Tracked

"Don't be in such a hurry! I didn't say I wouldn't trade. I've accepted the pills, and this talisman is yours! But brother, you really know how to do business!"

The female cultivator surnamed Chu swayed her hips as she tucked the porcelain bottle into her bosom.

Then, she reached out and picked up the Level 1 Top-grade Defense Talisman from the stall, handing it to Su Shi'er. As she passed it over, her fingers lightly brushed against his palm.

"Brother, take a look—anything else you want? You could buy a few more things to take back!"

Su Shi'er's palm tingled, and he snatched the talisman back into his arms as if shocked, his face flushing red. He had never been close to a woman before, and the one before him was so alluring.

Not making a fool of himself on the spot was already a testament to his strong willpower!

The next second, he took a deep breath, striving to calm his racing heart.

His gaze fell on her stall, scanning the talismans and talisman manuals. After a moment's thought, he picked out twenty-four Level 1 Mid-grade Talismans and two incomplete introductory books on talisman crafting.

"How much for these?"

"Level 1 Mid-grade Talismans are ten Foundation Cultivation Pills each, and these two books are fifty Foundation Cultivation Pills apiece. That's three hundred and forty Foundation Cultivation Pills in total!" the female cultivator surnamed Chu said quickly, her gaze occasionally sweeping over Su Shi'er.

"Senior Sister, I'm buying so much from you—how about a discount? Three hundred Foundation Cultivation Pills, what do you say?" Su Shi'er scratched his head, smiling as he haggled with her.

"You've already bought the top-grade talisman, and you're still quibbling over this little bit?" the female cultivator surnamed Chu said with a teasing smile.

"How could I not? This is all I have left on me." Su Shi'er shrank his neck, putting on a simple and honest look.

"Fine, three hundred it is!" The female cultivator surnamed Chu beamed and nodded in agreement.

Su Shi'er paid the pills without hesitation, tucked the items away, and turned to leave.

With these purchases, his trip had been quite fruitful. He still had some Foundation Cultivation Pills left and wanted to look for some technique manuals.

No sooner had Su Shi'er left than the young man in a silk scarf, who had been holding a sword with both hands earlier, hurried over.

Seeing the empty sandalwood box, the young man in a silk scarf frowned and quickly asked the female cultivator surnamed Chu, "Senior Sister Chu, where's that Level 1 Top-grade Defense Talisman?"

"Sold it!" the female cultivator surnamed Chu said casually, her gaze still lingering on Su Shi'er in the crowd.

"What? Did a senior brother or sister above Qi Refining Stage Six come by?" The young man in a silk scarf frowned, his expression somewhat annoyed.

"No, it was a junior brother at Qi Refining Stage Four." The female cultivator surnamed Chu waved her hand and said promptly.

"Senior Sister Chu, you're not tricking me, are you? A junior brother at Qi Refining Stage Four—could he afford Qi Gathering Pills? And three of them?" The young man in a silk scarf looked astonished.

"Why would I lie to you? Take a look." The female cultivator surnamed Chu grinned, opened the porcelain bottle, and showed it to the young man in a silk scarf.

"What? Mid-grade Qi Gathering Pills?" The young man in a silk scarf was greatly startled.

"That junior brother probably has quite a few Qi Gathering Pills on him." The female cultivator surnamed Chu said with a knowing smile.

"Are you sure?" The young man in a silk scarf was skeptical.

"Hmph, what's there to be unsure about!" The female cultivator surnamed Chu raised her hand, and another medicine bottle appeared in her palm.

Inside the bottle was yet another Mid-grade Qi Gathering Pill.

If Su Shi'er were here, he would have gasped in surprise. This Mid-grade Qi Gathering Pill was the extra one he had prepared.

"It seems Senior Sister Chu's Empty Hand Art has grown even more formidable!"

Seeing the two Mid-grade Qi Gathering Pills, the young man in a silk scarf's expression shifted, and his breathing quickened. Then, he let out a low exclamation, stepped back hastily, and the next second, lowered his voice to ask the female cultivator surnamed Chu, "Senior Sister Chu, which junior brother bought the talisman?"

"What are you planning? Don't forget, the sect rules strictly forbid internal conflict among disciples." The female cultivator surnamed Chu put on a stern face.

"Senior Sister Chu, what are you saying? I just want to get to know that junior brother." The young man in a silk scarf smiled awkwardly, hesitated, then gritted his teeth and pulled out a Low-grade Qi Gathering Pill from his bosom, handing it to her.

"Is that so? That's fine then. Over there, the one carrying the beast-hide sword pouch."

Seeing the Qi Gathering Pill, the female cultivator surnamed Chu's eyes narrowed into slits as she discreetly took the pill and pointed at Su Shi'er in the crowd not far away.

"Thank you, Senior Sister Chu!"

The young man in a silk scarf beamed with joy, thanked her, and turned to follow Su Shi'er from a distance.

Behind the stall, the female cultivator surnamed Chu's eyes darted around. She packed up everything on the stall, patted her waist, and all the items vanished. Then, she hurried off in the opposite direction.

Su Shi'er walked unhurriedly through the crowd, completely unaware that another Mid-grade Qi Gathering Pill on him had gone missing.

He looked left and right, wandering for a full hour. During that time, he saw many rare treasures.

Among them, a cultivator was actually selling a Low-grade Spatial Artifact—a Storage Pouch.

That Storage Pouch had a full ten cubic meters of storage space, comparable to a portable little room, incredibly magical. Of course, the price wasn't cheap, marked at twenty Low-grade Qi Gathering Pills.

Su Shi'er's eyes burned with desire. If he could have a Storage Pouch, carrying things would be so much more convenient.

But he also knew that if he actually bought it, it would only bring trouble upon himself.

In the end, he spent the last hundred Foundation Cultivation Pills he had left on two books from an old man.

One of them was a Travel Notes written by a cultivator named True Man Qingzhu, which wasn't worth much.

Another book

contained three minor techniques: the Rain Calling Technique, the Object Manipulation Technique, and the Heavenly Eye Technique. The seller wanted one hundred and twenty high-grade Foundation Cultivation Pills, but after Su Shi'er haggled for a while, he secured it for one hundred.

Tucking everything away, Su Shi'er hurried off.

In less than an hour, he arrived at the foot of Cuihuan Mountain.

But as he walked, his brow began to furrow, a vague sense of unease stirring in his heart.

"Someone's tailing me? Who could it be?"

Su Shi'er narrowed his eyes, thinking quickly, but he didn't look back. Instead, he subtly changed direction, heading toward the other side of Cuihuan Mountain where he often hunted demonic beasts.

Half an incense stick later.

Su Shi'er passed by a towering tree. The moment he did, the grass beneath him bulged, and a large net woven from hemp rope shot into the air, as if it had caught something.

He swiftly glanced back and saw, within the net, a figure flickering into view amid a ripple of energy—a Youth in Silk Scarf with a sword on his back. On his shoulder, a first-grade low-rank Invisibility Talisman was crumbling to ash.

"Him?!"

Su Shi'er's pupils contracted sharply, surprise flashing across his face.

He had considered the Female cultivator surnamed Chu, and even the old man who sold him the two books.

But he never expected it to be this person.

Inside the net, the Youth in Silk Scarf struggled with a face full of frustration. "You little brat, you dare set a trap for me?! Let me out now, or when I get free, I'll make sure you're dead!"

Hearing this, Su Shi'er said nothing, turned around, and bolted.

No way—this was a Qi Refining Stage fifth-layer expert. He didn't think a simple trap could hold him for long.

If there wasn't something fishy going on, that would be the real surprise!

He matched wits with demonic beasts every day; his combat experience was more than solid.