The Legend of Fangren

"It's not like this is the first time I've encountered someone like that, why are you still so angry?" Nanhe said, sitting down after finishing packing the pills.

Tu Xiaoqing shrugged her shoulders, frowned, and said sadly, "I'm just so angry! Every single pill is something we've refined bit by bit. If our reputation is tarnished for no reason, who will we sell our pills to in the future?"

Even so, she understood that she just wanted Nanhe to comfort her a little more.

Fang Shi, standing nearby, asked curiously, "Do you two seniors usually make money by selling pills? Just now, I saw that troublemaking merchant downstairs had at least twenty pills in his pill box. If each batch only produces one pill, does it mean it takes a whole day to refine a box of pills?"

If that's the case, then alchemists must have a tough job.

Nanhe sat down and naturally took Tu Xiaoqing's hand, smiling as he replied, "Of course. The Dan Body is of Hunyuan, also known as External Hunling. It is precisely because it is like a living thing with all five elements that it has such effects upon consumption, and how could it be considered one of the three treasures of cultivation?"

He glanced at Xiaoqing with affection in his eyes, paused, and then continued, "However, Xiaoqing and I are indeed no match for the great alchemists. We met a few years ago when I was just a novice alchemist with shallow cultivation. Later, I was appreciated by Zhu Huan'e, the owner of the alchemy shop, and was fortunate enough to become a disciple of the Xuan Dan Sect. I am very satisfied with what I have achieved today."

Upon hearing this, Fang Shi was surprised to learn that Senior Tu Xiaoqing had come down the mountain to seduce a young woman. He then asked, "But if refining the elixir would take a whole day, wouldn't that interfere with your daily cultivation?"

Tu Xiaoqing replied, "No, the reason why newly initiated disciples need to consume spiritual items and practice their cultivation techniques every day is because their inner energy circulation is not yet complete. They need to constantly stimulate and replenish their profound energy. Once they reach the Nourishing Breath Realm, they don't need to rush their daily cultivation. Especially after forging their natal profound weapon and starting to cultivate their outer energy circulation, once cultivators begin to refine more natural profound energy, they should not be too hasty. From this stage onwards, learning a skill is more beneficial for self-cultivation."

Nanhe then smiled and said, "The path of cultivation is also the path of nature. When an ordinary person cultivates to the point of perfect self-cultivation, he can live to be a hundred years old. When he reaches the point of perfect rest and recuperation, his lifespan can be close to one hundred and fifty years. In so many years, how many things can one do and how many people can one meet? Therefore, there is no need to rush. One should reflect on oneself, experience life and worldly affairs, and perfect one's state of mind in order to pave the way for future cultivation."

Fang Shi learned a lot from these words. This trip down the mountain has indeed allowed him to understand many life philosophies. The two people in front of him are like this, as is the old village chief of Hekou Village.

In his previous life, Fang Shi neglected reality because of the internet. Every day passed by in a daze and he always felt that it was too short. He was always restless and anxious. But in his years in the Xuan Realm, although he also struggled with the difficulties of survival, after living two lives and throwing himself into reality again, he seemed to have found his original heart that he had lost in the virtual world.

At this moment, Tu Xiaoqing spoke up, pulling Fang Shi back from his reverie: "Brother Fang, there are a few boxes of healing pills that were just refined today in this room. They're still warm. Would you like to buy some? This is a rare opportunity. If it weren't for the sake of our colleagues in the Dragon River Sect, many independent cultivators outside would have already reserved them. It would be really difficult to buy them."

"Of course I'll buy some," Fang Shi readily agreed.

Since you've been so kind, and I've learned so much from you, I have no choice but to buy it; after all, I won't lose out.

"Senior, how much is one box of healing pills?"

"Just follow the shelf price, one hundred each, five in a box," Tu Xiaoqing replied.

Fang Shi thought about it and realized that the wealthy merchant had carelessly squeezed more than twenty pills into the box, which explained why something went wrong.

Seeing Fang Shi pondering, Nanhe assumed he didn't have much cash on him, so she said kindly, "Don't worry if you don't have cash. Xiaoqing is an impatient person; she's dragging you into this business because she's eager to sell your goods."

Before he could finish speaking, Fang Shi's hand trembled, and with a loud crash, a pile of cash appeared on the table.

"Wow..." Tu Xiaoqing exclaimed in surprise, "That's at least three or four thousand! You carry so much cash with you? Could it be that you really are Elder Qu's junior... or perhaps you're his son?!"

"..." Fang Shi shook his head silently.

Senior, you've probably been down the mountain for too long and can't remember what Elder Qu looks like. Although we're both handsome, we're handsome in different ways.

Tu Xiaoqing didn't care about any of that. She happily counted the money on the table and told Nanhe to quickly get the pills. For every five hundred coins, she would place a box of pills on the table.

After placing five or six boxes, Nanhe noticed there was still a lot of money left on the table and asked, "Young man, are you sure you want to use all this money to exchange for pills?"

I noticed you didn't count the money when you took it out.

"No problem." Fang Shi waved his bangs confidently, his face practically screaming:

We're not short of money.

While he was at it, he also inquired whether the alchemy shop accepted items.

The answer is naturally yes, they do. According to Nanhe, the alchemy shop buys all kinds of spiritual herbs and plants, and the proprietress personally selects and processes them to ensure quality. Otherwise, their alchemy shop would not be able to grow and thrive in a place like Emerald City.

That's good, now we have another place to exchange money.

When he returned to the inn at night, his senior and junior sisters immediately surrounded him, exchanging money for goods.

the next day.

As Fang Shi went downstairs, he heard the innkeeper seeming to be chasing people away again. However, this time the people were very stubborn and refused to leave, no matter how much he was persuaded.

Fang Shi went downstairs and asked Luo He, who was also watching the show. She said that the elder had already refused on their behalf. Fang Shi then went closer to listen. He heard the man talking about some kind of secret treasure, which was a great bargain... Moreover, from what he said, he wasn't looking for mere second-level disciples; he had his eye on an elder with fourth-level cultivation.

But the elder had other matters to attend to and of course could not agree. The steward tried his best to persuade him to leave and go to the back room to prepare breakfast for the guests.

However, the speaker meant no harm, but the listener took it to heart.

After telling the elder and finding an excuse, Fang Shi slipped out of the post station, changed into a gray traveler's outfit, and secretly followed the rogue cultivator from before.

The rogue cultivator walked dejectedly down the street, his face covered in stubble. He was all alone, and even carrying a sword couldn't hide his disheveled and pathetic state.

He quietly approached and, once beside him, said, "I just overheard this fellow Daoist mentioning some secret treasure in front of the inn. I'm quite interested."

"Oh?"

A light immediately rose in the rogue cultivator's eyes, but then dimmed, and he sighed, "Brother, the secret realm I mentioned is an underground cave, located hundreds of meters underground. A few days ago, someone went to explore it. It is said that there are third-order mystical monsters inside, which are extremely dangerous."

"Of course I understand."

"Then why do you still ask, brother?" The rogue cultivator couldn't sense Fang Shi's cultivation level, so his words were already quite tactful.

However, Fang Shi said, "To be honest, my cultivation level is actually only at the third level of Qi Gathering Realm."

"Hmm? Could it be that you're carrying a magical artifact to conceal your presence?"

"Exactly."

Fang Shi nodded, making up stories without blushing.

The rogue cultivator immediately perked up, his eyes darting around, and said, "In that case, we might as well try our luck."