“Alright, I’ll be waiting!”
Shen Qianxun chuckled, clearly not taking Ning Chuan’s words to heart.
However, she was also thinking that she should refine the Restoration Pill as soon as possible so she could try to reconnect all of Ning Chuan’s meridians.
She pondered for a moment, then said, “Ning Chuan, you were born with strong spiritual power and can manipulate objects with your mind. Perhaps you can cultivate the Dao of Alchemy. My Shen Family started with pills, and our Shen Family’s Spirit Pill Hall is one of Yanlong City’s three major Spirit Pill shops!
The Spirit Pill Hall even has a two-star alchemist presiding over it, named Duan Qiao, whose alchemical attainments are extraordinary! I want to send you to the Spirit Pill Hall to be an apprentice to Master Duan. Perhaps in a few years, you’ll be able to become an alchemist. What do you think?”
“Master Duan of the Spirit Pill Hall?”
Ning Chuan was slightly stunned. He was about to refuse, after all, he had inherited the cultivation experience of the Asura Demon Emperor. Although Ning Chuan currently had no cultivation, his alchemical attainments were such that a two-star alchemist wasn't even fit to carry his shoes.
Making him an apprentice to a two-star alchemist?
“Ning Chuan, don’t be so arrogant! Even I greatly admire Master Duan’s alchemical attainments. If you diligently study with him, with your spiritual talent, you can at least become a one-star alchemist. Don’t miss this opportunity!”
Shen Qianxun said earnestly.
“Going to the Spirit Pill Hall isn’t out of the question! But can you lend me some silver?”
Ning Chuan said with a smile.
“Silver? What do you want to do?”
Shen Qianxun was slightly startled, then seemed to realize something, and her gaze became dangerous.
“Of course, it’s to buy some spiritual herbs to learn alchemy! Don’t worry, I’ll study alchemy diligently and definitely won’t embarrass you. Just lend me a few hundred thousand taels of silver!”
Ning Chuan chuckled.
He had calculated that the spiritual herbs needed to refine the Five Elements Marrow Cleansing Pill were quite precious and would require a lot of silver.
Unfortunately, he was currently penniless, and the silver Shen Qianxun gave him each month had all been squandered on lavish entertainment.
“Buy spiritual herbs? Are you trying to visit the Brothel again to please that courtesan?”
Shen Qianxun sneered.
“Courtesan? What courtesan?”
Ning Chuan was slightly taken aback.
“Get out!”
Shen Qianxun was so angry her teeth gnashed. Seeing Ning Chuan’s innocent expression, she guessed that he wanted the silver for carousing, gambling, and visiting Brothels again.
“Qianxun, I definitely won’t go to the Brothel, I swear! Just lend me some silver, please. Don’t worry, I’ll return it tenfold in a few days! Or even a hundredfold, if you prefer?”
Ning Chuan said with a wry smile, knowing that Shen Qianxun had misunderstood him.
“Scram!”
Shen Qianxun was so furious her teeth gnashed. She grabbed the jade pillow from the bed and threw it at Ning Chuan, who scrambled out, clutching his head, and fled directly.
“Sigh, since I didn’t borrow any silver, where am I going to get the Five Elements Marrow Cleansing Pill refined?”
Ning Chuan was a little helpless.
Whoosh!
But just then, a whooshing sound rang out, and a 100,000-tael silver note flew out from inside the room!
“Ning Chuan, if I ever find out you dare to go to the Brothel to find that Zhang Xiaoxiao again, I’ll break your legs!”
Shen Qianxun’s gnashing voice came through.
Ning Chuan was overjoyed and quickly said, “Thank you, my wife! Don’t worry, that courtesan is not even a fraction of you. I’d have to be crazy to go find her!”
Shen Qianxun had still softened her heart.
Ning Chuan, clutching the 100,000-tael silver note, happily left the Shen Family manor, preparing to buy spiritual herbs to refine the Five Elements Marrow Cleansing Pill.
“That scoundrel!”
Shen Qianxun gnashed her teeth in hatred.
However, she seemed to think of something, and a complex look appeared in her eyes as she murmured softly, “Perhaps being an ordinary person is good too! Martial cultivation is cruel and cold, and my time is also limited. I hope you can live a peaceful life!”
…
In Yanlong City, there were dozens of spiritual herb shops.
Ning Chuan entered a spiritual herb shop called Huai Ren Zhai, but a moment later, he walked out with a pale face, holding a pile of silver notes.
“That scoundrel Ning Chuan!”
Ning Chuan cursed, his eyes filled with helplessness.
The 100,000-tael silver note in his arms had already dwindled to 95,000 taels.
Upon seeing Ning Chuan, the shopkeeper of Huai Ren Zhai immediately gathered his people and surrounded him, then produced the previous IOUs, demanding that Ning Chuan repay his debts.
Heaven knew how much that scoundrel Ning Chuan had owed before?
Ning Chuan repaid five thousand taels of silver to get away, and the shopkeeper of Huai Ren Zhai flatly refused to sell any spiritual herbs to Ning Chuan.
Ning Chuan hadn’t expected his former reputation to be so notorious!
“If I visit a few more spiritual herb shops, won’t my 100,000 taels of silver be gone? Heaven knows how much that scoundrel owed before! It seems I must find a solution!”
Ning Chuan returned to the Shen Family manor with a grim expression.
Soon, he donned a black robe and a hood, completely concealing himself, and left the Shen Family manor once again.
This time, he didn’t go to a spiritual herb shop but headed directly towards the Precious Treasure Pavilion.
The Precious Treasure Pavilion sold various natural treasures and miraculous elixirs, with branches throughout the Great Xia Kingdom.
It was said that every city had a branch of the Precious Treasure Pavilion.
In Yanlong City, the Precious Treasure Pavilion was undoubtedly number one, with the Shen Family’s Spirit Pill Hall and the Li Family’s Earth Fire Workshop ranking behind it.
When Ning Chuan arrived at the Precious Treasure Pavilion, a smiling old man immediately greeted him. Especially upon seeing Ning Chuan in a black robe, completely concealed, the smile on his face grew even wider.
Yanlong City was close to the Great Wilderness Mountain Range, and many martial artists would enter the Great Wilderness Mountain Range to hunt demonic beasts and search for treasures, then rest in Yanlong City because of its thriving commerce.
He mistook Ning Chuan for a demonic beast hunter from the Great Wilderness Mountain Range.
Such demonic beast hunters were usually wealthy.
“I need these spiritual herbs, three portions of each!”
Ning Chuan lowered his voice, speaking hoarsely.
He efficiently listed dozens of spiritual herbs required for the Five Elements Marrow Cleansing Pill on a slip of paper and handed it to the old man.
The old man examined it carefully, then smiled and said, “Esteemed guest, although these spiritual herbs are quite precious, our Precious Treasure Pavilion happens to have them all! Three portions of each will cost a total of ninety-one thousand two hundred taels of silver. I’ll take the liberty of rounding it down for you, to ninety thousand taels of silver. How does that sound?”
This was a big business, truly worthy of a demonic beast hunter!
“Alright! Also, I’d like to rent the Precious Treasure Pavilion’s alchemy room, if possible?”
Ning Chuan breathed a sigh of relief.
Fortunately, Shen Qianxun was quite generous; it would have been awkward if the silver wasn't enough.
“Rent an alchemy room? Is the esteemed guest perhaps an alchemist?”
The old man trembled, and his gaze immediately changed.
“You could say that! I want the best alchemy room. How much does it cost?”
Ning Chuan said noncommittally.
“Master, please follow me! Our Precious Treasure Pavilion has three types of alchemy rooms: one-star is the lowest, three-star is the highest. A three-star alchemy room costs five thousand taels of silver per day!”
The old man said with immense respect.
With his dignified Spirit Sea Realm cultivation, he couldn't discern Ning Chuan’s depth of cultivation. The Ning Chuan before him seemed like an ordinary person with no cultivation whatsoever.
This was definitely a martial artist beyond the Spirit Sea Realm. Could it be the Dao Foundation Realm?