The autumn winds and rain chilled the heart. After blowing out the oil lamp, Ding Ning took off his outer robe and sat down cross-legged on his own bed. he took out the surprise gift from Song Shenshu. He poured out that white little pill which looked like the eye of a dead fish from that copper-colored crude porcelain bottle.

As he looked at this pill in the darkness, Zhangsun Qianxue’s voice sounded from behind the cloth curtain. “This is the energy gathering pill that realm three cultivators will use when trying to reach realm four. Do not tell me you want to absorb this pill right now?”

Because it was a question regarding cultivation, Ding Ning responded seriously, “Other people may not be able, but my method is unlike theirs, I can manage it.”

Zhangsun Qianxue did not say more. She knew that tonight was important to Ding Ning, so she closed her eyes and laid there without cultivating.

Ding Ning did not say anymore. He swallowed the white pill in his hand, crushed the porcelain bottle, and then closed his eyes.

A wave of pungent medicinal power started from his throat and quickly spread through his entire body. That white pill, which looked like an ordinary eye of a dead fish, quickly disappeared in his body. The terrifying medicinal power seemed to turn into an enormous white fish inside of him.

The white fish, much larger than his body, started to move freely through his body.

His meridians quickly swelled and then split. His flesh could not tolerate such a great amount of medicinal energy. His flesh started to split and wither. If he was any other cultivator, he would die in the next moment, exploding into bloody pieces. Yet at this time, the sound of silkworms sounded in the darkness.

The sound increased, but it was not the sound of silkworms chewing on mulberry leaves, but a hissing as though they were spitting silk.

Weak bright lights started to shine off Ding Ning’s body.

Countless unseen silkworms climbed onto his body and seemed to spin silk.

Threads of silk invisible to the naked eye formed on his body. Each thread seemed to be made from the vital energy realm of a cultivator realm three or above. They seemed to be made from liquid and contained great power. Each thread had many colors that mixed together which looked like vital energies of different colors being strung up together. The multicolored silk hung across Ding Ning’s body and gradually formed an enormous cocoon.

The inside of Ding Ning’s body was silent. Even his body seemed to have cooled.

Near dawn, the weak cries of the silkworms came out of the enormous cocoon once again. The strange cocoon threads suddenly snapped into pieces, and disappeared into invisible primal energies in the world.

Ding Ning opened his eyes and woke up.

A deathly presence that even the strongest of cultivators could not detect spilled out of his body and flowed through the air.

The insects deep within the ground who had far stronger perceptions than humans felt the energies. They seemed to fear misfortune would come to them and ran for their lives away from this small courtyard.

Ding Ning slowly sat up. He felt the powerful flow of energy through his body like rain was seeping into his bones. He knew this had been as he had thought. Song Shenshu’s surprise gift caused him to directly rise from realm three third class to second class,

“A pill that can increase the success rate of a realm three first class cultivator having a breakthrough could only heal some of your wounds, and got you from realm two third class to realm two second class. Don’t you feel it is a waste?”

Zhangsun Qianxue had woken up already. At this time, she was brushing her hair at the table beside the bed. She did not look at Ding Ning and spoke with her usual coldness.

She looked stunningly beautiful as she sat there brushing her hair. The faint light of the rising sun penetrated the window and caused Ding Ning to fall into a daze.

Zhangsun Qianxue’s brow raised slightly and her face turned cold.

Ding Ning coughed and said, “It is alright to waste some. The rule in cultivation is, if you can obtain it, do not wait. Also, I know many things. It’s a matter of whether I can obtain it, and use it.”

“If you can obtain it, do not wait … … this makes sense.”

Zhangsun Qianxue continued to brush her hair as she said seriously.

Hearing her rare praise, Ding Ning felt that she would be more polite. However, he helplessly heard Zhangsun Qianxue say coldly, “Do not lazy about in bed, open the store.”

While there was an entire wall of matters and people to remember, all Ding Ning could do was cultivate and wait in a place like Changling where several of realm five cultivators or those stronger could die in a night

He had to open the shop when necessary.

The drizzling rain finally stopped after six days. No one important from the Divinity Bureau came into the wine shop and Ding Ning knew that case file on him most likely had been burned in the fire basin. The most dangerous moment should have passed. For a long time into the future, the Divinity Bureau officials, with noses keener than dogs, would not waste any effort on him.

A burst of autumn rain, a burst of cold.

While the weather remained bright for days, the cold increased. White frost finally appeared on the black roofs in the morning.

But the roads were dry. The number of carriages increased, and the wine shop’s business grew even better.

On another morning, Ding Ning, who had changed into a new thin jacket, was holding the porcelain bowl he usually ate from. He drank the remainder of the noodle soup as he looked at a nearby pond.

Some yellowed parasol leaves were floating on the water.

Ding Ning dazedly thought, the water in the water prison must have turned icy as well.

But how could he enter that deepest cell in the water prison?

He had so many thoughts, like the yellow leaves falling off the tree, but he did not have any mature plans.

At this time, a private advisor dressed in yellow robes slowly walked through the alley.

This advisor looked over forty years old. He had a short beard, his face was clear, a rectangular face and a friendly smile. While he held an account ledger, he wore fashionable wide-sleeved brocade robes of yellow embroidered with flying fishes. He gave off an ethereal aura.

This yellow-robed advisor looked at his feet to avoid stepping in filth. He walked until he was in front of Ding Ning, and then smiled at Ding Ning who examined him head to toe. He bowed and said, “Is this young proprietor Ding?”

Ding Ning put down his empty bowl and returned the greeting. He said curiously, “My surname is Ding, Mister is?”

“My surname is Xu, my name is Nian.”

The yellow-robed advisor smiled, and pointed at the wine shop behind Ding Ning. He said harmoniously, “I come today to ask for rent.”

Ding Ning stilled slightly. “Rent?”

“The peace rent to be paid once a month,” the yellow-robed advisor explained with a smile.

Ding Ning frowned and said suspiciously, “Did you remember it wrong? I already paid this month.”

The yellow-robed advisor smiled and said, “No, however, it was Two Level Tower who received the rent before. Starting today, it will be Jinlintang.

Ding Ning’s eyes widened in shock. He examined the yellow-robed advisor closely once again.

The yellow-robed advisor looked patient as he let Ding Ning examine him with a smile.

Ding Ning thought and then asked, “If you are telling the truth, why do you not go to other shops, when you come here, why do you come directly to mine?”

The yellow-robed advisor smiled. “Who doesn’t know that Young Proprietor’s shop has the best business in Falling Parasol. It is early right now, in another hour, the shop should be filled with guests. It is our rule to come to Young Proprietor’s shop first, you will be a good beginning.”

“The logic seems right.” Ding Ning rubbed his face and smiled slightly. “But I think that Mister should come and receive rent in a few more days?”

The yellow-robed advisor looked curiously at him. “Why?”

Ding Ning said seriously, “If a person in business can delay payment, delay as long as possible. Also, Mister may be a fraud who is trying to take advantage of my youth. If Mister’s leg isn’t broken in a few more days and you come again, it will mean Mister isn’t a fraud. Then I should not give the rent to Old Ji of Two Level Tower, but to you.”

The yellow-robed advisor laughed.

While Ding Ning refused him, he was very happy and laughed sincerely.

Looking at Ding Ning, who appeared serious and clear-eyed, he couldn’t help but reach to pat Ding Ning’s shoulder. “Young Proprietor is correct, I will come for rent in a few days. I lack a student right now, how about you follow me?”

Ding Ning raised an eyebrow. “What benefit is there?”

“Even if you cannot become a cultivator, at least you will learn a skill. It will be more interesting than looking after the shop and selling wine,” the yellow-robed advisor said seriously.

“Cultivation” was a matter of the highest importance in the Qin Dynasty.

Ding Ning picked up his bowl and turned to return to the shop, throwing back a, “I’m going to wash the bowl.”

The yellow-robed advisor stilled slightly and then understood. The other felt that he would wait multiple days before paying rent, anything else would be a waste of words at this time.

He felt the youth was even more interesting and had extraordinary scope of knowledge. His eyes became even brighter.

“Even Two Level Tower’s business is being stolen, what happened now … … who is behind this Jinlintang, even an advisor out to receive rent is a realm two cultivator. The people who should come haven’t come, the people and mattes that should not come instead.”

But this yellow-robed advisor did not know that Ding Ning, who walked into the wine shop, was unusually angry.

Translator Ramblings: Here comes the protection money racket. Medieval gangsters.