Cultivating Immortality in a World of Chaos

Chapter 44: Chance Encounter

After lying low for some time, Fang Xi noticed that Situ Qingqing seemed uninterested in him. Seizing an opportunity, he disguised himself as a rogue cultivator and entered the Qingzhu Mountain Market.

This time, he wore a long dark green robe with a conical bamboo hat, appearing robust and emanating a menacing aura.

‘Last visit, I was only at Initial Stage Qi Refinement; even the waiter looked down on me.’

‘This time is much better - Middle Stage Qi Refinement already commands respect…’

As Fang Xi passed by the Hundred Skills Pavilion, his gaze remained unwavering.

For certain grudges, until the right moment arrived, he chose to silently harbor them within his heart.

After paying a single spirit crystal for a stall fee at the Situ Clan’s market outpost, Fang Xi reached his assigned spot and tapped his bag of holding.

Out came a snake skin scroll, a large quantity of eerie white snake bones, and chunks of snake meat preserved in ice.

The mixed scent of blood and decay caused nearby vendors to furrow their brows. However, seeing Fang Xi’s intimidating presence, clearly not someone to be trifled with, they dared not say anything aloud, only griping internally.

“Wow, it’s mythical beast meat!”

“Cultivators capable of hunting mythical beasts must be truly formidable!”

“I wish I could hunt mythical beasts too, but unfortunately, they’re extremely rare in the Yue Kingdom. Whenever one is spotted, local cultivators swiftly snatch them up…”

“Let me take a look!” Amidst scattered conversations, a scholar-like cultivator stepped forward and greeted courteously, “Greetings, brother. May I inquire about the quality of this mythical beast meat and its selling price?”

“It’s low-tier first-rank snake demon meat - ten pounds for one low-grade spirit stone! The snake bones as a set cost five spirit stones! As for the snake skin, let’s discuss separately…” Fang Xi replied, seated cross-legged with only a slight lift of his eyes.

“What a pity, this meat seems to have been stored for some time. Even with ice, it doesn’t appear very fresh…” The scholar lamented, rising with his assessment.

“Scram, you penniless wretch!” Fang Xi’s eyes flashed open, revealing a sharp glint.

This scholar was clearly not a body refinement cultivator, and his attire seemed hardly worth a single low-grade spirit stone. Worse still, his cultivation base was merely at the Initial Stage Qi Refinement!

He was definitely not the target customer Fang Xi sought!

“Oh… no need to get angry, brother. I’m leaving now… right away…” Fear made the scholar’s legs tremble as he quickly blended into the crowd.

The surrounding rogue cultivators chuckled, finding nothing unusual in the exchange.

In the cultivation world, those with higher cultivation bases could freely humiliate those weaker - it was the law of the jungle.

Once, Fang Xi had been at the very bottom, but now after advancing to Middle Stage Qi Refinement, he barely managed to climb slightly upwards.

Unfortunately…the summit still remained far out of reach.

“Oh? More mythical beast meat?” A gruff voice boomed shortly thereafter.

The crowd parted as a burly man, towering over two meters tall and resembling an iron tower, approached the stall. He showed no interest in the snake skin or bones, focusing solely on the snake meat.

After inquiring about the price, he shook his head, “Ten pounds for one spirit stone? Too expensive!”

Fang Xi glanced at the customer, confirming him to be a body cultivator, and promptly flashed a friendly smile. “If Daoist friend purchases fifty pounds or more, I can offer a discount…”

Following some negotiation, the burly man eventually tossed four spirit stones and bought fifty pounds of snake meat.

Sadly, after this transaction, there wasn’t much business left. Only a paper talisman apprentice arrived later, spending one spirit stone to buy all the snake blood, presumably for making talisman ink.

Unperturbed, Fang Xi displayed remarkable patience, typical among cultivators. Moreover, the spiritual energy within the market significantly surpassed that of the shantytown, providing an ideal setting for meditation.

Fang Xi continued meditating for an entire day.

As it neared time to close his stall, Fang Xi silently calculated, “Today’s sales were decent; I’ve earned nine spirit stones…”

Rogue cultivators without residential tokens were not allowed to stay overnight in the market, a measure taken to prevent them from exploiting its spiritual energy.

Just as Fang Xi prepared to pack up, he noticed two cultivators approaching while chatting jovially, causing his eyelids to twitch slightly: ‘It’s actually these two?’

The pair was none other than Chen Ping and Lu Zhi.

Chen Ping donned a lake-blue silk mage robe with golden embroidery, exuding confidence, while Lu Zhi had changed out of her mourning attire into a vibrant red dress, accentuating her charm even more.

They strolled through the market, browsing casually, and soon arrived at Fang Xi’s stall.

“Not bad, not bad! As expected, there are mythical beast hides available here!” Chen Ping poked at the snake skin but expressed some disappointment, “Unfortunately… just a low-tier first-rank beast. Daoist friend, how much for this snake hide?”

Clearly, he did not recognize Fang Xi. After all, Fang Xi had altered his appearance using cultivation techniques, appearing tall and robust, markedly different from his previous slight frame.

“Final price, ten spirit stones!” Seeing an easy target walk in, Fang Xi glanced thoughtfully at Lu Zhi and promptly raised his initial offer.

Men often tend to overspend, puffing up their wallets for appearances, especially in front of women—particularly attractive ones.

“Deal!” As expected, Chen Ping agreed without hesitation.

However, Lu Zhi furrowed her brow, “This snake skin is worth no more than five spirit stones… Isn’t ten too steep?”

“Eh… This particular snake skin is pristine and intact. With careful processing, it could yield over a hundred sheets of paper talisman material. Paper made from mythical beast hides is significantly superior to ordinary parchment, reputedly even enhancing the success rate of crafting talismans. It’s truly not overpriced…” Being good friends with Chen Ping, Fang Xi knew some tricks about paper talismans and quickly improvised convincingly.

“You’re right, moreover… Big Sis Zhi, these mythical beast hide talismans hold special significance for me… Besides, as you know, I’ve already achieved high-tier first-rank talisman mastery. The extra cost is negligible; just a few additional talismans will cover it.”

Chen Ping gazed affectionately at Lu Zhi.

‘So their relationship has reached this level already? Will I be attending their wedding next time?’

‘Wait… Has Chen Ping’s progress in the Dao of talismans truly been that rapid? Last I heard from Jiuxuan, he was just attempting to craft tier-one high-grade talismans, and now he’s succeeded? This doesn’t make sense… No, this isn’t natural for cultivation standards!’

As Fang Xi internally grumbled, Lu Zhi surprisingly agreed with his persuasion, nodding and saying, “Fine, it’s your call!”

Instantly, Chen Ping handed over ten spirit stones and took the snake demon skin.

Fang Xi watched the gullible customer depart, feeling slightly regretful.

‘Had I known earlier, I should have sold the chameleon skin too… Unfortunately, bringing it out now might raise suspicions.’

Since he had already given the chameleon beast carcass to Di Qi, selling its skin could potentially expose him. Moreover, the unique properties of such mythical beast leather tempted Fang Xi to keep it for personal use.

While observing Chen Ping leaving, Fang Xi caught a glimpse of a fleeting green figure out of the corner of his eye.

His pupils widened momentarily, but he quickly composed himself, continuing to pack up his stall as if nothing happened…

Only after exiting the market did Fang Xi exhale deeply, murmuring, “It’s Situ Qingqing… Was she tailing Chen Ping?”

“Could it be…she’s truly investigating Chen Ping, not me?”

“Was I overthinking things all along?”

“No, wait… Why would the Situ Clan show such interest in Chen Ping? Are they trying to recruit him or even abduct him as a mere tool? No, that doesn’t seem likely… Chen Ping wouldn’t merit such treatment unless he somehow breaks through to become a tier-2 paper talisman master, but that’s practically impossible.”

Fang Xi chuckled softly, burning his disguise clothes before changing back into his spirit farmer attire. He then returned to his shack to continue cultivating.

Consistency was paramount on the path of cultivation. Even if his daily progress resembled a snail’s pace, it was crucial not to neglect practice.

“Now that I have spirit stones, should I buy some medicinal pills tomorrow to aid my cultivation?” A thought crossed Fang Xi’s mind while meditating. “But is it worth it…? With the spirit stones I have, I could purchase several Blood and Qi Pills suitable for body cultivators… With these pills’ assistance, my martial arts progression would accelerate faster. If I reach the third stage of Body Refinement, trading meat or engaging in other businesses would feel much safer, allowing quicker accumulation of spirit stones. Later, I can invest in spiritual pills to enhance my cultivation, making it more efficient and boosting my combat power!”

To enhance his combat power!

With ominous clouds looming on the horizon, this reason felt even more compelling.

After all, ensuring one’s survival is always paramount!

The next day.

Fang Xi woke up early, ignoring the greetings from the neighboring female cultivator, and headed straight to the market.

Hundred Refinements Shop!

As soon as he entered, a wave of intense heat greeted him.

Despite being the largest magical item manufacturer in Qingzhu Mountain Market, Hundred Refinements Shop appeared remarkably unpretentious.

In front were counters displaying various magical items for sale, while at the back stood numerous furnaces. Here, over a dozen alchemy apprentices, under their respective masters’ guidance, worked diligently on repairing and crafting magical artifacts.

“Can I assist you, Daoist friend? Are you here to purchase magical items?” A burly blacksmith with bare arms and flushed cheeks approached courteously.

“I’d like to commission a custom magical item!” Fang Xi replied, producing the chameleon beast’s skin. “Although this mythical beast isn’t high-ranked, it excels in concealment. I wish to use this hide as material to craft a unique magical artifact suitable for stealth!”

“I see. Please come inside; I’ll fetch Master Gu!” The blacksmith led Fang Xi to a guest room. Shortly after, the door opened, revealing an elderly man with graying hair. “I am Gu Tian. This Daoist friend wishes to create a specialized magical artifact?”

“Indeed!” Fang Xi nodded.

Gu Tian examined the mythical beast’s skin thoroughly, using a peculiar magical device to inspect it for quite some time before nodding and then shaking his head. “The quality of this beast’s skin is average, with ordinary defensive capabilities… However, its integrity is relatively good, suitable for inscribing formations. Do you have any specific requirements?”

“The item’s grade doesn’t need to be high; low-grade will suffice. Defense isn’t a major concern either…” Fang Xi explained, “What matters most is concealing one’s presence effectively, ideally to the point where no mortal can detect it… As for cultivators’ Spirit Vision Technique or similar detection methods, those aren’t necessary.”

Despite having encountered numerous eccentric customers, Gu Tian was still taken aback by Fang Xi’s request. “So…this magical item is specifically targeted against mortals?”

Creating a magical item that would be easily seen through by cultivators felt like an insult to his craftsmanship!

At this moment, Fang Xi revealed his true intentions, “Therefore…there’s no need for expensive materials or special formations… Could you offer it at a cheaper price?”

In Qingzhu Mountain Market, low-grade magical items typically cost around ten spirit stones, while mid- and high-grade items ranged from dozens to hundreds of spirit stones.

However, customizing any magical item would naturally be more expensive, even if it’s low-grade.

Master Gu momentarily fell silent before responding, “Yes, I can do that for fifteen low-grade spirit stones. Please pay a deposit of five spirit stones now and sign this contract…”

The Hundred Refinements Shop had always maintained a strong reputation since its establishment. Additionally, signing the contract ensured confidentiality between both parties.

For Fang Xi, this arrangement was exactly what he desired.

After imprinting a trace of his magical energy onto the dual copies of the contract, Fang Xi paid the five spirit stone deposit and exited the Hundred Refinements Shop.