Proofreader & Editor: Lotas
Old Duo's forehead was covered in black lines as he almost immediately grasped the other's intention – this was a shakedown!
Sure enough, Thousand Poisons shamelessly produced a list and said, "Perfect timing, I need some materials. You all can chip in."
Old Duo took the list with resignation and broke into a sweat after just one glance.
Thousand Poisons said indifferently, "Consider it compensation from your Yunjian Pavilion. I won't pursue the matter of you bullying… cough, bullying my disciple any further!"
Old Duo retorted, "Thousand Poisons, don't go too far. We haven't bullied your disciple… Besides, he didn't reveal his identity. How were we to know he was your disciple?"
Thousand Poisons sneered, "My Poison Lotus is well-known. Do we really need to discuss this?"
Old Duo argued, "The materials on this list would cost at least a hundred thousand low-grade Spirit Stones. Your disciple is neither dead nor injured, yet you expect Yunjian Pavilion to pay such a hefty sum. Do you think that's possible? Don't be unreasonable; we're not pushovers!"
Thousand Poisons knew they wouldn't pay such a large sum of Spirit Stones. He was simply using the situation as a starting point for negotiation.
"Fine, I'll give you a discount. Let's say fifty percent off…"
"No more than eighty percent off!"
Thousand Poisons impatiently said, "I don't have the patience for this. Fifty percent!"
Old Duo felt helpless inside. Even with a fifty percent discount, they wouldn't break even. He said, "I'm just as tired of this. I want the cost price, no profit, no loss. Seventy percent… Yunjian Pavilion won't make a profit and will even have to cover some costs. Take it or leave it!"
After some calculation, Thousand Poisons agreed, "Alright, seventy percent it is!"
Taking advantage of an inexplicable person, he managed to slash nearly thirty thousand low-grade Spirit Stones off the price, which felt exhilarating.
Thousand Poisons stood up to leave, saying, "I'll come to collect the materials in a few days."
Old Duo replied, "A few days won't do. Some of the materials you requested need to be sourced from afar. It'll take at least twenty days, or even thirty."
Thousand Poisons wasn't bothered and said, "Fine, I'll come to you after thirty days!" With that, he left Yunjian Pavilion.
Old Duo looked at the tray on the ground, filled with Spirit Fruits and Spirit Wine that Thousand Poisons hadn't touched, and in frustration, he picked up the wine jug and drank it all in one go.
Thousand Poisons, however, was on alert. Who was this person using his unique technique? It was an attack containing the Evolutionary Immortality mantra, something Cultivators couldn't learn. He had to find out who this person was!
For some reason, Thousand Poisons felt a strange connection to this person, though he couldn't pinpoint why. So, he decided to use the next thirty days to search for Mi Xiaojing, even though he didn't yet know Mi Xiaojing's name.
Thousand Poisons had connections in Tianyuan Market and controlled some people with his formidable strength. Usually, he couldn't be bothered to use them, but now he needed manpower and decided to mobilize these contacts to find leads.
Unbeknownst to Mi Xiaojing, a formidable figure had taken an interest in him, and he had already started his secluded cultivation.
Activating the Qingmu Formation, he reduced its range to just around ten square meters, covering only the house. As long as no one tried to break into the room, the formation would remain inactive.
Luo Bo and the others were also focusing on their cultivation, with plenty of Spirit Pills at their disposal. Consuming pills had become the norm for them, indulging to the extreme.
In fact, consuming too many Spirit Pills wasn't good, but they each had their own rationale: any increase in cultivation level was welcome, as relying on their own talents alone would result in limited progress.
Mu Xiaoyin was working even harder. She felt a deep sense of inferiority, watching as Mao Tou and Da Zhu surpassed her. Since Spirit Pills had almost no effect on her, she lacked a quick path to advancement and had to rely on diligence to compensate. Fortunately, Mu Xiaoyin's talent for cultivation was lacking, but her talent for Evolutionary Immortality was quite good, and her comprehension was decent, allowing her to barely keep up with the others.
As for Zhang Ke, even though he consumed pills, he had little interest in cultivation. He was forced to cultivate by Luo Bo and the kids, and his progress was the slowest.
Mi Xiaojing and his group's overall cultivation progress had far surpassed that of the sect's Cultivators. The key point was that Mi Xiaojing had earned a lot of resources, especially since his Alchemy skills had improved rapidly, creating excellent conditions for everyone's cultivation.
***
Yong Ji continued his shopping spree. Following the list, he purchased a large amount of Alchemy materials, but unfortunately, he couldn't gather everything and was missing a few rare herbs. This forced him to visit various shops, inadvertently exposing his whereabouts.
Those keeping an eye on him were not just Zheng Cong but also the more terrifying Thousand Poisons. To find Mi Xiaojing, Yong Ji was an important clue. Until they met Mi Xiaojing, Yong Ji remained in the sights of those with ulterior motives.
Yong Ji had no idea that Thousand Poisons was watching him. He thought that as long as he was careful, there shouldn't be any problems, especially since Zheng Cong had been poisoned by Mi Xiaojing's Poison Lotus, and he didn't believe the man could detoxify so quickly.
He couldn't have imagined that to rid himself of the poison, Zheng Cong had cruelly severed his own arm.
So, although Yong Ji was cautious, he didn't take it too seriously. The trackers he had killed last time, he knew, were Zheng Cong's doing, which annoyed him, but he didn't take it to heart, which is why he hadn't informed Mi Xiaojing.
Having placed orders for the remaining materials, Yong Ji would have to wait a while to receive them. He was already satisfied to have found most of the materials; the large market lived up to its reputation, offering a variety of resources.
Walking along the street, he soon left the market. Yong Ji headed back, unable to fly in this area, and had to walk step by step. If he had a horse or carriage, he could move faster, but he wasn't in a hurry. He strolled leisurely, taking in the scenery and relaxing.
Turning from the main road onto a smaller path, the surroundings became desolate, and the trees grew denser. The path lay within the forest.
Suddenly, Yong Ji stopped and stared at a large tree not far away, his eyes sharp.
A man jumped down from the tree, laughing, "Haha, old friend, we meet again!"
Then, two more figures emerged from beside the tree, both mid-stage Foundation Establishment Cultivators.
Zheng Cong's laughter was eerie, filled with urgent hatred yet laced with mirth, devoid of any joy but mixed with malice.
Yong Ji scoffed, "Is this all you amount to now?"
Zheng Cong took a few steps forward and demanded, "Where's that little brat?"
Yong Ji noticed Zheng Cong's severed arm and couldn't help but laugh, "So that's how you dealt with the poison. Quite ruthless to yourself."
That remark made Zheng Cong leap up in rage, "You… you scoundrel! I'll kill you!"