Chapter 68: Massive Amount of Spirit Stones
Ji Yuan had acquired quite a number of magical artifacts this time, but there were only a few that he actually intended to sell.
A damaged mid-grade magical robe, two low-grade magical robes, and three mid-grade magical boats.
That was all he planned to sell.
The rest of the magical artifacts were kept for his own use.
"What do you want?"
The on-duty disciple from the Water Dragon Sect at Jingde Market acted no differently from those at Zengtou Market, displaying that same arrogant attitude, looking down his nose at others.
"To sell magical artifacts."
Ji Yuan spoke and immediately took out the few artifacts he intended to sell, placing them on the table.
The on-duty disciple, who had just been rocking leisurely on a reclining chair, immediately stood up when he saw this.
He first sized up the artifacts, paying special attention to the three magical boats, then raised his head to take a slightly more serious look at the disguised Ji Yuan.
With a meaningful smile, he remarked:
"Who would've thought, you look so honest, but you’re actually quite a ruthless one."
Ji Yuan, with the face of a middle-aged man, forced a smile.
"Just lucky, just lucky."
"Alright, let me evaluate them. Hold on."
"Thank you, senior."
Ji Yuan cupped his hands in respect.
The on-duty disciple then picked up the items and carefully examined them.
As for the three magical boats, he even took the time to refine them slightly to check their quality.
After nearly half a stick of incense's time, he finally gave a valuation.
"I'll give you 125 spirit stones for the three magical boats. This mid-grade robe used to be pretty good, but that strike of yours was too fierce, damaging the inner restrictions. I'll only offer you 20 spirit stones for it. As for the two low-grade robes, they’re nothing special, I’ll give you 22 spirit stones each. That totals 189 spirit stones. How about it?"
Ji Yuan pondered for a moment and suggested, "How about you round it up to an even 190 spirit stones, senior?"
Spirit stones were precious, every single one counted, and having one more was always better.
"Fine."
Perhaps because the profit margin on Ji Yuan’s items was already substantial, the on-duty disciple did not hesitate and readily agreed.
After selling the magical artifacts, Ji Yuan went to the adjacent room to sell talismans and pills.
These didn't fetch much, adding up to only about 45 spirit stones.
The item Ji Yuan had pinned high hopes on, the Stone-Armored Crab corpse, also did not sell for a high price.
The most valuable part of the crab, the intact shell suitable for refining into magical artifacts, had been pierced by Liu Da's fatal strike.
According to the on-duty disciple, if the shell had been intact, it might have sold for sixty to seventy spirit stones.
But now, at best, it only fetched 40 spirit stones.
Adding all this to what Ji Yuan already had, even without selling the Cold Iron Sand yet, his total had reached a staggering 504 spirit stones!
There was no helping it—just this trip had already earned over two hundred, almost three hundred spirit stones.
Combined with the over one hundred he had looted from the Liu brothers, and the several dozen he had made earlier selling Cold Iron Sand at Qingbo Market, it had accumulated to this impressive amount.
Looking at the astonishing pile of spirit stones in his storage pouch, Ji Yuan thought for a moment… it seemed there was no rush to sell the Cold Iron Sand.
With this many spirit stones on hand, it was already enough for him to break through to the late stage of Qi Refining.
If he sold the remaining 41 pound of Cold Iron Sand, the total would exceed a thousand lower-grade spirit stones, equivalent to over a dozen mid-grade spirit stones.
Moreover, judging by the current situation in the Yunyu Marshlands, the price of Cold Iron Sand was likely to keep rising.
He could either wait for the price to go up before selling or hold on to it until he needed spirit stones to replace his flying boat after reaching the late stage of Qi Refining.
After some thought, he specifically exchanged for four mid-grade spirit stones at the Treasure Pavilion.
Compared to lower-grade spirit stones, the spiritual energy contained in mid-grade ones was of significantly higher quality. While unnecessary for daily cultivation, using higher-quality stones could offer some assistance when breaking through in cultivation.
However, these four mid-grade spirit stones had cost Ji Yuan 408 lower-grade ones to obtain.
In other words, each mid-grade stone required 102 lower-grade stones to exchange.
Robbery.
Complete and utter robbery.
But for the sake of breaking through, Ji Yuan had no other choice.
After finishing his business, Ji Yuan exited the Hundred Treasure Pavilion.
Qiu Qianhai was already waiting at the entrance.
The two of them went straight to the waterfront. Looking at the vast expanse of the Yunyu Marshlands, Qiu Qianhai asked softly, "Next, I plan to find an uninhabited island and break through to the sixth layer of Qi Refining first. What about you? Are you planning to return to Zengtou Market directly?"
Ji Yuan stood with his hands behind his back, his green robe fluttering in the wind coming off the shore.
"My breakthrough to the late stage of Qi Refining might take longer, and since the Yunyu Marshlands aren’t exactly peaceful, I might need someone to guard me. Would you be willing to help?"
"Hmm?"
Qiu Qianhai, who had seemed a bit dejected earlier, instantly brightened up. "You mean…?"
"We both need to break through, and nowhere seems completely safe. Why not rent a courtyard here in Jingde Market, guard each other while we cultivate, and then move on after we succeed?"
This was an idea Ji Yuan had come up with on the way to Jingde Market, and it seemed like the safest option for now.
After all, whether Qiu Qianhai went to an uninhabited island or Ji Yuan returned to Zengtou Market, both carried risks.
The marshlands risked interruptions, while returning home meant facing the Qin Family, who might act desperately… but if he returned after breaking through to the late stage, there would be nothing to fear.
Even if that blind old man from the Qin Family showed up in person, Ji Yuan would not necessarily be afraid.
"Sounds good!"
Qiu Qianhai clapped his hands lightly. "That’s a great idea. Come on, let’s go rent a courtyard."
It was nearly impossible to squeeze money out of the Water Dragon Sect, but if one wanted to give them money, it was incredibly easy.
In less than an hour, Ji Yuan and Qiu Qianhai had already rented a place in Jingde Market.
The matter of breaking through was now right before them.
…
Qingbo Market.
"Are you sure Hu Da and the other one followed them?"
Qin Wei looked at the guide beside him and asked in a low voice.
"Yes… we all saw those two Qin Family seniors follow them into the water. But after that… we really don’t know where they went."
The long-faced cultivator spread his hands anxiously.
Qin Wei frowned deeply.
After receiving a message yesterday, he had rushed over from Zengtou Market, and now an entire night had passed.
There was still no sign of Hu Da and the other one.
Qin Wei suspected they had most likely met their end… otherwise, given their abilities, there was no way they wouldn't have returned by now.
The more he thought about it, the deeper Qin Wei’s frown became.
He pulled out a portrait from his storage pouch.
If Ji Yuan had been here, he would have recognized it immediately as himself, drawn in a somewhat disheveled state from when he first arrived at Qingbo Island during the earthquake.
The artist’s skill was exceptional, and the likeness was vivid.
"Do you recognize this person?"
Although they had already confirmed it once, Qin Wei was unwilling to give up.
"Never seen him before, definitely someone who came with Qiu Qianhai," the long-faced cultivator reaffirmed.
If that was the case, then the person was either from Zengtou Market or Heishui Market… Qin Wei put away the portrait and asked, "Where is Han Chi Island?"
"Brother Qin, are you planning to find the Twin Heroes of Qingbo?"
"Yes."
Qin Wei nodded calmly.
Qingbo Market was the territory of the Liu brothers.
Since the Qin Family had suffered a loss here, they might know something about it.
"Brother Qin may not know, but after the earthquake, no one has seen the Twin Heroes of Qingbo. Some even went to Han Chi Island looking for them but found nothing. Some people suspect that the Liu brothers either left Qingbo Market or… are dead."
"Oh?"
Qin Wei's eyes widened. "Left? Where could they go after leaving Qingbo Market, especially with the price of Cold Iron Sand rising day by day… Looks like someone powerful has arrived in Qingbo Market."
"Alright, you may leave now."
Qin Wei tossed a handful of spirit stones to the man and then departed on his flying boat.
Since someone powerful had arrived in Qingbo Market, there was no point wasting time on these juniors. Qin Wei headed straight to a secluded stone house on Qingbo Island.
Upon arrival, he dropped all his arrogance, becoming extremely respectful, even bowing to show his respects.
"Qin Wei of the Qin Family, pays his respects to the senior."
"You’re from that old blind Qin's family?"
"Exactly, my father is Qin Long."
Qin Wei became even more respectful. His father, Qin Long, had told him before he set out that there was a member of their mutual aid society here. If he encountered something he couldn’t handle, he could come here for help.
"Oh? What is it?"
The voice from inside the stone house remained indifferent.
Qin Wei quickly explained the situation in Qingbo Market, including his suspicions.
"You suspect that I killed the Liu brothers and your Qin Family members?"
Du Wanyi's figure suddenly appeared at the door, her cold gaze falling on Qin Wei, accompanied by the overwhelming pressure of a late-stage Qi Refining cultivator.
Qin Wei turned pale with fear and hurriedly bowed again.
"No, no, not at all… Junior only wanted to ask if you recognized this person…"
Du Wanyi recalled the handsome face of Ji Yuan in her mind but sneered aloud:
"Recognize him or not, what’s it to you?!"
"Do you think you have the right to question me? Even your father, Qin Long, wouldn’t dare speak to me like that."
"Get lost!"