Chapter 34: The Wild Immortal

“…This toilet is precisely the handiwork of the Artificer Sect.”

Shen Shi spun an elaborate tale, weaving together everything he knew from both the ancient and modern worlds—whatever came to mind, he used to embellish his story. How did the famous scholars of old make their names? Through clever persuasion—well, advertising, really. It was just like those poetry gatherings—why host them in pleasure houses, if not for the superb publicity? Of course, for cultivators, the ultimate allure lay in the promise of “immortality.”

Simply utter those two words, and no one could resist. But dangling such a prospect was risky; it could easily attract the attention of the “emperor.” Indeed, Shen Shi’s ultimate aim was to reach the emperor, but only in hopes of securing an imperial decree for Zhuge Wolong. Immortality? Not only was it beyond Shen Shi’s capabilities, but even if he could achieve it, what a cheap exchange—a decree for everlasting life! Far better to establish a reputation for masterful artifice; after all, he truly intended to develop such an industry. Why not give it an air of prestige?

Yet Shen Shi never expected that his quest for prestige would suddenly trigger a prompt from the Fortune Path to Immortality.

Heaven and earth possess great fate; those with grand karma undertake mighty enterprises.

Cao You, regardless of age, gender, wealth, or rank, holds the destiny of one among the Eight Immortals. Gathering fortune, he embodies the “Wealth and Honor” karmic position.

On-screen subtitles appeared—actual subtitles, much to Shen Shi’s astonishment—for he never imagined that this local squire would turn out to be the legendary Lord Cao, one of the Eight Immortals.

And he was a model of ascension through fortune: his ancestors had earned royal titles through conquest, his sister was an empress, and he himself was richer than nations—perfectly fitting the “Wealth and Honor” role.

This wasn’t explicitly stated, but the subtitles made it clear to all.

“To think that cultivation holds so many wonders!” Cao You exclaimed with genuine amazement.

At this time, Lord Cao was still an ordinary mortal—no cultivation, not yet immortal. According to the “script,” only after his sister was unable to bear children and his brother met a tragic fate would he fulfill the destiny of wealth and seclusion, retreating to the mountains to cultivate. For now, he was captivated by the setting of cultivation, just like any fan hearing a xianxia tale for the first time, plying Shen Shi with endless questions.

After recounting the stories of the Investiture of the Gods to finally send him off, Shen Shi was approached by Lady Fourteen, who asked, “Young Master, is what you said true?”

“What are you asking about?” Shen Shi replied.

“Is it true that our demon clan has a holy mother, Lady Nuwa?” she questioned, blinking her large eyes.

“That, I truly do not know. I’ve only heard stories. Matters of the sages are not for us to trifle with,” Shen Shi replied with a wry smile. Truthfully, he’d only wanted to promote a high-end product, yet his first customer happened to be a deity.

He could only marvel: in the world of Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio, even gods are wild and untamed. What more could he say?

Of course he felt envy and awe, but that was the extent of it. The path of ascension through fortune was notoriously arduous—unless Shen Shi could start over as a tadpole, it was impossible. Moreover, for Shen Shi, immortality was a means to a good life, not something worth the sacrifice of nephews or brothers.

Still, disliking Lord Cao’s path did not prevent Shen Shi from doing business with him.

Apart from this chance encounter with a wild immortal who could ascend merely by accumulating fortune, nothing else had changed. After all, gathering fortune was not so different from amassing faith.

And what a method it was! As they say, when one person attains the Way, even the family dogs and chickens rise to heaven with him.

Nobility was beyond Shen Shi’s help, but “wealth”? There, cooperation was possible.

Such was the hallmark of a fortune-ascended immortal—even as a mortal, Lord Cao instinctively sought out luck. It was no coincidence that he arrived in Jinhua just as Shen Shi, having come into money, created the toilet.

As the saying goes, “the early bird gets the worm.” Seeing such a “reclining immortal,” Shen Shi was only inspired to cultivate all the harder—not just absorbing the essence of the sun by day, but also the moon by night. The only caution was not to let these two energies meet, but for Shen Shi, who could perceive them, this was hardly difficult.

When the sun’s essence entered his dantian, it was as if a miniature sun radiated warmth from his brow, spreading throughout his body. Nourished thus, his eyesight became astonishingly sharp—even the smallest object at a distance was clear as day.

The moon’s essence, descending into his dantian, replenished his yin and bolstered his yang. Young Shen Shi developed rapidly—much to his secret delight.

When he first crossed into this world, his “little Shen Shi” had grown from the size of a bean to that of a cucumber.

Now that was what it meant to be a man.

Who would have thought Lady Fourteen’s cultivation art would have such effects? A most unexpected pleasure, and one of his motivations to cultivate diligently.

Of course, there were drawbacks. For instance, there had still been no word about the flower-viewing banquet. In the days when he was but a “little bean,” he would show off and run away, but now, having grown, he felt it was unfair not to be invited.

“Brother Shen, Brother Shen, fortune has come, fortune has come!”

Shen Shi had spent three days at home, alternating between firing a few toilets and cultivating. The porcelain toilets were about to be sent to the capital, and now that he knew Lord Cao’s true identity, he realized that if the emperor enjoyed them, they would become exclusive imperial wares. Producing too many would diminish their prestige. After all, he was now a country squire with five thousand strings of cash—enough to live lavishly even in the twenty-first century.

That day, Kong Xueli hurried over to bring Shen Shi good news: a special imperial examination had been announced.

The “Grace Examination” began in the Song dynasty, held by imperial decree on special occasions. If combined with the regular exam, it was called the “Grace and Regular Combined Examination.”

Kong Xueli mentioned only the Grace Examination, a clear sign that something auspicious had occurred at court.

As Shen Shi guessed, a prince had been born.

This was indeed cause for celebration. Even common folk would host a banquet for a son’s birth; how much more the emperor, who would mark it with a special examination.

Not long after Kong Xueli arrived, so did Cao You, confirming the news—he had come to collect the porcelain toilet, as his sister had just given birth.

“Young Master Shen, you are truly a Daoist heir! This porcelain you have fired is exquisite!” Cao You exclaimed.

With the empress having given birth, Shen Shi naturally did not object to letting the toilet go, though as he was no professional kiln master, this batch had some discoloration. He felt a bit embarrassed, but Cao You clapped his hands and laughed, “The colors shine like glazed glass—marvelous, truly marvelous!”