“Senior Brother, what are you saying? Your strength is greater than mine. What ill intentions could I possibly have? If you don’t see the pills in ten days, you can come find me and hold me accountable anytime!”
“Right now, I truly have no extra pills.” The menial disciple lowered his head, forcing an apologetic smile.
As he spoke, his eyes darted around, a fierce glint flickering in their depths.
Hmph! In ten days at most, Senior Brother Zhao Yu will return. He is at the second layer of Qi Condensation. You took the ten High Grade Essence-Nourishing Pills he reserved. Just wait until then—you’ll get what’s coming to you!
“Fine. You had best not try any tricks. Otherwise, the consequences of angering me will be severe.” Su Twelve stared coldly at the man. He could tell this person definitely harbored ill intentions, and a formless killing intent flashed through the depths of his eyes.
After slaughtering demon beasts every day for over half a year, an imperceptible, faint killing aura had gathered around him. His temperament was no longer that of the simple youth who had just walked out of Little Stone Village.
However, with so many people watching, he could not do anything to this man in public, so he could only suppress the thought for now.
“Of course! Rest assured, Senior Brother!” The menial disciple offered eager smiles. Swept by Su Twelve’s gaze, he could not help but shiver.
This kid… why does he feel so terrifying?
Hmph! What is there to fear? No matter how formidable he is, he is still just a brat of twelve or thirteen!
At this thought, the menial disciple relaxed again, his determination to carry out his plan solidifying.
Su Twelve ignored whatever scheme the man was plotting. Having said his piece, he turned and left.
In the courtyard, Zhu Hanwei and the others stared at Su Twelve’s departing back, filled with envy.
If they had Su Twelve’s strength, how could they be bullied by this menial disciple?
Meanwhile, after sending Su Twelve off, the menial disciple finally breathed a sigh of relief. He glared coldly at Zhu Hanwei and the rest, threatening, “You little brats, if any of you dares to breathe a word of what happened today, don’t blame me for showing no mercy!”
Everyone shuddered and hurriedly nodded, then dejectedly left the Pill Pavilion.
However, after witnessing Su Twelve strike, none of them feared this menial disciple quite as much as before.
“You all know that person from just now?”
“Of course. We joined the Cloudsong Sect together. Half a year ago, he was just a little beggar. Right after arriving, the Peak Master assigned him to the Waste Pill Room. I didn’t expect that instead of learning to read with the instructor, he actually started cultivating!”
The group walked along the mountain path, sighing with emotion.
“I remember the Peak Master saying that the little beggar’s spirit root was terrible, and his cultivation speed should be very slow,” Zhu Hanwei chimed in.
“That’s right! His spirit root is awful. If I start cultivating, I’ll definitely be faster than him. No, I need to hurry back and cultivate right now.” Reminded by Zhu Hanwei, a round-faced child immediately slapped his thigh and proudly raised his head.
After speaking, the round-faced child glanced at the Essence-Nourishing Pill in his hand and dashed toward his dwelling like the wind.
Seeing this, the other children followed suit, scampering off toward their own quarters.
Soon, only Zhu Hanwei remained in place. He had no spirit root; his cultivation speed would absolutely be slower than Su Twelve’s, never faster.
He turned back to glance at the Pill Pavilion, then looked toward Su Twelve’s retreating figure on the mountain path.
After hesitating for a moment, Zhu Hanwei looked down at the item tucked into his robes, gritted his teeth, and chased after Su Twelve.
“Wait, Senior Brother, wait for me!”
“Hm? Do you need something?” Su Twelve had been walking by himself. Hearing the voice from behind, it took him a moment to realize someone was calling him. He finally stopped and looked at the newcomer.
“Senior Brother, I want to buy some Essence-Nourishing Pills from you!” Zhu Hanwei was gasping for breath, but upon seeing Su Twelve, his face lit up with a brilliant smile.
“Buy Essence-Nourishing Pills? What makes you think I would sell my Spirit Pills to you?” Su Twelve was somewhat surprised, sizing Zhu Hanwei up with an astonished look.
“Essence-Nourishing Pills are mainly intended for mortals without cultivation. For Qi Condensation Cultivators who already have a cultivation base, the effects are somewhat weaker. Therefore, many Senior Brothers within the Sect will trade away the Essence-Nourishing Pills they receive each year in exchange for money or other cultivation resources!”
Zhu Hanwei immediately explained with a smile.
So that was it. It seemed this little fatty, acting as a pill attendant for the Peak Master, had picked up quite a bit of knowledge through constant exposure!
Hearing this, Su Twelve’s heart could not help but stir.
Essence-Nourishing Pills were indeed no longer of much use to him. If he could exchange them for something else, it might not be a bad idea.
Despite his thoughts, he showed no sign of it, and instead continued asking, “If I remember correctly, you do not have a spirit root. What do you want so many Essence-Nourishing Pills for?”
“The so-called absence of a spirit root just means it is hidden and has not manifested naturally. With the aid of pills, there is still a chance it can manifest. Essence-Nourishing Pills are one such aid.” Follow the newest chapters on g.com.
“It is just that a spirit root born with the aid of pills is usually not very strong. Therefore, no immortal sect would waste resources cultivating it.”
Zhu Hanwei did not conceal anything, smiling as he shared what he knew.
Su Twelve narrowed his eyes. He recalled that after consuming a large quantity of Top Grade Essence-Nourishing Pills, his perception of the world’s Spiritual Qi had indeed become clearer. He immediately knew that Zhu Hanwei’s words were true.
He nodded, then continued, “Selling you a few pills is not entirely out of the question. What price are you planning to offer?”
“The price of High Grade Essence-Nourishing Pills at the Trade Square is one hundred taels of silver per pill. If Senior Brother is willing to sell, I will offer one hundred and twenty taels per pill,” Zhu Hanwei said hurriedly, his spirit lifting with a smile.
“Trade Square? The one on Yihuan Mountain?” Su Twelve raised an eyebrow, recalling that the sect manual had mentioned it.
To the east of the Sect was a peak called Yihuan Mountain. On it was a Trade Square where Qi Condensation disciples from the various peaks could trade.
“Correct!” Zhu Hanwei nodded hurriedly. He quickly added, “I also have some small items I recently collected. If Senior Brother is interested, they can also be used for exchange.”
As he spoke, he reached into his robes and pulled out a small bundle. Opening it revealed a pile of miscellaneous trinkets.
Only then did Su Twelve realize that this fellow was not actually as fat as he appeared. Rather, he had simply been carrying a small bundle tucked against his belly.
He quickly scanned the contents. Among the items were a broken blade, beast hides, beast bones, and even a few unknown books.
His gaze fell upon the books, and he picked them up to flip through the pages.
There were three in total. One was a journal of unknown origin. The other two were martial arts manuals for warriors in the mortal world.
Seeing Su Twelve’s gaze land on these three books, Zhu Hanwei was secretly delighted, though he maintained a solemn expression.
“Senior Brother has good eyesight. This journal is said to have been written by a very formidable cultivator who traveled the world. Just to acquire it, I spent a full five hundred taels of silver!”
“And these two martial arts manuals, Bagua Baji Fist and Shadowless Phantom Step, are my Zhu family’s ancestral secret manuals. Once mastered, splitting mountains, shattering rocks, and treading on snow without leaving a trace—these are nothing! Out in the mortal world, these are priceless treasures, hard to come by even for a thousand gold!”
As he spoke, Zhu Hanwei’s spittle flew as he wildly boasted.