Zhang Ling

"No need."

Meng Jing refused outright. Afraid of stirring up trouble, she grabbed Jiang Ping An and prepared to leave.

"Don't go."

The man's bloated body blocked the doorway.

"You could work your whole life and never earn ten thousand Spirit Stones. Become my concubine, and they'll be yours."

It was Zhang Ling's first time seeing such a beautiful young girl. His heart pounded wildly; she was prettier than all dozen-odd of his women put together.

If not for the terrible reputation he had earned from snatching women before, and the several beatings his father had given him, he would have simply taken her by force this time.

"I said no." Meng Jing spoke coldly, her eyes full of disgust.

"I'm the Minghai City Lord's son. Are you sure you won't reconsider?" Seeing how coldly she had refused, Zhang Ling's tone lost its earlier enthusiasm.

"Are you done yet?" Meng Jing was getting angry.

Zhang Ling was deeply unwilling to accept this. If it had been the old him, he would have snatched her away directly.

But to avoid being lectured by his father again, he did not dare take her by force.

"Woodhead, let's go... Are you buying something?"

Meng Jing was about to call Jiang Ping An away when she noticed that he was still standing before the counter.

"Boss, I'll take this saber." Jiang Ping An looked at the beautiful Blue Flower Saber.

"Woodhead, didn't you hear him? This saber costs ten thousand Spirit Stones. We can't afford it. Let's go."

Meng Jing thought Jiang Ping An had not heard the price, which was why he wanted to buy it.

"You're overestimating yourself. Do you know what ten thousand Spirit Stones means?" Zhang Ling could not help laughing.

Even he, the City Lord's son, found it difficult to produce ten thousand Spirit Stones. Saying he would buy it for her had merely been a ploy to fool Meng Jing and trick her into giving him her body.

He had never truly intended to buy her the saber.

"Are you sure? Do you have ten thousand Spirit Stones?" the shopkeeper asked doubtfully.

"No," Jiang Ping An answered honestly.

The shopkeeper's face darkened. "How are you going to buy it without any? Are you trying to rob me?"

Jiang Ping An stretched out his hand and placed a purple pill on the table. "Is this enough?"

A faint fragrance drifted throughout the shop.

"Foundation Establishment Pill!"

"Foundation Establishment Pill!"

Several cries of alarm rang out at once.

Foundation Establishment Pills were too famous, and their appearance was highly distinctive, making them easy to recognize.

"May I pick it up and take a look?" the shopkeeper asked excitedly.

"Yes," Jiang Ping An said.

Zhang Ling's bloated face shifted back and forth. His eyes reddened with jealousy. This brat actually had a Foundation Establishment Pill—who knew where he had picked it up?

The shopkeeper had a sharp eye and quickly determined that it was a Foundation Establishment Pill of exceptional quality. Delight filled his heart.

He swiftly put away the Foundation Establishment Pill and tossed the saber to Jiang Ping An, afraid that he might regret it.

Meng Jing kicked Jiang Ping An and said anxiously:

"Are you stupid? This saber's actual value definitely isn't ten thousand Spirit Stones, but that Foundation Establishment Pill is absolutely worth more than ten thousand! You lost out badly on this trade!"

"What nonsense are you talking about, little girl? My saber is forged from top-grade materials and can accommodate advanced runes. Have a Rune Master add runes to it, and its value will double!"

The shopkeeper grew anxious and said unhappily.

Meng Jing glared at the shopkeeper. "Do you take me for a fool? Hiring a Rune Master is expensive, okay? If we had that money, why not just buy a better magical treasure outright?"

"The transaction is complete. No returns!" the shopkeeper said firmly.

"You..."

Meng Jing gritted her teeth in anger and stood on tiptoe to smack Jiang Ping An on the head. "You fool, you got ripped off terribly. Ask me before making any decisions from now on!"

Her heart ached at how badly Jiang Ping An had been cheated.

"Here."

Jiang Ping An handed the Blue Flower Saber to Meng Jing.

Meng Jing froze. "You mean..."

"It's for you," Jiang Ping An said.

"For me..."

Meng Jing felt as if something had brushed against her heart, making it beat uncontrollably.

So this man had foolishly traded a Foundation Establishment Pill for the saber because of her.

"You practice saber techniques too. I can't take it—it's too valuable..."

"Pay me back later. Becoming stronger is good for both of us."

Jiang Ping An stuffed the saber into Meng Jing's hands, then said no more. He took out a cultivation manual and handed it to the shopkeeper.

"Boss, take a look. How much is this cultivation manual worth?"

This was the "Earth Accumulation Art" Meng Kuo had given Jiang Ping An.

He might not take the path of a Spirit Cultivator in the future, so cultivation manuals were not particularly useful to him.

This shop bought and sold treasures, so it should be able to appraise cultivation manuals.

Having gotten an enormous bargain on the Foundation Establishment Pill, the shopkeeper was extremely enthusiastic. He accepted the "Earth Accumulation Art" and examined it.

After just a few glances, his expression turned strange.

"This cultivation manual... is very low-grade."

He had actually wanted to say it was complete trash, but spared the other party's feelings and did not say it outright.

"The simplest way to judge a cultivation manual's grade is by how many meridians it can open."

"More than three but fewer than ten is an ordinary cultivation manual. More than ten but fewer than fifty is an excellent cultivation manual. Anything above fifty is a super cultivation manual."

"This cultivation manual... seems unable to open meridians at all."

Hearing this, Meng Jing's face turned red. She recognized it as the cultivation manual her father had given Jiang Ping An.

That rotten father of hers—Jiang Ping An had been so generous, giving his daughter a precious saber worth ten thousand Spirit Stones, yet he had given Jiang Ping An a useless cultivation manual.

He had even claimed it was a cultivation manual found in a top-tier secret realm. He really had no shame. She would definitely give him a piece of her mind later.

"Thank you."

Jiang Ping An was not disappointed because the cultivation manual was low-grade. He put it away and left with Meng Jing.

Round Zhang Ling stared at Meng Jing's petite, lively figure and swallowed hard.

When he looked at Jiang Ping An, a flash of greed passed through his eyes.

Jiang Ping An led Little White to an inn to rest. "Two rooms."

"Dear guest, I'm sorry, but there's only one room left." The owner smiled apologetically.

"Then one room." Jiang Ping An could meditate and did not need to sleep.

Meng Jing, who was playing with the treasured saber, suddenly felt her heart race. She lowered her head, not daring to look at the man.

It was her first time sharing a room with a man, and she felt extremely embarrassed.

How could this be okay? Father said girls had to be modest and couldn't casually stay with other boys.

Should I refuse him?

After paying, Jiang Ping An took the room token and turned back. "Let's go upstairs."

"Okay, okay."

Meng Jing hugged the saber, lowered her head, and followed him upstairs.

The room was not large, but it was fairly clean. There was only one bed.

"You sleep on the bed. I'll meditate in the corner."

After entering, Jiang Ping An locked the door, sat directly in the corner, and began meditating to restore his strength.

Since they were traveling, he could not cultivate the energy-consuming Overlord Body Art. Jiang Ping An took out the "Earth Accumulation Art" and began reading it.

He was actually quite curious. Even a trash cultivation manual should be able to open one or two meridians.

Yet this cultivation manual could not open meridians at all.

Meng Kuo had said before that this cultivation manual was found in a top-tier secret realm. He would not lie, so perhaps this cultivation manual had something special about it.

Seeing Jiang Ping An devote all his attention to cultivation, Meng Jing felt a little angry. She did not know why she was angry; she simply was, for no reason at all.

"Stupid Woodhead, the Sugar Cake we bought is on the table. Eat it if you get hungry."

Meng Jing puffed up her cheeks, jumped onto the bed, and began playing with the Blue Flower Saber in her hands.

It was the first time she had received such a valuable gift, and she was even a little reluctant to use it.

After the time it took to burn an incense stick, Jiang Ping An's brows were tightly furrowed in the corner.

"Something's wrong. Other cultivation manuals open meridians, but this one circulates according to the body's existing blood vessels."

Just like the Thick Earth Breathing Technique Jiang Ping An had cultivated before, it required opening ten meridians within the body, through which spiritual energy would circulate.

The more meridians one opened, the faster spiritual energy could circulate.

The reason meridians had to be opened was that the body's existing blood vessels were extremely fragile. Even a slight impact could cause them to burst, so special pathways for spiritual energy had to be opened.

Common Body Cultivator techniques circulated along the existing blood vessels, which was why they were so painful. The slightest carelessness could cause an accident.

This was also one of the reasons there were so few Body Cultivators.

This cultivation manual actually moved according to the pathways of blood as well!

Moreover, many parts of this cultivation manual were obscure and difficult to understand. It did not seem like a low-grade cultivation manual.

Although Jiang Ping An had little experience, he knew this situation was highly unusual.

After thinking for a moment, Jiang Ping An decided to try cultivating it.