Chapter 9: Plain Tea and Simple Fare

Cultivators who are not impoverished would not come out to rob others...

Li Guanxuan mused about the reasons, then weighed the long sword in his hand.

A first-tier, mid-grade magical weapon.

Its quality was decent; if sold at the marketplace, it would fetch around thirty to forty spirit stones.

As for the other two first-tier, low-grade flying knives, they were worth only five or six spirit stones each.

Li Guanxuan did not linger, taking two strolls around Qing'an City. Once he confirmed that no one was following him, he relaxed and returned to the shantytown in the eastern suburbs.

“The outer districts of Qing'an City are relatively peaceful. Clearly, the battles between Mount Joy and the other four major factions haven’t affected the lives of cultivators in the city. At most, there are some traces of fighting in the inner city, but nothing serious—it’s not as terrifying as Chen Yinshan made it out to be… That fellow always exaggerates, boasting to me every day.”

On his way home, Li Guanxuan had already made up his mind: the shantytown in the suburbs was never a place for a secure and comfortable life. If he wanted to live in peace and security, he needed to rent a place in the outer districts of Qing'an City.

Before he even reached his home, he saw from afar a slender figure sitting in the courtyard, resting her chin in her hands, quietly waiting.

Only when he drew near did her eyes shine brightly, and she ran out joyfully to greet him.

“I ran into a bit of trouble, so I’m late,” Li Guanxuan said, wrapping his arm around Wen Rongxin’s slender waist and kissing her gently on the forehead.

“Someone…” Wen Rongxin blushed, leaning shyly into his embrace and whispered.

Li Guanxuan turned his head and cursed, “What are you staring at? Don’t you have a wife?”

Chen Yinshan stood outside his house, laughing, “Don’t be in a hurry to get cozy; there’ll be plenty of time tonight! I’m hosting tonight—come over quickly for dinner!”

At that moment, another door opened, and Bi Zhou stepped out, bowing politely, “Friend Li, Shuyao has prepared a table of dishes. Would you do us the honor of joining us for a meal? It’ll help strengthen neighborly ties.”

Li Guanxuan was taken aback, then looked at Chen Yinshan, signaling he truly hadn’t heard of this.

Chen Yinshan was slightly surprised. Though Shuyao had moved here three months ago, their interactions were limited to nodding acquaintances, not close enough for shared meals.

Still, since they were all neighbors, Chen Yinshan didn’t mind much and said with a smile, “How about this—let’s all eat at my place tonight, and next time we’ll go to yours. How does that sound?”

Bi Zhou looked a little embarrassed, then bowed and agreed with a smile, “As you say, friend.”

“I’ll be over soon,” Li Guanxuan said to Chen Yinshan.

Chen Yinshan nodded.

Back inside, Li Guanxuan closed the door and handed Wen Rongxin a storage pouch. “There’s spirit rice, vegetables, and meat inside, along with a body cultivation manual and some pills to replenish your blood and vitality. Keep them safe.”

“One storage pouch is enough for our home…” Wen Rongxin took the pouch, murmuring quietly.

Li Guanxuan laughed and explained, “This storage pouch was a gift from the manager of Myriad Phenomena Pavilion—not something I bought. After all, I purchased so many things there; it’d be unreasonable if they didn’t gift me a pouch.”

Hearing this, Wen Rongxin finally took the pouch happily, much like a woman delighted by a small bargain.

Then Li Guanxuan lowered his voice, “I also bought a large jar of deer antler wine. The manager said the deer had a seventh-layer Qi Refining cultivation before it died—but who knows if that’s true? We’ll try it tonight. If he dared to deceive me, I’ll smash his signboard later!”

“Husband, you’re never serious,” Wen Rongxin replied bashfully, tapping him lightly before whispering, “Neighbor Bi came by this afternoon, asking if we needed any pills. He said he could sell them cheaply.”

“What kind of pills?” Li Guanxuan asked absentmindedly.

“Beauty Retention Pills, Marrow Cleansing Pills, Vitality Pills, Vein Protection Pills… He has them all,” Wen Rongxin replied.

“He has Beauty Retention Pills?”

Li Guanxuan was surprised. The Beauty Retention Pill was a first-tier, high-grade pill. How could Bi Zhou, with his mid-grade pill-making skills, produce such a thing?

Unless… it was a substandard pill.

With this thought, Li Guanxuan understood. Bi Zhou must have believed the shantytown residents had never seen a first-tier, high-grade pill and brought inferior pills to sell, making them think they’d gotten a great deal.

Li Guanxuan shook his head helplessly. “Wife, you needn’t pay him much mind in the future. If he tries to sell you pills again, just say you don’t want any. As for the Beauty Retention Pill… I’ll buy you a real one in a while.”

What woman doesn’t love beauty? Especially for cultivators, time passes swiftly. Without a Beauty Retention Pill to preserve her looks, Wen Rongxin would be anxious, even if she didn’t admit it.

After a moment of intimacy, the two headed to Chen Yinshan’s house.

As soon as they entered, Li Guanxuan saw Bi Zhou hawking pills, making Chen Yinshan and Zhao Guaili uncomfortable.

The couple were hardly inexperienced; they’d traveled the Ten Thousand Mountains and understood such matters well. Without even looking, they knew Bi Zhou’s Beauty Retention Pill was substandard.

Seeing Li Guanxuan arrive, Chen Yinshan finally felt relieved and quickly called out, “Old Li, Rongxin, you’re here! Come, sit down or the food will get cold.”

“Brother Yinshan, the Beauty Retention Pill may have some flaws, but it still preserves youthful looks. I think your wife actually likes it,” Bi Zhou said with a smile.

Zhao Guaili was already a bit impatient, but managed a forced smile, “It’s alright, but mainly we don’t have enough spirit stones to buy it. Friend Bi, please don’t bring it up again, or my husband and I will start arguing.”

Bi Zhou laughed awkwardly, then took out two pills, “Perhaps you’d like to see these—Vitality Pills and Vein Protection Pills? Brother Yinshan and your wife hunt often, so it’s good to have some pills for protection.”

“We don’t lack those pills,” Chen Yinshan replied flatly, then turned to invite Li Guanxuan to sit. “Old Li, don’t mind the simple food—we’re not as well-off as a first-tier, mid-grade talisman master like you.”

“There you go again! If my family could have meals like this every day, it would be the life of an immortal!” Li Guanxuan laughed heartily.

First-tier, mid-grade?

Shuyao paused. If she remembered correctly, half a year ago Li Guanxuan was just a first-tier, low-grade talisman master…

But it didn’t matter; at least the man she’d found now was a fourth-layer Qi Refining cultivator and a mid-grade pill master.

Both his strength and skills surpassed Li Guanxuan.

While eating, Bi Zhou commented, “Among the hundred arts of cultivation, alchemy is paramount. Friend Guanxuan, you should devote more time to refining your pill-making skills. Once you become a first-tier, high-grade pill master, you’ll never lack food or cultivation resources.”

As he spoke, Bi Zhou grumbled, “Why is there no wine?”

Chen Yinshan and Zhao Guaili’s expressions changed slightly.

Shuyao kicked Bi Zhou gently and whispered, “People in the shantytown don’t have spare money for wine. Stop complaining.”

Bi Zhou realized his mistake and quickly said, “Apologies, apologies. I’m used to drinking with friends in Qing’an City… I’ll punish myself with a cup—tea instead of wine.”

Chen Yinshan and Li Guanxuan couldn’t very well get angry, so they raised their teacups and drank.

After setting his cup down, Bi Zhou grabbed a large piece of meat for his bowl, then another for his mouth, and vowed to Shuyao, “Don’t worry. At most a year, and at least half a year, I’ll bring you to live in the outer districts of Qing’an City, and we will enjoy the happiness of family together!”