I have a composite mirror

Chapter 38 Gathering

The next morning.

As dawn broke and the fog had not yet dissipated, the entire martial arts school was shrouded in a hazy mist.

Gu Shenyan got up very early, washed up, and went to his father's study.

As I pushed open the door, I saw Gu Sidu standing by the window, holding a yellowed booklet in his hands, seemingly reading something.

Hearing footsteps, he didn't turn around:

"You've come to see me so early, is there something you need?"

"I would like to ask my father something."

Gu Shenyan walked to the desk and carefully considered his words before speaking:

"What conditions are required to make more copies of the Life Fire Diagram?"

Gu Sidu paused in his movements.

"What? Wasn't what I gave you last night enough?"

"It's enough."

Gu Shenyan explained:

"I was just thinking that since rubbings are somewhat useful, perhaps I could exchange them for something else."

"Change things?"

Gu Sidu pondered for a moment, then nodded:

"That's not a bad way to go."

He walked to the desk and sat down, his fingers lightly tapping the surface, as if he were pondering something:

"Making a rubbing of the Destiny Fire Diagram is both difficult and easy."

"What makes it difficult?"

"The difficulty lies in the skill of the talisman master."

Gu Sidu said slowly:

"The essence contained in the Life Fire Diagram cannot be replicated by ordinary rubbing methods."

"Only by having that talisman master from the Xuanzheng Division personally perform the rubbing using a secret method can seven or eight parts of its essence be preserved."

As he spoke, he pulled a piece of paper from the drawer and pushed it in front of Gu Shenyan:

"Look."

The paper had a few lines of small print, clearly showing the Xuanzheng Division's fee schedule.

Gu Shenyan glanced at it and his heart skipped a beat.

Make a copy of the Life Fire Chart—fifty dollars.

"Fifty silver dollars?"

"good."

Gu Sidu nodded:

"The cost of materials is secondary; it's only a couple of dollars."

"The remaining forty-odd silver dollars were all the fee paid to that talisman master."

He sighed:

"An ordinary talisman master only earns a few dollars for drawing a single talisman."

"But such important figures, whom even the Xuanzheng Division has to invite with great courtesy, charge at least fifty silver dollars for each action, and it also depends on whether they are in a good mood."

Gu Shenyan clicked his tongue in amazement.

Talisman masters... it's truly a highly profitable profession.

No wonder Bai Cailing sounded quite envious when she mentioned this path the other day.

"but……"

Gu Sidu added, "The Xuanzheng Division does have some humanity."

"For the first print, they will give you two copies for free."

"This is to encourage everyone to share their Life Fire Diagrams, so that good things are not kept secret and the tradition is not broken."

"But if you want to make more prints after that, you'll have to pay up."

He looked at Gu Shenyan and said, "The four rubbings that I gave you yesterday were made using this free quota."

"If you want to make more copies, you'll have to pay fifty dollars for each one."

Gu Shenyan remained silent.

Fifty dollars a serving, that's quite a high cost.

He had originally planned to make ten or eight copies to sell or exchange for something.

But now it seems that this path is not feasible.

Firstly, given the nature of the Xuanzheng Division, they will inevitably strictly control the spread of the Life Fire Diagram.

If we were to make a large number of rubbings and sell them, we might get into some trouble.

Secondly, with such high costs, what if we can't sell them and end up with nothing to show for it?

"I understand."

He cupped his hands and said, "Thank you for your explanation, Father."

"Um."

Gu Sidu waved his hand and said, "You must be careful when you go to that gathering today."

"Those cultivators are all incredibly shrewd."

"Don't reveal your secrets too easily, and don't offend anyone."

Gu Shenyan nodded in agreement.

He took his leave from the study and returned to his room.

The door closed, and a thought crossed my mind.

The Three-Element Mirror appears.

On the mirror, the illusory images of the six Life Fire Diagrams floated silently.

Two original copies and four rubbings.

The problem is... once synthesized, the original is incorporated into the new product.

If one wants to make a rubbing in the future, there will be no original available.

After much deliberation, I finally suppressed my impulse.

"Let's go check out the party this afternoon."

"If this rubbing can truly be exchanged for something good, then the matter of synthesizing it will be put on hold for the time being."

"Keep the original; it can be reproduced in the future."

Having made up his mind, he carefully put away the Life Fire Diagram, straightened his clothes, and prepared to go out.

The gathering was in the afternoon. After Gu Shenyan had lunch, he heard Shi Quan's voice coming from outside the door:

"Young master, the car is ready!"

Gu Shenyan pushed open the door and saw Shi Quan already waiting outside the courtyard gate with the rickshaw.

He frowned:

"Brother Quan! Didn't you say you'd return the car today? Why did you bring it back?"

Shi Quan chuckled and scratched his head:

"Young master, this isn't the last time."

I thought, I've seen you off for so long, I should at least see you off on your final journey."

"you……"

Gu Shenyan sighed, but didn't say anything more.

He knew Shi Quan's temperament; once he made up his mind, nothing could sway him.

"That's enough."

He got into the car:

"Then remember, return the car on your way back, and don't let me take you to school and cause you to miss your morning practice time again!"

"Alright!"

Shi Quan responded, grabbed the handlebars, and jogged off.

The rickshaw sped along the street, the scenery on both sides flashing by.

Today is a day off, and there are more pedestrians on the street than usual.

Before long, the school came into view.

Shi Quan parked the car at the entrance, and Gu Shenyan got out of the car.

"Brother Quan, you can go back now. Remember to return the car."

"Alright, young master, don't worry!"

As Shi Quan spoke, he did not leave immediately. His gaze sharpened as he looked toward the school gate.

Gu Shenyan followed his gaze:

A young man was standing on the stone steps at the entrance.

The young man was about twenty-three or twenty-four years old and tall.

He was wearing a long gown with a dark blue mandarin jacket over it.

His appearance... well, he's not exactly handsome; his features are quite ordinary, and he'd probably be forgotten in a crowd in the blink of an eye.

But when he looked over, his eyes flashed like lightning.

"Martial arts master..."

Shi Quan's eyes were full of vigilance:

"Young master, be careful! This person is a martial arts master!"

Gu Shenyan felt a chill run down his spine. Such a young martial artist at the Fiend Qi Realm?

He looked at the young man, only to see that the man had already walked over.

"Is this Gu Shenyan, junior student Gu?"

The young man approached and bowed with his hands clasped in greeting:

"My name is Xiao Yichen. I have long admired your name."

His voice was neither too loud nor too soft, and it was very pleasant to listen to.

"I don't deserve it, I don't deserve it."

Gu Shenyan quickly returned the greeting:

"I am just an unknown student, Chairman Xiao, you are exaggerating."

"Junior Brother Gu is too modest."

Xiao Yichen waved his hand:

"Junior Bai mentioned you to me, saying that you are intelligent, have a high level of comprehension, and are a promising talent."

"I have been waiting here today specifically to meet you, a new fellow believer."

As he spoke, his gaze fell upon the entire body of the stone:

"This must be Brother Shi Quan?"

Shi Quan was taken aback, then nodded subconsciously.

"That's quite a skill."

Xiao Yichen smiled and said:

"Especially this foundation of skill is extremely solid."

"With Brother Shi's foundation, given time, he will surely become a martial arts master."

These words were spoken sincerely, without the slightest perfunctoriness.

Upon hearing this, Shi Quan glanced at the young master beside him and simply nodded silently.

Gu Shenyan, standing to the side, seemed somewhat puzzled.

A deacon of the Xuanzheng Division, a martial artist at the Fiend Qi Realm, and a late-stage apprentice in the Dao of Arts... Why would such a person be waiting for someone at the school gate?

Saying that you'll wait here to see him is probably just a polite formality. Given his status and position, it should be someone else waiting for him.

Gu Shenyan didn't say anything more. The two were complete strangers, and too much small talk would only annoy the other person.

Just as he was about to turn and leave, he heard the roar of an engine coming from afar.

Pedestrians on the street turned their heads to look, and some of the more timid ones even retreated to the side of the road.