Chance Encounter (Seeking Recommendations)

After lying low for a while.

Fang Xi felt that Situ Qingqing was no longer paying much attention to him, and finally found an opportunity to disguise himself as a Rogue Cultivator and enter Green Bamboo Mountain Market.

This time, he wore a dark green robe and a bamboo hat. He was burly, and the Killing Intent radiating from him was intimidating.

Last time, I was only in the early Qi Refining stage. Even a shop assistant looked down on me.

This time is much better. With mid-stage Qi Refining cultivation, I can no longer be considered weak...

When he passed Hundred Skills Tower, Fang Xi did not even move his eyes.

Some hatreds, unless the right opportunity arose, could only be buried silently in the depths of his heart.

After paying one Spirit Crystal as the stall fee at the Situ Family's market outpost, Fang Xi arrived at his stall and patted his storage pouch.

A roll of snake hide, a large number of pale white snake bones, and snake meat preserved in ice appeared.

The stench of blood mixed with a foul odor made the stall owners on either side frown.

But when they looked at Fang Xi, who seemed fierce and clearly not someone to provoke, they did not dare say a word. They could only curse him inwardly.

"It's Yao Beast Meat!"

"Cultivators who can hunt Yao Beasts are all ruthless characters of the highest order!"

"I want to hunt Yao Beasts too, but Yao Beasts are extremely rare in Yue Kingdom. Whenever one is discovered, the local cultivators have already divided it up..."

"Let me take a look!"

The onlookers chatted sporadically. A cultivator dressed like a scholar stepped forward. "Greetings, fellow Daoist. What grade is this Yao Beast Meat? How are you selling it?"

"First-grade Low-rank demon snake meat, one Low-grade Spirit Stone for ten jin! Five Spirit Stones for all the snake bones! The snake hide is negotiable..."

Fang Xi answered while sitting cross-legged, barely lifting his eyelids.

"What a pity. This meat looks like it has been stored for some time. Even with ice, it isn't very fresh..."

The scholar stood up regretfully and gave his assessment.

"Poor wretch, get lost!"

Fang Xi opened his eyes, revealing faint glints of light.

This scholar was clearly not a Body Refining Cultivator. Everything he wore was not worth even one Low-grade Spirit Stone, and, most importantly, he was only in the early Qi Refining stage!

He was not Fang Xi's target customer at all!

"Hey, hey... Brother, there's no need to get angry. I'll leave now... I'll leave..." The scholar's legs went weak with fright, and he disappeared into the crowd.

The Rogue Cultivators enjoying the spectacle burst into laughter, yet felt that nothing was wrong.

Cultivators with higher cultivation could indeed humiliate those with lower cultivation at will. That was the law of the jungle in the Cultivation World.

Fang Xi had once been at the very bottom. Now that he had advanced to mid-stage Qi Refining, he could barely be considered to have climbed a little higher.

Unfortunately... he was still a long way from the top.

"Oh? More Yao Beast Meat?"

Before long, a booming voice rang out.

The crowd split apart, and a burly man over two meters tall, built like an iron tower, walked up to the stall. He paid no attention to the snake hide or bones, staring only at the meat.

After asking the price, he shook his head. "One Spirit Stone for ten jin? Too expensive!"

Fang Xi sized him up and confirmed that he was also a body cultivator. He immediately revealed a kindly smile. "If you purchase more than fifty jin, fellow Daoist, I can give you a discount..."

After some haggling, the burly man finally tossed out four Spirit Stones and bought fifty jin of snake meat.

Unfortunately, after that burly man, there was not much business.

Only one talisman-maker's apprentice came by, spending one Spirit Stone to buy all the snake blood. Apparently, he planned to use it to make talisman ink.

Fang Xi was not in a hurry. Cultivators had always possessed excellent patience, and the Spiritual Energy inside the market was far richer than that in the shantytown, making it the perfect place to meditate.

That meditation lasted an entire day.

As closing time approached, Fang Xi calculated silently: "Business was pretty good today. I took in nine Spirit Stones..."

Rogue Cultivators without residence tokens were not allowed to stay overnight in the market. This was also to prevent them from freeloading on the market's Spiritual Energy.

Just as Fang Xi was preparing to pack up, he saw two cultivators approaching while chatting and laughing. His eyelids twitched slightly. Those two?

The visitors were none other than Chen Ping and Lu Zhi.

Chen Ping now wore a Heavenly Silkworm Silk magic robe in lake blue with gold embroidery along the edges, looking full of vigor. Lu Zhi, meanwhile, had changed out of her mourning clothes and was wearing a bright red dress, making her look even more charming.

The two of them browsed as they walked, and before long arrived in front of Fang Xi's stall.

"Not bad, not bad. There really is Yao Beast hide for sale here!"

Chen Ping poked the snake hide with his finger, then sounded a little disappointed. "What a pity... it's only a first-grade low-rank Yao Beast. Fellow Daoist, how much for this roll of snake hide?"

Clearly, he had not recognized Fang Xi.

After all, Fang Xi had already adjusted his body with his cultivation technique. He now looked tall and burly, completely unlike the slightly thin man he had been before.

"One price—ten Spirit Stones!"

Seeing a sucker arrive, Fang Xi glanced thoughtfully at Lu Zhi and immediately raised the price.

After all, men always liked to puff themselves up and spend foolish money in front of women, especially beautiful women.

"Deal!"

As expected, Chen Ping agreed without even thinking.

Lu Zhi, however, frowned. "This snake hide is worth five Spirit Stones at most... Isn't ten a little too high?"

"Hey... this snake hide is completely intact. If carefully processed, it can produce at least a hundred sheets of talisman paper. Special talisman paper made from Yao Beast hide is much better than ordinary straw paper. I hear it can even increase the success rate of talisman-making. This really isn't expensive..." Fang Xi was, after all, Chen Ping's good friend, and he knew a thing or two about talisman paper. He casually spouted nonsense.

"Exactly. And... Sister Zhi, talisman paper made from Yao Beast hide is different for me. Besides, you know that I've already become a First-grade High-rank Talisman Master. This small premium is insignificant. I'll earn it back by drawing a few more talismans."

Chen Ping gazed at Lu Zhi with deep affection.

Have these two already become this close? Will they be inviting me to their wedding banquet next?

No... Has Chen Ping's progress on the Talisman Path really been that fast? Last time, I heard Jiuxuan say that he was trying to refine First-grade High-rank talismans. Has he already succeeded? That makes no sense... No, that isn't how cultivation works!

Just as Fang Xi was complaining inwardly, Lu Zhi was actually persuaded. She nodded and said, "Forget it. Have it your way!"

Chen Ping immediately tossed out ten Spirit Stones and took away the demon snake hide.

Fang Xi watched the sucker leave, feeling somewhat regretful.

If I'd known, I should have sold the chameleon's hide too... What a pity. Bringing it out now would attract too much attention.

He had handed the Chameleon Yao to Di Qi. If he sold the hide as well, he might expose this identity.

Besides, this Yao Beast hide had special properties, and Fang Xi preferred to keep it for his own use.

As he watched Chen Ping leave, the corner of his eye suddenly caught a flash of green.

Fang Xi's pupils trembled slightly. He then continued packing up and left as though nothing had happened...

Only after leaving the market did he let out a long breath. "That was Situ Qingqing... Was she following Chen Ping?"

"Could it be... the person she was investigating really was Chen Ping, not me?"

"Did I simply overthink things before?"

"No... Why would the Situ Family be so interested in Chen Ping? Could they be trying to recruit him, or perhaps kidnap him and bring him home to serve as a tool? No... Chen Ping couldn't possibly enjoy that kind of treatment unless he could break through to become a Second-grade Talisman Master. But how could that be possible?"

Fang Xi gave a laugh, casually burned his clothes, changed back into a Spirit Farmer's outfit, and returned to his shack to continue cultivating.

The way of cultivation valued perseverance above all.

Even if his daily Qi Refining progress was as slow as a snail, he still could not let it go to waste.

Now that I have Spirit Stones, should I buy some pills tomorrow to assist my cultivation?

As he sat cross-legged, a thought surfaced in Fang Xi's mind. But that doesn't seem worthwhile... The Spirit Stones I have are enough to buy several Qi and Blood Pills and other pills suitable for body cultivators. With pills to assist me, my martial cultivation will improve faster. If I can push my martial cultivation to the third Body Refining stage, then whether I'm selling meat or engaging in other trade, I'll have much more peace of mind. I'll accumulate Spirit Stones faster, and buying pills to assist my cultivation later will be more efficient and improve my combat strength even further!

Improving his combat strength!

With Fang Xi sensing that dark clouds were approaching, this reason became even more compelling.

After all, staying alive came first!

The next day.

Fang Xi rose early. Ignoring the greeting from the female cultivator next door, he went to the market.

Hundred Refinements Workshop!

The moment he entered, a wave of heat rushed into his face.

As the largest magic tool manufacturer in Green Bamboo Mountain Market, Hundred Refinements Workshop looked plain and unadorned.

There were counters selling magic tools in front, while the rear held many furnaces. More than a dozen tool-refining apprentices were attempting to repair and refine magic tools under the guidance of their respective masters.

"Fellow Daoist, are you looking to purchase a magic tool?"

A bare-armed blacksmith with flushed cheeks came over to greet him and asked courteously.

"I want to commission a magic tool!"

As Fang Xi spoke, he took out the Chameleon's hide from before. "Although this Yao Beast wasn't high-grade, it excelled at concealing its form. I want to use this hide as the material to forge a special magic tool suited for hiding!"

"I see. Please come inside. I'll go find Master Gu!"

The blacksmith led Fang Xi into a guest room. Before long, the door opened, and an elderly man with graying hair walked in. "This old man is Gu Tian. Fellow Daoist, you want to forge a special magic tool?"

"Precisely!" Fang Xi nodded.

Gu Tian looked over the Yao Beast hide, then took out a strange magic tool and examined it for a long while. Only then did he nod, then shake his head. "The grade of this Yao Beast hide is average, and its defensive power is average... Fortunately, it is relatively intact and can have a formation carved onto it. What other requirements do you have?"

"The magic tool doesn't need to be high-grade. Low-grade is enough. I don't care much about defensive power either..." Fang Xi said. "The main thing is concealing my form. It has to be as good as possible—ideally, to the point that ordinary people can't detect me no matter what... As for detection by cultivators using techniques like Spirit Eye Arts, there doesn't need to be any requirement."

Even though Gu Tian had seen plenty of strange customers, Fang Xi's request left him thunderstruck. "So... this is a magic tool specifically designed to fool ordinary people?"

A magic tool that cultivators could see through at a glance was practically an insult to his craftsmanship!

Only then did Fang Xi reveal his true intention. "So... there is no need to add any precious materials or use any special formations... Could you make it a little cheaper?"

Low-grade magic tools in Green Bamboo Mountain Market generally cost around ten Spirit Stones, while mid-grade and high-grade magic tools ranged from dozens to hundreds of Spirit Stones.

However, specially commissioned magic tools were certainly more expensive, even if they were low-grade.

Master Gu was rendered speechless. Only then did he say, "All right. I'll charge you fifteen Low-grade Spirit Stones. Pay five Spirit Stones as a deposit first, and sign the contract..."

Ever since its establishment, Hundred Refinements Workshop had been a highly reputable shop.

Moreover, signing a contract ensured that no secrets would be leaked.

For Fang Xi, that was naturally exactly what he wanted.

After injecting a thread of magic power into the contract made in duplicate and forming a seal, Fang Xi paid five Spirit Stones and walked out of Hundred Refinements Workshop.