Rosy Cloud Pavilion

Wang Mengde accepted the cloth pouch and opened it.

Inside were stones the size of eggs, each giving off a faint spiritual glow.

After confirming the count was correct, he tied the pouch shut and clenched its mouth tightly.

His heartbeat quickened slightly.

Neither his former self nor he, in the year and a half since crossing over, had ever possessed such a huge sum.

He took a deep breath, steadied himself, and cupped his hands toward Liu Haiwen. "Brother Liu, thank you. I'll treat you to a drink another day."

Liu Haiwen smiled until his eyes narrowed into slits. "No trouble at all. If you have any good goods next time, come find me again."

Wang Mengde turned and returned to the boat.

From the fish basket, he lifted out that Bloodscale Fish.

He had deliberately kept it rather than selling it to Liu Haiwen.

Bloodscale Fish had delicious flesh and contained the essence of demonic qi. Eating more of it was good for the body.

He would bring it back for Qingyue to try.

Carrying the Bloodscale Fish, Wang Mengde strode away from the dock.

He did not head straight home, instead turning into another street.

Hundred Herbs Hall.

Wang Mengde pushed the door open and entered.

Inside the shop, the flamboyant Shopkeeper Qin sat behind the counter, grooming his beard in a mirror.

Hearing footsteps, he looked over.

When he saw Wang Mengde, a smile appeared on Shopkeeper Qin's face. Wang Mengde came here every two months to buy Essence-Nourishing Pills, and the two had become familiar with each other.

What he liked most was listening to Wang Mengde talk.

"Little Wang, you're here? What do you need today?"

Wang Mengde walked up to the counter.

"Uncle Qin, it's only been three days, yet you've become handsome again. Especially that beard of yours—it's far too dashing."

"Not bad." Shopkeeper Qin flamboyantly stroked the beard he had just trimmed, then asked, "What do you want?"

"I want two Essence-Nourishing Pills and one Meridian-Expanding Pill."

A trace of surprise flashed through Shopkeeper Qin's eyes, but he nodded and turned to take three small jade bottles from the medicine cabinet behind him.

"Essence-Nourishing Pills are two hundred and ten spirit sand each, four hundred and twenty spirit sand for two."

"The Meridian-Expanding Pill costs forty-six spirit stones."

Wang Mengde frowned slightly. "Why have the Essence-Nourishing Pills gone up in price again? And this Meridian-Expanding Pill is far too expensive.

"Uncle Qin, I buy from your shop all the time. Give me a discount—forty-five spirit stones for everything."

Shopkeeper Qin shook his head, looking earnest. "Mengde, the Meridian-Expanding Pill is a mid-grade second-rank spirit pill. On all of Rosy Cloud Island, only my shop can occasionally get hold of one."

He paused, then continued.

"Once your meridians are expanded, you can channel more spiritual power when casting spells, greatly increasing their might. This is a good thing that can raise your strength."

He pointed at the jade box.

"There's only this one in the shop. I'll give it to you at the lowest price—forty-five spirit stones. I'll give you a discount on the Essence-Nourishing Pills too, two spirit stones each. Forty-nine spirit stones in total."

"Uncle Qin, the most handsome man on Rosy Cloud Island—one price, forty-eight spirit stones."

"Fine." Shopkeeper Qin stroked his beard and waved a hand.

"Uncle Qin, you're the most generous." Smiling, Wang Mengde opened his cloth pouch and painfully counted out forty-eight spirit stones.

Shopkeeper Qin beamed and pushed the three small bottles toward Wang Mengde.

Wang Mengde accepted the jade bottles and carefully tucked them into his robe.

Then he took his leave.

After leaving Hundred Herbs Hall, he did not linger, instead turning into another street.

There was a shop on this street that he had long wanted to visit.

Rosy Cloud Pavilion.

It was the only shop on Rosy Cloud Island that sold cultivation methods and spells.

It was an Evergreen Sect property.

Wang Mengde had long wanted to purchase combat spells.

He only knew three spells: Spirit Eye Technique, Fishing Technique, and Entwining Silk Technique.

All of them were for fishing.

When danger arose, he could only rely on talismans and the Entwining Silk Technique.

If he had combat spells, his strength would rise by a large margin.

But combat spells were truly not cheap.

He had heard that even the cheapest ones cost more than forty spirit stones.

Wang Mengde pushed the door open and entered.

The shop was quiet. Only a white-haired shopkeeper sat behind the counter reading a booklet. Upon seeing Wang Mengde enter, he quietly closed it and looked up.

"What do you need?"

Wang Mengde cupped his hands. "Senior, I would like to look at combat spells."

A trace of surprise flashed through the shopkeeper's eyes. He then pointed at a wooden sign hanging on the wall.

Lines of writing covered the wooden sign.

[Production Spells]

Spirit Eye Technique, eight spirit stones.

Fishing Technique, six spirit stones.

Entwining Silk Technique, six spirit stones.

Pearl-Gathering Technique, six spirit stones.

Freezing Technique, six spirit stones.

Tracking Technique, nine spirit stones.

Weaving Technique, nine spirit stones.

Drying Technique, nine spirit stones.

Spirit-Nurturing Technique, nine spirit stones.

[Offensive Spells]

Fireball Technique, forty spirit stones.

Water Arrow Technique, fifty-two spirit stones.

Object-Control Technique, forty-five spirit stones.

Ice Spike Technique, two hundred and thirty-five spirit stones.

Finger Arrow Technique, three hundred and eighty-five spirit stones.

Palm Thunder Technique, four hundred and ninety-five spirit stones.

[Defensive Spells]

Earth Armor Technique, one hundred and ninety-five spirit stones.

Ice Shield Technique, one hundred and ninety-eight spirit stones.

Golden Light Shield Technique, two hundred and eighteen spirit stones.

Golden Body Technique, nine hundred and sixty spirit stones.

[Escape Spells]

Wind-Riding Technique, three hundred and seventy-six spirit stones.

Water Escape Technique, six hundred and eighty-two spirit stones.

Wind Escape Technique, seven hundred and ninety-five spirit stones.

Earth Escape Technique, eight hundred and ninety-nine spirit stones.

Sword-Controlling Technique, one thousand nine hundred and eighty-five spirit stones.

[Support Spells]

Voice Transmission Technique, sixteen spirit stones.

Breath-Concealment Technique, two hundred and eighty-eight spirit stones.

Invisibility Technique, one thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine spirit stones.

Looking at that string of numbers, Wang Mengde frowned deeply.

Even the cheapest offensive spell, Fireball Technique, cost forty spirit stones.

Defensive spells were even more expensive.

Escape spells were outrageously expensive.

He looked up at the old man.

"Senior, why are these combat spells so much more expensive than fishing spells?"

Hearing this, the old man looked at Wang Mengde and said slowly.

"Naturally, it is for harmony on the island."

Wang Mengde was taken aback.

The old man continued.

"Wouldn't it be better to diligently practice production spells like Fishing Technique and earn plenty of spirit stones?"

He paused and looked meaningfully at Wang Mengde.

"Practicing offensive spells makes it easy to hurt people."

"Practicing defensive spells also makes it easy to fight people."

"Practicing spells for escaping with one's life makes it even easier to do bad things."

Leaning back in his chair, the old man spoke unhurriedly.

"The Evergreen Sect sets its prices this way for the safety of the cultivators on the island."

Hearing this, Wang Mengde understood.

The many Rogue Cultivators on Rosy Cloud Island were the Evergreen Sect's oxen and horses.

The Evergreen Sect only needed them to work diligently and earnestly every day, contributing to the Evergreen Sect.

Not to fight with the other oxen and horses.

If the oxen and horses were injured or died, it was all a loss for the Evergreen Sect.

The harsh rules of Rosy Cloud Island were the same.

Wang Mengde looked at the densely packed spells and prices on the wooden board, calculating silently.

He still had fifty-five spirit stones on him. Adding the twenty-three spirit stones he had saved beneath the bedboard at home, he had seventy-eight spirit stones in total.

The only combat spells he could afford were Water Arrow Technique and Water Blade Technique.

But what he wanted was far more than that.

He wanted the offensive Finger Arrow Technique, the defensive Golden Body Technique, and the escape-type Water Escape Technique.

Unfortunately, he could not afford a single one.