Chapter 54, A Substantial Profit and Artifact Purchase

Translator: Raznick

 

Since the Zhou Clan had opened the Spirit Beast Pavilion in the Red Cliff Market, the managers of the Li Clan Pharmacy and the Spirit Beast Pavilion would often visit each other to maintain their relationship.

 

After all, they used to be fellow disciples from the same sect. Even after parting ways, their former camaraderie remained.

 

Now that both of them conducted business in the market, it was necessary to exchange information with each other from time to time. Sometimes, when Li Clan Pharmacy received a type of item that had a good effect on the growth of demon beasts, they would sell it to Spirit Beast Pavilion for a profit. In return, Spirit Beast Pavilion would also pass on items such as herbs that are useful for Li Clan’s alchemy practices, selling them back at a reasonable price. Since both parties have methods to remove Savage Qi from items, this secondary transaction did not require worrying about whether the Savage Qi had been properly cleansed; it could be traded at standard pricing.

 

This kind of business practice was not limited to Zhou and Li clans; other shops in the market also engaged in similar transactions. However, everyone only dealt with stores they knew well, never revealing their urgent need for certain items to other shops to prevent them from inflating prices.

 

When Zhou Chun suddenly paid a visit this time, Li’s Pharmacy owner Li Siyuan immediately realized that today was bound to be another day of financial loss. Despite this knowledge, he still greeted Zhou Chun with a full smile: “Dear Zhengchun, you’ve come to visit your uncle Li again. What fine item have you brought for me this time?”

 

Zhou Chun smiled and nodded, saying, “I brought something today that Uncle Li will be very pleased with.”

 

Hearing these words, Li Siyuan felt a sudden thud in his heart, and his smile began to fade.

Zhou Chun’s words and expression gave him a sinking feeling.

 

Today, Zhou Chun came calling; it was not just about handing over a little money, but lose an entire fortune!

 

His face slightly changed, and he coughed twice before saying, “Ahem, Zhengchun, my dear nephew, no need to play charades with Uncle Li. What is it? Bring it out so we can have a look!”

 

“Haha, the thing is right here; take a look yourself, Uncle Li!”

 

Zhou Chun grinned mischievously and promptly slapped his storage bag, retrieving the jade box and placing it on the counter.

 

“This is… Red Crystal Mushroom!!”

 

Li Siyuan opened the jade box, took out the crimson herb for a close inspection, and then looked at Zhou Chun with a shocked expression.

 

Zhou Chun merely gave him a slight smile and said, “Uncle Li, no need to rush. Take your time examining it; don’t miss anything.”

 

Upon hearing this, Li Siyuan managed to suppress his shock and excitement, proceeding to carefully inspect the herb once more.

 

Half an hour later, he placed the mushroom back into the jade box and looked at Zhou Chun with a complex expression, “Zhengchun, my dear nephew, you’re truly fortunate! A Red Crystal Mushroom that’s two hundred years old, and you just happened to stumble upon it?”

 

“Hehehe, Uncle Li, let’s not beat around the bush. How many spirit coins are you willing to give me for it?”

 

Zhou Chun smugly grinned and, with nothing to hide, directly looked at Li Siyuan and asked about the price. “How about this price?”

 

Li Siyuan spread out his hand, showing five fingers and shaking them slightly.

 

“Not good enough!”

 

Zhou Chun shook his head and said earnestly to Li Siyuan, “It’s not that I’m greedy, but you know yourself, Senior. The value of the Red Crystal Mushroom in your Li Clan’s hands is immense, and this price doesn’t do it justice.”

 

Li Siyuan, upon hearing this, couldn’t help but look displeased and said, “But this already exceeds the market price by more than double! You’re making over double profit on this deal. Isn’t that enough?”

 

Zhou Chun countered with a question, “If you obtained a Dragon Grass, would you sell it to us at the market price?”

 

Shaking his head as he spoke, Zhou Chun added, “I’m afraid you’d refuse unless our Clan Leader empties his coffers and even runs up a debt of several thousand spirit coins.”

 

For merchants, the market price was merely a reference point.

 

Rarity increased value, and for many items that were available but not in circulation, their actual worth couldn’t be measured by market price. For the Red Crystal Mushroom, it was unknown how many such mushrooms must grow before one appeared. It was completely random, making it impossible to grow them on a large scale. This meant its market price could only serve as a reference.

 

Li Siyuan’s face darkened, and he was left speechless. Indeed, if the Li Clan were to obtain a Dragon Grass, they wouldn’t even consider selling it unless forced to. Even then, they would demand that Zhou Daoyi exhaust his clan’s treasury before agreeing to part with it.

 

In the end, Li Siyuan clenched his teeth and said, “Alright, six hundred spirit coins. That’s the highest price I can offer, nephew. If you’re still not satisfied, feel free to keep.”

 

Upon seeing this, Zhou Chun knew it was time to reveal his own bottom line. He then proposed, “How about this: four hundred spirit coins plus two vials of Urging Cloud Pill. What do you say?”

 

The Urging Cloud Pill was a type of pill used by cultivators in the late Qi Refining Stage of the Li Clan to enhance their cultivation. Its effects were even better than the Yellow Ginseng Pill Zhou Chun had previously obtained from that bandit cultivator. Each vial sold for one hundred and eighty spirit coins, making two vials worth three hundred sixty spirit coins.

 

However, the main ingredient for this preparation was Solomon’s Seal and Iridescent Grass, both of which were extensively grown in the Three Absolute Sect’s herb gardens. As a result, the Li Clan’s actual cost to produce such pills was relatively low.

 

Zhou Chun’s current quote was practically right on the edge of Li Siyuan’s limit.

 

Hence the hesitant and undecided look on his face, unable to make up his mind.

 

Meanwhile, Zhou Chun made no move to rush him. He merely rapped his fingers on top of the jade box containing the Red Crystal Mushroom, ready to leave anytime.

 

After several moments of hesitation, Li Siyuan finally sighed deeply and said, “Alright! Enough! I’ll have to suffer today, but it’s a deal.”

 

Upon hearing this, Zhou Chun cupped his hands with a pleased laugh, saying, “Ha ha, it’s just like I thought, Uncle Li! You’re truly generous. Allow me to thank you!”

 

And so the two proceeded to exchange money for goods, completing the transaction right there on the spot.

 

Once the deal was done, Li Siyuan stowed away the Red Crystal Mushroom and then looked at Zhou Chun with a somewhat begrudging expression, asking, “Zhengchun, my dear nephew, be honest with me. How much did you spend on it? Tell me the truth.”

 

“One hundred and thirty five.” Zhou Chun replied with a broad smile, being completely forthcoming. “I acquired it this morning. I was afraid it might lose its freshness over time and thought I’d rush right over to bring it to Uncle Li.”

 

Li Siyuan’s eye twitched slightly, as if his heart was bleeding.

 

[How come such good fortune didn’t befall me?] he thought miserably.

 

Forcing a smile that was even harder to bear than a cry, he said, “Then I must sincerely thank you!”

 

“No need for thanks, Uncle,” Zhou Chun replied with a cheerful demeanor, apparently oblivious to the deeper meaning in Li Siyuan’s words. “If you ever receive any fine items, do take care to share them with our Zhou Clan.”

 

“An opportunity will arise, definitely!” Li Siyuan ground out through clenched teeth, determined to one day reclaim this lost face.

 

Yet at this moment, his heart ached so deeply that he couldn’t bear to linger and chat further with Zhou Chun. He quickly took leave and showed him out.

 

Upon leaving Li’s Pharmacy, Zhou Chun didn’t rush back to the Spirit Beast Pavilion. Instead, he made his way straight to the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion.

 

With six or seven hundred spirit coins in his possession already, he could afford to purchase a superior first-grade artifact from the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion.

 

Two hours later, Zhou Chun and a manager from the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion entered the testing arena located at the back courtyard of the pavilion. The place was illuminated by the glow emitted from Sun Augite stones mounted on the columns beside them.

 

The manager took out a token, formed hand seals, and directed a mystical art.

 

A faint yellow spiritual light burst forth from the token, showering down upon the seven tall copper pillars standing in the testing arena. Heavy and mighty earth-yellow spiritual energy erupted from the copper pillars, quickly intertwining to form a murky-yellow protective shield enclosing them.

 

The manager turned to Zhou Chun, who was standing behind him, and said, “Fellow Daoist Zhou, you may proceed now. The strength of this array shield is roughly equivalent to that of an inferior second-grade defensive mystical art.”

 

“Very well then,” Zhou Chun replied with a smile. He reached out and slapped his storage bag, summoning the artifact he had newly acquired.

 

A small, palm-sized earth-yellow seal emerged from the storage bag, spun around, and quickly hovered above the array shield. Zhou Chun channeled his spiritual power into the seal and intoned “Large.”

 

Everbright yellow light erupted from the earth-yellow seal as it grew to the size of a carriage in just a few breaths!

 

“Fall!”

 

Zhou Chun barked, pointing at the massive seal in the air.

 

The huge descended in response, crashing down hard onto the array shield below.

 

Boom！

 

The huge seal fell from the sky, smashing into the array shield with tremendous force. On impact, it immediately crushed the shield inward by more than half, causing intense vibrations and visible cracks spreading across its surface.

 

This stalemate lasted for roughly two or three breaths before the huge seal lost Zhou Chun’s injected spiritual power and shrunk to its original size, rebounding off and returning to Zhou Chun’s possession.

 

The steward chuckled as he looked at Zhou Chun and said, “How about it? Is the Thousand Hills Seal’s power up to your expectations, Fellow Daoist Zhou?”

 

Zhou Chun smiled bitterly with a mix of joy and concern: “I am satisfied, but I must admit its spiritual power consumption is quite hefty. Even at the Ninth Layer of Qi Refining Stage, it can only be used for three attacks!”

 

The steward, however, smoothly responded with a grin: “There’s no harm in that. With such might, Fellow Daoist Zhou can continue using it even after reaching Foundation Establishment until you acquire a second-grade artifact.”

 

“Maybe.”

 

Zhou Chun shook his head indifferently, making no further comment.

 

Upon arriving at the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion this time, when he came to purchase an artifact, he noticed that the Thousand Hills Seal—which he had seen alongside the Shooting Moon Edge before—had not yet been sold. This immediately piqued his interest.

 

However, he remained skeptical about whether its power was truly as strong as described, which was why he conducted the earlier test.

 

Now that he knew the results, and the seal’s power matched its reputation, there was little left to discuss.

 

Buy it!