Chapter Seven: The Transaction
Although the All-Realm Cultivation Mall was excellent, the cultivation experience she could gain from it was limited; she could only acquire it by absorbing spiritual energy, that is, by increasing her cultivation. If she could upgrade this space, her reliance on the Cultivation Mall would lessen considerably.
After pondering this, Qu Yiqiu left the space.
The aura of the second-tier Whip-tail Serpent had not yet fully dissipated, so she was not afraid of other beasts approaching. After inspecting all the tunnels in the cave, she emerged with the added prize of a three-hundred-year-old Heartlonging Herb.
Standing on the crooked trunk, Qu Yiqiu gazed down at the depths of the ravine below. “My spiritual energy is still fairly abundant; using the Grass Vine Technique to descend shouldn’t be too difficult.”
She selected a grass rope before her and formed a hand seal with one hand, drawing spiritual energy from within. A faint green mist coiled around her fingertips. With a flick of her wrist, the mist twisted in the air like a braid, attaching itself to the end of the grass rope.
She tugged on the vine woven from wood spiritual energy to ensure its stability, then leapt, landing on a protruding rock three meters below. Nimbly, she continued to jump from side to side and soon landed safely at the bottom of the ravine.
“There really is Mu Yunjin’s blood on that wild grass up ahead,” Qu Yiqiu said, her gaze fixed straight ahead as she strode over. She reached out to touch a smear of dark red blood, examining it closely. “Legend has it that dragon’s blood is excellent for making cinnabar for talisman drawing, but unfortunately, all the blood here has dried.”
Otherwise, she would have liked to collect some to try. The color of this blood matched that on Mu Yunjin, and traces of his fall were evident nearby. It seemed he had not lied about this incident.
Qu Yiqiu surveyed the sheer cliffs around her; all was desolate and still, with only the occasional chill wind blowing through. Suddenly finding it dull, she did not linger and returned to the Tianyan Sect.
Outside the cave dwelling on Little Flat Peak, she saw Mu Yunjin waiting at the door.
“Senior Sister, you’re finally back!” Mu Yunjin’s face lit up with joy when he saw her.
“I’ve already turned in the Immortal Ganoderma-picking task for you. Here’s the reward from the sect.” Qu Yiqiu tossed him five spirit stones.
Caught off guard, Mu Yunjin hurriedly said, “Senior Sister, you completed the task, I can’t accept these spirit stones!”
Qu Yiqiu tapped him lightly on the head. “We agreed: I complete this task for you, and you help me with another. Or are you trying to send me away with just five spirit stones?”
“No, no, I just think the spirit stones should be yours, Senior Sister.” Mu Yunjin shook his head quickly, cheeks flushing red in his anxiety.
Qu Yiqiu couldn’t help pinching his cheek with a laugh. “Little Junior Brother, you’re so amusing and far too pure. Out in the world, people like you wouldn’t survive.”
Mu Yunjin shrank his neck in a bashful, adorable way and whispered, “Then I’ll just stay on Little Flat Peak and cultivate for my whole life, never going anywhere else!”
Qu Yiqiu was taken aback for a moment, then released him with a smile. “That’s impossible. As cultivators, we not only train our spiritual power but also our hearts. Spending your whole life here won’t temper your spirit.”
Mu Yunjin blinked in confusion.
“All right, it looks like your injuries have healed well. Now hurry up and cultivate, don’t waste the spiritual power Master gave you.” Qu Yiqiu adopted the tone of a true senior, suppressing the envy and jealousy in her heart.
Mu Yunjin stole a glance at her, and seeing that she was unscathed, he nodded in relief. “Mm, I’ll work hard at cultivation. I won’t let Master down!”
“Silly Junior Brother, go on back!” If only you knew Master’s expectations are for you to defeat the demonic cultivators.
Qu Yiqiu inwardly grumbled as she gently pushed him back toward the cave.
Not long after Mu Yunjin left, Qu Yiqiu dropped a storage pouch onto the table with a sigh. “The quarterly peak tax is already due again so soon. I’ve spent nearly all my spirit stones—where am I going to find something for the sect?”
Rent on Blue Star was paid monthly; in the cultivation world, renting a mountain came with a monthly tax.
Because Little Flat Peak was the most remote and its spiritual energy the lowest among all the peaks of Tianyan Sect, the peak tax had been changed to a quarterly payment. Yet this did little to ease their predicament.
Generally, the other peaks had vast, fertile spiritual fields where they could plant spirit herbs. With these fields and by hiring some outer-disciples, they could easily pay the peak tax.
But Little Flat Peak was different. It was low and short, with few and barren fields. Growing spirit herbs was a laborious task, so they couldn’t rely on this to pay the tax.
Moreover, due to Mo Qingli’s poor management, Little Flat Peak had grown ever poorer. Before Qu Yiqiu arrived, he had always supplemented their needs from his own spirit stone savings, never asking for help. But after a century, Mo Qingli’s savings had been exhausted. Not long after Qu Yiqiu’s arrival, the two of them began living in poverty.
At first, she thought with the Cultivation Mall at hand, she could buy fertilizer to improve the spiritual fields, but when she discovered her master was gravely ill, she set this aside, focusing instead on training and saving experience points for the Pulse-Renewal and Soul-Sustaining Pill.
As a result, Little Flat Peak was still as poor as ever—utterly destitute.
Qu Yiqiu dumped out the storage pouch; there were only fifty-three spirit stones and one Heartlonging Herb of any value. The rest was worthless odds and ends.
“To think I crossed over with a golden finger, and still ended up this badly off!” Qu Yiqiu couldn’t help twitching at the corners of her mouth.
She only had two hundred cultivation experience points left—nowhere near enough to buy anything from the mall. Mo Qingli was still in seclusion and wouldn’t be out for at least a month.
It seemed her only option was to quietly sell some spiritual spring water on the black market.
From the pile of odds and ends, Qu Yiqiu picked out a few jade bottles. She put away the storage pouch, slipped into her space, filled the bottles with spiritual spring water, then kept them close and left the space, heading out of Tianyan Sect once again.
It was already afternoon.
To the north of the Tianyan Sect’s mountains was an affiliated town called Mingde City. Qu Yiqiu entered the city before nightfall. The evening was less lively than the day, and there were few passersby on the main street.
She crossed the brightly lit thoroughfare, changed into black clothes and put on a bamboo hat in a shadowy corner, then entered an inconspicuous tavern.
“I have good goods to sell urgently. Call your proprietress,” Qu Yiqiu said, using a move she’d learned from Mo Qingli. He had sought many avenues to treat his illness, including this black market proprietress.
The attendant glanced at her and said obsequiously, “Esteemed guest, please wait in a private room upstairs.”
Anyone bold enough to speak this way in the black market was either confident or courting death. The attendant didn’t think Qu Yiqiu was a fool.
He led her upstairs and arranged a private room for her.
Qu Yiqiu sat calmly on a soft chair, waiting for the proprietress.
Her voice arrived before she did.
“Miss, aren’t you tempted to try our Drunkenless Tavern’s new aged tangerine wine?” The voice was so sultry it seemed to seep into the bones.
Qu Yiqiu looked up to see a voluptuous figure, hips swaying seductively, approaching.
“I’ll pass on the wine. Proprietress, why don’t you take a look at my goods first?” Qu Yiqiu said crisply, placing a jade bottle on the table.
The proprietress threw her a flirtatious glance. “It’s been a long time since Liu’er has met such a straightforward guest.”
She took the jade bottle, examined it, and sniffed at the mouth.
Qu Yiqiu waited calmly for her reaction.