Chapter 35: I Cannot Go With You

"Look here, look over here! Life in cultivation is truly magnificent!"

"Five spirit stones isn't much; it won't buy you a magic tool or a carriage."

"Whether our pills are good or not, your intimate Dao companion will be the judge!"

"Pop a 'Wonderful Pill,' and the scenery on your cultivation path will be plenty!"

Listening to the jingle after jingle from the kid beside him, Chen Xiuping felt he had never been this embarrassed in his entire life.

He wished he had studied that Earth-Splitting Technique properly when he was younger; if he had, he could split a crack in the ground right now and crawl inside.

It was simply too humiliating!

Even if they were just street vendors, they were, after all, cultivators!

How could they hawk goods like common mortals in the secular world, completely discarding all sense of dignity!

Chen Xiuping regretted it; why did he rent the same stall as Luo Chen?

It was just half a spirit stone; it wasn't like he was short on money.

Glancing at Luo Chen with resentment, the old Daoist Chen pleaded, "Little Daoist Luo, can we please lower our voices a bit?"

"Why lower them? Are you hungry, or is it a lack of nutrition?"

"None of the other Daoists hawk their goods like you do!"

Luo Chen replied righteously, "That's because they lack confidence in their wares! I am different. This is the formula of the Golden Core Grandmaster, personally refined by a Pill Grandmaster, taking an entire month to produce just one batch of Wonderful Pills. If I don't shout, how can I let more Daoists enjoy them?"

*Damn, a Golden Core Grandmaster's formula?*

*It's one thing to lie to others, but have you actually started believing your own lies?*

But Chen Xiuping couldn't even argue, because the Divine Concealment Qi-Restraining Talismans he had been selling lately also carried the name of the Divine Talisman Sect's Grandmaster Ling Yin.

How had he fallen for this kid's nonsense in the first place!

Now, they were sharing the disgrace.

Just as Chen Xiuping's old face was flushing red with shame, more and more cultivators began to gather around the bluestone stall.

"What kind of pill is it? To dare make such a boastful claim."

"Wonderful Pills? Never heard of them!"

"What is this pill used for?"

Luo Chen remained unruffled, picking up a jade bottle with immense enthusiasm to introduce it to the crowd.

"Using North Sea Jade Yao Pillars and the flesh and blood of a spiritual beast unique to the Medicine King Sect, this batch of Wonderful Pills was personally refined by a Pill Grandmaster."

As he spoke, his face did not flush, nor did his heart skip a beat.

A Grandmaster of Inedia Pills was still a Grandmaster!

He could swear to the heavens that these words were absolutely true!

"Consume it, and your Yang energy will surge, your libido will soar, allowing you and your Dao companion to reach the pinnacle of the clouds and rain."

"This is no demonic pill; it even has the wonderful effect of strengthening your foundation and nourishing your essence without depleting your vital energy."

"In short: one pill brings supreme bliss, two pills make you an immortal or a Buddha, and three pills... well, then you are the sole sovereign of heaven and earth!"

The cultivators gradually caught on.

This wasn't some miraculous spiritual medicine; it was clearly the most sought-after aphrodisiac in the mortal world.

However, the young man spoke so fluently that everyone listened with great interest.

They didn't quite believe that such a medicine could work on cultivators.

Some, refusing to believe in such nonsense, picked up a bottle, popped the stopper, and took a sniff.

"Does it really work?"

"Genuine goods, no deception of young or old!" Luo Chen promised solemnly.

"But I still want to reach Foundation Establishment and pursue the Great Dao," the questioning cultivator said with a look of determination, seemingly believing the nonsense himself.

Luo Chen didn't expose him. Those truly dedicated to the Great Dao wouldn't have such thoughts in the first place.

Instead, he became even more enthusiastic—this was his target customer!

"Rest assured, as long as you take it in moderation, it will not break the lock of your lower gate; your primordial Yang essence will be released without leaking."

"Really?"

"You'll know once you try it. At the critical moment, the essence that is released is actually converted from the pill, not your own vital essence."

The cultivator was still somewhat hesitant.

Mainly because so many people were watching, yet not a single one had bought anything.

Just as the standoff continued, a fat man squeezed through the crowd.

"Daoist Zeng, long time no see."

"Mhm. Give me five bottles of Inedia Pills." Zeng Wen spoke calmly, then tossed over eleven spirit stones.

The surrounding cultivators were stunned. Five bottles of Inedia Pills should only cost one spirit stone!

"Coming right up! Here are your Inedia Pills, Daoist. I wish you success in entering the treasure mountains, exploring the spirit springs, and achieving a glorious victory!"

Luo Chen handed over a handful of jade bottles, about seven in total.

Among them, two were clearly the jade bottles of Wonderful Pills.

With a look of indifference, Zeng Wen tucked the bottles away and turned to leave the crowd.

The crowd fell silent for a moment.

Then, the cultivator who had been questioning him said softly, "It seems my home is also running low on Inedia Pills. Give me five bottles!"

With that, he pulled out six spirit stones and happily acquired five bottles of Inedia Pills, plus one complimentary bottle of Wonderful Pills.

Seeing this, the cultivators all had a sudden realization.

In an instant, everyone began to part with their money, all just to buy a few bottles of Inedia Pills to take home for secluded cultivation.

Once this wave of customers left, Luo Chen took even more pills out of his storage bag.

Old Daoist Chen, watching from the side, felt his eyelids twitching—both from the shock of Luo Chen's speed in earning spirit stones and the surprise at his rapidly advancing alchemy skills.

It had only been a month, yet the pills he refined were even more numerous than before.

"Daoist Chen, with so many customers, why don't you take the opportunity to promote your talismans?"

Luo Chen, busy with his work, offered a casual reminder.

Old Daoist Chen snapped to attention.

In the past, it was always Luo Chen who rode on the coattails of his customers; why was he being so slow today?

His mouth opened, and he muttered something inaudible.

But after a moment, he mustered his courage and shouted.

"High-quality Qi-Restraining Talismans here! Beasts can't see you, enemies can't find you! You won't lose money, you won't be cheated! Come and take a look!"

Luo Chen was momentarily stunned.

Then, he gave Old Daoist Chen a thumbs-up.

*As expected of the man who can sell goods at the same stall as me—still going strong in his old age!*

Perhaps it was because the feng shui was good today, or perhaps Luo Chen shouted loud enough, or perhaps the recent conflicts between the two factions had left the cultivators' nerves overly frayed.

In any case, the sales of Wonderful Pills went very well today.

Even the Inedia Powder he had refined on the side sold out in a short amount of time.

By noon, he only had a few bottles of Wonderful Pills left.

Luo Chen intended to give it one last push to sell them all so he could go purchase raw materials in the afternoon.

However, after only a few shouts, two cultivators with unfriendly expressions stood before his stall.

"You're Luo Chen, right?"

Luo Chen's heart skipped a beat as he instantly realized something.

However, his expression remained unchanged as he greeted them enthusiastically.

"Would you two Daoists like to learn about the Wonderful Pills?"

"We're not here for pills. I'm asking you: do you know Gao Ting'e?"

Luo Chen first shook his head. "I don't." Then, curiously, he asked, "Who is that?"

Duan Sanfu said coldly, "Gao Ting'e is the younger brother of our boss, Gao Tingyuan. He disappeared in the Southwest Wastelands of the Outer District a month ago. You should be very familiar with that place, shouldn't you?"

"Oh, I'm definitely familiar! That's my home!"

Luo Chen nodded first, then said with righteous indignation, "I was out collecting medicinal herbs at the time, and when I returned the next day, my house had been burned down! So it was your people who did it! Is there no justice? Is there no law!"

*Law? Our Great River Gang IS the law!*

Duan Sanfu sneered, exchanged a look with his companion, and then cleared his throat.

"We don't know who burned your house down. But for now, you'd better come with us to meet our Big Brother."

Luo Chen took a serious half-step back, looking at them warily.

"Can I not go? I have a feeling you guys are going to hit me."

"You have to go!" Duan Sanfu sneered. "Our Big Brother is the Second Leader of the Great River Gang, second only to Gang Leader Wang. If you don't go, the consequences will be severe."

In his mind, a mere third-layer Qi Refinement cultivator would have been scared witless the moment he heard the name "Great River Gang."

He expected the boy to follow them obediently.

However, Luo Chen simply shrugged.

"Then I definitely can't go to the Great River Gang with you."

"Huh? Why?"

"Because my Big Brother is Wang Yuan!"

Luo Chen said with a smile, pointing his hand toward a nearby stall.

At a stall not far away, Wang Yuan had already stood up, staring over with a pair of cold, indifferent eyes.