The moment Su Yun stepped inside, a young attendant hurried over to greet him.
The attendant wore a short blue jacket and had a professional smile on his face. His manner was courteous.
"Welcome to the Pill Pavilion, Senior. Are you looking to buy pills or purchase medicinal herbs?"
Su Yun lowered his voice, deliberately making it hoarse and elderly.
"I'm just having a look."
Then he walked straight to the pill counter on the first floor.
Rows of exquisite jade boxes stood neatly arranged, displaying all kinds of first- and second-grade pills.
Blood Qi Pills, Qi Gathering Pills, Body Tempering Pills, Healing Pills.
The prices were clearly marked.
After scanning the counter, Su Yun raised an eyebrow.
Most of the pills sold here were mid-grade, with a small number of high-grade pills.
He didn't see a single supreme-grade pill.
He stopped an attendant nearby and asked casually, feigning nonchalance.
"Young man, do you have any supreme-grade Blood Qi Pills here?"
The smile on the attendant's face faltered, then he quickly explained, sounding somewhat helpless.
"Senior, supreme-grade Blood Qi Pills are extremely rare."
"The supreme-grade pills at the Pill Pavilion are reserved as soon as they enter our inventory."
"They're never put out for general sale."
"First-grade pills may seem low-level, but refining them to supreme grade is extremely difficult. Alchemists aren't willing to expend the effort, so there are very few."
"Supreme-grade Blood Qi Pills are almost impossible to find, no matter how much money you have. Even our Pill Pavilion can't keep them in stock."
The attendant rattled on, making the scarcity of supreme-grade pills perfectly clear.
After listening, Su Yun understood.
Supreme-grade pills really were hard currency in the marketplace.
"What a coincidence."
"I happen to have a batch of supreme-grade Blood Qi Pills."
"Would your Pill Pavilion buy them?"
"What?"
The smile on the attendant's face froze.
He stood there, stunned.
He looked the skinny old man up and down, his voice uncertain.
"Se-Senior, are you... are you sure they're supreme-grade Blood Qi Pills?"
Su Yun's expression remained impassive as he gave a slight nod.
"Of course."
The attendant's heart pounded. He didn't dare be negligent and quickly bowed.
"Please wait a moment, Senior!"
"I'll notify the manager right away!"
Then he turned and sprinted up to the second floor.
It wasn't long before hurried footsteps sounded from upstairs.
Thump, thump, thump.
A middle-aged man strode down the stairs.
He was slightly plump, with a round face and broad ears. A shrewd, ingratiating smile—unique to businessmen—played on his face.
He wore a dark blue brocade robe, its fabric smooth and its pattern understated.
A bronze jade pendant hung at his waist, the kind cultivators commonly used as a storage accessory.
This was Wang Fugui, manager of the Pill Pavilion.
He spotted the old man in gray at once and hurried straight over to Su Yun.
His manner was respectful, without a trace of disdain.
In the cultivation world, strength reigned supreme. Anyone who could produce supreme-grade pills was no ordinary person.
Wang Fugui cupped his hands slightly, speaking courteously.
"This fellow Daoist, I'm Wang Fugui, manager of this Pill Pavilion."
"May I ask your esteemed name?"
"Han Li."
"Fellow Daoist Han, my attendant just told me you have a batch of supreme-grade Blood Qi Pills?"
He stared intently at Su Yun, unable to hide the urgency in his eyes.
Supreme-grade pills were hard to come by in the marketplace. After years in the pill trade, he knew their value better than anyone.
Su Yun gave a slight nod, his expression unchanged.
"That's right."
At the confirmation, Wang Fugui's eyes lit up.
His smile stretched from ear to ear, and he seemed to come alive.
"Excellent! Excellent! Fellow Daoist Han, it's crowded and noisy here, so it's not a good place to talk."
"Please join me in a private room on the third floor, where we can discuss this in detail."
Su Yun didn't refuse and nodded lightly.
He followed Wang Fugui up the wooden stairs.
The second floor had private trading rooms, reserved for cultivators making large transactions.
The third floor was quieter still, with only a handful of elegant guest rooms.
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Soundproofing arrays covered the entire floor, shutting out every sound from outside.
In a private room by the window, the table and chairs were spotless, and a simple tea set had been laid out.
Wang Fugui gestured toward a seat.
"Please, Fellow Daoist Han."
They sat down in turn.
He gestured to the attendant outside.
"Bring a pot of Cloud Mist Spirit Tea."
A short while later, the attendant came in carrying white jade teacups.
Boiling water steeped the tea leaves, unfurling them as a faint fragrance mingled with wisps of spiritual energy.
The tea was smooth and soothing, easing a cultivator's mental fatigue.
Once the attendant had left and closed the door, Wang Fugui could no longer suppress his curiosity.
He leaned forward slightly, his voice sincere yet urgent.
"Fellow Daoist Han, forgive me for asking."
"Could you show me the pills, so I can broaden my horizons?"
Su Yun moved casually, flicking his fingertips.
A snow-white jade bottle appeared out of thin air in his palm.
He tossed it over.
Wang Fugui's pupils contracted. He hurriedly caught it with both hands, handling it with the utmost care.
He held the jade bottle, his breathing unconsciously growing shallow.
He gently pried off the stopper.
A rich, mellow medicinal fragrance burst from the bottle.
The scent was gentle, not overpowering, and spread through the entire room.
Just from its fragrance, one could sense the medicine's pure, potent power.
Wang Fugui looked down into the bottle.
Three round, crimson Blood Qi Pills lay quietly at the bottom.
Their surfaces were full and smooth, their color even and lustrous.
A faint layer of blood-red light shimmered across them, while fine pill patterns wound around their surfaces.
They were flawless, without a single trace of impurities or blemishes.
Wang Fugui stared at the pills, frozen in place.
His eyes bulged, his mouth hung open, and his mind went blank.
Good heavens!
They really were supreme-grade Blood Qi Pills!
He had been in the pill business for over thirty years and had seen plenty of supreme-grade pills.
But he had never seen ones with such perfect appearance!
Ordinary supreme-grade Blood Qi Pills always had a few stray flecks of color, and their pill patterns were broken and uneven.
But these were pure throughout, their pill patterns complete, their medicinal power refined to the utmost.
Even supreme-grade pills made by a top second-grade alchemist might not reach this level of quality.
He could clearly sense the potent medicinal power sealed inside them.
Their power was concentrated and contained, without the slightest leakage.
They had clearly been made recently and kept in perfect condition, not having lost even a trace of their medicinal properties.
He'd struck it rich!
This time, he'd really struck it rich!
Once pills of this caliber hit the shelves, the major lineages and sect disciples would go wild for them!
Ordinary supreme-grade pills could only assist with cultivation. These pills contained almost no pill toxins.
Low-level cultivators could take them for a long time without toxins building up; they might even nourish their meridians.
Whether sold individually or in bulk, they were guaranteed profit!
Wang Fugui forced down his excitement, covertly sizing up the old man in gray before him.
Han Li's aura was unremarkable, and his cultivation was only at the sixth level of Qi Refining.
That cultivation level might make him an expert in the marketplace, but he absolutely couldn't refine supreme-grade pills.
Much less supreme-grade pills of such perfect quality.
He definitely wasn't an alchemist.
If he could produce a batch of supreme-grade Blood Qi Pills all at once, there had to be someone behind him.
At the very least, it had to be a third-grade alchemist!
Only a third-grade alchemist, with exquisite technique and precise control of the flame, could refine first-grade pills to such perfection.
A second-grade alchemist simply couldn't do it!
Han Li was most likely the traveling agent of some high-ranking alchemist.
He had come specifically to sell the pills on their behalf and conceal the identity of the powerful figure behind them.
Having figured this out, Wang Fugui treated Su Yun with even greater respect.
He couldn't afford to offend him.
Absolutely not.
With a third-grade alchemist backing him, even an inner sect elder of the Azure Cloud Sect would have to show him some respect, let alone a minor manager like himself.
Wang Fugui put away his shock and replaced it with a professional, sincere smile.
"Fellow Daoist Han."
"Forgive my bluntness, but these are the finest supreme-grade Blood Qi Pills I've ever seen in my life."
"Their quality far surpasses that of the supreme-grade pills circulating on the market."