Stealing Immortal

Once inside the encampment, they saw no buildings.

There was only one path, flanked by stalls that stretched into the distance. Some were empty, while others had people standing or sitting behind them.

Many people bustled about. It wasn’t uncommon to see others with cloaked faces just like them. Of course, some showed their true faces, mostly clad in black or blue robes—the majority being Outer Disciples.

"This piece is nice, looks like a Dao Rhyme Pattern. You could take it back to refine a Flying Sword, but it’s a shame it’s ruined..."

"To think... there are such profound Array Runes... Ugh, no, that’s not right. How has it completely lost its effect? Who knows what piece of scrap metal this was stripped from!"

"Could this stalk of Immortal Grass be..." Liu Tao leaned in to inspect it. "It’s actually a fake."

She browsed with great enthusiasm, but after walking for some time, she had yet to find anything of value.

Elixirs, Talismans, Magical Artifacts, Immortal Grass... anything you could imagine was for sale. However, the quality of the goods was akin to the antique market on Xian’er Mountain, where maybe one in tens of thousands of items was genuine—and even that one had been snatched up by Chen Qingyang.

"Don’t be anxious, Senior Sister. We don’t have any Spirit Stones anyway. Even if we saw something we liked, we couldn’t afford it!"

The moment he said that, the Outer Disciple running the stall became instantly displeased, wiping the smile from his face.

Liu Tao could only vent her frustration on Chen Qingyang. "What nonsense are you talking about!"

...

As they continued to browse, the stalls grew denser the deeper they went, and the number of vendors hawking their wares increased.

In front of every stall was a bright, flameless lamp that made the goods on display shine.

Finally, Liu Tao lost all interest. "Hey, I have all five Elixirs. How are we supposed to trade them for Spirit Stones? Do we just find a spot, set up a stall, and sit here waiting?"

’If we really try to sell them like that, we’ll probably still be here tomorrow.’

Chen Qingyang pointed ahead. "There seems to be a bamboo building up there. Let’s go check it out."

"Fine by me," Liu Tao said.

But as they approached the bamboo building, the crowd thinned out again. The most impressive structure on the entire street stood there in isolation, brilliantly illuminated.

The door plaque bore two golden words, identical to the "Gentle Breeze" sign at the encampment’s entrance.

"This place must have a proprietor, don’t you think?" Liu Tao asked.

"No doubt. And this is probably it."

Liu Tao asked again, "The Sect’s laws are strict. How could this be allowed?"

Chen Qingyang wasn’t surprised by her question. "Senior Sister, if the water is too pure, no fish can live in it. At most, a few Inner Sect Disciples are involved here; they can’t stir up any major trouble. Why would the Sect meddle in every little thing? It’s just like all those groups on the mountainside, such as the Profound Light Association. The Sect doesn’t bother with them, either."

"Mm." Liu Tao nodded. "You have a point!"

The bamboo building was spacious inside. Bamboo shelves lined the walls, displaying an assortment of items whose quality was clearly a cut above what was being sold outside. A single, plump, fair-skinned, middle-aged man sat behind a long counter, organizing a ledger. Seeing the two arrive, he didn’t even raise his head, simply muttering, "Browse as you please."

Having already had her fill of browsing, Liu Tao didn’t waste any more time. She strode right up to the counter. "Elixirs. Can you afford to buy them?"

The man still didn’t look up. "There’s nothing we can’t take, unless the quality is too poor!"

SMACK!

Liu Tao slammed her palm on the long counter. When she lifted her hand, a single Elixir remained. Only then did the man carefully pick it up, turning it over and over in his hand to examine it.

"The quality is decent. A Tier Two Elixir. You’re sure you want to sell it?"

"That’s right."

The man went back to flipping through his book. After searching for a moment, he mumbled, "Mmm, here it is. One Tier Two Yang Replacement Powder. The shop’s buy-back price is one hundred and twenty Spirit Stones. Is Senior Sister selling?"

Chen Qingyang was about to try and haggle, but Liu Tao was incredibly decisive, slapping all the remaining Elixirs on the counter. "We’re selling. I have five more here. You’ll have to give me... seven hundred and twenty Spirit Stones."

The man chuckled. "That’s right, that’s the exact amount."

As the man was inspecting the Elixirs, Liu Tao added, "It doesn’t look like you have any particularly good wares here, do you?"

They were only Tier Two Elixirs, but the quantity was impressive. He no longer dared to underestimate Liu Tao. The man hurriedly said, "It seems this is Senior Sister’s first time here; you must not know the reputation of our Gentle Breeze. We can fulfill any request made by a disciple of our Sect. There is nothing that cannot be exchanged for. After all, those who practice Alchemy need the help of those in Artifact Refining, and those in Artifact Refining require the aid of Talismans. No one can claim to have mastered all Seven Arts!"

After listening, Liu Tao didn’t forget to glance at Chen Qingyang. "Hm, you have a point. Let’s say I wanted a Flying Sword. How many Spirit Stones would that cost?"

Thinking he had a big customer, the man rubbed his hands together and hurriedly invited them to sit down. Someone dressed like a Miscellaneous Task disciple appeared from out of nowhere and served fragrant tea. "What kind of sword would Senior Sister like to see? For a perfectly ordinary Flying Sword, fifty thousand Spirit Stones would be about right. If you want something better—one made by a renowned master, something truly graded—then the price starts at one hundred thousand."

"Five hundred," Liu Tao said, her eyes wide. "A single Flying Sword costs five hundred Elixirs? I know they aren’t easy to Refine, but this is the first I’m hearing of such a price. You’re trying to swindle me, aren’t you?"

"Hehe." The man gave an awkward laugh. "Senior Sister, you misunderstand. I was just giving a rough estimate. Once you’ve gathered all the Elixirs and brought them here, we can discuss the specifics of the sword and then negotiate the price."

Liu Tao waved her hand dismissively, projecting an imposing air. "That won’t do either. It looks to me like this deal is off!"

Just as the man was smiling awkwardly, at a loss for words, Chen Qingyang spoke up. "And what if we had Tier Three or Tier Four Yang Replacement Powders? How would that be calculated?"

"Oh my, you have those too!" The man’s face instantly broke into a wide grin. "For Tier Three, the price doubles to two-fifty. For Tier Four, it’s four times the Tier Three price, which makes it one thousand. For a paltry, ordinary Flying Sword... hehe, fifty of those would be more than enough!"

SMACK!

Once again, Liu Tao slammed her hand on the counter. "Are you trying to fool us? How could a Tier Four elixir be that easy to Refine? If I really had that kind of skill, the Sect would have already bestowed a Magical Treasure on me. Would I still be short one measly Flying Sword? You people are truly black-hearted! Junior Brother, we’re leaving!"

She grabbed Chen Qingyang’s arm and started to head out. "Senior Sister, please wait a moment."

For once, Liu Tao did as he asked. Chen Qingyang turned back to the shopkeeper. "Are these Elixir prices fixed, or will they change in the future?"

The man thumped his chest and swore, "Absolutely fair! We’re honest with every customer, young and old. The prices will... hmm, not change for at least fifty years."

Chen Qingyang then asked, "Besides trading for Flying Swords, what else do you do?"

"Hehe, we deal in the so-called Seven Arts of Immortal Cultivation: Wind Control, Planting, Pills, Talismans, Arrays, Artifacts, Swords, and even Armor. We can arrange it all, as long as you two have enough to offer in exchange."

’Such a big talker. He basically claimed they could do everything.’

"What about things like Cultivation Techniques and Pill Formulas? Even the extremely rare ones?"

The man remained supremely confident. "Not a problem. Even if we can’t find the Cultivation Technique itself, we can find information about it. But again, it all comes down to whether you two have enough to trade."

With that, Chen Qingyang finished his questions and was promptly dragged outside by Liu Tao.

"Were you planning on asking about the Heaven Repairing Glaze Pill just now?" she asked abruptly after a long silence.

It was a complete misunderstanding. Chen Qingyang had actually wanted to ask about the *Great Soul Scripture*. As for something legendary like the Heaven Repairing Glaze Pill, he had nothing to offer for it, so there was no point in even thinking about it.

Chen Qingyang could only remain silent. She continued, "It’s something even the Tai Hao Sword Institute can’t find. What’s the point of you worrying about it here for no reason?"

"Senior Sister, you’ve really misunderstood me!"

Liu Tao was relentless. "How have I misunderstood? Then tell me, what were you looking for?"

That left him even more speechless.

"Hmph. I knew it."

...

On the way back, Liu Tao once again used her Wind Control Technique, and they landed outside the Pill Institute a moment later.

"Senior Sister, you should hold on to all these Spirit Stones. Even though you don’t need Tier Three Qi-Introducing Pills anymore, you’ll still need the Yang Replacement Powder. If you save up enough Spirit Stones in the future, you can even trade for a Flying Sword."

By saying this, the partnership between Chen Qingyang and Liu Tao was set to continue. He would improve his mastery of the Alchemy Dao, and she would profit from his work.

"You actually believe that crooked merchant’s nonsense? Does he take us for three-year-olds?"

Chen Qingyang, however, wasn’t bothered by this. "Senior Sister, regardless of what he said, we have to save up Spirit Stones. As long as we have enough of them, we can get a Flying Sword anywhere."

Liu Tao thought for a moment. "Sigh... fine."

After descending from the Golden Summit, Chen Qingyang returned to his small courtyard.

The trip had been quite fruitful. At the very least, it taught him that once one’s skill in the Alchemy Dao reached a high enough level, it could be directly converted into Spirit Stones.

The next morning, Chen Qingyang went up the mountain again.

Knowing that Master Yun Ci’s attention was focused on another Foundation Establishment Master, he felt free to use his Wind Control technique as he traveled.

After finishing the day’s elixir refining, he descended the mountain and returned to his courtyard.

It was dusk. The entirety of the Four Golden Peaks was bathed in a magnificent sunset glow, and even the old Locust Tree on the cliff’s edge took on a profoundly ancient air.

Chen Qingyang arrived carrying a jug of wine he had bought, along with a roasted chicken and two pounds of beef, which he handed to Zhang Ping.

He had spent a considerable sum to acquire these from the Outer Disciples who specialized in selling food.

Zhang Ping was busy cooking a pot of rice over a wood fire, and the faint, toasty aroma filled the small hut. Today was Lin Qingxuan’s last day here, and they had agreed to give her a proper send-off.

And so, Chen Qingyang, this veteran Miscellaneous Task disciple, gathered with the three youths.

’Right, the master whom Lin Qingxuan will be serving as an Outer Disciple is Master Xuan Gui. I wonder if she’ll get caught up in these affairs.’

’But then again, everyone has their own path to walk and their own trials to face. It’s just like me. Ever since I obtained the Stealing Immortal, I’ve found myself increasingly walking on a knife’s edge. This is the path I have chosen!’

’Otherwise, I could have just lived a quiet and stable life on the Golden Summit, content to be the most unremarkable junior brother in the Outer Sect.’

Lin Qingxuan raised her cup, her cheeks slightly flushed. "Senior Brother Chen, thank you for your hospitality. When I get settled in up there, if I can find the time, I’ll come to the Pill Institute to visit you..."

Zhang Ping chimed in with his booming voice, "Junior Sister Lin, does that mean you’re not planning to visit me and your junior brother here?"

Li Sheng chimed in as well, "That’s right! We were all in the same boat for three months, weren’t we? We promised we’d all pursue Immortal Cultivation together!"

Lin Qingxuan nodded solemnly. "Don’t worry, my two elder brothers."