Chapter 127: Chapter 124: A Visit
Being largely unexplored and undeveloped meant that anything was possible!
If one was lucky enough, a Cultivator exploring the mountains who found a single, extremely precious Heaven and Earth Treasure might not have to worry about Cultivation Resources all the way to Soul Emergence!
Even without the astonishing luck of finding a heaven-defying Heaven and Earth Treasure, the cultivation resources in this vast mountain forest were enough to sustain them for a while.
And so,
for the time being,
the Cultivators who had gathered here were not likely to disperse.
For the Wu Family,
this was undoubtedly bad news.
However, these
were all matters for the Wu Family, far away in the Wu Family Collection, to consider. They had little to do with Shen Changchuan.
So Shen Changchuan only briefly looked into the matter without delving any deeper.
In truth, it wasn’t possible to learn more.
After all, during this time,
the Wu Family had secluded themselves.
Several whole months had passed without a single member of the Wu Family going out.
No one knew what the Wu Family was thinking behind their closed doors,
but regardless,
no news about the Cyan Essence Water Grass had spread to the outside world.
So for now, Shen Changchuan didn’t need to contact Shen Tingchu.
With no progress on that official matter,
Shen Changchuan turned his attention to other things.
One noteworthy event had occurred in Fan Family Village, one of the six villages that had sought refuge with Dawan Village.
Patriarch Fan had been ambushed and killed while he was out. He vanished without a trace, his body never recovered.
The direct heir of the Fan Family, who had been sent to Dawan Village, had already departed to return and inherit the family’s affairs.
This turn of events
was undoubtedly unexpected for Shen Changchuan.
But he could do little more than sigh. ’With the influx of so many outside Cultivators, the surrounding area really has become more dangerous. Good thing I had the foresight to lay low.’ Beyond that, he wasn’t particularly moved.
After all, he hadn’t even been in Dawan Village for a full year, and he had only met the leaders of the surrounding villages a few times. They weren’t close.
No one would be too upset by the death of someone they had only met a few times.
At most, in light of the tribute sent by Fan Family Village, he would ensure their family’s estate would not be seized by outsiders.
This was the most he could do.
As for avenging Patriarch Fan?
’First of all, the man’s vanished without a trace. How am I supposed to find his killer to get revenge?’
Even if he did find the person responsible for the killing,
the pittance of Spirit Grain they offered as tribute wasn’t enough to make Shen Changchuan take action!
You get what you pay for.
That amount of Spirit Grain was, at most, enough for Shen Changchuan to ensure their family estate remained in the hands of the Fan Family.
Other than that,
there wasn’t much major news from outside Dawan Village.
There were rumors that the Family Protection Mutual Aid Alliance might have offended someone, as they had been keeping a low profile recently.
But this was hard to confirm, and Shen Changchuan only briefly looked into it before dismissing it from his mind.
Within the village, however,
there was one matter that required his decision.
Si Houqing had sent a messenger to report that other chambers of commerce wanted to set up shop in Dawan Village and were using him to gauge Shen Changchuan’s opinion on the matter.
This matter was quite significant.
Shen Changchuan thought about it for a moment,
and then decided to pay a visit in person.
As it happened, he had already advanced to the Qi Introduction Seventh Layer, and he needed to go through Si Houqing’s channels for the Cultivation Elixirs he required next anyway.
So,
after resting for half a day, Shen Changchuan went directly to the commercial district in the eastern part of the village.
Although only one chamber of commerce had set up shop so far,
judging by the foot traffic, it already showed great potential.
"Fellow Daoist Si, business is booming!"
Upon entering the temporary trading post established by the Sanhe Chamber of Commerce and seeing the constant flow of people, Shen Changchuan smiled and congratulated Si Houqing, who was directing his assistants to serve the customers.
"Younger Brother Shen, you’ve come! I’ll take that as a good omen. Please, come in, come in!"
With Si Houqing’s warm welcome,
Shen Changchuan was led to the courtyard behind the trading post.
After host and guest were seated,
Si Houqing picked up a kettle to brew some light tea. Its fresh aroma filled the air, and a faint white mist could be seen lingering around the edge of the teacups, refusing to dissipate.
"It seems Younger Brother Shen has had a bountiful harvest this time,"
Si Houqing remarked thoughtfully as he brewed the tea.
Although he couldn’t see through Shen Changchuan’s Perfection Level Breath Concealment Technique,
he could guess a thing or two from the joyful expression on his face.
"You’re too kind. It was just a small improvement. Hardly worth mentioning compared to how well your business has been doing lately, Fellow Daoist Si,"
Shen Changchuan said with a smile.
The two exchanged some pleasantries.
Once the small talk was over,
Shen Changchuan cut to the chase.
"Brother Si, the main reason I’ve come to see you today is to trouble you to help me purchase some Elixirs for Qi Introduction Seventh Layer cultivation."
"I was just wondering, what is the best Cultivation Elixir for the Seventh Layer Realm?"
At that moment, Shen Changchuan
exuded the confidence of a very wealthy man.
And he had every reason to be confident.
Between his own savings, the more than three thousand Spirit Stones in rent from Si Houqing, and the considerable spoils from the Blood Slaughter Three Demons, Shen Changchuan now possessed nearly ten thousand Spirit Stones!
Such a massive fortune
was likely more than even a Cultivator at the Qi Introduction Ninth Layer Peak could produce!
But Spirit Stones were just Spirit Stones,
while strength was true power.
Spirit Stones could be stolen,
but strength was something that would stay with him for life.
So Shen Changchuan naturally planned to convert the Spirit Stones in his hands into his own personal strength.
’You have to spend money to make money. As long as I have strength, I can always earn back any Spirit Stones I spend!’
’The stronger I am, the more opportunities I’ll have to earn Spirit Stones.’
’Conversely, the weaker I am, the fewer opportunities there will be. Not only that, the weak could be killed at any moment, their life’s savings becoming another’s windfall.’
’It was just like the attack from the Blood Slaughter Three Demons. If I hadn’t been strong enough, forget Spirit Stones—I wouldn’t have even been able to save my own life!’
It was precisely because of this line of thinking that
he had no intention of being stingy with his Spirit Stones when it came to improving his Cultivation.
And now, with nearly ten thousand Spirit Stones, Shen Changchuan
was qualified to try the "pill-popping, pay-to-win" method.
Since he had enough Spirit Stones,
he naturally wanted only the best!
Otherwise, he would have just taken the Qi Enhancement Pills he’d obtained from killing the Blood Slaughter Three Demons instead of putting them up for consignment.
"For a Qi Introducing Seventh Layer Cultivator, the best Elixir is, of course, the Essence Nourishing Pill."
"This elixir not only raises your cultivation, but it also nurtures your vital essence and qi, helping to solidify your foundation. If you can get a Top Grade Essence Nourishing Pill, you won’t have to worry about your Cultivation Realm becoming unstable due to elixir consumption."
Si Houqing said without a moment’s hesitation.
"Great, that’s the one I want, then! Brother Si, do you happen to have a source for this Elixir?"
Shen Changchuan decided almost without hesitation that he wanted to buy and take this Elixir.
However,
at his words, Si Houqing’s expression stiffened.
