Establishing a Clan in the Eastern Wilderness: A Daily Divination, Cultivating Longevity in a Grotto

Hearing someone ask the price, the little girl saw a glimmer of hope and turned to Li Changsheng, kowtowing and pleading:

"Master, master... please buy me! I'll do anything, like be a slave, just don't go to a brothel..."

Hu San felt a little embarrassed, and fearing that Li Changsheng would leave, he gritted his teeth:

"One hundred and eighty! That's the lowest I can offer!"

Li Changsheng shook his head again, his gaze sweeping over the stack of books, deliberately showing a hint of disdain, yet also as if asking casually:

"You sell these tattered books too?"

Hu San was eager to get rid of his daughter to raise gambling funds, so he didn't care about those "tattered books" he couldn't understand, and hurriedly said:

"If you sincerely want my girl, fellow Daoist, these books... these miscellaneous items, are all extras! One hundred and fifty spirit stones! That's really the lowest I can offer!"

"Too expensive"

Li Changsheng lifted his foot and walked away.

Seeing this, Hu San's daughter tightly gripped the hem of his clothes with her little hands:

"Master... eighty... eighty spirit stones, please? I'm good at work, I can serve people, I eat very little... please..."

She knew what a brothel was; once you went in, you could never come out again.

Hu San was furious when he heard his daughter trying to lower the price herself, but seeing that Li Changsheng seemed somewhat interested, he feared the negotiations would fall apart completely. He glared at his daughter and said to Li Changsheng:

"Fellow Daoist, look, this girl herself said... one hundred spirit stones! One price! Take all this junk!"

Li Changsheng looked at the pair of clear eyes at his feet, filled with fear and pleading, then glanced at the animal-skin book. Finally, he moved his lips slightly and transmitted a message to Hu San.

Hu San was taken aback at first, then a struggle and hesitation flashed across his face. Finally, he looked at his daughter, who was crying so hard she was almost exhausted, and then thought of the gambling debts that were about to be due and the ruthless look of the gambling den thugs. He gritted his teeth:

"Okay! Deal!"

Upon seeing this, Li Changsheng took out a jade box that he had prepared beforehand from his bosom and handed it to Hu San.

Hu San took the jade box, opened it, and saw that inside was a mid-grade first-tier magma fruit and three low-grade first-tier qi-gathering pills. His face immediately lit up with a greedy green light, and he no longer had any affection for his daughter. He casually handed the stack of books and the rolled-up cloth to Li Changsheng and said eagerly:

"Here you go, it's all yours!"

Having said that, he didn't linger for a moment. Gripping the jade box tightly, he turned and ran wildly towards the gambling den deep in the market, disappearing into the crowd in an instant.

"Dad..." The little girl watched her father's heartless departure, tears silently streaming down her face, but more than that, she felt a sense of relief and bewilderment.

Li Changsheng looked down at her.

The little girl noticed the gaze, trembled, immediately turned around, and kowtowed three times to Li Changsheng, her voice choked with sobs but clear as she spoke:

"This servant, Hu Xiaoyue, greets my master. I am grateful for your life-saving grace. I am willing to serve you as my servant to repay your kindness."

After saying that, without waiting for Li Changsheng's instructions, she took the initiative to get up and used her thin arms to pick up the stack of books and miscellaneous items that Li Changsheng had placed on the ground. She held them tightly in her arms, her small face tense, trying her best to appear calm and reliable. However, her slightly trembling body betrayed her inner fear.

Just then.

As Li Changsheng pondered, the Book of Destiny transmitted a familiar vibration, and a new line of text appeared:

[The family has acquired a servant with a special physique (unawakened), increasing its hidden influence.]

[Family Luck Value +100]

[Current Family Luck Value: 815/1000]

Special constitution? Unawakened?

Li Changsheng's heart stirred slightly.

Unexpectedly, the purchase of the elixir formula brought with it such an unexpected gain.

"Get up. From now on, just call me clan leader," Li Changsheng said calmly. "Follow me for now."

"Yes, clan leader," Hu Xiaoyue replied obediently, carrying her things and following closely behind Li Changsheng.

Li Changsheng said to Du Liuniang and Chen Wenyuan:

"Let's go to the Treasure Pavilion!"

"Um"

Du Liuniang responded, glanced at the little maid, and then unconsciously glanced at Li Changsheng, seemingly lost in thought.

……

The Baibao Pavilion is a five-story building with carved beams and painted rafters, exuding an extraordinary grandeur.

Li Changsheng and his group of four entered, and a servant in blue robes greeted them. His gaze swept over them—they were all at the third level of Qi Refining, and there was also a dirty little girl carrying miscellaneous items. His initial enthusiasm immediately faded, and he merely offered a perfunctory cupped-hand salute.

"Fellow Daoists, please feel free to browse. Our store has everything you could want: elixirs, magical artifacts, and talismans."

After saying that, he turned around and went to greet another guest who was dressed smartly and had a more robust aura.

Li Changsheng didn't care; he was happy to have some peace and quiet.

The four of them then wandered around the lobby on the first floor on their own.

On the shelves, bottles of elixirs were sealed in jade bottles, with their names and prices labeled next to them; magical artifacts were displayed inside light shields, shimmering with spiritual light; and there were also various talismans, materials, and books, all categorized and displayed in a dazzling array.

But the price was astonishing.

"First-grade low-level Qi Condensation Pill, one bottle (three pills) for fifteen low-level spirit stones."

"A bottle of mid-grade first-tier Qi-restoring pill costs forty-five spirit stones."

"A low-grade first-tier Qingfeng Sword (imitation), 25 spirit stones."

……

His gaze fell on the spiritual fruit section, where he saw a label for a fruit that was entirely crimson with lava-like patterns on its skin:

"First-tier, mid-grade 'Rock Berry,' containing pure fire elemental power. Mid-stage Qi Refining cultivators can improve their cultivation by consuming it, especially beneficial for breaking through minor bottlenecks. Price: Sixty low-grade spirit stones/berry."

Sixty yuan each!

Li Changsheng touched his treasure pouch.

He also has six magmaberries.

The first time this spiritual fruit is taken, its effect is best; the second time, its effect is halved; and the third time, its effect is negligible. He originally planned to sell them all for spirit stones, but later he obtained Cheng Laosan's treasure pouch, which gave him some financial flexibility. So he only took four with him, leaving the remaining two in the clan in case the clan members needed them for breakthroughs.

At this moment, Du Liuniang, who was standing next to her, also stopped in front of the display case of rock berries.

Seeing this, Li Changsheng moved his lips slightly and transmitted a few words to Du Liuniang telepathically.

Du Liuniang was taken aback at first, then a look of surprise flashed in her eyes. She turned to look at Li Changsheng and nodded slightly.

"There are too many people and too many eyes here. Let's talk about it after we leave the market," Li Changsheng transmitted his voice.

Du Liuniang understood.

The group looked around again and found that while the quality of the items here was good, the prices were generally 10% higher, or even more, than at the independent repair stalls outside. Being short of money, they could only look. Soon, the four of them left the Treasure Pavilion.

Next, Li Changsheng went to a specialized spirit beast shop and bought more than a hundred fish fry adapted to the underground river environment, which he then packed in a specially made spirit water bag.

Then, they arrived at a small but bustling weapon-refining workshop with a roaring fire and constant clanging sounds. Li Changsheng took out the main materials he had obtained from the unicorn crocodile—the tough crocodile skin, the hardest skull fragment, and the unicorn horn.

The shopkeeper was a middle-aged man with a bare upper body and bulging muscles. He had the cultivation level of the ninth level of Qi Refining. He took the materials, examined them carefully, and then weighed the single horn in his hand.