Chapter 150: Random Thoughts of a Layman, Porcelain Bumping
In the situation where Lu Qing activated his Superpower, the books on the shelves began to display their respective "Superpower Light."
Most of the books emitted a faint white light.
Occasionally, when there were books with a more intense glow, Lu Qing would pick them up and flip through a few pages to see if they were what he needed.
If suitable, he would take them, planning to buy them and study them further later.
Thus, after browsing around, Lu Qing's hands were already filled with a thick stack of books. Explore more at My Virtual Library Empire
Mostly, they were about the local customs and practices of various places in this world, which could help him better understand this world.
In the innermost part of a certain bookshelf, Lu Qing once again picked up a book with strong white light and was about to leave when suddenly a flash of red light caught his eye from the corner of his vision, and he stopped in his tracks.
Following that streak of red light, he pushed aside a pile of somewhat disordered books at the bottom of the bookshelf.
Revealing a book emitting a faint red light.
Lu Qing was a bit surprised, as this was the only book of the Red Light Level he had seen in this bookstore.
He picked up the dusty book, brushed off the dust, but saw that there was no title or author's name on the cover.
However, that was no problem, as the Superpower soon provided information about the book.
[Carefree Wanderer's Notes: Essays by a poor soul who sought the truth behind the vanished Cultivation Era.]
[This book contains some information about the Cultivation Era.]
[There are some interesting conjectures about the truth behind the demise of the Cultivation Era.]
[Would you like to download and study?]
It was a book related to the Cultivation Era!
Lu Qing was pleasantly surprised.
After opening it and flipping through a few pages, the joy on his face intensified.
Thinking it over, he took the book to the bookstore owner.
"Owner, where did this book come from, and do you have any other similar volumes?"
The bookstore owner, already beaming at the sight of the thick stack of books in Lu Qing's hand, immediately took the book and started to examine it.
However, after looking through the essay, his brow involuntarily furrowed.
"Young master, forgive my poor eyesight, but I am unaware of the origin of this book."
"You don't know either?" Lu Qing was surprised.
Previously, he thought the owner was very knowledgeable about the bookstore.
"I am not hiding anything, young master. Our family has run this bookstore for three generations and many of the books have been collected since my grandfather's time.
So even I can't identify the origins of every book, especially since this book doesn't even have a name, making it even harder to trace its source. Where did you find this book, young master?"
"In the innermost part of the bookshelf below."
"That explains it. Most of the books there are of unknown authors and obscure origins. Few people read them, and I don't even know where my grandfather got them from. They would have decayed long ago if it weren't for my occasional airing and mending. It's going to be difficult for you to trace its source, young master."
Having listened to the bookstore owner's explanation, Lu Qing understood that it was unlikely he would find other works by the Carefree Wanderer.
He felt a bit disappointed, but also knew it was impossible, so he placed the books he was holding on the counter.
"Then forget it, owner. I'll take these books. Little Yan, Little Li, have you chosen the books you want?"
"We have, big brother!" Little Yan, cradling a small stack of books, came running over excitedly, "These are the ones Little Li and I want to buy."
"Okay, owner, let's sum up how much it will be."
"Right away, young master."
The bookstore owner's smile grew even brighter.
He immediately began counting the books, clicking away on an abacus.
It wasn't long before he lifted his head, "All done, young master, the total is..."
Hearing the amount stated by the owner, Lu Qing nodded, not surprised.
Books were originally expensive in this world, and some richly contented, beautifully bound books could cost over ten taels of Silver each.
Compared to that, the price given by the owner was quite generous.
"I didn't bring that much Silver, owner, do you accept gold?"
"Yes, yes!" the owner hurriedly said.
Although gold was not easy to circulate, it was always more popular than Silver.
"That's fine then, owner, here it is."
Lu Qing took out two small gold ingots from the purse given by Mrs. Wei and handed them over.
The bookstore owner took the ingots, carefully examined them, and when he saw the small "Wei" character at the bottom of the ingots, he was even more surprised.
Knowing these were gold ingots from the Wei Family, the two before him must be esteemed guests from the Wei Mansion.
His demeanor became even more respectful as he weighed the two gold ingots and then took out some broken silver to give to Lu Qing.
"Young Master, here is your change in silver. I'll wrap up the books for you right away."
"Mm, just do what you need to do, we are not in a hurry."
Once Lu Qing left the bookstore, he realized there was still plenty of time and decided to stroll around a bit longer.
This time, he wandered much more freely.
Along with Little Yan and Little Li, wherever it was bustling, they headed there, thoroughly satisfying the curiosity of the two young ones.
In the workshop, when people saw the clothes of Lu Qing and Little Yan, along with the strange little beast on their shoulders, almost everyone instinctively stepped aside to give them space, not daring to crowd them.
Those who could dress like this were usually either wealthy or noble, not someone they could afford to offend.
Thus, despite the crowded workshop, Lu Qing and Little Yan had a rather comfortable time walking around.
Wandering aimlessly, Lu Qing suddenly noticed a crowd ahead with noisy arguing coming from within.
Having nothing else to do, he decided to carry Little Yan over and take a look.
Upon getting closer, he saw that the stalls on both sides of the street were displaying jars and various old objects, and he realized it must be akin to the antique street from his previous life.
As the arguing continued, Lu Qing carried Little Yan and, with his strong physique, easily made his way into the crowd.
At the front of the crowd, he saw a thin man with a pointed chin and whiskers styled in a "Fu Manchu," gripping an old man's arm and shouting loudly.
"Old guy, you broke my antique vase, if you don't pay today, don't think about leaving!"
The old man, wearing patched clothes, had a face now full of panic.
He mumbled, "It wasn't me, I didn't even touch that vase, it fell over on its own."
"Nonsense, my vase was fine, there was no wind or rain, how could it just fall over? It was obviously you who touched it!" the Fu Manchu whiskered man retorted loudly.
"I really didn't touch it. When I walked by just now, I was several feet away from your stall, how could I possibly touch it!" the old man timidly defended.
"I don't care, all I know is when you walked by my stall, my vase fell, and if not you, then who? Today, you either pay up or come with me to the County Lord Mansion to see the official!"
Upon hearing about going to see the official, the old man panicked more—he had heard that once commoners enter there, right or wrong, they first lose a layer of skin.
He looked around desperately, hoping someone would testify that he really didn't touch the vase, which somehow just suddenly fell—he was truly wronged.
However, looking around, he realized that the people were only watching them with amusement and none were willing to testify.
Glancing at the formidable Fu Manchu whiskered man and his two sturdy assistants behind him, he knew he was probably going to have to compensate for the vase.
"Alright, I'll pay. How much is this vase?" the old man resignedly asked.
"This is an antique vase, giving you a discount, twenty silver ingots."
The Fu Manchu whiskered man, seeing the old man concede, revealed a smug expression.
"How... how much?" the old man asked in disbelief.
"Not more not less, exactly twenty silver ingots!" the whiskered man stared at the old man, "Well, do you want to pay, or shall we go see the official?"
His two assistants immediately stepped forward, menacingly staring at the old man.
The old man tremored slightly, whispering, "But I don't have that much money."
"How much do you have on you right now?"
The old man began searching his clothes.
After a while, he pulled out an old wallet, "I only have three silver ingots."
Lu Qing had been watching from the sidelines. By now, he could tell the old man was being swindled.
But as he didn't know the whole story and seeing that the surrounding crowd were just spectators, he didn't intend to interfere right away.
Instead, he activated his Superpower to assess the situation.
He first looked towards the broken vase on the ground.
A layer of gray light emerged.
[Broken Vase: A newly shattered porcelain vase.]
Just as suspected.
A look of realization crossed Lu Qing's eyes, and his gaze then shifted to the Fu Manchu whiskered man.
A faint white light appeared.
[Chen Wencai: Nicknamed "Jackal," notorious in the workshop, well-known for swindling country folk and merchants from afar.]
[Eyes sharp, adept at judging people, enjoys extorting farmers and traders from outside the town.]
By now, Lu Qing could fully understand the situation.
Just as he was about to retract his Superpower, his eyes swept over the old man holding the wallet.
Suddenly, his whole body shook, his eyes displaying a look of shock.