12 Chapter 7 Buying Books_1

Twenty-seven lower-grade Spirit Stones in total, Xu Mu exchanged ten of them for medicinal materials for making Qi Gathering Pills, leaving the remaining seventeen for other purchases.

He could directly buy the medicinal materials from the Song Family Pharmacy!

"Take care, customer!"

Despite Xu Mu's small transaction volume, the shop assistant still politely escorted him out.

Because they knew he was an alchemist, their enthusiasm had increased significantly.

After leaving the Song Family pharmacy, Xu Mu headed towards the dedicated marketplace of White Stone City.

"Black Scale Beast meat! Two pounds for one lower-grade Spirit Stone!"

"Talismans! Talismans! All of them are top-quality! If they don't work well, no payment needed!"

"Ten Complete Big Supplement Pills! Just one will make you mighty for three days!"

The marketplace was bustling, with sounds of vendors hawking their wares, shouting, bargaining voices, continuous and lively, even more so than the row of shops.

Xu Mu used to be a regular here!

Only in the recent months, because of his tight budget and his need to take care of his wife, he had not come here for a long time.

"Eh? Isn't this old Xu? Haven't seen you for a long time!"

A short but robust meat seller greeted Xu Mu in surprise as he approached.

"I've been staying at home lately because my wife just had a baby!" Xu Mu responded with a smile.

This man is Du Mao, whom he got acquainted with while setting up a stall here before.

"So that's why! Congratulations! Congratulations!"

Du Mao greeted Xu Mu, wishing him well.

"Thanks!"

Xu Mu returned the courtesy.

He then asked Du Mao to cut him two pounds of beast meat.

"Looks like you have struck it rich! You are even able to afford meat now!"

Du Mao swiftly cut a piece of rib meat, wrapped it in oil paper and handed it to him.

While cutting the meat, Du Mao's left hand, which was missing three fingers, was clearly visible.

"My wife just had a baby, she must have some nourishment!"

Xu Mu accepted the meat, handed over a lower-grade Spirit Stone, and bid his farewell.

Next, Xu Mu went to buy Spirit Rice which cost him four lower-grade Spirit Stones for twenty pounds.

Together, these two purchases cost five lower-grade Spirit Stone.

In the past, this would have been equivalent to half a month's income.

And these would only last for seven to eight days.

He wouldn't dare to be so extravagant in the past.

Then, Xu Mu went to a stall selling talismans and bought five Seal Restriction Talismans.

These talismans can reinforce walls, and when affixed to a door, they can create a sealing force that makes it difficult for anyone to open.

Buying the Seal Restriction Talismans was primarily for the safety of Ye Yingying.

Even when he is not at home, they can provide a certain degree of protection.

Aside from the Seal Restriction Talismans, he also bought three Amulets, also for Ye Yingying's protection.

Each Seal Restriction Talisman cost one lower-grade Spirit Stone, and each Amulet two lower-grade Spirit Stones, adding up to a total cost of eleven.

Adding the costs of meat and Spirit Rice into the account, Xu Mu only had two lower-grade Spirit Stones left.

"Spirit Stones really easy to spend!"

Xu Mu sighed to himself.

Just as he was about to leave, he noticed a book stall.

He couldn't help but stop and walk over.

He planned to buy a few more skills to practice. If he ever ran into a crisis, he would have more options to improve his response.

The rows of books, which all looked rather ancient, filled the small stall.

"The Ultimate Guide to Talismans," "Eternal Life," "Detailed Explanation of Fasting Pills," "Thunderbolt Sword Skill," "Complete Collection of Fire Skills," "Complete Collection of Qi Cultivation Skills," "Summary of Qi Cultivation Stage Breakthroughs," "Ten Caution Points for Alchemists" …

These books were all filled with basic knowledge. Among them, the swordsmanship for body cultivation was somewhat interesting.

Xu Mu used to be a regular visitor to this market, so he has seen these books too many times to count.

Not wanting to waste time on those random books, Xu Mu directly picked up the "Complete Collection of Qi Cultivation Skill."

"How much is this book?"

The book seller was an old man in his nineties, picking at his fingernails, with plenty of age spots on his face.

Hearing Xu Mu's question, he immediately held out five fingers.

"Five lower-grade Spirit Stones!"

Xu Mu didn't utter a word, simply dropped the book and turned to leave.

"Aiyo! Aiyo! Hang on a second! Let's negotiate! How about two stones? One! One! Can't sell any lower than that!"

Upon hearing the old man, Xu Mu finally stopped in his tracks and walked back.

The books at this old man's stall had long been sold repeatedly. Xu Mu could have easily borrowed some books from the cultivators he knew if he wasn't bothered by the hassle.

Simply by reading a book, it's very difficult to cultivate a skill, Xu Mu had been deceived many times before!

"I'll give you two more Fasting Pills, and you can sell this 'Thunderbolt Sword Skill' to me!"

"Darn! You're too stingy! Do you know how hard it is for me to copy a book? At least five!"

Copy a book?

Who would believe him!

Even though this world does not have printing technology, it has the watermark skill. Copying a book doesn't take much time, the only trouble is the binding process.

"Two stones! If you're not selling, leave it!"

"Sold! Meeting with you, old man, even my underwear got fleeced!"

The old man complained with his mouth, but his hands deftly accepted the goods.

Xu Mu took over the book, casually flipped through it, making sure it wasn't broken, and only then put it into his storage bag, leaving the market.

Stepping out of the marketplace, Xu Mu took a deep breath, feeling an unprecedented sense of stability in his heart.

It was because—

He had earned money!

However, it's not enough!

He had asked about the rent at the marketplace earlier, and found out it had increased, and that there was a high deposit to pay, with many conditions attached.

It felt like they didn't even want to rent it out to him, Xu Mu had no idea whether he was overthinking this or not.

Leaves blowing in from the Baihe Forest in the distance covered the slum roads, masking the stench of waste materials.

Sanitation in the marketplace was much better due to the people who took responsibility to maintain cleanliness.

In the shantytown area, no one managed such matters, it mainly depended on self-awareness and willingness.

Therefore, some lazy cultivators inevitably discarded garbage on the streets.

Currently, it is autumn, approaching winter, the weather turned chilly and was thus slightly better. If it were the sweltering summer, it would be unbearable to walk outside.

Thankfully, those living here are all cultivators. If it were ordinary people, an epidemic would probably have broken out long ago.

"Actually, it's pretty good to go to the human world!"

"Just that—"

"I can't afford the damn boat fare!"

The area where Clear River Sword Sect is located consists mainly of mountains and wilderness.

It's not that Clear River Sword Sect has any special preferences, but only these areas have spirit materials and are rich in spiritual energy.

The areas where ordinary people live generally lie near the central mainland. Those places have been completely developed, with thin spiritual energy and scarce spirit materials.

The rare spirit mountains and major rivers have long been occupied by major sects. The sects like Clear River Sword Sect at the Golden Pill stage can only be at remote, undeveloped areas like this, relying on themselves for development and management.

In such places, it is extremely difficult for cultivators to survive, while for ordinary people, it means death.

So, there are fundamentally no ordinary people.

Everyone in this world can cultivate, but the gap in natural talent between each other is extremely large.

With Xu Mu's natural talent, none of the sects in the ordinary human gathering areas are willing to accept him.

Only places like Clear River Sword Sect grind him stubbornly into a cultivator. As for those that couldn't get ground, they are all dead.

The distance from the nearest human kingdom to the Clear River Sword Sect is tens of thousands of miles, hence even the travel expenses cost ten medium-grade spirit stones.

So, the old Xu Mu did not dare even think about it.

Carefully avoiding unidentified objects on the ground that appeared from time to time, Xu Mu quickly arrived at the entrance of his alleyway.

This place was a short distance from White Stone City and located in the middle of the shantytown area.

If you go out two or three miles from here, you would reach Baihe Forest.

Many cultivators make a living by entering Baihe Forest to hunt monster beasts, collect herbs, mine for ores, and gather resources.

In the entire White Stone City, there are only a handful of people like Xu Mu who make a living by practicing Alchemy.

"Friend Xu, we meet again!"

Sun Daocheng darted out from a nearby alley, blocking Xu Mu's path.

His hair was messy and unkempt, his eyes filled with bloodshot.

"Sun Daocheng, if it's still about that matter, don't mention it!"

A flash of fierceness passed through Xu Mu's eyes.

This old guy truly was like a lingering ghost.

"Friend Xu misunderstood. I was indeed reckless and spouting nonsense at that time! Let me first offer you an apology!"

"No need! Just don't bother me in the future!"

Xu Mu took a step forward to leave, but Sun Daocheng blocked him again.

"Don't rush, Friend Xu! I come to you this time with a good opportunity!" Sun Daocheng said with a smile.

"Good Opportunity? What good opportunity?"

Xu Mu frowned.

He found it hard to believe that a person like Sun Daocheng could have a good opportunity!

"I've recently met a big employer who wants me to refine a batch of Jade Marrow Pills, but I can't handle it all by myself, so I thought of inviting you to join me! I can pay you two lower-grade spirit stones a day, and I can also give you the pill recipes and knowledge of the Jade Marrow Pill!"

The price offered by Sun Daocheng was exceedingly generous.

Letting alone two lower-grade spirit stones every day, just the pill recipes and pill knowledge were already of great value.

Jade Marrow Pill is a second-tier pill that improves cultivation aptitude and strengthens body constitution, much more valuable than Qi Gathering Pill.

If it were in the past, Xu Mu would have agreed even if it meant working without charges, as long as he could get the pill recipes and knowledge of the pill.

However, now,

When a weasel pays a visit to a hen, it's never a good intention.

"No need! I have to take care of my wife and daughter at home!"

Xu Mu flatly refused, quickly passed by the other party and left, ignoring Sun Daocheng's does yelling behind him.

"This damn guy! He didn't take the bait!" Fury flashed through Sun Daocheng's eyes.

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