Longevity: Starting as a menial servant in the Green Wood Sect

Black Mountain Town, nestled at the foot of a cliff where two states meet, is shrouded in perpetual clouds and is a melting pot of all sorts of people.

Since it's a black market, it doesn't ask about background or check travel permits; it only recognizes spirit stones and fists. It's the top choice for rogue cultivators within a thousand miles to sell their stolen goods. Compared to the previous Soul-Severing Valley, which could only be considered a "ghost market," it's a whole level above.

The night was deep, and the cold wind was like a knife.

A slightly hunched figure mingled in the crowd entering the city. This person wore an old gray-brown Taoist robe, had a sallow complexion, and droopy eyes. He looked like a down-on-his-luck rogue cultivator who, although he had the cultivation level of the fourth level of Qi Refining, had had his edges worn smooth by the years.

This person was none other than Gu An in disguise.

He developed new tricks for the increasingly proficient Turtle Breathing Technique, which not only locked in life force but, when used to its fullest extent, could also fine-tune the gaps between bones by controlling the contraction of facial muscles. He forcibly shrunk his height by two inches, changed his skin color with a special potion, and even added two pieces of artificial skin to his cheekbones.

Now, even if Zhao Feng stood right in front of him, without using his divine sense to investigate deeply, he would find it extremely difficult to recognize that this was the timid "Junior Brother Gu".

Gu An paid two low-grade spirit stones as an entrance fee, received an unmarked iron token, and stepped into the market.

Shops lined both sides of the street, but there were even more stalls set up haphazardly. The sounds of hawking, arguing, and the clanging of ritual implements rose and fell, and a wave of heat mixed with the stench of sweat, medicine, and blood hit you.

Gu An didn't rush to find the "treasure pavilion." Like a country bumpkin who had never seen the world, he wandered around the various stalls, his eyes scanning over the dazzling array of goods, but actually observing the prices and rules here.

After an incense stick had burned, he squatted down in front of a stall that collected miscellaneous items.

"How do I keep this boning knife?" Gu An's voice was hoarse, with the smoky smell of someone who had been inhaling erysipelas for years.

The stall owner was a one-eyed man. He glanced at the boning knife, which had fallen from a low-grade magic weapon to a low-grade one, with black blood still clinging to the blade.

"Three spirit stones. This blade has too much malevolent energy, and I'll have to spend time sharpening it. If I can't sell it, I'll just have to melt it down as scrap metal."

"Five yuan," Gu An bargained. "The blade is made of cold iron. Although its spiritual essence has been diminished, its core strength remains."

"Four yuan, take it or leave it," the stall owner said impatiently, waving his hand.

"make a deal."

Gu An didn't linger; he took the spirit stones and left.

For the next half hour, he did the same thing, circling the huge market three times.

The scattered poison needles, the tattered robes whose origins were unclear, and even the half-jade pendant picked up from Sun Cheng's corpse that Xun Yin left behind were all disposed of in batches and given to different stall owners.

He exchanged these odds and ends for more than sixty low-grade spirit stones.

After clearing away the clutter, Gu An felt a bit more confident, but he still didn't let his guard down.

He found a teahouse to sit down, ordered a pot of the cheapest tea, chose a corner by the window, and focused his gaze on a two-story building at the end of the street, past the bustling crowd.

A golden signboard hung on the small building, naturally displaying the signboard of Duobaoge (a famous Chinese antique shop).

Compared to the hustle and bustle outside, this multi-treasure pavilion appeared quite grand, with two guards standing at the entrance, estimated to be at least the sixth or seventh level of the Qi Refining stage. The guests coming and going were also dressed much more elegantly.

Gu An didn't move, but quietly drank his tea. He watched as the slightly plump middle-aged shopkeeper, dressed in a purple silk robe, saw off wave after wave of customers.

The shopkeeper was always smiling, and he was always very courteous, whether he was facing a Foundation Establishment senior or a low-level Qi Refining cultivator.

Most importantly, Gu An saw a rogue cultivator go in with a magic artifact that was clearly of dubious origin. When he came out, although he looked pained, he was unharmed and there was no evidence of a double-cross.

"In business, integrity is paramount."

Gu An put down his teacup, having made up his mind. The method used by an honest man like Old Zhang to dispose of stolen goods was likely the most reliable.

He stood up, dusted himself off, pulled his straw hat down, and walked toward the Treasure Pavilion.

"Please come in, sir."

As soon as he entered, a waiter came to greet him. Seeing Gu An's disheveled appearance, the waiter didn't show any disdain, but his enthusiasm waned slightly. "Sir, are you buying or selling?"

"I'm looking for Manager Li," Gu An said in a low voice. "To discuss a big deal."

The waiter was taken aback. He looked Gu An up and down and saw that although Gu An was poorly dressed, his eyes, hidden under his straw hat, were cold. He dared not be negligent.

"Please wait a moment."

A moment later, the slightly chubby shopkeeper, Mr. Li, came out from behind the counter, toying with two walnuts in his hands.

"This fellow Daoist is quite unfamiliar. May I ask what brings you here?" Manager Li greeted him with a smile, cupping his hands in greeting. His shrewd little eyes swept over Gu An, and he subtly probed him with his divine sense. He found that the other party's aura was thick and that he was a cultivator with considerable cultivation. His smile became more sincere.

Gu An didn't speak, but reached into his pocket, pulled out a bundle of dusty, greasy "hemp rope", and slammed it heavily onto the mahogany cabinet.

"Should we accept it or not?"

Manager Li frowned slightly. This thing looked like an ordinary, rotten rope used for binding firewood, but since this person dared to take it out, there must be something special about it.

He reached out and picked up a section of rope, a slight spiritual energy emanating from his fingertips.

With a hiss, the oil stains on the surface of the rope were stirred by spiritual energy, revealing a faint silver light inside. A chilling aura instantly stung his fingertips.

"Um?"

Manager Li's expression changed slightly, and he immediately abandoned his contempt. He took out a single crystal mirror from his sleeve and examined it closely.

"Spirit-Gathering Knot...Gutter Oil Seal..."

Shopkeeper Li looked up and gave Gu An a deep look. "Fellow Daoist, your methods are indeed shrewd and experienced. If I'm not mistaken, this is Xuan Yin Silk? And it's... top-grade?"

"Shopkeeper, you have a good eye." Gu An said calmly, "Thirty catties, name your price."

"Thirty pounds?!"

Manager Li's hand trembled, and he almost dropped the crystal mirror.

Xuan Yin Silk is already a rare commodity, and this kind of top-quality silk is even rarer. Normally, it's considered lucky to get three or five catties, but this person bought thirty catties in one go.

"Fellow Daoist... this quantity is not small." Manager Li lowered his voice and waved his hand to cast a soundproof barrier. "The Green Wood Sect has been investigating closely lately, this stuff... is a hot potato."

He was testing the waters, wanting to see if the person in front of him would show any weakness. If they did, he would naturally have the upper hand in determining the subsequent pricing.

Gu An sneered: "Since when has Duobaoge started checking household registrations? If they dare not accept it, I'll turn around and leave, and go ask Jubaolou across the street."

As he spoke, he reached out to grab the bundle of silk back.

"Wait! Wait!"

Shopkeeper Li quickly stopped him, "Fellow Daoist, your temper... In business, you ask for the moon and then haggle. I can take this goods, but the risk is too high, and as for the price..."

He held up three fingers: "Three hundred spirit stones. That's the limit of the market price, after all, I still have to go through the trouble of washing off this layer of oil."

Gu An did the math in his mind. Normally, top-grade Xuan Yin Silk would sell for fifteen yuan per kilogram, so thirty kilograms would be four hundred and fifty yuan. Manager Li had lowered the price by 30%, which was considered the rule of the black market, so it wasn't too outrageous.

"Three hundred and twenty." Gu An wasn't greedy. "Plus two bottles of the finest Yellow Dragon Pills."

The Yellow Dragon Pill is a good medicine for improving one's cultivation in the mid-stage of Qi Refining, and one bottle costs ten spirit stones.

Manager Li pondered for a moment, then gritted his teeth and said, "Alright! Consider it making friends."

The transaction was completed quickly.

Three hundred and twenty spirit stones were packed into a heavy bag, along with two bottles of pills, and pushed in front of Gu An.

Gu An put away the spirit stones, but did not leave in a hurry.

He watched as Manager Li carefully collected the Xuan Yin Silk, and tapped his fingers lightly three times on the counter.

Thump, thump, thump.

The rhythm is strange, two long beats followed by one short beat.

Shopkeeper Li paused, looking up with a puzzled expression: "Is there anything else, fellow Daoist?"

Gu An didn't speak, but instead took out the broken piece of purple bamboo pipe from his sleeve and gently placed it on the counter.

"I have a batch of old bamboo on hand; I wonder if the shopkeeper would be willing to buy it?"

Shopkeeper Li's gaze fell on the pipe, and his pupils suddenly contracted. He recognized the pipe; it was a keepsake he had given to an old farmer more than a decade ago.

"This bamboo... its quality is poor, it's probably withered." Manager Li's smile faded, and his voice became low.

Gu An stared into his eyes and slowly uttered the second half of the sentence: "A withered tree... though withered, may still sprout a bud if it encounters the spring breeze."

The shopkeeper naturally knew that Gu An's words had a hidden meaning, and after careful consideration, he understood the meaning behind them—that is, a withered tree can come back to life.

Upon hearing this, the air inside the counter seemed to freeze instantly.

In Manager Li's shrewd little eyes, all the cunning and calculation vanished at this moment, replaced by a chilling solemnity, even tinged with...fear.