https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-27-King-Wang-Never-Licks-a-Poisoned-Blade/12831489/
Chapter 28: The Small Courtyard, Hiding Dragons and Tigers
Chapter 28: The Small Courtyard, Hiding Dragons and Tigers
For some reason, Luo Chen felt that Wang Yuan had become even colder than before.
He still didn’t talk much, but when he did, it was a bit unsettling.
Luo Chen had no idea about Wang Yuan’s recent impressive feats, or the fierce reputation he had earned.
Killing and plundering had nothing to do with him.
Even if it did, it would be out of necessity.
He, Luo Chen, was devoted to the path of cultivation!
After sifting through a pile of books, Luo Chen finally found his target.
“Bro Wang, I’m your little brother now, right?”
“Yeah, barely.”
“So, do I get any perks as your little brother, like...”
“This book won’t work. It’s from a Ninth Layer Qi Refinement cultivator from the Broken Mountain Gang who asked me to sell it. If you want to read it, you’ll have to buy it.”
In Luo Chen’s hand was the same book, Five Essential Spells for Qi Refinement, that Wang Yuan had been trying to sell for a long time without success.
But Luo Chen remembered that Wang Yuan had previously said he had stolen this book.
What happened to the promise that itinerant cultivators don’t trick each other?
Luo Chen grumbled as he pulled out two hundred low-grade spirit stones and carefully placed the book in his storage bag.
Wang Yuan looked at him and chuckled lightly.
“Chen Xiao really had bad luck. He toiled for half a year, only to end up making a wedding dress for you.”
What do you mean, making a wedding dress for me?
I’m a guy!
“The unlucky guy you killed was named Chen Xiao?”
“Yeah, he discovered a senior cultivator’s cave and spent half a year breaking through the array formations. He gained a lot, but it all ended up being yours.”
Luo Chen touched his storage bag, suddenly understanding.
No wonder a mere Fifth Layer Qi Refinement itinerant cultivator had a storage bag and a high-grade magical artifact, the Soul-Shattering Spike. It turned out he had a stroke of luck!
“His group had a great harvest, which gave them the courage to ambush me. But they didn’t know how to use their treasures.”
“What do you mean?”
“Take this Soul-Shattering Spike, for example. It easily broke through my defenses but only managed to lightly wound me. It wasn’t as much of a threat as his Thunderbomb.”
Wang Yuan, perhaps with the intention of guiding Luo Chen, continued casually.
“But if he had coated the Soul-Shattering Spike with poison, I would have been in real danger.”
Luo Chen was taken aback and then gave a thumbs-up.
“You’re really devious, Bro!”
“Oh no, it’s your battle experience, Bro!”
Seeing Wang Yuan’s expression change, Luo Chen quickly corrected himself.
Wang Yuan shook his head, “Whether it’s a cultivator or a mortal martial artist, the logic of battle is the same: to kill the opponent. Many itinerant cultivators in the Great River Market are too rigid and only know how to clash with magical artifacts in a straightforward manner.”
“Of course, it’s also possible he couldn’t get poison that would affect cultivators.”
Luo Chen nodded vigorously.
Cultivators inhale and exhale spiritual energy, and even without deliberate physical training, their bodies gradually evolve.
Otherwise, high-level cultivators wouldn’t be able to sustain the massive consumption of spiritual energy with their frail bodies.
A jade vial was pushed towards Luo Chen.
“This is the Disordered Spirit Powder I confiscated. If you coat the Soul-Shattering Spike with it, the enemy’s spiritual energy will become chaotic and they won’t be able to control it upon contact with their flesh.”
Is this the perk of being a little brother?
Luo Chen happily accepted it, planning to apply it as soon as he got home.
He wanted to become someone with rich battle experience!
“Remember, the effect of the Disordered Spirit Powder is very short. Someone with enough spiritual energy can easily suppress it. So, once you use the Soul-Shattering Spike, you need to be prepared for a quick and decisive battle.”
Wang Yuan warned him earnestly.
He had a few more vials left for his own use, but there was no need to tell Luo Chen that.
He wasn’t the talkative type, and he had already said a lot today.
Luo Chen, noticing this, left a bag of snacks to pass the time and tactfully took his leave.
Before leaving the market, he looked back and saw that Wang Yuan seemed to be practicing.
“Using the time while selling goods to tap into the First Rank Spirit Vein in the inner city?”
This discovery brought a moment of excitement to Luo Chen.
But he quickly dismissed the idea of imitating it.
The market was bustling and noisy, far from a good place for cultivation.
If someone randomly disturbed him, it could lead to a spiritual energy imbalance.
Wang Yuan must have some special way to do this.
If he tried to copy it, he would be courting death.
“You’re really a master alchemist!”
In the afternoon, Cai Yi woke up, freshened up, and then dropped by the rear hall.
She saw Luo Chen holding a stone pestle, grinding a mineral she didn’t recognize.
The spacious rear hall was filled with medicinal herbs, and the mixed smells made it a bit uncomfortable.
But Luo Chen was enjoying himself, having long gotten used to these scents.
Seeing Cai Yi leaning against the door, Luo Chen grinned and poured the gold-colored powder from the stone mortar into a wooden bucket.
Another herb was already soaking in the bucket, and the gold-colored powder caused an immediate strange reaction.
Bubbles kept forming, making a gurgling sound.
After washing his hands, Luo Chen walked to the door and stretched.
"Want some hawthorn berries? I got them as a bonus from the shop owner when I bought some herbs today. They don't have much spiritual energy, but they're sweet and sour."
Cai Yi took a handful of hawthorn berries from Luo Chen, but her eyes lingered on his storage bag.
"You alchemists are indeed wealthy. You already have a storage bag at the Mid Qi Refinement stage."
Her tone was filled with intense envy.
Envy, huh? Woman.
He earned it with his life!
Luo Chen naturally didn't want to flaunt his wealth. He steered the conversation away from this sensitive topic and started asking Cai Yi about the neighbors.
It's always good to know your neighbors when you move to a new place.
Otherwise, if any conflicts arise, it could affect his work.
But the information he got made him a bit stiff.
"One main house, two side rooms, two wing rooms, and the largest rear room where you live. There are six families in total."
"The east side room is occupied by Fu Xiuxiu, a Ninth Qi Refinement practitioner. She works at the Divine Rune Pavilion and has been promoted to supervisor."
"The west side room is occupied by the Qin family, a family of three. Qin Liangchen and his wife are both Ninth Qi Refinement practitioners. You won't see them for a while because they personally escorted their son to the Falling Cloud Sect for the entrance trials."
"The two wing rooms are occupied by Bai Meiling and Feng Xia, both Seventh Qi Refinement female cultivators who work at the Hundred Herbs Hall."
After hearing this introduction to his neighbors, Luo Chen was quite surprised.
What a den of dragons and tigers!
In this small courtyard, there were three Ninth Qi Refinement practitioners and two Seventh Qi Refinement practitioners.
He was the only Fourth Qi Refinement practitioner, and he felt a bit pitiful, wishing for a hug.
Cai Yi, of course, didn't hug him. She puffed out her chest and smiled, "I'm Gu Caiyi, an Eighth Qi Refinement practitioner. I dance for a living at the Heavenly Fragrance Tower."
"How's the income?"
"It's decent. Haven't you seen that I live in the main house?"
Sighing and shaking his head, Luo Chen thought to himself, he had assumed that reaching the Mid Qi Refinement stage would make him a significant cultivator. But in this small courtyard, everyone could surpass him in cultivation.
Actually, Luo Chen was surprised but not shocked.
The Great River Market had tens of thousands of wandering cultivators, of which hundreds were in the later stages of Qi Refinement.
While these hundreds were rare in the outer city, they were quite common in the inner city.
Or rather, low-rank cultivators simply couldn't afford to live in the inner city. Only those in the later stages of Qi Refinement and with a special skill could settle down there.
For example, Old Daoist Chen, a Sixth Qi Refinement practitioner skilled in rune-making and treating rune skins, had the confidence to say, "If the outer city gets any more chaotic, I'll move to the inner city."
This gave a glimpse of the situation.
If Luo Chen hadn't been in trouble and hadn't even licked the blood off his knife twice, he wouldn't have had the capital to rent a place in the inner city.
"Come to think of it, it's a bit strange."
"What's strange?"
Luo Chen asked curiously, "In our courtyard, excluding me, are all five families female cultivators? And on the way home, most of the residents in the alleys also seemed to be women."
"You're really dense!"
Gu Caiyi laughed, "The world has yin and yang, and so does spiritual energy. A ghost king was suppressed in the north of the city, causing the spiritual energy here to gradually become yin-dominant. Men are yang, women are yin, so naturally, most of the tenants here are female cultivators!"
Luo Chen suddenly understood but then frowned, "Would staying here for too long affect my cultivation?"
"It shouldn't, right?" The tall Gu Caiyi hugged her chest, uncertain, "Yin-dominant areas do benefit us female cultivators, but for male cultivators, it might just mean no benefit, but it shouldn't be harmful."
"Is that so."
"Qin Daoist has lived here for many years, and he hasn't mentioned any issues."
Gu Caiyi thought for a moment, "Alright, if you're free tonight, I'll ask Yu Xiang at the Heavenly Fragrance Tower. She knows more about these things."
"Alright, thanks."
"By the way, I haven't asked you, what kind of pills do you refine?"
Gu Caiyi looked around the dim room, most of the herbs inside were unfamiliar to her.
If Luo Chen's pills were suitable for her, that would be great.
As neighbors, she could always get a friend's discount.
After waiting for a while, she didn't hear Luo Chen's answer.
Was he hesitant to say?
Gu Caiyi glanced at Luo Chen and noticed a faint blush on his face.
"Qi-Gap Pills."
"Right, Qi-Gap Pills!"
Luo Chen repeated, his tone firm.
Gu Caiyi was still thinking about their afternoon conversation as she went to work in the evening.
At the Heavenly Fragrance Tower, the girls were mostly up, preparing to eat something to fill their stomachs.
The spirit food provided by the Heavenly Fragrance Tower once a day was a good thing, and Gu Caiyi never missed it.
While enjoying the delicious and spirit-filled meal, Gu Caiyi saw Yu Xiang eating small bites.
"Xiang Xiang, you know about alchemy. I have a question."
"Sure."
"Does a Mid Qi Refinement cultivator earn a lot by refining Qi-Gap Pills?"
Yu Xiang blinked, then smiled with a small mouth.
(End of Chapter)
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