Su Wen looked around the Pill Pavilion for a while but found nothing else that piqued his interest.
Hand in hand with Du Yue, under the watchful eye of their little Emperor Suzume, he returned to the counter to collect their packed goods and settle the bill.
The attendant completed the packing with practiced efficiency, then respectfully presented a storage ring with both hands.
"Sir, your total comes to 1,250 Mid-Grade Spirit Stones. However…" He paused, then took out a silver-shimmering token engraved with five interlinked black rings.
He straightened slightly, as if recalling a set of rehearsed lines he was about to recite, while doing his best to maintain a dignified air.
"Due to your exceptional patronage, the Pill Pavilion's Chief Steward has approved issuing you our Silver-Ranked Membership token."
"This token grants a 10% discount on all future purchases exceeding 100 Mid-Grade Spirit Stones at any of our branches worldwide."
'Oh? They even have a membership system in the cultivation world...' Su Wen raised an eyebrow inwardly.
The attendant continued without missing a beat, maintaining his professional smile.
"In addition to our Pill Pavilion, this token may also be used at Treasure Tower, Skyfaring Pavilion, the Central Guild, and the Myriad Auction House."
He lifted another hand, displaying a small plaque illustrating the ranking tiers.
"Silver is our second-lowest tier. To advance to Gold rank, you must complete transactions totalling over 1,000 Mid-Grade Spirit Stones, or 10 High-Grade Spirit Stones, on three separate occasions."
"Silver is our second-lowest tier. Above it, we have Gold, then Platinum, followed by Diamond, and finally the legendary Black Token… reserved exclusively for our most esteemed customers."
He continued, "Furthermore, this token allows you to communicate with the nearest affiliated branch for special item requests, though such requests may incur a small Spirit Stone fee."
"And no matter where you are, it can guide you to the closest store using a detection array," he added with a faint, proud smile, "ensuring you're never far from what you need."
"To activate the token, only a drop of your blood is required. Your name is mandatory; all other information is optional."
Su Wen, Du Yue, and Suzume stared silently at the attendant. He had been speaking non-stop for nearly a minute straight, without taking a breath.
"…Alright," Su Wen finally said.
He nodded, took the token in hand, and effortlessly bit his finger, letting a drop of blood fall onto its surface.
The silver shimmer of the token absorbed the blood, and Su Wen felt a faint spiritual link form between himself and it.
A subtle fluctuation of Qi pulsed from the token, confirming the connection.
At the same time, the small wound on his finger began healing visibly, accelerated by his Yang-oriented body cultivation.
Satisfied, Su Wen stored the token away. Then he produced another storage ring and flicked it lightly toward the attendant.
"I want to sell these."
The attendant caught the ring smoothly and examined its contents with his spiritual sense.
His eyes widened in surprise when he detected 9 Low-Grade 3 Spirit Pills and 12 Peak Grade 2 Spirit Pills.
Without asking any questions, he said respectfully, "Young Master… this is worth approximately 150 Mid-Grade Spirit Stones."
Without hesitation, Su Wen retrieved a storage ring... his accumulated reserves of 8,100 Low-Grade Spirit Stones, equivalent to 81 Mid-Grade Spirit Stones... and gently tossed it toward the attendant.
At their current cultivation level, Low-Grade stones were practically useless and took up far too much space. It was far better to convert them into something more valuable.
After exchanging the pills and Low-Grade stones, only the remainder of the bill remained: 895 Mid-Grade Spirit Stones.
Su Wen handed over another storage ring filled with Mid-Grade Spirit Stones. The attendant accepted it gratefully and, in return, presented Su Wen with the final packed storage ring.
"Young Master, thank you for your patronage. We look forward to serving you again," the attendant said with a deep bow.
Su Wen nodded, checked the items one last time, and, with Du Yue and Suzume in tow, walked out of the pavilion.
The attendant remained behind, staring after them with a blank expression.
"…just who exactly is this young master…?"
Meanwhile, earlier, somewhere else in the city…
A young man and woman clad in crimson robes stood back to back, surrounded by eight figures in black.
A sinister aura rolled off them like thick smoke… though only four were truly alive.
The other four were corpses, refined into puppets, each controlled by one of the living dark cultivators. Their movements were stiff yet unnervingly fluid, like marionettes dancing on invisible strings.
Two of the living cultivators and two of the corpse puppets emitted the pressure of Early Golden Core experts. The remaining four radiated the aura of Peak Foundation Establishment.
The crimson-robed woman's eyes were icy as she spoke, her voice sharp as a blade.
"So you fled to the Eastern Continent… but what makes you think you can act freely here?"
One of the black-robed men sneered. His face was gaunt, his skin pale like a corpse left too long in the dark. Evil qi coiled around him, making his presence almost nauseating.
"You dare slaughter my subordinates… mere ants from some countryside village…" His eyes gleamed viciously. "If I don't refine your corpse today and turn you into my finest puppet, how else will I vent this hatred?"
"Even if you think this a mere countryside…," the crimson-robed woman, April, shot back coldly, "scum like you won't run rampant here."
The crimson-robed young man beside her, Lance, stood with his arms crossed, exuding arrogance.
He finally spoke, his tone calm… almost bored.
"Enough talk. I'll burn them to ashes. I don't have all day to listen to this nonsense."
"Hehehe… you truly are fiery and impatient... exactly my type!" the second black-robed man chuckled, his aura equally tainted with evil qi as he licked his lips, his gaze crawling over the young man's body as if already claiming it.
"We're short on time as well," he continued lazily. "Let's kill them quickly and seize their bodies before the City Lord and his reinforcements arrive."
The air grew heavy.
Killing intent surged.
The first Golden Core cultivator stepped forward and added indifferently, "Try not to damage their bodies… make it clean."
Lance took out a crimson spear from his storage ring and gripped it in his right hand.
His gaze turned razor-sharp, flames flickering in his eyes. Faint crimson scales surfaced along his skin, shimmering as if heating in anticipation of battle.
He swept his gaze over the Golden Core cultivators and their puppets, then said coolly,
"April, I'll handle the Golden Core trash. Hold off the other four for a moment."
April nodded.
In the next instant, her legs fused together, transforming into a sleek serpent tail and revealing her Lamia heritage.
She untied the crimson silk ribbon woven into her green hair and held it taut between her hands. The fabric fluttered like a living serpent in the air... graceful, deadly, and ready to strike.