The enormous, heavy pill furnace crashed to the ground with a clang, scattering sparks everywhere. Fortunately, the spectators were all cultivators and managed to dodge.
Who would have thought that merely watching a pill-refining competition in the cultivation world came with a risk of injury?
Xia Yunzhao stopped paying attention to the long-faced pill cultivator, settled his mind, and began refining.
The spirit herbs in his Hundred-Compartment Pouch were all very high quality, so after a little processing, he could move on to the next step.
Preparation, furnace opening, ignition…
The Earthfire Art entered the pill furnace, and Xia Yunzhao immediately understood why everyone had been given identical furnaces. Different furnaces conducted heat at different speeds and transmitted spiritual power at different speeds as well. A good furnace was highly efficient at both, so naturally it could refine pills faster.
Giving everyone the same furnace effectively leveled out the differences created by each pill cultivator’s personal resources.
It seemed this competition was fairly conducted after all.
Xia Yunzhao did not rush into the next step. Instead, he slowly heated the furnace with the Earthfire Art, gradually familiarizing himself with every part of the clumsy thing…
This was where Xiao Qing’s excellence became obvious. Once Xia Yunzhao had become familiar with Xiao Qing, using it for pill refining was as natural as moving his own arm. Without switching furnaces, he would never have realized just how exceptional Xiao Qing was as a pill furnace. He definitely had to buy the child something tasty later.
Bang!
Whether from nervousness or impatience, a pill cultivator not far away had barely put his spirit herbs into the furnace when it exploded, filling the area with black smoke. Members of the Pill Cultivator Alliance hurried over to deal with it.
The pill cultivator was left covered in soot. Although the round was not over, he had already assumed he was eliminated, since starting over and processing a fresh batch of spirit herbs would inevitably leave him far behind everyone else.
Xia Yunzhao had already immersed himself completely in his refining and was unaffected by the sounds around him.
Only after familiarizing himself with every inch of the furnace did he put in the processed spirit herbs, form hand seals, and send streams of spiritual energy inside. The Earthfire Art shifted its heat according to his intent, and everything settled onto the proper track.
Pill Master Lipan sat high at the front, able to survey the entire field with a single sweep of his divine sense. Cheating beneath his eyes was impossible, though naturally nobody would take such a risk.
When his divine sense passed over Tantai Ning, his brows drew together slightly. He soon looked away, pausing briefly on Guang Xingyu and Bei Wan.
Suddenly, his expression stilled… He looked toward an unfamiliar pill cultivator. That refining technique…
He beckoned someone over. “Is Pill Cultivator Number One Hundred and Four from Beiliang City?”
The person hurriedly answered, “My lord, he is not from Beiliang City. He and his companion only entered the city yesterday evening.”
Pill Master Lipan watched the young pill cultivator for another moment before suddenly rising and walking onto the competition platform, all the way to the young man’s side.
The person who had answered was startled. He was an old hand in the Pill Cultivator Alliance and had attended no fewer than ten of these competitions, held once every three years, yet he had never seen Pill Master Lipan leave his seat before!
What exactly was so special about that young pill cultivator?
The spectators below were even more shocked. Pill Master Lipan was known to practically everyone in Beiliang City, and many cultivators had joined the city precisely because of his reputation. Who did not know he was the finest pill cultivator in the city?
Yet now he was paying so much attention to a young pill cultivator. Who was this person?
“Does anyone know that handsome pill cultivator? What’s his background? Is he really that good at refining pills?”
“Does anyone have a magical artifact that can measure bone age? That pill cultivator looks so young. Is he really this skilled?”
“Don’t tell me Pill Master Lipan is taking another disciple?”
“I’m so jealous. If someone became Pill Master Lipan’s disciple, wouldn’t they basically soar straight to the heavens?”
Xiao Tian was extremely envious too. “If Senior Xia could truly become Pill Master Lipan’s disciple, that would be an enormous stroke of fortune. You’d never lack cultivation resources again…”
He turned his head and found Shang Shuangze looking coldly at him.
Xiao Tian shivered instinctively and gave an awkward smile. “This junior is ignorant and was only joking casually. Please don’t take offense, Senior. Please don’t take offense.”
He felt rather embarrassed. He had no idea what was going on with this sword-cultivator senior. The man had never shown hostility and had barely said a few words to him, yet Xiao Tian always found him a little frightening. Was he simply too timid?
Shang Shuangze had already turned his gaze back toward the platform, fixing it precisely on the handsome pill cultivator currently refining.
All of Xia Yunzhao’s pill-refining methods had come from the pill recipes he drew. Since he had drawn so many different recipes, the methods they taught were naturally varied, and because he also enjoyed studying on his own, he had long since distilled them into a set of techniques suited to himself.
Throughout the entire refining process, not one of his movements was superfluous. Everything was precise and efficient.
The spectators had initially been discussing Pill Master Lipan’s excessive attention toward him, but gradually they were stunned into silence by Xia Yunzhao’s smooth, flowing technique.
An outsider watched for excitement while an expert saw the craft. Beiliang City might lack many things, but pill cultivators were not among them, especially during the Pill Cultivator Gathering when plenty had come to join the festivities. Once they watched carefully, many pill cultivators could no longer tear their eyes away. What an extraordinary technique this young pill cultivator has!
The cultivators who were not pill cultivators saw how absorbed the experts beside them had become and naturally did not dare disturb them.
The entire venue somehow fell silent.
Xia Yunzhao’s full attention remained on the pill furnace, to the point that he had almost forgotten he was competing on a stage. When his final hand seal landed, pill fragrance was already drifting from the furnace.
After three breaths, Xia Yunzhao opened his eyes and lifted the lid. Five round, glossy black pills rolled inside.
The pills formed!
Everyone below the stage was stunned!
“I… no, wait, he… Has the competition even been going for an hour? Wasn’t pill refining supposed to take time? How is he already finished? I didn’t even blink!”
“An hour? Hah, only fifteen minutes have passed! Comparing yourself to others really can kill you with frustration…”
“Fellow Daoists, my Dao heart just shattered! Pills formed in fifteen minutes. Is he even human?!!”
“And one more reminder, he isn’t using his own pill furnace, which means this isn’t even his fastest speed…”
“Aaaaaah!”
Whatever the pill cultivators onstage were feeling, the people below had already suffered a collective breakdown.
With an easy beckoning motion, Xia Yunzhao drew the five pills into his hand. Three were high-grade and two mid-grade, so their quality was quite good as well.
A shadow suddenly fell beside him. Xia Yunzhao instinctively turned his head and jumped. When did someone get here? Only after another look did he recognize Pill Master Lipan and casually ask, “Uh, Pill Master Lipan, did you need something?”
Pill Master Lipan nodded. “May I ask what purpose that hand seal served just now, when the spirit herbs were liquefying?”
Xia Yunzhao looked blank for a moment. “Oh, I worked that out myself. It’s because…” In a few simple sentences, he explained it clearly.
Pill Master Lipan considered his explanation carefully. “So that’s how it works.” Then he cupped his hands toward Xia Yunzhao. “Many thanks.”
Xia Yunzhao had not even reacted when a succession of sharp gasps sounded nearby, followed by two bangs. Several pill cultivators whose cultivation was still insufficient to steady their minds had blown up their furnaces again.
Xia Yunzhao watched Pill Master Lipan return to his seat and wondered, What did he come over here for? He looked around again and found that most people were nowhere near finished. Not only were they unfinished, most had not even reached the halfway point.
Confused, he asked, “Why is everyone refining so slowly? Isn’t this round purely about speed?”
The Pill Cultivator Alliance members who heard him began wiping sweat from their foreheads. They’re not doing it slowly on purpose. They… they… pill refining is supposed to take this long! You’re the one who’s freakishly fast!
The nearby attendant naturally did not dare tell him the truth. Leaving aside that Pill Master Lipan had already taken notice of this young pill cultivator, Xia Yunzhao’s own strength was clearly nothing to dismiss, so the man could only smile politely. “Fellow Daoist, since your pills have already formed, you may go down and wait. Once the final results are announced, you can collect your token for tomorrow’s round.”
“I can leave already?” Xia Yunzhao stood up. Refining only one furnace felt almost like refining nothing at all to him, and he curiously asked, “Then what place am I?”
The man thought, What place could a freak who forms pills in fifteen minutes possibly be? Still smiling politely, he said, “Fellow Daoist must be joking. Naturally, you’re first.”
“Then I really got lucky.” Xia Yunzhao brightened and swept his gaze around, spotting Guang Xingyu still refining. He was making Qi-Replenishing Pills and looked close to finishing, probably with another fifteen minutes to go.
Bei Wan, who was farther back, lagged slightly behind him, but she was not slow either.
Xia Yunzhao was about to leave when Tantai Ning suddenly raised his head and swept a venomous gaze over him. Xia Yunzhao paused, then stepped off the wooden platform thoughtfully.
“Shang Shuangze!” Xia Yunzhao headed straight toward him.
Shang Shuangze gave him a faint smile, and Xia Yunzhao naturally lifted his hand and placed it against his own throat. Another wave of gasps immediately sounded around them… His movement stiffened. Was this, perhaps, a little inappropriate?
Right. They themselves knew the gesture was only necessary because Shang Shuangze could not hear and needed it to help him perceive speech, but in public, other people were bound to read too much into it. It would be bad if they misunderstood Shang Shuangze.
So Xia Yunzhao lowered Shang Shuangze’s hand and stood face-to-face with him instead, letting him watch the shape of his mouth as he enunciated each word. “I got lucky. I came first in this round.”
Shang Shuangze watched his own hand get lifted and then put down, his gaze darkening slightly before he said softly, “Mm. I know Fellow Daoist Xia is very impressive.”
A hundred compliments from other people could not compare with one from Shang Shuangze. Xia Yunzhao was delighted and even a little proud. “Of course!”
Another round of gasps sounded around them…
What were they surprised about? Naturally not Xia Yunzhao taking first place. They had already been shocked by that!
They were shocked by Shang Shuangze’s attitude!
Ever since Xia Yunzhao displayed his extraordinary pill-refining talent onstage, the people below had started paying attention to him. They soon learned he had come with Shang Shuangze, so a few particularly clever souls had tried striking up conversation with the sword cultivator, hoping to benefit from proximity and buy pills through him.
The idea was excellent. The result was a complete retreat in defeat.
The sword cultivator was not exactly rude, but somehow, one glance from him chilled people from head to heart and made them wonder whether they had done something wrong.
That was why everyone found it unbelievable to see the pill cultivator casually tugging on the sword cultivator’s sleeve. How can you be so natural about it? Do you know how he treats the rest of us?!
One cultivator suddenly had a flash of inspiration and asked Xia Yunzhao directly, “Fellow pill cultivator, would you be willing to sell pills?”
Xia Yunzhao looked back and smiled. “Sure. What kind of pills do you want?”
The crowd immediately stirred. “Qi-Replenishing Pills, Bloodstanching Pills, Clearheart Pills, Skin-Tempering Pills, Bone-Tempering Pills… anything!”
Xia Yunzhao thought for a moment. “Then I’ll refine a few furnaces this afternoon. I’m staying at Yuexian Inn right now. You can come buy pills tonight.”
“Excellent! Many thanks, Fellow Daoist!”
“Is… only a few furnaces a little too few?”
“A few is fine! A few is fine! I’ll definitely arrive on time!”
As they spoke, more people came down from the platform, including Guang Xingyu and Bei Wan, while several other pill cultivators were also nearing the end of their refining.
Clearly, talented people could be found everywhere. In terms of speed alone, these cultivators were not particularly far behind Xia Yunzhao.
Other cultivators went to intercept the pill cultivators who had just stepped down and ask whether they had pills for sale, making the plaza immediately lively.
Xia Yunzhao looked back at the platform. Tantai Ning still had not finished, and his expression was extremely ugly. At this pace, his ranking had already fallen to somewhere around tenth place.
Afraid Shang Shuangze would not be able to read his lips, Xia Yunzhao kept his face turned toward him and muttered, “This Tantai Ning probably isn’t simple. Pill Master Lipan doesn’t look like someone who cares about appearances, so he wouldn’t forbid his disciple from entering the competition just because his cultivation wasn’t good enough. There has to be more to it… Hmph. Don’t tell me he’s another freak.”
Shang Shuangze watched carefully, initially only trying to understand Xia Yunzhao’s words, but gradually his attention shifted to his lips. Xia Yunzhao had beautifully shaped lips, with a small but distinct bead at the center of his upper lip. Their color was not deep, only a healthy red. Whenever he spoke quickly, upper and lower lip tapped together and a rapid stream of clever words came tumbling out, whether he was praising someone or insulting them. From as close as Shang Shuangze stood, he could even smell the faint fragrance of pills.
“…What do you think, about him… no…” The final word stalled in Xia Yunzhao’s mouth. When he raised his eyes, he saw Shang Shuangze’s lowered lashes and suddenly realized the man was looking at his mouth from extremely close range. Whenever someone realized another person was staring at a particular part of them, they usually looked at that same place on the other person without thinking, so Xia Yunzhao’s gaze dropped…
Shang Shuangze’s upper lip was slightly thin, with a distinct lip bead and smooth lines, while the peaks of his lips carried a faint sharpness. He did not speak often, but whenever he spoke softly, Xia Yunzhao always sensed gentleness and tolerance in his voice.
That was why Xia Yunzhao had never found Shang Shuangze frightening. Even the first time they met, when the man had pinned a Purple-Patterned Python to the ground with a single sword strike, Xia Yunzhao had not been afraid of him.
As he thought about it, he drifted into a daze and his gaze continued upward, from Shang Shuangze’s mouth to his high, straight nose and finally his eyes… Those eyes enveloped him, focused and gentle.
…What the hell? How can someone get a racing heart just because his buddy is looking at him? Is that reasonable?
Xia Yunzhao’s heart lurched. Wait, am I gay?!
But when he reviewed the first half of his life, he had never felt anything special toward his male classmates… Of course, he had never felt anything toward his female classmates either… so he probably was not gay.
It had to be because Shang Shuangze was simply too good-looking. Hadn’t he read somewhere that humans were visual creatures, and that when faced with an attractive person, whether of the same sex or the opposite sex, they would naturally feel appreciation?
After reassuring himself several times in succession, his thundering heartbeat finally slowed.
Xia Yunzhao exhaled in relief. Sure enough, he should pay more attention to keeping an appropriate distance in the future. He had almost confused friendship with romance.
After another wait, the hammer fell on the platform. Fifty contestants had been selected, and everyone could go up to collect their tokens. Anyone else, even if their pills were only a breath away from forming, had already been eliminated.
Fortunately, the Pill Cultivator Grand Competition was held once every three years, not a long interval for cultivators, so most of those who lost were only mildly disappointed.
Except for one person.
Xia Yunzhao kept watching Tantai Ning. The token in his own hand was Number One, while Tantai Ning’s was Number Eleven.
Tantai Ning collected his token and stared at its number for a long time before glancing toward the audience below.
Xia Yunzhao did not know who he was looking at, but since he made no unusual move, Xia Yunzhao stepped down. Collecting the token marked the end of the day, and the next round would be tomorrow morning.
Shang Shuangze waited below, expecting Xia Yunzhao to take his hand and place it against his throat. Xia Yunzhao did not, instead standing face-to-face and silently mouthing, “Let’s go. We’ll head back to the inn first.”
Shang Shuangze lowered his eyes and said softly, “All right.” He did not know why Xia Yunzhao had changed, but… he could not force him. If Xia Yunzhao did not want to, then so be it. As long as he was happy.
Xia Yunzhao tugged Shang Shuangze forward by the sleeve, and only then did Xiao Tian approach with a delighted expression. “Congratulations, Senior, on taking first place!”
Xia Yunzhao quickly waved his hands. “Keep your voice down. That was only the first round, and there are so many outstanding fellow Daoists here. Don’t make everyone hate me…”
Suddenly, a strange gust of wind attacked from behind. “Die!”
Clang!
The hand Shang Shuangze was being tugged by did not move at all. Mingyun did not even fully leave its sheath, yet the half-exposed blade caught the magical artifact used in the sneak attack.
The cultivator stared in shock. “You! Aren’t you deaf?!”
He had dared launch the sneak attack precisely because he had discovered that the sword cultivator was deaf while the other man was a pill cultivator, who were notoriously poor at fighting!
Shang Shuangze’s face returned to expressionlessness. Mingyun slid slightly back into its sheath, neatly trapping the man’s magical artifact, and with a twist of Shang Shuangze’s wrist, the artifact snapped in two.
Then he raised his foot and kicked. The cultivator flew away like a kite with its string cut, crashed into the crowd, and could not even climb back up.
Since Xia Yunzhao still had to participate in the competition, Shang Shuangze did not draw his sword and kill the man.
Xia Yunzhao reacted just as quickly and immediately called out, “Are there any Fellow Daoists from the Pill Cultivator Alliance here? Neither of us knows this cultivator. Please seize him and investigate this matter thoroughly, so the two of us can receive justice.”
The people from the Pill Cultivator Alliance did not dare answer and all looked toward Pill Master Lipan.
Naturally, Pill Master Lipan’s expression was terrible. He nodded toward Xia Yunzhao. “Rest assured. The Alliance will investigate this to the bottom.”
Onstage, Tantai Ning’s expression became even uglier.
Xia Yunzhao nodded. He did not think the matter would actually be investigated to the bottom. He had already guessed that Tantai Ning was behind it and that his earlier glance toward the audience had been a signal, but as Pill Master Lipan’s disciple and a Beiliang local, finding an unrelated person to serve as his blade would have been far too easy.
Xia Yunzhao had only spoken up to make the situation clear in public while he had the chance, so rumors would not run wild afterward.
Sure enough, several members of the Pill Cultivator Alliance came over and carried away the injured cultivator.
Taking advantage of the confusion, Xia Yunzhao found Guang Xingyu and lowered his voice. “Fellow Daoist Guang, be especially careful these next few days.”
Guang Xingyu paused, thought for a moment, and then answered solemnly, “Many thanks for the warning, Fellow Daoist.”
Xia Yunzhao looked around for Bei Wan, only to discover she was already watching him and gave him a small nod.
Xia Yunzhao understood. Compared with Guang Xingyu, a fledgling on his first journey away from his sect, Bei Wan had far more experience and had long since figured out what was happening, so she did not need his reminder.
The two returned to Yuexian Inn.
Since Xia Yunzhao had promised to sell pills that evening, he certainly would not bring out a pitiful handful and try to bluff everyone with them. Besides, refining only one furnace that morning had not scratched his itch at all.
Xiao Qing and little Xianchan had remained hidden in Shang Shuangze’s robes the whole time. Both little ones had behaved quite well. Xiao Qing was obedient whenever they were outside, while Xianchan fussed for a while at first before eventually falling asleep.
When Xia Yunzhao took them out, Xianchan’s tiny belly was still rising and falling as it slept soundly.
Shang Shuangze took out the kitten’s little nest and settled it on the bed.
Xia Yunzhao could not resist patting Xiao Qing twice. Comparison truly was cruel. “Little jar, good job!”
Xiao Qing did not know what it had done to deserve praise, but praise was always a good thing, so it proudly stuck out its belly. Of course!
That little pose looked as though it had been carved from the same mold as its owner.
In a single afternoon, nearly everyone in Beiliang City learned that the first-place contestant from today’s competition was staying at Yuexian Inn. People seeking pills and people merely coming to watch packed the entire inn until water could not have seeped through.
The innkeeper made money hand over fist and gained plenty of publicity, leaving him so happy he could not close his mouth. With a broad wave, he waived Xia Yunzhao and Shang Shuangze’s room fee and even sent them dinner.
The dinner ingredients were naturally not as high-level as what they usually ate, but the cook’s skill made up for it and the food tasted excellent.
Xia Yunzhao and Xiao Qing, the two bottomless pits, divided everything between them and finished it cleanly.
As for Xianchan, the kitten was a little glutton too. It did not care whether it could actually eat the food and squealed anxiously atop the table. The moment nobody was watching, it toppled headfirst into the soup basin, and by the time Xia Yunzhao fished it out, it had already drunk itself round-bellied.
Xia Yunzhao did not know whether to laugh or cry. “Should we ask the inn if they have beast milk and make it a batch of Milky-Fragrant Meatballs? Is it this desperate to eat because its food doesn’t contain enough spiritual energy?”
Shang Shuangze looked at the kitten, now reeking of soup, and after a long pause said as tactfully as possible, “I think it’s simply greedy.”
After dinner, it was time for the promised pill sale.
The owner of Yuexian Inn had already heard Xia Yunzhao planned to sell pills and had prepared the wooden stage normally used for singing performances well in advance.
Xia Yunzhao had never been afraid of crowds, so he pulled Shang Shuangze onto the stage and looked over the sea of heads below. In an amiable tone, he said, “Many thanks for coming. The pills for sale today include Qi-Replenishing Pills, Bloodstanching Pills, Clearheart Pills…” He listed six or seven types in succession, then continued, “Their listed prices are…”
Before he could finish, someone below shouted, “Don’t set fixed prices! Auction them instead. Highest bidder wins. If you sell at fixed prices, I’m afraid I can’t beat these animals to them!”
“This ani… Fellow Daoist has a point. We all saw Fellow Daoist Xia’s refining speed. In one afternoon, he probably managed five or six furnaces, and each furnace only produces five pills. That’s maybe thirty or forty pills total, while there are hundreds of us here. There’s no way we’ll all get one. Why not bid?”
“Exactly.”
“I agree!”
Not everyone wanted an auction. Some had been hoping to snag a bargain, but in the cultivation world, the biggest fist had the biggest say. Those supporting an auction were powerful and wealthy, so even those who disagreed did not dare object.
Although Xia Yunzhao had never participated in one, after spending more than a day in Beiliang City, he knew pills were sold either through auctions or at listed prices. Auctions fetched higher prices, which should have been good for him, but the people present did not know two things. First, he had not refined five furnaces that afternoon, but seven. Second, each furnace had not produced five pills, but fifty.
After seven furnaces, he had three hundred and fifty pills in hand. He kept the high-grade ones for himself, but even selling only the mid-grade and low-grade pills left him with two hundred and fourteen.
More than two hundred pills. How long would auctioning them one by one take? Even if he stayed awake all night, he still had to compete again tomorrow morning!
Seeing Xia Yunzhao’s reluctance, the others had not even reacted yet when the owner of Yuexian Inn became anxious first. Pill auctions were normally arranged by the Pill Cultivator Alliance. When would his inn ever get an opportunity like this?!
No. He had to seize this chance!
So the innkeeper bent at the waist and scurried onto the stage, then whispered something to Xia Yunzhao.
Xia Yunzhao paused. “Really?”
The owner raised a hand and swore to the heavens. “Rest assured. If even the slightest thing goes wrong, you can report me straight to the Pill Cultivator Alliance! In Beiliang City, you can cheat anyone except a pill cultivator. Otherwise, you simply can’t survive here!”
Xia Yunzhao smiled and tossed him the storage pouch containing the pills. “Then I’ll trouble you with it, Shopkeeper.”
With that, he stepped off the stage and left without a care.
The shopkeeper chuckled and wiped away the sweat his panic had produced. “Everyone, Pill Cultivator Xia has entrusted the auction entirely to this junior. I’ll begin auctioning these, uh…” His voice caught. “These two hundred and fourteen pills…”
The cultivators below had assumed negotiations had fallen through when Xia Yunzhao and Shang Shuangze left and were about to accept that there would be no auction, but the moment they heard the number of pills, they let out a collective shriek. “How many?!”
“More than two hundred?! Pills? Are those pills or red dates?”
“No wonder that pill-cultivator senior didn’t want an auction. Auctioning more than two hundred pills really would be exhausting.”
“No matter, no matter. The owner of Yuexian Inn is willing to take over now!”
Someone who knew him shouted, “Boss Lin, quit talking nonsense and start the auction already!”
Boss Lin smiled so broadly his eyes disappeared. “Exactly, exactly. We’ll begin right now.”
If anyone could still see his eyes, they would have discovered that his pupils had already turned into spirit-pearl shapes. He was helping Xia Yunzhao auction the pills entirely free and would not take even one spirit pearl in commission, but an auction this long would keep the crowd downstairs for ages, and surely people could not sit there without eating or drinking. The drinks alone would bring him a huge sum!
And once word spread that more than two hundred pills were being auctioned, even more people would arrive. Pill Cultivator Xia truly was Yuexian Inn’s great lucky star!
Having handed the matter off, Xia Yunzhao relaxed and took Shang Shuangze, Xiao Qing, Mingyun, and Xianchan out to explore the night market.
Since he needed to mind his boundaries, he did not hold Shang Shuangze’s hand and only tugged on his sleeve. He also could not put Shang Shuangze’s hand against his throat anymore, so every time he spoke, he had to stand face-to-face with him. Sometimes, when Shang Shuangze looked elsewhere, Xia Yunzhao even had to cup his face and turn it back toward himself.
…In any case, boundaries. He had to mind his boundaries.
Thus, over the course of their night-market excursion, for some mysterious reason, Shang Shuangze gradually began looking to the side more and more often. Xia Yunzhao thought, I always assumed Shang Shuangze didn’t like lively places. I never knew he was so interested in night markets. We’ll come again tomorrow.
After finishing their stroll, the two returned and slept soundly.
By the next morning, the auction downstairs had ended. Boss Lin waited outside their door with dark circles under his eyes, and the moment they emerged, he opened his mouth. “My lord…”
His voice was so hoarse it sounded like a donkey going through puberty.
Xia Yunzhao jumped. “You… didn’t you save a Qi-Replenishing Pill for yourself?”
“I’m fine, hehehe!” Boss Lin grinned as though he had swallowed some miraculous tonic. What need did he have for a Qi-Replenishing Pill? “My lord, the pills sold for a total of one hundred seven thousand eight hundred spirit pearls. Please count them.”
Xia Yunzhao was startled again. “How did they sell for so much?! That’s almost twice the normal price, isn’t it?”
Boss Lin was not surprised. “That’s an auction for you. They usually go higher than fixed-price sales. Five or ten times higher isn’t unheard of.”
Xia Yunzhao fell into thought. No wonder pill cultivators were all so rich. So this was how they made their money…
He counted the sum and found the spirit pearls correct, then took out a Qi-Replenishing Pill and gave it to Boss Lin, telling him to hurry off and rest.
Afterward, he and Shang Shuangze went together to the competition grounds.
Xiao Tian still led the way in front. Knowing the two seniors already knew the route, he had gotten up early to claim a convenient viewing spot in order to prove his usefulness, even setting out two bamboo chairs so the sword-cultivator senior could watch comfortably.
Xia Yunzhao was indeed very pleased.
He looked toward the stage. This time there were no pill furnaces on the platform, only rows upon rows of jade boxes filled with spirit plants.
Xia Yunzhao considered this thoughtfully. No furnaces this round, but they provide the ingredients?
What were they competing in this time?