The appearance of a Nascent Soul cultivator instantly quieted the second floor of the Jingxu Pavilion. Even the customers and clerks who had been whispering earlier stopped their conversations in unison, their gazes intentionally or unintentionally falling upon the newly arrived Nascent Soul cultivator.
Although there were quite a few Nascent Soul cultivators in Yunzhong, they were not figures that ordinary cultivators like them could casually encounter. Eight or nine out of ten cultivators below the Core Formation stage would never see a Nascent Soul cultivator in their entire lives.
This Nascent Soul Senior before them appeared to be around thirty years old, with a handsome, clear-cut face and an imposing heroic air. Yet, despite his youthful appearance, a few strands of white hair were mixed within his pitch-black tied-up locks, adding a touch of vicissitude. But precisely because of this, his already outstanding demeanor carried a weary, solitary air that drew the attention of others even more.
"Senior's visit to our Jingxu Pavilion is truly an honor for our humble establishment. This junior is Liu Xiaoqing, the shopkeeper of the Jingxu Pavilion. How may I be of service to you?" Looking at this Senior, Liu Xiaoqing's heart involuntarily skipped a beat. She prided herself on having met countless people and had seen many more handsome men in the cultivation world, yet she had never encountered someone like this. But she didn't forget this was a Nascent Soul Senior and immediately collected her thoughts, respectfully inviting him to a private seat with utmost courtesy.
The screens around the private seat blocked the gazes of others. The two other Foundation Establishment cultivators had already cleared away the items from the previous transaction. Liu Xiaoqing stood respectfully to the side, awaiting instructions.
"Ahem, ahem." The Nascent Soul cultivator covered his mouth and coughed twice before speaking. "Does your shop have any medicinal pills for healing injuries?"
Liu Xiaoqing was taken aback for a moment before suddenly understanding. So this Senior had a youthful appearance but white hair because he was injured.
Though she guessed this in her heart, she still answered respectfully on the surface: "Senior, our shop does indeed have several types of injury-healing pills. However, Senior is at the Nascent Soul stage. Even some legendary spirit pills might be of little use to you."
The Nascent Soul cultivator nodded, not seeming surprised. He tossed out a jade slip and said, "In that case, take a look and see if you have these few materials."
"Yes." Liu Xiaoqing picked up the jade slip and carefully read through it, then smiled. "What a coincidence. If Senior had come just one step earlier, we truly wouldn't have had some of these things. It just so happens that a cultivator sold us a large amount of materials earlier, which included the spirit herbs and Demon Cores Senior requires."
"Is that so?" Such a coincidence made the Nascent Soul cultivator raise an eyebrow, but that was all. He asked flatly, "Are the years sufficient?"
"Our shop's appraiser has examined them; they should meet Senior's requirements." Liu Xiaoqing paused and asked, "Should this junior go fetch them now for Senior to inspect?"
The Nascent Soul cultivator nodded, silently sipping his tea, coughing from time to time, not sparing her another glance.
Liu Xiaoqing dared not delay. She immediately returned to the counter, gave a few instructions to the Foundation Establishment cultivator who was sorting items, and soon returned with several spirit herbs and Demon Cores. "Senior, please appraise them."
The jade boxes were opened. Among the Demon Cores, some were fifth-rank, some sixth-rank. Apart from being relatively uncommon species, they weren't exactly rare. However, a few of the spirit herbs made his eyes light up. Over these past days, he had almost traveled to all the major cities in the northern part of Dongtang Kingdom but had never found these few spirit herbs. Some people had never even heard of them; others who knew of them said these spirit herbs were rarely produced in Yunzhong. He had almost given up hope and was considering seeking other medicinal herbs instead, never expecting to find them here in Yunyi City.
Observing his expression, Liu Xiaoqing was now certain that, barring any mishaps, this deal was as good as done. She couldn't help but smile. Her luck today was truly good. Although they had spent several hundred thousand Spirit Stones, the items received were of extremely high value, and they had closed two major deals. The items that Senior Ye and this Senior wanted were both worth tens of thousands of Spirit Stones...
"Not bad. I'll take all of these." Just as she was lost in thought, the Nascent Soul Senior put down the spirit herb in his hand and spoke.
Liu Xiaoqing beamed with joy and bowed. "Then shall this junior pack them up for Senior?"
This Nascent Soul cultivator nodded. "What is the price?"
Liu Xiaoqing deftly packed away the spirit herbs and Demon Cores before her, affixed talismans to prevent spiritual energy loss, tallied them up, and reported a total price: "For all these items, rounding off the odd amount, it comes to fifty-two thousand Spirit Stones in total. If Senior doesn't mind waiting a moment, this junior will prepare a detailed list."
The Nascent Soul cultivator, however, said, "No hurry. Since you are the shopkeeper here, I presume you are well-informed. This Lord would like to ask a few questions. May I?"
How could Liu Xiaoqing refuse a question from a Nascent Soul Senior? She immediately said, "If Senior has questions, this junior will certainly tell all she knows."
The cultivator coughed twice again before asking, "Have you heard the name Ye Xiaotian?"
Liu Xiaoqing thought for a moment. "Senior..."
The Nascent Soul cultivator continued, "She is a Core Formation female cultivator, probably already at the late stage." He paused, then added, "It's also possible she has formed her Nascent Soul, who knows. She looks young, around twenty, very beautiful..."
At this point, the cultivator stopped speaking, his expression slightly hesitant. These descriptions were hardly distinctive. Among Core Formation female cultivators, many appeared to be in their twenties and were young and beautiful. But as for true distinguishing features, he felt they were not for outsiders to know.
Sure enough, after hearing this, Liu Xiaoqing looked very uncertain. "Senior, what you've described is really hard to identify..." Moreover, "probably already at the late stage" and "it's also possible she has formed her Nascent Soul, who knows"—such descriptions were too vague. Could it be that even this Senior didn't know the cultivation level of the person he was looking for? However, the name Ye Xiaotian did sound somewhat familiar.
She thought carefully, a flash of inspiration crossing her mind, then she frowned suspiciously. After pondering a bit more, she finally said, "Senior, the Core Formation female cultivator you described, this junior has not met. However, the name Ye Xiaotian, this junior has heard before."
"Oh?" The Nascent Soul cultivator raised an eyebrow and looked at her. "Go on."
"This junior heard over a decade ago that there was a Core Formation Uncle-Master in my sect who was on good terms with a Core Formation Senior named Ye Xiaotian. That Senior was very young but had already reached the late Core Formation stage. However, that Senior was a male cultivator, not a female one."
Upon hearing this, the Nascent Soul cultivator fell silent.
Liu Xiaoqing waited for a moment, but when he didn't speak, she couldn't help but call out, "Senior?"
Hearing her voice, the Nascent Soul cultivator finally asked, "Then do you know where he went later?"
Liu Xiaoqing shook her head. "This junior does not know that. I only remember this matter because I have been managing the shop for the sect for many years and always pay attention to people and events. If Senior wishes to inquire about this Senior Ye's whereabouts, this junior can report it to the sect on Senior's behalf."
Hearing this, the cultivator nodded. "First settle my bill."
"Yes." Liu Xiaoqing retreated respectfully.
With no one else in the private seat, the Nascent Soul cultivator pondered for a moment before taking out a piece of beastskin parchment from his robes. On the polished parchment was drawn a young woman. Her appearance was familiar to him, but the name was one he had never heard.
"Qin Wei, Qingwei... Tian Ge, I know it's you. But everyone in Yunzhong says Qin Wei has been missing for over a decade. Where am I to find you?"
After leaving the Jingxu Sect's shop, Mo Tiange did not immediately go to the Yuxi Tower to rest. Instead, she found another artifact-forging shop and walked in.
Half a day later, she emerged from this artifact-forging shop, having spent another large sum of Spirit Stones.
During those years in the Western Barbarian Lands, she had found a stalk of Mystic Iron Heartwood. If crafted into a boat, it was said to be able to withstand the fierce winds and giant waves at sea. Since she was planning to go to the Guixu Sea this time, she thought it over and decided to first refine this Mystic Iron Heartwood into a Magical Treasure to increase her chances.
But her own artifact-forging skills were truly not up to par. After much thought, she decided it was better to have someone else forge it. Yunzhong was vast; finding an artifact-forging master capable of crafting a Magical Treasure shouldn't be difficult. After all, Mystic Iron Heartwood was rare, and she couldn't afford to waste it.
Fortunately, when she had passed through Yunyi City in the past, she had also heard that there were several artifact-forging shops in the city with good craftsmanship. She found the one with the best reputation and entrusted the matter to them.
Afterwards, she took care of various other miscellaneous tasks before returning to the Yuxi Tower to rent a quiet small courtyard. She settled in, meditating and regulating her breath while waiting for news.
It had been nearly ten years since she last came to Dongtang Kingdom. While dealing with the manager of the Yuxi Tower earlier, she heard an interesting piece of news.
The Three Major Righteous Sects had jointly announced to the world that the true Fusheng Sword had appeared. They invited the owner of the Heavenly Demon Tower to gather at the Guixu Sea to discuss important matters.
Upon hearing this news, Mo Tiange couldn't help but laugh. If it were before, she might have truly doubted whether the Fusheng Sword in her possession was fake. But she had triggered the restrictions within the Fusheng Sword and received Fuyaozi's personal teachings, so the authenticity of the Fusheng Sword was beyond doubt. Presumably, this was a rumor deliberately spread by the Three Major Righteous Sects to lure "Qin Wei" out.
This strategy wasn't particularly clever, but driven by potential gain, if "Qin Wei" was truly still in Yunzhong, she would likely be unable to resist going to verify it.
After hearing about it, Fuyaozi said disdainfully, "A bunch of fools. Even if the Fusheng Sword fell into their hands, so what? Could they still find someone who could make the Fusheng Sword acknowledge a master?"
This was the first time Mo Tiange had heard Fuyaozi speak of others in such a tone. This master of hers was usually mild-tempered and a perfect gentleman, but when it came to his Fusheng Sword, he couldn't help himself.
Mo Tiange already knew that the five Sacred Objects required acknowledging a master before they could be used. The Three Major Sects were anxious to find the Fusheng Sword, probably because they had already found people who could make the three Sacred Objects in their possession acknowledge masters.
However, this couldn't be blamed on the cultivators of the Three Major Sects. They didn't know the Fusheng Sword had already acknowledged a master. Most likely, they were thinking of obtaining the Fusheng Sword and quickly finding someone who could make it acknowledge a master.
The people from the Jingxu Pavilion acted quickly. The next day, they delivered the items and Spirit Stones. After Mo Tiange checked them, the transaction was completed.
After waiting a few more days, the artifact-forging shop, after wasting more than half of the Mystic Iron Heartwood, finally completed the Magical Treasure. The artifact-forging master named it the Ten-Thousand-Mile Solitary Voyage Boat. Although the name was rather vulgar, Mo Tiange couldn't be bothered to object. What it was called wasn't important; what mattered was that this Magical Treasure could truly withstand the fierce winds and giant waves at sea.
After obtaining the Ten-Thousand-Mile Solitary Voyage Boat and settling her lodging fees, Mo Tiange did not linger any longer. She set off for the Guixu Sea.
Several days later, at the end of the month, Liu Xiaoqing, following regulations, sent a batch of rare treasures back to the Jingxu Sect. By chance, she encountered that Nascent Soul Senior who had come to the Jingxu Sect to inquire about "Ye Xiaotian" and had been detained by the sect's Nascent Soul Patriarch.
This Nascent Soul Senior's gaze was immediately drawn to a particular bottle of pills among the items.
Seeing his expression, the Jingxu Sect's First Seat Supreme Elder, Perfected Lord Miaoying, asked with a smile, "Fellow Daoist Qin, could it be there's something here that interests you?"
This Nascent Soul cultivator surnamed Qin was still staring at that bottle of pills. He asked, "Fellow Daoist Miaoying, you don't mind if I take a look, do you?"
"Of course not. It's nothing particularly precious. If Fellow Daoist Qin takes a fancy to it, feel free to take it." Perfected Lord Miaoying smiled, expressing great generosity. Although these items were valuable, they weren't much to a Nascent Soul cultivator. If they could be used to befriend a powerful mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator, it would absolutely be worth far more than their value.
Having received permission, the cultivator surnamed Qin raised his hand, and the jade bottle automatically flew into his grasp. He examined the jade bottle carefully, as if it were a treasure, before finally opening the stopper and smelling the pills inside.
"Immortal Breeze Dew..." he murmured to himself. The next moment, he lifted his head and looked sharply at Liu Xiaoqing. "Junior, where did you obtain these pills?"
Liu Xiaoqing was startled by his gaze and hurriedly answered, "They were sold to the Jingxu Pavilion by a cultivator. Oh, that cultivator shares quite a fate with you, Senior. A large portion of the spirit herbs and Demon Cores Senior wanted were sold to our shop by that cultivator."
Hearing this, his expression changed slightly. He asked again, "What was her name? What was her cultivation level? What did she look like? When did she sell them to the shop? Where did she go?"
Faced with this series of questions, Liu Xiaoqing dared not delay and answered them one by one: "This junior only knows he was surnamed Ye, a Core Formation stage male cultivator, appearing as a young scholar. It was on the very day Senior came to the shop that this Senior Ye came to sell a large batch of materials, arriving just before you. As for his destination, this junior does not know."
A young scholar appearance, surnamed Ye—exactly matching what others had said about "Ye Xiaotian."
He took a deep breath, stood up, and cupped his hands towards Perfected Lord Miaoying. "Fellow Daoist Miaoying, it seems the person I seek has already appeared. Thank you for your hospitality these past days. I must take my leave now."