Chapter 147: Easy to Obtain Residual Techniques, Ruyi Jade Coin

A sowing-discord scheme, this is absolutely a sowing-discord scheme!

Heh, don't look down on Master Chen just because his cultivation is low; he is incredibly sharp, you know. You guess whether he believes such a petty scheme or not.

It seems his own cheap Shixiong is truly looked down upon by this True Person surnamed Yang; if not for Jiao Zhenren protecting him, he would likely have been crushed to death by this big shot from Longhu Mountain long ago.

But then again, others have "Tiger" in their names, yet you must name yourself "Tiger-Capturing." Although cultivators seize the spiritual opportunities of heaven and earth to fight for their lives against fate, they still believe in destiny to some extent. Whether Lin Qinhu will later surpass him and suppress him is truly hard to say.

Countless thoughts surged in Chen Ci's mind as he judged the truth and the gains and losses, wondering what the true intention of this True Person Lin, whom he had only met twice, was in saying these things to him.

Was it just a coincidence, or did he favor him because of a good first impression or a shared love for wine?

Or was he planting a nail to disgust Lin Shixiong?

After a long while, Chen Ci suddenly remembered that there was still a high-level cultivator from Longhu Mountain at this table.

"This... High Cultivator, a bit of murky wine is not worth mentioning. If there is nothing else, I shall take my leave first."

Chen Ci bowed and lowered his attitude: "We cultivators seeking the Dao should naturally judge by heart rather than by traces, but if it's regarding other matters... cough, I personally feel it is better to judge by traces rather than by heart."

The female cultivator smiled freely and took a small sip from her wine cup: "I didn't expect Lin Shixiong to have an Apprentice like you under his command; it is truly interesting. However, just listen to those words and let them pass; there is no need to take them too much to heart."

Chen Ci was still thinking about things and nodded subconsciously.

Chen Ci's eyes lit up; he knew it was a sowing-discord scheme.

Chen Ci took a breath; could this object be some token from Longhu Mountain? For this woman to leave this Jade Coin behind just to sow discord between him and Lin Laohu and He Mountain, her intentions were truly sinister.

Chen Ci gave a sheepish smile, but the bitterness in his heart was something only he could know.

"Don't be nervous, Shishu's temperament is too flighty, but he wouldn't vent his anger on a junior."

The female cultivator comforted him: "Think of it in a positive light, perhaps he truly wanted to pass it on to you?"

Sigh, this world is full of empty promises... eh?

Chen Ci sat down and sighed, only to see a Jade Coin, round on the outside and square on the inside, placed next to the wine cup on the table. It was a few sizes larger than an ordinary copper coin and looked like a uniquely shaped piece of yellow fat jade.

He picked it up to examine it and saw faint cloud patterns engraved on it, yet they seemed to grow naturally inside the jade. On the front and back were eight small cloud-seal characters. Chen Ci read them carefully; the meaning should be "Longhu Ruyi" and "Yongxing Yongan."

"This is..."

However, one must say, although this female cultivator's appearance tended toward the neutral, her face was serene and her temperament was excellent, especially the clear and divine light in her eyes; she truly had the air of an immortal.

She waved her hand and, under Chen Ci's gaze, walked leisurely out of the eatery: "I appreciate your words just now, but do good deeds and your future will come naturally; do not covet worldly pleasures, or it will all end as an empty dream."

I don't want it ≠ you can choose not to give. And what "do good deeds and your future will come naturally," "appreciate"... words are many, but they aren't as practical as giving money.

A flash of cloud energy, and the female cultivator outside the door vanished. Chen Ci finally let out a breath, feeling speechless—you really just left without paying for the wine?

But listening to that tone, this female cultivator also knew his cheap Shixiong. That's great, his He Mountain Light has now become an outsider.

Chen Ci: "..."

The female cultivator looked at the leftover wine in the cup and chuckled: "I observe that your True Qi is pure, but your body carries Yin energy and ghost energy, and your blood and Qi are slightly weak. You must also be planning to walk the same path as Lin Shixiong."

"Although Lin Shixiong obtained that side-door inheritance, it does not mean he will necessarily take back the White Bone Curse Method from others."

The big one is gone, and the remaining immortal second-generation is also someone he cannot afford to offend, especially since she is a female cultivator. If he doesn't distance himself quickly and provokes an "immortal fist," that would be a disaster.

So it really was!

The female cultivator put down her wine cup and stood up, preparing to leave. It seemed she had no intention of paying. But before turning away, she suddenly asked: "Do you also practice the Five Ghosts Method?"

"My Dao Heart, how could it be disturbed by these external objects!"

Chen Ci looked disdainful, waved his hand, and threw the Jade Coin into his pocket, carefully and cautiously keeping it close to his body: "Hoo, He Mountain, loyalty!"

After sitting for a while longer and confirming no one was returning, Chen Ci finally relaxed completely and called over Old Daoist Zhuang: "Old Zhuang, bring some food."

"Tsk, I didn't expect Daoist Chen to know such a big figure."

Old Daoist Zhuang dared to come out from behind the counter after they left. Although his eatery was not very luxurious, because it was near Pingkang Ward, high-level Dao Foundation experts would occasionally come in to sit, so he had some experience; as long as he kept a low profile, nothing would happen.

"Hmm, a senior in the sect, the kind who kills without blinking."

Chen Ci bluffed seriously and asked casually: "By the way, Old Zhuang, has this senior of mine come often these days?"

"How could that be? What kind of place is this old man's shop?"

Old Daoist Zhuang didn't pay much attention, but suddenly remembered something and tugged on Chen Ci's sleeve: "By the way, this senior of yours also drank several jars of wine in the shop; I'll put it on your tab later."

Chen Ci: "..."

"Actually, we aren't that close, hey, hey!"

Chen Ci shouted twice, but in the end, he could only grin and bitterly accept it. This person surnamed Yang is truly not a decent person.

However, from the words just now, he learned that the one surnamed Yang had entered first to drink alone, looking displeased. After drinking bitter wine for a long time, the female cultivator found him, and the two sat for a long while before he, Chen, bumped into them while carrying wine.

In this way, the last shred of doubt was dispelled. Chen Ci finally felt completely at ease and laughed dumbly; he had been overthinking it.

He had a wonderful meal to reward himself; the taste of Spirit Rice Meal, meat, and wine dishes was different from medicinal pills and could give one a tangible sense of fullness.

This meal cost twenty taels of gold.

Chen Ci paid with four Spirit Pearls, and since the four jars of Peiyuan Yangshen Wine he brought were also swiped by someone, he could only describe it with the word "bad luck."

"Longhu Mountain."

Chen Ci curled his lips in disdain, but after eating and drinking his fill, he still had other more important things to do.

The road to Longevity is long, and his, Chen's, method is not necessarily inferior.

Four Seas Chamber of Commerce.

As one of the two largest trading firms in Liangjiang Sea Market, the Sihai Treasure Tower occupied a shockingly large area, with even a small half of the building standing in the sea, remaining motionless even when hit by crashing waves.

Chen Ci couldn't go to those places; the first-floor lobby was the only place a casual cultivator like him could browse.

Three hundred drops of Essence Refining and one hundred Jiamashinxing talismans cost him over four Spirit Pearls, and then he got four taels of Abyssal Sinking Sand back from the enchantress lady. Such water-attribute Five Elements Divine Sand might be easier to find in the spiritual caves of the sea than in mountains and marshes.

It was just that when the enchantress lady handed over the Essence Refining, talismans, and sand, she intentionally or unintentionally touched Chen Ci's palm with her fingertips, clearly craving the body of Master Chen.

Vulgar!

Although such an enchantress was pleasing to the eye, ever since he carried the Five Ghosts and practiced the Five Ghosts Possession Method, Master Chen had some "heart but no power"—no, it was truly "power but no heart." He had dedicated his body and mind to the Dao, and nothing else.

"I heard there are cultivation techniques for sale in the Treasure Tower; can you lead me to take a look?"

The upright gentleman Master Chen withdrew his gaze from the enchantress, and ignoring the soft hand lightly touching him, he asked.

"Master, rare treasures and curiosities are on the second floor, please this way."

"Lead the way."

The two went from the side hall along the corridor to a pavilion on the second floor, where they saw a row of low cabinets holding Dao Tomes of various colors and materials, some thick and some thin; from a Purple Copper Incense Burner at the corner of the table drifted waves of smoke, calming and fragrant, but it shrouded the Dao Tomes on the low cabinets, hazily obscuring them without dispersing, likely some kind of Prohibition to prevent others from peeking at the contents at will.

A cultivator of about sixty years, dressed in a brocade robe, came up to meet them; he had a round, wealthy-looking face and a glowing complexion, looking very spirited, and although his cultivation was not very high, he was a genuine human cultivator.

"I am Xu Lun, greetings Daoist, what is your honorable surname?"

"No need for honorifics, my surname is Chen."

"Daoist Chen, please have some tea."

The cultivator surnamed Xu invited Chen Ci to sit and asked with a smile: "I hear you wish to purchase some cultivation techniques, I wonder what your requirements are."

Chen Ci glanced at the low cabinets to the side and, getting straight to the point, said: "Don't laugh at me, Daoist, I entered the Dao through Fansu Martial Arts, and although I later found a Dao Tome and gained some cultivation, I have heard that the Force Path also has its mysteries, so I wish to purchase a technique manual to study; do you have any recommendations?"

After a pause, Chen Ci added: "It is best if it is a complete volume, without any missing parts or loopholes that might hinder cultivation."

"Since you were able to come to the Sihai Treasure Tower, Daoist, you must already have some understanding of the Force Path."

The cultivator surnamed Xu was not surprised, and sipping his tea, he smiled: "If we are really talking about Force Path techniques in the Liang Kingdom, it is indeed only our Four Seas Chamber of Commerce that has a proper heritage; however, if you were looking for a fragmentary manual, that would be fine, like this fragmentary manual of the 'Green-Eyed Golden Ape Covering Sea Art', which can be taken for just twenty Spirit Pearls, but a complete volume cannot be sold so easily."

Force Path techniques, which involve fusing Acupoints and changing blood, naturally also concern the number of 'Acupoints'.

Like some of the techniques sold here, they are all fragmentary manuals, equivalent to the heritage of miscellaneous rogue cultivators in the cultivation world, ranging from a few Acupoints to several dozen, though the highest is only around seventy or eighty Acupoints, and the prices range from several dozen to several hundred Spirit Pearls.

This is only because it is in the Sihai Treasure Tower; if it were outside, the price could be half as low, but although the techniques in the Four Seas Chamber of Commerce are fragmentary, they are guaranteed to be authentic and complete, at least they won't cause any problems when practiced.

"Force Path methods focus primarily on tempering the physical body, and fusing Acupoints and changing blood will also slightly alter the body's structure, leaning towards the nature of innate gods and demons; if one is slightly too brave and diligent, it is easy to have one's mind confused by the true intent within, causing a drastic change in personality."

Although Xu Lun was doing business, he still advised: "If you, Daoist, want to polish your physical body and practice some martial arts, practicing a dozen or so Acupoints is enough, there is no need to pursue overly profound methods; as for the fragmentary manuals circulating outside, I can only say that you should be careful, as there are often Si Ding warriors in the Sea Market who suffer from Qi deviation because they practiced fragmentary and defective techniques, ruining their brains."

"Is that so? Then can I purchase one-third, one-fourth, or one-fifth of a complete volume?"

Chen Ci thought for a moment and asked.

Xu Lun gave a dumbfounded laugh: "Daoist Chen, what do you think?"

However, this person did not speak in riddles and explained: "If it is a complete volume, even a low-grade Force Path technique starts at a thousand Spirit Pearls, and you would also need to hold a position as a contributor in the Chamber of Commerce; if you are interested in the specific situation, I can call a Deacon of the Treasure Tower to discuss it with you in detail; if it is a fragmentary manual, I can make the decision to give you a twenty percent discount, just to make a friend."

"This..."

Chen Ci frowned slightly; fragmentary techniques were not impossible, as he had a body full of fragmentary techniques and had nothing to say about it, but the main thing was that he did not know how the Force Path would benefit Five Ghosts Possession; if the depth of the fragmentary manual was enough, it would be fine, but if it was not enough, it would be troublesome, so it would be better to get it right the first time, at least with a path forward.

"Daoist Xu, are there any other methods?"

Chen Ci thought for a moment and asked.

"It is not that there are none."

Xu Lun scanned Chen Ci a few times, and seeing that he truly seemed to want to purchase a complete volume, he stroked his long beard and said: "If you, Daoist, have a thousand Sihai Ruyi Dragon Pattern Treasure Coins, you could directly purchase a complete volume of a low-grade Force Path technique, and the Chamber of Commerce would even let you choose, without a word of objection."

(End of this chapter)