Heading to the Market
Another month has passed.
Chen Long's dark circles were even more pronounced.
Zhou Ning walked out of the courtyard and whistled. Chen Long jumped up in surprise.
"Alchemist Zhou, what is it?"
Zhou Ning glanced at him meaningfully. "Fellow Daoist Chen, please get more rest in your daily life."
Then he gave Chen Long two Spirit Stone and asked him to buy medicinal herbs on his behalf.
Chen Long secretly approached Wang Guanhe: "Elder Wang, Alchemist Zhou told me to rest more; it was a warning!"
Wang Guanhe opened his eyes and said, "Longlong, you must not slack off. Leave the next few days to me. You go and buy the medicine—"
"Alright, Elder Wang, but I have another suggestion. Could you take over watching over Alchemist Zhou next time? I'm getting a bit tired—"
"It's alright, leave it to me."
Time flies, a year has passed.
Wang Guanhe and Chen Long stared at each other in the secret room, both with dark circles under their eyes.
"Ahem, Elder Wang, it seems he really has been refining elixirs all year—"
"This year, I bought him medicinal herbs worth twenty-two Spirit Stone and helped him sell nearly thirty-three pills. Everyone I know outside thinks I've hooked up with a big shot—" Chen Long said in a dry voice.
He knew before that Alchemist could make money, but damn it, he never imagined they could make this much!
That works out to ten Spirit Stone a year!
Chen Long and Wang Guanhe are responsible for guarding the entire Little Willow Marsh. The Chen Household received two and a half Spirit Stone this year, which they will split in half.
"Once I secretly withheld 100 catties of spirit rice from his earnings, and he didn't even notice!" Chen Long was secretly delighted.
Wang Guanhe angrily said, "Once I tentatively asked him if he wanted to go cut willow branches to earn some extra money, and he actually gave me a disdainful look!"
It's as if it's saying, "A third-rate old farmer who grows Spirit Plant!"
Wang Guanhe was deeply insulted.
Chen Long was silent for a moment before saying, "He really doesn't seem interested in probing our secrets—"
Wang Guanhe: "Yes, Alchemist don't need to take any risks; they can earn a lot of Spirit Stone in a year—"
What about all their efforts over the past year?
Chen Long felt he had aged more than ten years, while the energetic Wang Guanhe had developed gray hair.
Wang Guanhe a deep breath. "From today onwards, the dredging project will be restarted!"
Upon hearing this, Chen Long was initially excited.
Soon after, it became somewhat boring.
He worked himself to the bone every day, managing to collect a small amount of Ceramic Crystal Sand, but he dared not sell it, fearing that he would be targeted by high-level cultivators. He lived in constant fear and couldn't sleep.
It would be much more satisfying to help Alchemist Zhou sell medicine!
In fact, he got a whole Spirit Stone from Zhou Ning this year!
Unfortunately, Alchemist Zhou asked him about the trading venue and decided to come out of seclusion himself.
A thought popped into Chen Long's mind, "Should we tie up Alchemist Zhou?"
If we could tie this person up, lock him in a dark room, and make him refine pills day and night, wouldn't he just take off?
On second thought, this matter is extremely difficult to accomplish.
Capturing someone alive is inherently more difficult than killing them. Moreover, Zhou Ning has connections within the Azure Mystic Sect, and his friend will likely eliminate him once he advances to the Foundation Establishment!
"Let's just secretly dig in the mud!"
"And incidentally, I'll trick Alchemist Zhou, making my enemy take the blame!"
Inside the villa.
Zhou Ning sat cross-legged on the leather cushion, his Law Power completing a Greater Celestial Circuit cycle through his six meridians.
He sensed the Law Power within his Dantian: "The Qi Refining gets slower and slower as you progress, but luckily I have the Great Elixir."
"I've completed most of the Seventh Layer of Qi Refining. In another six months, I should be able to break through to the eighth level."
Zhou Ning looked into his mind and saw that a large area of the jade stone had already turned black. He estimated that in another year or two, it would be completely black.
"Unbeknownst to me, more than five years have passed since I Land of Wei."
"The most important thing for me in entering Land of Wei this time is to obtain the concealment formation, and it would be best if I could also get the secret technique of moving mountains, so that I can move the Spring of the Spirit Eye in the future."
As for the Jade Marrow Ganoderma, the main ingredient of the Foundation Establishment Pill, it has long been extinct in the Land of Wei, so other spiritual objects can be used as substitutes to refine it into the Suiyuan Pill.
--
This pill increases the chances of success by 20%, but if the breakthrough fails, the user will die instantly.
Zhou Ning had no intention of refining it.
"I've already refined two Jade Jade-Casting True Gold Talisman. Collecting seven will increase the success rate by 30%, which, combined with the 20% from the Foundation Establishment Pill and the 30% from the Fiery Eyes and Golden Pupils of Truth, brings the probability to a full 80%!"
Thinking of this, Zhou Ning's right eye turned a fiery red.
That's right. He has already begun the initial tempering of his eyes based on the cultivation experience given by True Person Lu. This stage is not dangerous, and it's not time to remove the eyeballs yet.
"My top priority while I'm in Chen State territory is to obtain the Jade Marrow Ganoderma."
"Having stayed cooped up at home for so long, it's time to go out, make connections, and search for the final key ingredient. If all else fails, I can even risk finding someone to collaborate with on alchemy—"
If Chen Long, a Qi Refining Ninth Layer, dared to help him buy and sell medicine, what did Zhou Ning have to fear?
He took stock of his protective abilities: stacks of talismans, the Fallen Red Sword, the Straw Puppet, the Fire-Healing Fruit, and a small white shield—
"In any case, I have few rivals in the Qi Refining Realm, and the advantage is mine no matter what the circumstances!"
Zhou Ning put away the array plate, stepped on the bamboo leaf Law Artifact, and flew north.
"Old Wang, Old Wang, that person is finally gone!"
"Hahaha!"
Chen Long's face lit up with excitement. "That son of a bitch, he's finally gone!"
He had waited for this day for over a year!
He grabbed his Storage Bag, eager to get started. "Let's set off immediately and start shopping!"
Wang Guanhe instinctively suspected, "Could it be a deliberate scam?"
Chen Long paused in his tracks.
"Alright, alright, let's dig first. I already have a plan." Wang Guanhe confident.
Chen Long had no doubts; after all, he had killed twice, and the consequences had been smoothed over by Old Wang, making him a shrewd and calculating man.
Zhou Ning headed north.
Fortune Star Market is about 700 miles away from Little Willow Marsh. It was established by a Foundation Establishment Aristocratic Clan and is far smaller than Forget-Return Market.
--
However, the advantage is that it is backed by a branch of the Heavenly Ridge Mountain Range, which is rich in resources.
"First, find a way to sell medicine, then join the ' Qilin Pavilion ' exchange group; you might be able to get some good stuff."
Zhou Ning also used the [Flowing Light Concealing Shadow Instruction] to disguise his appearance, turning him into a man with a normal-looking face and a crew cut.
"Moving mountains, moving mountains, I am Ma Huangshan!"
After advancing to the Late Qi Refining, his Divine Sense strength far surpassed that of ordinary Foundation Establishment Early Stage. Coupled with the wondrous techniques of the Land of Wei, even Foundation Establishment Late Stage in this world might not be able to see through him without careful observation.
He adjusted his cultivation level to the initial stage of Qi Refining Ninth Layer.
Zhou Ning did not fly very fast, and two hours later, he arrived safely at Fortune Star Market.
He paid a pound of spirit rice and took a token to enter.
The market town is built at the foot of the mountain, covering an area of about a thousand acres, and exudes the Spiritual Qi of a second-tier Spirit Vein.
Looking up, a large, forested mountain loomed in the distance, appearing as if a colossal object were nearby.
"This location is good, but if the beast tide comes, we'll be in big trouble," Zhou Ning pondered.
He strolled along the street, sensing the Spiritual Qi between heaven and earth. This Spiritual Qi was not evenly distributed, but rather flowed like water, converging from different places.
Zhou Ning looked at a high-lying area where spiritual bamboo and flowers were planted, the scenery was excellent, and the interior resembled a grand mansion.
Fortune Star Market was established by the Sun family, who are at the Foundation Establishment Sun Household. The family has members who have undergone major repairs in the Foundation Establishment Late Stage. Located in the Cuiwei Lake area, it is at the level where they do not need to offer gifts to the Su Household.
"The Sun Household must be staying there during their Foundation Establishment and renovation work in the market town, right?"
Just as Zhou Ning was pondering this, a light pink figure flew out of the mansion, stepping on a fan-shaped magical Law Artifact.
However, when Zhou Ning saw the person's face clearly, he was slightly taken aback. "Zhao Ruoxue? Isn't she a disciple of Qingxuan?"
Immediately, Zhou Ning realized that the Sun Household seemed to be an appendage of the Core Formation Zhao Household.
However, he guessed that Zhao Ruoxue's status in the Zhao Household was not very high, at least not as high as Su Yunjin's status in the Su Household.
Otherwise, there would be no need to risk your life in the Azure Ruins Secret Realm.
Zhao Ruoxue seemed to have just broken through, and as a mere Qi Refining Ninth Layer, she naturally couldn't see through Zhou Ning's disguise.
Zhou Ning didn't think much of it. He found a shop with familiar decor. It was a three-story building with a plaque that read "Bai Cao Tang" (Hundred Herbs Hall).
He remembered that the first shop he entered in Forget-Return Market was Hundred Herbs Hall, which was run by the Bai Household.
I don't know which pharmacy leaked my information.
Zhou Ning visited many shops that day; if he mentally blacklisted them, he probably wouldn't be able to go to many in the future.
The Bai Household is at war with the Su Household; the enemy of the enemy must be given a boost!
"Every Spirit Stone I spend will become part of the Bai Household's Law Technique against the Su Household in the future!"