Chapter 285: Chapter 151: Extraordinary
Qin Fang walked inside and was greeted by a pungent medicinal smell. The hall was bustling with people—customers, attendants, and a seated physician taking a patient’s pulse. It was quite a lively place.
"Sir, what can I get for you?"
An attendant from the medicine hall noticed Qin Fang enter and hurried over, his face wreathed in smiles as he asked.
Qin Fang glanced around before asking, "Do you have Elixirs for sale?"
The attendant’s eyes lit up at his words... Elixirs. Those were high-end goods, far more expensive than ordinary medicinal herbs.
He quickly said, "Yes, yes we do. What kind of Elixir are you looking to buy, sir?"
"An Elixir to enhance Spiritual Power... Do you have any?" Qin Fang asked.
"Enhance Spiritual Power?" The attendant’s eyes shone even brighter. "Those that enhance Spiritual Power are all considered Treasure Medicines... But we do have some here at Huichun Hall. However, that’s not something I have the authority to handle... Please wait a moment, sir. I’ll go inform the Shopkeeper."
’Treasure Medicines?’
A flicker of light crossed Qin Fang’s eyes as he nodded.
The attendant apologized profusely before rushing off. Soon, a middle-aged man who looked like a shopkeeper walked over with a smile.
"Is it this young master who requires Treasure Medicine? My surname is Cui. You may call me Shopkeeper Cui."
"Shopkeeper Cui." Qin Fang nodded. "I’d like to buy some Treasure Medicine that enhances Spiritual Power... I wonder what the prices are like?"
"Please follow me, sir. We can discuss this in detail inside."
Shopkeeper Cui said with a smile. After Qin Fang nodded, the shopkeeper led him through the Inner Hall, into the rear courtyard, and finally into an exquisite pavilion.
Shopkeeper Cui called out, and an attendant soon entered to serve fragrant tea.
Only then did he turn to Qin Fang and smile. "May I ask what kind of Treasure Medicine you require, Your Excellency? My Huichun Hall is a time-honored establishment in Lanyang City. Our owner even hails from the Pill Pavilion of the Heavenly Gang Wuji Sect... We have most common Treasure Medicines."
A flicker of light crossed Qin Fang’s eyes. He nodded and said, "I need some Treasure Medicines that enhance Spiritual Power. Perhaps the Shopkeeper could give me an introduction?"
Hearing this, the smile on the Shopkeeper’s face grew wider. He stroked his goatee and began to list his wares as if they were family heirlooms.
"An excellent question, young master. Treasure Medicines that nourish the Divine Soul and strengthen the Spirit have always been crucial for Martial Artists breaking through bottlenecks and practicing Superior Visualization Methods... My humble shop does indeed have a few treasures of the house. Allow this old one to explain them to you."
A faint glimmer appeared in Qin Fang’s eyes upon hearing this.
’...As expected of Lanyang City. Even a mere pharmacy shopkeeper has some knowledge of the Extraordinary.’
"The first item is called ’Nourishing Spirit Incense.’ It is not an oral medicine, but an incense stick refined by a Pill Master using a special technique. Its main ingredients are ’Calm Heart Grass’ and ’Soothing Flower,’ supplemented with several gentle Soul-Soothing Spices."
"When lit, its fragrance is elegant and long-lasting, capable of calming the mind, dispelling stray thoughts, and nurturing the spirit’s core. It is especially suitable for burning a stick before practicing a Contemplation Method, as it helps one enter Meditation faster and improves contemplation efficiency. This item’s properties are gentle, with almost no side effects, so it’s safe even for long-term use. One stick... three hundred silver."
Even Qin Fang couldn’t help but feel his eyelid twitch at this...
’One stick... for three hundred silver?’
’...Are they burning incense or money?!’
’He might be considered rich now, but... not rich enough to burn money like this, right?’
If he burned one stick a day, his ten thousand silver would be gone in less than a month!
He fell silent for a moment before asking, "What about the others?"
Shopkeeper Cui’s smile didn’t waver. "The second item is the ’Clear Heart Jade Dew Pill.’ This one is an Elixir. Its main ingredient is a ’Jade Marrow Mushroom’ of over thirty years, supplemented with ’Ice Heart Lotus Seed’ and ’Valley Orchid Dew’..."
"After consumption, the medicinal effect spreads like a clear spring washing over the Sea of Consciousness. It can significantly soothe spiritual restlessness and, for a short time, slightly increase the cohesiveness of one’s Spiritual Power and the acuity of Perception... The price for one pill... is eight hundred silver."
’One pill... eight hundred silver?’
’Holy hell!’
’The incense would at least last him a month. But this stuff... he could burn through ten thousand silver in just twelve days?’
’...Wait, is cultivation really this expensive?’
"However, this Elixir’s properties are slightly cooling. Those with a yin-cold constitution or a weak Divine Soul should use it with caution. It is not advisable to take more than three pills per month."
Just as he was thinking this, the Shopkeeper continued his introduction.
Qin Fang was silent...
’...So there’s a cooldown period...’
’Are they just giving customers time to earn more money?’
"Is there anything else?" Qin Fang pressed on.
The Shopkeeper smiled and said, "As for the third item... that is a truly rare treasure that one can only hope to encounter by chance—the ’Soul Condensing Crystal Ointment.’"
"This item is not refined from plants, but made from ’Cold Jade Spirit Marrow,’ which congeals over many years in specific waters deep within the Great Cloud Marsh. This is used as the main ingredient, into which several precious Treasure Plants are blended. It is then painstakingly simmered into a paste by an Alchemy Master."
"Its effects are practically instantaneous. It not only rapidly replenishes depleted Spiritual Power but also substantively nourishes and strengthens the Origin of one’s Divine Soul. It provides immense help for breaking through spiritual bottlenecks and cultivating certain Secret Techniques that have extremely high Spiritual Power requirements."
"Even a piece the size of a fingernail is of considerable value... Our shop currently has only three mace in stock. The price for one mace... is three thousand five hundred silver."
...Qin Fang had the urge to stand up and walk right out.
’One mace?’
’For three thousand five hundred silver?’
’...He had previously thought that ten thousand Silver Notes would be enough to live comfortably in the Prefecture City for several years.’
’Now he knew he had been too optimistic!’
’...Are Treasure Medicines for Spiritual Power really this expensive?’
Qin Fang couldn’t resist asking the question.
Shopkeeper Cui gave a wry smile. "You may not know this, young master, but Treasure Medicines are not like ordinary medicinal herbs... Ordinary herbs can mostly be cultivated artificially. Take the most common Elixir, the ’Qi Blood Pill,’ for example. Its ingredients can be grown and cultivated over large areas. Although it might take a while—ten, twenty years—as long as they can be cultivated, there will be a continuous supply."
"But Treasure Medicines are different. Their main ingredients are often only effective if they are several decades, or even centuries, old. Furthermore, their growth is highly dependent on a specific environment, and their seeds are difficult to cultivate artificially. Even if cultivation is successful, the survival rate is not high... As the saying goes, rarity determines value. There’s nothing to be done about it."
Comments