Translator: CinderTL
Song Wen gazed at Ye Xuan, who stood just inches away, his eyebrows slightly raised.
"Oh? May I ask how many spirit stones your esteemed establishment currently has available?"
Ye Xuan replied, "Three thousand eight hundred high-grade spirit stones. As for the remaining one thousand two hundred high-grade spirit stones, it depends on which spiritual objects you require, fellow Daoist. Rest assured, we will do our utmost to fulfill your needs, provided we have them in stock."
"Do you have souls of high-level demon beasts?" Song Wen asked.
"Yes," Ye Xuan answered promptly. "We have three fifth-tier demon beast souls and twenty-three fourth-tier demon beast souls."
"These demon beast souls are worth no more than two hundred high-grade spirit stones at most," Song Wen remarked. "That's barely a fraction of the total."
"Our establishment also carries a wide variety of fourth-tier medicinal pills," Ye Xuan suggested. "I'm sure you'll find them useful, fellow Daoist."
Since Song Wen was displaying a peak nascent soul cultivation level, Ye Xuan naturally recommended fourth-tier medicinal pills.
"Does your establishment happen to have any fifth-tier pill formulas?" Song Wen inquired.
"Fifth-tier pill formulas?" Ye Xuan's eyes flickered with hidden meaning as she glanced at Song Wen. Her tone suddenly became more respectful. "We do indeed have several fifth-tier pill formulas for sale."
Song Wen turned and walked back to his chair. After settling back into his seat, he slowly spoke.
"Fellow Daoist, please show me what you have."
"Very well!" Ye Xuan returned to her seat and handed a jade slip to Song Wen.
Song Wen accepted the jade slip, probed it with his Divine Sense, and began to examine its contents.
The jade slip contained records of eight fifth-tier medicinal pills, all commonly used by Divine Transformation Stage cultivators.
These included: the Harmony Origin Pill for enhancing cultivation, the Golden Return Pill for restoring Spiritual Power, the Toxin Suppression Pill for detoxification, and the Rhythmic Spirit Pill for restoring a cultivator's Divine Sense.
Presumably to prevent the Pill Formulas from being leaked, the formulas within the jade slip were incomplete, providing only the names and brief descriptions of each medicinal pill's effects.
Song Wen said, "I'll take all these Pill Formulas. Also, please provide a supply of Spirit Herbs for each formula."
Ye Xuan replied, "Fellow Daoist Ye Hua, each fifth-tier Pill Formula is priced at fifty high-grade spirit stones, making the total cost for eight formulas four hundred high-grade spirit stones. The remaining six hundred high-grade spirit stones should be enough to purchase approximately eighty portions of Spirit Herbs, ten portions per formula. Furthermore, as previously promised, all Spirit Materials will be discounted by twenty percent. Therefore, I will provide an additional five portions of Spirit Herbs per formula. Are these terms satisfactory?"
"Agreed," Song Wen replied.
Ye Xuan's face lit up with delight, and she immediately waved her hand.
A jade slip and numerous jade boxes materialized in mid-air.
Song Wen scanned them with his Divine Sense. The jade slip contained detailed Pill Formulas for eight types of medicinal pills, while the jade boxes held precisely fifteen portions of Spirit Herbs for each formula.
After storing the jade slip and boxes, Song Wen manipulated the teleportation token with his Spiritual Power, sending it floating toward Ye Xuan.
"Fellow Daoist Ye, where are the spirit stones?"
Ye Xuan glanced at the token before her. "I'll count them out for you right away."
With that, she handed Song Wen a storage pouch.
Song Wen accepted the pouch and found exactly three thousand eight hundred high-grade spirit stones inside—no more, no less.
Both parties had obtained what they desired, and the transaction was complete. They exchanged smiles.
"Fellow Daoist Ye Hua, if you ever have other treasures to sell, please visit our shop. We also have a wide selection of treasures ourselves, so please consider patronizing us."
Song Wen replied, "Fellow Daoist Ye is a straightforward person. I will certainly frequent your shop in the future. When I do, I hope you'll offer me some discounts."
After exchanging a few more polite but insincere pleasantries, Ye Xuan suddenly produced a jade slip and handed it to Song Wen.
"Fellow Daoist Ye Hua, our Ye Family has recently been tracking down a traitor. This jade slip contains her personal information. If you happen to know anything about her whereabouts, please contact me immediately. Rest assured, your efforts will not go unrewarded. The Ye Family has offered a substantial bounty for her capture."
While Ye Xuan spoke, Song Wen had already finished reading the contents of the jade slip.
A flicker of surprise flashed deep within his eyes.
The person the Ye Family was hunting was none other than Ye Bing.
This meant Ye Bing had somehow managed to escape from Jiang Lanruo and Chi Qi, surviving their pursuit.
Song Wen found it puzzling. Though Ye Bing had married into the Jiang Family, she still bore the surname "Ye." Why would the Ye Family assist the Jiang and Chi Families in hunting her down?
Moreover, they had offered an exorbitant bounty of one thousand high-grade spirit stones.
If the Ye Family were to offer Ye Bing assistance now, she would undoubtedly feel grateful and return to their fold. This would add another peak Divine Transformation cultivator to their ranks. Who knew, she might even advance to the Void Refinement Stage someday.
"I have heard of Fellow Daoist Ye Bing before," Song Wen said. "She married into the Jiang Family long ago and should be considered one of their own. Why is your family still pursuing her?"
Ye Xuan replied, "I'm not entirely clear on the true reasons myself. However, I've heard rumors that Ye Bing attempted to harm Jiang Yushan, the second young master of the Jiang Family. She not only severely injured him but also killed two of his Divine Transformation Stage guards. If Senior Jiang Lanruo of the Jiang Family hadn't arrived in time, Jiang Yushan might have perished as well. Furthermore, this incident seems to involve Chi Qi, the Ancestor of the Chi Family. Under pressure from both the Chi and Jiang Families, my Ye Family had no choice but to issue an order to hunt down Ye Bing."
"I see," Song Wen said. "If I learn of Ye Bing's whereabouts, I'll be sure to contact you, fellow daoist."
After a few more polite exchanges, Song Wen took his leave.
Ye Xuan escorted Song Wen to the entrance of Treasure Origin Hall and watched his figure soar into the sky. She let out a long sigh of relief.
The moment Song Wen produced the teleportation token, she had felt an immense pressure emanating from him, as if she were being constantly watched by a malevolent spirit lurking in the shadows. This compelled her to exercise extreme caution.
Otherwise, why would she have so obediently completed the transaction?
Five thousand high-grade spirit stones was a fortune that would tempt any nascent soul cultivator.
When Song Wen offered a fifth-tier pill formula as collateral, she had already begun to suspect that he might be a Divine Transformation Stage cultivator.
This was also why she had proactively brought up Ye Bing's wanted status.
Cultivators of Song Wen's mysterious origins, who operated outside the three great families, often maintained connections with one another, sharing resources and information. It was possible he might even have contact with Ye Bing.
As for the teleportation token, whether it would be auctioned off for resources or given to a family cultivator was beyond her control.
Although the Chi Family's Teleportation Array activated every ten years, the Ye and Jiang Families received only a limited number of teleportation slots, and at a steep price.
After leaving Treasure Origin Hall, Song Wen wasted no time in exiting the ghost market. He activated his escape technique, transforming into a streak of light that shot rapidly into the distance.
He changed direction several times, repeatedly confirming that no one was following him, before finally flying toward his cultivation cave.
Upon arriving above the mountain peak where his cave was located, he learned from the Shadow Gu left behind that no cultivators had approached the area during his absence.
Only then did Song Wen feel safe enough to enter the cave. He re-established the defensive and concealment formations before resuming his cultivation.
Time passed swiftly during his cultivation, and in the blink of an eye, nineteen years had elapsed.
During this period, Song Wen rarely left his cave, except for occasional trips to Crimson Rainbow City to purchase spiritual materials. He devoted himself almost entirely to rigorous cultivation.
Over those nineteen years, he crafted thirty-two Substitute Puppets. Combined with his existing stock, he now possessed seventy-eight such puppets—likely more than enough to traverse the Rotting Miasma Ridge.
However, this also meant that Song Wen had completely exhausted all the spirit stones he had obtained from selling the teleportation tokens.
In his spare time, Song Wen refined Jiang Shi's black umbrella. This low-grade defensive spirit treasure was named the Spirit Guard Umbrella.
He also refined and consumed a significant number of Blood Demon Pills, which slightly improved his cultivation.
Additionally, Song Wen occasionally studied the eight fifth-tier pill formulas, but he never attempted to refine them.
These cultivation-related activities progressed steadily according to plan. While he made some progress, everything remained within Song Wen's expectations. What truly surprised him was the process of refining the Substitute Puppets, which involved repeatedly tearing apart and repairing his divine soul.
This repeated cycle tempered his divine soul like a hammer striking metal. Two years ago, his Divine Sense had successfully advanced to the mid-stage of the Divine Transformation realm.
This unexpected breakthrough was a welcome surprise.
(End of the Chapter)
---
📖Read (RDC) on Pa.treon@CinderTL - c1240. [+2]
🔑Read upto Ch1056 for FREE visit the pinned post on my p@treon to learn how!🎉
💥Translated (6) Series, (4.6K+) Chapters, (6.7M+) Words.