Chapter 34: The Valuable Cinnabar

The cinnabar Pan Yun had bought at the general store was long used up, and since the finished product was poor, the talismans she drew weren't very good either.

Guangxin Prefecture was a major city, and from what Tao Ji and the others said, the area around Mount Sanqing was probably remote, with poor roads and underdeveloped trade.

So she needed to stock up on good supplies.

She and Pan Xiaohei had already made some progress and decided to buy materials to expand the Three Jade Spirit Array, while also cultivating and performing good deeds to accumulate merit.

Even without exact numbers, doing good would inevitably benefit her.

She mentally ranked her priorities: cultivation and gathering news about her family tied for first, performing good deeds to accumulate merit second, expanding the array third…

Whether cultivating, building connections to gather news about her family, or performing good deeds to accumulate merit, she needed cinnabar for all of it.

When Tao Ji heard she wanted to buy cinnabar, he volunteered to lead the way: "The cinnabar you buy at general stores? What kind of good stuff is that? Full of impurities, and if you're unlucky, you'll buy fakes—come with me."

Guangxin Prefecture was his turf, so Pan Yun followed obediently, though she didn't let him have the last word: "Me buy fakes? Maybe other things, but not cinnabar."

"You've got quite the confidence—even I and my senior brother occasionally get fooled."

Pan Yun snorted, utterly confident, and offered no explanation.

She had the Five Orifices Heart, which could perceive all things and pierce through illusions—every deception was visible to her.

Fake cinnabar?

Hmph!

Tao Ji shook his head at her arrogance, certain she'd suffer a great loss someday.

Tao Ji took her to a herbalist shop to buy cinnabar.

Pan Yun suddenly realized—of course! She'd forgotten: cinnabar was a medicine in ancient times, so naturally it could be bought at a herbalist shop.

Tao Ji glanced at her. "You're supposed to know everything—how didn't you know cinnabar was sold at herbalist shops?"

Pan Yun: "Now I know. Thank you, Tao Daochang."

Tao Ji was startled, then heard Pan Yun ask: "Do you often come to this herbalist shop? Do you get discounts on herbs here?"

Tao Ji swallowed his surprise and led her straight to the counter.

The Shopkeeper saw him and handed the herb-grinding duties to the apprentice, then went with Tao Ji to the back courtyard: "Tao Daochang, it's been a long time. Are you coming down the mountain to buy or sell herbs?"

On the way back, Tao Ji had often dragged them to herb streets—streets lined entirely with herbal merchants, vendors, and farmers—he'd already bought plenty and had no intention of buying more, so he asked directly: "Have you gotten any good cinnabar lately?"

The Shopkeeper smiled. "You're just in time—two days ago we received a box of top-grade cinnabar. Take a look."

He turned to fetch it and returned shortly.

The box was no bigger than a palm, and when opened, it revealed a pile of dark red cinnabar chunks, each the size of a finger.

Pan Yun glanced at Tao Ji.

Tao Ji looked back—he knew instantly she wanted better, so he said: "Shopkeeper, you don't think I can't afford it, do you? This quality won't do."

The Shopkeeper was stunned. "This isn't good enough? Tao Daochang, have you struck it rich?"

Tao Ji cleared his throat. "Never mind that—show me anything better you have."

The Shopkeeper hesitated, then said: "There is better—but you know, cinnabar is worth its weight in gold, and top-grade cinnabar is even more valuable."

Tao Ji: "Just bring it."

The Shopkeeper confirmed it: Tao Ji had indeed struck it rich. He smiled and went to fetch another box of cinnabar—naturally, he took the one they'd been looking at too.

When he returned, he held one box in each hand. He set the first one aside and opened the new one.

Even Tao Ji couldn't help but be stirred.

The color was vivid red, bright yet steady—just looking at it made your heart leap.

Such cinnabar was perfect for drawing talismans or refining pills.

Tao Ji was tempted. "How much?"

The Shopkeeper smiled. "Fifteen taels per qian."

Pan Yun grabbed Tao Ji's arm.

Tao Ji winced. "That's way too expensive…"

"This is top-grade cinnabar," the Shopkeeper said. "I bought it at great cost from herbal merchants in Guangxi. Even the Shopkeeper of Huichun Hall tried to snatch it up and failed. I paid dearly for it—and if it weren't you, Tao Daochang, I wouldn't even have brought it out."

Bargaining was useless now—cinnabar wasn't an ordinary item you could haggle over and simply go elsewhere.

Because top-grade cinnabar was rare—once missed, you might never find it again.

Pan Yun had been watching Tao Ji's expression—she understood instantly.

Even in the 26th century, top-grade cinnabar was rare. Honestly, she'd seen such quality only a few times—and never had it been in her hands.

This was too good.

Pan Yun activated her cultivation technique and focused again—yes, it was real.

She clenched her teeth and whispered: "Buy it."

Tao Ji smiled at the Shopkeeper, then pulled Pan Yun aside to whisper: "You're sure it's real?"

Well then—he suspected it was fake too.

Pan Yun nodded. "It's real." Tao Ji, hearing this, reached into the inner pocket of his robe.

Silver was inconvenient to carry; when he'd accompanied Pan Yun to the bank to exchange silver for banknotes, he'd converted a hundred taels into notes—that was his reward from Zhou Wang for extending his life, and half of the fifty taels he'd split with Master Xuanmiao, most of which had already been spent on supplies for the carriage. If he spent a hundred taels now, he'd have almost nothing left…

Tao Ji fished out a hundred taels with reluctance. "I'll split it with you—I'll take six qian."

Pan Yun lowered her gaze, thought for a moment, then said: "I also need to buy some lower-grade cinnabar."

Tao Ji immediately said: "That's cheap—based on my experience, about three taels per qian."

Pan Yun now had a clear idea and began calculating how much she could afford.

The Shopkeeper waited patiently nearby, smiling, even respectfully avoiding looking at them—he brewed tea and poured it for them, waiting with patience.

Tao Ji returned. "How much is in this box?"

Shopkeeper: "Only six liang."

Tao Ji glanced at Pan Yun and said, "We need one liang six qian, and also buy another box of cinnabar."

!. Read

The Shopkeeper, upon hearing this, was overjoyed and willingly offered a slight discount on the other box of cinnabar, saying, "I'll charge you three liang silver per qian for this box, and throw in another box of cinnabar for free."

So generous?

Soon Pan Yun saw the cinnabar he had given them.

What was called a box was no larger than a fist; when opened, the cinnabar inside was much like what Pan Yun had bought at the general store—full of impurities, poor in color, clearly worth only a few hundred wen.

Pan Yun had bought one liang of high-grade cinnabar and one liang of medium-high-grade cinnabar, spending a total of one hundred and eighty liang silver; with this bonus, Tao Ji complained the Shopkeeper was stingy and made him add some more herbs.

As the Shopkeeper weighed out the herbs he had listed, he sized up Pan Yun—he had seen clearly that most of the money had come from this girl.

Moreover, they had divided the cinnabar into two portions—one six qian, one one liang—clearly meant for separate purchases.

The Shopkeeper bundled the herbs and handed them to Tao Ji, then turned to Pan Yun. "Tao Daoist, who is this esteemed guest?"

"My junior disciple."

"His younger sister."

The two exchanged a glance, then looked together at the Shopkeeper.

The Shopkeeper smiled awkwardly. "So you're from Sanqing Temple, young Daoist. My apologies—next time you come to our herb shop, mention my name and I'll give you a discount."

The sorrow from having spent too much instantly lifted; Pan Yun decided that if she needed anything again, she might truly return to him.

Outside the herb shop, Tao Ji shoved all the herbs into Pan Yun's arms. "You'll find use for all these on the mountain."

Pan Yun frowned. "Though I don't understand medicine well, I know these herbs don't match—how can they be used together?"

"Just gather more herbs on the mountain to pair with them," Tao Ji glanced at her and shook his head. "Your body is suited for Alchemy Dao—why did you follow your junior sister and learn spellcraft instead?"

He said, "Trust me. When you reach Mount Sanqing, your first task will be to regulate your body, then strengthen it—cultivate both internally and externally. If you focus only on spellcraft, your body will eventually break down."

This time Pan Yun did not object; she merely glanced curiously at the herbs in her arms. "These are for body strengthening?"

Tao Ji nodded. "Yes. We'll need to gather more herbs from the mountains—the temple should have some; I'll show you later."

Pan Yun grew warmer toward him and smiled. "Thank you, Tao Daoist."

Tao Ji sighed inwardly: truly, whoever feeds you is your mother—when you need something, you call him Tao Daoist; when you don't, you just feed him.

But he knew it was because their first meeting had been unpleasant and their interactions had lacked trust; seeing she had filial piety and righteousness, he decided not to hold her to strict account.

Tao Ji led her back to find the cart.

Master Xuanmiao had already waited beside the cart, her expression calm. Tao Ji immediately explained, "We went to buy cinnabar—look, junior sister."

No Daoist Priest could resist high-quality cinnabar, whether practicing Alchemy Dao or Talisman Dao.

Master Xuanmiao rarely saw such fine cinnabar; she pinched some, sniffed it, confirmed its authenticity, then asked, "How much did you pay?"

Tao Ji winced. "Fifteen liang silver per qian—I only have thirteen liang in cash left."

Beside them, Pan Yun stayed silent—she had little left too.

Master Xuanmiao closed the box and returned it to him. "When we return, have your senior brother reimburse you."

Tao Ji rolled his eyes, thinking this was a good idea.

"Let's go. While daylight remains, we'll leave the city."

That morning, Tao Ji had rearranged the cart's contents, clearing a space for Pan Yun and the black cat to sit—finally, she no longer had to squeeze between the two.

But she was seated beside Master Xuanmiao, not behind them, to prevent her from falling off during the journey, for it was said the road from Yushan County to Mount Sanqing was rough.

Pan Yun sat beside Master Xuanmiao and handed her the cold, half-eaten bun. "Master Xuanmiao, about the matter I entrusted you with..."

"Already handled," Master Xuanmiao said. "Someone will soon go to your hometown in Changzhou to investigate; as soon as there's news, it will be sent to Mount Sanqing."

Pan Yun exhaled in relief and lavished praise on Master Xuanmiao. "Master Xuanmiao is truly beautiful and kind-hearted, with such good connections..."

Master Xuanmiao said, "Once you enter Mount Sanqing, you'll be my junior disciple. Among fellow sect members, helping you is natural—you needn't call me 'Xuanmiao Xianshi.'"

The lucky number for this chapter is any number ending in 1—screenshot as proof.

(End of Chapter)