funbook-pk Chapter 784: Three Feet of Mortal World
Chapter 784: Three Feet of Mortal World
Now, Chen Futu has lost his cultivation and memories. All his martial arts skills and equipment were concealed by his will the moment he took the divine pill and entered the mortal world. Now he wears an ordinary blue robe and is dressed as an ordinary young man. His mortal name is Chen Daosheng.
He opened his shop and did business with anyone who came, without asking why they wanted to buy weapons.
"Daosheng, is there anything interesting happening? Aren't you going out for a stroll?"
Old Liu, the shopkeeper from the opposite side of the street, came to visit again. He was a little old man in his fifties or sixties, always smiling. His shop sold some outrageous things, like super pills and aphrodisiacs that could knock out cows. In short, business was terrible, and he could barely support himself.
Chen Futu fetched some tea and asked, "What news has there been lately?"
"A few days ago, a courtesan came. She was so beautiful that I was lucky enough to catch a glimpse of her from afar. Her skin and face were so delicate and fair, she looked like a celestial being."
Old Liu, at his age, still has the mood to look at girls.
"Is it really that beautiful? I don't believe it."
Chen Futu remembered that a couple of days ago, Old Liu had come to the shop to praise Widow Li to the skies. Widow Li's appearance was not flattering; if one were to force a compliment, one could only say that she was plump.
As the two were talking, a woman entered the shop. She was wearing a green silk dress, had fluffy hair, a fair complexion, and looked like a woman from another country. She had an extremely exquisite figure and a strange fragrance emanated from her.
"It's her."
The sixth brother winked and made faces at the side.
Chen Futu was even more puzzled. What would a courtesan want to buy equipment? But since she was a guest, he couldn't very well turn her away.
"What does the young lady want? Our shop sells all kinds of martial arts equipment, including all eighteen weapons, as well as low-level talismans, pills, and array patterns," Chen Futu stepped forward to greet her.
The woman's face was hidden by a gilded veil, but her large, watery eyes looked the young shopkeeper up and down. "Do you have any defensive array patterns?"
"Of course we have them. Although they are basic defensive array patterns, they can still resist the attacks of martial arts masters. Which one would you like, young lady?"
Chen Futu casually introduced the array-patterned jade talismans in the shop.
The woman said, "Let's choose the illusion array. I'm new here and want to feel at ease. The illusion array can block enemies without harming anyone."
"Girl, you are kind-hearted. Thank you for your patronage. One hundred gold coins."
The price isn't high, but even the lowest-grade array patterns require sophisticated materials. The key is craftsmanship, as array pattern masters are quite rare.
After paying, the woman couldn't help but ask, "May I ask if you have seen this person, sir?"
She took out a scroll of paintings. In the paintings was a young man with intricate features and an extraordinary appearance. Judging from his clothes and demeanor, he seemed to be some important person. Moreover, Chen Futu felt that the man in the painting looked familiar, as if he had seen him somewhere before, but he couldn't remember where. So he shook his head.
The woman looked dejected upon receiving the answer, took the jade talisman, and hurriedly left.
The sixth brother came closer and teased, "How do I look? I didn't lie to you, did I?"
"It's true, but what does it have to do with us? You're so old, do you really want a second spring in your life?"
"Hey, everyone loves beauty, and I'm old but not young at heart."
The sixth brother displayed his shamelessness to the fullest. Moreover, the courtesan was an artist who sold her art but not her body. She would only be arranged to serve customers in the back courtyard if she reached the age where she could no longer be the courtesan. But once she reached that point, she was on her last legs.
In the days that followed, this courtesan named Shi Xiaoya came frequently, buying mostly pills. Sometimes she would buy a large quantity, but it was unclear what she intended to do with them. Chen Futu strongly suspected that she had a second business, such as being an assassin.
In addition, she had been in the small town for a long time, but no one had become her lover. Even if someone took a liking to her, she always found a way to brush them off.
Over time, rumors began to circulate that she was waiting for her sweetheart to take her away, so gradually, fewer people had designs on her.
"Once a young woman who relies on her youth is taken and can no longer generate profits for the flower shop, she is very likely to fall into a deep abyss," Old Liu said.
Chen Futu neither commented on nor wanted to get involved in any trouble. In his spare time, he kept a local dog named Wangcai.
He lived a fairly carefree life overall, and Chen Futu would always give some food to the occasional beggar who passed by.
Interestingly, Old Liu would occasionally come with injuries, yelling that he was going to die and cursing that those brats who laid a hand on the elderly deserved to be struck by lightning.
Chen Futu was both amused and exasperated, and helped him treat his injuries.
Time flies and the end of the year is approaching. Old Liu brought his little granddaughter to visit. The little girl is cute and well-behaved. Her name is Liu Yu. Whenever Chen Futu sees her, he inexplicably thinks of another cute little girl.
According to Lao Liu, this is his only son's daughter. The family recently moved here from another city, saying that the city was not peaceful and that the mines were haunted by evil spirits, resulting in many deaths.
"Evil?"
Upon hearing this, Chen Futu's right eyelid twitched incessantly.
"Of course, the rumors are really outrageous. They say it's a man-eating monster that eats the men's flesh and keeps the women to have children."
"No, that's ridiculous."
Chen Futu was certain that Lao Liu was talking nonsense, so he didn't take the matter to heart. Xiaoyu loved the little shop and often came over to play with Wangcai. Since Chen Futu had nothing better to do, he taught her to read and write in his spare time. The girl was very smart and learned very quickly. In just half a year, she had mastered several hundred characters and could start reading on her own.
"Uncle, could my father work for you?"
One afternoon, a little girl who was writing on the table suddenly said something.
Chen Futu asked in confusion, "Didn't your father go back to work in the mines again?"
"My mother said that there have been evil spirits in the mine recently, and many people have died." Xiaoyu held the pen, her young age revealing a sorrow beyond her years.
"Evil spirits, it's evil spirits again..."
Chen Futu closed the book and looked out the window at the sky, his unease growing.
What exactly did I forget?
Chen Futu planned to ask Lao Liu what he thought about Xiaoyu's request, since the shop usually didn't have much business and he could manage on his own.
The grocery store was quite crowded today, with people buying medicine to help those who had been frightened.
According to the residents, every night, they can hear ghostly howls from the mines on the outskirts of the city, which frightens the children.
After Chen Futu and Lao Liu finished their work, they inquired about the details. Lao Liu shook his head and muttered, "How would I know? Anyway, I didn't hear any noise, but the children said there was a monster. If there really is an evil spirit, why can it deceive adults and only affect children?"
"What did the City Lord's Mansion say?"
"What else can we say? They're going to shut down the mines."
Old Liu sighed as he mentioned this, and he also felt that his son should find a different way to make a living.
Chen Futu gave him a recipe, which contained some previously unseen food recipes, all popular snacks in Lizhou, enough for the young couple to set up a stall and do business in the neighborhood.