Chapter 564: Great Battle About to Begin, Favorable for Trade

A teahouse in the Fucheng...

Zhou You was invited by Liu Jinguo to drink tea; below the wooden railing beside him, chrysanthemums as thick as ink were in full bloom.

From early spring to late autumn, time passed too quickly; in the blink of an eye, it had arrived.

The most popular activity of the current season was admiring chrysanthemums and drinking tea; sitting in a high-rise building, letting the wind blow from all four directions, was truly pleasant.

"Pavilion Master Zhou, I am lending this to you."

Liu Jinguo placed a wooden box on the table and pushed it toward Zhou You; after opening it, inside was a flat, oval pill.

With a slightly pungent scent, one could tell at a single sniff that the medicinal properties of this pill were fierce and not meant for ordinary people to consume.

"Bone-Scraping Pill, a Secret Medicine for detoxifying; it is hard to find even for a thousand gold."

Liu Jinguo introduced, "I have some leeway on hand, so I am lending you one."

How could Zhou You not recognize the Bone-Scraping Pill? This Secret Medicine was as famous as the Unblemished Seed, but its medicinal properties were ferocious; when detoxifying, it caused a stinging pain like a steel knife scraping bone, making life feel worse than death.

Therefore, although it was effective, it was not suitable for pampered people from wealthy families.

Liu Jinguo came from the Liu family, so it was normal for her to obtain high-grade detoxifying Secret Medicines, but the fact that she was allocated a Secret Medicine like the Bone-Scraping Pill showed that her status was still far from core.

At least to Zhou You's knowledge, the page boy beside Liu Fengji wore a Poison-Detecting Jade and had quite a few treasures on hand to warn of poisons, and there was no shortage of various detoxifying Secret Medicines.

"Many thanks!"

As a courtesy, Zhou You took out a Hunger Pouch—naturally, the 1.0 version.

This pouch could be considered Zhou You's specialty; from the 1.0 iteration to the current 3.0 version, as the material grade improved, the number of uses also increased.

The 1.0, made from Primary Martial Master Skin, was disposable and useless once finished; it was also the foreign trade version with the largest circulation on the market. The 2.0, which was a step up, used Intermediate Martial Master Skin as material and could be used 3 times with better effects.

It was not until Zhou You returned from the battlefield and acquired many Advanced Martial Master Skins that he produced the latest 3.0 version, which broke through to double digits in usage, exceeding 10 times.

If there were an opportunity in the future to use Martial Master Skin to make a pouch, perhaps he could produce a true Storage Pocket with unlimited uses.

"Hmm?"

Liu Jinguo giving him the Bone-Scraping Pill was intended to build rapport; she had not expected any return.

She did not expect Zhou You to produce a Storage Pocket right away, which left her quite astonished; she then recalled the scene when Zhou You fought against the Hundred Affairs, where he hid his weapon in a pocket and took it out by surprise.

Hmm, this Pavilion Master Zhou also had ways to obtain Storage Pockets! Speaking of which, because Moyunzi was far away in Caoshu Zhou and could not spare the time to come to Chongguang Cheng, no trades had been opened for these past days.

The personnel arranged by various forces in Chongguang Cheng were practically waiting with bated breath, and among them was Master Mang, the nominal master of Liu Jinguo.

"I am just in need of this, so I will not decline."

Liu Jinguo did not ask about the source of the item and simply put away the Hunger Pouch, sighing, "After Moyunzi last appeared in Chongguang Cheng, he has not shown up for a long time."

"How many people are clutching precious treasures, wanting to purchase a Storage Pocket but unable to do so."

"What a pity!"

Zhou You was reminded by her; precious treasures—he was just missing the main ingredient for refining Great Medicine; could he not use these?

Hmm, what did it matter if Moyunzi was not there? He still had a tool person... no, a tool bird.

Why would a true expert need to step out in person? After the initial groundwork, the trade was already clear; for the follow-up, letting the Great Crane appear would suffice.

"This time, the Thousand Faces Hall is making things difficult for Du Taiyue; the situation is turbulent, and I expect that Moyunzi will surely take this opportunity to appear."

"Perhaps there will be news in three to five days."

Liu Jinguo also felt this made sense, "Hmm, my requirements are not high; Liu Fengji is equipped with a pouch that can be used 3 times, I just need a few 1-time pouches."

As the two conversed, news from various sides arrived one after another on the street outside the building. Someone had killed a member of the Ten Thousand Poisons Secret Workshop, only to be poisoned to death while cutting off the head, benefiting others who scavenged the loot.

There were also those who successfully returned to the city to claim rewards, retiring with immense wealth, which made many martial artists envious.

More often, the Poison Martial Arts of the Ten Thousand Poisons Secret Workshop were fierce and cruel, creating various traps and releasing poisonous insects; seven or eight out of ten martial artists who went for the rewards did not return, and their states of death were extremely miserable.

However, no matter how many people the Ten Thousand Poisons Secret Workshop had, could they outnumber the vast quantity of martial artists in the Fucheng?

Originally, the sharp reduction in territory and the withering of industries caused by natural disasters, man-made calamities, and the invasion of the Witch People left a large number of martial artists without a livelihood, urgently needing an employment breakthrough; the Thousand Faces Hall happened to provide that opportunity.

Stemming from survivor bias, the living only saw the successful ones gaining both fame and fortune, ignoring the majority who failed and died.

More and more martial artists were joining this carnival.

"Just small skirmishes."

Liu Jinguo listened to the numerous pieces of news and sighed leisurely.

The real great battle had not yet begun; at the very least, she knew that the trading channels between the noble families and the Ten Thousand Poisons Secret Workshop were operating normally.

The current casualties and slaughter were all among the lowest-level people and did not affect the overall situation.

Including the noble families and the Martial Guilds, everyone was waiting for a new weight to be added to the balance of power between the Thousand Faces Hall and Du Taiyue.

Once the balance of victory tilted significantly, the other side would face a catastrophe.

Ten days later, the Great Crane soared through the sky, flying over the Fucheng and other cities, bringing Moyunzi's trade notification.

Chongguang Cheng, Guo Liuhe's manor, gathering again at the old place.

The old rules: those participating in the trade must have an endorsement from a member of the Golden Immortal Dao; if there is no one to introduce you, no matter your status, you will not be seen.

After the Great Crane left, city after city was stirred up; they had finally reached this day.

Those qualified to participate in the trade were not afraid of things being expensive, only of having nowhere to buy them, and they had hoarded a large amount of supplies.

What was especially difficult was that this time, Moyunzi's tone had loosened; besides the Nine Tripod Rubbings, other treasures could also be included in the trade, unlike the first time when he was so unaccommodating.

Forces from all four directions moved at the news, converging toward Chongguang Cheng.

Because of this trade, Chongguang Cheng leaped over the Fucheng to become the liveliest place in Beixuan.

"Husband, do you have ideas, wanting to go and join in the excitement?"

Zhou You was just worrying about finding an excuse; Hua Youxing saw through it at a glance and pointed out his thoughts.

It was dinner time, and everyone was eating at the table; hearing this, they all stopped their chopsticks, wondering what the situation was.

Zhou You said solemnly, "That is right; I accidentally obtained 2 or 3 pouches earlier, and they are very useful. I have been thinking about acquiring some more, and since there is an opportunity, I naturally want to participate."

"Rest assured, I have saved a few rubbings of excellent quality over these years."

Hua Youxing pursed her lips, "If my husband wishes to go, you may certainly go, but please be careful, and watch out for Du Taiyue stirring up trouble."

That was correct; with a great gathering of martial artists, if someone were to cause a disturbance at this time, the effect could not be better.

Zhou You asked himself, if he were Du Taiyue, he certainly would not let this opportunity pass.

"My wife is still the one who considers things thoroughly; I will bring more antidotes with me."

In truth, Zhou You was not lacking in medicine; he had Flawless Seeds and Bone-Scraping Pills on hand, and as long as Du Taiyue did not take the field personally, he could handle it.

The purpose of saying this was merely to put his family at ease.

(End of chapter)