The woman had a graceful figure and wore plain robes.
She was none other than his neighbor, the female cultivator Su Shuangjiang.
What does she want with me? Lin Changheng could not fathom it, but he was hardly averse to her visit. In fact, he wanted something from her himself.
He would not mind deepening their relationship.
"Fairy Su, were you looking for me?"
Hearing a man's voice behind her, the sixth-level Qi Refining cultivator sensed his presence and immediately turned, smiling openly as she dipped into a slight curtsy.
"Greetings, Fellow Daoist Lin. I returned from the Savage Wastes a few days ago and heard the news circulating through the market: after ten years of honing your craft, you have finally become a Pill Master. Such perseverance truly astonishes me. I admire it greatly! As your neighbor of many years, I came especially to offer my congratulations."
"Thank you for your kind wishes, Fairy Su. Please come into my humble abode and have a cup of spirit tea."
Lin Changheng parted the simple protective restrictions that came with his cave dwelling and opened the door to invite her inside.
"Then I shall gladly accept."
Su Shuangjiang smiled and nodded. Rather than declining again, she followed him inside.
Once indoors, Lin Changheng invited her to sit while he brewed the spirit tea.
Su Shuangjiang glanced at his busy figure, then let her gaze travel around the room. Aside from a table, chairs, and a few necessities, there was practically nothing else. It was exceedingly bare.
Fellow Daoist Lin has become a Pill Master, yet he still lives so frugally? He must be an ascetic cultivator who seeks neither comfort nor pleasure.
Unfortunately, his spiritual roots must be rather poor. Otherwise, he would not still be in early Qi Refining after all these years...
"Fairy Su, please have some tea."
With deft movements, Lin Changheng served the tea, then sat across the table from her.
"Fellow Daoist Lin, this is a small token of my regard. Please forgive its modesty."
Su Shuangjiang pushed a gift basket toward him. Inside lay two Spirit Stones and two low-grade talismans, faint spiritual light flickering over them.
"No, no, this is far too valuable. I cannot accept a reward I have done nothing to earn."
Lin Changheng glanced at it and shook his head, refusing to accept.
A first-tier low-grade talisman was worth roughly one or two Spirit Stones, putting the basket's total value at more than four.
The more valuable it was, the more uneasy he felt.
After all, every gift carried a price marked in secret. He could not accept things carelessly.
Su Shuangjiang insisted. How could she take back a gift she had already offered?
"Since it is a token of your goodwill, Fairy Su, I shall accept. I have no other talents to speak of, only a little knowledge of pill refining. If you ever need anything related to pills... well, perhaps I can help."
Lin Changheng finally nodded, but added that qualification.
His unspoken meaning was clear: If it concerns pills, I will help as much as I can. Anything else, however, and I am sorry, but there is nothing I can do!
The various factions were drawing in their forces, preparing to withdraw. Signs of instability were emerging within the market, while chaos reigned outside it. Lin Changheng had to put his own safety first.
Anything that carries a risk... I must not touch it at all!
At his words, Su Shuangjiang gave Lin Changheng a careful look, took a sip of spirit tea, and said with a faint smile, "Naturally."
Then she suddenly asked, "I wonder, Fellow Daoist Lin, do you have any pills that improve cultivation?"
"I do, but they are all low-grade [Crimson Flame Pills]. They probably would not be of much use to you, Fairy Su?"
A thought stirred in Lin Changheng's mind, though he maintained a calm smile.
"They will do!" To his surprise, Su Shuangjiang nodded. "How many do you have?"
Seeing his puzzled expression, she lightly pursed her red lips and explained.
It turned out that the Demon Hunters also had loose alliances. Many rogue cultivators banded together, helping one another in their daily lives and occasionally joining forces when venturing into the Savage Wastes.
With the Great Reclamation decreed by the ruling sect imminent, every extra measure of strength meant a better chance of survival. Their demand for pills was therefore considerable. Yet they earned their living risking their lives, licking blood from the jaws of demons, and treasured their Spirit Stones to the point of stinginess.
Thus, they were reluctant to buy directly from the major factions' shops. Instead, they sought out Pill Masters themselves, hoping to purchase pills cheaply.
Some rogue cultivators even had families to feed and were so strapped for money that they bought inferior pills to consume,
Joking, "We will end up in a demonic beast's belly sooner or later anyway. Might as well store up some poison in our bodies and let them learn how slippery the roads of the world are, and how treacherous the human heart can be!"
"Only a dozen or so."
Lin Changheng did not reveal everything at once. After all, this was their first time doing business, and he had to keep his wits about him.
"That is enough!"
A trace of delight appeared on Su Shuangjiang's face. "What price did you have in mind, Fellow Daoist Lin?"
"Why don't you suggest a price, Fairy Su?"
Lin Changheng turned the question back on her.
"Would... eighty percent of the market price be acceptable?"
A hint of embarrassment flashed across Su Shuangjiang's pretty face. That cut amounted to forty grains of spirit sand, which seemed rather steep.
But she was also leaving room to haggle. As soon as Lin Changheng spoke, she would readily raise her offer a little.
Lin Changheng merely tapped his fingers on the tabletop. The steady knocks echoed through the room as though he were weighing his decision.
Only after a long while did he shake his head.
Su Shuangjiang clenched her pearly teeth and sighed inwardly, just about to raise her offer.
"I will give them to you at seventy percent."
Su Shuangjiang started. "Seventy percent?"
She could not help asking again, "Do you truly mean that, Fellow Daoist Lin?"
Before Su Shuangjiang could entertain thoughts such as Too cheap to be genuine, Lin Changheng had already risen and turned away. Making a show of retrieving them from a drawer, he actually took fifteen [Crimson Flame Pills] from his Storage Bag, returned to the table, and pushed them toward her.
He raised his brows slightly, signaling for her to open them.
By now, Lin Changheng had completely taken the lead, and Su Shuangjiang instinctively complied and began examining them.
She opened five or six small wooden boxes at random in succession. Every pill inside was perfectly round and full, with a rich medicinal fragrance and delicate markings. They were all genuine [Crimson Flame Pills]!
"Brother Lin, you have only just attained your rank, yet your pill-refining skills are already so profound. I am truly impressed. These pills are excellent, and I also thank you for the generous price."
Su Shuangjiang's beautiful eyes flickered as she spoke from the heart.
"Fellow Daoist Lin" had quietly become "Brother Lin." The address was reasonable enough: Lin Changheng was a few years older than she was, and despite his inferior cultivation, he could still merit it.
"Oh, there is no need for that!"
Lin Changheng shook his head. "Whenever you need pills in the future, Fairy Su, you may come to me. Whatever you do with them, whoever or wherever you sell them to, and whatever price you charge, I will not interfere. There is only one thing I need you to promise."
"Please tell me, Brother Lin."
Su Shuangjiang's expression grew solemn as she listened attentively.
"Do not tell anyone that these pills came from me. You may use the name of any Pill Master or shop you like, but do not mention me. Heh, I only want to cultivate in peace, without being disturbed. Do you understand, Fairy Su? Can you do that?"
"I can swear a Dao Oath to guarantee it! Should I break my word, may my Dao heart fall into turmoil when I attempt to overcome a bottleneck, and may I reap the bitter fruit of my actions!"
"Oh, why go so far? We have been neighbors for years. We can trust each other."
Though Lin Changheng said there was no need, a trace of satisfaction appeared on his face once Su Shuangjiang finished swearing her Dao Oath.
Su Shuangjiang immediately took out twenty-one Spirit Stones and handed them to Lin Changheng, completing the transaction.
They drank tea and chatted for a while longer, both feeling that their relationship had grown considerably closer,
Before Lin Changheng asked with an air of casualness:
"Fairy Su, when you go out hunting demons, do you often encounter demonic beasts known as Fire Crows?"