"Too bad I never developed a Fire Meridian at all. You died for nothing."
Chu Mo silently grumbled as he picked up Liu Xian's Storage Bag. With a superior-grade spiritual cultivation art like the Dawncloud One-Qi Profound Cavern Scripture in hand, why would he ever practice the Heartfire Meridian-Forging Art?
As he inventoried the spoils, Essentials of Scarlet Flame Talismanry, Volume One and the Scarlet Sun Needle were undoubtedly the two most precious items.
The Scarlet Sun Needle in particular was superior-grade, incomparably sharp, and capable of amplifying the power of fire spells. It was worth a fortune.
Chu Mo had seen magical artifacts of similar grade at the North Cliff market. Their prices started at eight hundred Spell Coins-a staggering sum he would never have dared imagine paying before.
Liu Xian really did live up to being an old bastard who had survived for over a century. He had quite a stash.
Aside from the main treasures, the assorted spirit herbs and ores would fetch a fair number of Spell Coins as well.
"Consider it the payment you owed me," Chu Mo muttered as he finished sorting everything. Then he eyed Liu Xian's body, his eyes gleaming. "Heh heh..."
Although the gaping hole in his chest would diminish his power once he was made into a Corpse Puppet, the foundation of a level 6 monster far surpassed that of the level 3 senior sister from before.
After swiftly clearing away the traces of battle, Chu Mo surveyed his haul in [Inventory] and rubbed his fingers together, a plan already forming in his mind:
"I'll sell off the things I don't need another day and trade them for essentials like Detoxification Pills and Flesh-Regenerating Pills..."
The golden crow and jade rabbit took turns shining in the sky, and several days slipped away.
Chu Mo wrapped himself in an utterly unremarkable gray cloak and covered his face with a cloth, leaving only a pair of wary eyes exposed.
Though he looked somewhat strange, his attire was hardly out of place here. Plenty of people at the North Cliff market concealed their faces and identities.
He quietly made his way to a relatively secluded corner of the North Cliff market, intending to set up a temporary stall and sell off his unwanted odds and ends as quickly as possible.
He had only just laid out a few spirit herbs and chunks of mediocre ore when a voice tinged with pleasant surprise rang out beside him:
"Oh! Junior brother, it's you! What a coincidence! Has the Mind-Cleansing Mantra been useful?"
Chu Mo's heart tightened. Looking up, he saw a beaming face leaning toward him. It was so familiar that he instinctively blurted out, "Senior Brother Sincere?"
He remembered this man very clearly. It was none other than Luo Shan, from whom he had freeloaded the Three Spells.
"What did you say?" Luo Shan asked in confusion. Chu Mo had spoken too softly for him to hear.
Chu Mo gave a light cough and deliberately rasped, "You must have mistaken me for someone else, senior brother."
Luo Shan froze briefly, then caught sight of his outfit and understood at once. "Oh, right, right. My mistake."
Concealing his identity, huh? Those who knew, knew.
The wares on the stall soon caught Luo Shan's attention. His gaze swept back and forth, and he clicked his tongue twice. "Come into money, junior brother? But these things... the quality's nothing special. They won't fetch much."
Chu Mo's expression darkened beneath his face covering. He had been recognized the moment he arrived. He promptly packed away the miscellaneous goods, planning to dispose of his stolen loot another day.
"Don't go, don't go." Luo Shan hurriedly caught hold of him and lowered his voice. "Your senior brother has plenty of connections. I can take the whole lot off your hands, and I guarantee a fair price! What do you say?"
Chu Mo fell silent for a moment, then took out several relatively ordinary spiritual materials from Liu Xian's possessions that would be difficult to trace. In a raspy voice, he asked, "What would you pay for these?"
Luo Shan's eyes lit up. He picked up the items one by one, inspecting them carefully as he quoted his prices:
"Ice crystal grass, reasonably well preserved. Four Spell Coins. This chunk of red copper ore has a few too many impurities. Three Spell Coins..."
He quoted prices swiftly. They were indeed slightly below market value, but as he had said, they fell within a fair range for a bulk sale. He had no intention of looting a burning house.
Chu Mo nodded his acceptance. Speed and safety were what mattered to him now. There was no need to haggle over a small difference in price.
Luo Shan briskly exchanged money for goods, his smile widening. "A pleasure doing business with you, junior brother! Remember to come to me whenever you have anything good!"
He patted his chest, then changed tack, his gaze eager. "Junior brother, now that you have some money to spare, why not get another spell? I'll give you a discount on [Soul-Severing Sand]! Or would you prefer something else?
"Divine Abilities may be beyond our reach, but when it comes to practical spells for the Qi Refining stage, as long as you have enough Spell Coins, your senior brother can always work something out!"
His eyes shone with eagerness. Clearly, that tiny three-Spell-Coin transaction last time still rankled, and he never missed a chance to "win back lost ground" with this customer.
Chu Mo was about to speak when Luo Shan seemed to remember something and added, "But this time, you pay first."
He opened his mouth, then forcibly swallowed the words "let me look first" just before they escaped.
"Spells can wait for now." Chu Mo changed the subject. "Senior brother, do you know where I can buy good-quality pills? Something for detoxification or healing, for instance."
"Pills? With the outer sect assessment approaching, prices for pills, talismans, and the like have gone up quite a bit."
Luo Shan sighed, but his smile grew even brighter. "Still, junior brother, you've asked the right person again! I've just secured a new supply channel, and the quality is guaranteed!"
He snapped his fingers, and several small jade bottles appeared in a row.
"Superior-grade Detoxification Pills, thirteen Spell Coins each. Flesh-Regenerating Pills, remarkably effective for external injuries, eight Spell Coins each. Qi-Restoring Powder, rapidly replenishes true qi, five Spell Coins per dose..."
Watching him talk with such ease and assurance, Chu Mo was dumbfounded. Wasn't this Senior Brother Luo's business range a little too broad? Materials, spells, pills...
He instinctively glanced above the other man's head-[Level 7 · Duo'e Sect Grunt (Yellow Name)].
No mistake. He really was a Qi Refining cultivator, not some hidden powerhouse.
"Well? What do you need, junior brother? If you buy in bulk, we can negotiate the price further!" Luo Shan looked at Chu Mo expectantly.
Chu Mo collected himself and realized that Luo Shan's prices were indeed close to market rates, even slightly lower. It seemed he was hoping to secure a repeat customer.
After a little consideration, he bought a few Detoxification Pills and Flesh-Regenerating Pills, along with two doses of Qi-Restoring Powder, based on the dangers he might encounter during the assessment.
"Just these." Chu Mo counted out the appropriate number of Spell Coins and readily handed them over.
[Level 7 · Duo'e Sect Grunt (Green Name)]
Luo Shan deftly took the money and handed over the goods, his smile becoming even more sincere. "You're a good man, junior brother! Whatever you need in the future, just come find me here! I guarantee you'll be satisfied with the price!"
"Uh..." Chu Mo was speechless as he looked at the name that had turned green. This Senior Brother Luo's favor seemed rather easy to earn.
They chatted a little longer before Chu Mo put away the pills and quietly disappeared into the crowd.
Back at his lodgings, he instinctively glanced over his shoulder as he pushed open his door. It seemed a new disciple had moved into the room opposite.
"Recruiting newcomers again?" The Duo'e Sect seemed to be forever recruiting, while its new disciples died in swathes.
He had no idea whether they were hoping to sift out a few geniuses or simply thought the [Darkworld Grotto-Scenery Banner] was too empty.
Chu Mo had no interest in saying hello. Once he passed the assessment, he would be able to leave this courtyard, which was like a public toilet-anyone else could wander in whenever they pleased.