Beauty helps me achieve immortality

After going to the kitchen to receive today's firewood chopping task, Zhao Qing went home to change into casual clothes and went down the mountain with Wang Shuyue.

He had taken off his errand boy uniform primarily because he was concerned he might be recognized outside. While that wasn't necessarily a bad thing, it was always better to be cautious.

If someone discovered that I was buying medicinal herbs to make pills, the best that could happen would be that I would be noticed by my senior brother and receive some care. But what about the worst case scenario? It's hard to say.

It is better to be still than to move. Movement will lead to good or bad fortune, regret and loss.

After all, he didn't know how the Danxia Sect treated its disciples who could make pills. Did they receive special promotions? Or were they punished for stealing the sect's skills? It had nothing to do with me.

I am a casual cultivator.

At 9:00 PM that day, the wandering cultivator Zhao Qing arrived at Danxia City.

This time when he went out, he carried with him a huge sum of money, eighteen spirit stones. Excluding the five that Wang Shuyue took away, this was all his belongings.

As for Wang Shuyue's spirit stones, he was not planning to use them at the moment, in case anything went wrong so that he could make a comeback in the future.

The two walked and stopped on the street, first visiting some ordinary shops but not buying anything.

After making sure that no one was paying attention to them, Zhao Qing turned around and entered a shop called "Ruyi Danfang", while Wang Shuyue pretended to go shopping and wandered around the shop.

This had been allocated long ago, and Zhao Qing's excuse was that he came to sell the Qi Gathering Pills distributed by the sect.

This was not a deliberate lie to his wife. He had never succeeded in refining a pill, so it would be useless even if he boasted about it. Moreover, the more Wang Shuyue knew, the more danger she would be in.

He planned to reveal the matter of alchemy after he had a certain ability to protect himself. Even though he was living comfortably in Huo Zaofang now, it was only because he had no value. Once the matter was exposed, he would be nothing but a lamb to be slaughtered at the third level of Qi Refining.

At Ruyi Danfang, a young clerk was dozing off at the counter. Upon hearing footsteps, he immediately looked up and tensed up.

"What kind of medicine does the guest need?"

Zhao Qing realized that the servant was a mortal, so he pretended to look at the medicine shelf. Then, a thought came to his mind and he said, "Qi Gathering Pill."

The waiter smiled and said, "We have Qi Gathering Pills! Yes! Two spirit stones for one. How many would you like?"

Zhao Qing immediately corrected himself and said, "I remembered it wrongly. Master wanted to refine the Qi Gathering Pill and needed a herb called Soul Devouring Grass. Do you have any of it here?"

He looked nervous, as if he realized he had said something wrong, and kept winking at the waiter: "Don't spread it!"

In fact, Zhao Qing hoped that the recipe of the elixir would be spread everywhere, so that even if his own secrets were exposed, it would not be considered as stealing the master's skills.

This statement was made to pave the way for future excuses, and secondly to remind others that he still had a master who was an alchemist, so they should not mess with him...if there really were ears on the other side of the wall.

The alchemy shop clerk smiled bitterly and said, "Don't worry, sir. Medicinal herbs are nothing. Without sufficient alchemy skills, it would just be a waste of spiritual herbs. There's no need to be too cautious."

"Soul Devouring Grass... I think I heard the shopkeeper mention it. I have to ask him about it after I see him."

Zhao Qing nodded slightly; he wasn't surprised by the answer. Just as he was about to arrange to meet again, the waiter leaned over and whispered, "Sir, do you really not need Qi Gathering Pills? My shopkeeper is an outer disciple of the Danxia Sect. His skills are unmatched by those of casual cultivators. The pills are of excellent quality, and the effects are extraordinary."

Zhao Qing: ...

"Farewell!"

After he went out, he continued wandering with Wang Shuyue and even found a noodle restaurant to eat on the way.

When he was at Huo Zao Fang, he had heard that many businesses in Danxia City were owned by outer sect brothers, but he didn't take it too seriously at the time. But he didn't expect to run into one at random.

Better to avoid it...

If you want to buy Soul-Devouring Grass, there are not many places to choose from. There is a free market in the west of the city. In addition to elixirs, they also sell formation talismans and support consignment. It seems to be called the Blood-Robed Building.

He had only heard of it but had never been in there, because every time he passed by, he could always feel a special spiritual pressure, and the people entering and leaving were surrounded by a dazzling glow, which was intimidating.

It felt like I was in a previous life, walking past a jewelry counter at a shopping mall, afraid to look down, afraid the clerk would approach and ask, "Sir, what kind of jewelry would you like? I'll get it for you to try."

Should I say no? Or should I say no?

After leaving the noodle shop, Zhao Qing first exchanged a spirit stone for ten taels of gold, and then bought some jewelry for Wang Shuyue, leaving quite a bit left.

The girl did not wear it, but put it carefully into her purse.

They are silver-inlaid earrings and bracelets, as well as a jade peace locket.

Arriving near the Blood Clothes Building, Zhao Qing thought for a moment before pulling out the protective amulet he always wore and sticking it inside his wife's lapel. "These two silks look good. Take a look and see what style you like and make two quilts."

Wang Shuyue looked up at her husband, then looked at the luxurious storefront in the distance where people were coming and going, and nodded slightly.

"My husband, please go and do your work. Shuyue knows the importance of this matter. I will wait for you in this shop."

Everything was arranged properly. Zhao Qing took a deep breath and approached the Blood Robe Tower. After approaching, he actually felt that even the spiritual energy in his body was flowing much more smoothly.

This shows the strength of this shop.

Everyone entering and leaving was a cultivator, and their realm was beyond Zhao Qing's ability to sense, at least in the middle stage of Qi Refining. If a collision broke out, this place would be no different from within the sect...

Thinking of this, Zhao Qing walked into the luxurious pavilion cautiously.

"What does this fellow Daoist need? Pills, talismans, formations, and spiritual weapons. Blood Robe Tower has everything."

An ethereal and sweet voice reached her ears, and a beautiful female cultivator came forward. She was wearing a moonlit skirt with oblique stitches and dotted with light crimson patches, looking very approachable.

But Zhao Qing was not fooled by the appearance of the woman in front of him.

He suddenly realized that he couldn't even see through the receptionist's cultivation level! As expected of the Blood Robe Building, even the receptionist was better than him...

There were monks passing by from time to time, which made him feel even more uncomfortable.

If he hadn't been buying the Soul Devouring Grass, he wouldn't have come to a place like this. He only had a dozen or so Spirit Stones in his pocket. What kind of wealth did he have? How could he dare to spend on the same level as someone in the late Qi Refining stage?

As if sensing his embarrassment, the female cultivator said kindly, "Fellow Daoist, follow me."

Soon, Zhao Qing felt even more awkward.

He was led into a compartment where antique tables and chairs had exquisite patterns, the incense was refreshing, and there was even a female cultivator in the middle stage of Qi Refining who was personally making tea.

Zhao Qing: “…”

He was silent for a moment, this time not rambling. A few words of nonsense might have been fine with ordinary people, but this woman before him was no ordinary receptionist. He said simply, "I want to buy the Soul Devouring Grass."

The female cultivator placed the teacup in front of Zhao Qing and replied with a smile, "How much would you like?"

Zhao Qing fell silent again.

Sure enough, the Soul-Devouring Grass can be purchased in the Blood Robe Building, but I feel uncomfortable because you didn’t tell me the price!

He gritted his teeth and said, "I wonder how much this Soul Devouring Grass is worth?"

The corner of the female cultivator's mouth twitched slightly after hearing this, and her voice became even sweeter: "Daoyou are joking. Each pound of Soul Devouring Grass costs twenty spirit stones."

?

Zhao Qing gripped the ground with his toes and said calmly, "You don't need that much, half a pound will be enough."

He thought this thing was sold by the plant, or at least by the weight, but he never expected it to be so cheap.

One jin of the amount, each Qi Gathering Pill has three coins of medicinal material. If all of them are made into pills, more than fifty Qi Gathering Pills can be refined. Twenty spirit stones can become one hundred in the blink of an eye! Even if it is sold to the black-hearted boss who harvests menial disciples, there are still fifty spirit stones.

Of course, if there really was such a huge amount of pills, Zhao Qing would definitely look for another pill shop to sell them.

"Okay, is there anything else you need?"

Zhao Qing shook his head slightly, and soon the female cultivator brought out an exquisite wooden box with a layer of decoration woven with gold thread on the outside and handed it to him.

After handing over the spirit stone, Zhao Qing picked up the teacup beside him and drank the tea in it without caring whether it was hot or not.

It would be a waste if you don't drink it. Maybe you have to spend money on the tea.

Not long after he left, on the third floor of the Blood Robe Building.

The female cultivator saluted the middle-aged shopkeeper and said, "Someone is here to buy the Soul Devouring Grass. There must be a free-spirited alchemist behind him."

The middle-aged shopkeeper didn't pay attention to it, but asked with interest, "Why do you think so?"

"Wan'er is just guessing. After all, that customer is only at the third level of Qi Refining."

The shopkeeper shook his head slightly: "Don't worry about his cultivation level. If he comes to sell pills, just keep an eye on him."

Business at the Blood Robe Building was booming, but the elixir business was incredibly poor, largely due to the Danxia Sect's suppression. After all, selling elixirs at the gates of the Danxia Sect was unlikely to make a profit, so they placed a premium on alchemist resources...