Chapter 012: Xu Qi’an – I Need to Make Money
The Stargazing Tower, Directorate of Astronomy.
A young girl in a yellow dress ascended the stairs with light, nimble steps. As she reached the seventh floor, a cacophony of voices filled the air.
“Why do we keep failing? This is impossible!”
“I think the salt composition is wrong.”
“No, I believe it’s the water.”
“I suspect the fire isn’t hot enough.”
“Could it be that this method is simply incorrect?”
“Nonsense! Someone has successfully refined it. How could it be fake?”
Hearing the heated debate over the refining of counterfeit silver, Chu Caiwei found herself at a loss for words.
Previously, she had taken out some metallic sodium and explained the situation, but not a single person believed her.
Now, however, they seemed utterly obsessed, as if under some spell, tirelessly attempting to refine counterfeit silver day and night.
The real issue was that this counterfeit silver was of immense power, and the Emperor had issued a decree demanding its successful replication by the Directorate of Astronomy. Whether they believed it or not, they had no choice but to try.
Despite their relentless efforts for hours, they remained unsuccessful.
The moment Chu Caiwei arrived, their eyes lit up, and they eagerly called out:
“Senior Sister Caiwei!”
“Junior Sister Caiwei, how exactly is this counterfeit silver refined?”
“Junior Sister Caiwei, please take a look and tell us where we went wrong!”
The group quickly gathered around her. After all, Chu Caiwei had witnessed the process firsthand.
Naturally, they believed she understood its intricacies, making her guidance invaluable.
“Junior Sister Caiwei, please, correct our mistakes.”
They were all students, humbly seeking her instruction.
In truth, Chu Caiwei had no clue. She hadn’t grasped anything significant, but she couldn’t lose face.
After observing their process, she spoke with an air of mystery:
“This is an ancient form of alchemy, passed down through the ages. It’s completely normal that you don’t understand it—most people require three to five years to grasp its principles.”
“If you could master it instantly, then it wouldn’t be alchemy at all. How about this? I’ll teach you a mnemonic.”
“Remember—Hydrogen, Helium, Lithium, Beryllium, Boron, Carbon, Nitrogen, Oxygen, Fluorine, Neon, Sodium, Magnesium, Aluminum, Silicon, Phosphorus!”
Chu Caiwei recited a string of words she barely understood herself. It didn’t matter whether she comprehended them—she wasn’t expecting them to either.
Everyone was utterly baffled. They recognized the words individually, but strung together, they meant nothing to them.
“This is a simple mnemonic. You all need to study more.”
“Junior Sister is right. We are indeed ignorant!”
“Anyone capable of reciting such knowledge must be a true genius!”
“Junior Sister Caiwei, who was it that taught you this mnemonic?”
Chu Caiwei didn’t know how to respond. She hadn’t expected this to cause such a stir. Now, she was stuck in an awkward position.
But if she didn’t know, those two certainly did! If they were going to be troubled by this, they might as well go to them directly!
“One is a martial artist named Xu Qi’an, the nephew of Xu Pingzhi, a Green-Robed seventh-rank officer in the Imperial Guard. The other is a beggar named Lin Qiye.”
“What?!”
A martial artist and a beggar?
The mere thought was absurd. If they had to seek advice from such individuals, they would become a laughingstock.
The Directorate of Astronomy was full of brilliant minds, yet they couldn’t replicate counterfeit silver and had to consult a mere warrior and a beggar?
If word got out, it would be an unprecedented joke. They absolutely couldn’t allow it.
Every field had its hierarchy of prestige. If they sought guidance from a warrior and a beggar about alchemy, they would become the laughingstock of sorcerers, Gu masters, and Daoists alike. The Directorate of Astronomy prided itself on being unparalleled in alchemy across the Nine Provinces.
To be ridiculed after declaring themselves the best in the world? Unthinkable.
“Junior Sister Caiwei, please guide us!”
“Yes, please!”
“I don’t have time. Maybe next time!”
Using a quick excuse, Chu Caiwei made her escape. How could she teach them anything? She had merely been a bystander in the original process.
She had witnessed everything, yet understood nothing.
Even after watching the entire procedure, she couldn’t figure out why they kept failing. The contradiction baffled her.
After leaving, Chu Caiwei went to the Gossip Terrace and consulted an elderly master about the counterfeit silver.
The old man replied that he did not know.
Chu Caiwei was deeply puzzled—was there truly something in this world her master didn’t know?
The elder explained that there were many things he didn’t know, such as what happened to a group of thieves over a decade ago.
As for those who had successfully refined counterfeit silver, even if they weren’t from the Directorate of Astronomy, they must have had deep connections with it.
That night, Xu Qi’an and Lin Qiye lay on their beds, bathed in moonlight streaming through the window, lost in contemplation.
“I am Xu Qi’an now. As a proud product of nine years of compulsory education, my mind is filled with knowledge. I will reclaim my dreams!”
“Speak plainly.”
“I need to make money!”
Xu Qi’an understood that money was everything. With money, one had power.
A perfect example was Lin Qiye. Ever since he got his hands on some money, he had not only moved into their home but was also treated with the utmost respect by his aunt.
“Asset management, joint-stock listings—these are my strengths…”
Lin Qiye listened to Xu Qi’an’s musings and felt like his years of education had been wasted.
“Ning Yan, your ideas are too ahead of their time. No one will invest in them. It’s unrealistic.”
“Lin Qiye, can’t you just encourage me for once?”
“Ning Yan, of course I support you. But you’re not seriously thinking of manufacturing things like glass or cement, like in those novels, are you?”
“Why not?”
“Brother, have you looked outside? The buildings are already made of cement. There are mirrors and glass cups everywhere.”
“What?!”
“Ning Yan, these things might not be in your house, but they exist elsewhere.”
“Damn it! Who’s the bastard that cut off my money-making path?!”
Xu Qi’an was frustrated. So much for the ‘inventor’ route—everything had already been made by the Directorate of Astronomy.
After a moment of disappointment, he had a new idea:
“If business won’t work, then as someone who has read countless web novels, I’ll just rewrite them and make money that way!”
Lin Qiye replied, “Brother, web novels are millions of words long. Do you think you can write all that?”
Writing millions of words with a brush? Impossible. And remembering entire stories was out of the question.
Xu Qi’an slumped, “Fine. I’ll have to come up with another plan.”
Lin Qiye suggested, “Our real goal should be joining the Night Watchers. We don’t have the capital or experience for business. And writing novels? Everyone knows that’s a dead-end.”
Xu Qi’an agreed. Without a system, they were nothing more than armchair strategists.
He sighed. “I guess we’ll take things step by step…”