Chapter 37: Only Today Do I Know Who I Am

Several months later, at a street stall in a small town in Hengfeng County, Jiangxi.

Zhao Zhen carefully examined the piece of lightning-struck wood in his hand before asking the vendor, "Boss, how much for this lightning-struck wood?"

The vendor looked Zhao Zhen up and down before drawling, "Knowing it’s lightning-struck wood—looks like you’ve got a discerning eye. One price: three silver dollars."

"Three silver dollars? You might as well be robbing me." Zhao Zhen raised an eyebrow; this vendor certainly had the nerve to ask for a king's ransom.

"Heh, you don’t look like a Taoist, yet you recognize lightning-struck wood. I reckon you’ve got some tricks up your sleeve. If you’ve got skills, surely you aren't short on cash?"

Zhao Zhen couldn't help but chuckle at this. So what if he had skills? All the street performers breaking stones on their chests had real talent, but they still ended up performing on the street, didn't they?

Besides, his own skills weren't exactly suited for street performance. His daily expenses were mostly covered by "relief" from the occasional bandit he encountered on the road, or by picking up bounties with large enough rewards. He wasn't like Lu Jin, who had the prestigious Lu family backing him; for people like that, money was truly just a number.

Then again, if he weren't so averse to trouble, his "Golden Escape Streamer" technique would actually be quite perfect for armed escort work. He could specialize in "ultra-express" deliveries—work for a day and eat for half a year. In that sense, he really did share an affinity with the future company, "Na Du Tong"...

As for why he didn't go and invest in some "original shares" now, Zhao Zhen didn't dare. History was made of countless coincidences. If his interference were to disrupt a key event and cause the wheels of history to deviate, he would become a sinner against time itself.

It was better to stay on the fringes. As the future philosophy of Na Du Tong would suggest, this world ultimately belonged to the majority—the ordinary people. As for the Outcasts (Yi Ren), ever since King Xiang was trapped at Gaixia, they had been destined to compromise with the common folk.

"Big brother, the world is chaotic, and it’s not easy for anyone. Besides, these days there are plenty of people who deserve to be struck by lightning. Instead of making this wood cheaper, how come you’re raising the price?"

"Hahaha, you’re a funny one, kid. But as you just said, it’s not easy for anyone. It’s not easy for you, and it’s not easy for me! I’ve got an eighty-year-old mother above and a one-year-old child below crying for food. Three silver dollars—it’s really not expensive."

Zhao Zhen twitched his lips. Looking at the scruffy man who couldn't have been more than thirty, he replied with a deadpan expression: "Then your mother has had a truly difficult life..."

With that, Zhao Zhen turned to set the wood down, intending to look for other talisman-making materials. It couldn't be helped; the quality was good, but he was just too broke.

"Not buying it after all? Don't be like that! The price is negotiable. You haven't even countered yet..."

"Forget it, I can't be bothered to haggle."

Just as Zhao Zhen had walked a few steps away, a voice he knew all too well rang out from behind him.

"I’ll take this piece of junk. Two copper coins—do we have a deal?"

Zhao Zhen stopped and turned. Squatting where he had just stood was an old man—none other than the one who had abandoned him five years ago and vanished without a trace.

...

A short while later, in a teahouse.

Zhao Zhen and the old man sat across from each other. Looking at the man who had barely changed in five years, a smile tugged at the corners of Zhao Zhen's mouth.

"Old man, you’re something else. That vendor asked for three silver dollars, and you actually talked him down to two copper coins." (In 1928, the exchange rate in Shanghai was one silver dollar to six two-dec silver coins and eight copper coins, meaning one silver dollar could be exchanged for 294 copper coins.)

"That brat just saw you were young and thought he could bully you. I told you, haggling is an art." As he spoke, Duan Chuan tossed the lightning-struck wood onto the table. "You stole the show at the Lu family banquet, but you must have burned through most of your talismans, right?"

Zhao Zhen shrugged, not standing on ceremony, and naturally tucked the wood away. "Can't be helped. Who told me to be the disciple of the Great Master of Golden Light? You didn't leave me a cent, but at least you left me a vast blue sky where I could struggle freely."

Of course, he didn't need to explain why the "blue sky" required struggling.

Duan Chuan could tell Zhao Zhen was mocking him and rolled his eyes in annoyance. "You brat, five years apart and your tongue is just as sharp as ever!"

"Hahaha, alright, I’ll stop teasing you. By the way, old man, how did you know I was here?"

"I’ve been roaming the circles for years. Do you really think finding someone is that difficult?"

Zhao Zhen stood up and poured tea for Duan Chuan himself. "You’ve got a point. So, are you here just to see me?"

"Well, after I dropped you off five years ago, I had planned to never see you again. But I truly didn't expect you to make a name for yourself. I heard about the Lu family banquet—well done. I suppose all those years of training you weren't for nothing! Hahaha, that stubborn old ox never thought much of me, but not only is my disciple on par with his, you’ve beaten all the other young talents in the Outcast world. You’ve really given me a face to be proud of, kid!"

Unlike Duan Chuan’s excitement, Zhao Zhen’s expression was weary.

"Old man, just keep that in your head. Don't be so smug. And what 'beating all the young talents'? I’ve only visited a few sects; the truly powerful ones don't even bother fighting a disciple of a Quanxing demon like me."

"That’s impressive enough. When I passed the Golden Escape Streamer to you, I only hoped you’d survive and live in anonymity to carry on our lineage. You, on the other hand, have really given me a surprise!"

Seeing the unusual expression on Duan Chuan’s face, Zhao Zhen frowned slightly. He felt that something was off today.

"Old man, are you really just here to see me? You’d better tell me the truth, or I’m leaving."

Hearing this, the excitement on Duan Chuan’s face froze and then slowly faded away.

"Sigh, the kid has grown up after all. Nothing I think can stay hidden from you anymore..." Duan Chuan sighed heavily.

"What’s going on? Are old enemies coming to hunt you down?"

"Hunt me down? They’d have to be able to catch me first..." A look of disdain crossed Duan Chuan’s face. With the Golden Escape Streamer, who in this world could stop him? Even that stubborn ox at the Heavenly Master’s Mansion couldn't guarantee that!

"Then what is it?"

"It’s nothing, really. I’m just... tired."

"Tired?" Zhao Zhen was stunned, a flicker of surprise in his eyes as he looked at the old man.

"Yes. I had the fortune of meeting someone recently and had a brief chat. Heh, 'The tide rises on the Qiantang River, and only today do I realize who I am.' A moment of true enlightenment..."