William Anderson
Stories
6
Chapters
2,147
Words
340.2 K
Comments
0
Reading
1 d, 4 h
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Muchen had personally traveled across a great deal of the Qianzhan Continent by now. His memories stretched back even farther, covering the length and breadth of the massive empire. He'd been to the imperial capital, where danger lurked beneath a civilized veneer. He'd negotiated a deal with a stranger who was more than capable of gutting him like a fish. Never, though, had he seen a city that was so overtly threatening. It was there in the little details. The ground floor windows that were boarded up or…-
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They made good time on the way to Jiulu City, taking only ten days on the road. Muchen arranged for an overnight stay so he could take care of a bit of business while he was there. Now that his business was starting operations, he felt safe shelling out a bit of silver to have a craftsman travel to Li Village and set up a small brickwork by Muchen's section of the river. He didn't mind using rammed earth construction to get things up and running quickly, but for a factory building meant to stand the test…
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The mountain's bounty proved to be inexhaustible, at least so long as it was only being harvested by a pair of teenagers. Muchen and Chuhua settled into a daily routine of flower collection and refinement. Even though each basket of flowers produced only a pittance of essential oil, day after day of steady effort resulted in a healthy stockpile. Equally as important, Chuhua proved to be a quick study. It only took a few days before she was able to take on the extraction process by herself. She moved the…
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Muchen kept himself busy as the days went by. His electrical experiments continued in fits and starts, although his more ambitious doodles wouldn't be translated into reality until the water wheel was built. He gradually accumulated a decent stockpile of distilled booze. And, of course, he diligently practiced his cultivation. Over the course of two months, Muchen opened another two meridians. That brought him to eleven open meridians total, just one away from the peak of the meridian opening realm. He…
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Muchen declined the patriarch's invitation to stay for a meal. He knew well enough that he was a welcome guest when he showed up unannounced to deliver silver, but that he was hardly on close enough terms to share a meal. He still could have ignored the awkwardness and stayed if he was looking to build familiarity with the patriarch at all costs, but Muchen wasn't interested in such a close relationship. Ideally, he wanted to be on friendly terms with the villagers, but he wasn't looking to be everybody's…
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Muchen adjusted the collar on his robe. Objectively, it fit fine, but for some reason every time he tried to dress formally he ended up with an unbearable itch on the back of his neck. Maybe it was a problem that would go away if he improved his cultivation base. Or maybe if he earned enough money he'd someday be able to buy clothes that were both impressive and comfortable. "You like this place that much?" Xinyi asked. The two of them were in their room in the back of the small house. Muchen was…
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55 •
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Muchen pulled on a warm set of clothing and stepped into the courtyard, sparing a smile for the sun overhead. Setting aside the temperature, it was a beautiful day to spend outside. He was also riding high on the previous day's success. Now that he'd proven he could create at least one viable product, Muchen was confident that he'd be able to build a successful business on top of this mountain. Of course, before he did that, he needed to make sure that the mountain was deeded over to his name. He hardly…
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Muchen was out of bed early the next morning, driven more by force of habit than business necessity. He took advantage of the clear weather to get some work done outside. Building a firepit in the cleared area behind the house was only a matter of a few hours of effort, Muchen's efforts in cultivation once more paying off in the field of manual labor. He could have had a simple fire going in much less time, but he wanted to have a little bit of control over the heat once it got going. In the end he managed…
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It took a few days of travel before he began to recognize the hills and valleys surrounding Li Village. The landscape looked different in winter, but something about it still felt comfortable to Muchen. He wasn't an official resident yet, but this was a place he'd be willing to make his home. They bypassed the village proper to head for the cabin on the mountainside, arriving just as the sun was beginning to set. Muchen felt a bit of guilt at showing up unannounced, but he hadn't had much of a choice. A…
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They made decent time as they moved westward, traveling parallel to the Tuanliu river. Muchen didn't bother trying to set up a roadside stand in the nigh-deserted towns that they passed. He was ready to take the hit to his cultivation in order to avoid wasting his time. Luckily, though, his cultivation continued unabated. It seemed that the heavens didn't mind if he kept his eye on long term profitability instead of maximizing his short term cash flow through ultimately wasted efforts. The relatively…
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