Vampire Cultivation Notes

fire!

Even in the last glimmer of daylight, Li Jieqing felt as if he were walking into a sea of ​​fire as he left the room.

He had to pull his cloak tighter to block out the last rays of the setting sun.

It wasn't until we left the tavern and entered Taipingfang North Street that the sky finally darkened completely.

Li Jieqing breathed a sigh of relief and began to focus more on his business on North Street.

Taipingfang Market was originally a place where rogue cultivators mingled, and the North Street area was even more chaotic.

It's inconvenient for cultivators to sell their treasures of dubious origin to Wanbaoge, so they often change the name and sell them at a discount in North Street, benefiting unsuspecting and daring individuals.

There are also professional counterfeiters, people recruited for treasure hunts, and those who sell information...

One stall after another, some chaotic, some disorganized.

Just as there are all sorts of people in the secular world, the cultivation world is much the same; everyone is trying their best to live.

"Jiang Wei?!"

Not far from a linen stall, Li Jieqing stopped and silently watched as his murderous enemy, Jiang Wei, negotiated with the stall owner.

The man had put on some disguise, but it couldn't fool Li Jieqing, whom he had known for many years.

About fifteen minutes later, Jiang Wei left without noticing, and Li Jieqing followed the flow of people to the stall where he had bargained.

"Old Liu, look at these pills I just made. They're perfectly potent. What's the price?"

Li Jieqing handed the first pill he had refined to the stall owner.

Old Liu is over sixty years old, but he is in good spirits and has a burly build.

This man is a veteran of Taipingfang City. In his youth, his cultivation reached the late stage of Qi Refining. Unfortunately, he was injured while hunting demonic beasts, which caused his cultivation to regress, and he has been stuck at the sixth level of Qi Refining ever since.

Without the cultivation level of the late stage of Qi Refining, he was unable to hunt demonic beasts, so Old Liu turned to doing some reselling business on North Street. Relying on his previous connections, he did this business for decades and made a name for himself in the market.

"A low-grade Devotion Pill costs one spirit stone."

Old Liu took the pill, glanced at it, and casually gave a price quote.

"Wanbaoge's price is 50% higher than this!"

"That's because they sold it to you." Old Liu scoffed as he returned the pills, saying calmly, "If you took them to Wanbaoge, I guarantee you wouldn't even get a single spirit stone for them."

"..."

That's actually true.

As far as Li Jieqing knew, most of the pills in his former employer's pill workshop were supplied to Wanbaoge. The quantity was large and plentiful, with several alchemists taking turns to work, producing pills like an assembly line.

With access to legitimate sources, Wanbaoge might not even be willing to accept a mere low-grade Fengxin Pill.

"Since you recognize me, you must have come because of my reputation." Old Liu squinted at Li Jieqing's face under his hood, and finding him completely unfamiliar, he casually pulled out a spirit stone: "My price is fair for North Street. Shall we do the business?"

"Fine."

Li Jieqing handed over the pill, but instead of taking the spirit stones, he handed over the small half of a hundred-year-old ginseng that he had shown to the tavern waiter earlier.

"I'm selling this too. I'll just buy two feet of chicken blood vine from you."

"Chicken blood vine, chicken blood vine... what's this?"

Old Liu muttered a few words, then suddenly paused, and his expression visibly became more enthusiastic.

"Only two feet, I think it's more convenient to take more."

Instead of rushing to get the small half of the century-old ginseng, Old Liu got up, took a knife, and cut a good-quality section from his own whole chicken blood vine, handing it over with both hands.

Li Jieqing quickly estimated with his eyes that it was two feet and three inches.

"I'll give you four spirit stones," Old Liu said with a chuckle.

You're such a shrewd person.

Li Jieqing carefully put away the chicken blood vine, knowing that Old Liu had guessed something from the freshly made Fengxin Pill.

"Now let's look at this half-section of a century-old ginseng. The quality... hmm..."

The quality is really that bad.

After much deliberation, Old Liu finally came up with a price: two spirit stones.

Li Jieqing had anticipated this, so he simply sold all the auxiliary materials he had prepared to refine the Qi-Nourishing Pill, and finally obtained two feet of chicken blood vine in return.

"Take it back and try it. If I can refine it with my own blood, I'll become rich on the spot. If not, I'll continue using cultivators' blood to slowly break even."

Having finally grasped the basics of alchemy, Li Jieqing gained the courage to take a gamble and attempt alchemy.

“Eh…”

After putting away the chicken blood vine, Li Jieqing glanced at the magical artifact displayed on Old Liu's stall.

Old Liu, with his sharp eyes, saw this and took the initiative to explain: "This sword is called Qingshui. It was originally considered a fine low-grade magic weapon, but unfortunately, there are some cracks on the blade, and it hasn't been repaired for many years. It's not very usable now. If you want it, I'll only charge you two spirit stones."

This magnificent magical artifact has been passed from one hand to another, then to the third, and now it only costs two spirit stones.

However, Li Jieqing simply shook his head in the face of such an enormous offer.

His gaze never left the Azure Water Sword, but he suddenly said, "Old Liu, on my way to Taiping Market, I came across a story that involves the Yu family, a reclusive and independent cultivation family. I'll sell you this information for five spirit crystals."

"Oh, I'd like to hear more about it."

……

Not long after, Old Liu watched Li Jieqing leave, his hood pulled down, a thoughtful look in his eyes.

"Brother Liu, the chicken blood vine seems to be the main ingredient of the Fengxin Pill, and there is also a Fengxin Pill that has just been produced. It is likely that the unfamiliar young man is an alchemist."

"Judging from his age, he's definitely not at the late stage of Qi Refining. Should we take advantage of him since he's just arrived at the market?"

Old Liu's neighbor, who was also a stall owner, suddenly came over and cautiously offered suggestions.

"Don't rush, take your time, and do things cleanly so as not to ruin my reputation."

Old Liu waved his hand, silencing the neighbor who was about to say something.

He looked again at the Qingshui Sword he had just acquired and shook his head repeatedly.

Jiang Wei and his wife had always had an excellent reputation, but unexpectedly they suddenly killed the Yu family and Uncle Li from the alchemy workshop.

The important thing is that the killing was witnessed and leaked right after it happened.

If their reputations collapse, those two will probably be out of a job.

Now everyone's avoiding those two calamities.

Especially Uncle Li from the alchemy workshop, who is said to have been friends with Jiang Wei and his wife for decades, never expected to face this calamity in his old age.

Poor thing, so pitiful...

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

"A meeting of ruler, ministers, assistants, and envoys! A clash of dragons and tigers!"

"Pregnancy Elixir!"

"Nourish your skin!"

"It's done... Damn, it's actually a mid-grade item!!!!"

A tavern courtyard.

Li Jieqing could barely suppress his wild laughter.

As the heat subsided, a perfectly round pill infused with the blood of the vampire rose from the cooling, dark cauldron. The pill's patterns disappeared, and its reddish exterior seemed to glow, releasing a fragrant aroma.

This wasn't the first time Li Jieqing had seen a mid-grade elixir, but it was the first time he had seen a mid-grade elixir that belonged to him.

Mid-grade Fengxin Pill!

The market price at Wanbaoge is ten spirit stones!

Alas!

I've succeeded, Daoist Master!