Chapter 66: A Fish Takes the Bait
“So even though multiple copies of the 《True Origin Sword Finger Formula》 appeared in the Jianghu at the same time back then, it was still incredibly hard to find!”
“For many, the 《True Origin Sword Finger Formula》 was a way for them to soar to the top.”
“More than a few families were wiped out for a single copy of the 《True Origin Sword Finger Formula》!”
“Worth it for toilet paper?” Shi Feizhe asked, puzzled.
Li Wudi’s voice came from atop the ladder: “Now, it seems like no one managed to cultivate it, making it just a roll of toilet paper. But people didn’t know that back then!”
“That’s true!” Shi Feizhe nodded.
“Since the 《True Origin Sword Finger Formula》 was so sought after, people started selling it!”
Even from below the ladder, Shi Feizhe could hear the bitterness in Li Wudi’s voice: “At its peak, a single copy of the 《True Origin Sword Finger Formula》 went for hundreds of taels of gold!”
“Huh?” Shi Feizhe was stunned. That thing could actually be sold for that much?
“Of course, it didn’t start at hundreds of taels of gold, just a few taels. But as more people sold it, the price kept going up.”
“It was common for it to be five taels of gold one day, ten the next, and who knows, maybe fifteen the day after!”
“During that time, the entire Jianghu was caught in a frenzy, madly buying or selling the 《True Origin Sword Finger Formula》. Especially in the West Market of Kongtong Mountain Market, there was a large courtyard where they were constantly buying and selling the 《True Origin Sword Finger Formula》.”
Isn’t this just a game of hot potato, a Jianghu version of the “Tulip Mania”?
Jianghu folks sure know how to play!
“More and more copies of the 《True Origin Sword Finger Formula》 appeared, and the price kept rising. From a few taels to dozens, then to hundreds. Everyone believed that tomorrow’s 《True Origin Sword Finger Formula》 would be even more expensive!” Li Wudi continued.
Shi Feizhe added: “Until one day, suddenly no one was buying the 《True Origin Sword Finger Formula》 anymore, and then came the panic. The price plummeted, until it was worthless, like toilet paper.”
“Indeed, as you say, brother, but it wasn’t that no one bought the 《True Origin Sword Finger Formula》 one day. It’s that no one ever succeeded in cultivating it!” Li Wudi climbed down the ladder, holding a dust-covered book.
“If someone had managed to cultivate the 《True Origin Sword Finger Formula》, it might have been worth more than just hundreds of taels of gold!” he said.
“That’s true!” Shi Feizhe nodded.
If a few hundred taels of gold could buy a technique that led to the True Person Realm, many would bankrupt themselves, cheat, and steal to gather the money!
“Here!” Li Wudi wiped the dust off the 《True Origin Sword Finger Formula》 with a dry cloth and handed it to Shi Feizhe.
“When I bought it, I spent thirty wen, thinking I could at least sell it for a good seventy or eighty. Now, I’ll give it to you at the toilet paper price, twenty wen!” Li Wudi said.
Twenty wen could indeed only buy toilet paper in Kongtong Mountain Market.
Shi Feizhe looked at the 《True Origin Sword Finger Formula》 in his hand. He had seen this version before, but he still bought it.
After all, he really did need toilet paper.
“Brother Wudi, you know so much about the 《True Origin Sword Finger Formula》, you must have made a lot of money from it back then, right?” Shi Feizhe helped him steady the ladder and said.
“That was decades ago, I was still young then! I didn’t catch that wave, but my father did.” Li Wudi climbed down the ladder and said.
“And the result?”
“We used to own this entire street, now we’re left with these two rooms.” Li Wudi sighed.
“…”
Too real.
“Speaking of which, Brother Wudi, you’re quite familiar with the bookstores in the East Market?” Shi Feizhe suddenly asked.
“Of course, my Li family used to be somebody in Kongtong Mountain Market, at least in the East Market!” Li Wudi said with pride, then added dejectedly, “It’s all because my old man messed up.”
“Then could you do me a favor, Brother Wudi, and collect a few copies of the 《True Origin Sword Finger Formula》 for me? Preferably with different contents!” Shi Feizhe said. “I’ll pay a hundred wen per copy, won’t let you work for nothing.”
✿✿✿
Shi Feizhe felt that asking each bookstore one by one was too troublesome. There were at least eighty, if not a hundred bookstores in Kongtong Mountain Market!
It was too time-consuming to both copy the manuals he found interesting and search for the 《True Origin Sword Finger Formula》.
It would be more efficient to have the bookstore owners help him.
One must know that with the prices in Kongtong Mountain Market, a day’s worth of meals cost more than that.
“Huh? What do you need so much toilet paper for?” Li Wudi asked in surprise. “Could it be that you’re also with a group of twenty or thirty people? You use a lot of toilet paper every day.”
“To be honest, I need the 《True Origin Sword Finger Formula》 for cultivation!” Shi Feizhe said solemnly. “As long as I gather a few different versions of the 《True Origin Sword Finger Formula》, I can begin cultivating it!”
“Haha… Brother, you’re quite the comedian!” Li Wudi burst into laughter. “If you could cultivate it that way, I’d be a ghost!”
“I won’t even ask you for extra money. Just make sure to patronize my business more!” he added.
Looking at the manuals in the two rooms, Shi Feizhe said, “Alright! It’s all the same to me where I copy them!”
“Oh, I also have some high-quality wolf hair brushes and Xuan paper here, would you like some?” Li Wudi immediately perked up upon hearing that Shi Feizhe was going to copy manuals.
“I brought my own paper and charcoal sticks!”
“Uh… I’ll clear a table for you!” He quickly tidied up a cluttered table so Shi Feizhe could lean on it and copy manuals.
This room was truly packed with stuff!
“Feel free, brother! When I close up tonight, I’ll ask the other stores if they have any 《True Origin Sword Finger Formula》. I think there should be news in a couple of days.” Li Wudi brought another ladder and placed it in front of a bookshelf, starting to organize books.
He definitely had to open for business during the day.
As dusk approached, Shi Feizhe left. Li Wudi waited a while longer, until it was dark and there was no one on the street, then he closed the shop and went to the backyard to cook himself a simple meal.
After eating, he figured the time was right, and slipped out from the backyard. After a few twists and turns, he arrived at the back door of another bookstore.
He knocked on the door, and it was quickly opened.
“Brother Li, what brings you here?”
“You still have pigeons, right?”
“We do!”
After a brief exchange, Li Wudi followed the man to the attic of the bookstore, where several pigeon cages were kept.
He took out one of the pigeons and placed a note in the message tube attached to its right leg, then released the bird into the night sky. The white pigeon traced a silent arc in the darkness.
The note was simple, containing only two words.
“Fish hooked!”
As Li Wudi descended from the attic, he heard the man say, “Brother Li, the pigeon’s gone, the rest are useless now, right?”
“Hmm?”
“Why not roast them and eat them! Roasted pigeon is delicious!”
Roasted squab is tasty!
