Chapter 233: What's the Act?

"Two bottles of insect repellent, the most expensive kind," Lu Yang said. He and Meng Jingzhou had arrived at the Demon Suppressing Pass branch of the Fortune Merchant Guild to purchase their necessary supplies.

Demon Suppressing Pass is a prominent city on the frontier, where a vast quantity of items related to demonic beasts are sold daily and transported to various parts of the Central Continent, catering to the needs of cultivators at different stages. The flow of spirit stones here is astonishing.

Insect repellent is a specialty of the border region, a unique spirit liquid formulated to combat the rampant insects in the dense forest. When applied to the body, it emits a special scent, perceptible only to insects, causing them to avoid cultivators and keep their distance. This prevents issues like leeches clinging to one's body.

"Do you have a lot of insect repellent in stock?" Meng Jingzhou suddenly asked.

The attendant paused, not quite understanding Meng Jingzhou's intent, and politely inquired, "May I ask how much insect repellent you would like, esteemed guest?"

"Enough to drive all the insects out of the dense forest, probably."

Even the well-trained attendant couldn't help but twitch the corner of his mouth. "I apologize, esteemed guest, but the amount of insect repellent you're requesting is too vast. Even emptying the guild's main warehouse might not meet your needs." Most people apply insect repellent to their bodies, but you intend to spray it throughout the dense forest. No amount of repellent would suffice for that.

Meng Jingzhou pursed his lips, slightly dissatisfied with the guild's promotional slogan. "And they say money can fulfill any customer's request? Never mind, if you don't have it, you don't have it."

The dense forest is a harsh environment; even mosquitoes there possess the strength of a Qi Refining stage cultivator. Qi Refining stage cultivators who enter the dense forest have almost no chance of survival. However, looking at it from another perspective, if a Qi Refining stage cultivator could survive in the dense forest, they would undoubtedly achieve great things in the future. In fact, many renowned grand cultivators throughout history chose to temper themselves in the dense forest during their Qi Refining stage. They honed their skills, laying a solid foundation for their future health, as later in their cultivation, they might experience heavy internal dampness requiring long-term conditioning.

"Two more bottles of dampness-expelling pills, the most effective kind," he added. "And antidote pills."

"I heard some demonic beasts carry aphrodisiac toxins. Give me two aphrodisiac antidote pills—no, I'm not here to ask for brothel addresses, I mean two bottles of pills to counteract aphrodisiac toxins."

"Poison... your poisons aren't very good quality. Luckily, I came prepared. I have the quantities and weights of the herbs written down here; we'll concoct it ourselves according to this." Lu Yang was concerned about the poor quality of the Fortune Merchant Guild's poisons. They were so inferior that any random person from their Dao Seeking Sect could concoct something better.

"Would the two of you like the latest edition of the 'Dense Forest Bestiary'?" the attendant asked. "It records most of the demonic beasts found in the dense forest, as well as potential dangers you might encounter."

"Good item, we'll take one."

"Do you need a tent? You might need one for outdoor camping; they're bestsellers at our guild. When you buy a tent, you also receive a complimentary bottle of Golden Core stage demonic beast urine. Sprinkling it around your campsite while you sleep can effectively deter lower-level demonic beasts."

"It might also attract higher-level demonic beasts, which isn't safe. No, thank you."

"Directional Teleportation Talismans? What are these for?" Lu Yang noticed a talisman whose exorbitant price made him secretly click his tongue. In comparison, the Ten Oxen Strength Pills were quite cheap.

"Esteemed guest, you have excellent judgment! This is a life-saving treasure. Should you encounter a life-or-death crisis in the dense forest, simply activate this teleportation talisman, and it will transport you back to Suppressing Pass. Even attacks from demonic races, including Nascent Soul stage demons, cannot interrupt the teleportation process!"

"Sounds good, give me five!" Meng Jingzhou was lavish with his spending; he always bought whatever caught his eye, never checking the price. Hearing this, the attendant beamed with joy, his attitude growing even more enthusiastic. The commission from just five directional teleportation talismans was enough to equal a month's wages for him. These two were indeed wealthy patrons; it seemed he would earn a substantial commission today. The two young masters must have come from a prominent family or a major sect, perhaps undergoing trials and visiting this place for the first time.

Thinking of this, the attendant kindly reminded them, "Gentlemen, the frontier is different from your home. Here, it's wise not to flaunt your wealth. Not only are demonic beasts dangerous, but people are too. Every day, people go missing in the dense forest, and recently, even more have disappeared. While it's attributed to demonic beasts, everyone knows that's not always the case." He estimated that these two guests would be training here for some time, and they would undoubtedly interact more in the future. It was only natural to try and curry favor with such high-value customers.

"Although the Garrison Commander has established rules in this city—prohibiting theft, plunder, and robbery—this rule applies only within Suppressing Pass. Once you leave Suppressing Pass and enter the dense forest, rules become irrelevant." This is the advantage of having a Body Integration stage cultivator: they can establish rules that everyone must obey within the city they oversee, ensuring maximum order. If not for the scarcity of Body Integration stage cultivators, the Great Xia Dynasty would wish for every city to have one.

"Would the two of you please move to the VIP room?" The attendant bowed slightly, gesturing for them to follow, but Lu Yang declined. "No need. We are both dignified Foundation Establishment stage cultivators, and the world is peaceful now. Who would dare rob us?"

Seeing their refusal, the attendant decided against further persuasion and continued to serve them.

"What healing elixirs do you have?"

"We have Golden Wound Pills, one dose of which rapidly heals injuries; Hemostasis Pills, for quick blood staunching in cases of severe bleeding; Qi Recovery Pills, which maximize the speed of spiritual energy recovery; and the Merit Creation Series White Bone Pills from the Buddhist Kingdom, which can bring the dead back to life and regenerate flesh and bone..."

"Two bottles of each."

"Do you have any protective artifacts? Two of each, please."

After completing their purchases, they took stock and found nothing was left out. "Time to check out," Lu Yang said.

"The two of you are esteemed guests of our guild, so all future purchases will receive a ten percent discount."

Meng Jingzhou said nothing, merely pulling out a black token inscribed with the character "Meng." Upon seeing the token, the attendant's pupils contracted sharply, and his hands trembled. The very first lesson in his training before starting work was to identify the guild's special tokens. These tokens represented various statuses, such as royalty or the Meng family, all of whom must be treated with utmost respect and never offended. He had worked there for over ten years and had indeed encountered members of the Meng family before, but those were all from collateral branches. A token with only the single character "Meng" signified that the bearer was from the Meng family's direct lineage, eligible to wield significant power within the family in the future. A prominent background, an absolutely prominent background. It was laughable that he had mentioned a ten percent discount; they probably wouldn't even care for such a small reduction.

"Keep it quiet," Meng Jingzhou said, his tone casual, though inwardly he was overjoyed. Yes, yes, this was precisely the reaction he wanted.

Lu Yang glanced sideways at Meng Jingzhou, a look of disdain on his face. *What's he putting on an act for?* The Dao Seeking Sect also had such tokens, but only the Senior Disciple Sister and elders were qualified to use them.

The attendant took the token, verified its authenticity, and quickly processed the payment, adding a generous pile of small gifts. "Do the two of you have storage rings? I can put everything directly inside for you."

Lu Yang calmly took out his Dao Seeking Sect identification jade token, which bore the characters "Lu Yang." Seeing the jade token, the attendant's heart tightened once more. A Dao Seeking Sect disciple—this was a status capable of summoning wind and rain in the cultivation world. He had guessed these two came from a prominent family or sect, but he truly hadn't imagined they were *this* prominent.

"Keep it quiet," Lu Yang said, his tone casual, though inwardly he was overjoyed. It was finally his turn.

Meng Jingzhou glanced sideways at Lu Yang, thinking, *What's he putting on an act for?* The two of them took their purchases and headed towards the dense forest.

However, what the two of them didn't notice was that as soon as they left the guild, five figures stealthily followed them. Their gazes were fierce and malevolent, clearly not benevolent individuals.