Chapter 152: Heart Fire Hard to Lower, Meeting an Old Friend Again

After He Cheng left, Chen Ci toyed with a small, crimson treasure coin in his hand, pondering for a moment, feeling slightly tempted.

Increase his position?

The fifty Four Seas Ruyi Treasure Money he held were exchanged for fifty-eight Spirit Pearls; if he were willing to sell, he could exchange them back for at least sixty-eight Spirit Pearls. A gain of nearly twenty percent in just a few short days was enough to make countless old leeks turn green with envy.

One must know that all the assets Master Chen currently possessed, excluding the treasure coins, amounted to only seventy-some Spirit Pearls. Truth be told, he was tempted by such returns.

"A-Ci, you have lived two lives, do not fall for the trap!"

Chen Ci tucked the treasure coins back into his bosom and let out a deep, turbid breath: "Buy and it drops, sell and it rises. The entire Four Seas Chamber of Commerce is staring at the pittance in your pocket. Stay steady, you must stay steady."

As for why Chen Ci had such realization, there was no other reason; practice makes perfect.

According to what He Cheng said, these treasure coins could not be exchanged by just anyone at the Four Seas Chamber of Commerce; one either needed a respectable level of cultivation or some background to rely on. Therefore, there were not many circulating on the market, which made these coins—not yet fully in circulation—mysteriously in short supply. However, this also indicated from another angle that what the old Daoist surnamed Xu said about the treasure fair that day was likely true. With these treasure coins in hand, he might truly be able to take advantage of some opportunities.

Though, not any major advantages.

"Five Spirit Pearls down the drain. These three types of pills had a slight effect when taken, but when practicing the Golden Scale Wonderful Method and the Five Ghosts Possession Method, they were truly useless, it was as if..."

No, he still had to cross the river by feeling the way of his cheap senior apprentice brother.

Chen Ci hesitated slightly, as if those fiery thoughts were not just distracting thoughts.

Gritting his teeth to pay, fortunately, this person did not make any mistakes this time. A Cloud Sound Sword Talisman flew into the air, and after the time it takes to brew a cup of tea, it flew back. The middle-aged Daoist grabbed it, took a look, threw it to Chen Ci, and said leisurely: "The master of this place is in seclusion and is not seeing guests for now. Come back in a few days."

Chen Ci: "..." Although one should practice more if one is unskilled, one cannot use Master Chen's money to practice.

Outside the foot of the Immortal Workshop mountain, Chen Ci was familiar with the road this time. He took out ten taels of gold directly and said politely: "I wish to visit Zizhu Feng, Yunfei Lou. Just say that Apprentice Chen Ci requests an audience, I ask that you, Daoist, facilitate this."

Humai Pill, protects the meridians, steadies the heart and spirit. One pill costs one Spirit Pearl. After swallowing, one can advance bravely for six hours without damaging the meridians.

Chen Ci recalled the way that alchemist had been so full of promises when promoting the Spirit Pills, then looked at the useless pills remaining before him, and sorrow welled up from his heart. He went to reason with the seller for a refund, but that stinking pill-seller not only refused to acknowledge it but also wanted to find people to beat him up.

The middle-aged Daoist did not pay any mind, threw the wasted talisman to the side, rubbed his fingers without changing his expression, as if nothing had happened.

Sigh... shameless.

"Ten taels of gold."

Gold Silver Jue Ming Soup. Alchemists and Force Path practitioners often contract fire poison from staying near furnace fires for long periods, or some cultivators practicing fire-attribute True Qi injure their meridians while circulating Qi. This soup has the effect of dispelling fire and nourishing Essence Yuan. One set of medicine contains six doses; dissolve in ten-thousand-year ice spring water and swallow. The full set only costs three Spirit Pearls.

The Daoist on duty this time was a middle-aged man of about forty, looking slightly impatient. Without much talk, he pulled a talisman paper from a wooden box and began to draw with a brush. But halfway through, the Spirit Light on the talisman paper dimmed, and a burnt smell actually emerged; it was clearly ruined.

Chen Ci simply stood up. Whatever birthday banquets, treasure fairs, or treasure coins—as long as he was happy, that was enough. The Five Ghosts Method was the top priority; it was time to go take some medicine.

If that didn't work, then ten bottles.

Changsheng Fang.

Jingxin Pill, calms the heart and focuses the spirit, clears away distracting thoughts. Two pills cost one Spirit Pearl. Good quality and inexpensive, a must-have for immortal cultivation.

It was just that every time he touched him, he had to eat a piece of cake, touch him, eat a piece of cake; it was choking.

"Is it that the grade of these Spirit Pills is not high enough, or is the medicine not suited to the illness?"

Han Tianzun once said that there is nothing that a bottle of pills cannot solve.

Chen Ci stood up, feeling slightly irritable. Although the road to Longevity is rugged, there must be a few sections that are slightly easier to walk. With his meager assets, he had to choose roadside eateries for his next meal; he could not afford to squander them like this.

Chen Ci: "?"

No, twenty taels of gold, just like that, gone?

Damn... refund the money!

Chen Ci gave a bitter laugh. Others renting high-end cave dwellings naturally also needed to cultivate; how could he happen to run into him every time? He could only say that he was truly unlucky.

"Why does it feel like my luck has been a bit poor ever since I mastered the Five Ghosts Possession Method?"

Chen Ci muttered a few words and turned to leave. Since he couldn't touch Lin Laohu, he would have to change to another place to try.

Chen Ci paced back and forth in front of the Four Seas Chamber of Commerce twice before steadying his mindset and walking in. There was no help for it; he, Chen, had truly never done this kind of thing—seeking after-sales service without having made a purchase.

"I am a member, a member, a member..."

Thinking of the fifty Four Seas Ruyi Treasure Money in his bosom, Chen Ci comforted himself a few more times before he could cover up that sense of shame.

Second floor, side hall.

The old Daoist Xu walked out from behind the curtain. Seeing Chen Ci, he was about to greet him but paused slightly, then returned to normal and laughed: "Congratulations to Daoist Chen for getting what you wished for and advancing in your cultivation, haha."

"Heh, hehe."

Chen Ci gave a sheepish smile. It seemed he had been seen through, so he could only vaguely reply: "I happened to obtain a bit of opportunity. I have let Daoist Xu see a joke, let you see a joke."

After bowing, and once both sides were seated, Chen Ci asked: "By the way, Daoist Xu, I came this time to purchase some pills, talismans, or Dharma Artifacts that can calm the heart and focus the spirit. Do you have any recommendations?"

"It seems Daoist Chen has been advancing very bravely these past few days."

The old Daoist Xu raised his teacup to signal, took two sips, and chuckled: "You are considered cautious, Daoist. Many Daoists do not even realize it until the heart fire enters the brain; they never think to suppress it a little."

Heart fire?

Chen Ci's eyes flickered, and he also raised his cup to take a sip.

Seeming to know Chen Ci's confusion, the old Daoist Xu sat up straight and explained with a smile: "I don't know much in detail, after all, I have never practiced this Force Path method myself. I only work in the Sihai Building, so my knowledge is a bit broader. Daoist Chen should have tried the calming pills on the market, right?"

Chen Ci nodded, indicating yes.

"This Force Path technique is the easiest to advance bravely with. If one ignores the consequences, there are not a few who can cultivate to the twenty or thirty aperture technique in three to five years. However, practicing fast naturally has its drawbacks."

The old Daoist Xu put down his teacup and said earnestly: "Daoist, you feel that your thoughts are cluttered while cultivating, but in fact, those thoughts are not distracting thoughts, but original thoughts. So-called 'all movement belongs to fire'; fire rises from the heart, changing unpredictably, existing at all times, tormenting yin and yang. Purely calming the heart and focusing the spirit is useless, otherwise... hehe, if such heart fire encounters external causes, attacking from both inside and out, it is easy to injure the spirit and brain, and fall into demonic obsession."

Chen Ci understood a bit. So those messy thoughts were his true thoughts after his Qi, blood, and Essence Yuan became vigorous, right?

If they were not distracting thoughts, then ordinary pills were indeed useless.

"As for the solution, there are naturally some in the Sihai Building, some fast, some slow, some expensive, some cheap."

The old Daoist Xu stroked his long beard and laughed.

"The method that costs no money is slow. Daoist, you just need to practice more slowly. Practice for one day and stop for three or five days, and wait until you feel recovered enough before practicing again."

"As for the fast one, there is a pill in the building called 'Zen Quiet Treasure Pill'. Swallow one, and it immediately lowers the heart fire. Generally, only Dragon Sons and Dragon Ladies are qualified to swallow it; it rarely circulates outside."

The old Daoist Xu chuckled: "The price is not too expensive either; one Treasure Pill costs one hundred Four Seas Ruyi Treasure Money. If you are not in a hurry, Daoist, you can wait until after the treasure fair to buy it; by then the treasure money will... would you like to take one, Daoist?"

"May I ask, Daoist, is it effective with one pill?"

Chen Ci pondered for a moment and asked, if the problem could be solved with just one pill, then one hundred treasure coins, while expensive, was not considered too dear.

"Haha, more or less."

Old Daoist Xu shook his head and chuckled: "This pill can subdue accumulated heart-fire, but if the heart-fire rises again later, you will need to take this pill again, so Daoist, you can keep one on hand; take it when you feel something is wrong, which can be considered an inexpensive approach."

Chen Ci: "."

Damn it, once you practice this method, you have to take medicine for the rest of your life, right?

So you all brought out the Force Path technique, boasted about it, and were waiting for this, right!

Chen Ci frowned slightly, though his expression did not change much; after all, this Daoist Xu could be considered kind-hearted, having explained both paths clearly to him—spending money had the benefits of spending money, and not spending money had the slowness of not spending money.

He had originally thought that this Supreme True Loach Seven Turns Method did not require much cultivation resources, just three hundred catties of Blood Food a day, which was worth very little.

A cultivator just needed to overcome some obstacles and swallow flesh and blood raw.

But now it seemed that if a Force Path cultivator truly wanted to advance quickly, the external objects required were also quite numerous, and perhaps even more expensive.

"May I ask Daoist, since Force Path cultivators do not cultivate True Qi, this 'Zen Quiet Treasure Pill' should not be a Force Path Spirit Pill that has existed since ancient times, right?"

Chen Ci pondered for a moment and asked.

"Hmm, this pill was requested by a Force Path great expert from a certain Pill Sect."

Old Daoist Xu smiled faintly: "I understand what you want to ask, Daoist. If you do not follow these two methods, then just let nature take its course, be unrestrained and do as you please; that can also vent the heart-fire."

Chen Ci thought for a moment, sighed softly, and cupped his hands in thanks: "Many thanks to Daoist for clearing up my confusion. I wonder if you have any useful items you could recommend as well."

This final method was the 'Undying Divine Skill', which claimed that as long as one did not die, one could succeed; he, Chen, did not have the ability to practice this method or walk this path.

"We are all Daoists, why be so polite."

Old Daoist Xu gave an approving smile, thought for a moment, and said: "There are still two items in the building that should have some effect: a Cold Cloud Dharma Robe, priced at one hundred Spirit Pearls, and a Light Sound Treasure Bell, priced at twenty Spirit Pearls."

So expensive!

Chen Ci grimaced, somewhat unwilling to spend.

But this was the after-sales price; there was no help for it. Expensive as it was, the rules were the rules. It was like entering a shop to ask for directions or information and buying a bottle of water; under the circumstances, one still had to be polite, otherwise, next time he came, he probably wouldn't even get a cup of tea.

"Daoist Xu, I am a bit short on funds, could it be a little cheaper?"

Chen Ci did not try to save face by acting tough and asked directly.

"Since you and I hit it off, how about this: the Dharma Robe can be ten percent cheaper, but the Treasure Bell can only be one Spirit Pearl cheaper. What do you think, Daoist Chen?"

Old Daoist Xu thought for a moment and made a slight concession.

Gritting his teeth to pay, Chen Ci took the Treasure Bell and sighed. He felt it was cool to the touch, and it did indeed make the agitation in his heart fade quite a bit, and his mood gradually improved.

Thinking of it this way.

Buying a meditation Dharma Artifact and getting a few pieces of information for free wasn't actually a loss; after all, getting things for free made one happy.

He just hoped this artifact would be of some use.

Chen Ci waved his hand with feigned nonchalance, declined the polite words of the one surnamed Xu, and leisurely went down to the second floor. But before he could exit the main gate of the Four Seas Chamber of Commerce, someone not far behind him suddenly called out with a mix of doubt and surprise: "Brother Chen?"

Hmm?

Chen Ci paused slightly and turned his head subconsciously, only then seeing the person clearly.

(End of this chapter)