Chapter 307: Can It Really Be Given Away for Free?
Chapter 307: Can It Really Be Given Away for Free?
In Taotie City, which was located in the vast Northern Regions, spirit birds and beasts, auspicious clouds, and rainbow lights converged upon the ancient city, infusing it with boundless vitality. The desolate mountains surrounding it only enhanced the city's prosperity, making its very existence seem like a miracle.
Two inconspicuous swordlights landed outside the city gate, joining the line and waiting to enter the city.
Both were young men: Chu Liang, with his handsome, gentle demeanor and perpetual smile, stood in front, while behind him was Wen Yulong, notable for his pale complexion and elegant bearing.
"It's truly bustling," remarked Chu Liang sincerely, as he observed the scene of Taotie City.
"Yes, treasures from all corners gather here," Wen Yulong said with a nod. "Mount Shu is too far away; otherwise, it would be fun to visit often."
"When we have our own Taotie City someday, we won't need to visit others," Chu Liang said.
"That would be difficult to achieve. After all, Mount Shu Sect is a proper immortal sect," Wen Yulong responded as he pondered. "Even if we become stronger, our competitor should be the Penglai Supreme Sect instead of Taotie City."
Hearing this, Chu Liang chuckled and said nothing as he turned to enter the city.
The two went directly to a shop with a signboard that read "Precious Pill Pavilion." Wen Yulong had helped to contact this place, which was one of the largest pill shops in Taotie City.
Since Wen Yulong was more familiar with Taotie City, he had come along with Chu Liang.
With the diverse requirements and materials needed when crafting tools, Wen Yulong would often visit this store to procure materials.
The reason they didn't bring anyone else was that everyone else, including the Golden-Furred Hou, was busy working in the bustling fruit garden.
Nowadays, Silver Sword Peak didn't support idlers—every bite of food was earned.
As they walked through the large doors of Precious Pill Pavilion, they entered a wide room that wasn’t even the main hall.
In the center stood a pillar wrapped with a dragon, supporting stairs that spiraled up to rooms on different floors, reaching what seemed like over a dozen levels. However, from the outside, the building looked like a simple two-story pavilion, revealing it was much bigger on the inside.
This was a common trick used by many shops in Taotie City. To make management easier, the city's officials didn't allow buildings to be too tall. If there were tall buildings everywhere and cultivators flying high, managing the city would become much more complicated.
As a result, some shops that wanted to appear grand would use spatial techniques to create a larger interior.
It was indeed necessary for the shops to look grand. Often, an item wasn’t worth a certain price, but being sold in such an impressive place made people who didn't know better think it was.
When a server approached them, Wen Yulong said to the server, "I have an appointment with Elder Sun[1]."
"Are you the young heroes from Mount Shu? Please, this way." The server immediately bowed and led the way, and the three of them ascended the cloud stairs to a room on the fourth floor.
It was a quiet, open-spaced room with smoke swirling around. Inside, an older man with long hair and a beard was making tea. When he saw them enter, he raised his hand and said, "Please, young heroes, sit down."
"Elder Sun," Wen Yulong and Chu Liang greeted before they sat down.
"Is this the friend Young Hero Wen mentioned who is interested in buying pills?" Elder Sun asked with a smile.
"Yes," Wen Yulong replied, "This is my senior brother from Silver Sword Peak of the Mount Shu Sect. His name is Chu Liang."
"Chu Liang?" Elder Sun's eyes immediately lit up.
A person's name carries weight.
If this was a month ago, the mention of Chu Liang's name might have only elicited a nod, with little attention paid.
But now, after the recent battle on Mount Shu, Chu Liang's name had become well known throughout all nine provinces.
"Are you that same Chu Liang from the Mount Shu Sect who killed Taowu and injured Ksitigharbha all with one strike in the battle against the Dark King Sect?" Elder Sun asked.
This string of accolades made Chu Liang smile modestly. "I'm not worthy of such praise; I'm just an ordinary disciple of Mount Shu," he said.
"Oh my, the Precious Pill Pavilion truly feels honored to gain a visit from Young Hero Chu," Elder Sun said, becoming noticeably more polite. "What kind of pills do you need? Our Precious Pill Pavilion has a complete range. Even if we don't have what you need, we can find it for you."
Chu Liang replied, "I want to buy Spirit-Concentration Pills."
"Ah..." Elder Sun froze for a moment. He still smiled, but he leaned back a bit.
Elder Sun initially thought that Chu Liang, the famous genius, might purchase some valuable, rare pills. However, it turned out he just wanted some fairly common Spirit-Concentration Pills.
Elder Sun couldn't help but feel a bit annoyed with Wen Yulong.
If you needed Spirit-Concentration Pills, why bother contacting me in advance? You could have just bought them from the staff downstairs, Elder Sun complained inwardly.
Seeing Elder Sun's expression, Chu Liang could guess what he was thinking and quickly added, "Although I'm just buying Spirit-Concentration Pills, I will be buying a huge amount."
"Heh, it sounds like you are very diligent in your cultivation," Elder Sun praised.
Elder Sun naturally didn’t have much hope. No matter how much of a genius Chu Liang was, he was still only a fourth-realm cultivator. Normally, one or two pills a day would suffice. Even if Chu Liang were to consume Spirit-Concentration Pills constantly during cultivation, how many more could he possibly use?
For an elder of his level, this wasn't worth his time.
"If I am buying a huge amount, can I get a discount?" Chu Liang asked.
"Young Hero Chu," Elder Sun said with a smile, "the pills at the Precious Pill Pavilion have always been of excellent quality. We charge a fair price and never offer discounts. However, if it's just a few Spirit-Concentration Pills, it's no big deal. How many do you need? We can give them to you for free. Consider this a gift to celebrate our newfound friendship."
Elder Sun had a different plan in mind. There was no point in giving a discount on a few Spirit-Concentration Pills? They only cost a few sword coins each and they wouldn’t actually make a real profit out of this transaction.
It would be better to give them away for free and build a good relationship with this newly famous genius. This would ensure substantial purchases in the future.
Upon hearing this, Chu Liang's eyes lit up and he asked, "Can they really be given for free? I need quite a lot."
"How many do you need?" Elder Sun sipped his tea with a smile, not believing that Chu Liang would need that many.
Chu Liang blurted out, "One hundred and fifty thousand."
"Pfft—" Elder Sun spat the tea water he had just drunk.
...
In the Hall of Conservation, Jiang Yuebai dusted off the rows of tall bookshelves, searching for a specific book. After a while, she finally found the one she wanted to read.
It was one of a pile of jade books long covered in dust, recording the outstanding disciples of past Mount Shu Summits, usually listing the champion of the recreational competition and the top four of the main competition.
In the latest volume, Jiang Yuebai's own name was recorded at the forefront. The ink on her name was still wet.
After flipping through for a while, she finally found a volume from five hundred years ago.
Previously, in the small house beneath the sea of clouds, they found a diary recording secrets about the Demon-Suppressing Pagoda. After reading it, Chu Liang felt it wasn't something he should be concerned with and placed it aside.
But Jiang Yuebai couldn't be so carefree. It felt like a restless claw in her heart, driving her to uncover the truth of the events of those years.
Even though the elders had advised her and Chu Liang not to delve too deeply into the matter, as it would be handled by others, she couldn't let go of anything related to the Divine Ruins Monastery.
Does the disappearance of the Demon-Suppressing Pagoda really has something to do with that disciple? Did he truly obtain the method from the Divine Ruins Monastery? If so... where did he find the Divine Ruins Monastery? These were the thoughts that kept bothering her, and so she decided to take action.
The diary didn't mention the name of the writer, but it wouldn’t be too hard to identify him as it was mentioned in the diary that he had won second place in the Mount Shu Summit of his generation.
All the past occurrences of the Mount Shu Summit were documented in the Mount Shu Sect’s archives. The Mount Shu Summit from five hundred years ago was particularly noteworthy, as it featured Venerable Wuqi's famous battle.
She quickly turned to that page and finally found the name that had piqued her curiosity for a long time. The name was written right after Lu Wuqi.
"Yan Renjie."
1. This isn’t the same Elder Sun from chapter 180, who was from the Fog-Hidden Mountain of Immortals. He also doesn’t seem to be Scholar Sun. We’re not sure, but there have been three old men with the surname Sun. ☜