CHAPTER 45: CHAPTER 45: UNINVITED ENTRY_1

Despite the hot weather, the streets of Black Bear City were still bustling and noisy.

Qin Feiyang walked among the crowd, his ears open to all the chatter around him. Gradually, a hint of a smile touched the corners of his mouth. Although three days had passed, he was still the most talked-about topic. Moreover, many people, still not having given up, were forming teams and venturing into the deep mountains outside the city in search of him.

As for Mu Fei and Jiang Wei, after being questioned and investigated by the high-ranking officials of Elixir Palace, they were proven innocent and consequently released. Now, all fingers pointed at Qin Feiyang. The War King from Yan City’s Lin family had received direct orders from Lin Han: find Qin Feiyang, no matter what!

However, aside from Lo Qingzhu and Zhao Shuang’er, no one knew that Qin Feiyang had already stealthily entered the city.

Keep looking! Qin Feiyang sneered inwardly. The moment I step into the War King realm and awaken my Battle Soul will be the day you die!

Five years ago, he had been hailed as a prodigy the likes of which appeared only once in ten thousand years. And now, he not only possessed the Six-Character Mantra but had also breached the Martial Artist’s Extreme State, opening the first layer of the Door of Potential. He had undergone a complete metamorphosis. Whether in talent or potential, he far surpassed his former self.

Plus, his previous foundation was still intact. As long as he had sufficient resources, he was confident that he could return to being a Nine-Star Martial Master in just six months. He might even progress further! Now, the most crucial thing was resources.

Qin Feiyang dismissed his distracting thoughts and hurried towards the Treasure Pavilion.

Upon reaching the vicinity of the Treasure Pavilion, he found a dark alley. Seeing no one around, he took out a cloak and black clothes from his Qiankun Bag, quickly disguised himself, and then strode into the Treasure Pavilion.

Clad in a cloak and dressed in black, his appearance was incredibly mysterious. The moment he entered the Treasure Pavilion, he attracted numerous curious glances.

However, a scantily clad woman in a red dress, whose eyes lit up the moment she saw Qin Feiyang, hurriedly approached him, bowed, and said, "Sir, you’ve returned."

Three days ago, when Qin Feiyang had come to sell his first batch of medicinal herbs, she had been the one to receive him.

"Hmm," Qin Feiyang replied in a deep, slightly hoarse voice.

"Sir, please follow me."

The woman in red quickly led the way, taking Qin Feiyang to a small room. This place was reserved for entertaining important guests.

The woman in red smiled and said, "Sir, I will prepare some tea. Please wait a moment."

"No need." Qin Feiyang waved his hand.

Drinking tea? He didn’t have the leisure for that.

The woman in red was taken aback and asked, "Sir, have you come to buy or sell today?"

"Sell." Qin Feiyang took out his Qiankun Bag and poured out a large pile of medicinal herbs.

"There’s so much more?" the woman in red exclaimed, shocked. The transaction three days ago had startled her, but she hadn’t expected him to have so many additional herbs. Just who is this mysterious man?

Qin Feiyang frowned and said in a hoarse voice, "Count them quickly."

"Yes, yes, yes." The woman in red collected herself and quickly squatted on the floor. While counting, she asked, "Sir, do you still want to exchange these for Qi Gathering Pills?"

"Yes!" Qin Feiyang nodded.

Quite a man of few words, the woman in red mumbled to herself, feeling rather puzzled. He exchanged for a thousand pills just three days ago. Why is he exchanging again now? Is this man consuming Qi Gathering Pills like they’re rice? However, having worked at the Treasure Pavilion for several years, she knew what questions to ask and what to keep to herself.

Less than an hour later, the woman in red finally finished counting. After careful calculation, she looked at Qin Feiyang with a smile and said, "Sir, these medicinal herbs are valued at one thousand five hundred Gold Coins. As you are now a major client of our Treasure Pavilion, we will sell you the Qi Gathering Pills at market price this time. That will be a total of seven hundred fifty pills. If you have no objections, I will go and fetch them for you now."

"Thank you," Qin Feiyang said lightly.

However, his brows, hidden beneath the cloak, were now deeply furrowed.

Copying the first stroke consumed five hundred Qi Gathering Pills. Copying the second stroke consumed two thousand Qi Gathering Pills, a full four times the amount of the first. If the third stroke also requires a fourfold increase, then I’ll need to prepare eight thousand Qi Gathering Pills! Seven hundred fifty is a far cry from eight thousand.

I might as well sell everything at once, Qin Feiyang steeled his resolve.

At this moment, the woman in red had gathered all the medicinal herbs and turned to leave.

"Wait!" Qin Feiyang gestured with his hand.

"Does Sir have any further instructions?" The woman in red turned back, looking at him quizzically.

Qin Feiyang took out his Qiankun Bag again and poured out all the remaining medicinal herbs. Most of these herbs were quite rare and should fetch a good price.

As for the woman in red, she was completely dumbfounded.

Qin Feiyang said, "Exchange these for Qi Gathering Pills as well."

"Alright, alright, alright." The woman in red nodded repeatedly.

It seems I’ve really encountered a super VIP today!

After she finished counting, her heart thrummed with excitement. She stood up, looked at Qin Feiyang, and said, "Sir, this batch of medicinal herbs is worth a total of three thousand Gold Coins, which converts to one thousand five hundred Qi Gathering Pills."

Qin Feiyang said, "Bring me the Qi Gathering Pills immediately."

The woman in red gathered the medicinal herbs and quickly left the room.

Two thousand one hundred, one thousand five hundred, three thousand Gold Coins... Qin Feiyang was also quite surprised. He had initially thought these medicinal herbs would only sell for five thousand Gold Coins, but unexpectedly, they had fetched a total of six thousand six hundred Gold Coins.

Raiding medicinal fields is indeed a quick way to make money. It seems I’ll have to inquire if there are any other medicinal fields near Black Bear City.

A short while later, the woman in red returned to the room and handed Qin Feiyang a Qiankun Bag.

"Goodbye!" Qin Feiyang didn’t bother counting the contents, directly placing the bag in his robe. After bidding farewell, he swiftly departed from the Treasure Pavilion.

However, a burly man dressed in black furtively followed him.

Not long after, Qin Feiyang re-entered the same alley. Just as he was about to remove his cloak, he suddenly spun around.

The man in black was standing among the crowd at the alley’s entrance, looking around. Upon noticing Qin Feiyang’s gaze, he showed no sign of panic, casually surveyed his surroundings, and then turned to leave.

Uncle Yuan was right; one must always be vigilant, no matter who they encounter, Qin Feiyang’s eyes glinted.

Undoubtedly, his large-volume sale of medicinal herbs had attracted the attention of the Treasure Pavilion’s higher-ups.

But it doesn’t matter, as this is my last time selling here anyway.

He quickly removed the cloak and black clothes, activated his Smoke Step, and dashed towards the other end of the alley, vanishing from sight in an instant.

At this point, the man in black doubled back. Seeing that Qin Feiyang was gone, he hurriedly ran into the alley, searching everywhere.

Could he have spotted me earlier? This person is clearly not simple,

the man in black frowned, then quickly returned to the Treasure Pavilion and entered a lavish room.

A middle-aged man in purple attire was sitting by a tea table, sipping tea. Seeing the man in black return, he asked, "How did it go? Did you see his true face?"

The man in black bowed and said, "I was incompetent. He discovered me. Please punish me, Pavilion Master."

CRACK!

The purple-clad man clenched his hand, a hint of ferocity in his eyes, and the teacup in his grasp instantly shattered into pieces.

The man in black hastily knelt on the ground, cold sweat beading on his forehead.

However, the purple-clad man pondered for a moment, then relaxed his grip and said nonchalantly, "Forget it. Someone possessing so many medicinal herbs is certainly no ordinary individual. It’s understandable that you were discovered. You may leave."

"Thank you for your leniency, Pavilion Master!" The man in black kowtowed in gratitude, then bowed and exited the room.

Meanwhile, the purple-clad man closed his eyes, his thoughts hidden. After a moment, he opened them, a playful smirk gracing his lips.

Thinking of escaping? It won’t be that easy. I’m curious to see who you really are... and whether you were the one who plundered the Elixir Palace’s herb fields, he murmured to himself, then rose and strode out of the room.

Qin Feiyang didn’t linger and went directly back to the inn.

Upon returning, he remembered that he had forgotten to ask if the Treasure Pavilion stocked Beast Spirit Pills. However, the mere thought of the Beast Spirit Pill’s price made him feel powerless. Beast Spirit Pills were not only expensive but also extremely rare. It was no exaggeration to say they were practically unobtainable despite their value. Therefore, the Treasure Pavilion generally didn’t sell them outright; they auctioned them. The highest bidder won.

In the Imperial Capital, the starting bid for a single Beast Spirit Pill was one hundred thousand Gold Coins. After competitive bidding, the price could soar to hundreds of thousands, or even millions! This was an astronomical sum for him. Yet, he had promised the Wolf King he would get one for it. Moreover, he himself wanted to obtain one as soon as possible, so he wouldn’t have to keep guessing the Wolf King’s intentions when they interacted.

What am I going to do about this? Qin Feiyang sat by the tea table, his brow furrowed in worry. Is there any way to earn more Gold Coins?

Alchemy! Suddenly, a brilliant light flashed in his eyes!

Only by learning alchemy and becoming an alchemist can I ensure a constant inflow of Gold Coins. For example, if I refined the medicinal herbs I sold into pills, the Gold Coins I could earn would be several times greater!

However, becoming an alchemist was no easy feat. Firstly, one needed extraordinary spiritual power. Secondly, one needed a Dan (Potion) flame. Thirdly, one needed Elixir Formulas. Only by fulfilling all these conditions could one hope to become an alchemist.

Although Qin Feiyang knew these basic facts, he was clueless about the specifics. Back when he was in the Imperial Capital, he had been completely engrossed in the path of martial arts, utterly neglecting the Dao of Alchemy. After all, in those days, he could obtain anything he desired. Why would I have needed to concoct pills myself? It would have been a waste of time.

But times had changed. He now had to find a way forward.

Perhaps I should visit the Elixir Palace first to test if my spiritual power is adequate.

He resolved to do it at once. Qin Feiyang stood up and walked towards the door.

CREAK!

However, the door was pushed open first by someone else. A man in purple attire entered uninvited.