The master and disciple settled into the inn, renting two adjacent superior rooms. Lai Li’an found Su Wan’er, took a storage bag from his bosom, and handed it to her.
“Take these spirit stones.”
Su Wan’er took the storage bag with both hands.
When she opened its mouth and looked inside, she froze on the spot. Inside were five thousand low-grade spirit stones.
“Master, this…”
She lifted her head, her face full of disbelief.
“What is this for?”
Lai Li’an had already thought up an explanation. He sat down on a chair by the window, took a sip of tea, and said unhurriedly,
“Earlier, outside the Enforcement Hall, I already sent a voice transmission to Meng Qiuran. He said there’s no need to return these spirit stones—consider them a thank-you gift to me.”
Su Wan’er’s hands holding the storage bag trembled slightly.
‘A voice transmission? When had Master sent a voice transmission? Master had been with me the whole time; I never saw him take out a transmission talisman, nor did I sense any spiritual power fluctuation.’
‘Master’s communication methods could complete a conversation with Meng Qiuran without me noticing at all? What level of cultivation was required to do such a thing?’
She took a deep breath, suppressing her astonishment, and asked earnestly,
“Master, isn’t this too many spirit stones?”
“It’s fine. What are a few spirit stones? Go buy an elixir furnace and a spiritual flame. The Alchemy Grand Assembly is only a month away; you need to have your tools ready. I still have some trivial matters to deal with. Go look around on your own; if you see something you like, just decide for yourself.”
Su Wan’er was slightly stunned.
‘Originally, I was full of anticipation to go pick things out with Master, but on second thought, Master always acts with deep meaning. Letting me shop alone is most likely also a test.’
She nodded firmly, carefully put away the storage bag, bowed to Lai Li’an, and left.
Lai Li’an watched her figure disappear at the stairway entrance, then let out a long breath and leaned back against the chair.
Actually, letting Su Wan’er go alone was because he himself had no idea what to buy. How much did an elixir furnace cost? What grades of spiritual flame were there? He was completely ignorant.
If he went to the shop and the shopkeeper asked him,
“Senior, what kind do you want?”
and he couldn’t answer, then he would lose face to the extreme.
Although Su Wan’er also didn’t understand alchemy, she was at least a cultivator from a proper sect, and her knowledge was better than his.
The busiest commercial street in Yunze Market was not far from the inn. In less time than it takes for an incense stick to burn, Su Wan’er arrived there.
The space here was enormous, with magic artifacts, elixir pills, cultivation techniques, and spiritual herbs displayed in categories. As soon as she entered, a shop assistant started to promote.
“This way, fairy maiden! What would you like to see? Our shop just received a batch of high-grade magic artifacts, as well as spiritual herbs freshly transported from the Eastern Border. Their quality is top-notch.”
Su Wan’er shook her head.
“I want to buy an elixir furnace and a spiritual flame.”
The shop assistant’s eyes darted around, his smile growing even brighter.
“Fairy maiden, you came at the right time! Our shop just happens to have a batch of excellent alchemy equipment. Please, this way.”
He led Su Wan’er to a certain shop. The storefront was not large, but there were many goods. Wooden shelves on all four walls were filled with all kinds of elixir furnaces.
The shopkeeper was an old man in his fifties, with a cultivation at the Early Foundation Establishment Stage. As soon as he saw Su Wan’er enter, he came out from behind the counter.
“This Fellow Daoist wants to buy an elixir furnace? For personal use or as a gift? This old man can offer some advice.”
Su Wan’er hesitated for a moment, then honestly admitted,
“For personal use. I’ve just started learning alchemy.”
“Just starting out, eh—”
The shopkeeper drew out his tone, his gaze quickly scanning Su Wan’er.
Foundation Establishment Peak cultivation, yet a novice at alchemy. And looking at the storage bag at her waist, he could vaguely sense a large number of spirit stones inside.
The shopkeeper immediately understood.
‘This must be the young lady of some large sect, a rare good customer.’
The smile on his face grew even warmer. He took down a small copper furnace from the shelf, its entire body shimmering with purple light, and held it out to Su Wan’er with both hands.
“When first learning alchemy, the most important thing is that the furnace is stable. This Purple Cloud Copper Furnace is refined from deep-sea purple copper mixed with mica. It conducts heat evenly and is easy to control, perfect for beginners. The original price is eight hundred spirit stones, but this old man sees that you have a kind face, fairy maiden. How about six hundred for you?”
Su Wan’er took the copper furnace and examined it. It was indeed heavy in her hand, with intricate flame patterns carved on the body, looking quite extraordinary.
She was about to nod when the shopkeeper turned around and took out several more items from the depths of the shelf.
“This is a high-grade firestone, polished from earth-core flint. One can be used a hundred times. A set of three will only cost you two hundred spirit stones. And this stack of flame control talismans—just right for Foundation Establishment stage cultivators. A stack of twelve, I’ll count it as one hundred spirit stones.”
As he spoke, he shoved them into Su Wan’er’s hands, speaking quickly as if afraid she would refuse.
“This is a breath regulating plate, used to stabilize spiritual power at the base of the furnace during alchemy. This is a medicine scale, for weighing spiritual herbs accurately to the smallest degree. These two together, I’ll give you for four hundred spirit stones. Oh right, and this…”
He mysteriously pulled out a brocade box from under the counter.
Opening it, inside lay a pigeon-egg-sized crimson red pearl, emitting scorching heat.
“This is an earth fire seed, sealed with the Blazing Sun Earth Vein Fire. Its temperature is thirty percent higher than ordinary spiritual flames, doubling alchemy efficiency. This item, in the entire Ten Thousand Treasures Tower, there are only three pieces. Usually sold for three thousand spirit stones each, but today this old man is in a good mood, so I’ll give it to you for two thousand eight hundred. Adding in the previous items, total…”
He pretended to click an abacus.
“Exactly five thousand spirit stones, not a single one less!”
Su Wan’er looked down at the pile of items in her arms, somewhat dazed.
‘Every single piece looks like it’s of excellent quality.’
But five thousand spirit stones was exactly the total amount her master had given her.
‘I feel something is off, but the shopkeeper spoke with such plausibility, explaining each item’s effects clearly. As a layperson, I really can’t find any fault.’
‘Master gave me so much money; logically, buying better tools is also reasonable.’
Su Wan’er bit her lip, carried the pile of items to the counter, and was about to take out the spirit stones from the storage bag.
“Hold on.”
A hand reached out from behind her and gently pressed down on her wrist.
Su Wan’er turned around and saw the person clearly. It was a woman wearing a cyan long dress, with a tall and slender figure. A same-colored gauze scarf covered most of her face, leaving only a pair of eyes visible.
Her eyes were a very light amber color, extremely beautiful. One look and you couldn’t help but be drawn in.
The outline of the scarf traced the delicate facial lines underneath. Far from concealing her appearance, the mystique made one even more unable to resist imagining what peerless beauty lay beneath the scarf.
The other party’s brows and eyes carried an aura of cold detachment and otherworldliness. Unlike Su Wan’er’s youthful purity, this woman exuded a profound stillness from head to toe.
‘So beautiful.’
This was the first thought that appeared in Su Wan’er’s mind. She had seen many beauties, each with their own charm, but none could compare to the woman before her.