Chapter 20: The Flight

However, not long after they had parted, Chen Li was still preparing dinner.

Lin Gui, holding a bottle of elixir, hurriedly came to visit, bringing with him a strong fragrance of medicine that filled the whole house as he entered.

"Chen, here's the newly prepared Elixir of Many Wonders, I'm quite generous, right!"

"Then, thank you... Lin," Chen Li courteously accepted, thinking to himself that it might be best to throw away this kind of nonsense when he got the chance.

Lin Gui made himself comfortable, casually choosing a spot to sit and crossing his legs comfortably: "Just by looking at your face, I can tell you've never had this kind of elixir. This is good stuff! A bottle like this would sell for at least three Spirit Stones in the market I used to stay at."

"That expensive?" Chen Li exclaimed in surprise.

This kind of dodgy elixir that wasn't fit for public display could sell for so much?

Is making money really that easy?

"Of course, this stuff is a powerful tonic. Just pop one and even the oldest man will regain the vigor of a dragon or tiger, and besides that, it has some special effects. Now you tell me, is it expensive or not?" Lin Gui lewdly winked.

"Uh, well... indeed not expensive!" Chen Li hesitated to agree.

He thought of Earth, where anything associated with strengthening vigor could drive people crazy.

If it could have an immediate effect, then even if it cost a fortune... those who needed to buy, probably would.

"I heard you say before that you came from another district, how did you end up here?" Chen Li changed the subject and asked.

"I accidentally offended someone, sigh, it's a long story. Luckily, I had some savings, and seeing the situation turning sour, I decisively spent a high price to hitch a ride with a powerful merchant caravan and ended up here," Lin Gui said gloomily, obviously not keen on elaborating.

"How much did it cost?" Chen Li inquired about the issue he cared about most.

"Three Mid-grade Spirit Stones, I put all my savings into it," Lin Gui patted his thigh with a pained expression on his face.

With his generous demeanor,

Chen Li didn't believe that Lin Gui had invested all his savings.

But he could understand, after all, one doesn't flaunt their wealth, especially to someone they had just met.

But those three Mid-grade Spirit Stones were indeed a bit pricey, not knowing how much it would cost to follow them and leave the Longevity Domain, and preferably not even stay in those three surrounding sects, but go far away directly.

Unfortunately, he didn't have any money!

He didn't even have half a Mid-grade Spirit Stone on hand.

At that moment, Lin Gui yawned, tears streaming down, feeling suddenly tired. He took a porcelain bottle out of his bosom, uncorked it, poured out a pill, crunched it in his mouth, and then forcefully swallowed it.

After closing his eyes for a while, his already ruddy face turned even redder, as if dripping with color. At the same time, his spirit became noticeably excited.

He's not about to drop dead, is he?

Chen Li watched with some concern.

"Chen, why not try one for yourself?" Lin Gui opened his eyes, offering enthusiastically as if he had come back to life.

Chen Li promptly refused.

It was a joke.

The Elixir of Many Wonders... was one thing,

But to use the Ascension Elixir, was he asking for an early death?

"Chen, it's getting late, so I won't chat any longer. I feel like I could refine another batch of elixirs tonight," Lin Gui stood up, quite a different person from before.

Where he had been languid earlier, now he was excited.

"Why not stay for a simple meal?" Chen Li politely offered.

Lin Gui airily waved his hand and floated away with unsteady steps.

Chen Li saw him to the door.

Turning back to close the door, he looked at the 'Elixir of Many Wonders' in his hand.

"What do I need this for?"

First, there is no place for martial prowess.

Second, there is no place for martial prowess.

Someone as fierce and vigorous as him, how could he possibly need such a thing?

After pondering for a moment, Chen Li decided to place the pill in a cabinet in his bedroom.

After all, it was worth three Spirit Stones.

...

Early the next morning, Chen Li went to the market again.

Seven or eight Loose Cultivators were operating six-meter-tall 'metal puppets,' repairing and reinforcing the walls damaged in the last war. These massive, mountain-like figures moved with unexpected agility, lifting roughly ten-ton polished boulders, taking a few 'thundering' steps, then gently placing the boulders atop the city walls.

The noise was astonishingly loud, and the ground trembled slightly.

It drew gasps of amazement from Chen Li and a group of onlooking Loose Cultivators.

Such technology, this degree of flexibility, was something that probably even Earth couldn't achieve.

Since the Artefact Sect took charge of the Green River District, the changes had been significant.

The biggest change was that Magic Artifacts had become cheaper. Compared to the Longevity Sect era, the price of artifacts of the same grade had dropped by more than twenty percent, and the varieties had become more diverse.

It was said that the market was even preparing to open a Flying Boat route, commuting between the Green River District and the Artefact Sect's domain.

Although Chen Li did not yet know the price, it likely wasn't something an average lower-tier Loose Cultivator could afford.

If one were to look from a technological perspective, the Artefact Sect seemed to be more powerful than the Longevity Sect, but in this world where great power lies within oneself, in reality, as long as the Golden Core Ancestor of the Longevity Sect did not meet with any mishap, the Longevity Sect had always firmly suppressed the Artefact Sect and the other three surrounding sects.

Chen Li walked on, looking for a place to set up his stall, noticing how the fervor in the market was quickly subsiding as the looted goods were gradually sold off, returning to normal.

This made him breathe a sigh of relief.

In fact, business had been significantly affected during this time; almost no one was buying his Evil-Repelling Talismans anymore. If it weren't for his savings tiding him over, he would probably be facing some tough times.

At that moment, someone approached him at a brisk pace.

Chen Li was taken aback and blinked.

Zhou Hong!?

Her face was transformed, she wore a tender green Daoist robe he had never seen before, hurrying along, and if it weren't for the hairpin he had given her that she forgot to remove, revealing her true identity, he probably wouldn't have recognized her at all.

Since he last saw Zhou Hong once, he hadn't seen her again.

After all, he usually kept to himself, spending most of his time cultivating and seldom going out. Unless it was intentional, there were hardly any chances to meet.

He didn't approach and reveal her, as she had changed her appearance for a reason, obviously not wishing to expose her identity.

Zhou Hong didn't see him, and they quickly passed by each other.

"What is she up to?" Chen Li thought quietly as he watched her departing figure.

"Could it be that she's dealing in stolen goods? That's possible. Though Gao Bo is dead, there should still be some loot left."

Chen Li then moved on from these thoughts and soon found a place for his stall.

He was quite lucky with his stall that day, selling five 'Evil-Repelling Talismans' in the morning. He didn't eat lunch, staying hungry and continuing until the evening, successfully selling off all nine pieces of his inventory.