My path to immortality began with my posting to guard Dawancun.

Chapter 125 Pill
"What's wrong? Brother Si, is there a problem?"

Seeing the change in Si Houqing's expression,
Shen Changchuan couldn't help but ask.

"Of course."

Si Houqing gave a bitter smile.

"To be honest, Brother Shen, don't be fooled by the fact that my Sanhe Chamber of Commerce looks decent on the surface. In reality, calling it a chamber of commerce is just me and my friends putting on a show."

"Small chambers of commerce like ours can only eat scraps that the big chambers of commerce in the neighborhood don't even look at. We don't even have the right to sit at the table."

"For us, a high-grade pill like the Nourishing Essence Pill is not only unavailable, but even if we had a source, who in this desolate land could afford it?"

"Actually, the few bottles of Blood Slaughtering Three Demons pills that you consigned to me last time, Brother Shen, were already among the best pills that our Sanhe Chamber of Commerce has ever sold that can improve cultivation to the seventh level."

Si Houqing's expression also showed some helplessness.

Cultivators in this desolate land
They were mostly poor people who were just tending to their small plots of land and passing on their family businesses.

There are not many cultivators even at the seventh level of Qi Refining.

Even if there is,
For example, Wujiaji,

They were also reluctant to spend spirit stones to buy Qi Nourishing Pills for a Qi Refining Stage 7 cultivator to use.

It's not that the Yangyuan Pill is ineffective.

It's just too expensive.

They would spend thousands or even tens of thousands of spirit stones on a mere seventh level of Qi Refining cultivation.
This is not worth it at all!
It would be better to save the spirit stones and go to Tiannan City or even the cultivation world of Yue Kingdom, which are further away, to try your luck and see if there are any Nascent Soul Pills up for auction.

Nourishing Essence Pill,
Those are precious things that only the legitimate sons and daughters of aristocratic families can enjoy!
It's for customers who don't mind spending a lot of money!
Even the major cross-border trading companies in Qingcheng only have a small amount of inventory, which they display to demonstrate their strength.

I want this Nourishing Essence Pill,

He, Si Houqing, was truly powerless.

After listening to Si Houqing's explanation, Shen Changchuan was also somewhat taken aback.

"In that case, what about the second-best quality pills?"

Desperate to obtain the Nourishing Essence Pill,
Shen Changchuan could only turn his attention to other pills.

"If it's of the second rank, and it's used for cultivating to the seventh level of Qi Induction, then it's the Azure Jade Pill."

"Although this pill does not have the effect of stabilizing the foundation like the Nourishing Yuan Pill, it contains a trace of wood element vitality, has a mild medicinal property, and has a slight ability to nourish the meridians and muscles. Moreover, there is no need to worry too much about pill toxicity when taking it. It is a good pill for the seventh level of Qi Induction."

Si Houqing thought for a moment and then spoke.

But then he looked at Shen Changchuan, his eyes showing a hint of embarrassment.

"These Qingyu Pills are generally available in major merchants in Qingcheng, and they cost around 500 spirit stones each. But if Brother Shen wants them, I'm afraid you'll have to go to Qingcheng yourself. I can't help you with that."

Seeing Shen Changchuan's somewhat puzzled expression,

Si Houqing explained:

"Brother Shen, please don't blame me."

"It's not that I don't want to help, brother, but the Sanhe Chamber of Commerce is just a small chamber of commerce, and our strength is not strong."

"The precious medicine Qingyu Dan is beyond the reach of our small Sanhe Trading Company."

“Now that a large number of cultivators are flocking to the borderlands, the road from Qingcheng to Dawan Village is fraught with danger. If the news that we have purchased the Qingyu Pill and intend to transport it to Dawan Village spreads, its extremely high value will surely attract many people to scramble for it. Sanhe Trading Company simply does not have the strength to safely escort it here.”

Si Houqing shook his head slightly.

He was telling the truth, and there was nothing false about it.

He had seen Shen Changchuan's potential, and if possible, he wouldn't mind helping him buy some pills as a favor, thus leaving a good impression.

But this is simply impossible.

A Jade Pill worth several thousand spirit stones is enough to attract the attention of some late-stage Qi Refining cultivators. Don't tell me that large trading companies are trustworthy and won't reveal the buyer's information, or that there's no need to worry about outsiders coveting it.

The managers and clerks of those large trading companies were just ordinary workers.
Once the profits become large,
They didn't mind selling the information to some ruthless bandit gangs outside the city.

The Sanhe Chamber of Commerce lacks the capacity to protect the transport of Qingyudan to Dawancun.

and,

Although he was the manager of the Sanhe Chamber of Commerce,
But there are several other shareholders in the chamber of commerce.
To gamble the future of the Sanhe Chamber of Commerce by transporting Qingyu Dan to Shen Changchuan—this kind of thing…
Neither can he.

"Brother Shen, I'm really sorry about this. I can't help you with this."

Si Houqing said with a face full of apology.

"Brother Si, there's no need for that. Just telling me about these pills used in cultivation is already a great help to me."

"As for the pills, I'll make a trip to Qingcheng myself. At worst, I can just find a cultivation cave there and go into seclusion to cultivate. There's no need to trouble you too much, Brother Si."

Shen Changchuan was not the kind of person who would turn a great favor into an ungrateful one.

It's a favor if someone helps you; it's their right not to.

No one is obligated to help anyone else.

Moreover, once Si Houqing explained his predicament, it was clear that there was indeed nothing he could do about it.

Shen Changchuan naturally wouldn't make things too difficult for others.

Seeing Shen Changchuan's calm reaction,

Si Houqing couldn't help but breathe a slight sigh of relief.

Fortunately, the other party did not hold a grudge because of this.
It seems,

The other party was not such a heartless person.

This isn't just Si Houqing overthinking things.
It's not that one kind of rice feeds a hundred kinds of people; there are indeed ingrates in this world who have helped someone a lot, but then become resentful when someone stops helping them.

“Brother Shen, although I am unable to bring you such precious things, I have been operating in Qingcheng for many years and have some connections.”

"I'll give you a token. If you go to Qingcheng to buy those precious pills, you can go through my channels. I might be able to give you a significant discount."

Si Houqing took the initiative to speak to Shen Changchuan.

At the same time, he took out a jade talisman and handed it to him.

Shen Changchuan didn't stand on ceremony either.
Take it.

He also expressed his gratitude to Si Houqing.

He would never easily refuse the benefits of such connections and resources, as every bit of spirit stone he could save was a good thing.

However, Shen Changchuan quickly thought of something.

If he were to go to Qingcheng,
It's probably best not to go there with that face.

So he asked:
"By the way, Brother Si, do you have any disguise techniques here?"

Si Houqing glanced at him, vaguely guessing what was going on, but didn't ask any further questions.

"Such things certainly exist."

"After all, many people sometimes do things without revealing their faces, and those things have a certain market."

"I wonder what Brother Shen needs?"

Between talking,

Si Houqing then showed Shen Changchuan several disguise techniques, as well as a mask that could change one's appearance by covering the face.

(End of this chapter)