Chapter 75: Gifting

Hao Qingyan exchanged a few polite pleasantries. Because he could not discern the background or origins of the two people beside Chen Hang, he dared not be overly enthusiastic. He merely led Chen Hang toward the second floor of the Treasure Gathering Pavilion, his face piled with smiles as he said:

"Calculating carefully, it has been quite some time since we last met. Since you have come here today, Fellow Daoist, are you looking to sell some items again, or are you hoping to acquire something for the two companions by your side?"

The first floor of the Treasure Gathering Pavilion was the main hall for receiving guests, partitioned by several landscape-painted screens. The area was decorated with potted old pines and green jade vines. Hanging from the ceiling of the corridor were hundreds of palm-sized, curved-aperture gourds. Music, sounding like flutes and pipes, drifted gently from the holes in those gourds. When it reached the ears, it was lingering and harmonious, thick yet not scattered. Hearing it made one feel refreshed and relaxed, as if surrounded by a gentle breeze; it could be considered quite elegant and serene.

However, it was only on the second floor that the actual place for sales and trade began. Not only did it store all kinds of spiritual items and magic treasures, but the security there was also strict; even Foundation Establishment Daoists who had cultivated true qi were often present.

Upon hearing Hao Qingyan's words, Qingzhi, who was struggling to climb the stairs with her two short legs, suddenly had her eyes light up.

She let out a grunt, fiercely leaped up several steps, tugged at Chen Hang's dangling large sleeves with her two chubby hands, and looked at him with a face full of expectation. Her intention was self-evident.

"..."

Wei Lingjiang glanced at Chen Hang indifferently and plucked Qingzhi back as if she were a rabbit.

"I wish to purchase a flying sword."

Chen Hang cupped his hands and said.

"I wonder what grade you require, Fellow Daoist? A low-grade talisman artifact, or a mid-grade one?"

Hao Qingyan's smile grew even broader. He returned the salute and said:

"Seeing as there are only a few days left until the Golden Valley Market reopens, the goods in all the shops and markets have already been prepared. I, Old Hao, have kept your request to purchase a flying sword in my heart, and I have specifically reserved a few satisfactory ones for you. However—"

This round, chubby manager in purple robes gave a fawning laugh, bowed his waist, rubbed his two fingers together, and said:

"Have you heard, Fellow Daoist, that the Cave Master of Huaiwu intends to reopen the 'Huaiwu Cave'?"

Chen Hang nodded slightly.

"Originally, it would have been fine, but once this 'Huaiwu Cave' opens, all the fellow daoists will go crazy competing for a good ranking, so as for the price—"

Hao Qingyan lowered his voice, looked left and right, and then spoke:

"The price is slightly higher than usual, by about ten or twenty percent..."

After speaking these words with trepidation, he saw that the expressions on the faces of Chen Hang and his group remained unmoved, and they did not turn around to leave.

Hao Qingyan clenched his fist secretly and shouted in his heart, knowing that this deal was as good as done.

The second floor contained mostly low-grade talisman artifacts, interspersed with some Daoist arts, formation plates, and items for amusement like flowers, birds, and creatures such as fox-girls and merfolk.

Hao Qingyan was quite adept at observing expressions. After taking them for a brief stroll, he led Chen Hang and the others toward the third floor.

The carvings and beauty of this floor far surpassed what they had seen before.

Upon entering, the first thing one saw was a bright pearl hanging high on the coffered ceiling, brilliant as fire and bright as a star, illuminating the entire room with a radiant glow.

The pearl seemed to breathe like a living thing. Every few dozen breaths, nine apertures would appear on its surface, like nine pupils opening to scan the entire floor. The power of thunder was held back but not released. After a few dozen breaths, they would slowly close, and the apertures would vanish without a trace.

"Nine-Hairs Shadow-Fixing Divine Illumination Formation?"

Wei Lingjiang withdrew her gaze from the pearl, unimpressed.

At this moment, there was another layer of restriction at the entrance to the third floor, blocking the group.

"Please wait a moment, fellow daoists. Allow me to report this."

Hao Qingyan laughed, took out the Treasure Gathering Pavilion's token from his waist, formed a magic seal with one hand, and waved it in the air. Then, he shouted loudly:

"Old Xun, I have brought some distinguished guests to the third floor to browse. Please open the restriction!"

As the words fell.

From somewhere in this building, a vast spiritual sense, towering like a mountain and unfathomable, descended out of thin air. The spiritual sense swept over the group briefly before withdrawing.

"Please."

A clear voice rang out suddenly, and the restriction in front of them was released. After Chen Hang and the others entered, it immediately closed slowly.

"Old Xun is the Great Venerable of our Treasure Gathering Pavilion. A few years ago, he found a true method to open his mansion and successfully opened his Purple Palace. That was his spiritual sense just now; it is truly enviable."

Hao Qingyan sighed with infinite melancholy and led the way forward.

The third floor was filled with jade railings and vermilion masonry, rich in color. This floor was not only vastly different in scenery from the second, but there were also no guards or supervising Daoists.

Coming and going, one only saw a few Treasure Gathering Pavilion managers dressed in purple like Hao Qingyan, leading guests as they wandered or stopped to browse.

Looking around, one saw hundreds of crystal jade tables. On each table were either talisman artifacts, precious treasures, or great medicinal elixirs. Vaguely, Chen Hang even saw a few secret treasures of the demonic path, bloody and evil. Even though they were sealed on the jade tables, there was still a faint, sky-piercing resentment.

"Look, Fellow Daoist, what do you think of this exotic beast?"

Passing by a jade table, Hao Qingyan suddenly laughed and asked Chen Hang to look at the item to his left.

On that jade table was a living creature, a small, exquisite parrot with bright feathers.

Seeing the group looking at it, the parrot flapped its wings in displeasure and then opened its throat to squawk wildly. However, the sound was exactly like an old toad living at the bottom of a pond—hoarse and unpleasant.

As the parrot squawked, its eyes were blood-red, and a stream of red smoke drifted eerily from its eye sockets, resembling a fierce, wailing ghost.

"This thing is called a Red Spirit Colored Parrot. It was captured from the wild forests in the extremely remote and barbaric Southern Territory. It can be considered a genuine demonic creature."

Hao Qingyan smiled earnestly:

"Don't judge it by its unrefined voice. This demonic cry is quite capable. An ordinary cultivator at the fourth or fifth layer of Qi Condensation would have their bones softened and joints broken after taking one shout from it, unable to get up for a long time. It is very useful in combat! Originally, our Treasure Gathering Pavilion captured dozens of them, but who would have thought that the 'Huaiwu Cave' would open again? Everyone is scrambling to buy them to compete for a good ranking, and now only this one is left."

"If you are interested, Fellow Daoist."

Hao Qingyan said, "I can take the initiative to lower the price in talisman coins. Consider it a small tribute from me, Old Hao, to you."

"Can this Red Spirit Colored Parrot speak human language?"

Chen Hang asked casually.

"This... that is not possible. All demonic creatures must refine their transverse bones before they can speak human reason. This parrot's cultivation is insufficient; I fear it is still far from refining its transverse bones. If it reaches that level of skill, I fear the power of this demonic cry could double, and it would not be at today's price."

Hao Qingyan reached this point and hurriedly tried to make up for it.

He said that the parrot's ancestors were suspected of possessing the bloodline of a Green Bird, and if raised well, it might return to its pure ancestry in the future, and it was not impossible for it to transform into a Green Bird.

Hearing this, Qingzhi's eyes turned red and spat fire. She clenched her fists and was about to fight Hao Qingyan, but Wei Lingjiang was quick-witted enough to scoop her into her arms and hurriedly cover her mouth.

"..."

Hao Qingyan was stunned for a moment, feeling a bit confused, but seeing that Chen Hang had little interest in this, he tactfully led him to the next jade table.

The treasures seen along the way were all exotic and rare. Chen Hang had originally wanted to just buy the flying sword and be done with it, but since he had never seen these various items before, he stopped from time to time, treating it as broadening his horizons.

"A piece of the golden body of a Bai Lu Wandering God. This item contains quite a bit of water-attribute divine power and human aspiration. For those who cultivate incense-fire Daoist arts, a piece only the size of a fist is hard to buy even for three hundred talisman coins!"

Hao Qingyan pointed to a strange fragment as smooth as glass and smiled:

"It is a pity that the Daoist arts of the incense-fire aspiration branch have always been mediocre, only good for amusement. Even if cultivated, they have no great use; they are just for show."

"And those of the highest quality are all collected by the Sima clan of Tangting, who are never willing to release them easily... I don't know why these supreme aristocratic families of the immortal path insist on holding onto incense-fire aspiration so tightly; it is very strange! I heard they have been passed down since the ancient era, a very, very long history! It is truly a deep and far-reaching family legacy!"

"The Sima clan among the Twelve Great Families?"

Chen Hang withdrew his gaze from the golden body of the Bai Lu Wandering God and said.

Besides the Eight Sects and Six Schools, the Xudu Heaven had Twelve Great Families, each occupying a territory, with deep foundations and immense supernatural powers.

The Sima clan of Tangting was one of them.

However, this clan was located in the Western Yi Prefecture in the far west.

The two Western Prefectures, whether Western Su or Western Yi, and even the entire Western Sea, were filled with countless divine kingdoms, heavenly beings, demons, and Zen lands, where various Daos coexisted, extremely complex.

This situation was because, although the West possessed the vastness of two prefectures, in terms of spiritual caves, it only had one, located on an overseas spiritual island, occupied by the Plague Sect, one of the Eight Sects and Six Schools.

And although Western Su and Western Yi had vast lands, because they lacked spiritual caves, they were not valued by the Profound Sects or Demonic Schools.

As for why the entire Western land was a mixture of ten thousand Daos, and even contained the Dharma lineage of the Sha Sect, the Daoist book Chen Hang had read was vague, merely skimming over it.

"Correct, it is the Sima clan of the Twelve Great Families, the Sima clan of Tangting!"

Hao Qingyan sighed with deep emotion:

"If one is born into the Twelve Great Families, it is equivalent to having one foot already inside the gate of the Primordial Spirit. They have whatever methods they need, whatever companions they need, not to mention wealth and resources! If I were a member of a Great Family, perhaps I could open my own shop! A shop ten times larger than the Treasure Gathering Pavilion!"

"Hahahaha!"

After Hao Qingyan finished speaking with high spirits, before Chen Hang could react, Qingzhi couldn't help but laugh.

"The Emperor hoes the ground with a golden hoe, and the pancakes he eats must have two green onions, right?"

Qingzhi put her hands on her hips: "You kid, read more books, don't be so ignorant! And—"

As the young girl spoke, she became anxious again:

"That dog-shit Red Spirit Colored Parrot has nothing to do with a Green Bird! Where did you hear that? Don't be so absurd! Hu—"

Halfway through her sentence, her mouth was covered again by Wei Lingjiang, who remained expressionless. Chen Hang didn't mind and said indifferently:

"We left in a hurry, and she hasn't had breakfast, so her brain is muddled. Hong Hong Guanshi, please don't mind her. Please continue."

"This little child is incorrect. Who said the Twelve Great Families don't open shops? Who in this world can live without merchants? They just open larger ones."

Hao Qingyan didn't take it to heart. He patted his round belly, laughed, and continued:

"Look, Fellow Daoist, this elixir is called the Great Treasure Yellow Elixir. It can enhance physical qi and blood, and supplement primordial essence..."

Hao Qingyan didn't find it troublesome. Presumably, he had somewhat discerned Chen Hang's intention to broaden his horizons, so he would briefly explain a few words whenever they passed a jade table.

External elixirs, great medicines, thunder-gang turbid qi, magic treasures, formation plates, puppet furnaces, tripods...

And among these.

There were even superficial cultivation keys to the martial Dao of the outer-heaven gods and demons, fragments of superior Daoist arts, and various ancestral sacrifice techniques of the Western heavenly beings...

After spending half an hour circling the entire third floor, Chen Hang finally selected three suitable flying swords.

Yin-Turbid Sword.

Dragon-Coiling Sword.

Green-Law Sword—

——

"The Yin-Turbid Sword and the Dragon-Coiling Sword are both mid-grade talisman artifacts, and the restrictions used are the Heavenly Treasure Great Restrictions—twelve restrictions! Moreover, they are from the hands of Master Xue Xuan of the Divine Fire Cliff. The materials are refined, and the quality is extraordinary. They have always been priceless and hard to find!"

Seeing Chen Hang frown slightly, Hao Qingyan grew anxious and hurriedly changed his tune:

"As for this Green-Law Sword, although it has nineteen Heavenly Treasure Great Restrictions and the grade is higher, the price is also several times more expensive! It is not cost-effective, very not cost-effective!"

"With your current Qi Condensation cultivation, Fellow Daoist, a mid-grade talisman artifact with twelve restrictions is just barely suitable. Once you achieve true qi in the future, that will be the time to unleash the full power of this talisman artifact!"

Mid-grade talisman artifacts are not like low-grade ones.

Logically speaking, only Foundation Establishment Daoists who have achieved true qi can fully unleash the power of a mid-grade talisman artifact.

However, because Chen Hang's total embryonic breathing was more than ten times that of other Qi Condensation cultivators, he could almost compare to some low-level true qi. This was why he could easily manipulate the Thunder-Fire Thunderbolt Pearl and the Flowing-Firmament Ruler while in the Qi Condensation realm.

If it were Qi Condensation cultivators like Daoist Yangshan or Rong Jin, although they could also use mid-grade talisman artifacts to defend against enemies, they could not fully display their functions, often being several levels weaker and unable to sustain them.

As for high-grade talisman artifacts.

That was even more different...

A high-grade talisman artifact can often easily destroy mountains and break rivers with a single strike. Magic treasures of this grade can usually only be obtained by Great Cultivators in the Cave-Mystic and a few Purple Palace realms.

Magic treasures of this grade are rare even in the Treasure Gathering Pavilion, often requiring auctions to obtain. Even if Chen Hang's embryonic breathing were vast, he absolutely could not trigger them. Holding them in his hand would be useless for now.

Therefore, from the beginning, he intended to purchase a mid-grade talisman artifact.

——

"The Yin-Turbid Sword uses some dark iron, so it looks gray and gloomy when used, and the color is not very good-looking. In my humble opinion, it is better to buy the Dragon-Coiling Sword; it is majestic and bright, and quite grand!"

Hao Qingyan was still trying to persuade him, using all his eloquence.

"Is the Dragon-Coiling Sword more expensive than the Yin-Turbid Sword?" Chen Hang asked suddenly.

"Good insight, Fellow Daoist! It is more expensive... but not by too much."

Hao Qingyan gave a fawning laugh and scratched his head.

"As long as it is suitable, the appearance is of no importance."

"Then you are interested in the Yin-Turbid Sword, Fellow Daoist? Easy to say, easy to say, I—"

"Green-Law Sword."

Wei Lingjiang, who had been silent, suddenly spoke: "Take it."

"..."

Chen Hang turned his head to look.

Wei Lingjiang just had a plain expression and did not speak again, nor did she pay attention to him.

"As you wish."

He withdrew his gaze and said.

Hao Qingyan was stunned for a moment, but then he followed the instructions, went to a jade platform to remove the restriction, carefully held a green magic sword in his palm, and handed it over.

"Fellow Daoist, the price of this sword is not cheap..."

He licked the corner of his mouth, his expression quite hesitant: "Otherwise, how about the Yin-Turbid Sword?"

"Senior Sister, it's your turn."

Chen Hang was calm and composed.

Hao Qingyan turned around in astonishment.

He saw Wei Lingjiang casually hand over an item. When he received it, the corner of his eye twitched violently, and he almost dropped the Green-Law Sword to the ground.

"Dharma coins?!"

Hao Qingyan trembled violently all over, his fat rippling like water waves.

"I also wish to compete for a ranking in the 'Huaiwu Cave', but to enter, one needs a Dharma robe for protection."

After receiving the Green-Law Sword and verifying it, Chen Hang put it into his Universe Bag, bowed leisurely, and said to Hao Qingyan, who had not yet recovered from his shock:

"Sorry to trouble you, Hong Hong Guanshi. Please take the trouble to select a Dharma robe for me as well."

"..."

Hao Qingyan still seemed to be in a daze. It was not until several breaths later that he obsessively came back to his senses. Hearing Chen Hang's request, he nodded hurriedly and explained the existing Dharma robes in the Treasure Gathering Pavilion one by one.

"... So expensive?"

Hearing that even the cheapest mid-grade Dharma robe had eighteen Heavenly Treasure Great Restrictions.

Chen Hang's hand reaching toward his Universe Bag stiffened slightly.

He lowered his sleeves and said nonchalantly:

"No need for a mid-grade talisman artifact, a low-grade one will do."

"Everyone knows that the 'Huaiwu Cave' is about to open, and one needs a Dharma robe for protection to enter. The low-grade Dharma robes have long been snatched up; only mid-grade ones are left, and they are the most expensive mid-grade ones!"

Hao Qingyan spread his hands and teased again:

"Why is the Fellow Daoist so frugal? Your wife is extremely wealthy! You are a family! Why be so distant?!"

Wei Lingjiang had not yet spoken.

And at this moment.

Suddenly, another voice rang out.

"So... so coincidental, is Xiao Xiao Shixiong also going to the Huaiwu Cave?"

Chen Hang looked toward the voice and saw Zhu Wanzhi and a group of people from the White Crane Cave not far away. Seeing him look over, Zhou Xingling, who was in the lead, waved his hand with a smile.

"Take a Dharma robe."

Zhu Wanzhi stepped forward with a flushed face. This beautiful young girl almost didn't dare to raise her head to look at Chen Hang, just took out her Storage Bag:

"I want the most expensive one! I want to gift it to Xiao Xiao Shixiong!"

"..."

Hao Qingyan was dumbfounded for a moment, looking at Wei Lingjiang, then at Chen Hang and Zhu Wanzhi, not knowing whether to accept or decline.

And beside Chen Hang.

Wei Lingjiang's expression remained indifferent, but the bottom of her eyes grew a few degrees colder unconsciously. ===== CHAPTER 76 =====