After finishing their meal, Raeshan and Scarlet left the Drunken Crane Pavilion.
Meanwhile, inside a private chamber on the second floor of the pavilion, Elara Rennor sat quietly beside the window.
One of her guards stood before her.
"Young Lady, that spirit sword was extraordinary. It must be a rare treasure. You should have taken it."
Elara slowly turned her gaze toward him.
"Taken it?"
Her voice was calm, but a hint of displeasure could be heard in it.
"Do you see me as a bandit who goes around stealing other people’s treasures?"
The guard’s expression stiffened.
Elara continued,
"If we start stealing people’s treasures, who would dare come to White Crane City?"
"Our family has ruled this city for generations. We protect the people who come here, not rob them."
She paused and looked at the guard coldly.
"And you behaved rudely in front of so many people. You almost ruined my reputation."
The guard immediately realized his mistake.
He dropped to one knee and lowered his head.
"Young Lady, this subordinate was wrong."
"I accept my punishment."
Elara remained silent for a moment.
"Three months."
The guard looked up in surprise.
"Your salary will be revoked for the next three months."
"Yes, Young Lady."
The guard bowed deeply.
"Thank you for your mercy."
Elara waved her hand.
"You may leave."
The guard respectfully withdrew from the chamber.
Once he was gone, Elara leaned back in her chair.
Her mind returned to the scene in the restaurant.
The young man dressed in simple black and dark-blue robes.
Raeshan.
Unlike the other young men she had encountered in White Crane City, he hadn’t shown the slightest nervousness when speaking to her.
Most men became flustered the moment they saw her. Some couldn’t even look her directly in the eyes.
Yet Raeshan had simply continued eating his meal as though she were no different from any other cultivator.
Even now, she couldn’t understand why.
Her gaze became thoughtful.
"That girl was at the Eighth Stage of Qi Refining..."
"And she called that man her master."
Elara slowly narrowed her eyes.
"If he’s capable of teaching a disciple like her, his cultivation should be at least in the Late Stage of the Foundation Building Realm."
"Perhaps even higher."
She recalled how effortlessly Raeshan had remained calm in front of her.
There had been no arrogance.
No fear.
No attempt to flatter her.
Only complete indifference.
Elara tapped her fingers lightly against the table.
"Interesting."
She looked toward the window.
The streets of White Crane City were still bustling below.
After a moment, she spoke quietly.
"Keep an eye on them."
"I want to know where they’re staying and what they’re doing in White Crane City."
"Don’t disturb them."
"Just observe."
Elara’s eyes narrowed slightly.
"I want to know exactly who that man is."
Meanwhile, Raeshan and Scarlet continued exploring White Crane City.
After wandering through several streets, they eventually arrived at an alchemy store.
Scarlet looked around curiously.
She wanted to purchase some Healing Pills, Qi Gathering Pills, and Vitality Pills for her cultivation.
As she opened the storage pouch Raeshan had given her, she suddenly froze.
Inside were one hundred High-Grade Spirit Stones.
Scarlet’s eyes widened.
"One hundred High-Grade Spirit Stones..."
She quickly calculated their value.
One High-Grade Spirit Stone was equivalent to ten thousand Low-Grade Spirit Stones.
That meant one hundred High-Grade Spirit Stones were worth a total of one million Low-Grade Spirit Stones.
Scarlet’s expression became complicated.
The entire Morvain Family’s annual income had only been around 460,000 Low-Grade Spirit Stones.
Yet her master had casually given her more than twice that amount as spending money.
She slowly looked toward Raeshan.
"Master..."
Raeshan noticed her expression.
He glanced at the storage pouch before calmly asking,
"What’s wrong?"
Scarlet hesitated.
"These Spirit Stones... they’re too many."
Raeshan understood immediately.
He smiled and waved his hand.
"Those are your yearly pocket money."
Scarlet stared at him.
"My... yearly pocket money?"
"Yes."
Raeshan nodded casually.
"You can use them however you like."
Scarlet was speechless.
She lowered her head and looked at the storage pouch again.
One million Low-Grade Spirit Stones...
To her, it was an astronomical fortune.
Yet to her master, it seemed to be nothing more than pocket money for his disciple.
Scarlet couldn’t help feeling a strange warmth in her chest.
"Thank you, Master."
Raeshan nodded.
"Don’t worry about spending it."
"If you need something for your cultivation, just buy it."
Scarlet carefully closed the storage pouch.
"Yes, Master."
She followed Raeshan into the alchemy shop, quietly deciding that she would use every Spirit Stone wisely.
The interior of the alchemy shop was far more spacious than Scarlet had expected. Rows of wooden shelves lined the walls, each protected by transparent glass formations. Hundreds of jade bottles were neatly arranged inside.
A faint medicinal fragrance filled the air.
Scarlet’s eyes moved from one shelf to another.
"Master, there are so many pills..."
Raeshan glanced around casually.
"Choose what you need."
Scarlet nodded.
She walked toward the counter.
A middle-aged female alchemist was checking a list of medicinal ingredients. When she noticed the two customers approaching, she immediately put it aside.
"Welcome. What can I prepare for you?"
Scarlet politely replied,
"I’d like some Healing Pills, Qi Gathering Pills, and Vitality Pills."
The shopkeeper smiled.
"Of course. What grade would you like?"
Scarlet hesitated.
She looked at Raeshan.
He simply nodded.
"Choose the best ones suitable for your cultivation."
Scarlet turned back to the shopkeeper.
"Do you have pills suitable for the Late Stage of Qi Refining?"
"Naturally."
The shopkeeper pointed toward a nearby shelf.
"For the Qi Refining Realm, we have three options."
"Low-Grade Qi Gathering Pills, Mid-Grade Qi Gathering Pills, and High-Grade Qi Gathering Pills."
"The High-Grade ones contain the purest spiritual energy and are the most effective for cultivators at the later stages of Qi Refining."
Scarlet nodded.
"Then I’ll take the High-Grade ones."
The shopkeeper looked slightly surprised.
"How many?"
Scarlet thought for a moment.
"Twenty bottles."
The shopkeeper blinked.
"Twenty?"
"Yes."
Scarlet then continued,
"Ten bottles of High-Grade Healing Pills and ten bottles of High-Grade Vitality Pills."
The shopkeeper’s expression became slightly more serious.
That was a considerable purchase.
"Please wait a moment."
She quickly brought out the requested pills.
Each jade bottle contained ten pills.
Scarlet carefully inspected the bottles.
The pills were round and smooth, with faint spiritual patterns covering their surfaces.
Even without opening them, she could sense the dense medicinal energy inside.
She nodded in satisfaction.
"How much?"
The shopkeeper calculated the total before answering.
"Three hundred and eighty Mid-Grade Spirit Stones."
Scarlet froze.
"That’s all?"
The shopkeeper gave her a strange look.
"Yes."
Scarlet looked at Raeshan.
He seemed completely unsurprised.
"Pay for them."
Scarlet quickly took out the required Spirit Stones and handed them over.
After storing the pills inside her pouch, she finally relaxed.
Raeshan glanced at her.
"Anything else?"
Scarlet shook her head.
"No, Master. These should be enough for now."
Raeshan nodded.
"Good."
He turned toward the entrance.
"Then let’s go."
Scarlet followed him.
[Author: Send me some Power Stones so I know there are real readers out there reading my work. It’ll also motivate me to keep writing! "..." ( •ᴗ• )]
[Author: What are you guys doing? Give me a 5-star review to motivate me! (ಥ_ಥ)]