"Go to that manor? I can't go there."

Zhang Huaping's expression changed drastically on the spot, and she flatly refused.

The group of Demon Cultivators deep in the mountains outside the city destroyed the long-standing clans and villages more than a hundred years ago and have been entrenched there ever since, extremely fierce.

Travelers and caravans often pass by and fall victim to their cruelty.

Yet, they control the largest Magic Copper mine in the area, one of the core economic arteries.

More than eighty years ago, the City Lord made a resolute decision and called on various Cultivator families to join forces to enter the mountains and eliminate the bandits, but they suffered heavy losses.

It has now become a forbidden zone that everyone fears.

The shopkeeper advised:

"Though that group of Demon Cultivators is bad, they aren't stupid. They won't attack merchants with prior connections; otherwise, who would dare to do business?"

"Other shops have hired people to go there many times before without incident. This time it's my turn to send someone; please help me."

Zhang Huaping remained silent.

It was the end of the year now.

If she wasn't mistaken, the Demon Cultivators would be holding ancestor worship rituals and would begin large-scale purchases seeking ancestral blessing.

It was said that in previous years, there were live sacrifices.

If she went there herself and ended up being sent as a sacrifice...

Being buried alive as a maid, serving as a Living Terracotta Warrior in a tomb for a lifetime, would be a good outcome, but what if there were perverse interests...

"Sit down, let's talk."

The shopkeeper poured a cup of tea and slowly pushed it over:

"Your daughter still needs to study; she's the third in the academy, undeniably good potential. The rented house beside the academy to increase study efficiency, the incense, the paper and pen, which doesn't cost money?"

The old shopkeeper earnestly advised:

"You, with such extraordinary comprehension, but limited by a Lower Grade Spiritual Root. If not, you'd have already reached the Four Viscera Realm. Your daughter shouldn't follow in your footsteps and needs at least a Middle Grade Spiritual Root, right? That's also a massive expenditure for Spiritual Roots. She's only five, and it's time to prepare her Spiritual Root seven or eight years in advance."

The shopkeeper's words pierced straight into her heart.

The burden of life weighed her down, suffocating her.

"The resources for my daughter's entry-level are almost enough." She took a deep breath.

"And what about yourself? You also need to find a way to break through the Four Viscera, right?"

The shopkeeper sighed again: "For us Loose Cultivators, who have been injured for years, our internal organs are already riddled with hidden injuries. Once we are over eighty, the organs completely degenerate, and the blood and energy are insufficient, leaving no chance to break through to the Four Viscera."

Zhang Huaping was silent.

She was in her early forties this year and was already a Five-Body Perfection Cultivator, quite famous among Loose Cultivators.

Five-Body Realm Great Perfection is a qualitative change.

Because this period's Cultivators, when wearing armor that protects the front and back of the chest and stomach, expose only the head and limbs refined through Body Tempering, they almost have no weaknesses.

Even the Demon Beasts of the same realm can't fight them head-on.

This is why humans leverage the advantage of armor, blocking the untempered vital spots. How can you fight me?

But Demon Beasts are also clever.

They run directly without fighting, making them hard to hunt and requiring ambushes and guards.

So hunting Demon Beasts is still no simple matter.

At this point, with the Five-Body great circulation, the theoretical lifespan reaches two thousand years.

But it's just theoretical.

Without cultivating the Four Viscera, the internal organs will slowly age and wither away.

Ultimately, the empty and decayed organs will create a big hole in the belly, which must be filled with an artificial Magical Artifact, constantly consuming Magic Coins to live for two thousand years.

But this is another paradox.

If your internal organs have degenerated to death, surviving like this means your combat power is far from its peak, unable to earn enough for the continuation fees.

In other words, if you can provide enough continuous Magic Coins to survive for two thousand years, what kind of family are you?

Only the great families, Great Sects, and wealthy clans are so generous.

They genuinely live 800 years in the first body and 2000 years in the fifth body.

Others?

Just think about it.

For bottom-tier Loose Cultivators, life's tough!

The majority of Five-Body Perfection Cultivators, to avoid being dragged to death in their later years, choose to risk breaking through to the Four Viscera Realm at the peak of their lives, choosing between life and death.

Currently, the average lifespan of Five-Body Realm Perfection Cultivators is only 150 years—a tragic number.

Because this in-between realm makes people unwilling to resign themselves, leading them to risk it all, and none die a natural death.

"Fine, I'll be the merchant."

Zhang Huaping sighed, her expression determined, "No matter if that manor is a dragon's lair or tiger's den, I'll have to venture in this time."

Cultivators are fighting, competing with the heavens for life.

...

...

Next morning.

Seven o'clock.

A white light from the Teleportation Array disappeared.

Zhang Huaping appeared not far from the manor gate, feeling somewhat uneasy as she observed her surroundings.

After safely settling her daughter, she steeled herself and entered the Teleportation Array.

It was located in an abandoned, hollowed-out mine, surrounded by mountain forests, lush greenery, and flourishing flowers and plants.

"Welcome."

An amiable old man stood beside the Teleportation Array.

"You are..." Zhang Huaping asked cautiously.

She couldn't discern the old man's disguise, as those who have cultivated up to the head can freely control their facial muscles to change their appearance.

As for cultivation, the restrained blood and qi of the limbs couldn't reveal which Realm he was in.

Of course, cultivation level was not the most important thing.

"The Manor Master is in seclusion; I'm in charge of this transaction," said the old manager.

Zhang Huaping relaxed upon hearing this, relieved not to have to meet the group of Demon Cultivators directly.

Being a Loose Cultivator herself, the counterpart was merely a middle-level manager responsible for the event.

The person seemed amiable and easy to get along with, but there was always the possibility of him being like a wolf in sheep's clothing.

She reluctantly took out the 30 Magic Coins she had just earned, discreetly slipped them into the sleeve of the old manager, and bowed slightly, "Please, old manager, lend a helping hand."

Ning Zheng lacked nothing but money.

However, he also understood that if he didn't accept the money, the other party wouldn't feel assured.

"You can rest assured this visit; all the Manor Masters in charge are in seclusion."

The old manager accepted the money, smiled, and reminded her, "It's just that our manor's slaves, the blacksmiths, may act strangely inside the manor. Pay no attention to them; think less, inquire less, focus less. Just carry out the transaction smoothly."

Zhang Huaping nodded, "I've traveled far and wide since childhood and consider myself experienced; you needn't worry."

As a lower-tier Loose Cultivator, she had encountered all kinds of weird and abnormal Demon Cultivators.

Moreover, she had escaped from sinister ghosts several times.

In her eyes, the ordinary townspeople-slaves and mortal blacksmiths were at most mentally unstable due to being oppressed, their mental states extremely poor. Could they be stranger than top-notch sinister ghosts?

She had seen real horrors, the kind that truly sent chills down her spine.

Once, she went into an ancient tomb without a master, accompanied those exploring tombs, and while digging up ancient burial goods, entered the main tomb's eerie chamber, where she saw a horrifying ancient presence reading a book on a rocking chair.... All dozens of her companions died, only she ran fast enough to escape.

"Rest assured, anything that shouldn't be seen, I will not see."

She offered a polite smile, only thinking about completing the transaction quickly, "Excuse me, how many Magic Copper Coarse Embryos are in this batch? Is the procurement list ready?"

Ning Zheng nodded and handed over a procurement list, "First procure a batch of these, then we'll discuss the next transaction."

In past transactions, Ning Zheng was always on site, serving as a slave to help transport goods to the warehouse, exhausted to the point of collapse.

He was naturally clear about the manor's urgent procurement needs.

Zhang Huaping, having done her homework on relevant materials long beforehand, glanced at the list and breathed a sigh of relief, "It's no different from before; several shops in the city have already prepared everything and can deliver at any time."

Soon, the large box containing Ning Zheng's three thousand Magic Coins was taken away.

In and out of the Teleportation Array, Zhang Huaping transported goods to the manor entrance, one box at a time — Demon Beasts, Spirit Grass, Pill Medicine.

Three thousand Magic Coins were already a sizable procurement amount.

Keep in mind a complete Five-Body Realm Demon Beast cost only several dozen Magic Coins, and a Magic Artifact Coarse Embryo was priced between 100 to 120 Magic Coins, with an average profit of just 30 Magic Coins each.

Selling a hundred Magic Artifact Coarse Embryos would just barely gather such funds.

And involving a high-cultivation cultivator to handle the deal was precisely because their physical strength was sufficient to complete the entire transaction alone, transport, collect money, and inspect.

Ning Zheng did not haggle over prices.

The prices for these routine materials had long been negotiated.

It was the same every time.

No one dared to swindle this group of Demon Cultivators; it was already the base price.

By around eight o'clock, the blacksmiths were just on time to log in and step out of fully automated dormitories.

"Everyone, remember your actions."

"Why do I feel a bit stiff? Is Su Yuniang's Embers mentioned motion — the thirty-seven ordinary farmer's behaviors — really that normal?"

"This is how village NPCs are."

"I think the crooked arc of this mouth is bizarre; the AI is just too stiff, its logical behavior very rigid."

In order to better welcome guests, the blacksmiths each transformed into a Shadow Emperor, determined to provide guests with the best sensory experience by pretending to be ordinary people in their interactions with outsiders.

Controlling this smile with etiquette and demeanor.

They stepped out the door and saw a beautiful, mature woman carrying boxes back and forth.

Zhang Huaping saw their extremely "friendly" stiff smiles, her heart skipped a beat, she silently kept her head down working, the test had indeed arrived.

I see nothing, nothing at all.