As Ning strolled through the lively market, the air buzzed with the cries of disciples hawking their wares, each trying to outshout the next.
With spiritual stones finally jingling in his pouch, Ning felt a rare sense of stability.
After all, as the saying goes, "With a weapon in hand, murderous intent naturally rises."
He wasn't a murderhobo, of course. But after being broke for so long, having a bit of wealth naturally made his hands itch to spend it.
"Behold! Feathers of the majestic Flamingo! A rare and coveted ingredient for fire practitioners. Get them now, only 50 spirit stones!" one disciple called out, showcasing a bundle of vibrant, fiery feathers.
"This brother, look at Cloud Pine Sword. Don't be fooled by its normal appearance; I am telling you this sword is virtually famous in the Eastern Region. I can see that your forehead is shining brightly; this sword must be destined for you."
"Sister, your beautiful appearance can only be matched by this dress made from the dragon silkworm. This is a high-grade material; it is very smooth... This handsome senior brother, do you want this dress for your lover? This dress is perfect as a gift -eh, you are single? Poor you~"
The senior brother, "...."
"Hair Growing Pill! Hair Growing Pill! This is the newest pill made by a renowned alchemist. This brother, I can see that you are bald; your exquisite temperament would be further pronounced with long, smooth hair. Once you take this pill, a dragon among men will be born~"
"...I am sorry. This bald head is just a wig."
"?!?"
It was Ning's first time visiting the sect market, and the sight before him was considerably less immortal-like than he had imagined.
Here, disciples had spread cloth, wooden boards, and even animal hides across the bluestone ground, shouting prices at passing customers while bargaining loudly enough to make the entire place resemble a vegetable market.
Ning looked around for a while, checking out various vendors and the pills they sold.
He was comparing prices more than anything else.
"Junior Brother Ning?"
A familiar voice came from behind him.
Ning turned and saw a young man approaching through the crowd.
It was an acquaintance of his, Fang Zhu.
Fang Zhu was the steward responsible for Sector Three, and Ning had met him several times since being assigned his spiritual field. Most of those meetings hadn't even been official. Fang Zhu and Old Zhou were longtime friends, so whenever Fang Zhu visited the old man to chat, drink, or shamelessly freeload off his wine, Ning inevitably ended up seeing him as well.
"Senior Brother Fang." Ning cupped his hands in greeting.
Fang Zhu glanced around before looking back at him with an amused smile. "First time at the market?"
"Is it that obvious?" Ning blinked. He had thought he'd been fairly discreet about it.
"Not particularly." Fang Zhu chuckled. "I've just been watching you wander around like a headless chicken for the past twenty minutes. It was quite entertaining."
"..." Ning silently revised his assessment of how discreet he had been.
"So, what brings you here?" Fang Zhu asked, mercifully moving on.
"Senior Zhou recommended that I buy some pills to help with my cultivation."
"Cultivation pills?" Fang Zhu nodded in understanding, then gestured for Ning to follow. "Come on. I know a reliable place."
Ning naturally followed. Having someone familiar with the market lead the way was considerably better than spending another twenty minutes, as Fang Zhu liked to put it, like a headless chicken.
"You are lucky you met me; the place I am taking you is amazing, and unlike some of these stalls, nobody will sell you powdered grass inside a pill bottle and call it an ancient prescription."
"That last one actually happens?" Ning blinked. That sounded so unethical.
"Only if you're unlucky or stupid."
Ning decided that following him was probably wise.
As they walked, Fang Zhu continued praising the place with increasing enthusiasm. The pills were properly refined, the prices were fair, the ingredients came from reliable suppliers, and apparently even the after-sales service was excellent.
Ning listened carefully, since having information was always better than not.
Eventually, Fang Zhu led him to one of the larger stalls near the inner section of the market. A broad brown beast hide covered the bluestone ground, while shelves and wooden tables displayed talisman paper, inks, pills, herbs, minerals, and various cultivation materials in neat rows. Compared to the surrounding market, the place indeed looked professionally managed.
The middle-aged shopkeeper behind the counter immediately straightened upon seeing them. "Owner Fang! You're here."
Fang Zhu's smile stiffened slightly. "Don't call me that in public. It makes me blush."
Ning turned to look at him, then glanced around the neatly arranged store before realization slowly dawned.
So, this entire journey, while Senior Brother Fang had been enthusiastically praising the trustworthy goods, reasonable prices, reliable suppliers, and excellent service, the bastard had actually been advertising his own store.
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from NovelPhoenix; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
And he'd done it with a completely straight face.
"So, Senior Brother is the owner of this place, huh?"
"Ah, you got me." Fang Zhu coughed lightly, though there wasn't the slightest trace of shame on his face. "In my defense, I wasn't lying about any of it. The goods really are reliable."
Ning nodded. That much he could believe. Fang Zhu had managed Sector Three for years, and Old Zhou trusted him enough to be a longtime drinking companion. That alone was a considerably better guarantee than some random disciple on the roadside shouting about a once-in-a-century clearance sale.
Though now that Ning thought about it, this also explained why Old Zhou was always so sarcastic whenever Fang Zhu came around.
The bastard owned what appeared to be a rather lucrative business, yet every time he visited Old Zhou, he somehow ended up drinking the old man's wine.
Ning had previously assumed it was simply the shamelessness of an old friend.
Apparently, it was the shamelessness of a
wealthy
old friend.
Somehow, that made it worse.
Fang Zhu coughed lightly, perhaps sensing the judgment in Ning's gaze. "Anyway, Junior Brother, didn't you want pills?"
"Of course, Senior Brother." Ning nodded. He had not forgotten his goal.
The shopkeeper chuckled before producing two porcelain bottles. "For an early-stage Qi Condensation cultivator, I'd recommend either the Red Bud Pill or the Blue Dew Pill. The Red Bud Pill contains fewer impurities and can generally be absorbed within three days. The Blue Dew Pill is cheaper, though it takes around five days and leaves somewhat more impurities behind."
Ning stared at the red and blue bottles.
Red pill or blue pill?
He couldn't explain why, but being presented with those two choices by a suspiciously friendly merchant made him feel like there should be far greater consequences attached to this decision.
Thankfully, the only truth waiting for him was poverty.
"Could you tell me the price?" Ning asked politely.
"Fifteen spirit stones for a Red Bud Pill and eleven for a Blue Dew Pill."
Ning mentally went through his finances. Wei Zhusang had lent him a hundred spirit stones. Normally, he would have preferred to save a portion for emergencies, but cultivation was the foundation of everything in this world. Spirit stones sitting inside his pouch wouldn't make him any stronger, so he might as well put them to proper use.
"I'd like five Red Bud Pills and two Blue Dew Pills. Also, could you add two sticks of Spirit Incense? I heard they can improve the quality of meditation."
"Of course. The incense is one spirit stone per stick." The shopkeeper quickly ran through the numbers. "Five Red Bud Pills come to seventy-five, two Blue Dew Pills to twenty-two, and two sticks of Spirit Incense make two more. Ninety-nine spirit stones altogether."
"Yes, thank you."
As the shopkeeper began preparing his purchase, Fang Zhu raised an eyebrow. "That's quite a sum. Last time we spoke, weren't you asking me whether there was anywhere in the sect you could borrow spirit stones?"
Ning remembered that conversation rather vividly. Fang Zhu had indeed known several lenders. Unfortunately, their interest rates had possessed distinctly demonic characteristics; one could even say they were as high as the heavens themselves.
"I borrowed some from my friends," Ning said with a smile.
"It seems Junior Brother has quite the silver tongue." Fang Zhu knew that most of Ning's friends had only known him for a short time. Convincing them to lend him nearly a hundred spirit stones was no small feat.
"It's nothing like that. I just reached Minor Accomplishment in the Small Cloud Rain Technique," Ning replied modestly.
Well, he was bragging a little.
But occasionally receiving some appreciation for one's hard work was good for motivation.
"Seriously?" Fang Zhu looked genuinely surprised. "No wonder Old Zhou keeps calling you the Holy Farming Body. With your speed in mastering farming spells, you're starting to live up to that ridiculous name."
Ning's face went blank.
So the nickname really was going to stick, wasn't it?
Fang Zhu chuckled at his expression before suddenly remembering something. "Right. If your Small Cloud Rain has reached Minor Accomplishment, you're eligible to apply for another farming spell."
Ning's suffering over the nickname vanished immediately as his attention shifted.
"Another spell?"
Thanks to Old Zhou's guidance, he was already familiar with the available choices.
There was Scorching Purge, which burned away weeds and pests; Soil Refining, which improved and balanced the condition of spiritual soil; and Golden Finger, a precise planting technique that could pierce the earth and bury seeds at the proper depth. Together with Small Cloud Rain and the more advanced Withering and Flourishing Technique, which required mid-stage Qi Condensation, they formed the core spells used by ordinary spiritual farmers.
Ning desperately wanted Scorching Purge.
No more crouching beneath the sun and pulling weeds by hand. No more spending hours hunting spiritual insects one plant at a time. One spell, a little fire, and his problems would disappear in cleansing flame.
Unfortunately, Ning still possessed common sense.
Improving the soil would increase the health and eventual yield of his entire field. Compared to saving himself some physical labor, the long-term benefit was obvious.
Ning mourned the death of convenience for several breaths before looking at Fang Zhu with painful determination.
"Senior Brother Fang, please help me apply for the Soil Refining Technique."
Fang Zhu nodded approvingly.
"Good choice."
Ning knew.
That was what made it hurt.
...
Returning home, Ning glanced at the weeds that had grown tall once again and almost couldn't resist the urge to march back and ask for the Scorching Purge spell.
But he quickly calmed himself. Now that he had the pills, his priority was cultivation. He wouldn't have enough time to devote to a new spell the way he had with the Small Cloud Rain Technique.
Choosing Scorching Purge just to deal with weeds would be shortsighted;
Soil Refining
would help far more in the long run by improving the land's fertility.
Sigh
"What's done is done. Let's focus on trying the effect of the pill instead." Ning quickly redirected his focus. It was not his style to constantly brood over past things, but to focus on moving forward.
Ning took out the Red Bud pill.
From the outside, it looked harmless enough, just a smooth, glossy red sphere, faintly translucent under the light, with a soft herbal fragrance rising from it. Almost like one of those fancy vitamin capsules back on Earth.
Ning knew how to consume it. Just gulp it down.
Apparently, the pill's spiritual essence was sealed in a thin shell that dissolved best under spiritual circulation. If chewed, it could stick to the teeth or gums, causing some of the medicinal qi to leak or scatter before it could be properly absorbed.
Even a fraction of waste was disrespectful for those spiritual stones.
After psyching himself up for a moment, Ning popped the pill into his mouth and swallowed it whole, forcing it down with a gulp.
The moment it entered his stomach, a surge of warmth spread through his body as if he had just downed a mouthful of molten honey. His meridians tingled, and a faint buzzing sensation began to pulse behind his navel.
Boom!
A burst of spiritual energy flowed through his body. Ning quickly used the 'Pure Qi Sutra' to digest the influx of energy. His body seemed to slightly swell, but with proper control, he swiftly got it under control.
After exactly one hour and eleven minutes.
Ning opened his eyes and let out a turbid breath.
'Panel'
[1st Stage of Qi Condensation(42-> 43/100)]
Ning's eyes shone, glancing at the rapid improvement. The efficiency was almost doubled. This was so going to make his numbers go brr...
"Alas! One pill in and I am already addicted."
...
A/N: Don't do drugs, unless you get superpowers. Like every superhero movie ever...
Thanks for reading~