Chapter 131: Unsellable Goods
Chapter 131: Chapter 131: Unsellable Goods
A look of shock appeared on Cui Xu’s disciple’s face.
"Mr. Zhu, this kind of medicinal soup builds a tolerance. The more you drink it, the less effective it becomes."
"But I saw you exhale a breath more than three feet long after just one dose of Red Jade Soup. You clearly benefited greatly!"
"Therefore, I’m guessing you’ve never had a medicinal soup that temporarily increases Blood Qi before, have you?"
’Tolerance, huh?’
Zhu Ge understood.
It was true that he had never drunk this kind of Spirit Medicine in all his time cultivating, though he had eaten the Spirit Fruit given to him by the Raincoat Fisherman.
However, the boost from those paled in comparison to what he gained from the Red Jade Soup this time.
"It’s true, I haven’t," Zhu Ge said with a smile. "Temporarily increasing Blood Qi? Is there something special about that?"
"If you’ve never had a medicinal soup that temporarily increases Blood Qi, then... you should save it for when you’re on the verge of a breakthrough!" Cui Xu’s disciple advised.
"They say that to break through and become a Martial Arts Venerable, your Blood Qi needs to be strong enough to surge into the Upper Yuan Palace—and the more, the better."
"The more Blood Qi you have, the larger you can open your Upper Yuan Palace, and the stronger your Divine Sense will become in the future."
"When the time comes, if you take a medicinal soup that causes an explosive, instantaneous surge in your Blood Qi, you might be able to expand your Upper Yuan Palace significantly, a benefit that will last a lifetime."
’The more Blood Qi, the larger the Upper Yuan Palace can be opened?’
Zhu Ge’s gaze sharpened. This was the first he’d ever heard of it.
’As for how Cui Xu’s disciple knew he was in the Second Realm?’
He had just made his Martial Arts Heart pulse, releasing a wave of Blood Qi. That was how Cui Xu’s disciple had sensed his realm.
"I understand. Thank you, sir," Zhu Ge said, cupping his fist.
He felt a surge of emotion inside.
’This is the advantage of having a proper lineage.’
Here he was, a man who had reached the Second Realm—and could even be considered unmatched within it—yet he knew nothing about this business of opening up the Upper Yuan Palace.
Meanwhile, Cui Xu’s disciple was merely an Immortal Dao First Realm Foundation Establishment Cultivator, yet he clearly knew far more than Zhu Ge.
It was an undeniably enviable position.
Of course, every gain comes at a price.
Cui Xu and his people might have easy access to knowledge, but they were also firmly tied to Shihu Pavilion’s ship.
By comparison, Zhu Ge had much more freedom.
This, too, was the price of freedom—having to rely on himself for everything.
"The second medicine is ready," Cui Xu called out from inside.
Cui Xu’s disciple went to retrieve it. This time it was an ointment, which couldn’t be applied immediately. Instead, it had to be applied daily after he had washed his entire body.
Then came the next medicine.
Sometimes it was a bowlful, sometimes a spoonful, and sometimes he had to drain the liquid and chew the medicinal dregs right then and there...
In short, there was a wide variety of methods for taking the medicine.
Four hours later, Zhu Ge finally saw Cui Xu finish preparing the last pill and its primer.
"Thankfully, I’ve managed it." Deep exhaustion was visible in Cui Xu’s eyes. He was not yet thirty, but his body was already stooped over.
It was clear the process had taken a huge toll on him; he had even been forced to rest for an hour midway through before he could continue.
"Thank you, Mr. Cui," Zhu Ge said with genuine gratitude. "I’ll be on my way now."
"Take care, Mr. Zhu. Forgive me for not seeing you out." Cui Xu gave a bitter smile, slumping into a chair to catch his breath. He waved a hand at the others. "You, see Mr. Zhu out."
Zhu Ge nodded and followed the attendants out.
On his way out, he passed several rooms where other people also seemed to be preparing medicine, and for even longer than his had taken.
Zhu Ge had learned from chatting with Cui Xu’s disciple that Shihu Pavilion mostly operated on a custom-order basis.
The attendants would deliver the medicine once it was ready.
But Zhu Ge didn’t have a residence in the city, and he wanted to take things like the Red Jade Soup on the spot, which was why he had waited so long.
But now, Zhu Ge was reaping the rewards of his patience.
Putting aside the strengthening of his organs, sinews, bones, and skin, even his Martial Arts Heart had benefited. One of the phantom images within it was on the verge of solidifying.
Once it solidified, he would be able to form his own "Intent"!
At that point, all his accumulated power would finally manifest.
After all, the Raincoat Fisherman had only managed to condense that phantom fisherman stretching across the sky when he was in the Third Realm.
If Sui Niang and that Yi Witch hadn’t been there to suppress him, the Raincoat Fisherman’s Fisherman’s Song Intent would have undoubtedly slaughtered countless people.
At the thought of the Raincoat Fisherman, Zhu Ge’s heart, which had just begun to relax, tensed up once more.
’I’m still not strong enough!’
Even if he condensed the phantom image now, the Raincoat Fisherman could still kill him with a single strike of his hook!
Therefore, he needed to become even stronger!
"Take care, Mr. Zhu!"
"Come again soon!"
At the shop’s entrance, Cui Xu’s disciple and the attendant bade him farewell. Zhu Ge cupped his fist in return.
Then he disappeared into the crowd.
It was now afternoon, and the streets, far from emptying, had only grown more crowded.
Zhu Ge noticed that the person who had been following him from the bookstore was gone.
That was to be expected. Not everyone had the patience to wait for four hours.
After leaving, Zhu Ge didn’t plan on heading back. Instead, he continued on to the next shop.
A tailor’s shop!
Since he’d gone to all the trouble of coming into the city, Zhu Ge had naturally prepared a lot of things to buy and sell.
Otherwise, he was running out of space for all his things in the valley!
"Nine-Colored Hall? You’ll do!"
...
Upon entering the Nine-Colored Hall, Zhu Ge saw that the most prominent items on display weren’t Spiritual Objects, but ordinary cloth, hemp, and silk.
There weren’t many people inside, either.
With the city under siege, few young ladies were willing to come out shopping for clothes.
Nevertheless, Zhu Ge’s arrival was met with a warm welcome.
"Welcome, sir. Are you looking for any particular attire?" a fair-skinned, beautiful attendant asked as she approached.
Zhu Ge was direct. "Do you buy pelts here? I have some from both Demon Beasts and regular animals."
Hearing this, the attendant looked rather embarrassed. "My apologies, sir, but Nine-Colored Hall won’t be purchasing any pelts for the foreseeable future."
"Oh? Not for the foreseeable future?" Zhu Ge asked, curious. "Why is that?"
The attendant explained, "There have been too many Demon Beast carcasses and pelts recently, and our Nine-Colored Hall’s Sewing Masters are swamped with orders. My apologies, sir."
Then it dawned on Zhu Ge.
The fields and mountains outside Jianshui City had recently been covered with the corpses of Demon Beasts and the Human Race.
The bodies of the Human Race naturally had to be buried, but it was a different story for the Demon Beast carcasses.
Their tendons were pulled, their hides stripped, their flesh fried and stewed.
The pelts were made into armor, the meat was eaten, and the bones and claws were fashioned into weapons.
He figured most of the Sewing Masters in the entire city were busy making armor from all the pelts.
It seemed his own stockpile of pelts would be impossible to sell for now.
"Understood." With that thought, Zhu Ge nodded and left the shop.
If Nine-Colored Hall was like this, he figured the weapon shops would be in a similar situation.
During wartime, most of the Spirit Elixirs and Medicines, clothing, armor, and weapons were prioritized for the Soldiers.
Of course, the trade in ordinary, mundane goods was booming, as evidenced by the crowded streets.
However, most of the people on the streets were ordinary. If the demonic beasts broke through the city walls, ordinary swords and spears would be of little use.
Buying such armor and weapons was, in reality, more for peace of mind than anything else.
Zhu Ge left Nine-Colored Hall and went to ask at a few weapon shops.
Just as he’d thought, both the Spirit-level Forging Masters and the Spirit-level Blacksmiths were completely booked with orders.
One establishment, however, gave him another idea.
"Tongfu Restaurant? I hear you buy Demon Beast Flesh here?"