"Shopkeeper, have you seen this person at your Spirit Herb Pavilion recently?"
The moment he entered, a burly man from the Tiele Alliance raised a wanted poster and asked the Spirit Herb Pavilion's shopkeeper expressionlessly.
Another fair-faced, beardless man raised one hand and displayed a jet-black token, dark as iron.
This token was the Tiele Token—the mark of identity for the Tiele Alliance.
The plump shopkeeper glanced at the wanted poster and the Tiele Token, then hurriedly clasped his hands. "I have not seen him, sir."
Though the Spirit Herb Pavilion possessed a certain degree of influence within the Royal City, it was not even in the same league as the Pill Pavilion.
Therefore, the Spirit Herb Pavilion did not dare offend the Tiele Alliance, which worked for the Pill Pavilion.
The burly man was not surprised by the answer. He put away the wanted poster and asked in a deep voice, "Within the past month, has anyone purchased spirit herbs related to Rootless Water?"
Spirit herbs related to Rootless Water?
A whole array of spirit herbs flashed through the plump shopkeeper's mind. After searching through his memories, he shook his head.
"Sir, no."
The burly man was clearly dissatisfied with that answer. Frowning, he pressed, "Think more carefully..."
The plump shopkeeper racked his brains.
Though he was the shopkeeper of the Spirit Herb Pavilion and extremely familiar with the spirit herbs of the Spirit Realm, he did not actually know the formula for the Dust-Transcending Pill, which the Pill Pavilion kept under lock and key.
Thus, he had never connected the spirit herbs Chen Changming had purchased with Rootless Water.
The fair-faced man's gaze flickered. "Perhaps... has anyone asked about Rootless Water?"
The plump shopkeeper said nothing, instead looking toward the seven or eight young clerks in the Spirit