"So... would you like to trade for something else?"
"Something else?"
Xiao Yan looked at Han Chen, who had gone from utterly serious to looking like a shrewd merchant, and shuddered. He knew Han Chen was up to no good.
Yao Lao, however, immediately guessed what Han Chen meant. His eyes lit up, and he asked with some excitement.
"Really?"
"What do you mean, really? Teacher, what are you two talking about?"
Han Chen smiled at that.
"Naturally, I mean the millennium spirit herbs in the backyard. My master collected them from all corners of the world. But since he isn't here now, I get to decide what to do with them."
"Good! Then what are your terms?"
Millennium spirit herbs naturally tempted Yao Lao as well. Herbs like these were simply too rare. On the Dou Qi Continent, medicinal herbs were generally harvested as soon as they matured. Spirit herbs of such age could usually only be found in ancient mountain ranges.
That was why Yao Lao agreed without hesitation when Han Chen proposed trading the spirit herbs. Even an ordinary medicinal herb would possess extraordinary potency after growing for a thousand years.
"Sir, judging by your appearance, you must have been a powerful expert in life. Surely you know the value of these millennium spirit herbs.
"How about this? I won't name a price. You decide what would be a fair offer."
"Hmm..."
Hearing Han Chen's words, Yao Lao stroked his beard and thought it over.
"Then... how about a Fifth-grade Pill Recipe?"
Han Chen's eyelids drooped at the offer.
"What are you thinking? A Fifth-grade Pill Recipe, with ingredients I don't even know, for one of my millennium spirit herbs? Go on, get out of here."
"Hey, hey, hey! What's the rush, boy? It was only a suggestion. If you don't want it, a Sixth-grade Pill Recipe is an option too."
Seeing that Han Chen had no interest in a Fifth-grade Pill Formula, Yao Lao immediately raised the stakes. He might not have much else, but he had plenty of Pill Formulas.
"I'm not interested in ordinary pill recipes. I want to collect unusual, eccentric formulas. Do you have any?"
Hearing Han Chen's words, Yao Lao did not answer immediately. Instead, he scrutinized him.
After all, that request was far too strange. What did he mean by unusual, eccentric Pill Formulas? It was as though he already knew Yao Lao possessed such a thing. Even if Han Chen truly had a peerless expert backing him, that expert could not possibly know everything about Yao Lao.
"I do, actually. I have a Poison Pill Method. It isn't an ordinary Pill Formula, but a way to resolve the legendary woeful poison body. That makes it rather obscure, and it isn't of much use. Do you want to trade for it?"
Han Chen's eyes immediately brightened. He nodded at Yao Lao.
"Good. I'll take the Poison Pill Method. You may go to the backyard and pick one millennium spirit herb, sir."
"Mm. Good. Little Yanzi, let's go."
With that, Yao Lao headed toward the backyard first. With a wave of his hand, a scroll floated out of the Ring of Holding. Once he turned away, however, his eyes grew deeply grave.
Han Chen was still far too young to play mind games with an old monster like Yao Chen, who had lived for over a hundred years. Yao Lao had offered the Poison Pill Method precisely to see whether Han Chen had a specific target in mind.
After all, it was far too strange for someone so talented to appear in this remote little place. And he seemed to know everything about them, as though he had known it all beforehand.
Han Chen's pointed hint just now had set alarm bells ringing in his mind. Once he saw that Han Chen's objective really was the Poison Pill Method, Yao Lao was certain that Han Chen was no ordinary person. He definitely knew something unusual.
So he quickened his pace, reached the backyard, picked a millennium spirit herb at random, and pulled Xiao Yan away.
"Teacher, why are we in such a hurry? I still wanted to ask Han Chen how to practice Suction Palm."
Watching Yao Lao hurry along, Xiao Yan asked in confusion. Hadn't they been getting along perfectly well just a moment ago?
"What do you know? I'm telling you, this person is dangerous. Until you have the strength of a Dou Emperor, don't have too much contact with him."
Seeing Yao Lao's solemn expression, Xiao Yan grew serious too and nodded.
He also felt that Han Chen was a little too uncanny. He seemed to know everything, like a prophet.
Meanwhile, after Xiao Yan and Yao Lao left, Han Chen put the Poison Pill scroll into his Ring of Holding.
After closing the courtyard gate, Han Chen took out the Foundation Establishment Pill. He had already reached the Ninth Stage of Dou Qi. If he absorbed it carefully, he should be able to use the pill's Dou Qi to break through to Dou Zhe.
"No time to lose. Let's start now! Little White, Little Jade, guard the house."
With that, Han Chen closed his room's door, sat cross-legged on the bed, took out the Foundation Establishment Pill, and placed it in his mouth, beginning to absorb it slowly.
As soon as the Foundation Establishment Pill entered his mouth, it began breaking down into streams of warmth that circulated through his limbs and bones, widening his meridians and expelling the impurities from his body.
His cultivation, previously stuck at the Ninth Stage of Dou Qi, began to rise slowly, like a stream spilling over its banks.
By the following dawn, when Han Chen opened his eyes again, his cultivation had reached two-star Dou Zhe. And this was his level even after refining his foundation. The Three-Turn Origin Reversion Art, which accompanied the Azure Essence Sword Art, had exceptionally strict requirements for his foundation.
Exhaling a breath of stale air, Han Chen opened his room's door. He glanced at the little courtyard where he had lived for two months and sighed.
"Now that I'm a Dou Zhe, it's time to leave this place. But... before I go, Jia Lie Ao needs to repay what he owes me."
Recalling the look in Jia Lie Ao's eyes that last time, a cold glint flashed through Han Chen's gaze. He was no saint who would let a hidden threat grow.
Since the Jia Lie Family wanted to wage a medicinal-market war through Liu Xi, he would pull the firewood out from under their cauldron. Having just broken through to Dou Zhe, he could now control a trace of profound soul yin fire. Together with that Dou Shi Puppet, it should be enough to deal with the Jia Lie Family.
After packing up everything in the house and putting away all the medicinal herbs, Han Chen decisively left Wutan City and found a place outside the city to hole up for the time being.
Once he carried out his plan, Wutan City would undoubtedly be locked down at once. By then, it would be too late to escape.
Late that night, Han Chen disguised himself as an ordinary person and returned to the city, quietly making his way to the Jia Lie Family's residence. After silently disposing of the two guards at the back entrance, he crept toward the Jia Lie Family's storehouse.
His main task tonight was to empty this place out. He was just about to start refining pills anyway. Wasn't this warehouse full of medicinal herbs a ready-made supply of ingredients?
Seeing the unguarded storehouse and sensing no hidden sentries nearby, Han Chen happily pushed the door open and went inside to stock up.
But somewhere Han Chen could not see, a graceful figure was watching him quietly. Beneath a snow-white robe, a pair of bright eyes brimmed with curiosity.
She was none other than Xiao Xun'er. During the day, while she accompanied Xiao Yan into town to buy medicinal herbs, Jia Lie Ao and the newly hired Liu Xi had hurled rude remarks at her and insulted her Brother Xiao Yan. Because of that, she had developed the intent to kill them.
But she had not expected to see Han Chen sneaking into the Jia Lie Family's residence when she arrived. Thanks to her advantage in remaining hidden, along with the concealment provided by the golden emperor burning heaven flame seed, Han Chen had not discovered her.
Wanting to see exactly what Han Chen intended to do, Xiao Xun'er did not rush to act.
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