Chapter 3

Three male cultivators wearing tight magic robes surrounded them, bending down to look at the things on the blue stone slab.

"Hey, Qi-Restraining Talisman, good stuff! How much for one?"

"Five spirit stones each, a must-have item for home travel and mountain hunting; at a critical moment, activate this talisman, and even the nose of a Thorn Wolf won't be able to smell you!"

"So expensive, why don't you go rob someone?"

"Just say whether you want it or not!"

"Make it cheaper, we are going into the mountains and need to buy many kinds of talismans; buying a stack from you is also fine."

"Why don't you go and ask around? My reputation as Old Man Chen in Dahefang Market, my talisman-making skills! Besides, I can make the talismans cheaper for you, but when the monster pounces, can it bite you one less time?"

"Three spirit stones for this Qi-Restraining Talisman, plus three Earth Spike Talismans and six Fireball Talismans."

"Four! Can't be any less; this Qi-Restraining Talisman is my exclusive business, I only produce one a month!"

The three male cultivators discussed it and decided to buy this Qi-Restraining Talisman.

After calculating this account, they shifted their attention to the jade bottle in the corner.

"Grain Bigu Pills?"

Luo Chen got some spirit, "One pill keeps you full, ten pills keep you from being hungry for three days and three nights; how many bottles?"

"How much?"

"Let me tell you, my Grain Bigu Pills are made with high-quality first-rank yellow beef as the main material, supplemented with ginseng and angelica... and finally refined with hundred-flower honey, a specialty of the Medicine King Sect; it is truly high quality and inexpensive!"

"Is it really that good?"

"Come, smell this aroma, is it fragrant! Look at this color, absolutely no flour mixed in to fake it; I dare say no one in this area has better quality than mine!"

"Big brother, it seems to be indeed more fragrant than the Grain Bigu Pills we bought before."

"Right, this fellow daoist knows his stuff at a glance; you were probably cheated before. Are those Grain Bigu Pills floury when eaten? That definitely used fake beef!"

"How much?"

"Four bottles for one spirit stone!"

"Why don't you go rob someone!"

"Just say whether you want it or not! Past this stall, there won't be such good goods. I tell you, I have many old customers; in a while, I will sell out and go home."

"Cheaper?"

"Seeing that the three fellow daoists are sincere about buying, how about this: still one spirit stone, five bottles! Is that okay? Just consider it making friends; in the future, when I produce new pills, I will also give you a discount!"

"Fine, give me ten bottles. We still have some stock left that we haven't finished eating, let's try yours this time."

Money and goods were cleared, and Luo Chen and Old Man Chen cupped their hands and wished them "peace in the mountains and a full harvest."

After the people left, the two looked at each other and smiled.

Old Man Chen even quietly placed another Qi-Restraining Talisman on the stall.

What happened to the one a month?

As the sun rose, the rogue cultivator area in the southwest corner became more and more lively.

Those selling pills, those selling cultivation methods, those selling monster meat, were everywhere.

Those buying things and hunting for goods were endless, and occasionally one could even see one or two disciples wearing the standard Daoist robes of the Jade Cauldron Sword Sect.

And for the appearance of the latter, the rogue cultivators were even more spirited, and the prices they shouted were a few percent higher.

People from sects are all big fat sheep!

However, this had nothing to do with Luo Chen.

Grain Bigu Pills are the most common goods, and every sect has them.

And what he refined were the lowest-level Grain Bigu Pills, which couldn't even be called pills, just Grain Bigu Powder rolled into pills.

This kind of thing, no matter how well he refined it, had no competitiveness.

By the time noon arrived, Luo Chen's goods were almost sold out.

There were only twenty bottles in total, not many at all, and this was still the stock Luo Chen had saved for six or seven days.

It can only be said that low-level alchemists are too miserable!

If they are not supported by sects or families, low-level rogue alchemists are even more miserable and inhumane!

There was nothing to pack up; after giving Old Man Chen some beef jerky made from scraps, Luo Chen planned to leave.

Before leaving, Old Man Chen chewed the beef jerky with clear water and called him to stop.

"Are you going to launch new pills? It wouldn't be that broken pill recipe you found last year, would it?"

"Kid, don't be ambitious; I've seen too many rogue alchemists studying new pill recipes and losing everything."

"It's not easy for you to save those spirit stones; why don't you go to the Spirit Medicine Pavilion and buy two bottles of Qi-Nourishing Pills to improve your cultivation."

This was a rare sincere word from this stingy old man who liked to take advantage.

Luo Chen could hear the other party's sincerity.

In fact, the price the original owner paid for that broken pill recipe was even greater than what Old Man Chen said.

However, Luo Chen had other ideas, so naturally, he wouldn't do such an ambitious thing.

"Old man, you should pay attention to your teeth; my beef jerky is easy to break teeth."

Old Man Chen bit off a piece of beef jerky with a ferocious face, the meat fibers stuck in his teeth, quite uncomfortable, but he still swallowed it forcibly.

He glared at Luo Chen.

"Get lost!"

Luo Chen chuckled and squeezed into the crowd, disappearing.

It was still the rogue cultivator area in the southwest corner, but he came to the herb distribution area.

Having mixed in this area for many years, he was familiar with the buying and selling of various goods.

"Sister Wang, is this what your husband just picked from the mountains? It feels like it hasn't even been dried yet; I'm afraid those who know their stuff won't like it."

"Little brother will do a good deed today and reluctantly take ten jin!"

"This piece of fleeceflower root, I'm afraid it's not ten years old! Make it cheaper, I'll take it."

"Jade yam, yes, give me fifty jin. I used to buy twenty jin for one spirit stone, now it's doubled, how about giving me a discount!"

"Forget it, I won't bargain anymore, you add a red cedar fruit for me, just this one, it's big enough."

For an afternoon, Luo Chen wandered in this herb area, purchasing various herbs he needed on a large scale.

Because they were all sold by rogue cultivators at street stalls, the quality of the goods depended entirely on a pair of eyes, and the price depended entirely on one's own bargaining.

After rubbing his mouth dry, Luo Chen finally purchased most of them.

And next, he still had to make a trip to the city center of the inner city.

Spirit Medicine Pavilion, one of the top six shops in Dahefang Market, located in the most conspicuous place in the city center.

It was five stories high, with flying eaves and painted walls, carved railings and jade masonry; it was truly beautiful.

It's just that this place only bought and sold finished pills, and it was not a place Luo Chen could afford for the time being.

His destination was the Hundred Herbs Hall next to the Spirit Medicine Pavilion.

It is said that both the Spirit Medicine Pavilion and the Hundred Herbs Hall came from the Medicine King Sect, but I don't know why they were divided into two storefronts.

Compared to the high-end Spirit Medicine Pavilion, the Hundred Herbs Hall was much more ordinary.

A row of bungalows extended to the back, looking unremarkable.

However, once he got close, the rich smell of herbs rushed towards him.

Luo Chen's spirit was lifted, and he gently placed the large bag on his back at the entrance.

The fat shopkeeper looked at the large bag, his eyes narrowed slightly, his nose twitched, and then he shook his head.

Luo Chen didn't mind and went to the counter.

"Senior, do you still have dried scallops and fire dog whip here?"

Hearing the names of these two medicinal materials, the fat shopkeeper's look at him became playful.