She didn't know how long she had been cultivating, but when Shi Lan opened her eyes, she found that she had recovered to the second level of Qi Refining. The weakness in her body was replaced by abundant vitality, and she felt that her whole body was full of power.
Shi Lan clenched her fist tightly and stood up to stretch her stiff limbs. Only then did she realize that her stomach had long since stopped responding to hunger. If it weren't for her own true energy nourishing her, she would probably have starved to death.
She staggered to the front yard, and as soon as the innkeeper saw her, he quickly pushed aside the waiters blocking his way and hurried to Shi Lan's side. He helped her to a seat and, without waiting for her to speak, immediately ordered the waiters to prepare the best food.
Shi Lan pressed her stomach with one hand and stopped him, saying, "No need for all that trouble, just bring me something ready-made." She stared at the shopkeeper and said, "Quickly."
The shopkeeper was stunned for a moment, but then immediately smiled, said "yes," and turned around and ran to the kitchen. In the blink of an eye, he brought two dishes, three steamed buns, and a bowl of porridge and placed them in front of Shi Lan.
"Immortal Master, our shop is simple and these were just made. Please don't find them unpleasant."
Shi Lan was so hungry that her stomach was practically sticking to her back, so she didn't care about being picky. She quickly finished the food in front of her, took some more dry rations, and returned to the courtyard.
Sitting on the futon, Shi Lan closed her eyes.
Several months passed in the blink of an eye, and Shi Lan finally surpassed the original owner's original level, leaping to the peak of the sixth level of Qi Refining.
At this moment, Shi Lan's eyes were faintly glowing with golden light, and her body was filled with a light aura that made people unconsciously want to hold their breath and lower their eyes.
In the inn's lobby, Shi Lan originally wanted to ask the innkeeper if there was a market run by cultivators in the town. However, the moment everyone in the room saw her, their legs trembled, as if they wanted to kneel down. This made Shi Lan feel a little uncomfortable, so she could only keep the conversation brief.
After spending some time together, the shopkeeper had figured out Shi Lan's temperament. Although he was somewhat afraid of her, he was still able to explain the location of the market to her in a normal manner.
Having learned the exact location, Shi Lan tossed down a spirit stone and strolled away leisurely.
The diners and waiters inside cautiously looked at the doorway. Seeing that there was no movement, they all erupted in a commotion. Some who knew the owner even crowded in front of the high counter, asking the owner how he dared not kneel down to answer the immortal master.
The shopkeeper wiped the cold sweat from his brow, and, brandishing his tiger skin and banner, said, "Given my relationship with the Immortal Master, wouldn't it be awkward to kneel down?"
Everyone exclaimed in unison.
The shopkeeper glared at the crowd, wanting to say something more, but fearing that he might go too far and anger the immortal master, thus endangering his own life, he could only scold the waiter who was also watching the commotion: "What are you still standing there like an idiot for? Aren't you going to help serve the customers?"
The waiter exclaimed "Hey!" and quickly wiped the sweat from his face with a towel before turning to greet the customers who were entering the store.
Shi Lan was unaware of the little incident at the inn; she was currently strolling through the East Market.
Following the shopkeeper's instructions, Shi Lan turned into the wine shop and walked between two large locust trees, one on the left and one on the right. Suddenly, she felt a surge of energy, and ripples appeared before her eyes. Then, she heard lively hawking sounds.
"Freshly made Swiftness Talisman, Earth Escape Talisman, Immobilization Talisman, and Mighty Strength Talisman, each costing two spirit stones. Buy them while you can!"
"Ancient magical artifacts and spiritual weapons, one spirit stone each, take your pick."
"Selling steamed buns! Thin skin, generous filling, I guarantee you won't regret it..."
Shi Lan walked slowly past the stalls, looking at the ancient magical artifacts that looked like broken copper and iron, as well as the various spiritual herbs that looked like withered branches, and came to the stall that sold spirit talismans that she had first met.
The stall owner was a young man of about sixteen or seventeen years old. Upon seeing Shi Lan, he immediately stood up and said, "What would you like to buy, fellow Daoist? I can introduce it to you."
Shi Lan nodded and said, "Let me take a look first."
Shi Lan's main purpose for this trip was to buy a defensive array plate. There was only a wooden door outside the courtyard that could be pushed down with a single push, which couldn't even stop an ordinary person. She was about to break through to the seventh level of Qi Refining, which was the most important hurdle in the Qi Refining stage. For safety's sake, she felt it was necessary to properly arrange the environment so that she could break through with more peace of mind.
After quickly glancing at the cinnabar-yellow paper covered in scribbles, Shi Lan stepped forward again.
Seeing that Shi Lan was about to leave, the young man became anxious and hurriedly said, "Don't go! We can discuss the price."
Shi Lan looked up at him, smiled, and asked, "In that case, how much of a discount are you willing to offer?"
The young man pondered for a moment and said, "How about this, you buy five spirit talismans, and I'll give you one for free?"
Shi Lan glanced at him without saying a word.
The original owner started hunting spirit beasts when she was nine years old. Over the years, she hunted countless spirit beasts, but unfortunately, they were all monopolized by Liu Minde. The original owner herself never handled any of them for sale, which is why Shi Lan doesn't know the market price and can't figure out whether the price of the young spirit beasts is cheap or not.
Shi Lan glanced at Ruibaozhai not far away and said, "Fellow Daoist, I have other things to buy. How about this, I'll go take a look over there first, and then I'll come back to you later?"
The young man's lips moved as if he wanted to say something, but he seemed to hesitate and held back.
Shi Lan glanced at his expression, her mind raced for a moment, but she still turned and went to Ruibaozhai.
After climbing a few steps of grandly renovated stairs, Shi Lan immediately spotted a row of magical artifacts gleaming with spiritual light directly opposite the entrance. One of the small knives was remarkably similar to the one she had scavenged from the man.
Shi Lan stepped forward, picked up the knife, and began to examine it.
A young woman standing behind the counter walked over with a graceful gait and said, "Young lady, you have a good eye. This is a masterpiece made by the personal disciple of Master Forging."
Shi Lan gripped the hilt of the knife, which was smaller than a fingernail, and looked at the blade, asking, "How many spirit stones does this cost?"
The young woman glanced at her and said with a charming smile, "Six hundred spirit stones."
Shi Lan paused, then remained silent.
The young woman, who dealt with customers every day, noticed Shi Lan's appearance and saw that she was dressed in ordinary clothes without any magical robes or artifacts. She knew that Shi Lan was short of money, so she picked up a thin needle that was closest to the edge and said, "Although the Azure Nether Blade is good, its blade is too thick. Although it is very powerful when activated, it consumes too much true energy. It would be good for a burly man, but you are slender and graceful. If you use it, it would not be suitable. You would be better off choosing this exquisite needle. It consumes less energy, is fast, and is not easily noticed."
The young woman spoke gently, and every word she uttered seemed to be for Shi Lan's sake.
Shi Lan slowly put down the Azure Nether Blade and smiled, "Thank you for your guidance, sister. The Exquisite Needle is indeed excellent, but I don't have many spirit stones, so I'll have to decline your kindness." (To be continued.)
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