The main hall was packed with Qi Refining cultivators, seated in pairs and threes as they sipped tea and chatted.
Just as they approached the stairs leading to the second floor, two young women and a man came down from upstairs.
The two young women were dressed in purple and yellow. A tall, blue-robed young man followed close beside them.
When Han Changming saw the young woman in purple, a flicker of surprise crossed the depths of his eyes.
Before long, they were in a private room on the third floor. Han Changshuo and Han Changying had been waiting for quite some time.
After exchanging a few pleasantries, they ate and chatted.
After a few rounds of drinks, Han Changming took a bite of food and casually asked, "Second Brother, you're a First-Rank High-Grade alchemist. Tell us what we should watch out for when learning alchemy. I'm quite curious."
"Yeah! Second Brother, tell us about it!" Han Changying chimed in, interested as well.
Han Changshuo didn't hide anything. He honestly explained the things one needed to pay attention to when practicing alchemy. In fact, many members of the Chang generation had asked him about it. Alchemists were more sought after than talisman makers and artifact refiners, and some clan members had paid for their own alchemy lessons. Han Changshuo knew this perfectly well.
He had started out learning artifact refinement, since the Han Clan had passed down the craft through generations. But he had little talent for it, so he switched to alchemy. He had some aptitude in that field, and with the clan's strong support and his own hard work, he had successfully become a First-Rank High-Grade alchemist.
Like talisman-making, alchemy required guidance from a master as well as good tools. The alchemy furnace was paramount.
"The clan leader personally refined a First-Rank High-Grade alchemy furnace for me. With the clan's strong support, I was able to become a First-Rank High-Grade alchemist."
"Second Brother, if the clan leader refined a Second-Rank Low-Grade furnace for you, wouldn't your success rate at alchemy be even higher?" Han Changjiong asked curiously.
Han Changshuo shook his head. "Fifth Sister is an artifact refiner. She should know how precious alchemy furnaces are. The clan leader tried, but didn't succeed."
"Second Brother is right. Alchemy furnaces are much harder to refine than other magical artifacts. Furnaces, mirrors, and pagodas are some of the most difficult artifacts to craft. To do a good job, one must first sharpen one's tools. Second-Rank alchemy furnaces are quite rare. The big shops do sell them, and if you want to buy one of good quality, you can attend the large auction in a few days. I heard Foundation Establishment Pills will be auctioned off too."
The Ocean Listening Pavilion had opened its gates to recruit disciples, and countless cultivators hoping to join had poured into Kuixing Market. The crowds had swelled, and some shops were taking advantage of the occasion by offering discounts or holding auctions to attract customers.
Han Changjiong smiled. "A large auction? We definitely have to go and broaden our horizons. A friend of mine is holding a small exchange gathering in a few days. Many Qi Refining cultivators will attend, and I heard disciples from the Ocean Listening Pavilion will be there too. Second Brother, Fifth Sister, would you like to come along? Meeting other cultivators could be beneficial to your future prospects."
"That sounds great." Han Changshuo readily agreed.
Making connections with disciples from the Ocean Listening Pavilion would help his future prospects. Perhaps he could even learn some inside information from them.
An hour later, the four Han cultivators left the Heavenly Fragrance Restaurant.
It was Han Changshuo's first visit to Kuixing Market, and he was curious about nearly everything. Han Changming and the others strolled around with him, introducing him to the market.
Han Changshuo was most interested in shops selling spirit herbs and pills. That was only natural—he was an alchemist.
He bought some commonly used spirit herbs that were several decades old, intending to save them for alchemy.
Two hours later, the four Han cultivators went their separate ways.
Han Changming sat cross-legged on a wooden bed and took out a Spirit Nourishing Pill, swallowing it.
The night passed in the blink of an eye.
Early the next morning, Han Changming left the Spirit Talisman Pavilion.
He wandered along the streets. With the Ocean Listening Pavilion recruiting disciples, the market was packed with people. The streets teemed with crowds and passing carriages, while vendors called out incessantly.
An hour later, Han Changming was in a private room on the second floor of a teahouse. He had used the Shape-Shifting Technique to alter his appearance.
He ordered a pot of spirit tea and a plate of pastries, seemingly waiting for someone.
Before long, three knocks sounded at the door.
"Fairy Ye, come in!"
A young woman in purple and another in yellow pushed the door open and came in, their faces beaming with smiles.
The woman in purple was surnamed Ye and named Xin; the woman in yellow was called Ye Xue. They often bought talismans from Han Changming, and had grown familiar with him over time.
Every two months, Han Changming sold a batch of First-Rank talismans to Ye Xin. Of course, he charged less than the going market price.
Selling talismans at a low price on a regular basis, especially in large quantities, would easily attract the attention of talisman shops. Selling them to Ye Xin reduced the risk.
Of course, Han Changming had observed the sisters for a while and confirmed that they were rogue cultivators before selling them talismans in bulk.
According to Ye Xin, they made their living hunting demonic beasts, and Ye Xin was the deputy leader of their hunting team. They needed a large supply of talismans.
Even if the sisters resold the talismans Han Changming sold them cheaply, they wouldn't make much in spirit stones.
In return, Ye Xin helped him gather information.
Half a year earlier, the clan leader had ordered all Han Clan members to look into reports of Second-Rank Green-Eyed Fish Demons. Their inner cores would do as well, and there was no limit on the number.
Strangely, the clan leader had told them not to make a show of it and to proceed with caution. Apparently, he was afraid the Chen Clan would find out and spoil their plans.
Something like that had happened before: the Chen Clan had beaten the Han Clan to the cultivation resources they were trying to gather.
The Green-Eyed Fish Demons had been hunted so relentlessly that they were nearly extinct.
As a member of the Han Clan, Han Changming had a duty to help his clan.
"Fairy Ye, here are the talismans you wanted." Han Changming took out a green Storage Bag and handed it to Ye Xin.
Ye Xin poured out the talismans, and the two sisters carefully counted them.
"Fellow Daoist Hu, here are seven hundred spirit stones." Ye Xue handed Han Changming a yellow Storage Bag, smiling brightly.
The Han Clan's territory was Red Shrimp Island. The word for "shrimp" was homophonous with "Hu."
Hu Bin was Han Changming's alias.
Han Changming frowned. "Why are there only seven hundred spirit stones? These talismans are worth more than a thousand."
Ye Xin smiled sweetly and explained, "Fellow Daoist Hu, didn't you ask us to look into reports of Green-Eyed Fish Demons? We ran into a Second-Rank demonic beast not long ago, and our group was scattered. While we were fleeing, my sister and I discovered the whereabouts of a group of Green-Eyed Fish Demons. A few of them were Second-Rank. That news has to be worth three hundred spirit stones! People are paying a high price for leads on Green-Eyed Fish Demons right now. Three hundred spirit stones is definitely not too much."
"The whereabouts of a group of Green-Eyed Fish Demons? Is that true?"
"We've known each other a long time. Would we lie to you? But we can't guarantee the Green-Eyed Fish Demons are still there, so hurry and sell this information!" Ye Xue said with a smile, taking out a green seashell and handing it to Han Changming.
"Good. Thanks. If the information checks out, I'll give you a better price on the next batch of talismans I sell you. I have something to take care of, so I'll be going." Han Changming took the green seashell and strode away.
Demonic beasts were always on the move. He had to report this as soon as possible so the clan could send people to hunt the Green-Eyed Fish Demons.
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