Chapter 8. Qin Xingxuan
Lin Xiang nodded. "Mhm. However, we will need to stick to the main roads in the future."
"You mean, someone might try to rob us?" Lin Xiaodong said.
Lin Xiang shrugged his shoulders and said nothing. Earlier in the square it was mentioned that he bet two thousand gold taels, and later he had received over 800 gold taels from Wang Yigao; there would certainly be martial artists that would think of robbing such a huge amount of wealth from a First Stager commoner boy like him. However, as long as he only walked the main road, there would be no one who would dare to rob him.
As for Wang Yigao's revenge, Lin Xiang remembered from the novel that after Wang Yigao lost his bet against Lin Ming, he was beaten up by his father and then locked up for two months. In this world, Wang Yigao might end up locked up even for three months all the way until the day of the Seven Profound Martial House examination.
It's probably only at the entrance exam that Wang Yigao would make a move with Zhu Yan once they see Lin Xiang there, but until that point Lin Xiang shouldn't be in any danger from him.
But three months from now, it would be a complete world for Lin Xiang.
…
The fair was held at the outskirts of Sky Fortune City; this place was the largest trading event in the entire Sky Fortune Kingdom and even martial masters of neighboring kingdoms would come over to find and buy the items that they require. There would be one summit of fairs held every year.
When Lin Xiang arrived at the entrance to the fair, he felt slightly excited as he observed the bustling crowd of people and the high range of goods on display.
This was a place of luxury, a world for nobles and masters. It would not be surprising to see a Pulse Condensation martial artist randomly moving around the crowd of people. Before that, Lin Xiang had very rarely seen a Pulse Condensation expert
As Lin Xiang was about to enter, a disturbance occurred amongst the crowd.
Lin Xiang and Lin Xiaodong turned their heads to watch and saw a white luxurious carriage drawn by horses arriving at the entrance to the fair.
The horses pulling the carriage were all the same precious type: Draconic Snow Horses. These horses possess great speed and endurance. One of them could fetch up to ten thousand gold taels in price. Not to mention an ordinary rich young master, even a direct descendant of a great family may not be willing to purchase one.
At this moment, Lin Xiaodong spoke up. "It's the Marshal's Quarters carriage."
"Mhm." Lin Xiang replied noncommittally.
The carriage held a crest depicting a knight with a golden spear. It was the mark of the Marshal's Quarters.
Within the military structure of Sky Fortune Kingdom, the position of a captain of ten thousand men is a great accomplishment. Next up would be the position of Major. Above Major is Colonel; above the Colonel is the General.
Finally, above the General is the Marshal. In all of Sky Fortune Kingdom, only one person made it to the position of Marshal during the past 80 years.
A number of citizens of Sky Fortune Kingdom may not know of the current Emperor's name. However, all of them knew the name of the Marshal.
The Kingdom's Protector, Grand Marshal Qin Xiao!
Eighty years ago Sky Fortune Kingdom suffered from an invasion led by the Eastern Sun Kingdom. Countless lives were lost and the Imperial Family had to take refuge in the South.
Qin Xiao was the only one who had stayed behind. Commanding his Qin Army forces, he contributed meritorious deeds in succession, reclaiming lost lands and saving the northern population who were in dire straits. After three years, the Qin Army forces finally managed to defeat the Eastern Sun Kingdom.
The capital was relocated and Qin Xiao was granted the title of Marshal in the very same year. At the same time, the veterans of the military were organized to establish the Sky Fortune Martial House.
Due to their limited foundation, the Sky Fortune Martial House is unable to compete with the Seven Profound Martial House that is established by a Grade 3 Clan - the Seven Profound Valley.
However, Sky Fortune Martial House also serves as the military academy for Sky Fortune Kingdom. Those who enter the military after graduating from Sky Fortune Martial House would certainly be able to attain a good position.
As for Qin Xiao, he is the Honorary Principal of Sky Fortune Martial House. His martial cultivation had reached the Houtian stage, middle phase. For the average martial artist, the Houtian stage and those beyond the Pulse Condensation Stage is something too far away.
Presently, the carriage had stopped and Lin Xiang halted his breath: today he might see the appearance of one of the main heroines for the first time, the princess-like Marshal Qin's granddaughter from the starting city, Qin Xingxuan.
At that moment, the carriage's curtain was pushed aside and a beautiful young woman emerged from within.
Seeing the young woman, Lin Xiaodong's eyes became glued straight at her, meanwhile Lin Xiang's eyes slightly widened.
What is a beauty that can topple kingdoms? This was it!
The young girl was wearing a white dress, her black hair descending down her back, her skin as clear as jade. Her face was as radiant as a full moon, her eyes as bright as autumn water. She had a fine raised nose, pointed chin and a slender jade-like neck. She exuded an aura of wisdom and purity, causing an inevitable thought to enter the minds of those who set their eyes on her: a peerless beauty.
Escorted by her bodyguards and maids, the girl came out of the carriage and proceeded into the fair. Wherever she went, it would seem as though numerous colors had lit up in the area and peach flowers would blossom. As for the young woman, she seemed to be dancing within this beautiful image, leading to everyone seeing her becoming lost in a reverie.
All eyes were gathered onto her. Her carriage, which cost several tens of thousands of gold taels, her spectacular beauty, and the Qin Family background that had endured for over eighty years… Any of these factors would have been enough to make her the center of attention.
Lin Xiang faintly smiled. He did not care about that girl's background or wealth, but her beautiful appearance was surely enough for him to be charmed. The young slim girl in front of him simply seemed like a perfect existence out of this world; there were simply no flaws that one could see.
She looked nothing like the random soft-faced picture uploaded on the Martial World wiki. Instead, she gave off the vibe of a young noble princess with a slim figure and a charmingly beautiful face.
Lin Ming turned back his head after a while, but Lin Xiaodong only turned away his gaze when she finally completely disappeared from sight, a look of reluctance etched on his face.
Lin Xiang said, "That's Qin Xingxuan, right?"
Lin Xiaodong nodded, "Yes, she's Qin Xiao's granddaughter, Qin Xingxuan. Truly… perfect."
Lin Xiaodong praised while explaining.
Lin Xiang hummed. He remembered that Qin Xingxuan was the novel's first 'special' heroine and one of the Protagonist's wives in the future.
Qin Xingxuan was a very interesting and attractive heroine in the very beginning of the novel, she had a very cool introduction and was great. Until… she wasn't.
She seemed to have no personality at all or her personality changed every few chapters. She had little important appearances following the beginning of the novel, while she quickly became useless and later in the story her appearances were simply an annoyance.
The act of Qin Xingxuan and Lin Ming hooking up was also incredibly fake and unnatural; it was forced and not satisfying at all. If the two of them simply kissed and got together at one point after a normal conversation, it would be ten times better than the incredibly forced and fake plot and timing that the author made up.
But Lin Xiang didn't place this fault on Qing Xingxuan as a character or a person, but on the Protagonist and the author. The author was simply bad at writing romance, while Lin Ming was also quite dense and annoying in this aspect.
Ignoring how she had no real presence in the later parts of the novel, Lin Xiang remembered that Qin Xingxuan was very polite, humble, kind, elegant, intelligent, knowledgeable and high-class, yet still very reasonable and normal, so he felt that she might actually be an amazing girl with another man…
Lin Xiaodong glanced at Lin Xiang, smiled and continued, "You know that she has a Grade Six Martial Talent, right?"
Grade 4 is considered a peak talent. As for Grade 5 Talent, there was not a single one in Green Mulberry City. Even if these people do exist in Sky Fortune Kingdom, then their numbers would be limited.
However, the young girl that had just passed by was actually a Grade 6 Martial Talent. To an ordinary person, this was simply an unimaginable fact!
"Mhm." As for Lin Xiang, he already knew all this and was not surprised. He was happy for her that Qin Xingxuan had such an outstanding Martial Talent. Alas, he remembered that Mu Quanyu had an even more shocking Superior 7th Grade Martial Talent! On the Divine Phoenix Island Qin Xingxuan could only be considered an ordinary disciple.
From what Lin Xiang knew, Martial Talent also doesn't have much relevance for the higher cultivation realms, and what mattered the most was perception and the ability to perceive laws.
In truth, he didn't even care about Qin Xingxuan's talent that much, but was mostly concerned with her character and her determination to walk the martial path. That was because thanks to the Magic Cube and the cheat abilities within, any genius girl of the lower realm will eventually be left far far behind by him no matter how talented or outstanding they are. Even in the entire Divine Realm there would be extremely few female geniuses that could even come close to his level of strength and talent, if he gets to that point.
Li Xiaodong had already expected that Lin Xiang knew about Qin Xingxuan's talent grade. He said, "I say, Brother Xiang, don't you think that in comparison with her Grade Six Martial Talent, her looks are even more amazing?"
Lin Xiang chuckled, smiled and playfully said, "Yeah, her talent is great, but her looks are definitely more amazing."
Lin Xiaodong laughed in a lewd manner. After a while, he sighed and said, "She really is a beauty, but what makes me most jealous though is the fact that she is also an Inscription Master."
Inscription Master can utilize special ingredients to engrave arrays and symbols on treasure weapons and armor. They can strengthen equipment by engraving a symbol on it. This profession requires a high level of talent and a strong soul force, but what is undeniable is that once one becomes an Inscription Master, earning money is as easy as eating and drinking!
Most martial artists would have no chance to come in contact with this profession. Even if they have the talent, they will have no chance of achieving success in their practice because it involves too many materials.
It is said that Qin Xingxuan's attainment in Inscription Techniques had reached a high level. She is unmatchable amongst her peers and could even beat many from the older generation.
Lin Xiaodong did not say this outloud because he and Lin Xiang had both received formal martial arts education, and he knew that Lin Xiang knew all this, very likely in far more detail than he himself.
As he was thinking this, Lin Xiaodong suddenly realized that Lin Xiang was deep in thought. He said, "Brother Xiang… Brother Xiang, you are not feeling aroused, are you? Well, considering what a Heavenly beauty she is, this is normal."
Lin Xiang laughed and said, "It's nothing."
In consideration of his safety and the possible robbing or a retaliation from Wang Yigao and his father, at that moment Lin Xiang decided to not go out in the next few days and close up to integrate the memories on inscriptions and to start mastering inscriptions.
Once he gets the backing of Mister Muyi and Qin Xingxuan, he would feel far more assured when facing any possible schemes.
In addition, the earlier he's able to begin cultivating with the extremely expensive True Essence Stones, the better.
…
Lin Xiang and Lin Xiaodong explored the crowded Martial Arts Fair together for a few hours.
Twice, they had run into Zhu Yan who visited the fair along with Lan Yunyue. Zhu Yan sent Lin Xiang a few hateful glances, but they didn't interact otherwise. As for Lan Yunyu, she tended to turn her gaze away and looked extremely ashamed and pitiful just like Lin Xiang expected her to look.
Otherwise, the atmosphere at the Martial Arts Fair was great and Lin Xiang loved it.
At one of the stores Lin Xiang directly sold away the Verdant Sharp Sword for 200 gold taels. At that moment his total wealth reached the height of 2427 gold taels.
After separating from Lin Xiaodong around noon, Lin Xiang visited the Hundred Treasures Hall again and bought six Essence Gathering Pellets to stack up for the future. It cost him a total of 1200 gold taels.
Making use of his excess wealth, Lin Xiang then also purchased a few sets of new clothes for himself. They were all made from ordinary material and were probably created by mortals, so they only cost him about 25 gold taels in total. However, 25 gold taels is still equivalent to a 5-month salary of a waiter at the Grand Clarity Pavilion, so it isn't a small sum of money for an ordinary person. The clothes were new and clean, mostly black or gray, and caused him to no longer look like a distressed poor child.
Just like this, Lin Xiang's wealth was cut by half again and dropped to 1200 gold taels.
At the same time, Lin Xiang also bought a book: 'Introduction to Inscription Techniques.'
He bought it to get a better understanding of the Inscription system in the Sky Fortune Kingdom, and also needed to compare Sky Pill Continent's inscription techniques and materials with the Divine Realm.
It was something the original Lin Ming had done, and understanding the logic behind it, he replicated it.
He returned to his room in the early afternoon and proceeded to integrate his memories on Inscriptions.