Immortality and cultivation begin with drawing talismans.

Chapter 44 Selling Stolen Goods! Magical Artifacts! [Seeking Monthly Tickets]

Yun's Chamber of Commerce.

The shop was right next to Juxianlou. Lin Chang'an disguised himself as a hunchbacked old man and slowly stepped into the snow.

"senior."

They encountered a servant, but Lin Chang'an, disguised as a hunchbacked cultivator, calmly exuded the pressure of a late-stage Qi Refining cultivator, instantly turning the servant pale.

"Go and invite your manager here."

"Senior, please wait a moment."

Just as the servant was speaking ingratiatingly, Lu Qingqing came down from the second floor with a big smile on her face.

"Sir, please go upstairs."

Looking at the familiar Lu Qingqing, Lin Chang'an knew that this junior sister was meticulous and, to avoid being seen through, he directly snorted and transmitted his voice:
“I heard that the Yun Clan Merchant Guild has a top-grade alchemist. Go tell him that I have a four-hundred-year-old spiritual herb here, and it’s up to you whether you want it or not.”

Upon hearing this, Lu Qingqing was overjoyed, and a smile appeared on her face.

The second floor.

Lin Chang'an, disguised as a hunchbacked old man, calmly surveyed his surroundings.

On the other side, Lu Qingqing couldn't hide her excitement as she cautiously whispered something to the top-grade alchemist from the merchant guild.

This over-seventy-year-old top-grade alchemist, at the seventh level of Qi Refining, was invited by Yun Yao, or rather, Yun Yao promised to protect his descendants; it was entirely a transaction.

“Indeed, one of these two medicinal herbs is about four hundred years old, and the other is about three hundred and fifty or sixty years old. More importantly, their root systems are well preserved.”

Finally, the white-bearded alchemist nodded in confirmation, and Lu Qingqing beamed with joy, for these were all rare finds.

"Senior, after examination, these two herbs are of excellent quality, 400 years old. We can offer you 1,000 spirit stones. The other one is less good, so we can only offer you 600 spirit stones."

Just a few decades apart, and the price difference is so huge.

Lin Chang'an was aware of this; the price was very fair.

"Seventeen hundred spirit stones!"

The hoarse voice echoed, causing Lu Qingqing's eyes to narrow. She had already guessed that the elixir was probably of dubious origin, but with the Li Huo Palace behind her, it didn't matter whether it was legitimate or not, as long as it was genuine.

"Senior is so generous, offering 1,700 spirit stones at this price. Consider it a friendship between our Yun Clan Merchant Guild and you. If you have any more treasures in the future, please feel free to come."

Lin Chang'an, disguised as a hunchbacked old man, gave a hoarse reply.

It was a very quick deal. Lin Chang'an left behind two medicinal herbs, took 1,700 spirit stones, and turned to leave without hesitation, disappearing into the wind and snow.

Inside the shop, the elderly alchemist frowned and said in a deep voice:
"Manager Lu, this person is in a hurry. These two medicinal herbs are probably of dubious origin."

Lu Qingqing smiled calmly upon hearing this.

"There are plenty of shady treasures in the market right now, who cares about that?"

Upon hearing this, the alchemist said nothing more, but instead lowered his head to admire the elixir.

Even he rarely sees a 400-year-old elixir.

Lu Qingqing squinted, not bothering to find out where the two spiritual herbs came from. She hoped that Yun Yao could use them to gain more sect contributions.

The more firmly Yun Yao stands, the better their future will be.

……

Amidst the howling wind and snow, Lin Chang'an, disguised as a hunchbacked old man, changed his disguise several times along the way before finally appearing in front of the Xuan Yin Pavilion's Treasure Pavilion.

"We should spend these spirit stones as soon as possible."

After all, who knows if there are any marks on these spirit stones? He didn't want to be careless and reveal a flaw.

As the saying goes, you make money in the market and spend it in the market; don't even think about taking it home.

The reason this went so smoothly was that he knew Yun Yao was not in the market, and the highest cultivation level in the Yun Clan Chamber of Commerce was only at the late stage of Qi Refining, so they couldn't see through his disguise.

This is why scouting locations is so important.

Duobao Tower.

"A high-grade magic weapon of the wood attribute, preferably one that effectively counters protective auras." On the familiar second floor, facing the familiar shopkeeper, Lin Chang'an, disguised, stated his request in a hoarse voice.

The shopkeeper smiled upon hearing this: "A top-grade magic artifact, no problem."

With a wave of his hand, two small brocade boxes floated out from behind.

"Fellow Taoist, please take a look."

As the two crimson brocade boxes were opened, the shopkeeper, with a proud smile, pointed to the first box and said:

"The Escape Needle is a top-grade magic weapon. The complete set consists of nine needles, each as thin as a cow's hair, making it extremely difficult to detect. It is absolutely an essential item for self-defense."

"There is also a second item, the 'Azure Phosphorus Needle,' which is made from the roots and stems of a six-hundred-year-old Azure Phosphorus Grass and refined gold. It is not only extremely sharp and specifically counters protective spiritual light, but also contains a deadly poison."

The first item is a complete set of magical artifacts, which requires a high level of spiritual awareness. More importantly, since a set consists of nine artifacts, a single high-grade artifact is naturally inferior to a single, high-quality one.

After all, his Wood Spirit Thorn only works effectively when used in a sneak attack; if the first strike misses, it becomes very difficult to continue.

Therefore, Lin Chang'an secretly shook his head, realizing that the first set of magical artifacts had to be discarded.

The second item, the needle emits a soft green light, and since the herb Bilin is highly poisonous, it's quite good.

"The first one is a bit too thin, and the second one is a bit too short."

Lin Chang'an shook his head, and the shopkeeper looked astonished, as if he looked somewhat familiar.

Upon closer inspection, good heavens, isn't this the same person from last time who complained about being too big and too long? This time, he's complaining about being too thin and too short.

This left the shopkeeper stunned; such a demanding request was truly bizarre.

"How many spirit stones does this second item cost?"

However, Lin Chang'an's next words left the shopkeeper speechless; it was clear that he had his eye on the second item and wanted to lower the price.

"One thousand four hundred spirit stones."

"It's too expensive. If it's a complete set of magical artifacts, it's worth the price. A single flying needle-type magical artifact would cost at most 1,100 spirit stones."

Ordinary high-grade magic weapons cost around a thousand spirit stones, while hidden weapons and flying needles are more expensive.

After some haggling, the set of magical artifacts was finally priced at 1,300 spirit stones. However, Lin Chang'an was not in a hurry to pay. Instead, he looked at the shopkeeper and said in a hoarse voice:

"I need another high-grade defensive magic artifact, one with good concealment."

Upon hearing that more purchases were needed, the shopkeeper immediately beamed with joy.

"Fellow Daoist, flying needles and hidden weapons are rare, but defensive magical artifacts are plentiful."

With a wave of his hand, seven brocade boxes appeared, some containing shields and others containing bell-like defensive magical artifacts. In the end, Lin Chang'an chose a piece of armor that could be hidden under his robes.

"Fellow Daoist has excellent eyesight. This golden silk scale armor is not only soft but also exceptionally tough. In times of crisis, it can release golden light to protect the body. I would like to offer you 1,100 spirit stones."

What a cunning old man!

Lin Chang'an was speechless. He dared to say that the extra hundred spirit stones were definitely done on purpose by the shopkeeper.

As expected, the Golden Silk Scale Armor was eventually sold for one thousand spirit stones.

The two high-grade magic artifacts were sold for a total of 2,300 spirit stones.

In less than a day, Lin Chang'an not only spent all 1,700 spirit stones he hadn't even had time to warm up, but also lost another 600.

Even if there's something wrong with these spirit stones, they're already in the Xuan Yin Pavilion, and it has nothing to do with him.

After leaving the Treasure Pavilion and disappearing into the snowstorm, the shopkeeper on the second floor looked at the spirit stones, squinting and muttering to himself.

"The world is getting more and more chaotic lately; these high-grade magic artifacts are selling so fast."

I'm asking for your support with monthly votes and recommendations for my new book.

As for readers saying not to feel too stressed, don't worry, this book will follow the plot development. The protagonist will break through as soon as he reaches the foundation stage. There won't be a situation where the protagonist needs hundreds of thousands of words to reach the foundation stage.

To give you a little spoiler, the protagonist's Foundation Establishment phase will likely be around 200,000 words, depending on how things develop.

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(End of this chapter)