Chapter 41: Heeding Advice
After leaving the tea stall, Shi Feizhe passed by a bookstore.
Remembering the 《True Origin Sword Finger Formula》 he had bought at the Three Talents Manor, he excitedly went in and asked if they sold the 《True Origin Sword Finger Formula》.
“Maybe I can find another copy of the 《True Origin Sword Finger Formula》?” he thought.
As a result, he was kicked out.
“Haven’t even opened for business for half a day, and I run into a lunatic!” the shopkeeper cursed.
Thinking about it, it made sense. What proper bookstore would sell the 《True Origin Sword Finger Formula》!
He didn’t bother getting angry with the bookstore owner and quickly went to the nearby pharmacy to buy medicine.
This pharmacy was very large, about four or five storefronts wide, and it seemed to have a courtyard in the back. Not only did they sell medicine, but there was also a physician in attendance seeing patients. Perhaps the physician was quite skilled, as there was a long queue of people waiting for a consultation.
The medicines Shi Feizhe used were all for relieving fatigue and strengthening his blood and Qi. For a pharmacy in the Jianghu, these were even more common than cold remedies, and they were quickly packaged up for him.
“Guest, do you want ice?” the young apprentice who had prepared the medicine suddenly asked.
“Ice? What ice? Is it legal?” Shi Feizhe’s mind flashed with an image of a blue type of ice, something that was illegal.
Oh, this wasn’t that world anymore.
Then it was fine.
The apprentice gave Shi Feizhe a strange look and said, “Ice is just ice. There’s nothing legal or illegal about it. Soaking in ice water for fifteen minutes after practicing martial arts can greatly improve blood and Qi recovery. Previously, Qiuyang City banned ice makers.”
“If you need ice, guest, you can go to Erlang Street. There’s a new ice shop there.”
Soaking in ice water after intense training could relieve muscle fatigue. It was a common training method for athletes in his previous life. This world also had similar methods, and the 《Dark Spring Divine Shadow Record》 also mentioned it. However, it was only May or June, and the weather had just started to get hot. Where could he find ice?
He hadn’t expected that Qiuyang City would have a place that sold ice.
“Thank you! I’ll go and ask.” Shi Feizhe politely thanked the apprentice and left with a large bag of medicinal herbs.
He wasn’t short of silver in the short term, and he needed to convert his silver into strength!
Following the apprentice’s directions, Shi Feizhe quickly arrived at Erlang Street. It wasn’t a large street, and after asking around, he found the ice shop.
Shi Feizhe looked up and saw four characters: 《Ox Horse Ice Shop》!
What a name!
The ice shop wasn’t big. It was just a dilapidated room with dim lighting. There were several earthenware basins or wooden buckets on shelves on both sides. There was a man lying on a rocking chair in the middle. Seeing someone enter, he quickly asked, “What kind of ice do you want, customer? For eating or for use?”
Shi Feizhe saw that he was about fifty years old, with a thin face and tanned skin. He asked, “What’s the difference between ice for eating and ice for use?”
“The ice for eating is made from well water. It’s clear and sweet, so it’s a bit more expensive, five wen a piece! The ice for use is made from river water. It’s more turbid and cheaper, three wen a piece!” The man pointed to the surrounding earthenware basins and wooden buckets and said, “Earthenware basins are ten wen, wooden buckets are eight wen!”
A piece of ice was about the size of a brick. Shi Feizhe thought for a moment and said, “Do you deliver, boss?”
“How much do you want? Several shi?” The ice shop owner immediately became interested and asked.
One shi was about 106 jin. Several shi of ice was a big deal.
“No, just a dozen or so pieces! But I need them every day!”
“Get out of here! You want delivery for a dozen pieces? You’re messing with me!” The ice shop owner’s face changed and he said angrily, “You should know that I also know a little bit of martial arts!”
“…”
Damn it, why did people in this world have no sense of service at all!
In his previous life, people would even deliver water upstairs!
“Then give me thirteen pieces first, and a wooden bucket.” Shi Feizhe had no choice but to buy some for now.
“For eating or for use?”
“For use.”
“Pauper!”
✿✿✿
“You… Boss, I’m buying your stuff. Can you be a bit more polite?” Shi Feizhe was about to angrily retort to the ice shop owner when he saw the owner reach into a bucket of water. The water in the bucket slowly began to freeze.
He quickly changed his tune.
When in the Jianghu, one must know how to adapt to the situation.
“Heh… What can I do if I’m not polite to a brute like you who hasn’t even cultivated True Qi?” The ice shop owner said with a smile.
“Who’s a brute! You better make yourself clear!” Shi Feizhe felt insulted.
How come he was called a brute before he transmigrated and was still being called a brute after transmigrating?
“I’m the brute! Because my name is Sun Niuma!” The ice shop owner said with a smile.
“Huh?” Shi Feizhe was stunned.
“I’ve been wandering the Jianghu for decades, working like an ox and a horse, accomplishing nothing. I’ve gone from a young man like you to this old and withered state. If I’m not a brute, who is?” Ice shop owner Sun Niuma said with a smile.
But Shi Feizhe felt that his smile was very bitter.
“Even if one cultivates True Qi, what good is it? Without superior martial arts and a powerful backer, one wanders the Jianghu, staying here for three days, there for five days. Wasting half a lifetime, accomplishing nothing, but accumulating hidden injuries. If I’m not a brute, who is?” He repeated, full of emotion.
“At your age, you’ve just started cultivating the Blood and Qi Barrier. Who knows when you’ll be able to cultivate True Qi.”
“You should know that after thirty-five, blood and Qi decline, essence is lost. Almost no one can cultivate True Qi.”
“Even if one cultivates True Qi after thirty, it’s like me, difficult to achieve anything! Compared to those who have practiced martial arts since childhood, the gap is more than just a little bit!”
“I’m simply a born brute!”
“Young man, do you think this brute-like appearance of mine is a reflection of your future?” Sun Niuma said in a meaningful tone. Seeing Shi Feizhe was like seeing himself when he was young and wandering the Jianghu.
In the Jianghu, besides death and success, there was another type of person, those who accomplished nothing like him.
There were quite a few people like him.
“…No, we’re different!” Shi Feizhe wanted to say something after hearing Sun Niuma’s words, but in the end, only this sentence came out.
“Oh? What’s different? When I was young, I was just like you!” Sun Niuma looked at Shi Feizhe and said, “Young people are always full of youthful vigor. Only after being beaten down by the Jianghu will they know their place!”
We’re different. I’m a martial arts genius who can learn anything!
“In the future, my name will be known throughout the Jianghu. Remember, my name is Shi Feizhe!” Shi Feizhe said seriously to Sun Niuma.
“Heh heh…” Sun Niuma just chuckled. The more he looked at Shi Feizhe, the more he felt he was like his younger self, blindly believing that he was different from others. It was only after he had been beaten black and blue that he accepted his ordinariness. In the end, he returned here to open an ice shop for a living.
“I suggest you practice an ice-type cultivation technique. In the future, you can also open an ice shop and earn a pension!”
“No need!” Shi Feizhe replied with a dark face.
“Then practice a fire-type cultivation technique. You can open a glass shop in the future!”
“No need!”
“Young people never listen to advice. That’ll be forty-seven wen!” Sun Niuma said as he carried a bucket of ice.
Brute! Brute!
