He Actually Paid

Chen Xiao's stomach was hungry too now—no, not just hungry, but ravenous. After all, he was only at the Qi Refining Third Layer and had yet to reach the Grain Avoidance Realm. Going three days without food or water had truly left him starving.

Chen Xiao took the tray from Mengmeng. On it sat a pot of ginseng soup. Without another thought, he lifted the lid and promptly drained the entire pot to the last drop.

Then he rubbed his slightly warm belly and chuckled. "Sister Mengmeng's cooking is the best. It's far better than the chefs in the manor's restaurants."

Hearing Chen Xiao's words, Mengmeng froze slightly. Then, blushing, she took the tray without saying a word and left.

Watching Mengmeng's retreating figure, Chen Xiao wore a warm smile.

Moon-Gazing City lay in the south of Glazed Heaven in the Immortal World, north of the Heavenly Pool Mountain Range. In the eyes of cultivators within a thousand li, it was also a highly renowned great city.

It was noon. Dressed in a white brocade robe, with an expensive purple-blue jade belt around his waist and a gold-inlaid folding fan in hand, Chen Xiao swaggered through the city with an eight-character gait.

Miaomiao followed behind Chen Xiao in a long emerald-green dress, her face veiled in white gauze that concealed her cheeks.

Mengmeng's feelings were exceedingly complicated. She had originally thought Chen Xiao had learned his lesson and turned over a new leaf this time, but she had never expected him to reveal his true colors again as soon as he recovered. Yet over the past few days, Mengmeng had keenly noticed that Chen Xiao's attitude toward her had changed greatly. He was practically like a different person.

Still, looking at Chen Xiao's domineering posture ahead of her, Mengmeng could not help letting out a disappointed sigh.

When the residents of Moon-Gazing City saw this spoiled young master return to the streets, they all fled far away as though avoiding a plague.

As if he had not noticed, Chen Xiao headed straight toward the market in the south of the city.

"Young Master Third, you've come! What are your orders?"

At the entrance to the South City Market, a middle-aged man with a face full of flesh hurried forward when he saw Chen Xiao, an obsequious smile on his face.

"Scram. Keep blocking my way, and I'll cripple you."

Chen Xiao kicked the Foundation Establishment Realm man aside, unwilling to waste words on him.

This man was named Liu San. He was a minor steward of the South City Market, the sort who bullied the weak and feared the strong, a man who trimmed his sails to the wind. He usually hung around Chen Xiao, relying on his bellyful of evil schemes and his skill at flattery to win Chen Xiao's deep favor.

But two years later, when the Chen Clan suffered a great upheaval, this brat would be the first to kick them when they were down, handing all the Chen Clan's businesses in the south of the city over to the Nangong Family. Looking at that face now, Chen Xiao wished he could split him apart with one palm strike.

But Chen Xiao had no time to deal with him now. As long as the Chen Clan stood for one more day, this sort of person would remain Chen Xiao's dog for one more day.

Although Liu San's cultivation far surpassed Chen Xiao's, he truly did not dare dodge that kick. He did not even dare raise a thread of true essence, and could only take it head-on, sent sprawling flat on his back by Chen Xiao's kick.

Seeing Liu San's comical appearance, Mengmeng could not help bursting into laughter.

Chen Xiao ignored Liu San and walked straight into the market. Not knowing what Chen Xiao was thinking, Liu San carefully climbed to his feet and followed behind him.

"Why are you still following me? Scram!"

Noticing Liu San trailing after him, Chen Xiao turned around and kicked him again. Liu San rolled away like a ball.

The people around them, who had originally wanted to avoid Chen Xiao, could not help bursting into loud laughter at the sight. Liu San climbed up from the ground and looked at Chen Xiao with great grievance, but he no longer dared follow him.

Chen Xiao had already led Mengmeng into a shop that sold talismans.

"I wonder what this young master... uh, uh, uh..."

The shopkeeper had been resting with his eyes closed. Sensing someone enter, he hurriedly rose to greet them, but halfway through his words, he saw that the person entering was Chen Xiao. His throat immediately seemed to seize up, and he could only stammer, "Uh, uh, uh..."

"Ah, so Young Master Xiao has honored us with his presence. Forgive me for failing to welcome you from afar, forgive me."

The shopkeeper wore a bitter expression and did not even dare raise his head.

"Demon beast hide, demon beast blood, spiritual cinnabar, spiritual cinnabar brushes. Bring me however much you have."

Chen Xiao spoke while inspecting the various talismans displayed in the shop.

"Huh?" The shopkeeper was instantly dumbfounded by Chen Xiao's words.

Demon beast hide, demon beast blood, spiritual cinnabar, and spiritual cinnabar brushes were all materials for drawing talismans. Most of the talismans sold by small talisman shops like this one were drawn by the shop's own talisman masters, so naturally, they kept quite a few such materials in stock.

But who would have thought that the greatest scourge in Moon-Gazing City would come to his little shop today and, with a single opening remark, pull the firewood from beneath his cauldron? However much he had, Chen Xiao wanted it all? Wasn't this taking his life?

There were usually quite a few cultivators who came to buy talisman materials, but theirs were normal transactions. Had anyone ever seen this young city lord pay for anything he bought?

But if he handed them over, he would probably have to pack up and leave today, even losing this little shop in the process.

The shopkeeper did not dare say anything. Wearing a bitter expression, he took out the talisman materials from his Storage Ring. Then, with a pitiful look, he instructed his workers to carry out the spirit beast blood, spirit beast hide, and other items from the back of the shop.

Chen Xiao looked them over and nodded in satisfaction, then stored everything in his own Storage Ring.

"Sister Mengmeng, pay him."

Chen Xiao spoke to Mengmeng, then headed outside.

"Huh?"

Mengmeng and the shopkeeper both froze. The Third Young Master of the Chen Clan was actually paying for something?

This was truly a great curiosity.

A hint of a smile appeared in Mengmeng's eyes. It seemed that her young master had truly turned over a new leaf.

Then she roughly calculated the value of those items and tossed down a mid-grade Heavenly Mystery Stone before following Chen Xiao out of the shop.

The currency used among cultivators in the Immortal World was the Heavenly Mystery Stone. Heavenly Mystery Stones were divided into four grades: supreme, high, mid, and low. The exchange rate between each grade was one hundred to one.

In truth, the things Chen Xiao had just bought were not worth even one mid-grade Heavenly Mystery Stone. But seeing that her young master had turned over a new leaf and no longer bullied the good and oppressed the kind, Mengmeng was so happy that she directly threw down a mid-grade Heavenly Mystery Stone.

The shopkeeper stared blankly at the mid-grade Heavenly Mystery Stone in his hand. The Third Young Master of the Chen Clan had actually paid for something? Had the sun risen in the west?

Chen Xiao and Mengmeng ignored the stunned shopkeeper. At this moment, Chen Xiao felt slightly disappointed. Though the talisman-drawing materials in his hands were of decent quality, they still fell far short of his requirements.

After all, although Moon-Gazing City could be considered a sizable city among cultivators, it did not even rank within all of Glazed Heaven.

It seems I need to obtain that Flowing Light Flying Moon Talisman as quickly as possible, open the Talisman Treasure Immortal's treasure vault, and expand my strength.

Chen Xiao secretly made his plans. Although the Nine Heavens Thunder Virtue Universal Transformation Art was powerful enough to defy the heavens and could control heavenly tribulations, its cultivation cycle was far too long. Moreover, the Nangong Family had clearly already begun moving against the Chen Clan. Chen Xiao had to think of every possible way to raise his strength as quickly as possible.