For example, the spirit herb Qi-Nourishing Grass, used to refine Qi-Drawing Pills—if you bought a portion in Yuyang Market, it cost fifteen spirit stones. Here, it was only thirteen.
At these prices, as long as he produced three pills per furnace, he'd clear two stones in profit.
Seizing the opportunity, Chen Nianzhi decisively bought five portions of Qi-Nourishing Grass, planning to use them to further polish his pill-refining skills.
After putting away the herbs, he wandered the market a while longer and soon realized that what was truly a bargain here was spirit beast meat.
Compared to Yu County, the price of beast meat here was over forty percent cheaper. In Yuyang Market, the Chen clan's Cangqing Spirit Fish could fetch five spirit stones a fish, but here, meat from beasts of the same grade went for only three stones a piece.
"Tianxu Mountain borders the Great Marsh. Spirit beasts are everywhere, so of course the price is this low."
"Yu County, on the other hand, lies deep within Chu's borders. Over the past thousand years, beasts have been culled seven or eight times over—no wonder they're scarce there."
The flesh of spirit beasts and spirit birds was rich in spiritual energy. Eating it not only slightly increased cultivation but also strengthened muscles and bones, nourishing a cultivator's blood and qi—a rare and precious ingredient.
Seeing how cheap it was here, Chen Nianzhi simply bought a few jin, planning to roast it later and finally have a taste.
Strictly speaking, although Lake Lingzhou produced both Purple-Patterned Geese and Cangqing Spirit Fish—two true spiritual delicacies—he'd never been willing to eat them himself. Years had gone by since he'd last enjoyed the flavor of spirit beast meat.
After stowing away the beast meat, he strolled toward the next stall—and his gaze paused for a moment.
"This thing…"
"Young friend, did something catch your eye?"
The stall owner was a tall, thin middle-aged cultivator who looked about forty or fifty, with a short, bristling beard.
Seeing a potential customer, he immediately stood up, looking at Chen Nianzhi with a kindly smile.
Chen Nianzhi kept his expression calm, letting his gaze sweep across the stall. There weren't many items: a mid-grade first-tier flying sword, a mid-grade first-tier defensive artifact shaped like a small bell, and a tattered map.
"This map is so torn up. What good is it?"
The man stroked his beard as soon as he heard that, and a faint gleam of greed flashed in his eyes. He quietly sent a voice transmission.
"Fellow Daoist, you don't understand."
"Though this map is damaged, its origin is anything but ordinary. Rumor has it that it records the location of a Purple Mansion senior's cave estate."
"Supposedly, the map was split into two back in the day. Once you find the other half and fuse them together, you can locate that senior's legacy cave."
"An opportunity like this is beyond price. As long as you pay five hundred spirit stones, it's yours."
"It's just a torn map," Chen Nianzhi suddenly cut in. "Five spirit stones. Will you sell or not?"
The man's words froze in his mouth. His expression twisted with anger."This concerns a senior's cave estate—a treasure beyond measure. How can you treat it so lightly—"
He broke off mid-sentence when he saw Chen Nianzhi turning away. The next instant, he hurriedly shoved the map into Chen Nianzhi's hand.
"Sell, sell, I'll sell! We'll do it your way—five spirit stones."
Money and goods changed hands, and Chen Nianzhi turned and walked off.
Not long after, he circled back around and glanced from afar—only to see that the man's stall now displayed another "tattered map" that looked exactly the same.
Chen Nianzhi gave the man a long, thoughtful look, then returned to his inn.
There, he took out the two damaged maps and carefully pieced them together—forming a single, complete map at last.
The other half, he realized, was the same tattered scrap he'd taken from that demonic cultivator's storage pouch.
Studying the combined map, his gaze sharpened. The cave estate it marked was located to the south of Tianxu Mountain, ten thousand li deep in the great wilderness in the direction of Yu County.
"Judging by the location… it's actually on the way back."
"Looks like I can swing by and take a look when I return."
…
In the blink of an eye, ten more days passed.
During those ten days, he made repeated attempts to probe Tianxu Pavilion, learning more and more about it.
Through various inquiries, he discovered that Tianxu Pavilion's reputation was excellent. Supposedly, Daoist Jiang had set strict rules: no one was allowed to target customers, and no one was allowed to leak customer information.
Anyone who broke the rules would, at best, have their cultivation crippled and be expelled from Tianxu Mountain; at worst, Daoist Jiang would personally execute them.
This wasn't idle talk either. Over a hundred years ago, one of Daoist Jiang's disciples had coveted a customer's precious treasure. He acted in secret, killed the man, and stole his goods. Later, when the victim's family came seeking answers, Daoist Jiang personally used a Soul-Seizing Talisman to uncover the culprit.
To uphold his sect's integrity, he had executed his own disciple on the spot and even paid the family three times the value of the lost treasure in compensation.
From that day forward, no more scandals ever came out of Tianxu Pavilion. Over the course of a century, they built up an immense reservoir of trust.
"No wonder the Third Elder said before we left that Patriarch Jiang is fair and upright, and would definitely sell us a Meridian-Nourishing Pill."
"The value of that hundred-year reputation alone is probably a hundred times greater than a single pill."
As Chen Nianzhi's understanding of Tianxu Mountain deepened, he felt more confident. He decided not to waste any more time—he'd buy the pill as soon as possible and bring it back to heal the clan head.
Early the next morning, he arrived at Tianxu Pavilion.
A young girl at the front counter, still in the Qi-Refining stage, saw him come in and immediately greeted him with a bright smile.
"Honored Daoist, welcome to Tianxu Pavilion. What are you looking to buy today?"
Chen Nianzhi glanced around to make sure no one was close enough to overhear, then sent a voice transmission."I'd like to purchase a second-tier pill."
The girl's eyes widened for a moment, but she quickly recovered and led him to a private reception room. After pouring him a cup of tea, she said softly,
"When it comes to second-tier pills, I don't have the authority to decide."
"Please wait here a moment, honored guest. I'll go invite the shopkeeper."
"All right." Chen Nianzhi nodded slightly.
In just a short while, a woman in a light purple dress walked in. She was gracefully beautiful and carried herself with quiet poise.
She gave Chen Nianzhi a quick once-over, and her gaze narrowed slightly before she smiled."Young friend, for someone so young to have reached this level of cultivation is truly impressive."
"Senior flatters me," Chen Nianzhi said, standing up a bit nervously.
He could faintly sense that although this woman looked gentle, her aura was unfathomably deep—far stronger even than the old clan head's. That meant she was at least in late-stage Foundation Establishment.
Sensing his tension, the woman smiled and took a seat nearby.
"My name is Lin Qianshu. I am, in name at least, the shopkeeper of Tianxu Pavilion."
"You are our guest. There's no need to be so restrained."
Hearing this, Chen Nianzhi felt the pressure ease from his chest and quietly let out a breath.
At that moment, Lin Qianshu smiled again and finally brought the conversation to its true purpose.
"I hear you wish to buy a second-tier pill. May I ask which kind?"
As she spoke, she glanced around the room and added, "You may rest easy, young friend. This room is warded against spiritual sense. Anyone below Purple Mansion cannot eavesdrop on us."
Chen Nianzhi nodded, hesitated for a moment, then decided to be direct.
"Junior has come to request a single Meridian-Nourishing Pill."