Chapter Forty-Seven: Power, Mu Siyu’s Scheme (Part One)

Wooden Heart mused to himself that he and Fatty had been frequenting the antique markets for half a year now. He could certainly sell things himself, but he knew the price would be much lower. Uncle Li, on the other hand, had a wide network of connections, so the profits would naturally be higher if he handled it. Besides, although these items were technically his, everyone had been present when they were found—it wouldn’t be right to keep everything for himself. So he said, “Uncle Li, I’ll entrust these pieces to you to sell. As for the profits, how about we split them fifty-fifty?”

Uncle Li laughed heartily. “Brother, you just don’t want to take everything for yourself, do you?”

Wooden Heart smiled faintly, thinking to himself that Uncle Li truly was a man of the world.

Uncle Li patted his chest and declared, “Brother Mu, since Old Gu and I said these things are yours, we won’t go back on our word. It’s not just these few million—if it were ten times more, I wouldn’t take a penny.”

This left Wooden Heart a little embarrassed.

Uncle Li waved away his protest. “Brother Mu, you’re not as familiar with the channels for selling jade as I am. If you trust my appraisal, I’ll write you a cash check right now for six million; these pieces are yours, and I’ll handle the rest. If luck is with me and I sell them for more than six million, I’ll pay you the difference later. If not, you don’t have to return a cent—I’ll consider it the price of our friendship.” As he spoke, he pulled out a checkbook and pen, and right there in front of Wooden Heart, wrote a check for six million.

Wooden Heart was stunned. People say the wealthier someone is, the more stingy they become, but Uncle Li was surprisingly generous. Still, as the saying goes, no gift comes without expectation. When Uncle Li saw him accept the check, his face lit up with pleasure, and he said carefully, “Brother Mu, to be honest, I have a favor to ask.” He glanced at Wooden Heart and went on, “Do you remember what I said in the tomb? I hope you’ll introduce me to your master.”

Wooden Heart pondered for a moment, guessing what Uncle Li was after. Uncle Li had just handed over six million so readily, so it would hardly be polite to refuse outright. He could only reply, “Uncle Li, I’ll pass on your request, but whether my master will see you, I can’t guarantee.”

Uncle Li was delighted. “As long as you deliver the message, that’s enough. Tell him that Li Yun has prepared a rare treasure as a gift, to be presented in person.”

“A rare treasure?” Wooden Heart asked. “What is it?”

Uncle Li laughed. “That I cannot say for now. You’ll know when the time comes.” With that, he took his leave.

After seeing Uncle Li off, some time later, someone else knocked at the door. It was the Daoist, Xiu Yuan.

“Brother Mu, did you have some extraordinary encounter in the ancient tomb?” Xiu Yuan asked directly, startling Wooden Heart. “Master, why do you ask?”

Xiu Yuan studied him for a moment. “You disappeared in the tomb for three days. The moment I saw you, I noticed a glimmer of divine light in your eyes, a sign your cultivation has advanced. During those three days, the mysterious-inscribed fragment vanished, and I sensed a surge of energy within the tomb. Putting all this together, I’d say you’ve obtained an unparalleled opportunity—most likely connected to those mysterious glyphs.”

Wooden Heart was speechless. Though this Daoist’s cultivation was meager—he hadn’t even entered the threshold of true cultivation—his insight was sharp. He’d seen through Wooden Heart’s transformation and guessed almost everything.

Seeing Wooden Heart’s silence, Xiu Yuan knew his guess must be close to the truth. He immediately knelt, bowing deeply. “Humble disciple Xiu Yuan, who yearns for the Great Dao, humbly begs the immortal master’s mercy and asks to be taught the Way.”

Wooden Heart hastened to help him up. “Immortal arts are just legends—why do you really believe in them?”

“When my master spoke of immortals, I was a skeptic too. But after decades of study, poring over Daoist texts, I finally found clues,” Xiu Yuan replied, gazing earnestly at Wooden Heart. “Immortal master, why try to deceive me? The so-called ‘tadpole script’ is the writing of the immortals. If one can comprehend its meaning, the Way reveals itself. Something must have happened in ancient times for the Way to be lost, and those who attained it became mere legends.”

With that, he knelt again, pleading bitterly. Wooden Heart, seeing his persistence and his white hair, couldn’t help but think of his own master, Xiaoyaozi, who had only been accepted as a disciple of a true cultivator late in life. His heart softened. “Get up first. Let me think about this. But whatever happens, you must not speak of today’s matters to anyone.”

Xiu Yuan was overjoyed and promised quickly, “Even if you said nothing, I wouldn’t dare to speak. Besides, in these modern, scientific times, if I did, I’d just be taken for a madman.”

Wooden Heart thought that was true. Still, seeing this old man calling himself his disciple felt strange. Xiu Yuan added, “There’s no distinction between teacher and student—only those who understand come first. If I could be your disciple, it would be my greatest blessing!”

After sending Xiu Yuan away, Wooden Heart’s feelings were complicated. On the one hand, he didn’t want to reveal his identity as a plane agent; on the other, Xiu Yuan’s devotion to the Dao moved him (and, truth be told, he’d already guessed almost everything; not accepting him seemed unkind).

With these thoughts, Wooden Heart left Xi’an and returned to his own city. He parted ways with Uncle Li and Xiu Yuan, both of whom watched him leave with anticipation.

“You’re back, Brother Mu!” The three women greeted him eagerly as he entered. Though they were nominally his servants, Wooden Heart’s gentle nature meant that, since coming to Earth, he’d never summoned them back to the “Inner Palace” but let them shop and roam freely. Over time, they’d come to see themselves as the real masters here.

He nodded lightly, handed the six-million-yuan check to Mu Siyu, and went to his room, intending to contact Master Xiaoyaozi to assess his current cultivation. How had he managed to draw upon the world’s energy at the stage of liquefied true essence?

The result…

The system chimed: “Beep… The plane agent you are trying to reach is unavailable. The target is offline!”

He’d expected as much; Xiaoyaozi had said he would be going into seclusion to prepare for his first heavenly tribulation.

Knock, knock, knock—several crisp taps came at the door, and a pleasant voice called from outside:

“Brother Mu! May I come in?”

“Siyu? Come in. What is it?”

The door opened, and the beautiful Mu Siyu slipped inside. “Brother Mu, you seem troubled since you returned. Are you facing some difficulty?”

“Difficulty? Not really,” Wooden Heart replied. “Just a few minor things. I’m surprised you noticed!”

“Oh? What is it? Can you tell me?” she asked. Because she and the other two had signed a soul contract with him and could never betray him, Wooden Heart had no fear of her revealing his secrets. He told her everything that had happened in the ancient tomb, including Uncle Li’s and Xiu Yuan’s requests.

Siyu listened intently, asked a few more questions, and Wooden Heart, having nothing to hide from her, told her about his identity as a plane agent and recounted everything.

After pondering, Siyu said, “So, the three of us are actually the spoils of your missions?”

Wooden Heart laughed. “What are you saying? Wasn’t it you who begged to stay with me? I couldn’t have gotten rid of you if I tried!”

Siyu gave him a playful glare. “You wish!” Then, turning serious, she said, “Brother Mu, you actually have several issues you need to resolve.”

“Oh? What issues?” Wooden Heart really hadn’t considered it.

“First,” Siyu began, “on your plane—in other words, Earth—you have no organization or power of your own. In short, right now, you’re just an ordinary person at the very bottom. With such status and experience, you’ll never have access to more resources, and that will severely limit the range of items you can exchange on the plane trading system, as well as your own development.”

“Second, you haven’t made good use of your resources. From what you’ve said, the basic matter plane should be extremely rich in fundamental resources. And the word ‘plane’ doesn’t just mean Earth, but the boundless universe. Since you can trade with silicon-based lifeforms, why not exchange more technological items with them? You could even request resources from unexplored cosmic domains!”

“Third, you haven’t really started plane trading at all. It’s just friends giving each other things. Of course, that’s partly because you had to focus on your hidden quest and didn’t have time to think this through. I suggest you add Gu Feng, Baldy, and other frequently-contacted plane agents to your trading system. A broader network will help you get better exchanges.”

“These are just the initial problems I think you need to address. What do you think?” Mu Siyu’s analysis was methodical and clear. Wooden Heart was first stunned, then overjoyed. He lifted her up and spun her around, laughing. “Siyu, I never knew you were so clever! Your analysis is spot on. I had a vague sense of these issues, but never thought them through. Now it all makes sense!”

In fact, Siyu had already shown her intelligence during the hidden trial mission, but Wooden Heart hadn’t paid attention at the time. Hearing her analysis today, he realized she was as astute as Lu Daoxuan.

“Actually, I’d like to develop my own power on Earth, but I don’t want to expose my identity as a plane agent. I have this feeling that if anyone found out, I’d be in serious danger,” Wooden Heart said with some concern.

Siyu, who’d spent enough time with him to know he liked to keep a low profile—one might call it hiding his true strength—smiled and said, “Of course you can’t reveal that you’re a plane agent, but you already have a perfect way to build your own power.”