“Please don’t misunderstand, Alchemist Yun. I just thought that this Yin Gathering and Meridian Protection Pill looks very different from what I’ve seen in the past. That’s why I was a little confused.” Shopkeeper Jin looked apologetic and he showed Yun Jiuge the Yin Gathering and Meridian Protection Pills that were sold in his shop.
The pills were light red in color, and they possessed beautiful luster. Not only that, they also gave off a faint aroma.
The light grayish pill refined by Yun Jiuge looked like garbage when placed next to them. It was only natural that Shopkeeper Jin had doubts about the pill’s identity and quality.
“The main purpose of these Yin Gathering and Meridian Pills that are sold in your shop is to protect the meridian, and they are primarily made from medicinal herbs. However, my Yin Gathering and Meridian Protection Pills are primarily made from Yin Qi. They are not only able to protect the user’s meridian, but they can also help gather Yin Qi within the body as well.” In a nutshell, what Yun Jiuge was trying to imply was that her Yin Gathering and Meridian Protection Pills were much better than the pills in their shop, and thus also more suitable for Black Magic Practitioners.
“Does Alchemist Yun happen to be in possession of a Dark Pill Recipe?” Shopkeeper Jin’s eyes lit up instantly, and his small, beady eyes became bigger as well.
His shop, which was named the Wanbao Building, had branches all over the world. However, they were never able to do a lot of business with the Black Magic Practitioners all this while, because the alchemists who worked for them were mostly Spiritual Alchemists who were not able to refine medicinal pills that were well-suited to Black Magic Practitioners.
The Dark Alchemists were generally eccentric individuals and there were only a small number of them. Not only that, they mostly worked for the Black Magic Sects, which made them very hard to recruit.
If he could purchase a Dark Pill Recipe from this hooded Alchemist before him, he would be able to improve his shop’s business significantly and attract more Lone Cultivators.
“No, I don’t have such a thing on me. I’m just an errand boy working for a great alchemist.” Yun Jiuge waved her hands dismissively.
“I wonder if Alchemist Yun is willing to ask your great alchemist if he or she is willing to sell the Dark Pill Recipe to us? I’m willing to negotiate on the price.” Yun Jiuge might have been clad in a black robe, but Shopkeeper Jin was still able to tell that her cultivation was not very high. He did not believe that she was a Dark Alchemist.
“Shopkeeper Jin should have a good idea of how Dark Alchemists are like. If I were to ask that question for you, I don’t think I’ll be able to make out of that place alive. We should just focus on establishing a good working relationship for now,” Yun Jiuge lowered her voice and said. It was true that selling the pill recipe would make her a lot of money, but it would also land her in a lot of trouble in the future as well.
“Alchemist Yun is right. I was too impetuous. May I know how much you’d like for each pill?” Shopkeeper Jin found it a pity, but he knew he could not rush things either. He needed to have a good relationship with the person before him first. Then he might have the chance to buy the Dark Pill Recipe in the future.
“Shopkeeper Jin, you should get an expert to take a look at these pills first before I tell you how much I want. If not, you might think I’m trying to dupe you when I name my price.” Yun Jiuge would only be able to get a good price for her Yin Gathering and Meridian Protection Pills if the other party was able to tell that her pills were of high quality. Shopkeeper Jin was clearly not capable of doing that.
“Alchemist Yun, what you’ve said makes a lot of sense.” Shopkeeper Jin nodded his head and got his employee to call Alchemist Chen over.
Alchemist Chen was an alchemist hired by the Wanbao Building. He was short and skinny, and the hair at his temples were gray. He bore two deep wrinkles at the sides of his mouth, and he gave others the impression that he was a serious man who went by the book.
“Alchemist Chen, over here we have several Yin Gathering and Meridian Protection Pills that were made using a Dark Pill Recipe. I’d like you to put a price on them,” Shopkeeper Jin told Alchemist Chen respectfully.
Alchemist Chen nodded his head. His face remained expressionless as he reached out his hand and grabbed one of the gray pills that Yun Jiuge had refined. He then took a sniff and gave it a lick. Thereafter, he got the shop employee to bring him a bowl of clear dew before he placed the pill into the bowl.
The originally clear water immediately turned murky, and gray bubbles began forming on the surface. The bubbles were caused by the Yin Qi within the pills dissolving in the water.
Alchemist Chen dipped his index finger into the resulting solution and sucked his finger. Thereafter, he drank the entire bowl of water and closed his eyes before he started meditating.
Yun Jiuge frowned as she watched Alchemist Chen. She did not think that the old man before her was reliable.
“A high-grade medicinal pill,” Alchemist Chen concluded with a stoic face before he turned around and left. He did even spare Yun Jiuge a look the entire time.
“Alchemist Yun. We sell one high-grade medicinal pill for five Spiritual Stones at our shop. Your pills have even greater effects than our pills, so I’ll pay six Spiritual Stones for one pill. What do you think of this price?” Shopkeeper Jin asked with a smile.
“Okay. I accept it.” It was a price that met Yun Jiuge’s expectations.
One Spiritual Stone was equivalent to 1,000 Spiritual Jades. She was going to sell him 100 pills, which meant that she would get 600 Spiritual Stones or 600,000 Spiritual Jades in total. This was a hefty amount.
Shopkeeper Jin kept the pills away with a smile before he handed Yun Jiuge 600 Spiritual Stones.
The Spiritual Stones were transparent and about the size of a human’s palm. They were light blue in color and contained a lot more Spiritual Energy than the Spiritual Jades.
“When will we have the chance to do business together again?” Shopkeeper Jin asked.
“I’m not sure about that.” Yun Jiuge had just earned a lot of money. She was not planning to come out and sell pills for a while.
“Please visit our shop again if you have more pills to sell in the future. I’ll definitely offer you a good price.” Shopkeeper Jin was very sincere with his words.
“Yes, definitely,” Yun Jiuge replied politely.
“By the way, Alchemist Yun. We’ve recently imported a batch of good quality spiritual medicinal herbs. Are you interested in taking a look at them?” Shopkeeper Jin immediately tried to sell his own goods to Yun Jiuge. To him, Yun Jiuge was not only someone he wanted to work with, he was also very rich. He could not let such a person walk out of the shop without spending a single penny.
“I don’t need spiritual medicinal herbs, but I’ve been thinking of buying a magical weapon that I can use with ease. Preferably a small knife, around seven inches long, about a finger’s length wide.” Yun Jiuge described the size of the knife she had in mind.
Shopkeeper Jin listened to her intently before saying, “We do have a few good knives in our shop. What rank are you looking at?”
“Rank Three. If there are any good knives that are Rank Two, you can bring them over too.” A Rank Three magical weapon was typically used by cultivators in the Foundation Establishment stage, whereas a Rank Two magical weapon was used by cultivators in the Qi Refining stage.
Yun Jiuge had deliberately said those words so that Shopkeeper Jin would not be able to tell her true cultivation and strength.
“Alchemist Yun, please wait here for a moment.” Shopkeeper Jin left the shop momentarily and came back with an intricate-looking sack 15 minutes later. He then fished out two red boxes from within and opened them before Yun Jiuge.
The first box contained a weapon that was not the size of a small knife but that of a dagger instead. Its hilt was dark red in color, and its blade was snow white. It glinted coldly under the light.
The second box contained the blade of a knife without a hilt. The blade was extremely thin, but it looked extremely sharp.
“Both of these knives are the most popular magical weapons in our shop. They’re exceptionally sharp, and they can easily break through a protective barrier cast by a cultivator in the Foundation Establishment stage. They cost five hundred Spiritual Stones each.”
“I’m not planning to use the magical weapon to attack others. I’m planning to use it to cut off flesh and remove tendons.” Yun Jiuge was pleased with the two knives that Shopkeeper Jin showed her, but they were too expensive. She needed to save money for the trip.
“I see. You must be looking for a black magic weapon then? I do have one set of knives in my shop that matches what you’re looking for.” Shopkeeper Jin thought he understood what Yun Jiuge was looking for.
There were quite a few Dark Alchemists who made use of human flesh to refine pills. He figured that Alchemist Yun must be an underling who was in charge of killing people and cutting up their flesh.
“Let me take a look at it then!” Yun Jiuge did not bother explaining to him.
“This is a black magic weapon that we bought previously. It’s quite powerful, and it’s able to suck on others’ blood and spiritual power as well. It’s a set of knives, but sadly, the main knife is missing, so it has lost quite a bit of its power. But, it’s still a good weapon nonetheless. Take a look and see if this is a weapon that you’ll be satisfied with.”
Shopkeeper Jin took out a black wooden box and opened the lid carefully.
