Futile Devices Scans

He could not even afford lowest-grade weapons and defensive gear, much less a cultivation method.

Even though Xia Yunzhao had not been in this world for long, he knew that things such as cultivation methods, movement techniques, pill recipes, and artifact blueprints were far more expensive than physical objects.

He asked about them, and sure enough, the entire Fangcun Pavilion carried only two cultivation methods: the Qi Refining Art and the Spirit Gathering Art. Both were cultivation methods so commonplace in the cultivation world that practically anyone without a special lineage practiced one of the two.

Yet even these were outrageously expensive. The Qi Refining Art cost three thousand two hundred spirit pearls and could be practiced all the way to the Great Completion of Qi Refining. As for the Spirit Gathering Art, it was said to support cultivation through the Foundation Establishment stage, and its price practically did somersaults upward—it actually cost more than seven thousand spirit pearls!

Xia Yunzhao was stunned. If these cultivation methods were really that commonplace, couldn’t I just find some cultivator and copy one?

Then he thought about it again. Anyone who needed to buy a cultivation method in order to begin cultivating was obviously a mortal. And if they were mortals, where were they supposed to meet cultivators willing to let them copy their methods? This entire business was designed to fleece wealthy mortals.

He guessed that low-tier cultivation methods were so expensive precisely because Qingxi City was a small city. Perhaps in larger cities where cultivators were plentiful, methods like these would actually be cheaper.

Not that any of this had anything to do with him; either way, he could not afford them…

Whatever the shopkeeper might have been thinking, he remained perfectly courteous on the surface and politely escorted Xia Yunzhao to the door. “I’m sorry there was nothing in the shop that caught our guest’s eye today. If there is ever anything you need in the future, please come take another look. Besides magical treasures and cultivation methods, we also carry talismans and formation disks. They are all excellent things to have when your life is at stake…”

“Ahem. Of course, of course.” Xia Yunzhao waved a hand while his feet carried him away at remarkable speed.

I wonder if they allow people to set up stalls on East Street… He was still thinking when his footsteps abruptly stopped. Wanglai Pavilion was actually open?

From outside the doorway, he could see someone sitting behind the counter with his head tilted back, pouring wine into his mouth.

The corner of Xia Yunzhao’s mouth twitched. No wonder the man had been sleeping on the floor earlier. So he had simply passed out drunk.

Xia Yunzhao changed direction and walked straight inside.

The man behind the counter lifted his eyelids and gave him a glance, then casually shook his wine flask without offering a greeting.

Xia Yunzhao simply began looking around on his own.

Compared with Fangcun Pavilion, this little shop had a chaotic assortment of practically everything. There were weapons and defensive gear, of course, but spirit plants and spirit ores were equally common, along with yellowed sheets of paper, a damaged storage pouch, stained wooden plaques… The whole place was essentially a cultivation-world version of Panjiayuan.

Elio’s Notes: Panjiayuan is a famous market in Beijing associated with antiques, curios, collectibles, and secondhand goods. Xia Yunzhao is comparing Wanglai Pavilion’s miscellaneous jumble to a cultivation-world flea and antiques market.

He picked up the storage pouch and examined it. Its grade was actually higher than those carried by the Fang family guards, but unfortunately, it was damaged… From behind the counter, the man drawled, “One hundred and twenty spirit pearls.”

Xia Yunzhao turned around and asked, “This storage pouch doesn’t seem to be empty. Is whatever is inside included in the price?”

The man finally confirmed that there was not a drop of wine left in his flask. He tossed it aside and muttered, “Yes. Whatever turns out to be inside is yours.”

Xia Yunzhao narrowed his eyes in a smile like a little fox and patted his own chest as though reassured. “Now that’s good to hear. I’ll take it.”

He counted out the spirit pearls and slapped them onto the counter, then asked, “You bought all these things from other people, didn’t you? Do you buy other things too?”

The man glanced at him.

Xia Yunzhao smiled. “Do you buy pills?”

The man slowly wiped at the counter. “Pills? Why aren’t you taking them to Wandan Hall?”

“I don’t like the look of them. I like the look of you better.” The damaged storage pouch was well worth one hundred and twenty spirit pearls despite its condition, and Xia Yunzhao had a feeling that this man had not opened his shop purely to make money.

The man did not waste words. He tapped the counter. “Let me inspect the pills.”

Xia Yunzhao took out one mid-grade pill and one low-grade pill. “Lingwei Pills. They’re refined from Lingwei Grass and can replenish spiritual power.”

“Lingwei Pills…” The man paused, then straightened in his seat. A sharp gleam flashed through his eyes as he carefully inspected both pills. Surprise appeared on his face. “They really are…” He made his decision immediately. “I’ll give you fifteen spirit pearls for each mid-grade pill and twelve for each low-grade pill.”

Xia Yunzhao nodded. “Deal!” That was quite a bit more than the ten spirit pearls per pill he had expected.

He took out the bamboo tube containing the pills and handed it over.

The corner of the man’s mouth twitched when he saw the bamboo tube. He pulled a white porcelain bottle from beneath the counter and transferred all the pills into it. After counting them, he said, “Seventeen mid-grade pills and ten low-grade pills. Three hundred and seventy-five spirit pearls altogether.”

Xia Yunzhao rapidly did the arithmetic in his head. He had started with four hundred and twenty-one spirit pearls. He had spent one hundred and twenty on the storage pouch, then earned another three hundred and seventy-five… That left him with six hundred and seventy-six spirit pearls! He could buy the Short Blade and Vinewood Shield set!

The proprietor of Wanglai Pavilion noticed Xia Yunzhao getting excited, though he had no idea what there was to be excited about. In his eyes, three hundred-odd spirit pearls did not even qualify as a small sum. It was about as substantial as a mosquito’s leg.

Even after completing a sale, he did not look particularly pleased. He merely yawned and said, “If you have more pills in the future, bring them here. I’ll buy however many you have.”

Xia Yunzhao brightened. “All right. It’s a deal.”

Then the man asked with apparent casualness, “I’ve never heard of these Lingwei Pills before. Is the recipe an inheritance from your family, or did you develop it yourself?”

Xia Yunzhao smiled. “Funny story. I picked it up on the road.”

The proprietor had been refused an answer, yet somehow the refusal was not irritating. He waved a hand. “Safe travels. I won’t see you out.”

Xia Yunzhao did not linger. He promptly left the shop, headed straight back to Fangcun Pavilion, bought the Short Blade and Vinewood Shield, then left the city and returned home before the gates closed.

＊

Liancui Mountain Camp was as lively as ever. The moment Xia Yunzhao entered, he found himself face-to-face with an anxious Xing Wenyu.

The instant Xing Wenyu saw him, his expression visibly relaxed. “I couldn’t find you and thought you had gone into the mountain.”

“No, I went into the city. What’s wrong, Brother Xing?”

Xing Wenyu shook his head and lowered his voice. “The Fang family guards returned just now and said that Human Plague has already been captured, but I didn’t see it with my own eyes, so I don’t know whether it’s true. For the next few days, don’t venture too deep into the mountain. Just gather things around the outer region.”

Xia Yunzhao knew Xing Wenyu was worried about him, so he nodded.

Seeing how obediently he nodded, Xing Wenyu reached out and rubbed his head. “Don’t think the only dangers in Liancui Mountain come from slaughter beasts. No one has ever explored its depths, so no one knows what might be in there. Whenever you go up the mountain, you must be careful. You cannot afford to be careless.”

For some reason, Xia Yunzhao thought of the white-robed man he had encountered in the valley. Had even that man never gone into the depths? He certainly looked like he could fight…

He made his way home.

He had eaten an entire table of tea and snacks at the teahouse, so he was not hungry yet and went straight to sorting through his haul.

First came the Short Blade and Vinewood Shield. This complete set of lowest-grade magical treasures had cost him six hundred spirit pearls! His money pouch now contained a pitiful sixty-seven spirit pearls. He had gone straight back to square one overnight.

All he could do was repeat silently to himself, Safety matters. Safety matters. Safety matters…

Fortunately, the Short Blade and Vinewood Shield were both excellent quality!

The Short Blade was only about the length of his palm. Its entire body was black with a metallic sheen, while the cutting edge alone glinted faintly white. It was extremely similar to the short blade Xing Wenyu carried, and their grades were about the same as well. Xing Wenyu’s blade, after all, could slice through the hide and fur of a Blackwind Hound with ease.

With a weapon like this, Xia Yunzhao had more than enough for the outer reaches of Liancui Mountain.

As for the Vinewood Shield, it was woven from Earthvine Root and Ironbone Flower. Although it was made of plant material, it was exceptionally sturdy and could not easily be cut through without the use of spiritual power. The main thing Xia Yunzhao needed to practice was how to bring the shield in front of himself quickly and fluidly when necessary.

He decided to set aside some time every day specifically to practice.

After putting the two magical treasures away, he took out the damaged storage pouch.

There was a hole in the outside of the storage pouch. A character had been embroidered on it in golden thread, but that too was damaged, leaving him unable to tell whether it was “Xu” or “Yu.”

He injected spiritual energy into it. It still worked, but only about half its original space remained, roughly twenty square meters.

Moreover, spiritual power was constantly leaking from the storage pouch. Once all of it dissipated, the pouch would become nothing more than a scrap of cloth.

Still, that was no great problem. Xia Yunzhao estimated the rate at which the spiritual power was leaking and figured it should remain usable for at least another six months to a year. For him, that was already well worth the price.

Before it was damaged, this should have been a Level-One storage pouch, and a relatively high-quality one among Level-One storage pouches at that.

That said, Xia Yunzhao had not bought the storage pouch because he possessed some miraculous eye for treasure and had instantly recognized that it was extraordinary. He had bought it because the moment he picked it up, Xiao Qing had bounced twice inside his robes.

Xia Yunzhao knew perfectly well how picky the little fellow was. If there had been nothing good inside, Xiao Qing would never have gotten so excited.

Sure enough, there really was something inside the storage pouch.

Xia Yunzhao dumped everything out—and spirit pearls came rolling all over the floor with a clatter!

He gathered them up and counted them… one hundred and fifty-two!

He now had a much clearer understanding of just how extravagantly careless the proprietor of Wanglai Pavilion was. If the man had bothered to look inside the pouch even once after acquiring it, Xia Yunzhao would never have gotten such an enormous bargain!

But now… his little treasury was flush again! This amount alone was worth half a Blackwind Hound!

He put the spirit pearls into his money pouch and examined the other items. There were three bluish pieces of ore. Judging by the color, he guessed that they were Azure Steel Ore. That ore could also be found in Liancui Mountain, though he had not encountered any yet.

There was a small bundle of spirit herbs. He recognized three of the five varieties: Ironbone Flower, Bloodstanching Leaf, and Dew-Condensing Grass. The other two were unfamiliar to him.

There were also two small porcelain bottles, each containing pills. The only pill Xia Yunzhao could currently recognize was the Lingwei Pill, and naturally, neither bottle contained those. So he did not recognize either kind.

In addition, there was a tiny crystal shard about the size of a fingernail and a treasure map.

The crystal shard was the same kind of crystal Xiao Qing had swallowed before. Sure enough, the moment Xiao Qing saw it, the little furnace became frantic, its round belly going bang, bang, bang against Xia Yunzhao’s hand.

Xia Yunzhao held it down with one hand and examined the treasure map with the other. The terrain was drawn extremely clearly. Judging from the geography, it depicted the area around Liancui Mountain, even including the valley within the mountain’s outer reaches.

One location had been marked with a red dot, beside which were written four characters: “Treasure lies here.”

Xia Yunzhao swept his gaze over the items again and raised an eyebrow. This storage pouch looked very much like something left behind by a cultivator who had come to Liancui Mountain in search of treasure. It contained resources gathered from Liancui Mountain, pills for replenishing the cultivator’s own strength, and a treasure map marking the destination.

But hadn’t people said that Liancui Mountain’s overall level was too low for cultivators to bother coming here?

His thoughts shifted. Right. Liancui Mountain might be low in level, but cultivators weren’t all high-level. Level-One resources corresponded to Qi Refining cultivators, and Liancui Mountain had no shortage of Level-One resources. To a cultivator in the Qi Refining stage, those resources would still be extremely attractive.

Besides, if cultivators truly had no interest in these resources, why would the Fang family and the other two cultivator families station people here?

Xia Yunzhao thought more deeply about it. Were there really no cultivators in Liancui Mountain Camp? Qi Refining cultivators couldn’t sense other cultivators. If someone really were concealing their identity and hiding here, no one would notice. Wasn’t I myself a cultivator who had only just begun?

And Xing Wenyu… Was Brother Xing really just an ordinary treasure hunter?