Carrying the thirty spirit crystals he had earned from mining, Xu Yuan left the mine. There was still some time before nightfall, so he took another stroll through the market.
After entering the Qi Refining realm, the Little Blue Mountain Essence-to-Qi Art circulated more smoothly. Correspondingly, however, the consumption of qi and blood within his body also increased, so he needed to find better nourishing food.
He lingered for a while at the window selling spirit rice, but the prices displayed there made Xu Yuan wisely look away. One low-grade spirit stone for a pound of spirit rice? Why not just rob people!
Afterward, he entered a shop selling demon beast meat.
He bought two pounds of cooked meat for ten spirit crystals, wrapped it in oiled paper, and carried it in hand as he headed straight for Bi Qiong's door, intending to pay back the spirit crystals he owed her first.
He knocked on the door and waited outside for a while, but there was no response. Xu Yuan could not help wondering where she had gone.
After returning home, he put away his coat and mining pick before taking the two pounds of demon beast meat into his hands.
[Casually Cooked Demon Beast Meat] [Status: Still Edible] [Current Trait: None] [Traits That Can Be Added: 0/1] [Selectable Trait: Meticulously Prepared (Green): Carefully selected high-quality demon beast meat, processed through complex methods and supplemented with various medicinal herbs. The demon beast meat's flavor improves, while the medicinal effects contained within it become stronger. Cost: Ten spirit crystals]
Once the enhancement was complete, Xu Yuan smelled the faintly fishy demon beast meat in his hand begin to give off a rich aroma of meat and medicine. He knew that the green trait had slightly altered the very nature of this piece of demon beast meat.
Looking at the demon beast meat in his hand, he had briefly wanted to use this to earn spirit crystals. But after thinking it over carefully, he abandoned that dangerous idea.
His ability to add traits was a little too heaven-defying. If someone traced it back to him someday and discovered his ability, the best possible outcome would be being imprisoned by some powerful expert and turned into a tool for enhancement.
Besides, apart from that Buddha pendant, he had never let anyone else use something to which he had added a trait. He did not even know what the outcome would be.
Therefore, it was better not to do anything dangerous. Enhancing himself and the things already in his possession was enough.
He took a bite of the demon beast meat and felt the qi and blood within him begin to surge like roaring waves. Xu Yuan immediately cast aside every stray thought.
Never mind. Cultivate.
The night passed quickly. Qi Refining cultivators generally only needed to sleep two hours at night. Xu Yuan compressed that to an hour and a half, using all the remaining time for cultivation.
He stretched, sensing his cultivation grow a little stronger once more. A satisfied expression appeared on Xu Yuan's face. This feeling of becoming stronger step by step was truly intoxicating.
"At this rate, I should break through to the second layer of Qi Refining in about three months. That is still a little slow."
Xu Yuan murmured inwardly. In truth, by Biyou Market's average standards, breaking through to the second layer of Qi Refining in three months absolutely counted as fast. This was all thanks to Xu Yuan's high proficiency in the Little Blue Mountain Essence-to-Qi Art.
The main reason he felt it was slow was that the Jade Marrow Crystal had spoiled him.
Pushing open his door, he saw that Bi Qiong's door was still closed. Xu Yuan did not knock again and headed straight for the bustling district.
As he planned out his expenses, a shrill cry suddenly caught Xu Yuan's attention. He looked up and discovered that it was the gaunt man he had encountered in the mining area yesterday.
But the man was now lying on the ground, his face deathly pale and his eyes unfocused. He was clearly taking more breaths out than in. Beside him stood a half-grown boy. What drew the eye was that half of the boy's once fairly handsome face was shrouded in eerie ghostly qi, while the flesh there looked rotten, taking on a vermilion-red hue.
With that face, even Xu Yuan, who had seen quite a few strange people in Biyou Market over the past few days, could not help taking a few extra looks.
At that moment, the half-grown boy was sprawled in front of the man. The shrill crying from earlier had come from him.
"Let me make this clear: this pauper ignored our warnings and secretly drew more blood. His death has nothing to do with us. Even if you report this to the Enforcement Hall, the result will be the same."
A Blood Hall disciple stood nearby, looking at the father and son with disgust, afraid they might try to pin this on him.
But the half-grown boy did not answer. He merely kept crying until the gaunt man's hand, which had been resting on him, gently fell away. Then he closed his eyes in despair.
"Alright, everyone, disperse."
The Blood Hall disciple waved at the crowd, about to return to his business.
"Wait." At that moment, the half-grown boy rose to his feet. The grief in his eyes slowly faded, leaving behind only utter resolve.
The Blood Hall disciple felt a chill creep through his heart, thinking the boy intended to vent his anger on him. But then he saw the boy suddenly point at the ground and say earnestly, "My father has just died, and his corpse is still fresh. Does your shop want his blood?"
The Blood Hall disciple's expression visibly froze before he nodded. "We do, but the price will be lower."
"Father, you're dead already, and I've cried enough. Burying you in the ground would be a waste, and I'd still have to worry about someone digging up your corpse. Better let your son borrow this body of yours and walk a little farther down the immortal path. This has always been your hope. I think that if you know in the underworld, you will be comforted."
Xu Yuan in the distance: "..."
In the end, his moral bottom line was still too high. Why could he never blend into the cultivation atmosphere of the Hidden Moon Sect?
Taking a deep breath, Xu Yuan pretended he had not seen any of it. In that brief moment, the half-grown boy had already picked up the corpse and gone to a nearby butcher shop to bargain over the price.
He quickly returned to the mine and began the day's work.
With the aid of the detection pick, his earnings remained abundant today. His luck was also good: he actually mined a piece of refined mystic iron ore. On top of the original thirty spirit crystals, he received an additional reward of fifty spirit crystals.
As usual, Xu Yuan bought two pounds of demon beast meat, but he still could not bear to spend extravagantly on spirit rice.
After subtracting the spirit stones for rent, the deposit for the mine, and enhancing the detection pick, he only had five left on him. Over the past two days, even with good luck, he had only managed to save up one low-grade spirit stone. How could he dare spend on something so expensive?
Besides, he had other uses for all these spirit stones. Beyond the various shops large and small, Biyou Market also had technique halls dedicated to teaching arts and techniques. Among them was instruction in Spirit-Martial Unity.
Xu Yuan possessed the Innate Martial Bone Trait and cultivated the Little Blue Mountain Essence-to-Qi Art. If he did not try walking this path, it would truly be a pity.
"Twenty low-grade spirit stones. If I save up, I'll get there eventually."
Muttering to himself, Xu Yuan walked down the street with his pick slung over his shoulder. At that moment, he suddenly felt the surroundings grow quiet. Then, a faint, indistinct song rose up, spreading into every corner of the long street.
One of the Hidden Moon Sect's ten great perils: if you hear singing at night, you must pretend not to hear it and continue whatever you are doing.
Before you continue