Chapter 103: Wealth and... Immortal Fate!

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Zhao Xuanlang was filled with anxiety, utterly at a loss. He took a deep breath and spoke sincerely, “I am well aware that my influence outside is limited, and my standing within the Zhao family is far from that of the eldest legitimate brother. I never intended to compete with him... But now he has sent people to kill me. Were it not for Brother Xu’s timely rescue, I would likely be a corpse in this river by now! His ruthlessness is clear. If I do not contest the position of family head, would I not have suffered this humiliation in vain?”

“A commendable spirit,” Xu Boqing praised, yet said no more.

He was not particularly interested in the internal strife of such noble clans. Rather, his curiosity was piqued by Zhao Xuanlang himself...

The Zhao family’s ties to the Great Zhou dynasty ran profoundly deep, even influencing the founding of the imperial court. It would not be an exaggeration to say that wealth could bridge the divine.

In such circumstances, Xu Boqing had discerned, even from Zhao’s childhood, that the entanglement between the Great Zhou court and the Zhao family was fraught with peril.

Such insight was indeed remarkable...

Some time ago, combining his own reflections with the treatise on Qi cultivation, Xu Boqing formulated a method of ‘Qi absorption’ inspired by the ‘Red Dust Qi’ he had discovered—though whether it aligned with the grand Dao remained unknown.

It seemed well suited to this man...

Before Xu Boqing could speak further, a gracious young lady approached, gracefully kneeling to offer a toast. Without hesitation, he accepted and drank the wine offered.

The other ladies in the pavilion, seeing the honored guest drink the wines of two sisters in succession, bore subtle expressions of resentment. It appeared they all intended to come forward with their own toasts...

Xu Boqing understood well that if all the ladies swarmed him at once, his fate would be grim and the wine insufficient...

So he waved his hand gently, signaling them to continue with their music and dance, urging patience.

Then, with a knowing look, he said, “Brother Zhao, your wealth is immeasurable, and I happen to have some ‘research’ in the field of finance. Perhaps we might exchange insights and verify each other’s understanding?”

“Finance? Research? Verification?” Zhao Xuanlang murmured curiously, then his eyes brightened as he guessed, “Brother Xu, are you testing whether I possess a celestial fate?”

“...”

Xu Boqing was momentarily taken aback. If his method of ‘Qi cultivation’ truly succeeded, calling it a celestial fate was not inaccurate. He smiled gently, “You might say that.”

Celestial fate! Celestial fate!!!

Zhao Xuanlang’s breath caught; his heart flamed with excitement. He hastily stood and respectfully performed a disciple’s bow.

Then, as if facing a master’s examination, he fixed his gaze straight ahead, his expression grave, and said, “I humbly invite Master Xu to test me!”

“...”

Xu Boqing, seeing his seriousness and the change in address, frowned slightly and waved his hand, “We are peers; there is no need for such formality.”

“Yes!”

Zhao Xuanlang sat once more but struggled to calm his restless heart. Taking a deep breath, he smiled wryly, “Celestial fate stirs the heart. Please forgive my enthusiasm, Brother Xu.”

“It’s quite all right...”

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Xu Boqing said no more. After a moment’s thought, he requested, “Brother Zhao, please bring some money—no gold or silver notes, no ingots either. The denomination should be small: fragments of silver or copper coins are acceptable, but copper coins are preferable.”

“Understood.”

Zhao Xuanlang quickly rose to fetch them.

Since the pleasure boat was a Zhao family asset—indeed, his personal possession—there was no shortage of funds.

He soon found some small-denomination silver fragments, but locating even smaller copper coins proved difficult; after all, the boat rarely used such petty currency...

He rummaged frantically through drawers, his face growing increasingly anxious. The thought of celestial fate before him yet being thwarted by mere copper coins made his temples throb.

Liu Mama, who was in charge of training the boat’s girls, hurried over, “Young master, young master, what are you looking for? Let me help.”

Zhao Xuanlang seemed to snap out of his reverie. “Liu Mama, do you have any copper coins? Copper cash? Coins from any country or era will do!”

“Copper...”

Liu Mama blinked, surprised to see the young master flushed with frustration over such small coins. “How many do you need? I will send someone to exchange some.”

“No, that will take too long.”

“Is there none on the boat? Any among the girls? I’ll borrow them and repay a hundredfold later!”

“...”

Liu Mama sensed something serious was at play and dared not ask further. Then her eyes brightened, “I recall: under the girls’ beds, there are often copper coins kept as symbols of wealth and good fortune.”

“...”

Soon, Zhao Xuanlang, Liu Mama, and Steward Zheng were all enlisted to crawl under beds searching for copper coins.

Not long after...

Zhao Xuanlang returned to the pavilion, grimy and with cobwebs caught in his hair, yet beaming, carrying a tray.

Setting it on the table, he sheepishly said, “Brother Xu, there are not many places on this boat that use copper coins, so I could only find a few. Time was short, so I didn’t have a chance to exchange more. Will these suffice?”

“Ha ha ha...”

Xu Boqing laughed heartily, feeling the fragments of silver and several dozen copper coins on the tray. “More than enough.”

“As long as it’s enough... as long as it’s enough...”

Zhao Xuanlang exhaled, relieved, and resumed his seat.

“Brother Zhao, let me ask you a question...”

Xu Boqing pointed to the coins on the tray. “As you see, how many kinds of currency exist in this world?”

“...”

Zhao Xuanlang’s earlier breath returned, and he furrowed his brow, pondering the deeper meaning behind the question.

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Currency... how many kinds?

This...

Given the matter concerns celestial fate, his forehead broke out in a thin sheen of sweat, yet he could not find a satisfactory answer.

Seeing this, Xu Boqing did not press him. He sipped his wine and smiled, “No rush, no rush. This question is a matter of the heart; there is no definitively correct answer. Take your time to consider.”

“...”

Zhao Xuanlang’s eyes brightened upon hearing this. He thought of a somewhat clever reply and said, “Since it depends on one’s heart, in my view, currency in this world can be broadly divided into two kinds.”

“Oh?”

Xu Boqing’s drink paused slightly, a trace of surprise in his voice. “Please elaborate.”

“These two kinds of money, I would call ‘useful currency’ and ‘useless currency,’” Zhao Xuanlang explained after a deep breath. “The ‘useful currency’ is like a copper coin in the bowl of a starving beggar. With this coin, the beggar can buy a steamed bun to stave off death from hunger.”

He hesitated, as if recalling something, then smiled wryly, “The ‘useless currency’ is like my own earlier predicament: plenty of money, yet utterly powerless when faced with a deadly foe. Is that not truly useless currency?”

“Heh heh heh, dividing currency into two kinds! What a fine distinction—useful and useless currency!”

Xu Boqing clapped his hands in delight. “Brother Zhao, your words strike deep within my heart...”

He paused, then searched the tray, withdrawing two copper coins nearly identical in material and appearance.

Though seemingly indistinguishable, under the scrutiny of his divine vision, one of the coins faintly emanated strands of ‘Red Dust Qi’—subtle yet tangible.

Placing both coins on the table, he teased, “Brother Zhao, can you discern the difference between these two coins?”

“Difference?”

Zhao Xuanlang blinked in surprise, staring intently at the two coins, becoming ever more puzzled and furrowing his brow more deeply...

Both coins were the classic ‘round sky, square earth’ design of the Da Liang era, identical in inscriptions and metal composition.

The only apparent difference was age.

But the ‘immortal’ was clearly not referring to mere wear and tear!

He pondered silently, unable to solve the riddle, and finally asked, “Brother Xu, may I pick them up to examine more closely?”

“Please do...”

Xu Boqing sipped his wine and, as if struck by a thought, hinted mysteriously, “Sometimes what the eyes cannot see can be perceived by the heart. Try to look with your heart, try to compare with your heart...”

“...”