Hide in the world of gods and demons

Chapter 87 Storage Bag

Chen Li walked out of the cave.

Zhou Hong was chatting with Zhang Shuniang when she saw Chen Li come out beaming. Overjoyed, she left Zhang Shuniang behind, walked up to him, and asked, "Did it work out?"

Chen Li laughed and said, "I broke through by luck. You guys continue chatting, I'm going to go for a walk outside."

"Well, be careful on the road."

Wait until he walks out the door.

Unable to contain her curiosity, Zhang Shuniang asked, "Aunt Zhou, has Uncle's cultivation level broken through?"

Zhou Hong's face lit up with joy: "Yes, that's right. Your uncle is now a late-stage Qi Refining cultivator. The late-stage Qi Refining stage has always been a major hurdle, and some people can get stuck there for their entire lives. I never expected your uncle to break through in one fell swoop this time!"

"Then doesn't that mean Uncle has a good chance of reaching the Foundation Establishment stage?" Zhang Shuniang blinked, somewhat envious.

Zhou Hong hesitated for a moment upon hearing this: "I guess it'll be difficult. After all, he's quite old, and there are still many hurdles to overcome. Well, that depends on fate. For rootless, independent cultivators like us, achieving Foundation Establishment is incredibly difficult!"
"Your uncle, it's just that he wasted his youth and squandered his time. Now he's only just realizing he needs to catch up. If he had joined a sect back then, he'd probably be a Foundation Establishment cultivator by now."

Her tone carried a hint of pride and doting affection.

In her heart, Chen Li had always been the kind of genius who had been overlooked.

Whether it's drawing talismans, spells, or swordsmanship, nothing has ever stumped him. He can learn it quickly and master it easily. He can even master a simple, low-level spell to an unbelievable degree.

Even their cultivation speed is incredibly fast.

Unfortunately, time was wasted.

He should have been a genius of his sect, but he was banished to the mortal world and had to wallow in the mud.

"Uncle, you're amazing!" Zhang Shuniang's mouth gaped open, her eyes wide with disbelief.

The uncle had always seemed like an ordinary person to her, at most a little stronger.

……

Chen Li walked out the door and didn't go anywhere else.

They headed straight for the market.

What kind of fruit is this?

A stall displayed a bunch of bright red, strawberry-shaped berries, so tempting they looked delicious.

"It's just a wild fruit, picked in the wilderness this morning. Want some? It's as sweet as honey, so delicious, I guarantee you'll want more after you try it."

Chen Li tried one and thought it tasted pretty good, so he took out his money pouch and asked, "How much is this?"

"Three taels of gold per pound!" Seeing a customer come to him, the rogue cultivator perked up and quickly asked with a smile, "Fellow Daoist, how many pounds would you like?"

Chen Li's expression froze.

Besides spirit stones, he didn't carry any gold in his purse.

He hesitated for a moment, then stuffed the purse back into his sleeve pocket: "Never mind, I won't buy it!"

With that, he turned and left.

"Hey, hey, don't go! How about two taels of gold..."

……

Chen Li continued browsing other stalls.

Strolling through the streets here, you sometimes don't even realize that this is a cultivation market; everyone coming and going is a cultivator.

Pots and pans, clothes and quilts, firewood, oil and salt, meat, fish, fruits and vegetables—these everyday things are everywhere here, and the whole market is filled with the atmosphere of everyday life.

Some people were fiercely haggling over an old robe, arguing until their faces turned red and their necks bulged.

Some people were acting suspiciously, their eyes darting around, weaving in and out of the crowd, looking for an opportunity to strike.

Chen Li was too lazy to meddle in other people's business. As long as they didn't come looking for him, he would pretend he didn't see it.

He browsed through each stall one by one.

When he saw a book, he would squat down and browse through it. If it suited his taste, he would buy it. Many of the books here came from the secular world, and their contents were vulgar and obscene, making them unbearable to look at.

It's simply to better understand the mundane aspects of this world.

Chen Li could only reluctantly buy a few books and then stop.

"what!"

Chen Li let out a soft "hmm," walked to a stall, squatted down, and picked up a book titled "Notes on Common Talisman Making Techniques" to read.

The book is very thick.

It has more than thirty pages.

The content is also very detailed.

It records the methods for making five types of talismans.

Calming Talisman, Evil-Repelling Talisman, Fireball Talisman, Lightness Talisman, Protective Talisman.

Among them, the Tranquility Talisman and the Fireball Talisman were not found in the several talisman-making books in his home.

The Fireball Talisman, in particular, is relatively unpopular.

Talisman masters rarely create attack talismans.

At least that's the case at Green River Square.

On the one hand, sales are not very good. Compared with the three best-selling talismans among Qi Refining stage cultivators—the Evil-Repelling Talisman, the Lightness Talisman, and the Body-Protecting Talisman—the Attack Talisman is undoubtedly much harder to sell, making it a thankless task.

On the other hand, these kinds of talismans are not easy to learn and make. Attack talismans have violent magic power, and if one is not careful during the making process, it can easily cause danger and is full of risks. How can they compare to the three great talismans, which have gentle magic power and can be triggered by accident without any major harm?

Just like all the talismans he had seized over the years, he only had one attack talisman, the 'Flame Talisman,' which he obtained from his first murder and hadn't used it yet.

After thinking it over, Chen decided to buy the book anyway.

It's not that I value the fireball talisman.

Instead, they valued the part about amulets.

Having an extra book to refer to can save a lot of time when studying.

Although he is not short of money now, he can't rely on this windfall forever. He needs a stable source of income. Even if he doesn't need it for the time being, he should at least learn it so that he can be prepared for any eventuality.

Moreover, the amulet is quite valuable; although its price has dropped recently, it remains stable at six low-grade spirit stones.

The protective talisman and the demon-repelling talisman are both level 7, tier 1 talismans.

Now that he has reached the seventh level of Qi Refining, there is no need for him to draw talismans beyond his level, as he has ample spiritual power.

Just draw three talismans every day.

Even if you only succeed halfway, you can still live a very comfortable life.

……

Next, Chen Li and the stall owner haggled for a while, and finally settled on a price of five low-grade spirit stones.

"Sigh, my bargaining skills have weakened considerably." Chen Li put away his book, stood up, and sighed inwardly, "Now that I have money, I no longer have that shameless drive I used to have!"

He had explored the entire market before deciding to head home. Just as he stepped out of the market, a familiar voice came from behind him.

"Daoyou Chen!?"

Chen Li turned his head at the sound and saw that it was Yu Fanzhen. His expression changed slightly: "Fellow Daoist, have you mistaken me for someone else?"

He went out today in his true form.

There was no disguise used by the butcher.

"So this is your true face." Yu Fanzhen said with certainty, curiously sizing up Chen Li. She thought to herself, "So all that fierce looks were just a disguise; your real face is quite kind."

Chen Li had calmed down and stopped pretending. He asked in surprise, "How did you recognize me?"

It's not a big deal if they recognize me; at worst, I'll just go out less in the future.

"The way you walk, and the sword you carry, you can't find anyone else like it in the entire Green River Workshop. You should know that I was the middleman when you bought this sword!" Yu Fanzhen laughed, calm and composed, his aura rising again.

"I see!" Chen Li immediately understood and smiled, "I was careless this time, I will definitely pay attention next time."

"Fellow Daoist, you are already so strong, why do you need to disguise yourself?" Yu Fanzhen asked.

This girl really needs a good beating from society.

"There's no such thing as a thousand days of guarding against thieves if you're a thief yourself. If you want to live a long life, you either need to develop your power or learn to keep a low profile. I've simply chosen the latter!" Chen Li used this opportunity to gather information from the outside world.
"I heard there's chaos outside, even worse than here. Do you know what the situation is now?" Yu Fanzhen frowned slightly upon hearing this, her face filled with worry. "I don't know much either. This is all arranged by the Ancestor, but in recent months, the communication talismans have been used up frequently. It should be over soon, right? Alas, I wonder where we'll have to move to next."

Chen Li couldn't help but empathize and fell silent.

Given the current situation, without the protection of a powerful force, Green River Workshop is destined to slowly perish. He pondered his future, feeling utterly lost.

But no matter where you go.

It's at least much better than staying in Green River Lane.

"Let's not talk about that!" Chen Li changed the subject, a thought suddenly crossing his mind, and he began to covet the storage bag: "Last time I saw you packing meat, it seemed to be a storage bag. I wonder how much it costs? Do you have any extras you could spare for me?"

This will come in handy in case of migration.

At least I won't have to carry my luggage anymore.

"You want this? I do have an extra one, but it only has one cubic meter of capacity. You don't mind, do you?" Yu Fanzhen's eyes lit up when she heard this.

As a member of the family, items such as storage bags, magical artifacts, and elixirs are distributed by the family according to the degree of favor one receives.

I'm also short on cash, with not much money left over.

Now that she represents the family and travels outside, she often needs to purchase things, and the original storage bag is not enough, so the ancestor gave her a larger capacity one.

She had long wanted to sell the extra storage bag for spirit stones.

I just haven't known who to sell it to.

“Of course I don’t mind,” Chen Li said.

A space for one side.

They can't transport much monster meat.

But it's enough for storing odds and ends.

“These kinds of storage bags usually cost a high-grade spirit stone outside, but I won’t make a profit on you. How about you give me… eighty mid-grade spirit stones?” Yu Fanzhen thought for a moment and quoted a price.

Chen Li clicked his tongue in surprise upon hearing this.

Storage bags are surprisingly expensive!
He felt a pang of regret, but gritted his teeth and said:

"Alright, it's a deal. I'll bring the money to the Yu family's medicine shop first thing tomorrow morning to find you."

"I'll definitely arrive early tomorrow morning." Yu Fanzhen was also delighted.

……

The next day, early in the morning.

It's just dawn.

Chen Li took the money and couldn't wait to head to the market.

On the way, he transformed into a butcher.

Unexpectedly, Yu Fanzhen had gotten up even earlier than him and was already waiting at the door.

The two arrived at a private room reserved for distinguished guests. Both were a little nervous. After the host brought tea, they bowed and left, closing the door behind them.

The atmosphere then relaxed.

"I'm not used to this face," Yu Fanzhen joked.

"Hehe!" Chen Li chuckled dryly twice and got straight to the point: "Did you bring the things?"

Yu Fanzhen took a deep breath and handed over a small, unremarkable, grayish-brown bag: "Here, this is it!"

Chen Li reached out and took it.

The storage bag was made of leather, the material of which was indiscernible, but it felt very soft and smooth to the touch. The opening was naturally and tightly bound, emanating a subtle, unsettling aura: "How do I use this?"

"It's very simple to use. First, refine it with spiritual power, and then you can use it as soon as you think about it. It's similar to how you use a magic weapon."

Upon hearing this, Chen Li tentatively channeled his spiritual energy into the device.

At first it was extremely difficult, but as the spiritual power continued to be output, it quickly became smooth. The spiritual power itself contained his spiritual will, and the original mark on the storage bag was quickly broken.

Yu Fanzhen seemed to sense something.

He let out a muffled groan.

Her face flushed slightly.

Chen Li glanced at her in surprise, but he couldn't care less about her at the moment. As the spiritual energy continued to refine and imprint itself on him, a hazy gray space gradually appeared in his mind. It seemed to be round, but it wasn't quite...

'receive'

The teacup on the table remained completely still.

He reached out and grabbed the teacup.

Silently repeat 'collect' in your mind again.

The teacup vanished instantly, and at the same time, it reappeared in the space.

It seems that physical contact is necessary.

'put'

The teacup appeared in his hand in a flash, without spilling a single drop of water.

He then tried putting the magic sword and money bag into his storage bag, and then took them out one by one, having a great time playing with them.

"What do you think?" Yu Fanzhen asked Chen Li with amusement.

"I couldn't resist the thrill of seeing this; it's truly amazing." Chen Li snapped out of his reverie and chuckled, "Eighty mid-grade spirit stones, right?"

He took out a bulging money bag and pushed it over: "There are exactly eighty here, you can count them."

This time, it was Yu Fanzhen's turn to be short of breath.

Her fingers trembled slightly as she counted the money twice before putting it into her purse, forcing herself to remain calm as she said, "Absolutely accurate!"

After the transaction was completed, the two parties didn't chat much, and Chen Li quickly took his leave.

……

On the way back.

"Two hundred and ninety-five mid-grade spirit stones, eighty of them gone in one go! That seems like a lot of money, but it doesn't last long. But I still have to spend it. Having a storage bag will make things much more convenient when I'm traveling." Chen Li sighed inwardly.
"Fortunately, apart from the pills, there are no other major expenses."

The reason it's not two hundred and eighty-one, but two hundred and ninety-five.

This is because, in the past month or so, Zhao Lin and others have sold eight low-grade magic artifacts and one mid-grade magic artifact, plus the income from reselling Zhang Yan's talismans, earning a total of fourteen mid-grade spirit stones.

Chen Li walked home.

Zhou Hongcai had just gotten up and was dressing up in front of the bronze mirror.

"Let me show you something good!" Chen Li took out a storage bag and waved it in front of her.

Zhou Hong was completely bewildered: "What is this?"

"Storage bag!" Chen Li said.

"This is a storage bag? Where did you buy it?" Zhou Hong touched the storage bag, her face full of disbelief.

She had only ever heard of such things, but had never actually seen them.

Those who possess it are either disciples of sects or Foundation Establishment cultivators, all of whom are high and mighty and have nothing to do with rogue cultivators.

"Of course it's the Yu family. I'll buy one for you when I have the chance in the future."

"It's fine if you have it, I don't need it. This thing must be very expensive," Zhou Hong said with a pained expression.

"I spent eighty mid-grade spirit stones. My family still has money, so we can afford to buy a few more."

"Really, there's no need. I don't have much stuff to pack. Buying it for me would be a waste. We have a lot of expenses now, so we need to be careful with our money. What if we run into big expenses later?" Zhou Hong said softly.

"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing with the money."

One day, I will never have to worry about money again!

Chen Li thought to himself.

(End of this chapter)