Dugu Yan: I Really Need Life Essence!
"Really?! Little Lingling!"
Dugu Yan cried out in amazement, then brought her nose close to her arm. She couldn't smell the faint, fishy, poisonous scent of Jade Phosphorus that had been there before.
She examined her body more closely and found that her skin really had improved. It felt soft and dewy to the touch.
"The Life Essence Little Lingling brought is wonderful!"
"Not only has my skin become even smoother and fairer, but that faint, fishy, poisonous Jade Phosphorus smell is gone too."
"Most importantly, my body feels unusually comfortable. Those occasional stabbing pains in my meridians and the soreness and swelling in my limbs shouldn't happen anymore."
The corners of Dugu Yan's mouth rose uncontrollably. She thought the Life Essence had cured her unpleasant symptoms.
Little did she know.
For Dugu Yan, taking Life Essence to increase her body's vitality only treated the symptoms, not the root cause.
The sudden increase in vitality within her body could briefly suppress the spread of the Jade Phosphorus Toxin.
The faint, fishy, poisonous smell given off by the Jade Phosphorus Toxin had likewise only disappeared temporarily.
When the toxin flared up again, the stabbing pains in her meridians, the soreness and swelling in her limbs, and the faint, fishy, poisonous smell from her skin would all return.
"Little Lingling, where did you get this Life Essence?"
Dugu Yan asked curiously.
She knew Ye Lingling must have discovered it recently.
Otherwise, with such a wonderful treasure, Ye Lingling would have brought it to her long ago.
Ye Lingling cleared her throat and said seriously:
"Yanzi, you don't know this, but an amazing genius has come to our Heaven Dou City."
"This goes back to when I was wandering around Heaven Dou City. Here's what happened..."
Bit by bit, Ye Lingling told Dugu Yan about Jiang Taichu.
"His Martial Soul ability can condense Life Essence, he defeated a Power Attack System Soul Grandmaster with a single strike as a Soul Master, and he acts wise beyond his years."
"This Jiang Taichu is really interesting."
"Lingling, I'll go with you to Jiang Taichu's stall in a month. I'd like to buy some more Life Essence from him."
"Anyway, it's only fifty Gold Soul Coins a drop. I'm not short of money."
"Once I've bought some Life Essence, I'll share some with you, Little Lingling."
Dugu Yan patted her chest, looking thoroughly generous.
She was unlike Ye Lingling.
Although Ye Lingling was the inheritor of the Nine Heart Begonia Ye Family,
her family was rather strict. Whenever she wanted some money, she had to kneel three times and beg nine times before her beloved mother would give it to her.
But Dugu Yan was different.
Her grandfather was a Titled Douluo, and he doted on her.
Let alone fifty Gold Soul Coins, Dugu Yan could produce even five hundred thousand.
"Long live Sister Yanzi!"
Hearing there was something in it for her, Ye Lingling changed her tune in an instant, switching from "Yanzi" to "Sister Yanzi." She turned her face faster than a page in a book.
As time passed, a month quickly went by.
Over that month, Ah Yin's strength increased by two hundred years.
Besides Jiang Taichu's diligent meditative cultivation, he also occasionally took medicine, consuming medicinal herbs that improved spiritual power.
But compared to the Spirit-Nourishing Grass from before, these herbs were clearly much less effective.
"Ah Yin's strength has reached three thousand two hundred years, and I also have the Ye Family Token Aunt Xian gave me. I can be a little more conspicuous when selling Life Essence this time."
"That way, I can earn more money too. A Soul Master really does need a lot of money to cultivate."
Jiang Taichu couldn't help recalling what Ning Fengzhi had once said.
If a Soul Master had sufficient talent, nurturing them from childhood all the way to becoming a Titled Douluo would cost at least two hundred million Gold Soul Coins.
That didn't even include things like Soul Bones. Otherwise, the number of Gold Soul Coins needed would be even greater.
Two hundred million Gold Soul Coins. Just thinking about it made Jiang Taichu shudder.
"I'll sell thirty drops of Life Essence this time."
Jiang Taichu had decided to make a small profit that month.
Thirty drops of Life Essence came to fifteen hundred Gold Soul Coins, enough for him to spend freely at his current stage.
Fortunately, Ah Yin had devoured and absorbed her Hundred-Thousand-Year Blue Silver Emperor Soul Bone back then. Otherwise, Jiang Taichu would now be desperately earning money to gather resources.
At Jiang Taichu's stall in the Heaven Dou City market.
Although Jiang Taichu had already laid down the rules, many people were still lining up.
They were all gambling on the chance that, if they got lucky, they might have an opportunity to buy Life Essence.
It was only one day, anyway, and they had the time to spare.
Ye Lingling and Dugu Yan were among them.
"No way, Little Lingling. There are actually this many people here to buy Life Essence?"
Dugu Yan stared at the scene, dumbfounded.
"Of course. Life Essence has a great effect on ordinary people and low-level Soul Masters."
"Whenever it's time for Little Taichu to open his stall, there's almost always a mountain of people and a sea of faces here."
"Most people have to line up, but your Sister Lingling is different."
"When Little Taichu gets here, Yanzi, your Sister Lingling will take you to cut in line."
Ye Lingling spoke as though it were only natural.
Before long, Jiang Taichu appeared.
Ye Lingling took Dugu Yan by the hand and squeezed through the crowd to Jiang Taichu's side.
"Little Taichu, there's something I need to ask you. Sorry for the trouble."
Jiang Taichu glanced at Ye Lingling, then at the bewitching young woman with purple hair and green eyes beside her.
This must be Dugu Yan.
Jiang Taichu wasn't particularly excited to see Dugu Yan, because he knew this day would come sooner or later.
Ye Lingling and Dugu Yan were close friends.
Once he had met Ye Lingling, the day he met Dugu Yan couldn't be far off.
"Sister Lingling, what is it?"
Jiang Taichu asked.
Ye Lingling spoke eagerly. "Here's the thing."
"Little Taichu, your Life Essence can suppress some problems with my friend's body."
"I wanted to ask if you could let my friend buy it first. She'll pay a higher price."
Ye Lingling stated her purpose for coming today.
Dugu Yan chimed in:
"My name is Dugu Yan, and I really need Life Essence!"
"Your Life Essence can suppress some of my physical ailments. I heard from Lingling that your Life Essence costs fifty Gold Soul Coins a drop."
"How about this? I'll pay more. As long as you sell it to me, I'll pay sixty Gold Soul Coins a drop."
Dugu Yan's eyes were filled with anticipation and longing.
A month ago, Dugu Yan had taken two drops of Life Essence, and it had indeed briefly suppressed her physical ailments.
But after a few days,
the stabbing pains in her meridians, the soreness and swelling in her limbs, and the faint, fishy, poisonous smell had all begun to return, leaving Dugu Yan deeply irritated.
She had come this time hoping to buy enough Life Essence from Jiang Taichu to suppress her physical ailments.
The stabbing pains in her meridians and the soreness and swelling in her limbs were one thing.
But the faint, fishy, poisonous smell on her body was unbearable. Before, there had been no way to suppress it, so she had had to put up with it.
Now that there was Life Essence that could suppress her body's fishy, poisonous smell, Dugu Yan was determined to get it!
"Letting you buy it first would go against the rules I set, so I won't agree to that."
"But I can offer this purple-haired sister an additional way to buy it, at the price she just mentioned: sixty Gold Soul Coins a drop."
Jiang Taichu gave his answer.
"Little Taichu, didn't you say there was a limit to how much Life Essence you could condense each month?"
Ye Lingling asked curiously.
Jiang Taichu leaned close to Ye Lingling and lowered his voice.
"There is a limit, but I was holding back. If I condense it with all my strength, squeezing out another ten drops of Life Essence won't be a problem."
Even in saying that, Jiang Taichu was holding back.
Ever since Ah Yin's strength had risen beyond three thousand years, condensing hundreds of drops of Life Essence a day, each containing the same amount of vitality as before, was no problem.