Chapter 28: Being Targeted
Treasure Pavilion.
“Fellow Daoist, this is the Yellow Gauze Umbrella, both offensive and defensive—it’s definitely a rare and fine magical artifact.”
“And this is the Blackiron Flying Sword, incomparably sharp…”
The shopkeeper chattered away like a river, smiling as he continuously introduced the store’s magical artifacts, all of which were mid-grade.
After looking, Lin Chang’an admitted he was tempted, but after considering his Spirit Stones, he let out a faint sigh.
Over the years, he had used up his family resources for cultivation; even his reserves were now running low.
“Shopkeeper, do you have any wooden-type flying needle concealed weapons? Preferably ones that can restrain protective spiritual light.”
Although the shopkeeper was eagerly promoting his wares, Lin Chang’an remained focused on his goal and couldn’t help but interrupt.
The Wood Spirit Thorn spell worked best with needle-type magical artifacts to maximize its effect.
“Wood attribute, and concealed weapon type magical artifact!”
The shopkeeper was slightly stunned—after all, a concealed weapon aligned with the wood attribute was quite rare.
But the next moment, he seemed to think of something and broke into a smile.
“Yes, how could we not! Fellow Daoist, let me tell you, if the treasure you’re looking for isn’t in the Treasure Pavilion, then you needn’t bother searching the entire Qingzhu Mountain Marketplace.”
The shopkeeper patted his chest with a proud expression, constantly displaying the profound background of Xuanyin Pavilion, while his hands remained busy.
With a wave, two ornate boxes floated out from the rear of the room.
“Fellow Daoist, please take a look.”
As the two crimson boxes opened, the shopkeeper, smiling proudly, pointed to the first box and said:
“Heart-Piercing Nail, top-quality among mid-grade magical artifacts, infused with corpse poison—an absolute must-have for self-defense.”
“And this second item, ‘Emerald Feather Arrow,’ don’t underestimate this short arrow—it carries its own potent poison derived from its wooden material.”
Good heavens, two in a row—the first clearly a coffin nail or corpse nail—made Lin Chang’an twitch at the corners of his eyes.
This Treasure Pavilion really had everything.
“This first one’s a bit big, and the second one is a bit long.”
Lin Chang’an shook his head.
This spell required something easily concealable; otherwise, the effect wouldn’t be optimal.
“Big! Long!”
The shopkeeper looked bewildered.
So it was because these two magical artifacts were too large and long—truly a unique preference.
But that was no problem.
The next moment, the shopkeeper still maintained his smile.
“Fellow Daoist, don’t worry. According to your request, mid-grade magical artifacts of this type are indeed rare. However, today is your lucky day. We have a damaged high-grade magical artifact that just happens to match your requirements.”
As he raised his hand, the formation behind him rippled, and this time, a small exquisite box appeared on the table.
“Fellow Daoist, please look.”
As the box opened, three dark green wooden flying needles shimmering with spiritual light were revealed.
“Fellow Daoist, these were crafted from the poisonous thorns of the Ten-Thousand Poison Flower’s stalk found in the Yunwu Mountain Range. Even Second-rank spirit beasts would suffer immensely if pricked. This is a rare high-grade magical artifact.”
Among magical artifacts, flying needle concealed weapons were already pricey, not to mention complete sets.
After seeing the three wooden needle artifacts, Lin Chang’an was a little moved.
But when he thought about it being a high-grade magical artifact, he couldn’t help but twitch his lips and shook his head.
“Fellow Daoist, high-grade magical artifacts are usually worth over a thousand Spirit Stones. I can’t afford it.”
He had indeed taken a liking to it.
Being short on money was one thing; more importantly, even if given to him, he might not be able to wield it smoothly.
Qi Refining cultivators typically used low- and mid-grade magical artifacts.
Only those at the peak of Qi Refining could barely manage high-grade artifacts.
As for top-grade magical artifacts, those were for Foundation Establishment cultivators.
Seeing Lin Chang’an tempted, the shopkeeper smiled and shook his head.
“Fellow Daoist, you’ve misunderstood. This magical artifact originally came in a set of thirteen. Unfortunately, the previous owner ventured into the Yunwu Mountain Range and never returned. Even this set of high-grade magical artifacts was left with only three pieces.”
Hearing this, Lin Chang’an’s eyes lit up, though his heart also trembled.
A cultivator with a high-grade magical artifact had vanished just like that—it spoke volumes about the danger outside the marketplace recently.
The shopkeeper squinted, then raised his thumb and index finger to gesture.
“Eight hundred Spirit Stones!?”
“Fellow Daoist, why don’t you go rob someone! At that price, I could almost buy a complete high-grade artifact.”
Lin Chang’an widened his eyes and said hoarsely with irritation.
This shopkeeper was just too ruthless.
However, speaking as a businessman, the shopkeeper shook his head and explained:
“Fellow Daoist, concealed weapons like flying needles are inherently expensive—an intact set can sell for fifteen hundred Spirit Stones.”
“That price was for thirteen pieces; you only have three.”
“Fellow Daoist, you can’t calculate it like that. These three have been further infused with refined Gold Essence and can already be considered newly crafted magical artifacts. At the very least, they’re worth seven hundred fifty Spirit Stones.”
“Five hundred Spirit Stones!”
“Fellow Daoist…”
After a round of haggling, this incomplete set of three wooden needle magical artifacts was finally bought by Lin Chang’an for six hundred ninety Spirit Stones.
“So ruthless!”
When he walked out of Treasure Pavilion, Lin Chang’an had a heartache written all over his face, but touching the magical artifacts in his storage pouch brought him a sense of comfort.
Flying needle-type magical artifacts naturally countered mana shields, and combined with his spell, it was like adding wings to a tiger.
“To others, this might be defective, but to me, it’s just perfect.”
...
However, just as Lin Chang’an walked out of Treasure Pavilion, he sensed a faint and intermittent feeling of being watched from behind.
“Big Brother, I saw that old guy come down from the second floor.”
Two middle-aged burly cultivator robbers, one in front and one behind, transmitted messages to each other.
“Be careful. Let’s pick a secluded place to make our move.”
Lin Chang’an, in disguise, blended casually into the crowd.
If he had doubts at first, now he was certain.
“Being targeted, huh!”
After surviving in the cultivation world for over twenty years, if he didn’t have some vigilance and experience, he would’ve died countless times already.
After circling around once, Lin Chang’an secretly probed with his divine sense and discovered that the two stalkers were at the sixth and fifth levels of the Qi Refining Stage.
That made things clear.
No wonder they were so bold.
“Pity, people like you will never understand how wealthy a Talisman Master is.”
With a calm smile, Lin Chang’an stepped into an alley he had prepared earlier in front of Treasure Pavilion.
The two cultivator robbers following him sneered coldly and took a detour to block him from front and back.
“You!”
One of the robbers had just stepped into the alley when a figure approached him head-on.
It was Lin Chang’an again, now disguised as the old man with the flowered beard—stooped and husky-voiced—coming straight at him.
The burly robber cultivator’s eyes filled with blood as he stared in disbelief at the man before him.
Wood Spirit Thorn.
A streak of green light flashed past.
The robber’s pupils shrank, and before his consciousness sank into darkness, he had only one thought.
“What just happened?”
As Lin Chang’an brushed past the slumped figure with an indifferent expression, he lightly wiped the Wood Spirit Thorn in his hand.
A hint of astonishment also flickered in his gaze.
The Wood Spirit Thorn—this spell technique was unexpectedly powerful!