Chapter 84 A Makeover and a Shop Purchase

Having already made up her mind, Song Yin stopped asking questions and quietly watched Ruan Chaoxue refine pills.

When Ruan Chaoxue's pills were ready, there were three pills in total: two medium-grade and one high-grade.

Ruan Chaoxue said nervously, "Every time I refine pills, I consume a lot of spiritual herbs, and the number of pills in each batch is always less than that of others. At most, I can only make three pills in one batch."

Song Yin pinpointed the problem: "Your fire control is incorrect during the alchemy process. I observe that your fire-using technique is different from everyone else's. Where did you learn that?"

Ruan Chaoxue: "Isn't it the same? But I learned it according to the steps of the cultivation method."

"What kind of cultivation technique?"

"Introductory alchemy cultivation techniques issued by the sect."

“I also learned this technique when I first started, but the book describes a different way of controlling the heat.” Song Yin thought of something and said, “Let me see the technique.”

Ruan Chaoxue immediately presented it.

Song Yin flipped through the first few pages and found them normal. But as she continued flipping through, the content about controlling fire in alchemy for those without fire spiritual roots was clearly different from what she was familiar with.

"The content is incorrect." Song Yin took out her own book from her storage bag and gave it to Ruan Chaoxue. "This is the one I used back then."

Ruan Chaoxue took the book and, despite her nervousness, immediately opened it to read it.

“It really is different, but my book was clearly issued by the sect.” Ruan Chaoxue turned the pages one by one.

Song Yin: "Who personally gave you your book?"

Ruan Chaoxue was stunned. "It's Senior Brother Du Ci." At that time, she didn't dislike Du Ci.

Song Yin: "The problem with the book is most likely unrelated to the sect. Do you have a grudge against Du Ci?"

Looking at the three pills in the alchemy furnace, Ruan Chaoxue recalled, "We had no grudges against each other..." But she was very resistant to Du Ci because every time Du Ci spoke, she felt very uncomfortable.

"We joined the sect in the same year and both had the idea of ​​becoming alchemists. Later, we participated in the Foundation Establishment Competition in the same year. I was successfully selected into the inner sect on the first try, while he took three tries to enter the inner sect."

It was too early to draw conclusions, so Song Yin said to Ruan Chaoxue, "You should first follow the new book to correct your fire control techniques. If you can still refine pills using the wrong method, then your talent is not bad."

Ruan Chaoxue's eyes immediately filled with tears.

"Really? Really?" It had been a long time since anyone had confirmed it to her.

"Senior Brother Du Ci always says I have no talent for alchemy, and that my water and wood spiritual roots are more suited to cultivating spiritual herbs. But I love alchemy, so I've never gone to Spirit Herb Peak... Thank you, Senior Sister Song! Thank you, Senior Sister Song!"

Ruan Chaoxue bowed repeatedly, feeling that she had made the right choice in coming to Danque Peak today. Compared to Du Ci's words, she was more willing to believe that Senior Sister Song Yin, who had won first place in the Foundation Establishment group of the Alchemist Conference, was refining a Grade 3 pill with her Foundation Establishment cultivation, which was her eternal goal.

After seeing Ruan Chaoxue off, she found Qi Zibo and told him about her suspicions.

"Master, your eye for talent is terrible."

Qi Zibo resolutely refused to admit that his judgment was flawed: "If there were problems, would I have accepted you as my apprentice? To question my judgment is to question yourself."

Song Yin: Wow, I have nothing to say in rebuttal.

"I'm going to the inner sect academy for a while. Master, do you have any techniques or magical artifacts that allow you to change your appearance or form?"

Qi Zibo ignored the debt collector: "No, the sect has magical artifacts. You can exchange them with your contribution points or buy them with spirit stones. If all else fails, Danque Peak will continue to maintain the status quo and not recruit anyone."

"Alright, I'll go to the Treasure Pavilion first." Song Yin picked up the whole plate of pastries and walked out, eating as she went.

Qi Zibo's hand, holding the snacks, hung suspended in mid-air. His snacks!

She went to the Treasure Pavilion and spent most of the sect contribution points she had exchanged. Fortunately, she managed to exchange for her desired magical artifact, the Exquisite Mask. Wearing the mask, she could transform into other appearances, changing her height, weight, and build.

“As long as I wear the mask, my name will be Song Le, the Le of music!” The unfamiliar woman, who looked to be in her twenties or thirties, said to Shi Heming.

Once she found a magical artifact she liked, she immediately showed it to Shi Heming and Xia Xining.

Xia Xining circled around Song Yin, observing her closely. "I really can't recognize her at all. What an interesting magic artifact. I want to get one too. But I completely agree with your disguise. Yesterday, when I left the sect, everyone was talking about your breakthrough to the Golden Core stage. The memory stone you left during the Foundation Establishment Competition is selling like hotcakes again. Many shop owners want to collect some new ones to resell."

Shi Heming: "Not only that, you can accept disciples at the Golden Core stage, and many people want to become your disciples."

Song Yin was shocked and exclaimed, "I don't want to take on disciples with a Golden Core cultivation technique!"

Based on my own experience, taking on apprentices really burns through spirit stones.

Having just given most of his savings accumulated over many years to Old Ancestor You to forge his natal sword, he now has very few spirit stones left in his pocket.

Song Yin: "We agreed to go to Xianxiao City to sell things, so let's go today. After we sell the things, I'll go to the school."

As a result, Shi Heming and Xia Xining were both pulled out of the sect by Song Yin.

After wandering around looking for a place to set up a stall, I found that either the crowded places were already full, or the places with available spots had very little foot traffic.

Back on the main street, the three decided to abandon their plan to set up a stall today and instead come out early the next day to secure a spot.

Passing by a small shop, I saw someone taking down the paintings hanging on the wall, packing up the writing brushes, ink, paper, and other goods for sale, and taking down the signboard.

Song Yin asked, "Are you closed during the day?"

The shopkeeper is an older man, and many people have asked him questions today.

“Our owner is moving out, and we plan to sell this shop.”

Song Yin: "No wonder."

Satisfying her curiosity, Song Yin didn't think much of it and continued walking back.

Xia Xining grabbed Song Yin's sleeve, telling her not to leave yet.

"What's wrong?" Song Yin turned around.

Xia Xining pulled Song Yin across the street and whispered, "Why don't you buy this shop? It will be more convenient to sell things in the future, including pills and all kinds of cultivation resources."

Song Yin's eyes lit up immediately. "That makes sense, but aren't you going to buy it? You can also sell the magical artifacts you've crafted."

Xia Xining chuckled sheepishly, "I have no plans to open a shop. I'm already tired enough from taking on occasional custom orders for magical artifacts."

Running a shop means constantly refining artifacts and then selling them. Managing the shop is even more troublesome; she's decided to dedicate most of her time to cultivation, and the remaining time must be used for rest. The hassle of running a shop is more suited to someone as energetic as Song Yin.

If Song Yin were to open a shop, she could sell her own magical artifacts, and she could sell them whenever she wanted, or not sell them if she didn't want to.

Song Yin was tempted. She often refined many pills, and opening her own small shop would be a good idea.

Song Yin returned to the other side of the street and asked the shopkeeper, "Have you sold this shop yet?"

The shopkeeper looked Song Yin up and down again. "Not yet. If you want to buy, you can ask the owner. The person arranging the paintings inside is the owner."

The owner said he had consulted a fortune teller who said today was a good day to close the shop, as someone would come to buy it. He also said that if anyone asked about the shop, he shouldn't be bothered and should tell the truth.

Unexpectedly, someone actually came to buy the shop. The owner had consulted a fortune teller, and he wanted to have his fortune told as well.

The shop wasn't very big, just one room; Song Yin estimated it to be less than 100 square meters.

Once inside, Song Yin could tell that her master's cultivation level was only at the late stage of Qi Refining, so she directly stated her purpose.

The shop owner, a rather stout man, immediately greeted her with delight upon hearing that someone wanted to buy the shop. "The shop is a bit messy, please don't mind, young lady. This shop has been passed down through generations; the location is excellent, so we never lack customers, hence the lower prices..."

Song Yin: "Boss, just say it directly."

The host said, "Two hundred thousand top-grade spirit stones."

Song Yin stood up: "Farewell."

I just commissioned my natal sword, and now I only have about 10,000 top-grade spirit stones in total.

Seeing this, the owner didn't lower the price, figuring someone would buy his shop sooner or later. If he hadn't moved his whole family to Zhongzhou, he wouldn't have given up such a prime location.

Xia Xining: "Aren't you going to buy it?"

Song Yin: "I used all the spirit stones to customize my natal sword."

Xia Xining: "Who did you have forge your natal sword? It's so expensive! Did you get ripped off?"

The amount of spirit stones Song Yin had accumulated over the years was obvious to all, and she was also aware that Song Yin possessed a considerable number of spirit stones.

Since it wasn't convenient to talk on the street, Song Yin directly transmitted her voice to Xia Xining: "Your grandmaster, the ancestor of Tianqiao Peak."

"..."

Xia Xining's face turned red with suppressed laughter. "Hahaha, him? Well, it's alright then. It's better if it's more expensive."

Shi Heming asked, "How much more do you need? You can take my spirit stones and use them first."

Xia Xining: "Me too."

Song Yin gave a number.

After listening, Shi Heming said, "Okay."

Song Yin turned back again, and the owner saw her and said with a smile, "Miss, have you made up your mind? The price I offered is absolutely fair."

Song Yin tried to negotiate a lower price, but the owner insisted on a price of 200,000 top-grade spirit stones.

The three of them bought the shop on short notice and were not in a hurry to return to the sect. Song Yin was only at ease after she received the property deed.

The owner quickly cleaned up the shop's original items, but left behind all the tables, chairs, and counters.

As Song Yin was considering how to change the interior layout, two people rushed in, a man and a woman.

"Old Wu, why didn't you tell us, your old friends, before you sold the shop? I'll buy it for whatever spirit stones you ask for," the man said directly to the owner.

"Don't listen to Lao Chai, I, Tang Sirong, will buy your shop at a high price." The woman slammed her hand on the table with an air of dominance.

The owner, known as Old Wu, pointed at Song Yin and said, "The shop has already been sold to this young lady."

Old Chai panicked upon hearing this, "How much are you offering?"

Old Wu: "Two hundred thousand top-grade spirit stones."

Old Chai slapped his thigh and exclaimed, "Hey! I'll offer you 250,000 yuan, sell it to me!"

Tang Sirong: "I'll offer 300,000!"

Old Wu raised his hand: "Don't rush, let me finish. The shop has already been sold to this Miss Song, and the deed is now in her name."

"What?!"

Old Wu smiled and clasped his hands in thanks: "Thank you all for taking care of me over the years. If you ever go to Zhongzhou, you can come and find me directly."

The two who arrived late looked at Song Yin and were filled with regret and frustration.

Old Chai said directly to Song Yin, "Miss, why don't you sell to me? I'll raise the price. I'm the owner next door, and I want to buy the two shops and combine them together."

Song Yin: "I'm not selling."

Tang Sirong was more direct, turning to him with a smile and asking, "What kind of business is Boss Song looking for?"

Song Yin: "I'll mainly sell some pills." Anyway, they'll find out in a few days, so there's no harm in telling them.

Old Chai's expression changed instantly upon hearing this.

Oh no, it's a competitor.

Tang Sirong was relieved. "I'm the owner of the shop right across from you. I sell books and martial arts manuals."

Old Wu: "I'm leaving now that I've packed my things. I wish Boss Song all the best in the future, and that your pill business will grow to the same size as Lingyun Pavilion and Yaoxianzhai." He winked at Song Yin, "and try to outdo Old Chai."

Lingyun Pavilion and Yaoxianzhai are both well-known medicine shops in Xianxiao City, and famous throughout the entire Eastern Continent.

Song Yin: "Haha, thank you for your kind words."

The matter was now completely settled, and Boss Chai and Boss Tang returned home.

There were only Song Yin and two others in the store.

Shi Heming: "Let's come up with a name first."

Several nice-sounding shop names flashed through Song Yin's mind, but for some reason, she thought of her own spirit sword, "Wait a minute."

"I've come up with an appealing name, how about... whatever you have for sale? It's novel, straightforward, down-to-earth, and easy to remember."

Xia Xining exclaimed with delight, "It's truly refreshing! I love this name!"

The streets were bustling with people discussing names in the shops, but some of them were so loud that they drowned out the other vendors' calls.

Song Yin and the others were drawn to the sound and looked out onto the street.

The woman was an acquaintance, Ruan Chaoxue; the man was a stranger, but Ruan Chaoxue called him Du Ci.

Song Yin raised an eyebrow; she had encountered the person on the list herself.

-----------------------

Author's Note: Xia Xining: You've definitely been tricked! I'm going to get revenge for you! [Angry]

Song Yin: Your grandmaster [poor face]

Xia Xining: Goodbye, sister! [fear][clasped hands]

[Sparkling eyes] I feel so happy every time I see comments, love you all, *kiss*

Without further ado, I'll get to work and write the next chapter.

-

[Empty bowl]