Purchasing Supplies

"My surname is Wang, but I'm not here to buy anything. I'm here to sell."

After hearing this, Shopkeeper Zhang smiled faintly at Wang Ding and said, "May I ask what you wish to sell, fellow Daoist?"

Wang Ding walked to the counter, picked up the bundle placed there, and took out one item from inside.

It was a small tower about a foot tall. Holding the little tower, Wang Ding walked up to Shopkeeper Zhang, handed the Vajra Tower to him, and said, "This is what I want to sell. It's a low-grade magic artifact, usable for both offense and defense."

Shopkeeper Zhang held the small tower and examined it carefully before saying, "Though this item is a treasure integrating attack and defense, its grade is too low. It is worth only one hundred low-grade spirit stones. I wonder if Brother Wang is satisfied with that."

"One hundred low-grade spirit stones is enough," Wang Ding said, looking at Shopkeeper Zhang.

The deal was struck. Wang Ding took the one hundred low-grade spirit stones, each the size of a baby's fist, that Shopkeeper Zhang gave him, and left the Treasury Pavilion.

Carrying his bundle, Wang Ding began strolling along the street. He was carefully looking to see whether any roadside stalls sold blank talisman paper, because most things laid out on the stalls were cheaper than those in the shops. Before long, Wang Ding arrived in front of a stall. Its owner was a young cultivator in his twenties, with ordinary looks and a gray Daoist robe.

On the stall were five neat stacks of talisman paper, some bottles and jars, and several jade boxes.

"How many spirit stones for this talisman paper?" Wang Ding said to the young man.

"One stack has twenty sheets, two low-grade spirit stones," the young man said, glancing at Wang Ding.

"Do you have cinnabar too?"

"Yes. There are two kinds of cinnabar in total. One is Ziyan Century Cinnabar, and the other is Crimson Blood Cinnabar. Both provide a bonus for talisman-making. The former is five low-grade spirit stones per tael, and the latter is three spirit stones per tael. That's already one spirit stone cheaper than in the shops, quite a good price." Seeing that Wang Ding truly wanted to buy, the Daoist carefully introduced his goods to him.

After hearing this, Wang Ding did not haggle further. He bought all five stacks of talisman paper and also bought five taels of Crimson Blood Cinnabar, spending a total of twenty-five spirit stones.

"I still have seventy-five spirit stones left. I really do need to buy some spirit grain and spirit water. I can barely make do eating mountain delicacies for these three days, but I can't keep doing that long-term. As the saying goes, when there's grain in the belly, there's no panic in the heart."

Wang Ding then walked into a shop that specialized in selling spirit grain and spirit water. He came to the counter and said to the shopkeeper, "How are the spirit grain and spirit water sold here?"

The shopkeeper looked at Wang Ding expressionlessly and said, "Market price: one low-grade spirit stone per tael of spirit grain, and one low-grade spirit stone per bottle of spirit water."

"Give me thirty-five spirit stones' worth of spirit grain and thirty-five spirit stones' worth of spirit water."

Carrying a large bundle, Wang Ding left the shop and planned to leave the city. When he reached the city gate, he paid the exit tax and walked toward a great mountain more than ten li outside the market. There was a temporary cave dwelling Wang Ding had dug out there. The reason Wang Ding did not stay inside the market was that the market had a curfew at night. If one wanted to live in the market, one could only stay at an inn, but inns were expensive, and Wang Ding did not have that spare money, so he could only find a cave outside the city to stay in temporarily.

Although there were also those outside the city who killed for goods, Wang Ding was not afraid. His current combat strength was a full three flying dragons' worth of power, which counted as mid-level in the Qi Refining Realm. Among those in the Meridian Opening Stage, generally only disciples of clans and sects could stand shoulder to shoulder with him. Ordinary Rogue Cultivators had only about two flying dragons' worth of power.

Wang Ding carried two bundles the size of basketballs out of the city, which did not draw attention. Outside the city gate, there were plenty of people shouldering bundles larger than his.

Low-level cultivators like them did not have such things as storage pouches. Even a low-level storage pouch cost at least ten thousand low-grade spirit stones to buy.

Wang Ding walked extremely fast, one step equal to ten steps of a mortal. Before long, he had covered half the distance and gradually entered a sparsely populated area. Suddenly, his brows furrowed. He felt as if someone were following him. Wang Ding abruptly quickened his pace, moving as swiftly as if he were flying, and vanished from the main road in an instant. Wang Ding had hidden himself in the small woods on both sides of the road.

Only a few dozen seconds after Wang Ding disappeared, two figures arrived at the place where he had vanished.

"Where did that kid go? He was right here just now," one of them said, his face full of doubt.

"He definitely hasn't gone far. Cousin, you must help me vent this anger. If not for that brat, I wouldn't have lost my job. I'd still be in the Treasury Pavilion, living comfortably on ten low-grade spirit stones a month," said the speaker, who was astonishingly the attendant who had been driven out of the Treasury Pavilion.

"You said he had over a hundred low-grade spirit stones on him. Is that true? If there's half a false word in it, I won't spare you," the man said. His face was covered in bulging flesh, and he looked ferocious as he spoke to the attendant.

"How would I dare deceive you? I saw him come out carrying the bundle with my own eyes. With my many years of experience, I knew at first glance there were at least eighty spirit stones inside. When we catch that kid later, I only ask that you hand him over to me. I'll knock his bones and suck his marrow, torture him viciously to death, and only then will the hatred in my heart be relieved," the attendant said, his face full of resentment.

"Don't worry. As long as we find him, the things are mine and the man is yours. You can torture him however you like," the ferocious big man said.

Wang Ding was hiding not far from the two of them at this moment. Seeing them treat him as something already in the bag and divide him up properly, anger rose from his heart and malice was born beside his courage. Truly, man may have no intent to harm the tiger, yet the tiger has a heart to harm man. I didn't go looking to trouble you, but you came looking to trouble me. Since you're seeking death, don't blame me.

There are two of them. That attendant is only a cultivator of the Marrow Cleansing Realm, and his combat strength isn't worth fearing. That big man is in the Meridian Opening Stage. I've never fought anyone before, so I lack battle experience. I should use a sneak attack. Right now, they think I'm up ahead. The instant they move to chase me will be the best chance. Wang Ding settled on his plan inwardly, carefully put down the bundle in his hands, tensed his whole body, and waited quietly in the little woods for the opportunity to arrive.

"All right, we've wasted a bit of time. Let's hurry and chase him. Don't let this fat sheep run off," the big man said, his face full of impatience.

The attendant hurriedly nodded and bowed to show he understood.

The big man did not reply. He took the lead and was about to chase forward.

Wang Ding had been waiting for this timing. The moment the big man moved, Wang Ding pounced out fiercely and charged straight at him. A distance of more than ten meters was crossed in the blink of an eye.

By the time the big man reacted, Wang Ding's claws were already coming down toward his head. A fierce wind rushed into his face, stinging it with pain. The big man was shocked, knowing that if he were caught, his skull would split apart on the spot. Fortunately, he had rich experience facing enemies, and raised both hands to block. With a scream, a large chunk of flesh was instantly torn from the big man's right hand.

However, the big man did not pause. With a push of his foot, he retreated backward. How could Wang Ding let such a great chance pass? With the move Giant Elephant Clears the Path, his foot stomped heavily onto the ground. The earth seemed to quake, instantly disrupting the big man's center of gravity. Wang Ding pressed in close, then followed with a move from the Dragon-Elephant Marrow Cleansing Sutra, Flying Dragon Heart Gouge. In one strike, his hand stabbed into the big man's chest. Wang Ding dug hard and tore out the big man's heart. The big man stared at Wang Ding with wide eyes, an incredulous look on his face, as if he could not believe he would die at Wang Ding's hands.

Wang Ding looked at the big man's corpse after it fell. He froze for a moment, as if he had not expected it to be so easy to kill the man. A strange feeling rose in his heart. So this is what killing feels like?

Just as he was lost in thought, a gust of vicious wind suddenly sounded behind his head.