"Oh?"
Ye Shanhua raised an eyebrow. "What do you need my help with?"
Xu Changshou smiled. "I want to buy a few things. Does your Myriad Treasures Pavilion have them?"
"What things?"
"Three things in all:
Hundred-year yellow weasel bristles.
Black antelope thunder ox hide.
Moon-gazing rhino horn."
After hearing Xu Changshou's list, the corner of Ye Shanhua's mouth twitched.
Aside from the hundred-year yellow weasel bristles, each item Xu Changshou wanted was more precious than the last. Ordinary Qi Refining cultivators could not afford such things.
"What do you need them for?"
"They aren't for me."
Xu Changshou shook his head and explained, "A senior brother of mine needs them. They're materials for making a Spirit Brush. He wants to make a top-quality one."
Ye Shanhua nodded and smiled gently. "Our Myriad Treasures Pavilion has a whole hundred-year yellow weasel pelt. As for the other two things, I can ask around for you.
"But there isn't much hope, especially for the moon-gazing rhino horn. That's a material used to make Magic Artifacts."
"Thank you, Senior Sister Ye."
Xu Changshou kept his expression composed, but secretly rejoiced.
He had searched both the sect's trading hall and the market on Cinnabar Clouds Peak for these three things, but neither had them.
He had never expected the Myriad Treasures Pavilion to carry such a complete range of goods.
They actually had a hundred-year yellow weasel pelt. A hundred-year-old yellow weasel's cultivation rivaled that of a peak Qi Refining cultivator, and it was clever and cunning, making it extremely difficult to catch.
No matter how difficult these three things were to obtain, Xu Changshou had to get his hands on them.
Only after obtaining all three could he draw Thunderstorm Talismans. These talismans could make him invincible within the Qi Refining Realm, so he was determined to get them.
"Hehe, no need to be so polite, Junior Brother Xu."
"Senior Sister Ye, how much is the hundred-year yellow weasel pelt?"
"It's normally five spirit stones, but since you're one of us, I'll give you twenty percent off and charge you four."
"All right."
Xu Changshou nodded slightly.
Inside, however, the expense pained him terribly.
His entire fortune amounted to just six spirit stones.
Over the past year and more, he had earned a dozen or so spirit stones. After buying Qi Gathering Pills, he had only six left.
He had saved just six in over a year, and now he was spending four in one go. How could that not hurt?
Still, for the sake of the Thunderstorm Talismans, he had to spend them, however much it hurt.
"Then I'll bring it for you next time I come."
"Deal!"
On the third day, Ye Shanhua arrived.
She came in quite a hurry. Presumably, she had spent all of yesterday testing the Windwalking Talisman and come as soon as she finished.
At the time, Xu Changshou was drawing talismans in the Talisman Room.
"Well? Were you satisfied with the Windwalking Talisman?" Xu Changshou stepped out of the Talisman Room and got straight to the point.
"Yes, it worked wonderfully." Ye Shanhua smiled happily.
Xu Changshou scratched his head. "Senior Sister Ye, I'm drawing talismans right now. Wait in the room next door, and I'll come find you when I'm done."
"All right. Go ahead."
Ye Shanhua waved and went straight into the next room, seemingly having no desire to pry into how Xu Changshou drew his talismans.
Xu Changshou closed the door and continued drawing.
By the time he finished all the talismans, the sun was high overhead, and it was almost lunchtime.
Just then, the aroma of cooking drifted over from next door.
He walked over and saw Ye Shanhua busily preparing a spirit meal. Various exquisite ingredients lay on the table, along with two plates of delicious-looking dishes she had already stir-fried.
Xu Changshou's courtyard had a kitchen. If he wanted to cook for himself, he could simply get some ingredients from the Spirit Dining Hall.
However, Xu Changshou neither knew how to cook nor had the time, so his kitchen had hardly ever been used.
"Wait a moment, Junior Brother Xu. It'll be ready soon."
"You know how to cook too, Senior Sister Ye?"
"Of course."
"I thought someone like you, a second-generation cultivator, would just hold out your arms to be dressed and open your mouth to be fed."
"Pfft!"
Ye Shanhua rolled her eyes at him and said indignantly, "You think disciples from great lineages have it easy? To tell you the truth, the struggle among disciples of great lineages is even more brutal. If you want resources, you have to fight for them with your own two hands."
"I see!"
Xu Changshou scratched his head, at a loss for words.
He had thought second-generation cultivators lived comfortably, like Wang Yuanwai's foolish son, who did no work at all yet ate and drank well.
"Senior Sister Ye, do you need any help?"
"No, just go sit and wait."
"All right. Thanks for the effort."
Xu Changshou found a stool, sat down, and quietly watched Ye Shanhua cook.
At that moment, Ye Shanhua looked like a young wife, surrounded by a faint air of warm domesticity.
Watching her busy figure, Xu Changshou could not help leaning back and settling into a comfortable position.
If I didn't cultivate, living as an ordinary person without ever worrying about food or clothing wouldn't be bad.
Better still, I could marry a beautiful wife like Senior Sister Ye.
Although Xu Changshou addressed her as Senior Sister Ye at every turn, Ye Shanhua was actually two years younger than him.
The Senior Sister Ye he usually saw always seemed lofty and above it all.
Today, she seemed a little different.
Soon, the spirit meal was ready, and the two chatted as they ate.
"Oh, right, Junior Brother Ye, here's the yellow weasel pelt you asked me to bring. I had someone deliver it overnight."
As she spoke, Ye Shanhua took out a bundle of furry hide.
It had already been dried and washed thoroughly clean.
Although the pelt was large, very little of its fur could be used to make a brush tip. Only the bristles from its tail were suitable.
The hide itself was also very useful. It was an excellent material for making feather robes.
Feather robes made from it repelled water and dust, remained spotless and unstained for a long time, and offered some protection as well.
Only powerful Foundation Establishment cultivators could afford high-quality feather robes. Otherwise, this yellow weasel pelt would not have been so expensive.
In Xu Changshou's hands, the hide could be put to even fuller use.
Yellow weasels had an earth affinity, so their hides could be cut into pieces and used to draw talismans.
They could be used for Earth-Escape Talismans, Earth Gang Talismans, and other earth-attribute spirit talismans.
It was best used for defensive spirit talismans such as the Earth Gang Talisman, since yellow weasel pelts could bear far more power than yellow hemp paper.
If he used it to draw an Earth Gang Talisman, its defensive power would increase at least two- or threefold.
Without using a Magic Artifact, no cultivator below Foundation Establishment could possibly break through the defenses of such an Earth Gang Talisman.
"Thank you, Senior Sister Ye. Here, these are for you."
After accepting the yellow weasel pelt, Xu Changshou handed Ye Shanhua four spirit stones.
Ye Shanhua was a little surprised. She had not expected Xu Changshou to actually produce four spirit stones. In her impression, he had always been very poor.
She specialized in reselling pills and knew that disciples of Green Ink Peak spent most of their spirit stones on Qi-Replenishing Pills.
Under such circumstances, Xu Changshou had not only advanced to the eighth layer of Qi Refining, but had also saved four spirit stones.
For a Servant Disciple, that was almost impossible.
Ye Shanhua carefully studied Xu Changshou's face, close enough to touch:
Junior Brother Xu seemed different from before. He was more handsome, and even more composed.
"Senior Sister Ye, why are you staring at me like that? Is there a flower on my face?"
"Oh, stop!"
Ye Shanhua's pretty face flushed faintly. She hurriedly lowered her head, a trace of fluster flickering through her beautiful eyes.
She hastily changed the subject:
"Junior Brother Xu, we tested your Windwalking Talisman yesterday. It really is three times faster than an ordinary Windwalking Talisman. Our Myriad Treasures Pavilion can offer you a very high price."
"How many spirit stones per talisman?" Xu Changshou smiled.
Before you continue