Zhang Ling

"No need."

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

"Don't go."

The man's bloated body blocked the doorway.

"You could work hard your whole life and never earn ten thousand spirit stones. Become my concubine, and you'll have them."

It was Zhang Ling's first time seeing such a beautiful young girl. His heart thumped wildly—she was prettier than all dozen or so of his women combined.

If not for the terrible reputation he had gained from snatching women before, and the several beatings his father had given him over it, 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 her refuse so coldly, Zhang Ling lost the warmth in his voice.

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

Zhang Ling was extremely unwilling to let it go. If it had been the old him, he would have snatched her away directly.

But to avoid another lesson from his father, he did not dare act openly.

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

Meng Jing was about to call Jiang Ping An away when she discovered that he was still standing at 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. Hurry up and go."

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

"Overestimating yourself. Do you know what ten thousand spirit stones mean?" Zhang Ling could not help laughing.

Even as the City Lord's son, it was difficult for him to produce ten thousand spirit stones. His offer to buy it earlier had only been meant to sweet-talk Meng Jing and deceive 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 extended his hand and placed a purple pill on the counter. "Is this enough?"

A faint fragrance drifted through the shop.

"Foundation Establishment Pill!"

"Foundation Establishment Pill!"

Several cries of alarm rang out at once.

Foundation Establishment Pills were too famous and too distinctive; they could be recognized at a glance.

"May I pick it up and inspect it?" the shopkeeper asked excitedly.

"Yes," Jiang Ping An said.

Zhang Ling's fat face shifted repeatedly, his eyes red 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 judged that it was an exceptionally high-quality Foundation Establishment Pill. He was overjoyed.

He swiftly put away the pill and tossed the saber to Jiang Ping An, afraid that the other party would regret it.

Meng Jing kicked Jiang Ping An and said anxiously:

"Are you stupid? This saber's true value is definitely less than ten thousand spirit stones, but that Foundation Establishment Pill is absolutely worth more than that! You lost out badly in this trade!"

"What nonsense are you talking about, little girl? My saber is forged from top-quality materials and can accommodate high-grade runes. If you find a Rune Master to inscribe runes on it, its value will double!" the shopkeeper said anxiously, displeased.

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

"The transaction is complete. No returns!" The shopkeeper's attitude was firm.

"You..."

Meng Jing's teeth itched with anger. Standing on tiptoe, she smacked Jiang Ping An on the head. "You fool, you got cheated blind. Ask me before making decisions like this in the future!"

It pained her deeply to see Jiang Ping An being taken advantage of.

"Here~"

Jiang Ping An held the Blue Flower Saber out to Meng Jing.

Meng Jing froze. "This is..."

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

"For me..."

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

So this foolish man had 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. You becoming stronger will benefit both of us."

Jiang Ping An stuffed the saber into Meng Jing's hands and 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?"

It 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 especially useful to him.

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

Having gained a huge advantage by buying the Foundation Establishment Pill, the shopkeeper was extremely enthusiastic. He took the Earth Accumulation Art and examined it.

After only a few glances, his expression turned strange.

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

What he really wanted to say was that it was complete trash, but out of consideration for the other party's dignity, he did not say it outright.

"There's a simple way to determine a cultivation manual's grade: look at how many Meridians it can open."

"More than three but fewer than ten makes an ordinary cultivation manual. More than ten but fewer than fifty makes an excellent cultivation manual. Anything over fifty is a supreme cultivation manual."

"This cultivation manual... seems unable to open any Meridians."

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

Stupid Father. Jiang Ping An had been so generous, giving your daughter a treasured saber worth ten thousand spirit stones, yet you gave him a useless cultivation manual.

And he had even claimed it was a cultivation manual he 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 by the manual's 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, greed flashed through his eyes.

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

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

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

Meng Jing, who was playing with her sword, 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 terribly embarrassed.

How could this be okay? Father said girls must be reserved and cannot casually stay with other boys.

Should I refuse him?

After Jiang Ping An paid, took the room token, and turned around, he said, "Let's go upstairs."

"O-okay."

Hugging the saber, Meng Jing followed behind him with her head lowered.

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."

Once they entered the room, Jiang Ping An locked the door and immediately sat in the corner, beginning to meditate and recover his strength.

Because they had been traveling, he had not been able to 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 manual could not open Meridians at all.

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

Seeing that Jiang Ping An's mind was entirely focused on cultivation, Meng Jing felt a little upset. She did not even know why she was upset—it was simply inexplicable.

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

Meng Jing puffed up her cheeks and jumped onto the bed, beginning to play with the Blue Flower Saber in her hands.

It was the first time she had received such a valuable gift. She was almost reluctant to use it.

After the time it took to burn an incense stick, Jiang Ping An, seated in the corner, furrowed his brow tightly.

"Something's wrong. Other cultivation manuals open Meridians, but this one actually circulates along the body's existing blood vessels."

It was like the Thick Earth Breathing Technique Jiang Ping An had cultivated before, which required opening ten Meridians within the body. Spiritual energy would circulate through those ten Meridians.

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

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

Common Body Cultivator techniques circulated along the existing blood vessels, which was why they were so painful. A single misstep could easily lead to disaster.

This was also one reason there were so few Body Cultivators.

This cultivation manual actually circulated along the blood's pathways 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.

Though 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.