Beast Taming Immortal Clan

Chapter 159 A Solo Journey, Seeking Medicine from Wood and Stone [Please Subscribe]

Zhou Daoyi has successfully broken through to the late stage of Foundation Establishment; this news needs no concealment.

Soon all the cultivators in the Zhou family learned of this good news.

All members of the Zhou family were genuinely happy about this.

But if we're talking about who was the happiest, it would definitely be Zhou Chun and Zhou Daoquan.

For Zhou Chun, Zhou Daoyi's breakthrough to the late Foundation Establishment stage meant that he could confidently switch to cultivating the "Golden Cauldron Profound Technique".

As for Zhou Daoquan, after Zhou Daoyi's breakthrough, he could now leave his family and travel far away to seek opportunities to open his Purple Mansion.

Therefore, shortly after Zhou Daoyi emerged from seclusion, Zhou Chun asked him to resume his duties in charge of the family affairs, while he himself prepared to go out to find materials to refine the Golden Spirit Qi-Regulating Powder.

The Golden Spirit Qi-Regulating Powder is such a rare elixir that it's unrealistic to expect to obtain it through buying or trading.

However, without this item, the cauldron-casting stage of the "Golden Cauldron Mystic Art" will become extremely difficult.

Therefore, Zhou Chun absolutely had to get his hands on this item.

He has now gathered all the other auxiliary ingredients for refining this product through various channels, and only two important main ingredients are missing before he can ask someone to start refining the medicine.

"The cultivation world is fraught with danger. Although your Silver Lightning Python has advanced to the second tier, you still need to be careful when venturing out alone. Remember the lesson you learned from the last pill exchange!"

Before Zhou Chun left, Zhou Daoyi gave him a long and earnest pep talk, telling him to be extra careful.

Although Foundation Establishment cultivators have the initial ability to travel alone in the cultivation world, they are not entirely without danger.

Especially cultivators like Zhou Chun who go out alone to find certain materials are more likely to be targeted for this reason.

If he were alone in a foreign land and were ambushed, his family would be unable to avenge him, and they wouldn't even know who had ambushed him.

Therefore, Zhou Daoyi could only advise him to be careful and not to easily reveal his wealth or expose his true intentions.

"This junior will certainly keep the clan leader's instructions in mind."

Zhou Chun nodded seriously, and then left the family alone.

His destination was Cangzhou in Jingguo, thousands of miles away, which was the territory of the Yanyang Sect, a major sect in Jingguo.

The two main ingredients for refining the Golden Spirit Qi-Regulating Powder are more commonly found there.

After leaving Jiufeng Ridge, he immediately took to the air and headed towards Cangzhou.

This was also Zhou Daoyi's advice to him: not to easily reveal that he possessed a second-tier flying magic weapon on the road, nor to reveal the existence of a second-tier silver lightning python.

In this way, powerful bandits with malicious intentions would not even look at him, and if the weak were to actually attack him, they would be killed by him instead.

However, flying by air is not only slow, but also consumes a lot of mana.

Generally, cultivators in the early stages of Foundation Establishment should find a place to replenish their mana before they have even flown a thousand miles, in order to conserve enough mana to fight enemies.

But for Zhou Chun, this was not a problem at all.

He didn't need to take detours to find places along the way where he could restore his magic; he could simply fly in a straight line.

When your magical power is depleted, just find a secluded spot in the mountains and forests to meditate and recover.

In this way, by avoiding both markets and cultivator settlements, he was less likely to be targeted.

So it only took him a little over three days to reach Cangzhou.

Cangzhou is located in the mid-western part of Jingguo, and its neighboring Yanzhou is the location of the Yanyang Sect's mountain gate.

This prefecture is mostly mountainous with abundant mineral resources, making it a better environment for cultivating immortality than Lanzhou, and it is also more prosperous overall.

However, the situation in this state is quite complicated. Although the Yan Yang Sect is the nominal ruler, in reality, due to the rich mineral resources in Cangzhou, the Yue Lun Sect and Qing Lian Temple have also intervened here and supported some forces.

In the past, every few years, a reshuffling of small forces would occur here. Apart from a few families with deep roots, not many local cultivation families were able to survive here for long.

Especially when a new mineral vein is discovered, a major battle often breaks out over the vein.

Zhou Chun knew the situation here was complicated before he came, so he didn't use the Zhou family name after arriving in Cangzhou.

However, this time he did not use the identity of a rogue cultivator, but instead impersonated a disciple of a cultivation family in Yunzhou who had moved their family's mountain gate due to the invasion of the Dragon Transformation Sect.

After all, a Foundation Establishment cultivator of his age is extremely rare, if not unique, so using this identity would be too conspicuous.

If it were a cultivator from a family, although that would still be relatively rare, it would seem much more normal.

Cangzhou and Yunzhou are thousands of miles apart, so unless you happen to encounter someone who is familiar with the situation in Yunzhou, this fact will not be easily exposed.

After searching and inquiring within Cangzhou, he easily entered Jinquan Market, the largest market town in Cangzhou.

Compared to the Hongya Market and Dongling Market that Zhou Chun had visited before, Jinquan Market was much larger, with more shops and a significantly higher flow of cultivators.

Furthermore, Zhou Chun also noticed that there were quite a few Foundation Establishment cultivators coming and going here.

Back when he lived in Hongya Market, he could walk around the streets and hardly ever see a Foundation Establishment cultivator.

However, after walking around Jinquan Market, he saw three Foundation Establishment cultivators passing by.

Clearly, the fact that so many Foundation Establishment cultivators are attracted here means that the shops in Jinquan Market can find what they need.

This gave Zhou Chun a bit more hope.

After some investigation, he went into a shop called "Mushizhai" in the market.

This "Mu Shi Zhai" is a general store that sells items such as spiritual medicines and spiritual gold ores, but the prices are slightly higher than the market price.

After Zhou Chun entered, he saw the shopkeeper making a transaction with a customer.

When he entered, the shopkeeper, though only at the Qi Refining stage, did not immediately neglect the previous customer just because he was a Foundation Establishment cultivator.

Instead, he bowed apologetically to him and said, "Senior, please wait a moment. I will entertain you after I have completed the transaction with this fellow Daoist."

Perhaps it was this attitude that brought great satisfaction to the customer who was at the Qi Refining stage.

He quickly and readily paid with spirit coins and left the shop with his purchases.

At this moment, the shopkeeper, whose hair was already gray, stepped forward with a face full of apology and bowed to Zhou Chun, saying, "I apologize for keeping you waiting, senior."

"It's alright. Everything is about first come, first served. The shopkeeper didn't do anything wrong."

Zhou Chun waved his hand, indicating that it was alright.

Then, looking at the shopkeeper, he asked, "Does your shop sell golden bamboo roots that are over 500 years old or top-grade golden rat gallbladders?"

Upon hearing this, the shopkeeper immediately shook his head and said, "Senior, we have both of the spiritual items you mentioned, but their age and quality do not meet your requirements."

Zhou Chun had already anticipated this answer.

After all, the roots of golden bamboo that are over 500 years old can be used not only to refine the Golden Spirit Qi-Regulating Powder, but also to refine some more advanced pills. They can't be bought in ordinary shops.

The gallbladder of a top-grade Golden-Eating Rat needs to be extracted from a live Golden-Eating Rat, a first-tier top-grade demonic beast.

Generally, this kind of first-grade high-quality gold-eating rat is the king of a rat pack. It is extremely difficult to capture it alive and extract its gallbladder!

So he didn't show any disappointment at this moment, but continued to look at the shopkeeper and said, "I've heard that your shop offers rewards for finding lost items. If I'm willing to pay half the market price for these two items, what do you think, shopkeeper?"

Offering rewards for lost items is a special service offered by some shops in markets and neighborhoods.

This kind of service is usually offered by shops with a wide network of customers.

They will ask customers to add a certain amount of reward based on the value of the spiritual item they are looking for, and then use their extensive network of contacts to collect the relevant spiritual item for the customer.

Zhou Chun had only come here to inquire after he heard that "Mushizhai" offered this kind of business.

Upon hearing this, the shopkeeper quickly replied, "Our shop does indeed offer reward services for finding lost items, but if you wish to do so, senior, it is beyond my authority."

"Then please ask the shopkeeper to invite someone who can make the decision over here."

Zhou Chun waved his hand, signaling him to go and invite someone.

Upon hearing this, the shopkeeper cupped his hands in greeting and said, "Then please come back in the evening, senior. Our head manager should be able to come to the shop then."

"Alright, I'll come again this evening."

Zhou Chun stared at the shopkeeper for a while, then finally nodded, turned around and left the shop.

After he left, the shopkeeper quickly closed the door and went to the backyard of the shop.

Not long after, he returned to the front hall and reopened the door to resume business.

As evening approached, Zhou Chun arrived at the "Mushizhai" shop as scheduled.

Upon seeing his arrival, the shopkeeper hurriedly stepped forward to greet him, saying, "This junior greets senior. The shop's head manager is already waiting in the backyard. This junior will take you there to meet him."

After saying that, he led Zhou Chun to a guest room in the backyard, and then returned to the front hall.

Zhou Chun walked into the hall with the door open and saw a middle-aged woman with mid-Foundation Establishment cultivation sitting inside brewing tea.

Upon seeing him enter the room, she stood up and greeted him, "Greetings, Fellow Daoist Jiang. My name is Luo Qingyi, and I am currently the manager of this Mushizhai."

"Greetings, Fellow Daoist Luo. My name is Jiang Zishan, and I come from Yunzhou."

Zhou Chun bowed respectfully and explained the origin of his alias.

Upon hearing his words, the woman named Luo Qingyi simply smiled, it was unclear whether she believed him or not.

He then slightly raised his hand, gesturing for him to sit down, and said, "Fellow Daoist Jiang, please have a seat and a cup of tea before we talk."

As he spoke, he picked up the steaming teapot, poured a cup of tea, and handed it to Zhou Chun.

"Thank you for the tea, Fellow Daoist Luo."

Zhou Chun thanked him, but only took a quick sniff of the tea before placing it on the table.

When traveling, he naturally wouldn't dare to actually drink the tea or wine offered by strangers; just making a show of it was enough to give them face.

Luo Qingyi did not show any displeasure upon seeing this.

He simply took a sip of his hot tea, then looked at Zhou Chun and asked, "Fellow Daoist Jiang, have you come all the way from Yunzhou just to purchase two spiritual herbs?"

"Yes, I learned through various inquiries that only Cangzhou in Jingguo has the opportunity to find golden bamboo roots that are over 500 years old and top-grade golden rat gallbladders."

Zhou Chun nodded and admitted it without hesitation.

This isn't something that needs to be kept secret, and there's nothing wrong with admitting it.

Upon seeing this, Luo Qingyi immediately continued, "Golden Leaf Bamboo Grass that is over 500 years old is extremely rare. Wild specimens are almost nonexistent; it can only be found in the medicinal gardens of various families."

"Although our shop knows which forces possess such spiritual herbs, if Fellow Daoist Jiang wishes to purchase them with spirit coins, I'm afraid no one will be willing to sell them to you!"

"As for the superior-grade gold-eating rat gall, it is difficult to preserve for a long time and is also hard to obtain. Our shop is unable to find it for you in the short term. We can only provide you with information on a few wild gold-eating rat colonies. See if you can obtain the medicine yourself!"

After saying this, she picked up her teacup and took small sips, waiting for Zhou Chun's reply.

After hearing what she said, Zhou Chun frowned slightly and fell into deep thought.

After some time had passed, Zhou Chun looked at Luo Qingyi and said, "When I left home, I only brought spirit coins to buy spirit herbs. Is it not acceptable to buy Golden Leaf Bamboo Root at twice the market price?"

Upon hearing this, Luo Qingyi immediately shook her head and chuckled, "Fellow Daoist Jiang is also a cultivator from a family. You should know how difficult it is to find such aged spiritual herbs. Generally, unless there is an urgent need for money, which family would exchange such spiritual herbs for spiritual coins?"

"Let alone double the market price, even if you offered three times the market price, no family would be willing to sell!"

Zhou Chun certainly understood this principle.

But after suffering a great loss at Master Jiang's place last time, how could he dare to easily reveal any rare items now?

Especially in places like "Mushizhai".

He could only sigh helplessly, "Alas, I understand what Fellow Daoist Luo has said. Then please tell me which families possess Golden Leaf Bamboo Roots. After I return to my family, I will have my elders bring something of equal value to exchange for them!"

After saying that, he clasped his hands in a fist and said, "Also, could you please tell me the location of those gold-eating rats, Fellow Daoist Luo? I will go there with my elders to retrieve the medicine!"

"That's easy to say. If you're just providing information, Fellow Daoist Jiang only needs to pay five hundred spirit coins."

Luo Qingyi narrowed her eyes and smiled as she announced the price.

I have to say, the price she quoted was outrageous!

Five hundred spirit coins are enough to buy a five-hundred-year-old golden bamboo grass.

Of course, it was the kind of wild spiritual medicine that was bought from independent cultivators.

But Zhou Chun knew that he was the only one who could give this money.

Otherwise, it wouldn't just be a matter of five hundred spirit coins!

"Of course, here are five hundred spirit coins, Fellow Daoist Luo, please accept them."

He readily pulled out a large money bag, counted out five hundred spirit coins, and placed them on the table.

"Please wait a moment, Fellow Daoist Jiang. I will now enter the information you requested into the jade slip for you."

With a smile on her face, Luo Qingyi scanned the number of spirit coins on the table with her divine sense, then immediately took out a jade slip, recorded the relevant information, and handed it to Zhou Chun along with a map of Cangzhou.

After receiving the items, Zhou Chun didn't want to stay any longer. He immediately clasped his hands in a salute and said, "Thank you for your hospitality, Fellow Daoist Luo. I will take my leave now."

"Fellow Daoist Jiang, please take care. I will not see you off."

As Luo Qingyi spoke, she watched Zhou Chun leave the room.

Then, looking at the five hundred spirit coins on the table, she immediately put them into her storage bag with a big smile on her face.

This is the advantage of running a bounty business; often, you don't actually need to help exchange items, you just need to provide a tip.

The prerequisite is that you need to have a wide enough network of contacts and a strong background.

"Well, if any of them actually make a deal with someone, let's give them one hundred spirit coins. That way, it won't be said that our Wood and Stone Pavilion only takes and doesn't give!"

Second update!

(End of this chapter)