Chapter 3: Just Say Whether You Want It or Not

Three male cultivators wearing tight-fitting robes gathered around, bending over to look at the items on the bluestone slab.

"Hey, a Breath-Concealing Talisman, good stuff! How much for one?"

"Five spirit stones each. It’s an essential item for staying at home or traveling, and for hunting in the mountains. At a critical moment, activate this talisman, and even a Thorn Wolf’s nose won't be able to smell you!"

"So expensive? Why don't you just go rob someone?"

"Just tell me if you want it or not!"

"Make it cheaper. We’re heading into the mountains and need to buy many kinds of talismans. We could buy a whole stack from you if the price is right."

"Haven't you asked around? My reputation in the Dahe Market, my talisman-making craft! Besides, I can give you a discount on the talismans, but when a demonic beast is lunging at your face, will it bite you any less?"

"Three spirit stones for this Breath-Concealing Talisman, plus three Earth Spike Talismans and six Fireball Talismans."

"Four! I can't go any lower. This Breath-Concealing Talisman is my exclusive business; I only produce one a month!"

The three male cultivators discussed it for a moment and decided to buy the Breath-Concealing Talisman.

After settling the bill, they turned their attention to the jade bottle in the corner.

"Bigu Pills?"

Luo Chen perked up. "One pill keeps you full; ten pills will keep you from feeling hungry for three days and three nights. How many bottles?"

"How much?"

"Let me tell you, my Bigu Pills are made primarily from high-quality first-grade yellow beef, supplemented with ginseng and angelica, and finally refined with the Hundred-Flower Fragrant Honey, a specialty of the Medicine King Sect. It is truly high quality at a low price!"

"Is it really that good?"

"Come, smell this aroma—isn't it fragrant? Look at this color; there’s absolutely no flour mixed in to fake it. I dare say no one in this area has better quality than mine!"

"Big brother, it does seem to smell a bit more fragrant than the Bigu Pills we bought before."

"Exactly! This fellow Daoist clearly knows his stuff. You were probably scammed before. Did those Bigu Pills taste floury? That definitely means they used fake beef!"

"How much?"

"Four bottles for just one spirit stone!"

"Why don't you just go rob someone!"

"Just tell me if you want it or not! You won't find goods this good past this stall. Let me tell you, I have many regular customers. In a little while, I'll be sold out and heading home."

"Cheaper?"

"Seeing as you three are sincere about buying, how about this: still one spirit stone, but five bottles! How about it? Consider it making a friend; I'll give you a discount when I have new pills in the future!"

"Fine, give us ten bottles. We still have some stock left from before, but we'll try yours this time."

Once the money and goods were exchanged, Luo Chen and Old Daoist Chen cupped their hands and wished them, "Safe travels into the mountains, may you return with a full harvest."

After the men left, the two looked at each other and smiled.

Old Daoist Chen even quietly placed another Breath-Concealing Talisman on the stall.

So much for only one a month.

As the sun rose higher, the rogue cultivator area in the southwest corner became increasingly lively.

Those selling pills, those selling cultivation techniques, and those selling demonic beast meat were everywhere.

Buyers and treasure hunters were endless, and occasionally, one could even see a disciple or two wearing the standard robes of the Jade Cauldron Sword Sect.

When the latter appeared, the rogue cultivators became even more spirited, and the prices they shouted out couldn't help but rise by a few notches.

Sect members—they were all big, fat sheep!

However, that had nothing to do with Luo Chen.

Bigu Pills were the most common of common goods; every sect had them.

Moreover, what he refined were the lowest-grade Bigu Pills—they couldn't even be called pills, just Bigu powder rolled into pellets.

Such things, no matter how well he refined them, had no competitive edge.

By noon, Luo Chen’s goods were almost sold out.

There were only twenty bottles in total, which wasn't much at all; it was what Luo Chen had saved up over six or seven days.

It could only be said that being a low-grade alchemist was miserable!

If not supported by a sect or a family, a low-grade rogue alchemist’s life was even more inhumane!

There was nothing to pack up. After giving Old Daoist Chen some beef jerky made from scraps, Luo Chen prepared to leave.

Before he left, Old Daoist Chen called out to him while chewing the beef jerky with some water.

"Are you going to make new pills? It wouldn't be that incomplete pill recipe you picked up last year, would it?"

"Kid, don't be overly ambitious. I've seen too many rogue alchemists study new recipes only to lose their entire fortune and end up with nothing."

"It’s not easy for you to save those few spirit stones. You’d be better off going to the Spirit Medicine Pavilion to buy two bottles of Qi-Nourishing Pills to improve your cultivation."

This was a rare piece of sincere advice from this stingy old man who loved to take advantage of others.

Luo Chen could hear the sincerity in his words.

In reality, the price the original owner paid for that incomplete pill recipe was even greater than what Old Daoist Chen described.

However, Luo Chen had other plans, so naturally, he wouldn't do anything as overly ambitious as that.

"Old man, you should watch your teeth. My beef jerky is easy to break them on."

Old Daoist Chen bit into the beef jerky with a ferocious expression, the meat fibers getting stuck between his teeth, which was quite uncomfortable, but he still forced himself to swallow it.

He glared at Luo Chen.

"Get lost!"

Luo Chen chuckled, squeezed into the crowd, and disappeared.

He was still in the southwest rogue cultivator area, but he had arrived at the herb distribution zone.

Having spent years hanging around this area, he knew the buying and selling of various goods like the back of his hand.

"Sister Wang, is this what your husband just brought back from the mountains? It doesn't even look dried yet. I'm afraid those who know their stuff won't be interested."

"I'll do a good deed today, little brother, and reluctantly take ten catties!"

"This piece of fleeceflower root, I'm afraid it hasn't reached ten years yet! Lower the price, and I'll take it."

"Jade mountain yam, yes, give me fifty catties. I used to buy twenty catties for one spirit stone, and now the price has doubled. You have to give me some kind of discount!"

"Forget it, I won't haggle anymore. Just throw in a red cedar fruit for me—this one, it's big enough."

For the entire afternoon, Luo Chen wandered through the herb area, purchasing various herbs he needed in large quantities.

Because they were all sold by rogue cultivators at street stalls, the quality of the goods depended entirely on one's eyes, and the price depended entirely on one's ability to haggle.

His mouth was dry from all the talking before Luo Chen had purchased most of what he needed.

Next, he still had to make a trip to the inner city center.

The Spirit Medicine Pavilion, one of the six top shops in Dahe Market, was located in the most conspicuous spot in the city center.

It was five stories high, with flying eaves, painted walls, and carved railings—it was truly breathtaking.

However, this place only traded in finished pills, and it wasn't a place Luo Chen could afford to shop at yet.

His destination was the Hundred Herbs Hall next to the Spirit Medicine Pavilion.

It was said that both the Spirit Medicine Pavilion and the Hundred Herbs Hall originated from the Medicine King Sect, though it was unclear why they had two separate storefronts.

Compared to the grandeur of the Spirit Medicine Pavilion, the Hundred Herbs Hall was much more ordinary.

A row of bungalows extended to the back, looking completely unremarkable.

But once one got close, a rich scent of herbs rushed toward them.

Luo Chen felt a jolt of energy and gently placed the large bag on his back at the entrance.

The fat shopkeeper looked at the large bag, his eyes narrowing slightly, his nose twitching, and then he shook his head.

Luo Chen didn't mind and approached the counter.

"Senior, do you still have dried scallops and Fire Dog whip here?"

Hearing the names of these two medicinal ingredients, the fat shopkeeper’s gaze toward him became playful.