Longevity starts with choosing Hextech enhancement

Chapter 305 Market Encounters: Delicious Spirit Fish (4K)

Xiao Chen intentionally followed the crowds so that he could hear all sorts of conversations along the way.

So, without realizing it, he arrived at the center of Guiyun Market.

By this time, night had completely enveloped the sky.

Not only are major shops opening their doors to customers, but even various street vendors are becoming active.

Therefore, Xiao Chen naturally heard various different hawking cries one after another.

"The best spirit ore is being sold cheaply; it's all high-quality spirit ore transported from the north."

"Come on in, take a look. These are all fine spirit wines aged for more than three years."

"Freshly cooked Rongling Spicy Sausage, only one spirit stone per sausage!"

Upon hearing that there was food, Xiao Chen paused and turned to look.

On a wooden cart sat a small stove, inside which many charcoal pieces were burning red-hot.

On the stove sat a small, but very large, oval iron pot, in which sausages were being simmered.

However, Xiao Chen's attention was drawn to the pot full of orange-red spiritual herbs.

He recognized them at a glance; they looked like chili peppers.

It's actually a poisonous herb called 'Pyrrosia lingua'!

That's why even cultivators can taste the intense spiciness when they eat it.

It's entirely due to the toxicity of the substance that it burns the consumer's tongue.

Although it is a first-tier spiritual herb, eating two less of it will not kill you; at most, it will cause a stomachache in the middle of the night.

However, if one eats this food year after year, it will inevitably damage the cultivator's sense of taste and shorten their lifespan.

Is it possible to openly sell something like this and nobody cares?

Xiao Chen noticed that quite a few cultivators were buying Rongling Spicy Sausage.

Moreover, without the stall owner reminding them, they very consciously only buy one or two sausages, plus two 'spicy' sausages to take away and chew.

After chewing, they would spit out the residue to reduce the toxicity of what they had ingested.

It's clear they knew the stuff was poisonous, but they still chose to make the deal.

Could it be that this thing is actually quite delicious?

"Give me ten!"

Xiao Chen walked over and took out ten spirit stones, lining them up in a row: "And please give me a spoonful of soup."

There's also a stack of bowls on the cart; if you choose to eat standing nearby, you can enjoy the soup with it.

"what?"

Upon hearing this, the Foundation Establishment cultivator who was busy stirring looked up, paused slightly in his work, and then readily agreed: "Alright!"

Then he brought a bowl to Xiao Chen first, saying, "Please enjoy your meal, senior."

First-tier poisonous herbs are unlikely to have any effect on Golden Core cultivators, so it's okay to eat more of them.

Upon hearing the word "senior," the surrounding cultivators turned to look at him, but then went back to drinking their soup.

There are many Golden Core cultivators in Guiyun Market, and the cultivators who live here regularly are already used to it.

Although the necessary apprehension still exists, I am not too nervous.

"what?"

However, their reaction immediately reminded Xiao Chen of the old man he had met not long ago.

It's obvious that the other party doesn't often come into contact with Golden Core cultivators, which is why they're so nervous.
He wouldn't normally think so much, but now that he's new here, he naturally pays more attention to his surroundings.

Xiao Chen immediately realized a problem.

Since the old man was not a permanent resident of the market, why would he appear here when all the shops were closed?
However, after careful consideration, he felt that this was probably not a big deal.

In the end, he was just a Foundation Establishment cultivator. Perhaps there was some special reason, but it should be insignificant.

Xiao Chen didn't think too much about it and took a small bite of the Rongling Spicy Sausage in his bowl.

Um... the taste is so-so, the main highlight is the stimulation brought by the spiciness.

However, because its effects were too weak to damage his tongue, the spiciness was noticeably weaker.

It feels like it's just average.

I don't quite understand why the monks here would eat this even though they know it's poisonous.

Could it be because the pressure to survive is too great?

"Let's find a proper restaurant and have some good food, maybe we can get some useful information."

After finishing the spicy sausage in the bowl in two bites, Xiao Chen decided to go to a better place.

Firstly, the conversations among the cultivators on the street were too brief, mostly just idle chatter with little valuable information.

We should look for restaurants or teahouses.

Those places have more people engaging in lively discussions, making it easier to obtain information.

Secondly, Xiao Chen wasn't short of money for a meal, so he might as well go and experience the quality of the local specialty food.

"Strange, shouldn't this be the center of the town? Why can't I see any restaurants?"

Xiao Chen walked through two streets but didn't see a single restaurant or teahouse.

Instead, there are shops everywhere selling and recycling magical artifacts or spiritual items.

This is clearly an unusual thing.

Logically speaking, such a large market town shouldn't lack places like this.

In addition, Xiao Chen also noticed that not only were there no restaurants here, but there also seemed to be no vendors selling spiritual herbs.

He thought about it carefully and realized that he had walked through almost half of the market.

But we didn’t see any places selling medicinal herbs along the way.

That's even stranger, okay?

On his way here, Xiao Chen had encountered so many spiritual fields where spiritual herbs were grown.

Why aren't they being sold in the market?
Where did all those magical herbs go?
The more Xiao Chen learned about this new cultivation world, the more doubts arose in his mind.

He walked a little further and finally saw a three-story restaurant in the core area.

"We finally found it! It was really hard-won."

Xiao Chen sighed and quickly walked in.

Perhaps it was because it was the hour of Xu (7-9 PM), which is dinnertime, or perhaps it was simply because there was nowhere else to go.

In short, the restaurant was quite lively, with people everywhere, upstairs and downstairs.

"Good heavens, so many Golden Cores?"

After entering, Xiao Chen glanced around and found that most of the people sitting inside drinking and chatting were Golden Core cultivators.

There are probably at least eighty, if not a hundred.

If it weren't for the fact that there was a table of Foundation Establishment cultivators in the far corner, he would have suspected that this place only catered to Golden Core cultivators.

This number is quite large.

At least according to Xiao Chen's understanding, even if the newly established Zhaokong Sect and Chongzhen Temple in the Compassionate Sea combined their Golden Core cultivators, they might not have this many people.

Moreover, half of the cultivators here are dressed in various styles.

He doesn't look like a sect cultivator; he seems more like a rogue cultivator.

"Wow, am I seeing things?"

Xiao Chen couldn't help but doubt his own judgment.

To be honest, if these people are really independent cultivators, then that's a bit too outrageous.

With such scarce spiritual energy outside, how can so many rogue cultivators cultivate Golden Cores?

As the saying goes, there must be a monster when something goes wrong.

Xiao Chen's intuition told him that there must be some kind of secret hidden here.

"Fellow Daoist, what would you like to drink today?"

Seeing a customer standing at the door looking around, the restaurant manager came over to greet him: "Please come with me, there are still many seats upstairs."

"How many of you are there? Let me find you a good seat." Xiao Chen paused his thoughts and followed the other person upstairs, asking in return, "If I'm alone, what good wine do you have here?"

"I'd also like a few dishes to go with my drinks. Do you have any recommendations for specialty dishes?"

Upon hearing this, the steward went to the second-floor window.

These are all small two-person tables by the window, perfect for enjoying your meal while looking out.

He first reached out and pulled out a chair: "Please sit down."

Then, pointing to a menu that had been placed on the table beforehand, he said, "We have everything on the menu. Pick whatever you want and I'll bring it to you."

There's even a menu.

Xiao Chen picked up the list and saw that it listed about thirty kinds of spirit wines.

The cheapest is only ten spirit stones per pound, but the most expensive sells for a full one hundred spirit stones per ounce, a huge price difference.

"Bring me a pot of 'Chunxianzui' to try."

Xiao Chen ordered the most expensive one directly, then flipped the menu over in his hand: "Another plate, um, one of each."

The number of snacks on the back is pitifully small.

There were only seven dishes in total, and only two of them were meat dishes.

They were a plate of freshly sliced ​​spirit beef and a serving of deep-fried spirit fish.

To be honest, the name sounds rather shabby and doesn't seem to match the class of this place.

However, Xiao Chen noticed that the prices listed after these snacks were not cheap.

In particular, the deep-fried spirit fish was priced at three hundred spirit stones.

Perhaps it's just an ordinary name, but there might be some hidden meaning behind it.

Since Xiao Chen could afford it anyway, he simply bought a copy of everything to see what was going on.

"Alright, fellow Daoist, please wait a moment, the wine and dishes will be here shortly."

Upon hearing this, the manager's smile widened, and he quickened his pace to go downstairs.

Xiao Chen leaned against the window, seemingly observing the people coming and going on the street, but his attention was actually focused on his ears.

Listen attentively to the conversations among the many Golden Core cultivators on the second floor.

Spirit wine is a good thing. After two cups, the cultivators were noticeably more relaxed and spoke much more casually.

While we wouldn't say we completely lost our vigilance, the discussion did go into considerable depth.

Behind Xiao Chen were a pair of young-looking cultivators.

The two were discussing the robbery at the market warehouse two days ago.

One of them was clearly envious: "So, it's basically confirmed that at least seven or eight million spirit stones are missing from the warehouse."

"No wonder that spirit thief was so bold as to attack the market."

"Sigh, I can only earn a few thousand spirit stones a month now. I don't know when I'll be able to save up a million spirit stones."

After saying that, he grabbed the cup, tilted his head back, and downed it in one gulp.

"I don't think there's anything to envy about that."

The other person shook his head, disagreeing with this statement: "Those spirit thieves are audacious and reckless, not realizing that they have to be alive to spend the money they've taken."

He also picked up his glass and took a sip.

Then he continued, "The Guiyun Sect sent two more teams yesterday, each with a full six late-stage Golden Core disciples."

“I just happened to see them coming to the market to conduct an investigation.”

"Those flying swords and those spirit robes, tsk tsk tsk, they're all top-quality goods."

"I estimate it will cost at least 300,000 spirit stones."

"This time, the real elite force should be deployed. It shouldn't be long before the spirit thief is captured and hung on the black iron spear."

As a second-tier array master, he earns slightly more spirit stones each month.

Naturally, they look down on those spirit thieves who only know how to loot.

However, in the midst of his conversation, he couldn't help but reveal a hint of longing for the Guiyun Sect.

After all, those top-grade flying swords and spirit robes cost tens or even hundreds of thousands of spirit stones each. Even if he didn't eat, drink, or cultivate, it would take him almost ten years to save up for a set.

The two also discussed the prices of many items.

"It sounds like the prices of magical artifacts here aren't too expensive."

Listening to their conversation, Xiao Chen gained a preliminary understanding of the prices of spiritual artifacts in the cultivation world.

Most of them are not much different from the original place.

Some items may be a little more expensive, but overall, the price fluctuations can be considered normal.

"Fellow Daoist, your 'Intoxicating Immortal' has arrived."

The steward promptly brought over the spirit wine on a large tray: "The other dishes are all cold, but this spirit fish is freshly fried. It will taste even better if you eat it while it's hot."

"If you need it, you can call me again and I'll take it down and heat it up for you."

"Everything is ready, please enjoy your meal!"

He gave one more instruction before taking his leave.

"This fish is a little small."

Xiao Chen saw that even though the spirit fish on the plate was covered in batter, it was only about three inches long.

He picked up the plate and weighed it in his hand, feeling that the plate of small fish weighed only about ten pounds.

Although it sounds like a lot, it's actually just about ten small fish.

The main reason is that the flesh of the spirit fish is quite firm, and a small one can weigh nearly a pound.

Moreover, based on the price conversion, this thing basically sells for thirty spirit stones per kilogram, which is honestly not cheap at all.

"Then try it while it's hot."

Xiao Chen was always one to listen to advice, so he immediately picked up a small fish that had been fried until golden brown and put it in his mouth.

With a gentle bite, it immediately produces a soft 'crunch' sound, like shattered jade falling onto a plate.

Breaking through the thin coating, the fresh fish inside bursts out, the scalding broth mixed with a hint of salt explodes on the tongue, and a sweet and fresh taste immediately lingers between the lips and teeth.

"Mmm, it really tastes delicious!"

In the past two years, Xiao Chen has actually eaten quite a lot of seafood.

Especially with Su Li feeding them, they have tasted almost every kind of seafood.

As a result, their tastes have become quite discerning.

He used to enjoy Rongling spicy sausage, but now he finds it just so-so.

However, despite its ordinary name, the dish was exceptionally well-made, which surprised him.

This is good stuff. I'll bring some back for Su Li to try before I go back.

"Why can their spirit fish be cooked so deliciously?"

Xiao Chen ate another one and found it to be exceptionally delicious. It seemed to have nothing to do with spices or cooking methods, but rather that the spirit fish itself was of very high quality.

Just as he was wondering what was going on, he heard shouts coming from downstairs.

"Fellow Daoist Zhang, come in and have some. His family just sent back a batch of fresh spirit fish, and they taste delicious."

"Oh, weren't we out of stock before? How come you sent new spirit fish from the blessed land so quickly this time?"

Upon hearing this, Fellow Daoist Zhang, who happened to be passing by, was immediately tempted: "Thank you for the reminder, Fellow Daoist Wang. I must shamelessly come in and have a taste."

"I've been busy dealing with warehouse matters these past two days and haven't been able to find the time to go."

"I almost missed this opportunity."

Now Xiao Chen immediately understood why the spirit fish here were more expensive and tasted better.

It turns out that these are good things flowing out from a blessed land.

Although he had never seen the blessed land, he could guess that it must be a place shrouded in a large spirit-gathering array, with extremely rich spiritual energy.

The spirit fish raised there are naturally of higher quality.

(End of this chapter)