Start slaying demons from the proficiency panel.

"Could you please take a look at these two bottles of pills for me?" Ning Xiu said as he walked to the counter and placed the pills he carried with him on the table.

The alchemist with the goatee reached out and took it, uncorked it, and took a sniff. His face immediately showed a look of surprise.

"Dragon and Tiger Essence Pill! It's a rare, top-quality pill. One pill can keep you going from night to day, from sunset to dawn, making you feel no fatigue and getting stronger and stronger with each battle."

The alchemist gave a thumbs up and asked, "Young man, the quality of your stuff is really high. I wonder where you got it from? Could you tell me the address?"

Although the man's words were somewhat cryptic, Ning Xiu could easily understand their meaning.

I originally thought the bottle contained something extraordinary, but it turned out to be nothing ordinary at all.

I never expected that a demon would also have this kind of taste.

Ning Xiu had no choice but to ask, "I only obtained these two bottles by chance, and I don't know who the alchemist is. Will you accept them?"

“I’ll take it! It’s rare to see such high-quality Dragon Tiger Essence Pills, I definitely have to take it. Here’s what I’ll give you: two bottles for one hundred taels of silver.”

Immediately, Ning Xiu looked at the other party with a half-smile, without responding.

Although he didn't understand the market value of the Dragon Tiger Essence Pill, he had previously accompanied Lu Hao and others to Chunman Pavilion for drinks.

The other party had mentioned to him that the things used by royalty and nobility could extend the time by one or two hours, and a bottle usually cost more than fifty taels.

If something that can be sold for more than fifty taels in one or two hours can be sold, then what about this "one glance at sunset and the next at dawn" device that the other party mentioned, which violates the scientific principles of human health?

Is it worth only two bottles for one hundred taels?

How much kickback must he have taken? What a swindler! Absolutely a swindler!

"Dude, tell the truth. If you tell the truth, we can still discuss this deal."

Ning Xiu patted his chest and then raised his finger: "I have a friend who is a real womanizer. He used to be a regular at Chunman Pavilion and ate this every day like candy. I've bought it for him a few times, so I know the prices better than anyone. Don't try to rip me off just because I'm a stranger."

"This..." The alchemist hesitated.

Seeing this, Ning Xiu grabbed the two bottles and was about to leave, but he was not flustered at all. In this huge Chaotian Capital, there was no shortage of places to sell the Dragon Tiger Essence Pill.

"Three hundred taels a bottle! That's my price," the alchemist shouted anxiously.

The price was in line with Ning Xiu's expectations. He figured it couldn't be too expensive. He turned around and put the bottle back on the counter, saying, "That's right. You're a good guy. I'll sell anything similar here in the future."

After receiving six hundred taels of silver from the alchemist, Ning Xiu carried the Thunder Hammer and walked out of the alchemy shop.

Now all he had left were those three skull darts, which he figured he could sell for some money to pay the remaining seven hundred taels for the custom-made puppet.

After Ning Xiu left, the alchemist reached out and poured out all the Dragon Tiger Essence Pills from a bottle, counting out as many as seven pills.

Upon seeing this, the alchemist was secretly delighted and said with a smile, "With such high quality, as long as I find a way, it would not be unreasonable for me to sell each one to those princes and nobles for fifty taels. Once both bottles are sold, I will still make a profit."

【030】Night Patrol Four-Man Team

After wandering around the Thousand Machines Pavilion for a while, Ning Xiu finally found a stall that sold miscellaneous goods.

The stall was filled with bronzeware, ironware, bottles, jars, ornaments, and even fragments of bone.

At first glance, it gave Ning Xiu the feeling of being in Panjiayuan Market. He immediately walked over, squatted down, and asked, "Shopkeeper, do you accept everything?"

The stall owner was a man who looked quite young, but whose age was impossible to guess.

Upon hearing Ning Xiu's question, he simply replied, "Take them all."

"Then can you take a look at this and give me an estimate?" Ning Xiu said, handing over three skull-shaped throwing knives.

"Oh my!" The man took it and immediately showed interest in it, then began to caress it carefully.

"This thing must have been made by a demon. It looks very exquisite, and it's not an ordinary dart. It actually contains some harmful tricks."

Ning Xiu asked, "How much silver is it worth?"

"I'll give you ten taels for each one. Don't worry, I've been operating here for seven or eight years, and I've always been fair in my business dealings. I would never cheat any customer."

Ning Xiu had absolutely no idea what price these three darts could fetch.

However, keeping this item on my person is also a hassle, and if I lose it one day, I won't even be able to get back the ten taels of my investment.

With the mindset of accepting a slight loss, Ning Xiu nodded in agreement: "Okay, let's sell it like this then."

"Alright, young man, you're very straightforward. Don't worry, I absolutely won't cheat you out of this deal." The man laughed, reaching out to take three ten-tael silver ingots and handing them to Ning Xiu.

In this way, Ning Xiu finally got rid of all the miscellaneous items he was carrying, and he was able to recover his losses.

The final payment of seven hundred taels for the custom-made puppet was secured instantly.

Ning Xiu never expected that the three-faced demon would carry such a rich value.

If I could encounter a few more extraordinary people like this, wouldn't I be able to achieve financial freedom very quickly?

"Young brother, I sense a pure aura circulating within you. This aura is clearly wicked, yet it is exceptionally clean and pure. I wonder what kind of treasure it is? Would you be so kind as to show it to me?"

Just as Ning Xiu took the silver ingot and was about to turn and leave, the stall owner suddenly called out to him, and spoke very seriously.

"Baby?" Ning Xiu was slightly taken aback, but quickly realized what the other party was talking about.

The Six-Character Golden Pearl was already damaged. After selling the pills and darts, the only item he still carried was the Ghost Tear.

This item was formed from the tears of a vengeful woman on the verge of self-destruction. According to Su Qianqian, it is an extremely rare and precious material that needs to be carefully preserved.

Therefore, Ning Xiu had always carried it with him, but he never expected that the stall owner would recognize it at a glance today.

But as the saying goes, one should not flaunt one's wealth. Ning Xiu currently has no intention of selling Ghost Tears, so there is no need for others to know that he possesses such a treasure.

"Shopkeeper, you're too kind. I don't have any treasures on me. If I have anything similar again, I'll take my leave now."

Seeing that Ning Xiu had no intention of showing off his skills, the stall owner had no choice but to give up. After all, it was someone else's wish, and he couldn't force him.

Ning Xiu gained a great deal from his visit to the Thousand Machines Pavilion.

First, his initial goal has been achieved: the Thunder Hammer has a portable and easy-to-carry solution.

Secondly, he cleared out any unwanted items from his person and exchanged them for a large sum of silver.

With the problem solved and feeling much lighter, Ning Xiu returned to his residence in the Demon Subduing Division and began to wait for night to fall.

……

Because of the Chunman Pavilion incident, patrols and inspections are now extremely strict throughout the capital.

The Marquis of Wuyi's mansion and Chunman Pavilion are two key targets, with the Demon-Subduing Guards conducting regular patrols there every day.

The temporary team that Ning Xiu joined was tasked with patrolling the area around Chunman Pavilion. They only needed to watch for an hour before another team would come to take over.

At the hour of Chou (1-3 AM), Ning Xiu donned his black silver chainmail and, carrying the Thunder Hammer, arrived at the meeting place Su Qianqian had told him about.

Then it was seen that three members had already arrived, two men and one woman, all of whom were Iron Horse Demon Subduing Guards.

Upon seeing Ning Xiu, everyone immediately began introducing him to others.

"Liu Yong, Bronze Leopard Team One, Martial Arts Rank Eight."

"Qin Ben, of the Bronze Leopard Team 10, is a ninth-rank general."

"Li Yueying, Bronze Leopard Thirteenth Team, Rank Nine Immortal."

Ning Xiu placed the Thunder Hammer on the ground, clasped his hands in greeting, and said, "Greetings, everyone. I am Ning Xiu, from the Sixth Bronze Leopard Team, Martial Arts... Rank Eight."

"Brother Ning, you're so young, yet you've already reached the eighth rank in martial arts. Your potential is truly remarkable. If nothing unexpected happens, you'll definitely be part of the team when you advance to the Bronze Leopard rank in the future," Qin Ben said with a smile.

Meanwhile, Liu Yong, who was also at the eighth rank of martial arts, looked at Ning Xiu's rather rare weapon with curiosity.

The most common weapons in the Demon Extermination Bureau are knives and swords, followed by spears and halberds, while less common weapons such as axes, hammers, bows, and maces are less so.

Seeing a demon-slaying officer wielding a hammer is even more unusual than witnessing evil spirits wreaking havoc in the capital.

"You're too kind, everyone. How many people in our temporary team are still missing? When will we officially begin patrolling?" Ning Xiu smiled modestly, then changed the subject and asked.

Li Yueying shook her head: "There are only four of us in the team. Once you arrive, we're all here. Let's get started without further ado."

Ning Xiu couldn't help but feel ashamed. He thought he had arrived on time, but he didn't expect to be the last one to be late.

In this temporary team formation, the oldest member, Liu Yong, was appointed as the team leader.

No one disagreed with this point, since the team was only temporary and no one could say for sure when it would disband.

It doesn't matter who's the captain; if I don't take the position, I can at least have some peace and quiet.

Led by Liu Yong, Ning Xiu and his group left the Demon Subduing Division and headed straight for the area where Chunman Pavilion was located.

Recently, Chaotiandu has been noticeably less lively than usual. The Demon Extermination Bureau's thorough investigation of the entire city has had a certain impact on many businesses that operate at night.

"Once the Marquis of Wuyi's mansion was sealed off, some of the imperial relatives in the palace couldn't sit still. They went to His Majesty every day to plead for the Demon Subduing Division to lift the confinement of the Marquis of Wuyi. Now we have to be vigilant against evil spirits and keep a close watch on the Marquis of Wuyi. It's such a waste of the already insufficient number of Demon Subduing Officers."

"The Marquis of Wuyi's properties are harboring evil spirits. He claims to know nothing about this matter, but the higher-ups will absolutely not believe it. The fact that he wasn't immediately arrested and interrogated by the Demon Subduing Division is already out of consideration for the royal family of the thirty-six marquises of the Great Shang Dynasty. I believe the higher-ups are also secretly investigating this matter. The Marquis of Wuyi can't keep up the pretense for long."

The night was pleasant, and the streets were quiet.

Perhaps finding it boring, Qin Ben began to talk to Li Yueying in a low voice.

The two seem to have a good relationship, otherwise they wouldn't be talking about such gossip at a time like this.

Ning Xiu was one of the insiders regarding the Chunmange incident, since he was the one who anonymously revealed it.

Without his whistleblower letter, perhaps no one would have discovered the shady dealings behind Chunmange.

As Ning Xiu listened, he suddenly interrupted and asked, "Gentlemen, what do you think is the purpose of Marquis Wuyi setting up a Chunman Pavilion specifically to harbor evil spirits?"

Li Yueying glanced back at him and replied, "People who fall into depravity usually have various reasons, and those who don't understand them can't guess the specifics. I have seen people whose parents were murdered, whose wives and daughters were humiliated, and who, unable to take revenge, willingly allowed themselves to be driven by evil spirits in order to gain the power of revenge."

Qin Ben added, "The farmer I met was a hardworking old man who lived a peaceful life, but his family's fertile land and granddaughter were seized by a spoiled brat. In the end, he had no choice but to join the Black Heaven Gate and disappeared after wiping out that wealthy family."

“They are all unfortunate people forced into this situation.” Liu Yong, sitting at the front, sighed. “However, with such a status and identity, Marquis Wuyi has never had to worry about money, food, or lodging. As a member of the Shang royal family, he has so many resources and enjoys such great conveniences. So why did he fall into depravity halfway through his life and disgrace the Shang dynasty?”

Ning Xiu pursed his lips, unable to answer. The specific reasons behind this were probably only known to Marquis Wuyi himself.

Suddenly, as Ning Xiu scanned his surroundings, he caught a glimpse of a figure out of the corner of his eye, and he quickly turned his head to look.

But all that could be seen was silence in that direction, with no sign of anyone there.

"Did I see wrong?" Ning Xiu wondered aloud.

Seeing Ning Xiu stop, the other three stopped and asked, "What's wrong?"

"It looks like something just passed by there, but I didn't really see it clearly, so I can't be sure," Ning Xiu said hesitantly.

Ordinary people would not be able to do this, but if it were the Demon-Subduing Guard passing by, they would definitely stop and greet them.