— The Emperor’s Imperial Record, Entry No. 10 —
Michelle had entered the room again, as I was deep in thought. She sat by her husband on a wooden stool he had taken out for her.
“We need 300 silver in total. We’ve already put in 100 silver of our own money. The more money you bring, the higher your percentage of the profits, of course. If you're feeling generous, you can even add more than 300.” The old blacksmith laughed, and everyone else in the room but me exploded into laughter with him.
Igor’s was a low rumbling, and the old lady’s a light, beautiful sound that should have come from the beak of a melody bird.
The old blacksmith continued, “ The latest we need the money by is 3 months from now. How much do you think you'll be able to contribute?”
I thought carefully about how much I was willing to risk and how rare this opportunity was. ‘Even if I lose all my money, I can make it back in another 4 months. If I miss this opportunity, how long till I get another one like it?’
It was risky, but the blacksmith didn’t come off like a scammer, at least to me, he seemed too big-hearted for that and scamming a sect? That’d be suicide.
If I wanted to rise, I had to gamble.
“I’ll give you 100 silver upfront and another installment at the end of each month for the next three months. That should cover my share.”
I promised myself and my father that I would become a cultivator. This was the best opportunity I’d had in months. Rejecting it might mean rejecting my future.
This way, I wasn’t missing out on any opportunities, and if anything did happen in my daily life, I’d be able to handle it. I didn’t feel good having absolutely zero coins.
Big Randy’s eyes shot up in surprise. Igor let his mouth hang open for a fraction of a second before closing it. Michelle stayed largely the same.
Big Randy had heard rumors, especially since the town had a lot of gossip mongers, namely his wife, that Khan was earning well. Still, he hadn’t expected the boy to have more than 20 silvers to his name.
He immediately agreed, “Deal. When can I expect the 100 silver?”
“I can bring it later today.”
"Alright, would you like a tour of my shop before you leave? She's the most beautiful thing you'll ever see." His wife's expression soured at his comment, but I politely declined, explaining that I'd prefer to take the tour later, once I had the money ready with me.
This wasn’t just an investment. With this, I had made a promise to myself. I’d become a cultivator or die trying.
Failure wasn’t an option.
Big Randy rose from his seat, ‘Alright, let me see you off then.’ I shook his hand firmly. Igor got up as well to see me off. “You’ve made a good choice, we’ve struck gold on this opportunity.”
His wife promptly joined. I didn’t know how she kept leaving and entering without my noticing, but she was carrying an even larger tray filled with piping hot biscuits. I took one, but my mind was already turning over the details of the deal.
"I noticed you loved the first batch, so I've prepared a couple more for your journey home."
"Thank you."
"If you're truly grateful, promise me you'll share your thoughts on them when you return, alright?"
"Of course."
I took the cookies with me, and later returned with the money. Now, I had 17 silver and 44 copper coins.
Little did I know, this seemingly simple choice would shape my future in ways I would never have hoped to imagine.
I left the smithy. The chilly air reminded me that the world wasn’t as warm as I thought it was.
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***
Huo Feng sat next to a short, plain woman, who gazed at him like his eyes were stars. Her name was Zhao Pingping.
They held each other in a tight embrace, far from the prying eyes of everyone else. Soon, he would have to go on a mission outside of the sect, and these were one of the few moments they could get together without Hung Lee trying to take her away from him.
He didn’t know when he would come back.
She brought a hand up to his chin, “Make sure you come back for me, alright?”
