Big red lanterns, silk umbrellas and fans, and an eight-bearer sedan chair.
The display was grand.
The groom rode a tall horse; though he was merely an ordinary man, he possessed a commanding presence.
With the sound of drums and gongs echoing along the way, the procession came to a halt before the gates of a high-walled manor.
Many onlookers gathered on both sides of the road, the atmosphere filled with joy.
Chen Lin leaned against a large willow tree, watching with keen interest.
It had been a long time since he had felt the breath of such a life; it actually gave him a sense of comfort. The mental turmoil caused by his recent cultivation breakthrough slowly subsided.
The chatter of the crowd reached his ears.
As it turned out, this family was surnamed Liu. The young master getting married had been studying away from home and had only recently returned after achieving success in the imperial examinations.
No wonder he hadn't detected him during his previous investigations.
The bride was from Pingyang City and was said to be from an official's family; marrying into Guyuan City was considered marrying down.
Chen Lin listened, watched, and smiled.
He felt a sense of longing, yet also a feeling of being utterly out of place.
The divide between the immortal and the mortal was absolute; in the end, he could never return to the life of an ordinary person.
What he pursued was the increase of his cultivation and the Great Dao of Longevity. The success of imperial exams and the bliss of a wedding night in the mortal world, while infinitely beautiful, were merely momentary flashes of brilliance.
The wedding procedures of a wealthy family were tedious. After watching for a while, Chen Lin lost interest and planned to leave.
"Hmm?"
Just then, the curtain of the sedan chair was suddenly lifted, revealing the figure of the bride.
She wore a large red bridal veil, hiding her features.
This was normally a standard occurrence, but Chen Lin discovered that the moment the curtain was lifted, a strange aura seemed to appear, only to vanish instantly.
It felt like a mere hallucination.
Had it not been for his recent cultivation increase and his now acute perception, he would not have noticed it at all.
Chen Lin frowned.
To be cautious, he took a small bottle from his storage bag.
It was the Clear Spirit Water that Yu Yuehai had given him; he had used quite a bit, and about half a bottle remained.
He applied a small amount to his eyes and looked at the bride again.
There was nothing abnormal.
By now, the bride had stepped out of the sedan and was being joyfully welcomed inside.
"Was it really a hallucination? Have I been staying up too late recently, leaving my nerves too taut?"
Chen Lin was somewhat suspicious.
If it were something supernatural, the Clear Spirit Water would certainly have allowed him to see the abnormality; the stuff was very effective.
He took a breath, glanced at the bride who had already entered the courtyard, and stepped out of the crowd.
Ultimately, Chen Lin decided it was better to observe for a while longer.
He couldn't just run away like a startled bird every time something happened; if he did that, he might never find a place to stop.
Moreover, based on what he had learned during this time, there was no safe place in this world; demons and ghosts seemed to appear everywhere.
Collecting his thoughts, Chen Lin headed to the market.
Nothing was more important than making money.
He had already produced many Fireball Talismans and Great Strength Talismans. Based on current prices, he estimated he could sell them for around sixty mid-grade spirit stones.
This was mainly due to the surge in the price of talismans.
Especially the Great Strength Talismans.
Because the ancient cultivator's dwelling was underground and had existed for ages, many areas were buried under rubble and soil. One could not use high-power spells or magical tools to clear them for fear of damaging fragile treasures like pills or jade slips, so manual excavation was the only option.
Consequently, Great Strength Talismans, which increased physical power, became highly sought after. Their value soared, rising from one low-grade spirit stone per sheet to seven low-grade spirit stones.
A seven-fold increase made Chen Lin's mouth curl with joy.
The price of Fireball Talismans had also increased by about three times, selling for thirty low-grade spirit stones.
Although the cost of materials had risen accordingly, Chen Lin's success rate in crafting these two talismans had reached a very high level. Especially for the Great Strength Talismans, combined with his "ten-time guaranteed hit" ability, the success rate had reached ninety percent, while the Fireball Talismans were at seventy percent. The profit was considerable.
The only regret was that the success rate for several types of pills remained at zero; he could only rely on his innate talent to form the pills.
However, Chen Lin felt this wasn't a problem with his technique, but rather a problem with the cauldrons and the pill recipes.
The Enlightenment Pill and the Initial Origin Pill had both been modified by Yu Yuehai using the Luck Pill-Refining Technique; they were non-standard recipes that others might not be able to refine even if they tried.
As for the Spirit Nourishing Pill, while it was a legitimate recipe, his cauldron was insufficient. It was a miracle that a simple iron pot could even meet the "correct method of use" restriction of his innate talent.
Therefore, it wasn't that he was unskilled.
"Haha, Fellow Daoist Chen, your presence brings great honor to my humble shop!"
As Chen Lin entered the Ruyi Shop, the plump, middle-aged shopkeeper immediately came forward, his face beaming with smiles.
Chen Lin had been selling talismans here for some time and was considered a long-term partner. Furthermore, Chen Lin's output was staggering, and since Great Strength and Fireball Talismans were currently best-sellers, they brought significant foot traffic to the shop.
"Hehe, stop with the empty flattery. Raising my prices would be better than anything else."
Chen Lin gave the man a look of disdain and then placed the talismans on the counter.
"Oh, so many this time! Fellow Daoist Chen's success rate has improved again. Congratulations, congratulations!"
The shopkeeper filtered out the talk of price hikes, flattering him while counting the talismans.
Chen Lin didn't mind.
He had already inquired about the prices of talismans across the entire market; this shop offered the highest price, and the shopkeeper's attitude was good. Otherwise, he wouldn't have chosen to cooperate here.
Moreover, despite the man's cultivation being only at the third level of Qi Refining, it was impossible for him to open such a shop in this market without some background; he was likely just an employee.
Soon, the counting was finished. The shopkeeper calculated the total and packed the spirit stones into a bag one by one.
"Fellow Daoist is indeed a clever man. Making a fortune quietly like this is far better than risking one's life in an ancient cultivator's dwelling. To celebrate our successful cooperation, I'll give you one extra mid-grade spirit stone as a token of my appreciation!"
As he spoke, the shopkeeper added another mid-grade spirit stone to the bag.
Chen Lin nodded with satisfaction and teased with a grin, "Even a stingy iron rooster can pluck a feather. Not bad, not bad, you're making progress!"
The shopkeeper didn't take offense. He handed the bag to Chen Lin and then said in a mysterious tone, "Has Fellow Daoist Chen heard? A high-grade spirit tool has appeared in that ancient cultivator's ruin!"
Chen Lin paused, not quite grasping the implication.
"It's just a spirit tool, not a magic treasure used by a Golden Core cultivator. This means the grade of that dwelling is still within the Foundation Establishment range. What's so surprising about that?"
The shopkeeper curled his lip and said, "What do you mean 'just a spirit tool'? Do you think spirit tools are as common as cabbage! Even among Foundation Establishment cultivators, many still use magical tools!"
"Is that so?"
Chen Lin was somewhat skeptical. Setting others aside, everyone he had encountered—Yu Yuehai, Ye Jingyun, Qiu Chenggang—all used spirit tools. They didn't seem particularly scarce.
Seeing Chen Lin's expression, a flicker of surprise crossed the old shopkeeper's eyes. "Could Fellow Daoist Chen be from some great clan or noble family, such that spirit tools are commonplace to you?"
Chen Lin rolled his eyes. "Are you mocking me? Have you ever seen a disciple of a great clan refine Great Strength Talismans to earn spirit stones?"
"Haha!"
The shopkeeper burst into laughter, his suspicions dispelled.
Then, he shifted the topic. "Fellow Daoist might not be well-informed about magical tools. Qi Refining cultivators basically all use magical tools, and being able to use a high-grade magical tool is already quite extraordinary. Top-grade magical tools are extremely rare and are generally held by Foundation Establishment cultivators."
"As for spirit tools, they are even scarcer resources and are very difficult to refine. Even Foundation Establishment cultivators cannot be guaranteed one each, let alone Qi Refining cultivators. Those who possess them are usually those with powerful backgrounds, and Qi Refining cultivators cannot even unleash the full power of a spirit tool."
"Oh right, the reason you think spirit tools aren't scarce... is it because you saw Fellow Daoist Qiu Chenggang of the Blazing Sun Sect using one during the trade fair?"
Chen Lin nodded upon hearing this.
"Correct. I did see Fellow Daoist Qiu using a spirit tool flying sword that could change size. Isn't he also a Qi Refining cultivator?"
The shopkeeper glanced at Chen Lin and smiled faintly. "Now I believe Fellow Daoist Chen is a rogue cultivator. To think you didn't even know Fellow Daoist Qiu Chenggang's identity."
"Oh? Could it be that Fellow Daoist Qiu is not just an inner disciple of the Blazing Sun Sect, but has some other identity?"
In Chen Lin's view, since Qiu Chenggang had a spirit tool, other inner disciples of the Blazing Sun Sect surely had them too. Even if not all did, it was impossible that he was the only one.
The Blazing Sun Sect was so large that the number of inner disciples must be significant, which was why he felt that while spirit tools were scarce, they weren't *that* scarce.
He even had a crafting scroll for a Green Dragon Halberd spirit tool in his possession, which he hadn't yet taken out to study.
"Hehe."
The shopkeeper chuckled and said, "Do you know that Qiu Chenggang's father, Qiu Shouli, is a mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator with extremely powerful combat strength? Furthermore, the Qiu family is a long-standing lineage of weapon-refining masters. Even so, as the representative of the current generation of the Qiu family, Qiu Chenggang only possesses a low-grade spirit tool flying sword!"
Chen Lin was stunned.
It seemed he had truly underestimated the value of spirit tools, as well as the status of that Qiu Chenggang.
No wonder the man was so generous; it turned out that, like Lu Li, he was also a "rich second generation."
"So that's how it is. Thank you for clearing that up, Shopkeeper. It seems you know a great deal about the cultivation world of the Yan Kingdom. You'll have to tell me more in the future."
After a bit of light flattery, Chen Lin asked curiously, "If even low-grade spirit tools are this scarce, then the appearance of a high-grade spirit tool in the ancient dwelling must have led to a very brutal struggle, right?"