Chapter 51: Purchase

"Five spiritual stones, five White Essence Fruits, and ninety catties of spiritual rice."

Li Tongya counted his possessions. White Essence Fruits were auxiliary ingredients for most elixirs. Since his family didn't have any alchemy inheritance yet, he could sell them first. The spiritual rice was rich in spiritual energy, so he could keep it for consumption back home.

"I still owe Xiao Yuansi ten spiritual stones."

Li Tongya suddenly felt a headache coming on and thought to himself: "Xiao Yuansi also seems to know he won't get it back anytime soon, and that envoy has already left. I'll just owe it for now... I'll deal with it in a few years."

He wandered around the street, circling twice. He saw all kinds of cultivation techniques and spiritual items but couldn't find any inheritance for the various cultivation crafts.

Li Tongya squatted down and rummaged through the stall in front of him. The vendor, veiled in black gauze, spoke: "What are you looking for, fellow Daoist?" The voice was soft and melodious; it was a woman.

Li Tongya gave a wry smile and asked: "Do you have any inheritances for the various cultivation crafts, fellow Daoist?"

"This is your first time in a market, isn't it?" the woman chuckled softly and said.

"That's right."

"The talismans, elixirs, and formations around Lixia County primarily come from three sources: the Green Pond Sect, aristocratic families, and rogue cultivators." The female cultivator smiled, her eyes sparkling as she gazed at Li Tongya, and explained: "The Green Pond Sect is the largest supplier. To continuously harvest cheap materials and then process them into finished goods to sell to us, the Green Pond Sect has always prohibited the sale of inheritances for cultivation crafts in any market under its jurisdiction."

"As for the aristocratic families, who would sell their own means of livelihood? They tacitly collude with the Green Pond Sect to restrict the circulation of these cultivation crafts, all to get a share of the profits."

Li Tongya nodded as he listened, then looked up at the female cultivator and replied with some doubt: "Are there really so many rogue cultivators in Lixia County?"

The female cultivator shook her head, leaning in slightly, and explained: "Yue State has tens of millions of people. Even a single county has six or seven hundred thousand. Under the Green Pond Sect's rule, across five counties, you can surely find three to four thousand individuals with spiritual aptitudes. Not to mention those aristocratic families with their continuous bloodlines; cultivators likely number upwards of five thousand."

"You certainly have a clear understanding, fellow Daoist."

Li Tongya scanned the stall. The few talismans didn't seem very useful, and he was reluctant to buy them.

"Three talismans for one spiritual stone."

Hearing this, Li Tongya quickly averted his gaze from the talismans and focused on the light-blue magic sword in front of him.

"Crafted from Azure Mist Stone and tempered with the cold air of snowy lands, this sword is not only incredibly swift but also imbues attacks with frost." The female cultivator immediately became much more enthusiastic, saying with a smile: "This sword is extremely useful. If I hadn't recently acquired a new magic artifact, I wouldn't bear to sell it. It's only ten spiritual stones."

Feeling quite poor, Li Tongya reluctantly scanned the stall. Seeing that it was getting dark, he picked up a dark-colored bow and arrow from the stall and asked: "How about this bow?"

"Oh, this is forged from Azure-black Wood, using the tendons of an Azure Origin Wheel demonic beast. Infusing it with spiritual energy allows you to imbue arrows with sharpness. I'll sell it to you for four spiritual stones."

Li Tongya chuckled lightly and replied: "Two spiritual stones."

"Not enough." The female cultivator shook her head.

Li Tongya pointed to the bowstring and said: "This bow clearly looks like it's been used for a long time. Two spiritual stones plus five White Essence Fruits, which makes it two and a half spiritual stones in total. Sell it to me for that."

The female cultivator gritted her teeth, looked at the sky, and finally replied: "Deal."

Li Tongya handed the spiritual stones and spiritual fruits to the female cultivator, then stood up with the bow, tightening his grip on the three remaining spiritual stones in his pocket. Seeing that some nearby stalls were already starting to pack up, he quickened his pace and continued browsing the market.

The shops ahead sold items for the Qi Refining stage, which Li Tongya couldn't afford, so he didn't bother looking. He kept his head down, searching among the stalls.

After only a few steps, Li Tongya saw a young man dressed in sackcloth and a beast-hide vest standing by the roadside. Beside him was a large iron cage containing over a dozen fluffy canine beasts.

"Fellow Daoist, would you like to see these Shuttle Forest Beasts!"

The young man, who had been standing there with a troubled expression, was overjoyed to see Li Tongya stop and look at the canine beasts. He then explained: "These canine beasts are gentle by nature. When they reach adulthood, they possess cultivation equivalent to the second cycle of Qi Refining, the Inherited Brightness Stage. Their fangs and claws are sharp, they move like the wind, and overturning dozens of mortals is no problem. Normally, you just need to feed them some spiritual rice..."

Hearing this, Li Tongya immediately understood that the child probably hadn't sold anything all day. He couldn't help but say in a deep voice: "What's the use of overturning mortals?"

"This! This... these canine beasts are very intelligent; they can also track by scent and discern demonic aura..."

"How much?"

"One spiritual stone per beast..."

Li Tongya turned his head and walked away, which made the young man's face turn red with panic. He tugged at Li Tongya's sleeve and said: "One spiritual stone for two, two!"

Li Tongya had no choice but to stop. He shook his head helplessly and explained: "These canine beasts of yours look alright, but if they truly encounter a cultivator, a few spells from a distance would solve them. What's more, don't these canine beasts require spiritual rice and demonic beast meat for feeding? I don't even have enough cultivation resources for myself; how could I use them to feed these animals?"

The young man froze for a moment, then nodded thoughtfully, pouting his lips as he said: "Please wait, fellow Daoist, I have something else."

He then took a small silver box from his pocket, saying with some anticipation: "This item is called the Wu Zuo Worm. It can spin Wu Zuo Spiritual Silk. You only need to feed it spirit-containing things like spiritual bran. These worms aren't picky eaters; they'll consume spiritual rice leaves or stalks. If there are truly no spiritual items, some lean animal meat can also sustain them, so they won't starve."

Hearing this, Li Tongya immediately grew interested. He took the silver box and saw several small grayish-green worms wiggling and crawling inside, with a few mulberry leaves as bedding beneath them.

"What is this Wu Zuo Spiritual Silk used for?"

"It can be woven into spiritual garments or silk, which are difficult for ordinary blades and spears to damage. They can also be sold."

Remembering that his family still had several batches of spiritual leaves and stalks, Li Tongya felt a stir of interest but showed a hesitant expression, saying: "I'm afraid I might not be able to raise them..."

"If fellow Daoist is willing, I'll include a 'Worm Cultivation Manual' with all the essential rearing techniques. I'll sell it along with these spiritual worms for just two spiritual stones!" the young man gritted his teeth and said eagerly.

"Alright," Li Tongya pondered for a few breaths before replying.

After putting away the silver box and the wooden slip the young man handed him, Li Tongya saw that it was already dark. He bid farewell to the young man and slowly walked over to the carriage. The coachman was dozing on the carriage, and Li Tongya chuckled softly, then quietly waited.

When Wan Yuankai arrived, he was dusty from travel, with a hint of joy on his face. He looked at Li Tongya, who was leaning against the carriage with his bow, and chuckled: "What treasure did you get, Brother Tongya?"

"Just a Qi Refining-grade bow; hardly a treasure."

Li Tongya smiled. They both got into the carriage. He handed the bow and arrow to Wan Yuankai, and seeing him test the string, he asked: "How is it?"

"It's Azure-black Wood and ox tendon." Wan Yuankai drew the string a few times, frowned as he examined it repeatedly, and replied: "At most three spiritual stones, any more would be a loss."

Li Tongya nodded with a smile upon hearing this. The two chatted for a bit, each lost in their own thoughts under the deepening twilight, and soon fell asleep in the swaying carriage.