"No harm done. This blood is useful to me. Fire Crows are hard to catch; there's no forcing the matter."
Lin Changheng swept his gaze over the twenty-eight bottles of essence blood. Some were thin, others thick-the difference between adults and juveniles. He smiled and nodded.
Su Shuangjiang immediately breathed a sigh of relief. Having bought so much [Rockmountain Tortoise] essence blood in one go, she had indeed worried that Lin Changheng might declare it useless and refuse to take it.
After all, acquiring such a large quantity of a new kind of essence blood had been her own decision.
Fortunately, Brother Lin was not picky.
Lin Changheng then asked about the price of the [Rockmountain Tortoise] essence blood. The answer was one Spirit Stone per bottle.
[Rockmountain Tortoises] usually hid in the mountains, beneath rocks. Though they were low-grade Demon Beasts just like Fire Crows, they were harder to find.
Hunting and killing them also required shattering mountains and splitting rocks, which took more effort and more elaborate methods, so their price was somewhat higher.
Lin Changheng understood the reasoning.
Though Fire Crows lived in the wild, they could still be raised in captivity, which drove their price down and kept it from rising too high.
Rockmountain Tortoises were different. They could not be raised in captivity-or rather, humans had yet to discover a way to do so. Naturally, their price would be higher.
"That's acceptable."
Lin Changheng gave his approval.
There were nineteen bottles of adult Rockmountain Tortoise essence blood and nine bottles from juveniles, totaling twenty-two Spirit Stones. Including the Fire Crow essence blood, Lin Changheng owed twenty-seven.
By that reckoning, he had to pay another three Spirit Stones out of his own pocket.
But he paid happily and willingly!
The more Demon Beast essence blood he had, the better!
The two chatted a while longer before Lin Changheng suddenly asked where he could acquire reasonably priced low-grade Magic Artifacts.
He felt unsafe and needed more means of protection. Since the female cultivator often traveled outside, perhaps she knew.
Su Shuangjiang considered for a moment. "For value, nothing beats the Black Market."
Lin Changheng shook his head with a smile. "Fairy Su, I know the Black Market would have them, but it's chaos outside the Market Ward. I fear it would be too dangerous."
At his words, Su Shuangjiang turned her beautiful eyes toward him in surprise. She studied Brother Lin closely before covering her mouth with a soft laugh. "Brother Lin... are you really so cautious?"
"Ahem." Lin Changheng heard the teasing in her words, but still nodded calmly. "Cultivation is like treading on thin ice. Without caution and care, how could we reach the other shore?"
"I've learned something today."
Su Shuangjiang smiled sweetly, then grew serious. "But I've also heard a rumor. Apparently, in half a month, the Black Market will take the unprecedented step of moving to the shantytown less than a hundred zhang outside the Market Ward. I intend to have a look myself."
Hmm? Could that still be called a Black Market? The shantytown theoretically still falls within the Market Ward's sphere, under the protection of its patrols...
Was it becoming a white market, an open market instead?
Lin Changheng was taken aback as well.
"They say the master of the Black Market is none other than the master of this Market Ward. The chaos outside has severely affected business, which is why this rumor has emerged."
"I see. That makes sense."
The Wang family of Clearwind Ridge must be connected to the Black Market, or it was established at their bidding. Now that they were withdrawing too, had they simply stopped pretending?
"Once there's definite news, I'll have to trouble you to let me know, Fairy Su. Ideally, we could go together."
Lin Changheng smiled as he spoke. He even hoped to have the female cultivator serve as a free bodyguard.
"Very well." It was only a small matter to Su Shuangjiang. Why would she object?
Once everything was settled and he was seeing Su Shuangjiang out through the gate, a thought stirred in Lin Changheng's mind. In the end, he revealed the confirmed news that Zichuan Market would be abandoned, hoping she would make plans early.
"I understand."
Su Shuangjiang's expression shifted slightly. She had already suspected as much, but there was no short distance between suspicion and certainty. "Thank you for the warning, Brother Lin. I'll consider my options carefully."
Watching the female cultivator leave at a brisk pace, Lin Changheng shook his head slightly. If trouble befell the Market Ward, rogue cultivators would undoubtedly suffer the deepest impact.
What they lost was the sheltered harbor where their paper boats could moor.
After seeing the female cultivator off, Lin Changheng hurried back inside and began absorbing the Fire Crow essence blood to perform spirit seizure!
Light flashed.
[Fire Crow Treasure Seed · Second stage] [Spirit seizure: 24/100]
"Not bad! I wonder what innate talents [Rockmountain Tortoises] possess, and what Otherworldly Arts they'll bring me?"
Filled with anticipation, Lin Changheng reached into a small basin of [Rockmountain Tortoise] essence blood shimmering with earthen-yellow light, linking his will to the Origin Cauldron.
Whoosh!
In an instant, the rich essence blood vanished, leaving only a shallow layer of clear water.
At the mouth of the cloud cauldron in his sea of consciousness, radiant light surged once more, and an illusory earthen-yellow treasure seed slowly emerged.
[Rockmountain Tortoise Treasure Seed · Spirit-seizing transformation in progress] [Spirit seizure: 11/100] [Effects: Miscellaneous-grade Demon Beast bloodline, inherently earth-aligned. Possesses the innate talents Earth Escape, Shield Formation, and lifespan extension. Upon successful spirit seizure, one may be chosen for refinement.]
Lin Changheng's pupils contracted!
Wait-what had he just seen?
Lifespan extension! It was actually lifespan extension!
His heart pounded wildly.
"There's that line, 'Though the tortoise lives long'! One tortoise lives through three generations; the people are gone, yet the tortoise remains!"
"To think I'd get the chance to touch upon a method of [lifespan extension] so early—and from a tortoise, a Demon Beast famed for its longevity!"
"They all speak of 'living long and seeing far,' of 'becoming an immortal and founding a lineage.' One of cultivation's two ultimate goals is already faintly within reach!"
Lin Changheng took several deep, forceful breaths before his wildly pounding heart slowly settled into a steady rhythm.
Excitement clouded reason, and impulsiveness invited misjudgment!
Still feeling that it was not enough, Lin Changheng went straight into the courtyard and doused himself with cold water. Only after that cold shock did he calm down completely and begin thinking again.
"[Lifespan extension] can wait. I'm only in my early thirties, with plenty of years left. Pursuing longevity now seems a little premature."
"Especially with the opening of new lands imminent, undercurrents surging, and turmoil and chaos on every side. It's far too dangerous. Staying alive must come first. After all, no matter how long your lifespan, if someone kills you, you'll still die! All those extra years would be wasted, washed away downstream!"
"[Earth Escape]!"
"I'll acquire [Earth Escape] first and expand my means of survival, then pursue [lifespan extension] later!"
"The foundation of everything is staying alive!"
After this clash of thoughts within himself, once he had straightened out the threads of his reasoning, Lin Changheng had a plan.
Soon, the time Lin Changheng and Su Shuangjiang had agreed upon arrived.
Both changed their attire and concealed their appearances before setting out together.
Su Shuangjiang had confirmed the news beforehand and informed Lin Changheng, leading to this outing.
At dusk, while the sky was still light, they reached the shantytown. They could make out numerous figures inside; there really were quite a few people.
The two paid ten grains of spirit sand before they were allowed entry.
Once inside, they found everyone moving in a hurry. When trading at stalls, people either pointed silently or guarded their words as though each were worth gold, refusing to reveal any more information than necessary.
They feared exposing their identities and attracting malicious attention.
Lin Changheng and Su Shuangjiang exchanged a glance, tacitly refrained from speaking, and went their separate ways.
They had already agreed that each would return here to wait after finishing their business, then head back together once reunited.