Cultivation: From Menial Laborer to Immortal Venerable Section 9

Upon entering the inner chamber, a young attendant was already waiting.

Zhou Xun recognized this person as well; his name was Lan Song.

As soon as Zhou Xun entered, Lan Song recognized him. However, he was much more astute. Seeing that Zhou Xun said nothing, he merely kept scrutinizing Zhou Xun with his eyes, as if trying to discern something.

Zhou Xun gave a slight nod of acknowledgment and then, led by Shopkeeper Liu, sat down.

As soon as they were seated, Shopkeeper Liu got straight to the point:

"You two are here to sell Goldspirit Rat materials, why don't you show them to me!"

"Of course!"

Dan Xiong Hai then took out four porcelain bottles, a wooden box, and a bundle of Goldspirit Rat pelts from his travel pack.

"It seems you two fellow cultivators have wiped out a Goldspirit Rat nest!" Shopkeeper Liu said with a smile, then picked up a porcelain bottle and began to inspect it.

"Hmm, not bad. Adult Goldspirit Rat, and the beast blood has been properly processed. Truly top-grade!" He then picked up the remaining three bottles and appraised them one by one.

"These two bottles are of lesser quality, they must have been taken from young Goldspirit Rats. Am I correct!"

"Shopkeeper Liu has sharp eyes!" Dan Xiong Hai exclaimed in surprise.

"Hahaha, I've seen enough!" Shopkeeper Liu laughed heartily and began to examine the Goldspirit Rat whiskers and pelts.

After he finished his appraisal, Dan Xiong Hai eagerly inquired:

"How is it? How much Spirit Essence can these fetch?"

Shopkeeper Liu pondered for a moment and then stated the price:

"For the four bottles of beast blood, I can purchase the two top-grade ones at 21 Spirit Essence per bottle, and the two lesser quality ones at 13 Spirit Essence per bottle. For the box of whiskers, I can offer a total of 66 Spirit Essence!"

"As for the pelts, I can offer 26 Spirit Essence per pelt for the adult ones, and only 11 for the young ones."

"Adding it all up, that comes to two hundred and eight Spirit Essence. I'll round it up to two hundred and ten Spirit Essence in total. What do you two think?"

Upon hearing this, Dan Xiong Hai looked towards Zhou Xun.

Zhou Xun nodded slightly.

"The price is very fair. We'll sell!"

Shopkeeper Liu nodded and instructed Lan Song, who was behind him:

"Take these materials to the storeroom!"

Then, he counted out two hundred and ten Spirit Essence and placed them on the table in front of Zhou Xun.

Lan Song glanced at the pile of Spirit Essence, which had formed a small mountain, then looked at Zhou Xun, his eyes filled with envy.

"Zhou Xun, who was originally expelled, has returned as a customer and earned over two hundred Spirit Essence!"

Seeing Zhou Xun and Dan Xiong Hai about to collect the Spirit Essence, Shopkeeper Liu asked with a smile:

"Our Mystic Talisman Pavilion has many good treasures. Would you two like to purchase any? Fellow Daoist Zhou is also an old acquaintance of ours, I can give you a certain discount!"

Zhou Xun waved his hand upon hearing this:

"Thank you for your kind offer, Shopkeeper Liu. If we need anything in the future, we will certainly bother you. Goodbye!"

With that, he pulled Dan Xiong Hai and left.

After Shopkeeper Liu had scolded Qian Xun and sent him away, Qian Xun was filled with resentment.

Ever since his elder brother Wei Shangren broke through to become a First-Order Talisman Master, he had enthusiastically tried to curry favor with Wei Shangren, but he had never found the right opportunity.

Seeing Zhou Xun again today was precisely a good chance to pledge his loyalty to Wei Shangren.

"Qian Xun? What do you need from me?" Wei Shangren's expression was indifferent.

He didn't think much of this person who was originally familiar with Zhou Xun but was now actively seeking to align himself with Wei Shangren.

"A sycophant!" This was Wei Shangren's assessment of him.

"Talisman Master Wei, guess who I met today?" Qian Xun bowed slightly, a fawning smile on his face.

"Who?" Wei Shangren's face was filled with impatience.

"Zhou Xun!"

Upon hearing these two words, Wei Shangren's eyes narrowed, and his expression changed. He asked, "What is he doing at the Mystic Talisman Pavilion? Could it be he wants to come back?"

"I thought the same thing initially, but I don't know where he found a nest of Goldspirit Rats. He's here to sell monster materials!" Qian Xun gritted his teeth, his expression full of hatred.

"Goldspirit Rat materials? He's only at the second level of Qi Condensation. Where did he get such a treasure?"

Wei Shangren frowned. Although Goldspirit Rats were not high-level monsters, they could still fetch a spirit stone or two.

'If this is the case, won't he be able to stay in the market for another year or two even with the increased rent!'

"How would I dare to deceive you? I saw Shopkeeper Liu very politely welcome him into the inner chamber. It didn't seem fake!" Qian Xun patted his chest repeatedly to guarantee it.

"Then do you know how much Spirit Essence he sold?"

"Lan Song was on duty in the inner chamber today. We can call him over and ask."

"Go quickly!" Wei Shangren waved his hand.

Before long, Lan Song arrived.

"Greetings, Apprentice Wei!" Lan Song bowed, neither servile nor overbearing.

"You were on duty in the inner chambers today, so you must know about Zhou Xun obtaining the Goldspirit Rat materials. Tell me, how many Spirit Essences did he get in total, when did he leave, and where did he hunt them?"

Wei Shangren stared intently at Lan Song, his tone leaving no room for doubt.

Lan Song shook his head upon hearing this:

"I don't know when he left or where he got them, but he obtained a total of two hundred and ten Spirit Essences!"

After listening, a flicker of disappointment crossed Wei Shangren's face. He then waved his hand, dismissing Lan Song.

After Lan Song left, he hurried to find his elder brother.

A certain courtyard in the West Garden of the Mystic Talisman Pavilion.

"Big Brother, that Zhou Xun, I don't know what luck he had, but he actually found a nest of Goldspirit Rats and sold over two hundred Spirit Essences!"

As soon as he entered, Wei Shangren shouted, ferocity flashing in his eyes.

"Didn't you arrange for rogue cultivators to deal with him? How is he still alive?" A young man dressed in a blue shirt, with a refined and handsome appearance, held a talisman brush and was drawing something.

This person was Wei Shangren's elder brother, the currently formidable genius talisman master of the Mystic Talisman Pavilion—Wei Shangli.

"Your expelling him from the Mystic Talisman Pavilion was a grudge of obstruction. If you don't kill a snake completely, it will harm you. Have you forgotten this principle I taught you?" Wei Shangli frowned slightly.

His younger brother caused him no end of trouble. Previously, he had used his name to bully colleagues in the Mystic Talisman Pavilion, and now he was using his name to expel a handyman favored by a steward.

If that steward hadn't had his own accident, it would have been much harder for him to handle.

He was adept at handling matters, making friends everywhere. If it weren't for his younger brother, he would have been trying to win over these handymen.

Everyone in the Mystic Talisman Pavilion spoke highly of him, Wei Shangli.

Although he didn't easily offend people, if he was forced to offend someone, he would find a way to eliminate them.

"Brother, you don't know. That steward in Green Willow Alley, relying on being a member of the Lin family, didn't give us any face at all. Zhou Xun is still living in that house properly!"

"If our Luo family still..."

"Second brother, be careful!" Wei Shangli's expression changed upon hearing the name Luo family, and he quickly interrupted Wei Shangren.

This was the biggest secret of the Wei brothers. They were originally surnamed Luo and were direct descendants of the Spirit Talisman Luo Family. After the Luo family was destroyed, they ended up here.

The Spirit Talisman Luo Family was once a cultivation family no weaker than the Wu Family of Red Leaf Square, and the family had produced a quasi-third-tier talisman master.

"Big Brother... I..." Wei Shangren was so frightened that he began to stammer.

"Do not utter those two words again!" Wei Shangli's face turned grim, and he reprimanded in a low voice.

"Zhou Xun is just a nobody. Now that he's left the Hundred Talismans Pavilion, he poses no threat to us. There's no need to pay him too much attention. What's important now is our third brother's matter!"

"Once third brother becomes an alchemy apprentice under Grandmaster Yun Ku, you and I will be able to deal with him at any time!"

When Wei Shangli mentioned Zhou Xun's name, it was as if he were speaking of a dead person.

"Thank you, Big Brother!" Wei Shangren hesitated for a moment before finally saying this.

Green Willow Alley, Zhou Xun's residence.

After returning, Zhou Xun and Dan Xiong Hai divided the two hundred and ten Spirit Essences according to their agreed-upon shares.

Zhou Xun received seventy Spirit Essences.

Looking at the pile of Spirit Essences before him, Zhou Xun sighed.

"The profits from hunting monsters are indeed high! But the risks are also not small!"

That day in the cave, he had almost been ambushed by a young Goldspirit Rat.

"I'm more suited to cultivating steadily!"

"But with this batch of Spirit Essences, I can buy a Qi Induction Pill and attempt to break through to the third level of Qi Refining!"

There were still half a month left until the registration deadline, so he had to hurry.