Life-Extending Pills

After putting away the Spirit Gathering Formation Plate, Shen Jingchuan silently calculated in his mind that, including what he had left before, he had about six thousand Spirit Stones in his hand, of which about three thousand were his own.

His consciousness sank into his Storage Ring space, and he handed two thousand Spirit Stones to Xian'er:

"Sister Xian'er, you should absorb these first."

Xian'er happily absorbed the Spirit Stone, chatted with him briefly, and Shen Jingchuan left the space without lingering.

Sitting back down at the table, he remembered that he was going to see Meng Ke's mother and needed to prepare a decent gift.

For ordinary elders, the most practical thing is longevity elixirs—they're presentable and useful.

He got up and first asked the innkeeper to extend his room fee for another day. He also bought two jars of spirit wine and stored them in his Ring.

Back in her room, she quickly changed her makeup in front of the mirror, thickening her eyebrows to give herself a different look. Then, she activated the Spirit Concealing Jade to suppress her cultivation to the Qi Refinement Fifth Layer, making her look like an ordinary Rogue Cultivator who would go unnoticed in a crowd.

After getting ready, he left the inn and headed towards the market.

I went into a shop that looked decent and reliable, and was greeted by an ordinary young shop assistant.

Shen Jingchuan asked immediately:

"Young man, do you have any elixirs in your shop that are suitable for ordinary people and can prolong life?"

The young waiter nodded. "Yes, please wait a moment."

He turned around and took out two brocade boxes from under the counter, placing them on the counter.

"Sir, let me make this clear first: these two items are for mortals only; they are of absolutely no use to cultivators."

He opened the wooden box on the left, inside which were six oily, black pills:

"This is called Essence-Nourishing Pill. One pill can extend one's lifespan by ten years. Its medicinal properties are stable, and it can be taken by mortals of all constitutions. Each pill costs five Low-Grade Spirit Stones. However, a person can only take one pill in their lifetime; taking more will have no effect."

Then, opening the right side revealed six more dark red pills:

"This is Life-Extending Pill, with a stronger effect. One pill can extend one's life by twenty years, and each pill costs twenty Low-Grade Spirit Stones. The rules are the same: it can only be taken once in a lifetime."

Shen Jingchuan, adhering to his principle of always negotiating the price, asked, "Isn't it too expensive?"

"This is expensive? Although it's for mortals, it's still a pill that can extend one's life by a few years. It's only in the marketplace. If it were sold in a mortal kingdom, it would fetch a thousand taels of gold. Who wouldn't want to live a few more years?"

"If you're looking for pills that can extend a cultivator's lifespan, then the price will be much higher. Any pill that can extend a cultivator's lifespan would cost at least several thousand or even tens of thousands of Spirit Stones, and there's no market for them. In our little market, you might not see a single one for three to five years."

Shen Jingchuan waved his hand and said bluntly, "Alright, I'll take all six. Here's a hundred Spirit Stones for you, how about it?"

The waiter's face scrunched up like a bun upon hearing this, and he waved his hands repeatedly.

"Sir, that won't do. I can't make that decision. You've cut too much."

He hesitated for a moment, considering it was quite a large deal, but ultimately dared not make the decision himself.

"Please wait a moment, I'll go and call our manager."

As he spoke, he lifted the curtain behind the counter and shouted inside:

"Shopkeeper, please come out for a moment. There's a business deal you'll need to check on yourself."

A moment later, the curtain was lifted, and a cultivator in his forties stepped out. He first bowed to Shen Jingchuan, saying, "Please forgive me, esteemed guest."

After listening to the young waiter explain the reason in a few words, he shook his head with a wry smile:

"Sir, you're cutting the price too much. Although these are pills for mortals, you know what respectable Alchemist would willingly make something that doesn't make a profit?"

Although the raw materials aren't exactly heavenly materials and earthly treasures, they still require slow simmering with low-grade spiritual herbs to release their Spiritual Qi, which is quite laborious and doesn't fetch a good price.

To be honest, in the entire Spirit Creek Market, only three to five stores can actually produce the goods.

He paused, then adopted a decisive expression:

"Since you've already asked, I won't refuse. One hundred and ten Spirit Stones, that's the lowest I can offer, or we'll lose money."

Shen Jingchuan thought about it for a moment, and figured that pressing down ten more would be fine, so he nodded in agreement.

"Okay, that's the price."

He then counted out 110 Spirit Stones from his Storage Ring and handed them over. The shopkeeper accepted the Spirit Stones and pushed the two wooden boxes forward.

Shen Jingchuan casually put the box and pills into his Storage Ring.

After putting the items away, a thought suddenly occurred to him, and he looked up at the shopkeeper:

"By the way, shopkeeper, do you buy medicinal pills?"

The shopkeeper's eyes lit up instantly. He looked him up and down, and his tone became much warmer.

"I'll take it! Of course I'll take it! What, are you Alchemist?"

Don't flatter me.

Shen Jingchuan quickly waved his hand:

"I don't have that skill. These were all crafted by my master. I just brought them along to check the prices."

As he spoke, he flipped his hand and pulled out a palm-sized jade bottle, which he gently placed on the counter and pushed it over.

The shopkeeper quickly reached out and took it. The moment he uncorked the bottle, a pure and mellow medicinal fragrance wafted out, indicating it was definitely a good product.

He carefully poured one into his palm, glanced at it, and his hand trembled slightly. He suddenly looked up at Shen Jingchuan and exclaimed in a low voice:

"This is... High-Grade Qi Gathering Pill?!"

Shen Jingchuan nodded. "Absolutely genuine."

The shopkeeper hesitated for a long time, holding the jade bottle, glancing at him several times before tentatively asking, "So... how much do you want to sell it for?"

"Name your price," Shen Jingchuan said slowly, leaning against the counter. "If it's right, I'll sell it; if not, I'll ask around. This stuff is easy to sell anyway."

The shopkeeper was torn between Celestial Person. He hadn't seen such High-Grade Qi Gathering Pill in years, and its quality was truly exceptional.

They could make a fortune by buying it and reselling it, but they also want to lower the price as much as possible to maximize their profits.

After much hesitation, he gritted his teeth:

"How about this, I'll give you six hundred Spirit Stones per stone, which is already quite a high price."

Shen Jingchuan chuckled upon hearing this and reached out to take the jade bottle from his hand:

"Are you trying to take advantage of me? I think I'll go look somewhere else then."

The shopkeeper quickly raised his hand to press down on the jade bottle, and said with a forced smile:

"Don't rush, don't rush. Even if the deal falls through, we can still be friendly! Tell me a fair price, I'd like to hear it."

"I won't beat around the bush with you."

Shen Jingchuan withdrew his hand:

"My master said that these High-Grade Qi Gathering Pills are worth eight or nine hundred Spirit Stones each on the market, and they are always in short supply. Even if you have money, you can't find them. If you get them, you can resell them to those sect disciples and Aristocratic Clan scions, and they'll be fighting over them for a thousand spirit stones each. I won't cheat you; I'll give you eight hundred Spirit Stones each. You'll make a profit, and I'll save myself the trouble of finding a buyer. Everyone's happy."

The shopkeeper quickly calculated in his mind that eight hundred per piece was indeed a fair price. Finding stock on the market was a real bargain, and he wouldn't have trouble selling it if he bought it. He immediately nodded:

"Okay! It'll be as you say, eight hundred per piece, deal!"

"Don't worry."

Shen Jingchuan smiled, flipped his wrist, and took out four more identical small jade bottles, placing them on the counter:

"Including the one you just ate, that makes five in total. Can you finish them all?"

The shopkeeper's eyes widened in amazement. He quickly picked up the bottle, uncorked each one, and carefully poured out the pearls to examine them one by one. Each pearl was lustrous and plump, with a restrained Spiritual Qi; they were all top-quality, without the slightest flaw.

Without further hesitation, he turned around, took a Storage Bag from the back cabinet, put four thousand Spirit Stones inside, and pushed it on the counter.

"Four thousand Spirit Stones, please count them. Take this Storage Bag too; it's convenient for carrying things when you go out. It's not worth much, consider it a little gift from me."

He knew perfectly well that someone who could produce five High-Grade Qi Gathering Pills must have a high-level Alchemist backing them, and making a good connection with them would definitely not be a loss.