Two-Dimensional Pioneer

Chunwa and Qiuchan are not human beings. I just finished eating and drinking my fill at Great Forest Wine House, and the moment I left the restaurant, my stomach was already digested.

Xiao Ran asked the shopkeeper for the location of the White Night Branch in East Floating City, then left Great Forest Wine House and headed towards North Street.

"You're good for nothing but eating. I never thought you'd actually achieve something by eating."

Xiao Ran walked ahead, complaining about Chunwa and Qiuchan.

After complaining for a while, there was no response from behind. I turned around and saw that the person was gone.

He must have been dragged in by some shopkeeper again.

Xiao Ran didn't care.

There won't be any security issues at the Dao Alliance's base. Besides, no one would dare to provoke the people from Zongzhi Mountain here.

Because he was eager to accumulate a large amount of Filial Piety Points, Xiao Ran wanted to buy Spirit Grain seeds that were at least at the Nascent Soul Level.

The price won't be small; you'll need to compare prices from several vendors.

Before going to Baiye, he first inquired about prices at several large stores in the city.

It's basically between 200,000 and 300,000 Spirit Stone.

With his status as a top talent in the Dao Alliance, he could only manage to get the price down to 200,000; it couldn't go any lower.

That's quite a difference...

The only way is through connections!

Thinking this, Xiao Ran quickly walked to North Street.

I stopped in front of a towering three-story gray building.

Above the high plaque, three ancient cursive characters, imbued with a majestic sword-like brilliance, cast a pale, moon-like glow upon the gray-tiled pavilion, making it appear even more imposing.

White Night Pavilion.

The White Night Pavilion Headquarters in Chaos City. It is a high-level shop that dares to sell and buy anything, and its reputation is well-known in the Cultivation World.

Even Xiao Ran knew a little about the history of the White Night Pavilion.

In its early days, White Night Pavilion was a marketplace where several high-level hunters regularly exchanged items and Cultivation Method.

Later, the group joined forces and set up a shop in Chaos City. Relying on connections, they quickly expanded and rose to prominence, soon establishing branch offices in major immortal cities.

White Night Pavilion has connections in both the legitimate and criminal worlds, possesses substantial funds, and is particularly adept at hoarding and speculating on goods.

There is no trading of ordinary items in the pavilion, but anything unusual is available for sale and purchase.

Xiao Ran walked into the pavilion and entered the lobby on the first floor.

Looking around, the hall was spacious and elegant, with seven or eight wooden tables casually placed.

On the table were laid out musical instruments, chess pieces, books, paintings, wine, and peanuts for guests' entertainment, but notably no elixirs or magical implements were for sale.

A dozen or so guests were sitting sparsely.

Three or five shop assistants moved among the crowd, serving tea and water and exchanging information.

It has that vibe of a brothel serving tea.

White Night Pavilion operates on a one-to-one transaction model, where staff members exchange information briefly, and if the customer is interested, tea will be served.

Afterwards, guests wait here for good news, awaiting a call to go upstairs to discuss the buying and selling of goods and prices with professional traders.

The branch manager usually stays on the third floor and only comes out to greet guests when there are extremely rare items or distinguished guests.

Xiao Ran quietly took his seat.

Looking around, among the dozen or so customers, the lowest level was Foundation Establishment cultivator, and there were also two Golden Core cultivators.

He was the only one among the Qi Refining cultivators.

Everyone looked at Xiao Ran with curiosity.

Seeing that he was dressed in the robes of Direct Disciple Zongzhi Mountain, and with Huang Yuanzi announcing it throughout the city, everyone basically confirmed Xiao Ran's identity.

They bowed and clasped their hands in greeting from afar, maintaining a respectful yet unobtrusive distance.

This made Xiao Ran feel very relaxed, at least much more comfortable than at Great Forest Wine House.

Because of his special status, the shop assistant skipped the information exchange and served Xiao Ran tea directly.

"What would Fellow Daoist Xiao like?"

With time limited, Xiao Ran got straight to the point.

"My Master asked me to order a batch of high-grade Spirit Grain seeds and yeast."

Xiao Ran specifically mentioned his Master, hoping to use his connections to get a better deal.

The shop assistant's expression flickered slightly, and he asked the question knowingly:

"Is Fellow Daoist Xiao's Master Elder Lingzhou?"

Xiao Ran nodded.

"Exactly."

The shop assistant sighed, "Elder Lingzhou still owes this shop 53,046—"

Xiao Ran's face darkened, and he quickly interrupted the shop assistant.

"I'm sorry, I misspoke. I didn't order it for Master, but for Senior Uncle True Person Yinyue. My two senior sisters came along too, and they're still playing in the street. This time I brought enough Spirit Stone from Senior Uncle, cash transaction, no delays."

The shop assistant shook his head.

"Please repay the debt first—"

He was cut off midway through his sentence, and then a slow, leisurely male voice came from the third floor.

"Come on up."

Shopkeeper!

The shop assistant pursed his lips and had no choice but to take Xiao Ran to cut in line and go upstairs ahead of time.

The other customers didn't have any objections either.

After all, this is a certified genius of the Dao Alliance, the savior who saved three million people in Flamefree City, and has the right to meet the shopkeeper directly!

A suspended sandalwood staircase descends from the third floor, resembling a path to heaven that no one has ever trod.

Xiao Ran stepped onto the sandalwood steps, each step seemingly suspended in mid-air, the scent of ink and sandalwood wafting beneath his feet.

Up to the third floor.

This is a large, undivided apartment with only a screen placed on the south side.

The walls are all floor-to-ceiling windows, letting in blue light and clouds, and a gentle breeze drifts in.

On the long table in the middle are a zither, a chess set, and books; upon closer inspection, all are exquisite pieces.

However, because no one has tended to them for many years, these elegant objects have become dusty and dull.

Beside the south window screen, on a short table, are two tea sets and a painting, all polished to a shine.

It is clear that the zither, chess, and calligraphy were merely decorations, the tea ceremony was for entertaining guests, and the painting was the shopkeeper's true passion.

A young scholar dressed in white sat at a short table by the window.

He was quite handsome, with a slightly thin and weak build, but he was far from being as effeminate as Master Boyun.

Xiao Ran looked closely and saw that this person's Cultivation Level was Nascent Soul, his age was no less than his Master's, and his face had a faint air of refinement that concealed his true nature as a cunning merchant.

Seeing Xiao Ran go upstairs, the scholar in white stood up and bowed.

"My name White Night Pavilion Chen Qingyuan. My clerk was ignorant, so I hope Xiao Tianjiao will not take offense."

"Just call me Xiao Ran."

"Please sit down."

Xiao Ran did not sit down immediately, but instead glanced at the painting in front of the short table.

The painting depicts a beautiful woman wearing a white cloak and possessing the air of a socialite.

The emotions in the painting are well conveyed, and the brushwork is exquisite, but from Xiao Ran's perspective, which is at the highest level of painting skill, it is not yet fully captivating.

In order to break down the unscrupulous merchant's defenses, Xiao Ran decided to start with painting skills, casually saying:

"The woman depicted in this painting is independent yet not vulgar, radiant yet not seductive, and also reveals the painter's longing for the world but not daring to pursue it."

Chen Qingyuan was slightly startled and hurriedly put away the painting, appearing somewhat flustered.

This was the first time someone had seen through the emotions he expressed in his paintings.

Xiao Ran didn't ask any further questions. He then sat down and took out the bamboo tablet with the shopping list engraved on it.

Chen Qingyuan patiently brewed tea for Xiao Ran, then picked up a bamboo stick and frowned slightly.

"Is Xiao Tianjiao planning to grow grain and brew wine?"

Xiao Ran nodded.

"Exactly."

"High-grade Flame Stone, hmm... I never imagined there was such a wonderful way to warm wine."

Chen Qingyuan muttered to himself, then smiled.

"It's laughable that the Flame Stone stored in the White Night Pavilion were acquired from Zongzhi Mountain thousands of years ago. I never thought that disciples from Zongzhi Mountain would come to Baiye to buy Flame Stone. This shows the state of the Dharma Ending Era."

Xiao Ran also found it ironic, but there was nothing he could do; this was the reality of the Dharma Ending Era.

"So, shouldn't I get a huge discount?"

Chen Qingyuan's smile vanished, and he suddenly asked:

"Does Xiao Tianjiao brew wine for Elder Lingzhou?"

Xiao Ran did not hide anything.

"Master is not feeling well, so I would like to brew some high-grade medicinal wine to warm Master up."

Chen Qingyuan scrutinized Xiao Ran's features, figure, and demeanor, making Xiao Ran feel uneasy all over.

"I had long heard that Xiao Tianjiao was very filial to Elder Lingzhou. He brewed wine for the elder to warm his body as soon as he received the Dao Alliance reward. Seeing him today, he is indeed a filial disciple!"

Xiao Ran always felt that there was something more to what this person was saying.

"You flatter me."

Chen Qingyuan up his teacup, took a sip of wine, and his eyes flashed with the typical pitiful look of a cunning businessman.

" In this Dharma Ending Era, high-grade Spirit Grain can no longer survive, and even the seeds eventually wither and die. I can get some seeds and herbs from Chaos City for you, but the price..."

Xiao Ran said directly, "Name your lowest price."

Chen Qingyuan smiled and said, "The items on your list together are worth about 200,000 yuan. These are not particularly rare items. You can check with other shops."

The quality of Baiye's products has always been guaranteed, and the prices are relatively affordable, not more expensive than those in other stores.

Xiao Ran nodded.

"Almost."

They all seemed to be straightforward people; after all, they were all geniuses of the Dao Alliance, so Chen Qingyuan no longer tried to hide anything.

"I also really want to befriend a master painter like Xiao Tianjiao. Here's what we'll do: I'll personally contribute 100,000, and I'll give you 100,000 as my bottom line. But Elder Lingzhou owes this shop 50,000, which must be added on top of that. The total is 150,000. This is the maximum price I can offer."

Xiao Ran didn't know if Bai Ye had stockpiled the goods early or if this guy was really generous; the price was unbelievable.

"Unfortunately, I only have 100,000 Spirit Stone."

Chen Qingyuan thought for a moment and said, "100,000 is also acceptable, but Xiao Tianjiao must write another IOU, writing down in black and white the debt that Elder Lingzhou owes to this store—in your status as Dao Alliance prodigy."

Xiao Ran didn't want to write this IOU; he wanted to erase it directly, considering it a token of Filial Piety Points.

Judging from Chen Qingyuan's tone, he seemed to be hinting at something, so he tentatively asked:

"I only have 100,000 coins. I need to order grain seeds and medicinal herbs, and I also need to help my Master pay off his debts. I wonder if Manager Chen could make an exception?"

Chen Qingyuan said meaningfully:

"You are quite filial, in fact, more than just filial..."

"Um?"

Xiao Ran was taken aback. "Do you also know that I have a system?"

Chen Qingyuan took a sip of tea, the steam obscuring his face.

"Do you know how many innocent women Elder Lingzhou has harmed in the Cultivation World?"

Xiao Ran was startled, and suddenly understood.

"Could it be that the woman in the painting was Manager Chen's sweetheart? And that my Master defiled her?"

What a waste...

Chen Qingyuan's face turned black with anger, yet also slightly red.

"That's my sister."

Oh, so he's a sister-complex guy...

Xiao Ran nodded meaningfully, and combined with what Chen Qingyuan had been hinting at, he understood everything.

"Does Manager Chen want me to do some ideological work with Master so that she can stay away from your sister?"

Chen Qingyuan admired Xiao Ran's accurate intuition.

"Not only ideological work, but ideally we could turn Elder Lingzhou into a normal woman, a normal woman who likes men. Xiao Tianjiao is handsome, talented, and the second youngest prodigy in the history of the Dao Alliance..."

A prodigy in his early twenties is only second? Who's number one?

Xiao Ran didn't press for details.

This guy's words are full of rabid and insolent language; he actually wants to corrupt his filial piety.

It's one thing for him to be a sister-obsessed brother, but to want him to become a teacher-obsessed brother is just perverse. Doesn't that distort his filial piety?

It wasn't that Xiao Ran, being a straight man, didn't want to change his nature; rather, he worried that if he changed, and his master and disciple became Dao Companion, would he still have Filial Piety Points? Would he still be able to become stronger?

"Manager Chen, there's no need to say more. I understand. I can only say I'll try my best, but I can't guarantee anything."

Chen Qingyuan naturally didn't buy into Xiao Ran's act.

"I can't guarantee anything about Spirit Stone either."

Xiao Ran, confident of his plan, changed the subject.

"However, your painting still lacks a soul."

"Um?"

"To be honest, Manager Chen, I also like to draw in my spare time during my cultivation. This is my work, a woman I drew casually."

Xiao Ran picked up the light bamboo slats and swiped them to the left like he was swiping an iPad, revealing a portrait of a fairy.

It was the same painting that Chuyan had just seen, without a prototype, a doodle by Xiao Ran.

When Chen Qingyuan saw the painting, his mind went blank for a moment.

His painting skills were so high that no one in the Dongfu District, or even the Chaos City, could compare.

What was presented to him at this moment was a painting that far surpassed his own.

"This!"

He was so shocked that he completely forgot how large the painting was.

He stared blankly for a long time, his face only showing shock and pallor, not flushed with excitement.

Only a master of painting would be so shocked.

For example, Chuyan only saw erotic pictures...

Xiao Ran is the easiest person to deal with.

"As long as you draw well enough, the painting becomes a world of its own. When you immerse yourself in the world of the painting, you will break the shackles of the norms of the three-dimensional world, because in the real world of the painting... siblings can also love each other."

Crack! The teacup in Chen Qingyuan's hand shattered on the ground.