold root. While I was able to learn the basic cultivator abilities and train with those abilities to the peak of level one using a pure metal technique, something about my root doesn’t work with the technique’s breakthrough method, thus preventing me from reaching the second level. The family doesn’t have any books which use the Gold root, and only had the one metal root technique. It wasn’t that much of an issue when I was younger, as I was able to keep up with the others my age through training, but when I was in my early forties the family head started delegating me to minor tasks that I had no interest in, so I asked permission to start a book store. The family loaned me the money to buy this property and the first books I carried, and now own half of the store.”
I nodded. “I assume you have been hoping to find a pure gold cultivation technique, but they are so rare that you have never seen one.” He nodded, and I thought for a few seconds. “Have you tried a generic technique?”
The man looked confused for a second before realizing what I meant. “You mean basic techniques which aren’t specialized in any root or set of roots?” I nodded and he shook his head. “You must be interested in history to think of that option. They were popular until a thousand years ago, but they are too rare in the modern day.”
I thought about his situation again. I knew at least a dozen techniques that would help him, but they were all techniques from Earth, which I was banned from providing to the locals and which could give away my identity if I gave any of them to him. The only local technique I had that could help him was “Chasing Tribulation”, and it was too complicated and specialized to easily make him a copy. Without a copy of the book to reference he could easily make a mistake that could kill him, and I was using my copy so I couldn’t sell it to him. I would have to either find someone here to make him an inferior copy or return to Earth and make a proper copy, though I wasn’t sure how to do layered text with a printer, so I would have to research it.
“Have you ever heard of a book called ‘Chasing Tribulation’?” I asked him. “It was the main cultivation technique of a sect called ‘Heavenly Tribulation Sect’ that disappeared around a thousand years ago.” He shook his head. “I have a copy of the book, but I am using it currently so I can’t sell it to you. From the description in the book, the sect didn’t care what root their members had as long as they had one, and used the same technique with all of their members. If you can get a copy, it may be worth it, though it can be expensive.”
He nodded. “Any book that is that old is bound to be expensive.” he responded.
“Well, mine is a roughly one hundred and fifty year old Average or High grade copy, so I managed to get it for around a thousand.”
He nodded. “That is certainly more affordable, and such a quality could likely get me to at least level three.”
I nodded. “I am currently mixing it with my other method to prepare for my own breakthrough into level three, so I’m certain it could. I’m not certain that any lower quality copy I could make at this time could do so, however, and could cause issues. The only other option I can think of is to make you a cultivation technique myself.” He looked confused at my statement. “Oh, I studied the theory behind techniques in a scholar sect in my homeland.” While they were rare around here, there were scholar sects in this world which dedicate themselves to the study of a specific topic or group of topics. The only one that had a presence around here that I knew of, however, were the Keepers of the Dao, a group of monks that believed that all information was sacred and chose to dedicate their life to protecting and spreading it. They printed most of the books in this region, having the largest number of printing presses, and also acted as information brokers. “I have never built a cultivation technique from the ground up, only spell techniques, but I have modified many cultivation techniques to upgrade them from petty or low grade to Average or High. If I can study the nature of the Gold root a bit more, I may be able to make one which specializes in the Gold root.” While he could probably ask the Keepers of the Dao for a jade or printed copy of a pure gold technique, they usually charged ten times the normal price for the technique, as charging normal price for things that weren’t in circulation would destroy the market for used books as well as prevent other book sellers from earning a living.
The man nodded, but looked dejected. “There is no need for you to go through all of the trouble. I don’t want to be a hassle to my customers.”
“Oh, it’s not a hassle. In fact, learning more about the different rare roots is quite enjoyable. If you would permit me to do so, I can likely get enough information to at least get started by observing you while you try to cultivate.” He didn’t seem to like the idea, but I could tell that he was considering it. “How about this. You can think about it and if you decide to let me try we can talk tonight at the manner.” He nodded, accepting the statement. “So,” I said, wanting to pull the conversation away from the somber mood. “Do you happen to have any books on how physicians take a person’s pulse? I thought that if you put your qi into another cultivator they would reject it, and if you placed it in a mortal it would render them unconscious or cause nerve or brain damage. I find it quite interesting that physicians can do so without injuring the patient.”
At being asked about a book, a subject Ji Cha seemed to vastly prefer, he perked up. “Ah yes. Quite an interesting technique. We have several versions of the ‘Taking Pulse’ technique, in various qualities.” He lead me over to the Spell Technique shelf where we began to discuss the various techniques there.
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From the rough description, the technique involved twisting the strand in a way that it created a layer of neutral qi around itself, which acted as a barrier between the two different person’s qi. While I didn’t know the specifics, using neutral qi to separate the two could theoretically work, as the air was filled with neutral qi and therefore no one would have a reaction with it. Even on Earth, where we lacked qi until twenty five years ago, having a qi allergy was extremely rare, and once the person had absorbed a bit of qi their body was able to overcome the allergic reaction, the same way they overcame allergies to foods or pet dander, with even the worst cases only requiring a breakthrough to qi gathering. He had three different versions of the text to consider, with three different levels of effectiveness. They were High, Average, and Low grade.
In general, the cost of a technique book could be estimated from the quality and required level. A petty quality was one stone, lesser two, average four, high ten, master fifty, and heavenly five hundred. The level associated with the technique modified that by a factor of ten for each level, so a level one technique would cost one stone, a level two ten stones, a level three one hundred stones, etc. This meant that Taking Pulse, what was considered a level two technique due to the complexity, would cost ten stones times the quality rating. There was a bit of alteration in the price based on demand and rarity, of course, with unorthodox techniques and ones for rarer roots, like gold, costing more. Ancient techniques also didn’t match the pattern, as their value was based on their usefulness. Techniques which were useless and therefore only historical curiosities usually only cost one stone, whereas techniques which could outperform modern ones demanded a premium. Cultivation techniques also usually cost more than the standard rate as well, as they included not just the cultivation method but also several accompanying spells.
All of that meant that the High grade Taking Pulse technique would cost one hundred stones. I thought about it for a few seconds. Did I really need this technique? For me, it was more of an intellectual curiosity, but for physicians on Earth it would allow a high quality assessment of the patient. I had no doubt that this technique would be popular on Earth one day, but wasn’t sure if it already existed, thereby allowing me to get it for possibly cheaper once I returned. I eventually decided that, as I could use it to assess Ji Cha’s cultivation if he allowed me, as well as use it to help diagnose injuries and ailments, as I was also currently filling the role of physician for the Ambassador, I could count it as a work expense. Once I got back to Earth I would give a copy of it to Maria as well, as she would be able to use it. “Do you have this book in Jade?” I asked, and Ji Cha nodded.
“Yes, though only in High grade. I lack the skill to make a proper lower grade copy of it.” Making a lower grade copy likely involved cutting out some of the layers, much like when making a lower quality physical copy, but that would be much more difficult to do when dealing with a memory within a jade slip.
“Then would you mind making me a copy?” I asked. He nodded, then went to the back of the store to do so.
While he was back there I started looking over the other books. There was a single Master level book here, which happened to be of the Fire element, meaning that I could possibly learn it. All of the other spell techniques appeared to have High grade versions at best, with many only having Average and below. This Fire technique, “The Dancing Dragon Technique” would allow one to shape their fire qi into a semi-autonomous Dragon Spirit, which they could command on the battlefield with their mind and feed qi should it start to weaken. I had heard stories of similar techniques, but none of the online books listed such a technique. It was a level three technique, however, so I likely wouldn’t be able to learn it until I advanced.
The quality and level meant that it would cost around five thousand stones to purchase. If I had the money, I would gladly pay that much, as it could easily help in combat, but I currently lacked the funds to do so. Maybe I could find a way to earn more.
I moved over to the Cultivation technique shelf. About half of the shelf was covered in various occupational based cultivation techniques, ranging in quality from Petty to Average. I saw both the Chef Path and the Gardener Path there. These Occupation books were all common enough, with only level one or occasionally level two versions, that I could afford to buy many of them. I pulled out a sheet of paper and a marker and started writing down the names of the ones I wanted. Markers were uncommon here, but not so uncommon that it would draw attention, as this one was made of compressed cotton and spirit pine instead of plastics.
Traditionally, one would write with a brush, but that required one to carry an ink pot and write in a spot where one could place the pot, like at a desk. So around two thousand years ago someone had rolled up a piece of cloth and put it in a bamboo tube, then capped off one end and put the other end in an ink pot to absorb the entire pot of ink. This allowed them to write anywhere they wanted, and this Travel Brush could write dozens of pages before needing to absorb more ink. Over time the design was refined, becoming something similar to a modern marker. In fact, markers were a common product sold at the base before the siege, and still are fairly popular even now.
Ji Cha returned with the jade and I verified its contents by touching it to my head but not sending enough qi into it to do more than essentially skim the pages. In jade form the layered text worked even better than the paper copy, as one needed to shift their perspective to look at the information instead of alter their eyes. Instead of words, the text contained deep and nuanced concepts, so depending on your perception when viewing the concept one would interpret it as a different word. The slips would therefore be transcribed many different ways depending on who read them, but all transcriptions were still valid, with only the quality varying. It was this fact that made me want to start buying only Jade slips instead of books, as with enough work one could guarantee that they got the most out of the text. “Very good.” I said, nodding. “Now, I assume you only have Average quality jades of these techniques?” I asked, handing him the sheet.
He looked it over and nodded. “Yes. Occupational techniques are rarely seen in High or greater quality, as most cultivators aren’t interested in delving into secrets of a such a field.”
I nodded. “In that case, I would like an Average jade of all of these. In fact, do you have any for basic literacy?” He nodded and lead me over to the Skill section. It included a book for speaking, reading and writing the Black Dragon Region dialect, as well as a few other dialects for nearby regions. I realized that these would definitely work better as jade slips, as you can’t read a book if you don’t know how to read, so I asked for the local language one. They were considered Mortal level skills, which were priced the same as the level one skills, and were Master quality, so this particular jade cost me fifty gold. It would be worth it, however, as it would mean that people on Earth could rapidly learn the local language once I returned.
After I added a jade for the Layered Writing technique, so that I could transcribe these books in English once I returned to Earth, all of my purchases together came to around five hundred stones, but it was well worth it. I stacked them in my bag and paid, then thanked Ji Cha for his help and left for the manor. I would need to learn these techniques as soon as possible if I wanted to earn enough money to buy the Dancing Dragon Technique before leaving town.
Back at the manor I went to my quarters and sat down to meditate before randomly pulling out one of the manuals. It was the Language jade. Starting by making sure I was fluent in the local language made sense, so I pressed the slip against my forehead and sent a stream of qi into it, copying the information into my brain by ‘reading’ it, intertwining the qi in my brain and the qi in the jade slip. The process was a bit disorienting, as there was a lot of information there, but once the dizziness went away I realized that I had been misunderstanding a few things. There were places in my reading of Chasing Tribulation where I didn’t know the word and had to guess at its meaning, usually ignoring it, as I could understand the other layers. Now, however, I realized that they were just rarer, specialized words.
I got out my copy of Chasing Tribulation and started reading it again, and this time all of those confusing parts made sense. Sure, I couldn’t properly translate them into English, as English lacked many of the words or concepts, but thanks to the jade I now understood the meaning of those words, if not the nuances of meaning that words picked up as they were used in all cases. I would have to try using these words in conversation to get a better understanding of them.
Now that I had a better understanding of the text I adjusted my cultivation seeds using that information and instantly saw a fifteen percent improvement in the future performance of the seed, as well as a lessening of side effects form the way I was refining my body.
I was so impressed by the improvement that I was considering turning on the array and feeding the seed. Then I heard a knock on my door and went over to see who it was. “Master,” said the little girl outside, “I have come to notify you that the noon meal is ready, if you are hungry.”
“Oh, thank you.” I said, “I didn’t realize it was that late.”
