"Don't be in such a hurry! I never said I wouldn't trade. I'll take the Medicinal Pills, and this talisman is yours! But brother, you really know how to do business!"
The female cultivator surnamed Chu swayed her waist as she tucked the Porcelain Bottle into her robes in one swift motion.
Then she picked up the Level 1 Top-grade Defense Talisman from the stall and handed it to Su Shi'er. As she passed it over, her fingers lightly teased his palm.
"Brother, have a look. Is there anything else you want? You can buy some to take back too!"
Su Shi'er's palm tingled. As though shocked by lightning, he stuffed the talisman into his robes, his face flushing red at once. He had never been close to a woman before, and the woman before him was so bewitchingly lovely.
The fact that he did not make a fool of himself on the spot already showed considerable self-control.
The next moment, he took a deep breath and tried his best to calm his racing heart.
His gaze fell on her stall. Looking over the talismans and talisman manuals, he thought for a moment before selecting twenty-four Level 1 Mid-grade Talismans and two incomplete beginner's manuals on talisman crafting.
"How much are these?"
"Ten Foundation Cultivation Pills for each Level 1 Mid-grade Talisman, and fifty Foundation Cultivation Pills for each of these books. Three hundred and forty Foundation Cultivation Pills in total!" the female cultivator surnamed Chu said quickly, her eyes occasionally sweeping over Su Shi'er.
"Senior Sister, I'm buying so much from you. Give me a discount, will you? How about three hundred Foundation Cultivation Pills?" Su Shi'er scratched his head and haggled with a smile.
"You already bought a top-grade talisman. Are you really going to fuss over this little bit with me?" the female cultivator surnamed Chu said with a sweet smile.
"How could I not? This is all I have left on me." Su Shi'er drew in his neck, looking simple and honest.
"Fine, three hundred it is!" The female cultivator surnamed Chu smiled brilliantly and nodded.
Su Shi'er readily paid the Medicinal Pills, put away his purchases, then turned and left.
Having obtained these items, his trip had been quite fruitful. He still had some Foundation Cultivation Pills left and wanted to look for manuals on cultivation techniques.
No sooner had Su Shi'er left than the Young man in silk scarf who had previously stood with his arms around his sword hurried over.
Seeing the empty sandalwood box, the Young man in silk scarf frowned and hurriedly asked the female cultivator surnamed Chu, "Senior Sister Chu, where is that Level 1 Top-grade Defense Talisman?"
"Sold it," the female cultivator surnamed Chu replied carelessly, the corner of her eye still fixed on Su Shi'er amid the crowd.
"What? Did a Martial Brother or Senior Sister above Qi Refining Stage Six come by?" The Young man in silk scarf frowned, looking somewhat annoyed.
"No, it was a junior brother at Qi Refining Stage Four." The female cultivator surnamed Chu waved her hand and promptly replied.
"Senior Sister Chu, you aren't tricking me, are you? A junior brother at Qi Refining Stage Four could produce Qi Gathering Pills? Three of them, at that?" The Young man in silk scarf looked utterly astonished.
"Why would I lie to you? Look." The female cultivator surnamed Chu grinned, opened the Porcelain Bottle, and gestured to the Youth in Silk Scarf.
"What? A Mid-grade Qi Gathering Pill?" The Young man in silk scarf was greatly startled.
"That junior brother should still have quite a few Qi Gathering Pills on him." The female cultivator surnamed Chu said with a smile that was not quite a smile.
"Are you sure?" The Young man in silk scarf was doubtful.
"Hmph, what is there to be unsure about?" With a flick of her hand, another pill bottle appeared in the female cultivator surnamed Chu's hand.
Inside the pill bottle was, astonishingly, another Mid-grade Qi Gathering Pill.
Had Su Shi'er been here, he would certainly have cried out in surprise. This Mid-grade Qi Gathering Pill was precisely the extra one he had prepared.
"It seems Senior Sister Chu's Empty Hand Art has grown ever more formidable!"
At the sight of the two Mid-grade Qi Gathering Pills, the Young man in silk scarf's expression changed slightly and his breathing abruptly quickened. Then he gave a low cry and hastily retreated a step.
The next moment, he lowered his voice and asked the female cultivator surnamed Chu, "Senior Sister Chu, which junior brother bought the talismans?"
"What are you planning? Don't forget, sect rules strictly forbid disciples from fighting among themselves." The female cultivator surnamed Chu put on a stern expression.
"Senior Sister Chu, what are you saying? I merely want to get acquainted with that junior brother." The Young man in silk scarf gave an awkward smile. After hesitating, he gritted his teeth, took out a low-grade Qi Gathering Pill from his robes, and offered it to her.
"Oh? In that case, there's no harm in it. That one over there—the one carrying the Beast-hide Sword Bag."
At the sight of the Qi Gathering Pill, the female cultivator surnamed Chu's eyes narrowed into slits. Without changing expression, she accepted the Medicinal Pill and pointed at Su Shi'er in the nearby crowd.
"Thank you, Senior Sister Chu!"
The Young man in silk scarf beamed with delight. After offering his thanks, he turned and followed Su Shi'er from afar.
Behind the stall, the female cultivator surnamed Chu's eyes rolled. She put away everything on the stall, patted her waist, and all the items vanished. Then she hurried off in the opposite direction.
Su Shi'er walked through the crowd at an unhurried pace, utterly unaware that the other Mid-grade Qi Gathering Pill on him had already been stolen.
He looked left and right, wandering for a full hour. During that time, he saw quite a few rare treasures.
Among them, there were even cultivators selling Low-grade Spatial Artifacts—Storage Pouches.
That Storage Pouch held a full ten cubic meters of storage space, comparable to a small room one could carry around. It was incredibly miraculous. Naturally, its price was not cheap either: twenty low-grade Qi Gathering Pills.
Su Shi'er's eyes burned with envy. If he had a Storage Pouch, carrying things around would be far more convenient.
But he also knew that if he truly bought one, he would be inviting disaster upon himself.
In the end, he spent the last hundred Foundation Cultivation Pills on him to buy two books from an old man.
One was Travel Notes written by a cultivator named True Man Qingzhu. It was not worth much.
The other recorded three minor techniques: the Rain Calling Technique, Object Manipulation Technique, and Heavenly Eye Technique. The old man had asked for one hundred and twenty high-grade Foundation Cultivation Pills. Su Shi'er bargained for ages before finally getting it for one hundred.
After putting all his belongings away, Su Shi'er hurried off.
In less than an hour, he arrived at the foot of Cuihuan Mountain.
But as he walked, his brows gradually furrowed, and a faint sense of foreboding rose in his heart.
"Am I being watched? Who could it be?"
Su Shi'er narrowed his eyes and thought rapidly. Yet he did not turn around. Instead, without drawing attention, he changed direction and headed toward the other side of Cuihuan Mountain, where he often hunted demon beasts.
After the time it took for an incense stick to burn.
As Su Shi'er passed beneath a giant tree, the turf on the ground suddenly bulged. In an instant, a large net woven from hemp rope shot into the air, as if it had caught something.
He swiftly glanced back and saw a sword-bearing Youth in Silk Scarf materializing within the net amid ripples of energy. On his shoulder, a Level 1 Low-grade Invisibility Talisman was turning to ash and scattering away.
"It's him?!"
His pupils contracted sharply, and surprise appeared on his face.
He had considered that it might be the female cultivator surnamed Chu. He had also considered that it might be the old man who had sold him the two books.
But he had never expected this person.
Inside the net, the Youth in Silk Scarf struggled with an annoyed look. "You brat, you actually dared to set me up?! Let me go at once! Once I get out, I'll make sure you die!"
Hearing this, Su Shi'er said nothing. He turned and ran for his life.
What a joke. This was an expert at Qi Refining Stage Five. He did not believe an ordinary trap could hold the other party for long.
If there was no trick hidden behind this, that would be truly strange!
He battled wits and courage with demon beasts every day. His combat experience was exceptionally rich.
Before you continue