The shopkeeper had dealt with pills for many years, and at a glance, he recognized the Peiyuan Pill.
Mu Li nodded. “Yes, but I only have these few for now. What price will you offer?”
The shopkeeper opened the bottle, examined the pills carefully, and said, half excited and half nervous: “Fifty spirit stones per pill. What do you think?”
His shop had been open for years, but usually sold pills for Qi-Training cultivators. Occasionally, he stocked Foundation-Building pills, but they were always of inferior quality. After all, skilled alchemists were rare, and those with real talent usually joined powerful sects, reserving their pills for internal use.
Curious about this mysterious alchemist whose pills were of such high quality, the shopkeeper worried his price might not satisfy her, or that he might say something offensive. His expression shifted uneasily.
Mu Li, however, was quite pleased. She agreed immediately: “Alright.”
The shopkeeper sighed in relief, then hesitated. “It’s just… you’ve brought so many pills this time. If I pay all in spirit stones, my shop may not…”
Mu Li waved him off. “No problem. Prepare five hundred stones for me, and put the rest on my card.”
She had chosen this shop among many because it was small, discreet, and not attention-grabbing. After her last visit, she found the shopkeeper tactful and tight-lipped, so she didn’t bother looking elsewhere.
As for payment methods, it didn’t matter—she wasn’t planning to leave Ling City anytime soon.
“That’s fine, that’s fine,” the shopkeeper said, grinning again.
“One more thing—the alchemist who refined these pills prefers to stay low-profile and dislikes being disturbed, so…”
Mu Li hadn’t even told Mu Yuhan about her alchemy, and she certainly didn’t want others to know. So she fabricated a false identity for the alchemist to warn the shopkeeper.
In the cultivation world, every cultivator had secrets. The shopkeeper wasn’t surprised. He patted his chest and promised, “Rest assured, I won’t say a word. My assistants are sharp too…”
Before he could finish, a voice called urgently from the stairs: “Master Chen, all our pills are sold on the first floor. The second floor doesn’t receive guests.”
“Hmph! I just saw a veiled cultivator come up here. You must be hiding treasures upstairs. Don’t worry—I’ve got money. Do you think I can’t afford your shop’s goods?”
The voice was so arrogant that Mu Li instinctively turned her head. She tried to recall if the original novel had a cannon-fodder character surnamed Chen, but there were too many minor figures to remember.
Soon, the speaker appeared—a tall, burly youth of seventeen or eighteen. He filled the narrow stairway with his bulk, stomping so hard the wooden steps creaked, making the shopkeeper wince.
“Young Master Chen, what an honor! Your presence brightens our humble shop,” the shopkeeper greeted quickly.
The youth, addressed as Young Master Chen, merely snorted and strode past him.
Mu Li studied him. His cultivation was decent—likely the ninth level of Qi-Training. His lavish clothes were clearly expensive, indicating he came from a wealthy family. Trailing behind him was a pretty young girl, petite and charming, though her cultivation was only at the fifth level.
Young Master Chen also glanced at Mu Li. Seeing her cultivation was not beneath his own, and noting her fine clothes and veil, his arrogant expression softened slightly. But toward the shopkeeper, he remained domineering.
Spotting the pile of pills on the table, Young Master Chen picked up a bottle and frowned. “You’re too stingy—hiding good stuff away. Afraid I can’t afford it?”
“Not at all. I just received this batch and haven’t had time to sort and display them,” the shopkeeper said with a forced smile.
Young Master Chen glanced at Mu Li, seemed about to speak, then held back. He turned back to the shopkeeper. “Enough talk. Bring out all your treasures for me to see.”
Mu Li was speechless. *Classic cannon-fodder behavior. Too bad I’m not the protagonist—I won’t bother slapping his face.*
“They’re all here,” the shopkeeper said, still smiling.
The girl tugged Young master Chen’s arm, pointing at the Peiyuan Pill bottle the shopkeeper had set down earlier. “What’s that? Looks good.”
The shopkeeper immediately flattered her. “Miss has sharp eyes. That’s Peiyuan Pill, for Foundation-Building cultivators. We only have a few.”
Young Master Chen picked up the bottle, impressed. “Nice quality. How much?”
The shopkeeper glanced at Mu Li. Though they had agreed on a price, the transaction wasn’t complete—the pills still belonged to her.
Young Master Chen misunderstood, thinking Mu Li was a customer buying the pills. He laughed. “Since the pills are still on the table, the deal isn’t done. Others can bid too. Highest price wins. What price did you agree on?”
The pills were indeed good. Chen himself didn’t need them, but his elder brother had just reached Foundation-Building and would benefit. The veiled woman clearly wasn’t buying for herself—probably for someone else. And since she looked like a mere rogue cultivator, she wouldn’t dare offend the Chen family.
The shopkeeper hesitated. Mu Li answered coolly: “One hundred per pill.”
In truth, she didn’t know the market price. She guessed the shopkeeper might sell them for ten or twenty stones profit, so she casually doubled it. After all, this guy looked like a fat sheep waiting to be slaughtered.
Young Master Chen hadn’t expected such a high price. He froze, then said: “I’ll pay one hundred and one.”
“One hundred and twenty.”
Young Master Master Chen gritted his teeth. “One hundred and thirty.”
Mu Li continued calmly: “One hundred and forty.”
“One hundred and fifty!”
Mu Li shrugged. “Highest bidder wins. The pills are yours.”
The shopkeeper’s heart nearly leapt out of his chest. The Chen family held considerable status in Ling City. He feared offending them, yet was thrilled at the high price. Finally, he forced a smile at Young Master Chen. “Would you like the whole batch?”
“Of course.” Young Master Chen took the pills and paid readily. His family was wealthy, and he was spoiled. This amount meant little, especially since he was buying for his brother—his elders would reimburse him.
After paying, he noticed Mu Li still sitting calmly, not leaving. Suspicious, he asked the shopkeeper: “Are you hiding even better pills?”
The shopkeeper shook his head quickly. “No, no. Just these few. The rest are all Qi-Training pills.”
The girl reminded him: “Weren’t we here to buy Qi-Gathering Pills?”
Young Master Chen finally remembered his original purpose. He bought two bottles of Qi-Gathering Pills, found them of fine quality, and left satisfied with the girl.
Once they were gone, the shopkeeper hurriedly handed Mu Li the spirit stones from the sale.