Exchanging Spiritual Treasures

The burly middle-aged man's behavior was within Xu Yan's expectations. Although he was somewhat cold, he bore no ill will.

Just as this thought crossed Xu Yan's mind, the burly man extended a hand in invitation and said, "I am Du Jinlong, a rogue cultivator. Fellow Daoist Xu, please sit. My son is a troublesome boy. Thank you for looking after him along the way."

Du Jinlong's voice was loud and resonant, and after speaking, he shot his plump son, Du Fei, a glare.

Seeing this, Xu Yan immediately returned his greeting. "You are too kind, Senior. I benefited a great deal from traveling with Fellow Daoist Du."

He was not lying. He had coaxed quite a bit of information out of the plump Du Fei. Otherwise, he would probably still have been utterly in the dark about Separation Valley Market.

Xu Yan's sudden appearance was a lifeline for Du Fei. In fact, not long after parting with Xu Yan, he had been found by Du Jinlong. Had they not been away from home, he would certainly have received a vicious beating.

Even so, Du Jinlong had scolded him all the way here, only easing up a little after they entered the inn.

Seeing how reserved Xu Yan was, Du Fei hurriedly pulled him into a seat. "No need to stand on ceremony, Brother Xu. This is my father, and today's spiritual meal is his treat."

With that, Du Fei seized the chance to sit beside Xu Yan.

Du Jinlong naturally saw through Du Fei's little scheme, but did not lose his temper. Pointing at the spiritual dishes on the table, he said to Xu Yan, "These are some of the Immortal Lodging Tower's signature dishes. This one is braised Azure Cloud Demon Wolf liver, this is chilled Earth Cloud Fungus salad, and this is steamed Red Demon Fish..."

After speaking, Du Jinlong gestured for Xu Yan to try them.

Xu Yan's interest stirred at his words. Low-level cultivators had not yet completely freed themselves from the need to eat, so naturally, they still had appetites to satisfy. Thus, the Cultivation World had specialized inns that developed spiritual dishes for them.

Most of these dishes used Spirit Treasures nurtured by heaven and earth, as well as the flesh and blood of Demon Beasts. Not only were they incomparably delicious, eating them could also prolong one's life and provide considerable benefits to cultivation.

The dishes were all served in jade bowls, giving off a faint, fresh fragrance that whetted the appetite.

Xu Yan had never seen spiritual food like this. During his three years following the Golden Light Daoist, he had eaten in the wind and slept beneath the open sky; even a full meal had counted as good fortune. Naturally, the spiritual dishes laid out before him now held no small appeal.

Yet he did not touch his chopsticks. After all, this spiritual meal seemed rather precious to him, and he had only just met the plump Du Fei.

As though sensing his thoughts, Du Jinlong gave a hearty laugh. "Don't stand on ceremony, Fellow Daoist Xu. This spiritual food is nothing precious. It's my treat today, so eat to your heart's content."

Du Jinlong had barely finished before the plump boy joined in urging him to eat. Their overwhelming enthusiasm left Xu Yan somewhat at a loss.

I can't eat this spiritual meal for nothing. I'll give them something in return afterward.

Finding it truly difficult to refuse, Xu Yan made this decision and stopped holding back, eating and drinking with gusto.

The moment the spiritual food entered his mouth, Xu Yan found it extraordinarily delicious, truly beyond comparison with ordinary fare. Once it reached his stomach, it transformed into faint threads of warmth that flowed through his limbs and every part of his body, secretly astonishing him.

About an incense stick's worth of time later, the dishes on the table had been eaten clean. Xu Yan had thoroughly enjoyed the meal and felt wonderfully comfortable.

Seeing that Du Jinlong and the plump Du Fei had also finished eating, Xu Yan decided the time was right. He prepared to take a Qi Gathering Pill from his storage pouch and give it to the plump boy as payment for today's meal.

"Brother Du..."

As he spoke, Xu Yan reached toward the Storage Bag tucked inside his robe.

But the instant he moved, a large hand closed tightly around his right hand as it reached for the Storage Bag.

Du Jinlong had seen what Xu Yan intended and stopped him.

Then, with his other hand, Du Jinlong discreetly pointed around them, indicating the many cultivators in the hall.

Xu Yan's heart jolted. He had always been cautious, but his eagerness to repay their kindness had made him somewhat rash.

After stopping him, Du Jinlong smiled at Xu Yan. "You'll be staying here tonight as well, won't you, Fellow Daoist Xu? My son and I are also staying here. Why don't we take rooms next to each other? That way, we can look out for one another."

By then, Xu Yan had regained his composure. He nodded lightly at these words. "That was precisely my intention."

Du Jinlong laughed heartily and led the plump boy toward the innkeeper.

Xu Yan quickly rose and followed them.

Before long, the three had booked two rooms. Since the plump boy would be attending Qi Yun's grand ceremony to recruit nominal disciples in three days, they decided to stay for three days. Each room cost one Low-Grade Spirit Stone.

Soon, the three reached the second floor. Xu Yan's room was B-2, while the Du father and son's room was B-3, right next door.

Inside room B-3.

Xu Yan bowed to Du Jinlong. "Thank you for the warning earlier, Senior."

Du Jinlong laughed heartily. "No need to be so polite, Fellow Daoist Xu. From the look of you, you haven't been in the Cultivation World long. When I was your age, I was much the same, and I suffered plenty for it. Remember, the first rule of surviving in the Cultivation World is never to flaunt your wealth, especially for rogue cultivators like us."

Seeing that Xu Yan was a rogue cultivator like himself, was straightforward at heart, and knew Du Fei, Du Jinlong had been unable to resist offering him a word of advice.

"Thank you for your guidance, Senior."

Warmth rose in Xu Yan's heart, and he hurriedly bowed again.

Afterward, Xu Yan took a Qi Gathering Pill from his Storage Bag and held it out to Du Fei. "Brother Du, please take this Qi Gathering Pill."

Du Fei's expression shifted slightly. He waved his hands and said, "What are you doing, Brother Xu? It was only a spiritual meal. I couldn't accept this."

Qi Gathering Pills held an irresistible appeal for any Qi Refining cultivator. Taking them not only increased one's cultivation speed, but also provided considerable help in breaking through the minor bottlenecks of the Qi Refining stage.

Thus, Qi Refining cultivators had always had a great demand for Qi Gathering Pills.

Cultivators who could refine pills, however, were few. Often, not even one in ten possessed a talent for alchemy. Even when such talent was occasionally discovered, most of those cultivators were taken into Immortal Sects. As a result, few alchemists remained outside the sects, and the number of pills they could produce was also small.

Thus, for a rogue cultivator, this Qi Gathering Pill was a rather fine Spirit Treasure.

Just as Xu Yan was about to continue persuading him, Du Jinlong's resonant voice rang out beside them.

"Fei, Fellow Daoist Xu means well, so accept it. But this Qi Gathering Pill is quite precious. You must give him something in return."

Du Jinlong had his own reasons for speaking up.

It was far too difficult for rogue cultivators to struggle alone in the Cultivation World. Making a few good friends would naturally be a tremendous help to one's cultivation.

The young man before him seemed to have only recently entered the Cultivation World and was still fairly straightforward at heart. After cultivating for a while longer, he probably would no longer behave this way.

That was also why he had told Du Fei to accept the Qi Gathering Pill. His family had been rogue cultivators since his great-grandfather's generation, so he naturally understood the hardships involved. Besides, he too had once been young and lived through those youthful days. He knew that friendships forged in youth were the purest of all.

Du Fei naturally knew nothing of his father's thoughts, but since his father had instructed him, he would obey.

Beaming with delight, he accepted the Qi Gathering Pill from Xu Yan. In truth, he had been coveting it himself.

After carefully placing the Qi Gathering Pill in a white jade vial, the plump Du Fei rummaged through his Storage Bag.

Before long, Du Fei's chubby hand held two sheets of Talisman Paper glowing with white light. These were the very Swift Speed Talismans he had stuck to the backs of his legs earlier.

Du Fei pressed the two Swift Speed Talismans into Xu Yan's hand. "Although the spiritual energy in these two Swift Speed Talismans is nearly exhausted, they should still be good for another use or two. They're among the more precious Spirit Treasures I have, so please don't refuse, Brother Xu."

Looking at the Swift Speed Talismans in his hand, Xu Yan's heart stirred. These were precisely what he had wanted. He had never expected that, after failing to buy them from the scruffy old man, he would receive them from the plump boy instead.

Although the spiritual power in these two Swift Speed Talismans was nearly exhausted, Xu Yan was still delighted. Without standing on ceremony any further, he put them away.