Chapter 469: Low-Cost Medicine Purchase (Part 1)

However, he immediately shook his head.

Zhang Xuan had long known about the Soul Quieting Grass. Its effect was to calm the mind, allowing one to more easily achieve a state of inner tranquility, thus doubling the effectiveness of cultivation. It had no function of awakening dormant souls. Otherwise, with his mastery of pharmacology, he would have known about it and sought it out long ago.

“Awaken a soul? That's impossible!”

Zhao Feiwu frowned. She had read many books on medicinal herbs and knew the effects of this particular one were not as exaggerated as described.

“Ordinary Soul Quieting Grass indeed doesn’t have that effect, but this one is different. It’s an Emperor Soul Quieting Grass, which grows by absorbing spiritual energy from spirit stones. It has immense benefits even for Ethereal Realm experts.” As he spoke of the herb, the attendant’s eyes lit up.

“Absorbing spirit stones? Does that mean it needs to be fed with spirit stones?”

“Yes, from the time it was a seedling, a special formation was set up to draw the purest spiritual energy from spirit stones to provide it with the energy needed for growth… Frankly, for this Soul Quieting Grass to grow this large, it consumed no less than a hundred spirit stones, not to mention the human and material resources!” the attendant continued.

Zhang Xuan gasped, “Spending a hundred spirit stones to cultivate a single herb?”

He hadn't even spent that many spirit stones since he started cultivating. He never expected an herb to receive much better treatment than him. He truly felt he had less value than the plant.

“Indeed, that’s why this Soul Quieting Grass is completely different from naturally grown ones. Its properties have changed, giving it an extremely powerful effect on the soul!” the attendant explained.

Though astonished, Zhang Xuan didn't take his word for it. Instead, with patterns flowing in his eyes, he looked closer. Whether it could truly help a dormant soul couldn't be accurately determined by simply listening to his casual remarks; he needed to observe it himself.

Soon, his eyes grew brighter and brighter. Although this medicinal herb was precious, it wasn’t beyond the scope of his vision. According to the information fed back by the Eye of Insight… it indeed had a use for dormant souls.

However, it wasn't for awakening, as the attendant had claimed, but rather for stabilizing a dormant soul and preventing it from dissipating. A dormant soul, while pleasantly described as ‘asleep,’ was actually too weak to awaken. It was like a critically ill person whose limbs were too weak to stand up.

Lu Chong's body had been impacted, causing his soul to dissipate. Although Zhang Xuan had acted quickly to rescue him, his soul had still suffered immense damage, with less than one percent remaining. It was unable to sustain his physical body, which was why he couldn't wake up.

Although this Soul Quieting Grass couldn't make him fully conscious, it could prevent his soul from further dissipating and even help it gradually strengthen.

“I must get my hands on it!”

He still hadn't found a way to fully restore Lu Chong's consciousness, but he absolutely couldn't allow his soul to weaken further. Since he had encountered this Soul Quieting Grass, he naturally couldn't let it go; he had to acquire it.

“This… how much is it?”

After a moment of hesitation, he turned and asked.

“This Soul Quieting Grass is one of our One-Item Pavilion’s most precious treasures, and it’s among the most expensive. It costs 500 spirit stones!” the attendant replied.

“500?” Zhang Xuan swayed slightly.

He couldn’t even produce five spirit stones right now, let alone five hundred… Are you kidding me? He could, however, produce five hundred gold coins.

The Treasure Appraisal Pavilion… might as well be called the Money-Grabbing Pavilion. With everything so expensive, how could anyone afford to buy anything? Not many people could afford it, surely…

He was thinking to himself, wondering if he could negotiate a lower price, perhaps even buy it for 500 gold coins again, when a calm voice from directly in front of him announced, “Alright, I’ll take this Soul Quieting Grass. And while you’re at it, pack up the Jadeite Bamboo, Sediment Grass, and Yin-Yang Parasol I looked at earlier for me!”

He looked up to see the elderly man standing with Appraiser Liu Chang, who waved his hand and spoke. To him, 500 spirit stones seemed to be no different from 500 gold coins; they were nothing at all.

“Certainly!”

Hearing his words, an attendant who had been introducing items quickly brought the requested items over, his face filled with excitement. The more customers bought, the more commission they, as guides, would receive.

“It’s already been sold… Young master, perhaps you’d like to look at other items instead!” The attendant in front of Zhang Xuan shook his head, a little disappointed to see the Soul Quieting Grass had already been purchased.

“No need to look, this is the one I want…” Zhang Xuan wasn't interested in other items. He stepped forward, and before he even reached them, he spoke directly, “Hold on!”

“You’re not still trying to buy it, are you?”

Seeing the fellow rush forward and directly shout “Hold on,” the attendant was startled. They’ve already claimed it; if you rush over now, you’ll be snatching it from them… More importantly, do you even know who he is? To approach them like that without even knowing who they are, isn’t that too reckless!

Zhang Xuan’s loud voice immediately attracted the attention of the elder and others. Appraiser Liu Chang’s eyes widened when he saw him approaching. Had he remembered how he snatched the item Zhang Xuan wanted earlier and was now coming to snatch his?

“What are you doing?” He stepped forward, blocking Zhang Xuan’s path.

“I intend to take this Soul Quieting Grass,” Zhang Xuan said, ignoring him.

“We’ve already purchased this item. You should look at other things!” Appraiser Liu Chang waved his hand dismissively.

“While you may have seen it first, you haven’t paid yet, have you? When buying things, the highest bidder wins. If I offer a higher price than you, can I simply take it?” Zhang Xuan’s expression was calm.

“You…” Appraiser Liu Chang’s chest heaved, almost exploding with rage. He was very familiar with these words; they were exactly what he had said to Zhang Xuan earlier. It seemed this fellow was deliberately looking for trouble. Otherwise, how could he have spoken the exact same words without a single deviation?

Zhao Feiwu and Jin Conghai exchanged glances, unable to help but smile wryly. He really was someone who wouldn’t let himself be shortchanged. However, it was clear at a glance that the elder was not short on money. Buying something from him wouldn’t be so simple!

“Then what price can you offer? We offered 500 spirit stones for this Soul Quieting Grass!” Appraiser Liu Chang snorted, suppressing his anger. Just now, this fellow had hesitated even over fifteen spirit stones; he certainly didn’t have much money. How could he possibly buy this medicinal herb from them at a higher price?

“Can you make the decision to give me this Soul Quieting Grass?” Zhang Xuan glanced at him. Although Appraiser Liu Chang had a high status and was very arrogant, he was obediently standing behind the elder like a servant, indicating that the elder's status was even higher. The Soul Quieting Grass was claimed by the elder; Liu Chang probably didn’t have the authority to decide its sale. Since he didn't, why was he interfering unnecessarily?

“I…” Appraiser Liu Chang’s face flushed crimson.

The elder had watched the two argue. With his hands clasped behind his back, he calmly looked over. “He is my student, so he has the right to decide whether to sell or not. However, I have a use for this Soul Quieting Grass and don’t wish to part with it. Even if you offer a higher price, it will be useless!”

“Student?”

Given the master-student lineage, Appraiser Liu Chang was a two-star appraiser, so his teacher would likely be at least a three-star, or even a four-star appraiser. No wonder he spent 500 spirit stones on a medicinal herb without even blinking.

“A higher price? That’s not necessarily true!” Zhang Xuan said.

“Oh? Then why don’t you tell us what price you can offer?” The elder looked over with interest. The attendants were also full of curiosity. The young man might not know who this elder was, but they knew very well: he was a wealthy patron who lacked nothing. Even if he wasn’t the richest person in Honghai City, he was very close. Buying something he had set his eyes on from such a person would likely cost a sky-high price, even if successful.

Zhao Feiwu and the others were also filled with doubt and anticipation. Earlier, this fellow had used his medical skills to resolve matters, not his wealth, so they didn’t know how much he actually possessed. Now that he insisted on buying this Soul Quieting Grass, he should surely produce the money. After all, without actual money, how could the Treasure Appraisal Pavilion sell a treasure worth 500 spirit stones? Even if he spoke eloquently, these attendants wouldn’t have the authority to make such a decision. They wouldn't earn that much money in their entire lives.

As everyone looked on with strange expressions, wondering what he was relying on, the young man’s confident voice rang out.

“I can offer five hundred gold coins!”

“Pfft!”

Appraiser Liu Chang nearly spat out a mouthful of blood and fainted on the spot. Again? Are you even serious? Just now, I offered fifty spirit stones for that strange item, and you offered fifty gold coins. Now, for such a precious Soul Quieting Grass, you’re using the same trick… Can we even have a pleasant conversation?

The onlookers, the attendants, all twitched their lips. Such big talk! We thought he’d pull out a huge sum, but then he says this… You’re deliberately trying to cause trouble, aren’t you! The attendant who had been following Zhang Xuan was so embarrassed he wished he could find a hole to crawl into. He thought Zhang Xuan would genuinely offer a high price that others couldn't match, but who knew he'd offer this... Cough cough, even if he didn’t have much money and couldn't offer a significantly higher price, he shouldn’t offer an amount so paltry it couldn't even buy a lump of dirt…

The several people were about to faint. Zhao Feiwu slapped her forehead. “Elder Jin, prepare to act. I’m afraid if we don’t protect him, he’ll be… beaten to death!”

“Yes!” Jin Conghai nodded, secretly channeling his true qi, ready to strike at any moment. He shared the same opinion as "Young Master." This elder clearly held a high status. To provoke such a person, being so utterly ignorant of his own limitations, surviving until now was truly a miracle.

“You want to buy this Soul Quieting Grass for five hundred gold coins?”

As expected, the elder’s face darkened, and the aura around him surged like crashing waves. Although Zhang Xuan didn't know his exact cultivation level, it seemed no weaker than Jin Conghai’s. He had likely reached at least the Ethereal Realm, Triple Layer.

“That’s right!” Zhang Xuan nodded.

Seeing him admit it so readily, without any embarrassment, the elder snorted, “Do you think the One-Item Pavilion would reject 500 spirit stones and instead take 500 gold coins to sell you such a valuable item? Who do you think you are? The City Lord of Honghai City or the Alliance Leader of the Ten Thousand Kingdoms Alliance?”

“I am neither. I am just an ordinary person who wants to buy the Soul Quieting Grass.” Zhang Xuan shook his head, his expression calm. “Moreover, I’m not buying it from the One-Item Pavilion; I’m buying it from you! I believe you will readily sell it to me for 500 gold coins!”

“Buy from me? And I’ll readily sell it to you?” The elder was infuriated, the muscles in his face twitching. “How can you be so certain that I would be so cheap as to sell you something I bought for 500 spirit stones for only 500 gold coins? You must be dreaming!”