5. The Great Net of Spirit Stones

Master Ma was dumbfounded, and at that moment, he lost control of his bowels and bladder. He sat on the ground, gasping for breath. After a long pause, he managed to catch his breath, trembling as he got to his feet and said, "You, you brat..."

"Second Master, this is all a misunderstanding. Second Master may not know, but my nephew here spent his early years learning skills elsewhere. Now he has unintentionally offended you, and I ask for your forgiveness!"

Second Master Ma had lost all dignity. How could he simply let it go? He cast a glance at his dead steed—the one he favored most—now slain with a single slap from Xie Wuji. He couldn't help but feel a lingering fear.

But hearing that Xie Wuji had trained with a sect, his heart began to waver. He thought to himself, though he was the second in command of the Ma Stronghold, the world was teeming with sects, their power far greater than that of any simple bandit gang. If this boy belonged to such a sect, and he harmed him, wouldn't that spell disaster? If his elder brother back home decided to act, what could he possibly do to withstand it?

Now he was truly caught between a rock and a hard place. To let the matter drop would be to lose face before his men, and that would be a disaster for his authority. If he couldn’t command respect, how could he keep these underlings in line?

He said, "If I hadn’t held back, this brat would’ve been dead by my blade already. It’s all that blacksmith’s fault, giving me a faulty blade and letting you take advantage!"

The villagers all broke out in cold sweat. Even a fool could see that Second Master Ma had been utterly overpowered by Xie Wuji, pinned to the ground and beaten at will—what talk was there of mercy? Though everyone knew the truth, no one dared point it out. Who would invite trouble for themselves?

Even the bandit lackeys had to stifle their laughter. The once high and mighty Second Master Ma, now brought low by a kid in split pants, soiling himself, his trousers a mess of yellow and white, presented a truly sorry sight.

"Ahem, this isn’t so easily settled. What about my horse?" Second Master Ma finally resolved to save a scrap of dignity.

At that, Xie Wuji felt a touch of fear himself. He was no fool—if he really killed this second-in-command, he’d be labeled a criminal, and the rest of the Ma Stronghold would surely seek revenge. The villagers would be dragged into disaster for no reason at all.

Just then, a memory flashed through his mind—back when he first arrived in the capital looking for work and nearly fell into a pyramid scheme. An idea struck him.

"Second Master, I admit I was heavy-handed; I hope you’ll forgive me. But rest assured, I’ll compensate you for your horse."

A breeze swept by, and Xie Wuji’s split pants fluttered like a hero’s cloak, lending him a certain air of authority.

Second Master Ma asked, "And just how will you compensate me?"

Xie Wuji grinned. "Second Master, may I have a word in private? As the saying goes, wealth should not be flaunted."

At the mention of "wealth," Second Master Ma’s eyes sparkled like stars in the night. He snorted haughtily, "Am I a man greedy for money? But seeing your sincerity, I’ll go with you."

The two walked side by side—a spectacle in itself. One with his split pants fluttering behind him, the other with the evidence of his humiliation weighing down his trousers, swaying with each step and exuding a foul stench.

The crowd watched in amazement as Xie Wuji led Second Master Ma down an alley. There, he produced a smooth stone, and while Second Master Ma was distracted, he discreetly drew a circle on it.

"Second Master, this is a rare treasure," he announced.

"Are you trying to fool me?" Second Master Ma snapped. "Stones like this are everywhere!"

"You misunderstand. This is a unique item, only available through my sect. For just two taels of silver, you can buy one. And if you sell it, you can get three taels—earning a clear profit of one tael! But that’s not all: for every one you sell, I’ll give you another tael as a reward. That means, for each stone, you make two taels. Sell ten, that’s twenty; sell two hundred..." Xie Wuji’s eyes gleamed as he looked at Second Master Ma.

Hearing the mention of easy profits, Second Master Ma was stunned. He thought: this is better than robbing! A whole village might yield less than five taels, and if the whole Ma Stronghold, with all its people, sold two thousand of these...

He swallowed with difficulty, his eyes almost turning into silver ingots.

Seeing his interest, Xie Wuji pressed on: "Second Master, think about it. Your current business is just collecting land rent—a pittance each month. But with my venture, it’s entirely legal. Even if the authorities find out, no one will bother you, because both buyer and seller are willing parties!"

Second Master Ma pondered this and, realizing the logic, broke into a grin. He pulled out all the silver he had. "Here, this is everything I own. I hope Brother Xie will sell to me!"

So excited his liver trembled, Second Master Ma fell to his knees, stunning the villagers.

"Heavens! Second Master Ma, once so overbearing, is actually handing silver to Brother Xie. What’s going on?"

"Who’s the real bandit here...?"

Villagers and bandits alike were left bewildered.

Xie Wuji put on a show of reluctance. "You put me in a difficult position. I was only going to sell you one or two, but seeing your sincerity, I’ll make an exception. Let me teach you a secret—develop your own downlines, and have them help you sell these stones at four taels each. That way, even lying at home, you’ll see silver pouring in!"

He glanced around, then whispered confidentially, "This secret, I rarely share."

"Then I thank you in advance!"

"By the way, about my cousin Xiaoyu..."

"I knew you had your eye on that girl! Don’t worry, since you’ve helped me so much, I’ll let you have her!"

Second Master Ma returned to his stronghold with his men, while Xie Wuji summoned Xiaoyu and the others to gather stones, on which he drew symbols with his marker.

Sure enough, by evening, Second Master Ma brought even more silver. The villagers had no idea that the whole Ma Stronghold had fallen into the net of "spirit stones."

The once somber stronghold now bustled with activity.

"Brother, come here! Want something good?"

"What have you got?"

"I’ve got spirit stones. Only four and a half taels each. Sell them for seven and a half taels, and let your buyers sell for you—then you can make money lying at home!"

"My ancestor, is there really such a good deal? I’ll take them all!"

Soon, everywhere in the Ma Stronghold, bandits were recruiting new sellers and feverishly pushing spirit stones. The entire stronghold was caught in the inescapable web of a pyramid scheme.

The price of "spirit stones" soared ever higher. Bandits, by nature greedy, took to this sales model instantly. Cartloads of silver were transported into Wildman Village. The villagers, never having seen so much money, worshipped Xie Wuji for his abilities.

Song Xiaoyu, too, now enjoyed the life of waking naturally and counting money until her hands cramped.

But amid the Song family’s prosperity, Xie Wuji couldn’t feel at ease. He knew that soon, the price of these spirit stones would rise to an unaffordable height—then the whole scheme would collapse, and even Second Master Ma would eventually see through his trick. When that happened, disaster would fall upon Wildman Village.

He wondered: if he could bring things from this world into another, could he take things from the other world back with him?

Through persistent effort, he concluded that the ancient mirror allowed only two round trips a day and could not transport living creatures out. He had wanted Xiaoyu’s help in moving goods, but she could not be sent through.

So, only he alone could travel through the mirror.

With some savings in hand, Xie Wuji realized that the villagers couldn’t stay in Wildman Village forever. The land was barren, the climate unpredictable, and farming alone would only lead to hunger. They might not starve, but life would be hard. So Xie Wuji called the brothers Song Zhong and Song Xiao to his side.

"Uncles, now that we have money, why not buy a house in the county? What do you think?"

"I’ve considered it," Song Xiao replied, "but with so many people, buying just one house isn’t enough. We’re all farmers, used to chopping wood and fetching water—most of us are just common folk."

"Leave that to me," Xie Wuji replied. "Once we get to the county, we’ll find new work. Supporting ourselves won’t be a problem, and who knows—we might find new ways to get rich!"

Hearing this, Song Zhong said, "If the sect master says so, I believe he has a plan."

Xie Wuji’s recent exploits had made Song Zhong his most ardent supporter. Even the once arrogant Second Master Ma now bowed and scraped before Xie Wuji—who could doubt his abilities?

"Very well," Song Xiao agreed, his heart pounding with excitement. His dream had always been to restore the Immortal Life Sect to glory—this would finally give an explanation to their ancestors.