The Long Journey to Immortality

Long Qian has developed a more mature and composed demeanor.

Coupled with his demeanor and speech as a former disciple of the Zhengyi Sect, people would naturally be willing to communicate with him and believe that he, as a businessman, was not a swindler.

With his personal charm and business acumen, Han Lu could understand why Long Qian had been so successful in the cultivation business world after leaving the Zhengyi Sect.

Han Lu watched for about half a minute, but the deal was still not finalized.

Long Qian refused to budge an inch. "Fellow Daoist, this magic weapon would sell for at least 220 spirit stones elsewhere. I've already discounted it by 20 spirit stones. If I give you another 20 spirit stones off, I can't do this deal."

Another buyer was determined to save even more money, or at least get a better deal from Long Qian.

"What you're saying is ridiculous. It's because that shop sells it for more, not because yours is cheaper," the buyer argued. "How about two hundred spirit stones it is, but you have to give me this bottle of Spirit Gathering Pills as a free gift?"

This buyer is also a master of bargaining; he probably already had his eye on the pills in Long Qian's shop before even thinking about getting a discount on the magic weapon.

It's like suggesting you remove the roof before you even want to remove the door.

Long Qian was naturally unhappy. "This bottle contains a full twenty Spirit Gathering Pills. How much would it sell for in the Southern Border? Fellow Daoist, calculate it for me."

"Then another half bottle?" The buyer was still haggling, still trying to get a bargain from Long Qian.

After much persuasion, and knowing that her magic weapon was indeed a high-quality item and wouldn't be hard to sell, Long Qian's temper flared up, "Two hundred spirit stones, take it or leave it..."

Long Qian gave her a look and said, "If you're not going to buy, don't block the way here. Look, there's a fairy behind you who's thinking of buying my stuff."

As she spoke, Long Qian actually left the buyer who had been sighing for five minutes aside and took the initiative to do business with Han Lu.

He said warmly, "Fairy, you seem to be from the Central Plains. What would you like to buy?"

Han Lu was slightly surprised. She had been thinking about how to strike up a conversation with Long Qian, but she didn't expect Long Qian to come to her on her own initiative.

Coincidentally, Han Lue also found this buyer really annoying, so he thought of disgusting the other party and doing Long Qian a small favor in order to get closer to each other.

"Fellow Daoist, this magic weapon looks quite good. How much is it?" Han Lu took two steps closer, pointed to a low-grade eighth-rank magic weapon spirit sword displayed on the shelf behind Long Qian, and asked.

This spirit sword is the magic weapon that Long Qian was negotiating with another stingy buyer just now.

Upon hearing that Han Lu was trying to snatch the prize from someone else's grasp, the buyer immediately objected, "Hey, fairy, everything is about first come, first served. I've already set my sights on this spirit sword, you can't take what belongs to someone else."

Han Lu feigned surprise, "Ah, fellow Daoist, I've been watching for a while, and I haven't seen you take out spirit stones from your storage bag to buy this spirit sword. It's still on the shelf, a commodity that anyone can buy with money."

"Shopkeeper, don't you think so?" Han Lu looked at Long Qian.

Without even thinking, Long Qian said, "Absolutely right."

“Fellow Daoist, if you don’t want to buy it, then I will sell it to this fairy.”

Upon hearing this, the buyer who valued the spirit sword had no choice but to give up his idea of ​​getting a better deal and said, "Alright, alright, I'll buy it. I'll give you the spirit stones right away."

With Han Lu secretly helping out, the deal was finally settled.

Long Qian happily accepted the money, and only after the buyer left with the spirit sword did she quietly thank Han Lu.

"Thank you for your help, fairy. May I ask your name? What is it that you've taken a fancy to in this shop?"

Long Qian could naturally tell that Han Lu didn't really want to buy that spirit sword, which wasn't of a very high grade.

"Is the shop owner Fellow Daoist Long Qian?" Han Lu asked directly and bluntly.

Long Qian was slightly surprised, "Has the fairy heard of my name?"

Han Lu nodded and said, "A year and a half ago, Fellow Daoist Long visited my home and discussed business with my father. I saw Fellow Daoist Long outside the window at that time, but Fellow Daoist Long did not recognize me."

Long Qian thought it was because her fame had spread far and wide, and she had female fans like Han Lu. After hearing Han Lu's explanation, she couldn't help but feel a little disappointed.

"I see……"

Immediately afterwards, Han Lu revealed the identity she had fabricated.

He claimed to be a descendant of the Han family of the Northern Dynasty.

This background cannot be considered a complete fabrication. If Han Lu's mother hadn't eloped from her family, Han Lu could now be considered a member of the Han family of the Northern Dynasty.

When Long Qian first rose to prominence, he had dealt with many cultivation families from the Northern and Southern Dynasties. He had naturally visited the Han family of the Northern Dynasty, so he would not doubt the story that Han Lu had fabricated after careful investigation.

“I’ve only known Fairy Han for a year and a half, I’m truly unfortunate,” Long Qian said, turning slightly to the side and pointing to the shelf. “I imagine a cultivator from a prominent family like Fairy Han must be quite capable. I wonder which treasure in this shop has caught your eye?”

Han Lu shook her head slightly and said, "Fellow Daoist Long, I just want to discuss a business deal with you and sell you something."

[Author's Note] Rainy days and slacking off on construction sites go hand in hand.

Chapter 435 Talking Business

After meeting Long Qian, Han Lu still felt that the story she had initially made up was too boring and would be easily seen through by an old hand like Long Qian.

Ultimately, she decided to use a half-true, half-false identity to achieve her goal as truthfully as possible.

Upon hearing that Han Lu wanted to discuss business with him, Long Qian perked up. "What kind of business? What does Fairy Han want to sell me?"

Han Lu said, "Some materials are relatively rare in the Central Plains, the Western Regions, and the Southern Frontier."

Hearing this, Long Qian was slightly surprised. "It sounds like a big deal. I wonder why Fairy Han would ask me to do this big deal?"

Han Lu smiled and said, "Haven't we met Fellow Daoist Long once before? My family has had several pleasant business collaborations with Fellow Daoist Long, so I naturally trust Fellow Daoist Long as well."

"Besides, the things I sell are rare but not particularly rare. Although Fellow Daoist Long's wealth is not comparable to those top merchants, completing this business with me should not be a problem."

With ample reasons and kind words, the profit-driven businessman Long Qian naturally no longer had any doubts and turned down this lucrative business that was offered to him.

However, since she was busy running her shop, Long Qian didn't want to lose the big picture for small gains, so she asked another question, "Fairy Han, I'm still a bit busy right now, how about we make an appointment tonight? I wonder how big Fairy Han's business is?"

Han Lu didn't mind waiting a few more hours.

She replied, "Evening? Evening is fine. If Fellow Daoist Long doesn't mind the trouble, you can come directly here to find me."

Han Lu casually took out a piece of paper, picked up a pen from the counter of Long Qian's shop, and wrote down her address in the valley.

"As for the business, it should be worth four or five hundred spirit stones. Fellow Daoist Long, please make sure you don't have enough spirit stones with you."

For Long Qian, a business worth four or five hundred was not a small business.

Not to mention, Han Lu's tone clearly indicated that she wanted to discuss a business deal with Long Qian in which Long Qian had the opportunity to make a lot of money.

Upon hearing this, Long Qian suppressed the urge to close the shop and leave with Han Lu immediately.

"Alright, Fellow Daoist Han, I will definitely be here before 7 PM tonight."

"Then I will prepare hot tea and snacks and wait for Fellow Daoist Long to arrive."

After saying that, Han Lu took some spirit stones and bought a bottle of pills at Long Qian's shop. She then chatted with Long Qian for a few more minutes and asked about his recent situation.

After realizing she had built a closer relationship with him, Han Lu left, citing the need to make purchases for her family.

Having made a good start to the matter that had been on her mind, Han Lu felt much more relaxed as she wandered around the valley, as if the small obstacle blocking her path of cultivation had been completely removed.

It must be said that with so many cultivators gathered together, there were some interesting magical treasures that made Han Lu, a second-generation immortal with a storage bag full of good things, stop and take a look.

After wandering around the market for about an hour, when Han Lu left the market and returned to her temporary residence in the valley, in addition to the poisons and materials she had initially purchased, her storage bag contained many talismans unique to the Southern Xinjiang region.

Because she possesses numerous magical treasures, Han Lu has never valued talismans, which are consumables that play a more auxiliary role in combat.

Many of the talismans that Han Lu purchased this time have quite interesting effects.

What kind of talisman will automatically dissolve into the water when soaked in it, thus introducing toxins into the water?

This toxin can poison even cultivators at the Qi Refining stage.

What kind of talisman can be stuck on the body to repel poisonous insects?

Although it can only drive away weak poisonous insects at the Qi Refining stage, it is still a talisman worth having when traveling in the Southern Frontier.

wait wait wait.

These talismans have a wide range of uses, which is why Han Lu was willing to spend spirit stones to buy some of them for future use.

Back at her residence, after instructing the servants that guests would be visiting, Han Lu, as always, took out the Dharma Seat Spirit Stone and began her meditation.

Although there is still a long way to go before advancing to the late stage of Foundation Establishment, Han Lu is still very dedicated to cultivation, and she shows no signs of fatigue even when she is away from home.

For business people, integrity is the most important thing.

As the sun set and the moon shone brightly in the sky, Long Qian arrived as promised.

Initially, when Long Qian learned that Han Lu had arrived at the auction with a golden invitation and was staying in a "first-class room" based on the address, she found it somewhat unbelievable.

But when he arrived in the courtyard and met Han Lu, led by a mortal servant whose appearance was barely passable, he realized that Han Lu had not given him the wrong address and that he had not gone the wrong way.

"When did the Han family become so powerful that they could get a gold invitation?" Long Qian wondered, but did not ask.

Han Lu, on the other hand, knew that such a scene would have both positive and negative effects, and had prepared her remarks in advance.

Han Lu spoke frankly, "Fellow Daoist Long, there is no need to doubt. I am an old acquaintance of the Holy Maiden of the Five Poisons Sect. My invitation did not come from my family, but from the Five Poisons Sect."

Upon hearing that it was the Five Poisons Sect, Long Qian immediately had no more doubts. "So Fairy Han and the Holy Maiden of the Five Poisons Sect are friends? No wonder she can live so comfortably in this valley."

Upon hearing this, Long Qian made a plan: he would definitely visit the Han family in the Northern Dynasty more often in the future to become familiar with them, which would greatly benefit his business in the Southern Frontier and the Northern Dynasty.

"Fellow Daoist Long, please have some tea first. We can discuss business slowly," Han Lu pointed to her seat, then personally picked up the teapot and poured a cup of tea for Long Qian. "This is good tea. Fellow Daoist Long, please don't gulp it down and waste the tea leaves."

Long Qian was very accommodating. Although she didn't know much about tea, she still exaggeratedly praised it after taking a sip, trying to get closer to Han Lu.

Han Lu needs to get closer to Long Qian if she wants to "remove her mental block".

Long Qian also wanted to befriend Han Lu and do business with her, so she naturally wouldn't keep her at arm's length.

The "mutual consent" lasted only a short while, and the relationship between the two sitting in the courtyard grew even closer.

After chatting about the scenery and the weather for a while, Han Lu finally steered the conversation to the main topic.

“Fellow Daoist Long, I have some unfamiliar items here that are the materials I want to trade with you this time,” Han Lu opened her storage bag and took out some materials from the wild beasts she had purchased from the Great Yu Dynasty. “I thought you must be very knowledgeable, having traveled all over the country.”

"I hope Fellow Daoist Long can help appraise it and give me a price."

"If the price is reasonable and I'm satisfied, and Fellow Daoist Long also wants these items, then let's complete this transaction."

"Fellow Daoist Long, how is it?"

The materials Han Lu presented caught Long Qian's eye.

His business acumen told him that he could probably make a fortune off Han Lu.

However, as a conscientious businessman who values ​​honesty and integrity, Long Qian did not make any promises early on, but only said...

“Alright, I’ll help Fairy Han find out the origin of these rare materials.”