Chapter 102: Yan Xiao Hu, Long Time No See! (6k)

Inside the black market!

【Failed Elixir: This is a completely irreparable Spirit Flame Body Refinement Pill. The alchemist added excessive Wu Bao Grass, causing the ingredients to conflict and rendering it utterly useless.】

Seeing the feedback, Zhou Qing scratched his head and turned to leave.

“Little Four, none of these work? Don’t worry, I see another stall over there.”

“None of them work. My nose seems allergic today. Let’s talk tomorrow.”

“Why didn’t you say so earlier? Go back and rest right away. Your nose is our fortune god, my ancestor—can’t afford any mishaps. Be careful, there are steps here, go slow.”

“Third Brother, it’s just my nose that’s messed up—my legs and eyes are fine, and I’m not pregnant. Don’t hold me.”

“I’m just afraid you’ll fall and hurt yourself. Want me to carry you?”

“Get lost!”

…………

Over the next half-month, it was mixed luck: most of the elixirs appraised were duds, but a few had salvageable remedies, letting the two make a small profit.

Yan Xiao also successfully bought two herbs needed for the Nascent Soul Pill—but still lacked a full nineteen.

“I thought a round trip would take half a year, but now it looks like we’ll have to stay longer!” Yan Xiao sighed, hugging his old hen.

Zhou Qing leaned on the wooden railing, gazing down at the bustling crowd below, suddenly feeling a pang of homesickness.

Since joining Taiqingmen, he’d never been away this long.

I wonder how Master is doing now?

“We didn’t spot any trace of Senior Brother or Second Sister on the way here, and our messages went unanswered—they must be far beyond our reach!” Zhou Qing said.

Yan Xiao nodded. Given Second Sister’s knack for hiding, she definitely had money—and would gladly spend it on them.

“Third Brother, this can’t go on forever. I feel someone’s been quietly watching us after every black market trip. Even though we only buy cheap duds, we resell them as good pills—could they suspect we’ve got something valuable? What if…”

Zhou Qing hesitated, words unspoken.

Yan Xiao fell silent—he’d felt the same lately.

After all, the black market teemed with desperate souls who lived by murder and plunder.

“So what do you suggest?” Yan Xiao growled, growing impatient.

Zhou Qing thought a moment. “Didn’t Master give us the address of a Taiqingmen-owned shop when we left? We could ask them for help—see if they have herbs or ready Nascent Soul Pills, then figure out the rest.”

Yan Xiao’s eyes lit up instantly.

He’d nearly forgotten.

He quickly pulled out a slip of paper, studied the address, and the two hurried off.

Lingyun Mansion was enormous; they didn’t find the place until nightfall—a shop called “Cuiyu Pavilion” on Lingfeng Street.

The shop wasn’t large, dealing in jade and jewelry.

“Gentlemen, I’m terribly sorry, we’re closed,” the shopboy rushed over apologetically as they approached.

Zhou Qing glanced at the old shopkeeper inside counting beads on his abacus, then pulled out his sect identity token.

The shopboy’s face changed instantly. Yan Xiao, sensing something, stepped right in.

“It’s you!” Yan Xiao exclaimed in delight.

The old shopkeeper, hearing the voice, squinted up—and blinked in surprise. “Aren’t you Yan Xiao from Xiao Ling Peak, the one who sneaked to watch the Supreme Elders bathe? It really is you two! When did you get to Lingyun Mansion?”

The shopkeeper’s face broke into a wide grin, and he immediately dropped his abacus and rushed out.

Far from home, meeting someone from his sect filled Qian Dafu with pure joy.

But Yan Xiao’s face dropped at the words.

Years ago, Qian Dafu had returned to the sect to report on business here. Barely two days back, he heard the rumor: Xiao Ling Peak’s core disciple Yan Xiao, along with his idiot disciple, had secretly snuck off to spy on several Supreme Elders bathing—and had scrambled back in panic.

He’d been enjoying snacks with other shopkeepers, exchanging business tips, when the news hit him. He choked mid-bite.

A mid-stage Jin Dan cultivator nearly choked to death on a pastry.

The story became a favorite gossip topic. Yan Xiao, hearing it, grew even angrier.

You’re the type who loves watching chaos unfold. This already haunted me as my lifelong black mark—and now you’re adding insult to injury.

That day, Qian Dafu was about to depart again for Lingyun Mansion. Just outside the sect gate, he met Yan Xiao, fists clenched, charging at him.

A chase ensued—Yan Xiao chasing, Qian Dafu fleeing.

So are they close? Not really.

But not close? They’re oddly familiar.

Facing Qian Dafu’s warmth, Yan Xiao opened his mouth—what could he say? He still needed the man’s help.

“It’s us. We were just young and foolish,” Yan Xiao laughed it off.

Qian Dafu beamed. “What do you mean ‘foolish’? That was barely a few years ago.”

“Qian Shopkeeper, your shop’s doing poorly—must be your mouth’s fault,” Yan Xiao glanced around, sarcasm dripping.

Qian Dafu grinned. “True enough. I never planned to make money. The sect placed me here to gather intelligence.”

Yan Xiao’s face twitched—he felt like he’d punched cotton.

“Come in, come in! Xiao Wang, bring out some real dishes! Family’s here—can’t you see? Use some sense!”

Qian Dafu shouted to the shopboy.

The shopboy finally caught on, nodding eagerly.

Zhou Qing, watching Qian Dafu’s earnest face, realized: this was a shopkeeper with zero social grace.

But he was genuinely warm.

Soon, in the back courtyard, fish, chicken, wine, and peanuts were laid out—real dishes indeed.

Qian Dafu poured them wine, asked when they’d arrived, how the sect had been these past years. He hadn’t returned to report in four or five years—he missed home.

Technically, he was a true disciple of Bai Zhan Peak, but his talent was limited. So he took this posting—it was comfortable.

Zhou Qing smiled and shared a few amusing sect stories—only the good ones. A man this honest would only worry if he knew the truth.

“Nascent Soul Pill? You?”

After a few cups, Yan Xiao loosened up. Past was past—he was magnanimous now.

He explained their purpose.

Qian Dafu, after shock, looked envious.

No wonder he was a core disciple—he was about to enter Nascent Soul. Meanwhile, Qian Dafu remained stuck at early Jin Dan, just like years ago.

“Any leads? Herbs or ready pills?” Yan Xiao asked eagerly.

Qian Dafu frowned, pacing with his hands behind his back.

“Hard. Very hard. The ingredients for Nascent Soul Pills are rare. Countless cultivators are stuck at this stage. The formula and method are public, so everyone—individuals and sects alike—is hoarding them.”

Qian Dafu spoke seriously.

Zhou Qing and Yan Xiao hadn’t expected one pill to be this hard to get.

“By the way, in half a month, Lingyun Mansion will hold an auction. There might be ready Nascent Soul Pills there—if you’re not in a rush, you could wait.”

Qian Dafu suddenly remembered and added quickly.

The two’s eyes lit up.

That could work.

“By the way, how much does a Nascent Soul Pill usually cost here?” Yan Xiao asked.

Qian Dafu thought. “Normally around eight hundred mid-grade spirit stones. At auction, it’ll be higher—more bidders.”

Yan Xiao froze. Zhou Qing also winced inwardly.

Earlier, in the Cave Passage, he’d gathered many Lingyun Mushrooms—the key ingredient for Chongqiao Pills.

Chongqiao Pills were the best elixir for Foundation Establishment cultivators to break into Jin Dan.

One Chongqiao Pill cost only thirty mid-grade spirit stones.

Now, for Jin Dan to Nascent Soul, the Nascent Soul Pill cost eight hundred.

The path of cultivation truly is: every barrier is hard, every step a struggle.

But on the bright side, at least Chongqiao Pills, Nascent Soul Pills—they still help you along.

When you reach Nascent Soul to Soul Transformation, no amount of money or pills will help.

At that point, only your own insight matters.

As for Soul Transformation to Severing Spirit? Forget it. The difficulty is clear: in the entire Shengwu Empire, only a dozen have ever achieved it.

After his sigh, Zhou Qing looked at his dazed Third Brother and whispered: “How much money do you have?”

Yan Xiao snapped back, grimacing, then held up four fingers.

Zhou Qing shook his head.

That much wouldn’t even cover the starting bid.

“I’ll just keep collecting herbs slowly,” Yan Xiao said, defeated.

Qian Dafu added: “Not only is collecting hard—even if you gather all the herbs, you’ll likely fail the alchemy. Even if you succeed, swallowing it won’t guarantee breakthrough. Some need two or three pills.”

“Your mouth! Can’t you stop being so discouraging? Before I came here, I was full of confidence. Now you’ve crushed me,” Yan Xiao said, disgusted.

Qian Dafu chuckled awkwardly, muttering: “But I’m telling the truth. Honest advice hurts, but it helps…”

“Stop! Let me think!” Yan Xiao raised his hand to cut him off.

He propped his chin on his hands, sighing heavily.

“In half a month, we need at least a thousand mid-grade spirit stones,” Zhou Qing mused.

Even that might not be enough—there’ll be plenty of wealthy bidders at auction.

Yan Xiao grimaced. “Where do we get it? Unless we borrow from someone.”

After speaking, the two looked at Zhang Yifu simultaneously.

Zhang Yifu shrugged: “As I just said, this shop is just for cover—it doesn’t make any money.”

“Lend me some of your retirement savings, and I’ll pay you back!” Yan Xiao immediately said.

Zhang Yifu chuckled, then pushed open the window and gazed at the night outside: “Retirement? A man roams the world—everywhere is home. Die where you may, be buried where you fall—all green mountains are the same!”

Yan Xiao rolled his eyes outright.

Zhou Qing, however, gave the shopkeeper an extra glance.

His state of mind was truly not ordinary in its openness.

“What if we call Master over?” Zhou Qing mused after a pause.

Once the Master arrives, we can hand over the Chaos Xuan Metal to him for safekeeping; if the sect doesn’t need it, we can sell it during this auction.

Then we’ll have seventy thousand middle-grade spirit stones in hand—we’ll be the ones with deep pockets.

Yan Xiao hesitated slightly.

It would make us look too incompetent.

Meanwhile, Zhang Yifu, standing by the window, turned around, puzzled: “Call Master Mo Feng? He won’t get here for ages—unless you two have a Parent-Child Scroll?”

The two stared at Zhang Yifu in surprise.

Though he was only at the early stage of Jin Dan, his insight was truly sharp—he instantly thought of the Parent-Child Scroll from just a few words.

Zhang Yifu now read their expressions, sat back down, and sighed: “Master Mo Feng truly cares for you two—he’s willing to risk himself just to protect you. If I had a master like that, I’d be overjoyed.”

At these words, the two looked confused.

“What do you mean?” Yan Xiao asked quickly.

Zhou Qing also hurriedly said: “Is the Parent-Child Scroll dangerous for our Master?”

Zhang Yifu said: “It’s normal you don’t know—I’ve been in Lingyun Prefecture for years and only stumbled upon this secret by chance. Simply put, the Parent-Child Scroll is two coordinate points allowing short-distance teleportation from one location to another.”

“But it has a serious flaw: the teleportation process is highly dangerous and prone to accidents.”

Hearing this, both felt a jolt of alarm.

Zhang Yifu continued: “You know large teleportation arrays, right? Like in Lingyun Prefecture—there are direct arrays to other prefectures or counties. Who knows how many years and how many resources went into building them?”

“Yet even so, there’s still risk—the teleportation channels are occasionally damaged by spatial storms or Xukong beasts living within them, requiring regular maintenance and inspection.”

“By comparison, the Parent-Child Scroll is crude beyond words. The farther the distance, the more unstable the space becomes, and the more likely something goes wrong—you might be lost forever within it, or torn apart by Xukong forces.”

By this point, the two fully understood.

Yan Xiao pulled out the Child Scroll, and both stared at it, deeply moved, eyes slightly reddened.

What merit did they have to make their Master risk so much?

Then Yan Xiao looked up at Zhou Qing; Zhou Qing knew what his third brother wanted to say and nodded immediately.

They wouldn’t use the scroll—even if they returned empty-handed, it didn’t matter.

Without the Nascent Soul Pill, could Yan Xiao really not break through to Nascent Soul? He was a Ground Vein Foundation Establishment, for heaven’s sake!

Worst case, they’d proceed carefully and deliver the Chaos Xuan Metal safely back.

When they had money, they’d offer three or four times the reward—surely they could get a Nascent Soul Pill.

Thinking this, the two suddenly felt a sense of clarity—as if the problem before them had instantly resolved itself.

“Then let’s treat this auction as just a chance to broaden our horizons,” Yan Xiao said.

Zhou Qing smiled: “Exactly.”

Zhang Yifu watched their expressions and seemed to guess something—he smiled.

A master shows care; a disciple shows loyalty!

How enviable!

“I’ve already prepared your rooms. This place is also close to the auction. If you don’t mind, stay here from now on,” Zhang Yifu said.

The two thanked him profusely and rose together to bow.

If not for his warning, they might have unknowingly endangered their Master.

“What are you doing? Get up quickly,” Zhang Yifu hurried to help them rise.

Normally, someone like me—a useless person—should be bowing to you two.

Setting aside your status as core disciples, your future realms will be beyond my reach; next time we meet, you might even be addressed as ‘my lord.’

“If we cause any trouble from now on, please forgive us!” the two said.

Zhang Yifu was delighted to have family staying with him.

“You’re being too formal! You haven’t even eaten much yet—come, let me toast you!”

“No, we toast you—cheers!”

…………

Without pressure, both felt much lighter.

Especially last night, after Zhang Yifu got drunk, he actually pulled out his retirement savings—over three hundred middle-grade spirit stones—and insisted on giving them to Yan Xiao.

Yan Xiao refused, but couldn’t withstand his enthusiasm; after some hesitation, he reluctantly accepted.

This morning, Zhang Yifu regretted it, but Yan Xiao laughed and offered to return it—Zhang Yifu shook his head and said he considered it an investment.

He could still tell the difference between adding flowers to brocade and giving coal in snow.

Since they probably couldn’t afford the Nascent Soul Pill anyway, they might as well gather herbs and brew their own—this required money, didn’t it?

Besides, he’d help them—ask around his circle who had herbs, saving them from running all over town.

“Honestly, Old Zhang’s inn has great food—and it’s cheap!”

Inside the restaurant, the two sat by the window, eating while admiring the view outside—truly at ease.

Zhou Qing agreed with Yan Xiao’s remark, then pulled out his token and sent messages to his senior brother and second sister.

Still no reply—likely too far away to receive it; he had no idea where they’d gone.

Tap-tap-tap—

At that moment, hurried footsteps echoed up the third-floor stairs. Soon, a dashing young master with a folding fan rushed up, glancing left and right anxiously.

He quickly spotted the two by the window, his eyes brightening, and sprinted over.

“Brothers, what a coincidence! Again! Someone’s chasing me—say you didn’t see me, please help!”

After speaking, Xiao Cancan immediately ducked under their table and yanked down the table curtain.

The two were stunned.

At that moment, several figures dashed up the stairs—each dressed in uniform martial attire, faces stern, scanning left and right.

Even private rooms weren’t spared, provoking curses from inside—but these men all radiated Jin Dan aura, instantly silencing the diners.

After searching without success, they hurriedly left.

“They’re gone—you can come out,” Yan Xiao softly tapped the table.

“Shh, quiet! They’ll come back!” came a voice from under the table.

Sure enough, within a few breaths, the earlier group returned—this time, someone leapt onto the window ledge beside them, frowned, and unleashed a powerful spiritual sense to search.

After checking, they shook their heads at each other.

“Apologies,” the Jin Dan cultivator at the window bowed to the two, then leapt down.

Yan Xiao stood to watch—they had regrouped downstairs, whispering, then scattered again and vanished into the crowd.

“They’re really gone now,” Zhou Qing said.

Xiao Cancan cautiously lifted the curtain, confirmed they were gone, then let out a long sigh.

“Brothers, we really are fated to meet again!” Xiao Cancan sat down casually and greeted them.

Before Yan Xiao could speak, she placed several spirit stones on the table.

“No need to share a table—I’m treating you today!” Xiao Cancan smiled.

Yan Xiao said coolly: “We already paid.”

Xiao Cancan: “...”

She cleared her throat and immediately shifted focus to Zhou Qing: “Last time, thank you. I always repay kindness—name your reward, anything you want.”

Zhou Qing smiled: “No need to repay—we’re just ordinary brothers, don’t want trouble. Look…”

I don’t know what you did to get chased by a group of Jin Dan cultivators, but we just want to stay quietly in Lingyun Prefecture for a few days—we don’t want to get dragged into your affairs.

Xiao Cancan instantly realized her mistake.

She looked embarrassed: “Not enemies, don’t worry. I’m just here waiting for someone. Alright, I won’t disturb you…”

“Cancan—”

At that moment, a delighted voice came from behind. A beautiful woman glided up the stairs.

Her appearance instantly drew everyone’s attention—she was like a radiant bloom in the dark night, her long black hair loosely tied, skin fair, eyes slightly upturned with natural allure.

Dressed in a pale purple silk robe, its hem fluttering, especially the curves beneath the fabric, nearly bursting forth—the most captivating sight.

Every gesture radiated charm.

Even Yan Xiao and Zhou Qing couldn’t help but glance again.

“Sister Wanli, over here!”

Seeing the woman, Xiao Cancan happily waved.

“Alright then, you two keep eating—I’m off!” Xiao Cancan rose to leave.

The beautiful woman now approached, and as Xiao Cancan moved aside, her gaze fell on Yan Xiao—she froze, then a faint smile curved her lips.

“Yan Xiao, long time no see!”

The woman stepped forward and greeted Yan Xiao directly.

The sudden greeting left Yan Xiao hu stunned, and Zhou Qing immediately turned to look at Third Senior Brother.

What the hell is going on?

(End of Chapter)