NOVEL WEB Chapter 13: Chapter 13: "Spirit Stones are meant to be spent
"Two spirit stones, selling life for one month."
"Assume all risk for life and death, with no complaints or regrets."
Fat Long stepped forward and whispered an explanation: "There are many people selling their lives in this area. Generally, they are in some kind of trouble, in urgent need of money, and with no other options, they can only come here to sell their lives."
"But it's hard to distinguish the real from the fake. There are quite a few people who run away with the spirit stones or who just phone it in."
Two spirit stones are not a small sum.
For a normal mortal family of three, the total annual income is only about 60 silver, less than one spirit stone. Two spirit stones are enough for a mortal family to struggle for three years.
But in the Cultivation World, two spirit stones aren't so out of reach. This man's cultivation is at the Qi Refinement Realm's sixth level, and that's about what he's worth."
Chen Qiu took his gaze away from the man in front of him and continued walking straight along the main road.
Every time they passed through a new area, or came across something novel, Fat Long was able to explain it to him like a tour guide, and he also realized that although Fat Long might be a bit cowardly, his ability to gather information was not to be underestimated.
In less than five months since arriving in this world, he had almost fully understood it.
And soon, they sold all their treasures and some unnecessary storage bags in Zone 7 'Trader Area'. The prices were all transparent, and these Cultivation Techniques and mental methods from the Heavenly Dao Secret Realm had no trouble selling, without any trickery in price.
He kept one Spiritual Treasure for himself and gave one to Fat Long.
He kept for himself two Yellow Level lower-grade Cultivation Techniques and one Yellow Level mid-grade mental method, leaving two Yellow Level lower-grade Cultivation Techniques for Fat Long. The rest of the items, along with some assorted things scavenged from Huang Shikai,
and the spirit stones in Huang Shikai's storage bag,
amounted to a total of 50 spirit stones this time.
Following the previously agreed upon 70-30 split, Chen Qiu kept 35 spirit stones for himself and stuffed the remaining 15 into a storage bag, handing it over to Fat Long, just as they were preparing to leave the shop,
"Please wait, the two of you."
The shopkeeper, smiling all over his face, blocked their way out: "Just a friendly reminder, a big incident happened today in Fufeng City. It is said that last night a Heaven Slaying type of Heavenly Dao Secret Realm appeared."
"100 people went in, and in the end, only 2 came out alive."
"One's identity is unknown, and the other is said to be just a refugee, who normally lives by chopping wood in the mountain. When the Secret Realm closed, there were quite a few people outside, but these two managed to escape from the chaos using some method."
"Even Young Master of the Huang Family died inside."
"I heard that the Huang Family is quite angry and has gathered family members to meet at 'Ask Heaven Marketplace' waiting for the other side to fall into their net. After all, if you want to take out the loot from the Secret Realm within a hundred miles, you definitely need to pass through Ask Heaven Marketplace."
"When you entered this shop, there were already people watching you. Fighting is not allowed within the marketplace, but outside the city gates of the marketplace, it's burial ground chaos."
"It's better to be careful."
"..."
Chen Qiu looked calmly at the shopkeeper with a smiling face in front of him. After a pause, he took a few pieces of silver from his sleeve and placed them on the table: "Thank you, Shopkeeper."
"We'll meet again if fate allows."
Without lingering, he walked straight out of the shop, completely ignoring the few burly men with somber expressions who clearly had bad intentions, and continued walking along the main road.
The Huang Family would seek revenge, and he understood that very well.
If his own son had died, he would definitely seek revenge too.
But Huang Shikai had wanted to kill him, and he couldn't just sit and wait for death. Still, it was after all a troublesome matter. He'd have to find a way to send a family reunion on its way.
...
"Hey!"
Distracted, Fat Long looked toward Chen Qiu, who was walking briskly ahead, and couldn't help but step forward to stop him with an urgent expression, "I say, Brother Chen Qiu, why do you seem so unconcerned?"
"We're being hunted by the Huang Family!"
"What are you shocked about?"
Chen Qiu glanced at Fat Long and said indifferently, "The sky rains, a mother marries off her daughter, a son is killed and revenge is sought; isn't that the natural order of things? Why do you look so surprised?"
"What I mean is that as soon as we leave Wentian Pang Market, we'll be attacked by Huang Family members! They're on guard this time, and it probably won't be so easy to escape using the 'Earth Tunneling Technique' and 'Blinding Magic' again!!!"
"Hmm."
Chen Qiu nodded slightly, finally stopping in front of a shop in the Demon Beast Area, section 8, "I'm aware. I'll rent a room in the inn opposite this shop later, and you go gather some information. Find out the extent of the Huang Family's power and how strong the people they've sent after us this time are."
"As long as we don't leave the market, we're temporarily safe. We'll meet again in an hour."
Although Fat Long was a bit uneasy, he felt that what Chen Qiu said made some sense, so he nodded in a fluster and hurriedly left the place.
Watching Fat Long's retreating figure.
Chen Qiu didn't speak again and simply walked straight into the shop in front of him, "Shopkeeper, how much for a mature demon beast at the Qi Refinement Realm?"
...
Thirty minutes later.
Chen Qiu had already appeared in a guest room of the inn across from that shop. The shopkeeper, with a beaming face, was bringing one after another the injured demon beasts in cages, collapsed on the ground, into the guest room.
And the innkeeper was also busily attending to everything with a cheerful smile.
Everyone seemed very amiable.
As a rule, innkeepers don't allow guests to engage in mass slaughter in their rooms—after all, this is an inn, not a slaughterhouse. But they couldn't resist this guest, who had offered five times the regular price.
After everyone else had left,
Chen Qiu looked at the dozens of heavily injured demon beasts locked in cages, gasping for breath and continuously baring their fangs and hissing angrily at him, and slowly drew the long blade from his bosom. This was a Spiritual Treasure he had acquired from the Heavenly Dao Secret Realm.
Yellow Level, low-grade.
Named "Heaven Slaying."
The name was quite domineering. Once his Cultivation broke through to the Foundation Establishment Stage and he could channel Spiritual Energy outside his body, he could pour Spiritual Energy into the Spiritual Treasure and unleash its full power. But at the Qi Refinement Realm, holding this weapon served only as a blade sharp enough to slice through iron like mud.
But it was certainly much more useful than his wood-cutting knife.
He had spent 32 Spirit Stones, almost all of his fortune, to buy this batch of mature demon beasts in front of him.
Twenty-seven Red-eyed Wolves at the Qi Refinement Realm fourth and fifth levels.
Four tailless monkeys at the Qi Refinement Realm sixth level.
Three Armored Crocodiles at the Qi Refinement Realm seventh level.
One Hedgehog Pig at the Qi Refinement Realm eighth level.
32 Spirit Stones, a sum that most Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivators didn't possess. It was not a small amount; otherwise, the shopkeeper selling the demon beasts, a Cultivator at the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment, wouldn't have greeted him, a minor Qi Refinement Realm individual, with such a welcoming smile.
He even offered a free service: beating them until they were severely injured.
Spirit Stones are meant to be spent, after all. Although using them all for Cultivating the mental method would certainly enhance Cultivation more, it would also take a long time. Compared to Spirit Stones, he was more short on time.