Chapter 24: South Mountain Gathering
Chapter 24: South Mountain Gathering
Ning Xiaochuan had no confidence at all in earning three hundred million small coins within three months.
But since he had already made the promise, he had to strive to fulfill it.
He had already inspected the treasury of Haitang Manor, where most of the coins had been withdrawn by the Marquis's estate, leaving only one million three hundred thousand small coins behind.
The autumn harvest had just ended, and the next year's taxes wouldn’t be collected until the following year.
In other words, Ning Xiaochuan now had to raise three hundred million small coins entirely on his own.
"At my current speed of refining Mystic Medicine, I can refine a maximum of twenty Heart Nurturing Grass plants per day. Each plant can yield four drops of Heart Nurturing Liquid, and one drop can sell for ten thousand small coins. That means I can earn eight hundred thousand small coins a day. In three months, that would only amount to seventy-two million small coins. No… no… Even if I overexert myself refining Heart Nurturing Grass every day, it’s impossible to earn three hundred million small coins in three months."
Ning Xiaochuan frowned tightly. "It seems there’s only one way. If I can become an Intermediate Heart Nurturer, I’ll be able to refine Intermediate Elixirs. A single Intermediate Elixir can fetch at least one million small coins at auction. Only by becoming an Intermediate Heart Nurturer can I possibly raise three hundred million small coins—or even more—within three months."
Currently, Ning Xiaochuan could refine four drops of Heart Nurturing Liquid from a single Heart Nurturing Grass, which already matched the level of an Intermediate Heart Nurturer. The only thing left was to elevate his cultivation to the Divine Body Realm!
Only with the Divine Body Realm’s strength could a Heart Nurturer refine Intermediate Elixirs.
For other Heart Nurturers, even if they reached the Divine Body Realm, it didn’t necessarily mean they could become Intermediate Heart Nurturers.
Becoming an Intermediate Heart Nurturer was many times more difficult than a martial artist reaching the Divine Body Realm. It involved the Heart Nurturer’s control over Mystic Medicine, their innate talent, their alchemy techniques, and whether their Martial Arts Heart Palace was strong enough.
Only when all these factors reached an extremely high level could one become an Intermediate Heart Nurturer.
For most people, reaching the Divine Body Realm was merely the first step toward becoming an Intermediate Heart Nurturer.
But for Ning Xiaochuan, as soon as he reached the Divine Body Realm, he would immediately qualify as an Intermediate Heart Nurturer.
"I must break through to the Divine Body Realm within three months!"
Ning Xiaochuan retrieved the Golden-Threaded Purple Wood Box from his bag and placed both hands on its intricately patterned surface. A surge of Earth Martial Essence flowed through his palms and into his body.
"Boom!"
The speed of his blood circulation rapidly increased, rushing like a roaring river. Originally, he could complete three full cycles per minute.
Now, stimulated by the Earth Martial Essence, he reached four cycles per minute.
It was as if a Martial Venerable were directly imparting power to him, drastically accelerating his cultivation speed.
For ten consecutive days, Ning Xiaochuan remained in seclusion, focusing solely on cultivation.
He rarely interacted with the stewards and servants of Haitang Manor, having Yu Yan deliver his meals directly to his room.
Among the manor’s servants, there were undoubtedly spies planted by Ning Qianwu. Ning Xiaochuan had no intention of letting anyone discover that he was now capable of cultivating Martial Arts Profound Qi.
During these ten days of secluded cultivation, the Martial Arts Profound Qi within Ning Xiaochuan's body rapidly expanded. Countless crimson streams of energy swirled around him, forming a two-meter-diameter sphere that enveloped his body.
"Condense!"
The Martial Arts Profound Qi converged into his palm, transforming into a three-foot-long, translucent crimson Profound Qi Sword, as if forged from ruby.
Though not as terrifying as the demonic sword within Ning Xiaochuan's body, the Profound Qi Sword was still incredibly sharp, brimming with immense power.
"Boom!"
With a swing of Ning Xiaochuan's arm, the sword energy slashed out, cleaving a two-meter-tall bronze cauldron in half. Dust erupted from the cauldron as the two halves crashed to the ground, shattering the stone tiles beneath.
A single slash to split a bronze cauldron!
This was the might of the Profound Qi Sword, enough to make Ning Xiaochuan invincible within his realm—even daring to challenge experts at the Eighth Level of Profound Qi.
"After cultivating with Earth Martial Essence for ten days, my progress has only reached the peak of the Seventh Level of Profound Qi. The speed is still too slow."
To others, such cultivation speed would be considered astonishing.
But Ning Xiaochuan was deeply dissatisfied.
Hearing the commotion, Yu Yan hurriedly pushed the door open. Seeing the chaotic state of the room and the bisected bronze cauldron in the center, she was stunned, blinking twice before exclaiming, "Young Master Ning, have... have you broken through?"
Ning Xiaochuan shook his head. "No. Yu Yan, do you know where I can buy Mystic Medicine nearby?"
"Naturally, at the market in the South Mountain Gathering. But, Young Master, why do you need Mystic Medicine? Only esteemed Heart Nurturers can fully utilize its medicinal properties." Yu Yan assumed Ning Xiaochuan intended to consume the Mystic Medicine to boost his cultivation and thus offered a warning.
After all, if a martial artist directly ingested Mystic Medicine, they could only absorb one-tenth of its efficacy—a tremendous waste.
She didn’t know that Ning Xiaochuan was also a Heart Nurturer.
...
The South Mountain Gathering was one of the Border Markets outside the imperial city.
Though merely a Border Market, it was fortified with towering walls, complete with watchtowers, arrow towers, and catapults.
The entire South Mountain Gathering resembled a bustling small city. Martial artists traveling to the imperial capital from the Tiannan Domain, Jiangnu Domain, and Moling Domain all passed through here, making it one of the most chaotic Border Markets outside the imperial city.
It was worth noting that the Yulan Empire's territory was vast, divided into sixty-three domains under regional governance.
Below the "domains" were further divisions: "plains," "prefectures," "provinces," "counties," and "towns."
Within the South Mountain Gathering, there was an ancient street dedicated to trading Mystic Medicine. Here, one could encounter all sorts of people—a motley crew of characters, both respectable and shady.
On either side of the ancient street stood lavishly decorated shops, while others simply spread a straw mat on the ground, displaying various Mystic Medicines before loudly hawking their wares.
"Young master, you're here to buy Mystic Medicine, right?"
An elderly man picked up a purplish-brown tree root from the straw mat. The root was as thick as an arm, covered with vein-like patterns resembling human blood vessels. He said, "This is a 'Blood Ancestor Root' I just dug up from South Moon Mountain. It’s definitely three hundred years old. The old shopkeeper of Mystic Leaf Pavilion offered me 15,000 Small Coins, but I refused to sell. This thing is worth at least 20,000 Small Coins."
Ning Xiaochuan glanced at the so-called "Blood Ancestor Root" in the old man’s hand, shook his head with a smile, and walked away.
The elderly man chased after him, saying, "How about 18,000 Small Coins? Or 16,000? Even if you don’t want the Blood Ancestor Root, I have other spiritual herbs here—Heavenly Hemp Gall, Ghost Comb Grain..."
Ning Xiaochuan didn’t look back and continued forward.
Yu Yan, curious, said, "Young Master, these mountain folk gather their spiritual herbs from South Moon Mountain. They set up stalls to sell them because they don’t want to be lowballed by the Heart Nurturing Hall. Though I don’t know much about spiritual herbs, spending 16,000 Small Coins on a Three-Star Spiritual Herb seems like a pretty good deal."
Ning Xiaochuan shook his head with a smile. "Do you really think they’re all honest mountain folk? Take that 'Blood Ancestor Root' the old man just showed us—it is indeed three hundred years old, but it’s not a 'Blood Ancestor Root.' It’s a 'Blood Tree Root,' completely devoid of spiritual energy."
The Blood Ancestor Root is a spiritual root nurtured by the earth, a rare and valuable spiritual herb.
The Blood Tree Root, on the other hand, is just the root of a blood tree. If Ning Xiaochuan wanted, he could buy a whole basket of them anytime.
Upon hearing this, Yu Yan’s mood soured, and she turned around, ready to expose the old fraud.
Ning Xiaochuan stopped her, smiling. "Look at their tattered clothes, their calloused hands, their rough skin—they’re poor people struggling to make ends meet. Many of them resort to deception out of desperation. If you expose them, their wives and children might go hungry for days. Let them off this once."
Though many stalls along the ancient street sold fake herbs, there were still plenty of genuine spiritual herbs. With a sharp enough eye, one could distinguish the real from the fake.
Ning Xiaochuan had come to the Border Market to buy "Blood Nourishing Grass" or "Blood Toad Wood." Only by using Blood Nourishing Liquid and Blood Toad Liquid could he activate the demonic sword in his Demon Ventricle and rapidly improve his cultivation.
Of course, Ning Xiaochuan could also use the demonic sword’s power to absorb human blood, which would accelerate his cultivation even faster.
But that method was far too sinister and could only be used as a last resort. If he relied on blood absorption for too long, he would inevitably fall into demonic cultivation.
Ning Xiaochuan’s eyelids narrowed slightly as if he had spotted something valuable. He walked over to a stall, crouched down, and picked up a blood-red leaf.
"Don’t touch that! That leaf is the most precious treasure here. Look, but don’t touch!" The stall owner sounded frantic, as if Ning Xiaochuan had just laid hands on his wife.
Ning Xiaochuan looked up and saw that the stall owner was a young man about his age—thin, with messy hair, clutching a tattered book, glaring at him in annoyance.
The tattered page bore the words "Heaven and Earth Profound Qi."
Turns out, while running his stall, he was also cultivating Martial Arts Profound Qi. Given his family's circumstances, he could only afford low-level cultivation manuals like Heaven and Earth Profound Qi.
Ning Xiaochuan placed the blood-red leaf back on the straw mat and smiled. "Stall owner, I’m quite curious—where did you obtain this leaf?"
The young man set his book down on the stone bench, his expression suddenly brightening with enthusiasm. "This young master has a keen eye! This leaf has quite the extraordinary origin and immense medicinal value. To be honest, I was reluctant to sell it, but seeing how congenial you are, I’ll part with it for 50,000 small coins. How does that sound?"
His mood shifted swiftly—from furious just moments ago to all smiles now.
"50,000 small coins? You might as well rob us! This shabby leaf isn’t any Mystic Medicine—you’re just another swindler!" Yu Yan’s delicate face flushed with anger, her charming features twisting in indignation. She couldn’t stand those who tried to cheat young masters out of their money.
Paying 50,000 small coins for a leaf? Unless it was from a Golden-Threaded Purple Wood or a Ten-Thousand-Year Divine Mulberry, that would be absurd!
The young stall owner knew full well the leaf wasn’t even worth 500 small coins. But seeing Ning Xiaochuan dressed in luxurious attire and picking up the leaf with interest, he assumed he was an easy mark who knew nothing about Mystic Medicine.
So, on a whim, he decided to fleece Ning Xiaochuan for all he was worth.
But sensing that his target might not be as clueless as he thought, he was about to backtrack—only for Ning Xiaochuan to speak first.
"50,000 small coins!"
Ning Xiaochuan paused, then nodded. "That’s actually quite a fair price!"
Ning Xiaochuan had no confidence at all in earning three hundred million small coins within three months.
But since he had already made the promise, he had to strive to fulfill it.
He had already inspected the treasury of Haitang Manor, where most of the coins had been withdrawn by the Marquis's estate, leaving only one million three hundred thousand small coins behind.
The autumn harvest had just ended, and the next year's taxes wouldn’t be collected until the following year.
In other words, Ning Xiaochuan now had to raise three hundred million small coins entirely on his own.
"At my current speed of refining Mystic Medicine, I can refine a maximum of twenty Heart Nurturing Grass plants per day. Each plant can yield four drops of Heart Nurturing Liquid, and one drop can sell for ten thousand small coins. That means I can earn eight hundred thousand small coins a day. In three months, that would only amount to seventy-two million small coins. No… no… Even if I overexert myself refining Heart Nurturing Grass every day, it’s impossible to earn three hundred million small coins in three months."
Ning Xiaochuan frowned tightly. "It seems there’s only one way. If I can become an Intermediate Heart Nurturer, I’ll be able to refine Intermediate Elixirs. A single Intermediate Elixir can fetch at least one million small coins at auction. Only by becoming an Intermediate Heart Nurturer can I possibly raise three hundred million small coins—or even more—within three months."
Currently, Ning Xiaochuan could refine four drops of Heart Nurturing Liquid from a single Heart Nurturing Grass, which already matched the level of an Intermediate Heart Nurturer. The only thing left was to elevate his cultivation to the Divine Body Realm!
Only with the Divine Body Realm’s strength could a Heart Nurturer refine Intermediate Elixirs.
For other Heart Nurturers, even if they reached the Divine Body Realm, it didn’t necessarily mean they could become Intermediate Heart Nurturers.
Becoming an Intermediate Heart Nurturer was many times more difficult than a martial artist reaching the Divine Body Realm. It involved the Heart Nurturer’s control over Mystic Medicine, their innate talent, their alchemy techniques, and whether their Martial Arts Heart Palace was strong enough.
Only when all these factors reached an extremely high level could one become an Intermediate Heart Nurturer.
For most people, reaching the Divine Body Realm was merely the first step toward becoming an Intermediate Heart Nurturer.
But for Ning Xiaochuan, as soon as he reached the Divine Body Realm, he would immediately qualify as an Intermediate Heart Nurturer.
"I must break through to the Divine Body Realm within three months!"
Ning Xiaochuan retrieved the Golden-Threaded Purple Wood Box from his bag and placed both hands on its intricately patterned surface. A surge of Earth Martial Essence flowed through his palms and into his body.
"Boom!"
The speed of his blood circulation rapidly increased, rushing like a roaring river. Originally, he could complete three full cycles per minute.
Now, stimulated by the Earth Martial Essence, he reached four cycles per minute.
It was as if a Martial Venerable were directly imparting power to him, drastically accelerating his cultivation speed.
For ten consecutive days, Ning Xiaochuan remained in seclusion, focusing solely on cultivation.
He rarely interacted with the stewards and servants of Haitang Manor, having Yu Yan deliver his meals directly to his room.
Among the manor’s servants, there were undoubtedly spies planted by Ning Qianwu. Ning Xiaochuan had no intention of letting anyone discover that he was now capable of cultivating Martial Arts Profound Qi.
During these ten days of secluded cultivation, the Martial Arts Profound Qi within Ning Xiaochuan's body rapidly expanded. Countless crimson streams of energy swirled around him, forming a two-meter-diameter sphere that enveloped his body.
"Condense!"
The Martial Arts Profound Qi converged into his palm, transforming into a three-foot-long, translucent crimson Profound Qi Sword, as if forged from ruby.
Though not as terrifying as the demonic sword within Ning Xiaochuan's body, the Profound Qi Sword was still incredibly sharp, brimming with immense power.
"Boom!"
With a swing of Ning Xiaochuan's arm, the sword energy slashed out, cleaving a two-meter-tall bronze cauldron in half. Dust erupted from the cauldron as the two halves crashed to the ground, shattering the stone tiles beneath.
A single slash to split a bronze cauldron!
This was the might of the Profound Qi Sword, enough to make Ning Xiaochuan invincible within his realm—even daring to challenge experts at the Eighth Level of Profound Qi.
"After cultivating with Earth Martial Essence for ten days, my progress has only reached the peak of the Seventh Level of Profound Qi. The speed is still too slow."
To others, such cultivation speed would be considered astonishing.
But Ning Xiaochuan was deeply dissatisfied.
Hearing the commotion, Yu Yan hurriedly pushed the door open. Seeing the chaotic state of the room and the bisected bronze cauldron in the center, she was stunned, blinking twice before exclaiming, "Young Master Ning, have... have you broken through?"
Ning Xiaochuan shook his head. "No. Yu Yan, do you know where I can buy Mystic Medicine nearby?"
"Naturally, at the market in the South Mountain Gathering. But, Young Master, why do you need Mystic Medicine? Only esteemed Heart Nurturers can fully utilize its medicinal properties." Yu Yan assumed Ning Xiaochuan intended to consume the Mystic Medicine to boost his cultivation and thus offered a warning.
After all, if a martial artist directly ingested Mystic Medicine, they could only absorb one-tenth of its efficacy—a tremendous waste.
She didn’t know that Ning Xiaochuan was also a Heart Nurturer.
...
The South Mountain Gathering was one of the Border Markets outside the imperial city.
Though merely a Border Market, it was fortified with towering walls, complete with watchtowers, arrow towers, and catapults.
The entire South Mountain Gathering resembled a bustling small city. Martial artists traveling to the imperial capital from the Tiannan Domain, Jiangnu Domain, and Moling Domain all passed through here, making it one of the most chaotic Border Markets outside the imperial city.
It was worth noting that the Yulan Empire's territory was vast, divided into sixty-three domains under regional governance.
Below the "domains" were further divisions: "plains," "prefectures," "provinces," "counties," and "towns."
Within the South Mountain Gathering, there was an ancient street dedicated to trading Mystic Medicine. Here, one could encounter all sorts of people—a motley crew of characters, both respectable and shady.
On either side of the ancient street stood lavishly decorated shops, while others simply spread a straw mat on the ground, displaying various Mystic Medicines before loudly hawking their wares.
"Young master, you're here to buy Mystic Medicine, right?"
An elderly man picked up a purplish-brown tree root from the straw mat. The root was as thick as an arm, covered with vein-like patterns resembling human blood vessels. He said, "This is a 'Blood Ancestor Root' I just dug up from South Moon Mountain. It’s definitely three hundred years old. The old shopkeeper of Mystic Leaf Pavilion offered me 15,000 Small Coins, but I refused to sell. This thing is worth at least 20,000 Small Coins."
Ning Xiaochuan glanced at the so-called "Blood Ancestor Root" in the old man’s hand, shook his head with a smile, and walked away.
The elderly man chased after him, saying, "How about 18,000 Small Coins? Or 16,000? Even if you don’t want the Blood Ancestor Root, I have other spiritual herbs here—Heavenly Hemp Gall, Ghost Comb Grain..."
Ning Xiaochuan didn’t look back and continued forward.
Yu Yan, curious, said, "Young Master, these mountain folk gather their spiritual herbs from South Moon Mountain. They set up stalls to sell them because they don’t want to be lowballed by the Heart Nurturing Hall. Though I don’t know much about spiritual herbs, spending 16,000 Small Coins on a Three-Star Spiritual Herb seems like a pretty good deal."
Ning Xiaochuan shook his head with a smile. "Do you really think they’re all honest mountain folk? Take that 'Blood Ancestor Root' the old man just showed us—it is indeed three hundred years old, but it’s not a 'Blood Ancestor Root.' It’s a 'Blood Tree Root,' completely devoid of spiritual energy."
The Blood Ancestor Root is a spiritual root nurtured by the earth, a rare and valuable spiritual herb.
The Blood Tree Root, on the other hand, is just the root of a blood tree. If Ning Xiaochuan wanted, he could buy a whole basket of them anytime.
Upon hearing this, Yu Yan’s mood soured, and she turned around, ready to expose the old fraud.
Ning Xiaochuan stopped her, smiling. "Look at their tattered clothes, their calloused hands, their rough skin—they’re poor people struggling to make ends meet. Many of them resort to deception out of desperation. If you expose them, their wives and children might go hungry for days. Let them off this once."
Though many stalls along the ancient street sold fake herbs, there were still plenty of genuine spiritual herbs. With a sharp enough eye, one could distinguish the real from the fake.
Ning Xiaochuan had come to the Border Market to buy "Blood Nourishing Grass" or "Blood Toad Wood." Only by using Blood Nourishing Liquid and Blood Toad Liquid could he activate the demonic sword in his Demon Ventricle and rapidly improve his cultivation.
Of course, Ning Xiaochuan could also use the demonic sword’s power to absorb human blood, which would accelerate his cultivation even faster.
But that method was far too sinister and could only be used as a last resort. If he relied on blood absorption for too long, he would inevitably fall into demonic cultivation.
Ning Xiaochuan’s eyelids narrowed slightly as if he had spotted something valuable. He walked over to a stall, crouched down, and picked up a blood-red leaf.
"Don’t touch that! That leaf is the most precious treasure here. Look, but don’t touch!" The stall owner sounded frantic, as if Ning Xiaochuan had just laid hands on his wife.
Ning Xiaochuan looked up and saw that the stall owner was a young man about his age—thin, with messy hair, clutching a tattered book, glaring at him in annoyance.
The tattered page bore the words "Heaven and Earth Profound Qi."
Turns out, while running his stall, he was also cultivating Martial Arts Profound Qi. Given his family's circumstances, he could only afford low-level cultivation manuals like Heaven and Earth Profound Qi.
Ning Xiaochuan placed the blood-red leaf back on the straw mat and smiled. "Stall owner, I’m quite curious—where did you obtain this leaf?"
The young man set his book down on the stone bench, his expression suddenly brightening with enthusiasm. "This young master has a keen eye! This leaf has quite the extraordinary origin and immense medicinal value. To be honest, I was reluctant to sell it, but seeing how congenial you are, I’ll part with it for 50,000 small coins. How does that sound?"
His mood shifted swiftly—from furious just moments ago to all smiles now.
"50,000 small coins? You might as well rob us! This shabby leaf isn’t any Mystic Medicine—you’re just another swindler!" Yu Yan’s delicate face flushed with anger, her charming features twisting in indignation. She couldn’t stand those who tried to cheat young masters out of their money.
Paying 50,000 small coins for a leaf? Unless it was from a Golden-Threaded Purple Wood or a Ten-Thousand-Year Divine Mulberry, that would be absurd!
The young stall owner knew full well the leaf wasn’t even worth 500 small coins. But seeing Ning Xiaochuan dressed in luxurious attire and picking up the leaf with interest, he assumed he was an easy mark who knew nothing about Mystic Medicine.
So, on a whim, he decided to fleece Ning Xiaochuan for all he was worth.
But sensing that his target might not be as clueless as he thought, he was about to backtrack—only for Ning Xiaochuan to speak first.
"50,000 small coins!"
Ning Xiaochuan paused, then nodded. "That’s actually quite a fair price!"
Rating
0
0
There are no comments for now.
Subscribe
to be the first to leave a comment.