Chapter 236

"Oh?"

He Pingsheng looked at the woman and said calmly: "Go on."

The woman said: "Senior Xu, I am Liang Yue."

"Senior, you're refining Kai Mai Dan, Yun Ling Dan, and Tuo Ling Dan—but you still haven't found four main ingredients!"

"Namely, the main ingredient for Tuo Ling Dan—【Dong Xiao Hua】—and for Yun Ling Dan—【Xu Yu Guo】、【Ku Ma Zi】、【Tian Xiang Dou Kou】…"

He Pingsheng nodded and said: "Correct."

Just now, while he was speaking with Elder Ling, this woman had been standing nearby—so it wasn't surprising she knew.

"Do you have them?" He Pingsheng regarded Liang Yue with interest.

Liang Yue shook her head: "Senior, you're joking—I don't have them… As for 【Dong Xiao Hua】 and 【Xu Yu Guo】, you don't even need to leave Hongshi City; just visit a few more merchant guilds and you can buy them."

"The hard ones are 【Ku Ma Zi】 and 【Tian Xiang Dou Kou】…"

"As our clan's elder said, 【Tian Xiang Dou Kou】 is extremely rare—even though its rank is low, it's a heavenly treasure infused with rule-force, impossible to seek or predict; let alone 【Tian Xiang Dou Kou】, even 【Ku Ma Zi】—I fear if you searched every corner of Hongshi City, you still might not find it!"

After hearing this long speech, He Pingsheng smiled: "Just say what you want directly."

"Yes!" Liang Yue said: "I know a place where, though it's not guaranteed, there's a strong chance you'll find both items."

He Pingsheng asked: "Where?"

After he asked, Liang Yue remained silent—he realized then and said: "Alright, what do you want from me?"

Liang Yue quickly bowed: "Yes… I do have a request."

"Senior, you're a pill-refiner—do you have any high-grade 【Foundation Establishment Pills】?"

Liang Yue was already at Qi Refining Stage Twelve, just one step away from reaching Foundation Establishment.

Unfortunately, every time she tried to establish her foundation, she failed.

In the end, she blamed her failures on the quality of the Foundation Establishment Pills she used.

Every pill she took was either low-grade or mid-grade—and each time, she failed.

Occasionally, the guilds received high-grade Foundation Establishment Pills for auction, but every single one was bid up to a price beyond her reach.

She simply couldn't afford them.

A single high-grade Foundation Establishment Pill would give her an eighty percent chance of breakthrough.

That's why she followed He Pingsheng—to chance her luck.

"High-grade Foundation Establishment Pills are expensive!" He Pingsheng said coolly. "I do have some, but you must offer me information of equal value. If you only point me to a lead, that information is worth far less than a Foundation Establishment Pill."

As he spoke, he waved his hand and pulled out a porcelain vial.

With a soft pop, he opened the lid and said: "Take a look yourself."

Liang Yue extended her spiritual sense into the vial and immediately exclaimed in excitement: "It… it's really a high-grade Foundation Establishment Pill… and… two of them?"

"Mm…" He Pingsheng nodded.

Back in Dingxiang City, he had refined many pills—he still had some Foundation Establishment Pills left, not just high-grade, but even supreme-grade ones.

He Pingsheng put the vial away again and said: "Alright, you've seen the pills—now tell me what you can do for me."

"Yes…" Liang Yue said: "First, I can help you buy 【Dong Xiao Hua】 and 【Xu Yu Guo】 from other guilds in Hongshi City—you won't need to go out yourself."

He Pingsheng asked: "And?"

Liang Yue said: "You bought a map from our guild—you're an outsider, right?"

"Have you heard of the Skull Mountain Gathering?"

He Pingsheng shook his head: "No."

Liang Yue said: "Tens of thousands of miles from Hongshi City lies a great mountain called 【Skull Mountain】. Every thirty years, the Skull Mountain Gathering is held there—a gathering and trading hub for low-rank cultivators."

"When the gathering opens, tens of thousands of Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment cultivators from the entire Hongshi Commandery travel there."

"They exchange what they have for what they need."

"If you're willing to go, you might just find what you're looking for."

"Even if you don't find them right away, you can set up a sign there to buy them."

"That would greatly increase your chances."

He Pingsheng nodded: "True—but this information still doesn't seem worth a high-grade Foundation Establishment Pill."

Liang Yue said: "Hmm… what I mean is, not everyone is allowed to enter the Skull Mountain Gathering. To enter, you must have a token issued by Skull Mountain."

"If you'd come here half a year ago, getting such a token wouldn't have been hard."

"But now, it's nearly impossible."

"Because token sales have been closed."

"The price of each token has been inflated to astronomical levels."

"If you want to go, I can get you a token."

"Would that be worth one high-grade Foundation Establishment Pill?"

He Pingsheng didn't know if Skull Mountain tokens had truly reached astronomical prices—but it didn't matter; he had no time to investigate such trivial matters.

It was just one high-grade Foundation Establishment Pill.

Done.

"Alright…" he nodded. "Go. I'll wait here for one hour. In one hour, tell me where to find 【Dong Xiao Hua】 and 【Xu Yu Guo】…"

"I need two of each."

"Yes!" Liang Yue bowed and left immediately.

He Pingsheng returned to the guild and sat down.

He rested while studying the map he'd just bought.

Less than an hour passed—half an hour later—Liang Yue rushed back, panting: "Senior, I found them!"

"Please follow me!"

He Pingsheng followed Liang Yue straight to a guild and purchased 【Dong Xiao Hua】 and 【Xu Yu Guo】.

These two heavenly treasures weren't expensive at all.

Two 【Xu Yu Guo】 and two 【Dong Xiao Hua】 cost less than five hundred spirit stones total.

"Good," He Pingsheng said. "Now give me your Skull Mountain token."

"Yes… Senior!" Liang Yue reached into a storage bag and pulled out a black, glossy token.

The token was pitch-black and polished, with a solid feel—icy cold in the hand, made of some unknown metal, but bearing a skull's head.

He Pingsheng asked: "Can only one person enter with this?"

"No," Liang Yue said. "Once you have the token, you may bring one other person inside."

"Don't forget—the Skull Mountain Gathering is held on Skull Mountain, half a year from now."

"The exact location of Skull Mountain is marked on the Hongshi Commandery map you bought."