Chapter 39: Transaction

"Why don't the three of you Daoist Friends go and claim a bottle of Great Origin Pill?"

Amidst the bustling noise, Liu Chenfeng squeezed out from the crowd, clutching a bottle of Great Origin Pill with a face full of joy, and returned to the side of Xu Chen and the others; discovering that the three of them had not made any move, he could not help but ask.

At this moment, the three had already returned to calm.

Jiu Shixiong held his teacup and smiled faintly: "With so many Daoist Friends participating, we won't go and join the excitement."

Liu Chenfeng gave a wry smile, nodded, and said: "That's true, the Taiyuan Sect doesn't lack this bit of medicinal pills, but we poor loose cultivators are different; this bottle of pills is a life-saving medicine for me, it's far too useful."

Zhao Xuan smiled and said: "The Taiyuan Sect is not as wealthy as Daoist Friend Liu says, but when we descended the mountain, the sect Elders ordered us to return to the sect as soon as the birthday celebrations ended, so we dare not waste too much time."

Liu Chenfeng then suddenly realized and said: "So that's how it is; then let us find an opportunity to drink together tomorrow."

Xu Chen asked in surprise: "Is Daoist Friend Liu preparing to leave?"

Liu Chenfeng nodded and said: "Indeed, I still want to find a few more Daoist Friends to go together, it will be safer; besides, there are pills to be had, which can be considered mutually beneficial. Although the Great Origin Pill is a commonly used pill, I imagine the Yuqing Hall will not provide them in unlimited supply—at most a few dozen bottles—and I fear if I arrive late, they will be gone!"

Just then, Lin Qiu Ya suddenly stood up and said: "It just so happens I remembered I left something at the inn, so I will go with Daoist Friend Liu!"

Jiu Shixiong, Xu Chen, and Zhao Xuan could not help but exchange glances, then stood up together.

"That's fine, in any case, there are still two days until the Emperor's birthday; tomorrow we shall find time to drink tea and discuss the Dao. Safe travels to you both!"

"Three Daoist Friends, please stay, farewell!"

The two seemed very hurried and soon left the great hall.

"Jiu Shixiong, how about it, this woman has a problem, right?" Watching Lin Qiu Ya's figure disappear, Zhao Xuan sat down slowly and said.

Jiu Shixiong stroked his chin and said: "What problem could she have? Her chest is still that big, her butt is still that perky..."

"You're asking for death, when is it now and you still have the heart to think about these messy things!" Zhao Xuan kicked Jiu Shixiong.

"Haha, alright, alright, I was just joking with Junior Sister. This woman is indeed of unknown origin, and I didn't say she had no problems, but since this matter has been exposed by the Emperor, some changes will inevitably occur. It seems this Lin Qiu Ya is going back to find her companions," Jiu Shixiong said with a smile as he sat down.

Xu Chen hurriedly said: "Then what should we do now? If they run away, wouldn't it be a pity?"

Jiu Shixiong was stunned, smacked his lips, and said: "Little Junior Brother, your cultivation is not high, but your ambition is quite large. Logically speaking, it's better if they run away; we would be able to return to the sect safe and sound. However, this pile of treasure is blindingly dazzling, and it is indeed hard to let go. This matter cannot be rushed; we have two more days to observe. If there is a chance, we'll pull off a job; if there is no chance, we'll hurry back!"

Zhao Xuan then revealed a smile and chided: "That's more like it, I thought the two of you had been so bewitched by beauty and treasure that you had lost your minds!"

The three exchanged words in low voices, though their hanging hearts were not completely at ease.

After all, the Emperor was already prepared to start a war with the Pingxi King, and the inside story had been laid bare to the world. They had actually already taken the initiative to seize a world-rare Spirit Medicine; if the news leaked, they feared it would be difficult to even leave Jingshi, so the three sat to the side and watched quietly.

About two quarters of an hour later, nearly twenty cultivators in the hall had signed a soul contract with Offering Yu and had each received a bottle of Great Origin Pill. During this time, several people left excitedly clutching their pills; it seemed that, like Liu Chenfeng, they were all preparing to find companions to fleece the Yuqing Hall.

However, there were three or five among them who did not participate, and Guo Ming from Longmen Mountain was among them.

When everyone returned to their seats, Guo Ming stood up and said: "This matter is of great importance; I must hurry to send the news back to my sect. I shall take my leave first!"

Offering Yu stood up, smiled, and cupped his hands: "That is as it should be, safe travels, Daoist Friend Guo!"

Guo Ming left in a hurry, his expression serious.

The remaining people, however, were full of interest, gathering in twos and threes to discuss the matter animatedly.

Offering Yu glanced at Xu Chen and the three others, nodded slightly, then took several Yujia Magic Treasures from his Storage Bag and placed them on the table, saying:

"Since the main business is finished, next is the Immortal Treasure trade. I, under the Emperor's orders, have specially brought some treasures that have been kept in the Imperial Palace for many years for all Daoist Friends to appreciate together. If anything catches your eye, we will follow the old rules of bidding or equal-value exchange. However, Daoist Friends, rest assured, you will certainly not be at a loss, because these few treasures are rare even in the Immortal World. Furthermore, this can be considered a small token of the Emperor's gratitude for everyone's support in suppressing the rebellion. Opportunities are rare, so please do not miss out."

After speaking, Offering Yu opened the first square Spirit Box. A white radiance wafted out, and instantly, more than ten Divine Senses crisscrossed and landed in the Spirit Box. They saw a silver-white bead about an inch in diameter, releasing an aura that cleansed the soul, making the Divine Sense feel an incomparable peace.

"This... this is a Dust-Avoiding Bead!" someone exclaimed, stuttering with a face full of excitement.

Offering Yu nodded with a smile: "Correct, this is the Dust-Avoiding Bead. This bead was originally an object the Emperor kept on his desk; today I have brought it out for all Daoist Friends to appreciate together."

Jiu Shixiong whispered in surprise: "It is indeed a good treasure; I didn't expect the Imperial family to have such a thing!"

Zhao Xuan's eyes also shone as she nodded: "The Dust-Avoiding Bead is indeed rare; it is of great benefit to cultivation."

Xu Chen withdrew his Divine Sense from the Yujia, his face full of lingering interest.

The Dust-Avoiding Bead was not an ordinary Heavenly Material and Earthly Treasure, nor did it have a grade, but it could release an aura that calmed the body and mind. Carrying it on one's person to assist in cultivation had the effect of twice the result with half the effort, especially for cultivators in the Refining Essence into Qi stage; it was a rare treasure.

"Offering Yu, how is this Dust-Avoiding Bead to be traded?" a cultivator asked loudly.

Offering Yu said: "Fifty Spirit Stones, or Second-Tier Spirit Materials or Magic Treasures of equal value will do."

The enthusiastic mood in the hall instantly subsided quite a bit. Someone nodded and said: "Fifty Spirit Stones is indeed not expensive, it can even be considered worth more than the price, but unfortunately, this item is not a necessity like a Magic Treasure or Spirit Pill."

"Indeed, if one is not short of Spirit Stones, this is truly a good deal!"

"Sigh, what a pity!"

The crowd discussed among themselves, almost all of them sighing.

Xu Chen transmitted his voice to Jiu Shixiong: "Senior Brother, I think we can acquire this!"

Jiu Shixiong nodded slightly and transmitted back: "Don't rush, let's observe a while longer."

After waiting for the time it takes to drink a cup of hot tea, no one in the hall was prepared to trade. Offering Yu said with slight surprise: "This Dust-Avoiding Bead is hard to find in the world; are none of you Daoist Friends tempted?"

A moment later, a cultivator of about thirty years of age said: "This bead is certainly good, but I fear it is not meant for us loose cultivators. Fifty Spirit Stones exchanged for Spirit Pills would be enough for two or three years of cultivation. Those present today who can afford it are likely only the Daoist Friends from the few great Immortal Sects."

Having said that, this cultivator also cast his gaze upon Xu Chen and the three others.

Ever since Guo Ming of the Longmen Dojo left, among the people here, the Taiyuan Sect seemed to be the only prominent sect.

Offering Yu's face could not help but twitch slightly. As an Imperial Offering, although his status was respected, in the eyes of the few great Immortal Sects, he was still just an unranked loose cultivator from the common world.

The people from Longmen Mountain looked down on him and had been aggressive, unwilling to participate in dealing with the Ziyang Sect, not to mention that the Taiyuan Sect hadn't said a word from beginning to end, nor had they shown any attitude at all.

The Emperor's purpose in taking out this Dust-Avoiding Bead was also to show his intention to win over loose cultivators. After all, the Yuqing Hall could not be relied upon, and other Immortal Sects were even less reliable; if he wanted to truly stabilize his reign, he had to find his own way.

Of course, he dared not hate the Yuqing Hall; after all, if he did not have the status of an outer disciple of the Yuqing Hall, he feared he would have long ago been driven off the throne by other Immortal Sects or even loose cultivator families.

It was just that Offering Yu had not expected that a mere fifty Spirit Stones would cause all the cultivators present to back down.

In truth, he also wanted this bead; even if he bought it for one hundred Spirit Stones, it would be worth more than the price, but unfortunately, he dared not line his own pockets.

Under the gaze of everyone, Jiu Shixiong stroked his chin and smiled: "Thanks to the kindness of all Daoist Friends, this bead is indeed worth its value, but the Taiyuan Sect does not lack such auxiliary Magic Treasures, so we would like to yield it to you Daoist Friends. Since everyone does not want it, then we thank you all for your forbearance and kindness."

After speaking, Jiu Shixiong reached into his robes, took out a fist-sized, radiant, crimson-red jade stone, and said: "This is a piece of Chiyan Crystal, ranked in the middle-upper tier of the Great Song Spirit Material Ranking at the Second-Tier. Its value is no less than fifty Spirit Stones; I wonder if Offering Yu thinks it can be exchanged?"

"Whoa~"

Looking at this gemstone that released an aura like a raging fire the moment it was taken out, there was another burst of exclamations and noise in the hall, which seemed to have a greater impact than the Dust-Avoiding Bead.

However, this is also within reason; for small sects with insufficient foundations or pure rogue cultivators, the more practical an item is before their eyes, the greater its value. For large Immortal Sects that do not lack Spirit Materials, Magic Treasures, or Spirit Stones, the Dust-Avoiding Bead is merely a curious object to assist in cultivation. After all, they already possess all the Spirit Pills and Magic Treasures they need, so any treasure capable of increasing cultivation base is considered a good thing.

But for rogue cultivators, the value of this piece of Chiyan Crystal is several times greater than the Dust-Avoiding Bead, because once crafted into a Magic Treasure, it can instantly increase their own strength by a large margin, and its value after being refined into a Magic Treasure will exceed at least one hundred Spirit Stones.

In all rogue cultivator trading markets, Spirit Pills and Magic Treasures are the most sought-after, followed by the Spirit Medicine used to refine Spirit Pills and the Spirit Materials used to manufacture Magic Treasures, and finally, some auxiliary treasures.

This is a matter of strength, a matter of insight, and even more so a realistic problem that all civilian cultivators must face.

Offering Yu naturally also knew the general situation of the Taiyuan Sect; it was not the high-and-mighty, wealthy-beyond-measure large sect in the eyes of civilian cultivators, so he had even prepared to watch a joke. But he did not expect that Jiu Shixiong would casually and easily take out a rare Second-Tier Spirit Material, and he suddenly felt a wave of dryness in his mouth. While shocked internally, he could only laugh dryly:

"The Taiyuan Sect is truly worthy of being a famous and major sect of our Great Song. This piece of Chiyan Crystal is of great value, more than enough to exchange for the Dust-Avoiding Bead!"

Having said that, Offering Yu pushed his hand gently, and the Yujia containing the Dust-Avoiding Bead slowly flew in front of Jiu Shixiong. Jiu Shixiong likewise raised his hand and tossed, and the Chiyan Crystal, carrying a trail of blazing firelight, also landed on the desk in front of Offering Yu.

The two exchanged treasures, and a sound of envy and regret rose up in the great hall.

"Offering Yu, I wonder if this Chiyan Crystal is for sale?" a cultivator asked loudly.

Offering Yu shook his head slightly and said: "This Daoist is here on orders to trade and can only sell items possessed by the imperial family. This piece of Chiyan Crystal must still be handed over to the Imperial Palace for recording and filing; it may be taken out for trade again, but not today!"

"Sigh, then forget it!" the speaking cultivator sighed and shook his head.

Offering Yu added: "Actually, the Emperor issued an order today that if you all can kill cultivators of the Ziyang Sect of the Ming Kingdom, you can use your meritorious service to exchange for any treasure stored in the Imperial Palace, and this piece of Chiyan Crystal is naturally among them."

The eyes of the crowd could not help but brighten, and their emotions instantly surged again.

Although Xu Chen sat as steady as an old dog without moving, his facial muscles were also twitching slightly and continuously.

It seems that the Great Song Emperor is indeed very angry this time; he is going to take out his entire fortune to have a bloody slaughter with the Ziyang Sect.

If this battle is fought, I fear the Ziyang Sect will suffer no small losses.

Even if one uses a Second-Tier treasure to trade for the life of a cultivator of the Ziyang Sect at the middle or late stage of the Kaiyuan Realm, it is absolutely worth it.

And thinking of this, Xu Chen also began to be full of interest in that opened Xianren Gumu; the Immortal Treasure inside must also be extraordinary, otherwise the Ziyang Sect would not take such a big risk to want to be enemies with the entire Song Immortal Sect.

Next, the trading continued. Offering Yu continuously opened the remaining treasures; there were Spirit Medicines and Spirit Materials, as well as Magic Treasures and Spirit Talismans. Their values varied, and they were indeed things rarely seen in the Immortal World, so the discussion and trading were very enthusiastic. Many cultivators among them had gains, but the three of Xu Chen remained in an attitude of watching from the sidelines, always waiting until everyone could no longer afford to buy before making a move, and they exchanged for three more good treasures in succession.

Next, it was a group of cultivators taking out their own collections to display and trade, but these things were much more miscellaneous, and their values were not very high. Jiu Shixiong also seized the opportunity to make a move several times, using either Spirit Stones or Spirit Materials and Spirit Medicines, and traded for seven or eight more items.

A full hour passed before this trading session was declared over, and all the cultivators also stood up one after another, preparing to leave.

Just as the three of Xu Chen also stood up and prepared to follow them out, Offering Yu suddenly used Divine Sense Transmission: "The three Daoist Friends of the Taiyuan Sect, please stay."

The three stopped in surprise, and Offering Yu said: "By the Emperor's oral decree, I invite the three Daoist Friends to enter the palace for a visit; there is an important matter to discuss."

Jiu Shixiong's expression sank as he asked: "May I ask what the matter is?"

Offering Yu transmitted: "It concerns the Princess of Xiyun Prefecture."

Jiu Shixiong nodded slightly and said: "Since that is the case, please lead the way, Offering Yu."