An Agreement Reached

Yuan Zhiyun was still somewhat Qi Ingestion, but she didn't say anything more. She simply took out the Heart-Questioning Stone from her Storage Bag and handed it to her father.

Yuan Bi knew that his daughter was rather stubborn, so he didn't continue to talk to her. He sighed softly, took the Heart-Questioning Stone, and left.

Meanwhile, in Yuanling City, after those who, like Yuan Zhiyun, had been rescued by Lin Xiao regained consciousness and returned to the Yuanling City, news of the several ice caves in the Icefield Mystic Realm that could only be entered but not exited spread rapidly throughout the city.

Because the Icefield Mystic Realm is a secret realm that has existed for over a hundred years, this news caused a great deal of buzz in Yuanling City.

Many people who had friends or relatives who went into the Icefield Mystic Realm and never returned speculate whether their friends or relatives were trapped in those ice caves and perished.

Some people even made inquiries to find information about their relatives and friends among those who had managed to escape this time.

In just a few days, news of the Icefield Mystic Realm, where many cultivators had been trapped and died over the past hundred years, spread like wildfire throughout Yuanling City.

Even many Golden Core cultivators would gossip about it.

All of this had nothing to do with Lin Xiao.

As soon as the agreed-upon five-day delivery date with the Many Treasures Pavilion arrived, he went there Many Treasures Pavilion early in the morning.

The Many Treasures Pavilion had just opened at that moment.

Shopkeeper Zhong, with his usual kind face, stood behind the counter, flipping through the account books.

Upon seeing Lin Xiao, she gave him a slight smile.

"Good morning, young friend. Your Heart-Questioning Stone has arrived."

Lin Xiao replied with a smile:

Good morning, Shopkeeper Zhong.

Shopkeeper Zhong nodded to him, then turned to the waiter and instructed him:

"Changsheng, go find the Heart-Questioning Stone among the cargo that was just unloaded at the back."

"Alright! Please wait a moment, sir." The waiter named Changsheng replied to Manager Shopkeeper Zhong, then said to Lin Xiao before running into the back of the shop.

Lin Xiao stepped into the shop, intending to browse around casually while waiting for his Heart-Questioning Stone.

Unexpectedly, Shopkeeper Zhong suddenly spoke up:

"Young friend, our Many Treasures Pavilion not only sells things, but also buys them."

Hearing his words suddenly, Lin Xiao was momentarily stunned.

What did Shopkeeper Zhong mean by that?

His mind raced, and he seemed to understand something, but he wasn't sure, so he tentatively spoke:

"If you're looking for some basic cultivation supplies, I wonder Many Treasures Pavilion can accept them?"

Seeing that he understood his meaning immediately, Shopkeeper Zhong nodded with a satisfied smile and said:

"As long as the goods are good, we'll accept them. Rest assured, Fellow Daoist Lin, the price will be absolutely fair."

Upon hearing this, Lin Xiao was overjoyed. Sure enough, Shopkeeper Zhong was telling him that their Many Treasures Pavilion would accept the things he sent!

Although he didn't know why, he had a good impression of Shopkeeper Zhong, and coupled with the Many Treasures Pavilion's excellent reputation in Yuanling City, Lin Xiao didn't think that Manager Zhong would deliberately rip off a young man like him.

But he didn't immediately agree; instead, he said with a happy expression:

"Thank you for your patronage, Shopkeeper Zhong. I will explain to my elders when I return, and I will give you an answer tomorrow."

"That's natural."

The two had just finished talking when Changsheng came out carrying a Storage Bag.

"Shopkeeper, the Heart-Questioning Stone has arrived!"

Shopkeeper Zhong took the Storage Bag and handed the Heart-Questioning Stone to Lin Xiao.

Lin Xiao then paid the remaining balance of 1,050 Spirit Stone.

The transaction was completed.

Lin Xiao, satisfied, took the Heart-Questioning Stone and bid farewell to the two, leaving the Many Treasures Pavilion.

After watching Lin Xiao leave, the waiter Changsheng asked Shopkeeper Zhong:

"Shopkeeper, why are you trying to win over such a young cultivator?"

Shopkeeper Zhong smiled, but instead of answering him directly, he asked him in return:

"What do you think this young fellow Daoist wants the Heart-Questioning Stone for?"

Changsheng then said:

"The Heart-Questioning Stone' is naturally used to test one's character."

Shopkeeper Zhong nodded:

"Yes. I've been a shopkeeper in Yuanling City for so many years, watching people come and go every day. But this young man looks completely unfamiliar to me, so I think he must not be from Yuanling City."

Upon hearing this, Changsheng seemed to be deep in thought.

Shopkeeper Zhong, gazing at the flow of people coming and going outside the shop, continued:

"A young man with no discernible cultivation level spent over a thousand Spirit Stone to buy a Heart-Questioning Stone..."

"Changsheng, another new power is about to emerge near our Yuanling City..."

Meanwhile, Lin Xiao and Liao Pantu had already been discussing this matter back and forth via telepathy.

"Senior, what do you think?"

Liao Pantu, who had been holed up in the Soul-Nourishing Pendant and had overheard the entire conversation between the two, knew that the reason he hadn't responded to the other person on the spot was because he wanted to discuss it with him.

So he began to speak:

"The backing behind this Many Treasures Pavilion isn't particularly strong; it's only through its quality and reputation that it's been able to establish itself in Yuanling City."

You don't need to worry about being scammed, after all, you don't have anything worth someone risking their reputation for five hundred years to cheat you out of."

Upon hearing this, Lin Xiao showed no displeasure whatsoever; on the contrary, he nodded in full agreement.

That's why I didn't refuse outright.

"I don't think our sect can just sit around and do nothing because we have a mine. We need other sources of Spirit Stone, right? I think it would be quite good if our sect refined pills and made talismans and sold them to the Many Treasures Pavilion."

"Furthermore, Many Treasures Pavilion is a long-established brand in Yuanling City. Befriending them would be extremely beneficial to our sect. Moreover, Many Treasures Pavilion's caravans travel all over the country and their sources of information are certainly abundant, which is something our sect lacks."

Listening to his enthusiastic rambling, Liao Pantu rolled his eyes—something Lin Xiao couldn't see—through his Soul-Nourishing Pendant.

"Why are you asking me if you've already thought it through?"

Lin Xiao said as he walked back to the inn:

"Having an elder in the family is like having a treasure, I'm afraid there might be something wrong with it, that's why I want to hear your opinion."

After a while, Liao Pantu transmitted his voice to him again:

"Although I don't know why this young shopkeeper is willing to do business with you, it doesn't seem like a bad thing no matter how you look at it."

However, I reckon they probably figured out you were planning to establish a sect, or rather, they probably thought someone behind you was planning to establish a sect or something.

Upon hearing this, Lin Xiao said:

"So Shopkeeper Zhong thinks my side is a new force building a sect, and he's just going through the motions of cultivating good relations."

After thinking for a moment, he added:

"Maybe they just have high hopes for me~"

Liao Pantu couldn't stand his narcissistic behavior and kept urging him:

"Alright, alright, hurry up and finish these matters so we can return to the sect as soon as possible. My disciple is waiting for me to come back and teach him alchemy."

So the next day, Lin Xiao went to the Many Treasures Pavilion and told Shopkeeper Zhong his affirmative answer.

The two had a detailed discussion about all aspects of the transaction and ultimately reached a pleasant agreement.

After that, Shopkeeper Zhong gave him a token.

This will be the transaction receipt for future deliveries made by Lin Xiao's side.