Chapter 7: Returning Laden with Spoils

Now, Lu Qian could be certain that after the soul fusion, his Divine Sense had undergone a remarkable transformation, its intensity increasing severalfold. Moreover, a cultivator’s Divine Sense would continually grow stronger along with their cultivation.

At this moment, with a mere stir of his Divine Sense, Lu Qian could completely control these three Silver Needles, feeling the connection between them through the array on the needles, as if they were three fingers of a hand.

Fine manipulation of Divine Sense? As Lu Qian channeled his Spiritual Power, with a flicker of Divine Sense, the three Silver Needles traced various arcs in the air, darting about like meteors!

"This—this is impossible!" The shopkeeper gaped, dumbfounded, as the Starlight Needles shot back into Lu Qian’s hand from three different directions. Lu Qian showed no signs of exhaustion, handling them with consummate ease.

Could it be that this person is hiding his cultivation? Could he actually be a Foundation Establishment Feather Scholar?

Impossible, absolutely impossible. The shopkeeper immediately dismissed his own speculation.

How bored would a Foundation Establishment Feather Scholar have to be to come to his shop for a bit of fun? Foundation Establishment cultivators use Spiritual Artifacts; what use would they have for Magical Artifacts?

He’s not a Foundation Establishment, but definitely a Core Disciple of some major sect, possessing inherited secret techniques, which is how he developed such a Divine Sense.

The shopkeeper quickly came up with a reasonable explanation, his demeanor becoming even more humble, his waist unconsciously bending down.

"Very good, this Magical Artifact is quite interesting." Lu Qian satisfactorily stowed away the Starlight Needles. "Come, let’s settle the bill."

Starlight Needles, Spirit Turtle Shield, White Jade Flying Ship, Cold Frost Sword. Purchasing these Magical Artifacts upgraded their entire arsenal, significantly boosting the team’s combat effectiveness. With these, the Magical Artifacts they used during their earlier flight could be mostly discarded.

Four Magical Artifacts, the shopkeeper quickly calculated, then smiled ingratiatingly: "Esteemed guest, that totals three thousand three hundred Spirit Stones. Since it’s rare to encounter such a valued customer, I’ll give you a discount, two thousand nine hundred Spirit Stones."

Lu Qian knew that, under normal circumstances, there was room to negotiate further, but unfortunately, with his current identity as a wealthy disciple of a major sect, he couldn’t say much more.

He snorted, took out two pieces of Spirit Crystal: "I didn’t bring that many Spirit Stones. Before I left, my senior brother said that a piece of Spirit Crystal could be exchanged for one thousand five hundred Spirit Stones, so I’ll use these to pay."

The shopkeeper carefully received them, growing even more convinced of Lu Qian’s identity. A mere Qi Cultivation Disciple using Spirit Crystals to pay was not something any sect he knew of could fathom.

He carefully appraised the Spirit Crystals in his hand, roughly an inch across, the core Spiritual Qi condensed into a solid crystal, indeed the genuine article.

He again flashed a flattering smile, cautiously saying, "Esteemed guest, you have resided on Immortal Mountain for a long time, so you might not know that the current exchange rate isn’t that high. The most I could offer is eleven—no, twelve hundred Spirit Stones. So there’s still a deficit of six hundred Spirit Stones, I wonder..."

Lu Qian impatiently waved his hand, produced another Spirit Crystal, and tossed it to the shopkeeper, "Fine, so troublesome, let’s settle at your price."

The shopkeeper’s eyes widened, hurriedly catching it and quickly tucking it into his bosom, instructing the clerk to prepare the change.

Soon, the clerk returned, cradling a small Storage Pouch and leading Taotao, who had eaten to her heart’s content.

"Esteemed guest, here are six hundred Spirit Stones." The shopkeeper respectfully handed over the entire Storage Pouch to Lu Qian, even including the pouch itself. "Would you like to count it?"

"No need to bother, I doubt you’d dare cheat me."

Lu Qian casually took the Storage Pouch and stowed it in his bosom, then turned and, with an ingratiating tone, said to Jiang Qingfeng, "Fairy, it’s getting late, shall we return to the inn to rest?"

Jiang Qingfeng, torn between amusement and exasperation, resisted the urge to slap him, coldly snorted, grabbed Baitao, and walked off. Lu Qian rapidly followed, spouting sweet nothings as if they cost him nothing.

The shopkeeper hurriedly saw them off, attempting to inquire about Lu Qian’s master along the way, but Lu Qian brushed him off with a laugh. The shopkeeper dared not press further, respectfully escorting the three to the back door.

"You certainly have some thoughtfulness. Alright, next time, I’ll introduce you to a few more valuable guests." Lu Qian nonchalantly nodded, and amidst the shopkeeper’s endless gratitude, he departed with Qingfeng and Baitao.

Turning a street corner, with no one around, Lu Qian straightened his back and let out a long sigh of relief, "That was exhausting."

Jiang Qingfeng gave him a sideways glance, "I see, junior brother seemed to enjoy himself, making a game of things."

"How could it be? I’m a wounded man." Lu Qian protested incessantly. Originally, he intended to buy some Elixirs, but since his body had not fully recovered, after a few hours, he felt extremely fatigued, realizing there wasn’t enough time tonight.

"Does the wound still hurt?" Jiang Qingfeng grew a bit anxious, having momentarily forgotten about Lu Qian’s injuries due to his performance along the way.

Baitao held Lu Qian’s hand, blinked, and drew out a string of glistening candied hawthorn from a Storage Pouch, "Senior brother, have some candied hawthorn, it won’t hurt anymore if you eat it."

"It’s nothing." Lu Qian shook his head with a smile, "It seems the day was rewarding not only for me and senior sister, but also for Taotao, both eating and taking, quite a harvest. But the body feels a bit tired, we should head back to the inn early to rest."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Qingfeng thought back to the previous role-play, blushing, she spat, "Lecher. Let’s go, Taotao, we’re not playing with him anymore."

"How did I become a lecher?" Lu Qian pitifully trailed behind the two, "Senior sister, slow down, I’m injured and can’t walk fast."

After some playful banter, the group arrived at a large inn in the center of the marketplace. Lu Qian booked two upper rooms and spent an additional ten Spirit Stones, causing Jiang Qingfeng to have a sudden thought.

The group first entered Lu Qian’s room, and after setting a Silence Talisman, she hesitated briefly before speaking, "Junior brother, you’re the Sect Leader, and I shouldn’t say more. But tonight alone, we’ve already spent several thousand Spirit Stones. Such extravagance might be unwise. Without our mountain gate, we lack income, so we mustn’t empty our reserves."

Facing Jiang Qingfeng’s concerned look, Lu Qian pondered for a moment before saying, "Allow me to be frank with senior sister. In the Yunshan’s inheritance treasures, there are a total of twenty Spirit Crystals. Besides that, there’s the Yunshan Sect’s three hundred years’ collection of various Cultivation Technique Secret Manuals and a Magical Treasure Fragment from our founding ancestor, Master Yeyang. That’s all; what I mentioned before about Spirit Stones, Spirit Pills, Spiritual Artifacts, and Magical Treasures was just a ploy for those two."

"What?" Jiang Qingfeng exclaimed, "That’s just too—"

"Too little, isn’t it? Yunshan Sect’s three hundred years of accumulated treasure account for just this much?" Lu Qian shook his head, "That was my initial thought too, but later I came to understand. This is the Sect Leader’s Ring, representing inheritance, not the Sect’s Hidden Treasure Pavilion."

"A small portion of Spirit Stones is kept as savings. The majority is circulating funds, used for the sect’s daily expenses and expansion of production. And this small part of the savings is generally kept in the Hidden Treasure Pavilion for use."

"Spirit Pills need nurturing with Spiritual Qi, most stored in the sect’s Alchemy Room, with a small part carried in the Sect Leader Elder’s Storage Pouch."

"Spiritual Artifacts are the Sect Leader Elder’s personal weapons, why would they be stashed away unused in the ring?"

"Only Cultivation Technique Secret Manuals accumulate over centuries, being the fundamental inheritance of a sect, collected in the Sect Leader’s Ring. As for the founding ancestor’s Magical Treasure Fragment, it serves only as a memorial."

"These twenty Spirit Crystals are the only emergency resources in the ring. Oh, now there are only seventeen left."