Chapter 189 - 155: The Black Hand Enters the Scene (3)

In the VIP room, Wan Suying softly inquired about Fang Qingyuan’s opinion, her tone exceptionally humble.

Fang Qingyuan glanced casually at Wan Suying’s beautiful face, but his attention was not on the beauty before him. He looked at the three boxes of varying sizes laid out in front of him and asked,

"Your Treasure Pavilion is arguably one of the biggest shops in the Southern Border, so why do you only have these three pieces of Tier Three Fire Spiritual Materials?"

Hearing Fang Qingyuan’s question, Wan Suying patiently explained,

"The Treasure Pavilion’s resources are, of course, far greater than this. However, this particular branch has only been open for four or five years, so our inventory is naturally lacking. But please rest assured, Workshop Master, if you need more, I can arrange a transfer from our other stores. I guarantee your satisfaction."

"Never mind. Three will do. If I take all of them, can you give me a discount?"

Only then did Fang Qingyuan reveal his true motive; he just wanted a discount. Wan Suying understood immediately. Though her expression remained unchanged, Fang Qingyuan knew. ’This Foundation Establishment Female Cultivator is definitely cursing me out in her head.’

"Since you’ve asked, Workshop Master, there’s no reason to refuse. The original price for these three Fire Spiritual Materials is a total of one hundred thousand low-grade Spirit Stones. The store can offer a discount and charge you ninety-five thousand. How does that sound?"

Saving five thousand Spirit Stones with a single sentence left Fang Qingyuan quite satisfied. Large stores like this normally didn’t haggle. ’Looks like this Workshop Master title of mine is worth something after all.’

"Excellent, that’s the price. Shopkeeper Wan, you’re certainly decisive. Not like that old geezer Wan Bochong—asking him for a discount is like asking for his life."

As Fang Qingyuan took out the Spirit Stones, he continued to complain to Wan Suying about Wan Bochong’s faults, leaving her feeling rather awkward.

After handing over the Spirit Stones, Fang Qingyuan swept the three Tier Three Fire Spiritual Materials into his storage pouch and then asked,

"Have you had any news about the Jade Dew Dust Cleansing Pill I asked you to look into?"

The Jade Dew Dust Cleansing Pill was a Tier Four Elixir that could eradicate the poison plaguing Jiang Kui. However, this kind of Antitoxic Pill required a Nascent Soul Cultivator to concoct. On top of that, the elixir didn’t improve one’s cultivation, making it rather niche. It was rarely available on the open market. For the past few years, Fang Qingyuan had asked all sorts of people to search for this elixir, but he’d had no success.

Wan Suying shook her head, indicating she had no news. Fang Qingyuan sighed at her reply. ’If I still can’t find it,’ he thought in frustration, ’I’ll have no choice but to call in some favors and see if I can get a Nascent Soul Cultivator to refine a batch for me.’

’But that’s an extremely difficult proposition. Most of Beast Taming Mountain’s own Nascent Soul Cultivators don’t know alchemy. I might have to ask a Nascent Soul from another sect to intervene, and that would make things even more complicated.’

But no matter how difficult, it had to be done. He remembered how Jiang Kui had treated him in the past; he couldn’t just watch her waste away for the rest of her life. After instructing Wan Suying to continue gathering information, Fang Qingyuan shook his head and bid her farewell. As Wan Suying watched his retreating figure, her expression grew much more animated now that she was alone.

After leaving the Treasure Pavilion, Fang Qingyuan took his newly acquired Fire Spiritual Materials and rushed eagerly toward Yuanling Mountain. With these Spiritual Materials, the aptitude of his Fire Spirit Root could immediately be boosted to thirty. Since he had bought two extra pieces, it might even reach thirty-one.

Yuanling Square Marketplace was not far from Yuanling Mountain, only about twenty li away. At Fang Qingyuan’s flight speed, the trip would take less than ten minutes. However, on this short journey, Fang Qingyuan suddenly stopped, hovering in mid-air. He frowned at an empty space and called out,

"Who goes there? Who dares to waylay me here? Do you have no regard for the Beast Taming Sect? Leave now, and I’ll pretend this never happened."

The reason Fang Qingyuan only resorted to harsh words instead of action was that he had discovered his opponent was a Foundation Establishment Cultivator—and a late-stage one at that. ’I probably can’t beat him,’ he realized. Otherwise, he would have sent Jinbao in long ago.

Upon hearing Fang Qingyuan’s words, the concealed late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator revealed himself. A flash of light rippled through the empty space, and a plain-looking, middle-aged cultivator appeared.

His aura was ordinary, his build ordinary, his clothes ordinary, and his face ordinary. Only his cultivation was not ordinary—he was a true late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator.

Seeing this man, Fang Qingyuan’s heart tightened. He secretly gripped a silver-white Talisman while giving Jinbao a look, signaling it to be ready to transform at any moment.

With these preparations made, Fang Qingyuan wasn’t overly afraid. ’Forward or backward, this is my territory,’ he thought. ’As long as I can withstand the first wave of attacks, I can retreat into my grand formation at any moment. A late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator is strong, but not strong enough to instantly kill someone as well-equipped as me.’

The late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator saw everything Fang Qingyuan did but paid it no mind. A moment later, a plain, unremarkable voice spoke:

"Master Fang, don’t misunderstand. I’ve come to discuss a partnership with you."

"Oh? If you want to rent a shop, you should look for She Xi Yu, the Patriarch of the She Family. I don’t really get involved in matters like that."

Fang Qingyuan immediately tried to palm him off on She Xi Yu, but the late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator just smiled and said,

"He can’t make the decision on this matter. Only you, the true master of the Yuanling Square Marketplace, can approve it."

"And you think I can make the decision? Are you aware that the Southern Border Beast Taming Sect and the Qi Yun Nan Chu Men both have stakes in Yuanling Square? You should take them into account when you say things like that."

Fang Qingyuan tried to use his backers as a bluff, hoping to scare the man off, but the cultivator’s expression remained unchanged. He simply said,