After asking about everything she was interested in, Mo Tiange smiled slightly and said, "Consider this bottle of pills as your payment. Tell your grandfather that I'll be taking my leave now."
With that, she stood up, pushed the door open, and left.
"Senior!" Lv Qiongying hurried after her, but by the time she stepped outside, Mo Tiange's figure was nowhere to be seen. She stood there dazed for a moment before letting out a troubled sigh. She had messed up the task her grandfather had given her. However, thinking of that bottle of pills, she brightened up again. No matter what, she had made a huge profit.
Mo Tiange concealed her aura and, following Lv Qiongying's directions, flew towards Beiji Island.
She had originally planned to stay with the Lv Family for a while longer, hoping to learn more about the Yunzhong cultivation world from Lv Qingdong's mouth. She hadn't expected them to be so cautious and suspicious, making her feel it was quite troublesome. But it didn't matter. Once she reached Beiji Island, she could slowly gather information.
Nanjie Island was indeed very small. After flying for just a short while, Mo Tiange saw the strait the Lv Family had mentioned. Calling it a strait was generous—it was barely two li wide. Even a Qi Refining cultivator could easily cross it using talismans.
Yet, despite being separated by only these two li, the Spirit Veins were worlds apart. Even before reaching Beiji Island, Mo Tiange could sense that this large island had at least three or five quite decent Spirit Veins, even somewhat better than the Cloud Mist Mountain of the past. In comparison, Nanjie Island was merely a small hill with a bit of Spiritual Qi. No wonder the highest cultivation level in the Lv Family was only early Foundation Establishment, yet they could exclusively occupy Nanjie Island. To the people of Beiji Island, this Spirit Vein was simply not worth mentioning.
Flying over the strait, she immediately saw a bustling town on Beiji Island, teeming with cultivators. Foundation Establishment cultivators were also not uncommon.
She landed at the town entrance and was just looking around when she suddenly heard an enthusiastic voice by her ear: "Esteemed Senior, Esteemed Senior, is this your first time coming to Beiji Island?"
Mo Tiange paid no mind, but then this person moved right in front of her and repeated the question. Only then did she realize he was talking to her.
The person who had addressed her was a youth who looked only sixteen or seventeen. Though he had a faint trace of Spiritual Qi, he hadn't even reached Qi Refining Level 1. He was clearly a mortal who mingled in the marketplace.
She swept a glance over the youth and asked indifferently, "Is there something?"
The youth immediately broke into a wide smile and said respectfully, "Esteemed Senior, you look like a high-level expert at the Foundation Establishment Stage. I wonder if this is your first time coming to Beiji Island?"
"That's right." Mo Tiange's gaze rested on the youth. He was dressed in short clothes, his arms bare, not looking like he was trying to sell her something. Yet, with that eager, ingratiating smile, he looked exactly like someone soliciting business.
"Then, Esteemed Senior, did you come to Beiji Island to visit friends or to hunt Demon Beasts?"
Hearing this, Mo Tiange narrowed her eyes, staring at the youth.
Seeing her expression, the youth hurriedly explained: "Senior, please don't misunderstand. I'm a broker. I'm always at this market. When I encounter cultivators new to our Beiji Island, I try to drum up some business to make a living..."
"Oh, I see." Mo Tiange withdrew her unfriendly gaze and asked, "So, what kind of business are you trying to drum up?"
Seeing she seemed quite interested, the youth's face lit up with joy as he enthusiastically explained: "That depends on what the Senior is here for. Not to boast, but I've grown up on Beiji Island since I was little. There's nothing about this island I don't know."
This youth was quite confident. Mo Tiange smiled and asked, "Suppose I were here to visit friends, what would you do? And if I were here to hunt Demon Beasts, what then?"
The youth answered with a smile: "If the Senior is here to visit friends, then as long as you can tell me your friend's name and cultivation level, I have ways to have someone look for them. If the Senior is here to hunt Demon Beasts, then I can find you a suitable place to stay, introduce you to fellow cultivators also here for hunting, and also, I have maps of Beiji Island that mark where different Demon Beasts are. I can also introduce you to merchants who collect Demon Cores, guaranteed to be big merchants with fair prices."
Mo Tiange was slightly surprised: "You're not a cultivator. How can you know big merchants who collect Demon Cores?"
The youth scratched his head sheepishly: "To be honest with you, Senior, I don't have any other skills. I'm just slick and know how to please those shopkeepers and managers. They're willing to give me a little something for my efforts. Also, I often refer some business their way. I don't make much, but it's a source of income."
After listening to him, Mo Tiange thought for a moment and said, "I'm new here and need a place to stay. Can you make a recommendation?"
Hearing this, the youth was overjoyed and said enthusiastically, "I wonder what requirements the Senior has? A place with richer Spiritual Qi, or just average? How big a place? A Cave Abode or a regular dwelling? How long will you be staying?"
Mo Tiange said: "Spiritual Qi just needs to be passable. A Cave Abode or regular dwelling is fine. Size doesn't matter either. I just require it to be quiet. As for how long I'll stay, that's hard to say. Maybe a few days, maybe a month or so."
"I see..." The youth lowered his head, calculating for a bit, then said, "Senior, since your stay is indefinite, renting a Cave Abode isn't suitable. With no requirements for Spiritual Qi or size, it sounds like an inn would be more appropriate. I know a few inns that have independent small courtyards, specifically for high-level experts like you. The Spiritual Qi is pretty good, there's service available at all times, and it's absolutely quiet." At this point, the youth smiled ingratiatingly. "It's just the price... might be a bit on the higher side."
"Oh? What's the price?"
"About one Spirit Stone per day..." The youth emphasized again, "This price is still cheaper than renting a good Cave Abode."
Mo Tiange smiled and asked again: "And what about your commission?"
Hearing this question, the youth rubbed his hands together sheepishly and said, "Senior can just give me a little something for my trouble."
Mo Tiange smiled. She knew that if a deal was made, these brokers could get a fee from the merchant for their efforts, so they weren't too demanding about a 'trouble fee'.
Not wanting to draw attention, she said, "One Spirit Stone per day is acceptable. Just find me an ordinary one."
"Yes." The youth looked at her and inquired, "Will the Senior come with me to take a look now?"
"Mm."
Having settled the matter with the youth, Mo Tiange followed him through streets and alleys. In no time, they arrived at the entrance of an inn. The inn was located on a not-too-bustling street, neither new nor old, with a moderate flow of people—just fitting her requirement for "ordinary."
"Senior, please come in." The youth took the lead. As soon as they entered the inn, he called out loudly, "Manager Dong! Manager Dong!"
Hearing his voice, a portly middle-aged man emerged from behind the counter. He had no Spiritual Qi at all—a complete mortal. He patted the dust off his hands, glanced at the youth, and said, "Oh, isn't this Little Table? What, here to collect last time's commission? Let me tell you, that guest was too hard to please. Didn't pay much and ran my assistant all over the place... Here, this is all. Don't complain it's too little. If it weren't for our old friendship, I wouldn't even want to give it."
The manager fished out a small piece of silver from a drawer and handed it over.
The youth called Little Table took it and chuckled, "How could I complain it's too little? What's our friendship? Am I, Little Table, the kind of person who's so profit-driven they can't tell right from wrong? But this time it's different. I've brought a distinguished guest this time. Look!"
Manager Dong looked up casually, glanced over, and upon seeing Mo Tiange standing behind him, was startled. He quickly came out from behind the counter and said respectfully, "Esteemed Immortal, are you here to stay?"
Mo Tiange didn't answer, just looked at Little Table. Little Table took over: "This Senior is a high-level Foundation Establishment expert. She wants to find a quiet place to stay temporarily. Don't you have a few small courtyards here? Are any still available?"
"Yes, yes, yes!" Manager Dong beamed. "Esteemed Immortal, how many days will you be staying? We have three small courtyards left. One has abundant Spiritual Qi, the other two have average Spiritual Qi. Putting everything else aside, when it comes to quietness, there's no need to say more."
Facing the eager gazes of the two, Mo Tiange smiled slightly: "Then let's go take a look."
"Yes, yes, yes." The manager called out to a attendant and personally led the two to see the courtyards.
Going out the inn's back door, there was actually a small hill. As the manager led the way, he chattered on with introductions: "Immortal, of the three small courtyards we have left, the one with abundant Spiritual Qi is a bit farther away. The ones with average Spiritual Qi are just not far behind here. The best is, of course, the one with abundant Spiritual Qi. It's farther away, has dedicated service, and is elegantly furnished. The other two aren't bad either, just the Spiritual Qi is slightly inferior."
As he spoke, Mo Tiange had already seen the two courtyards he mentioned with relatively average Spiritual Qi. They were located within a valley, built in two full rows, with each courtyard spaced a hundred zhang apart and many trees planted in between.
She extended her spiritual sense to feel them. Of these two rows of small courtyards, five or six had the aura of cultivators. After brief consideration, she said, "And the other one?"
Seeing she wasn't very satisfied with the courtyards before her, Manager Dong became even more eager. He made a gesture of invitation: "There's another one deeper inside. Immortal, please."
Although this valley was small, the Spirit Vein was quite good, no worse than the one the Lv Family had on Nanjie Island. It seemed this inn must be backed by a cultivation family or similar force. The further in they went, the denser the Spiritual Qi became. After walking half a li, at the place with the densest Spiritual Qi, they saw two more courtyards.
"Immortal, please look." Manager Dong pointed to the two courtyards nestled among the trees. "This is the place with the densest Spiritual Qi in this small Spirit Vein. We only built two courtyards here, spaced very far apart. You won't be disturbed."
Mo Tiange looked them over. These two courtyards were separated by a small grove. If no one intended to cause trouble, there shouldn't be any issues.
After a moment's consideration, she made a decision and asked: "Which courtyard is still vacant?"
Manager Dong pointed to the one slightly closer to the outside: "That one. The one further inside is also occupied by an Immortal, but she's not around most of the time."
Mo Tiange nodded. That was best—she wouldn't be disturbed. Having walked through underground waterways for over a month, all she wanted now was to find a place to rest properly.
Manager Dong led her into the small courtyard among the trees. A mortal woman was cleaning in the courtyard. He called out loudly: "Ayin!"
The woman turned around. Seeing the manager bringing a guest in, she quickly curtsied in greeting.
Manager Dong said: "Immortal, please see. There are three rooms here. This room can be used for alchemy, this one for cultivation, and this small hall in the middle can be used for receiving guests. Also, if you have a spirit beast, you can keep it here. If you need anything, just instruct Ayin to do it. If there's nothing, she'll be in the small side room and absolutely won't disturb you."
Mo Tiange looked around and was quite satisfied. Although the courtyard was small, it was elegantly furnished and had everything needed. She could even stay for a year or half a year without issue.
"Is the Immortal satisfied? Shall we settle on this one?"
Mo Tiange asked: "What's the price?"
"One Spirit Stone per day." Manager Dong beamed, repeating, "Rest assured, this price is absolutely fair!"
Mo Tiange nodded, took out a handful of Spirit Stones from her Qiankun Bag, and handed them to the manager: "I'll stay here for about ten days for now. If I stay longer, you can collect payment again."
"Yes, yes." Manager Dong bowed repeatedly. "Then I won't disturb you further."
Little Table, who had been following behind all along, watched those dozen or so Spirit Stones, his eyes also crinkling into a smile. With so many Spirit Stones, at least one of them was his commission! He stepped forward and said: "Senior, I'll take my leave now too."
Mo Tiange nodded with a smile, then reached into her Qiankun Bag again and handed him a Spirit Stone: "Consider this for your trouble."
Little Table's eyes lit up, and he thanked her repeatedly: "Thank you for the reward, Senior!"