WanHua Pavilion
"Young Master Jiang!"
The green-dressed maiden beamed as she saw Jiang Ning.
"Miss Lü Yi!" Jiang Ning greeted her with a smile.
A short while later.
"Young Master Jiang, please enjoy some tea first! May I ask what brings you to WanHua Pavilion today?" Lü Yi inquired.
Jiang Ning took out a gold ingot.
This ingot was originally the golden box he had obtained earlier, but he had now crushed it into the shape of an ingot with his bare hands.
After all, the item inside the golden box was far too shocking it was a divine statue of the God of Flesh and Blood. Moreover, the divine statue contained several times more divinity points than the one previously enshrined in the City God Temple.
This alone proved the extraordinary nature of the golden box.
Not to mention, the box had once been filled to the brim with Bai Ling Blood.
Bai Ling Blood was an essential aid for peak fourth-grade martial artists seeking to break through to the Grandmaster realm.
The combination of these two factors already indicates the importance of the golden box.
If he were to take it out in its original form, it could easily invite trouble.
By molding it into a gold ingot, however, no one would recognize its true origin.
Lü Yi examined the ingot in Jiang Ning's hand, then respectfully placed it on the table before him.
"Young Master Jiang, please wait a moment. I will have this weighed immediately."
"Wait a moment," Jiang Ning suddenly said.
Lü Yi paused and looked at him.
Jiang Ning said, "There's no need for you to refer to yourself as a servant in front of me."
Lü Yi was momentarily stunned before replying, "I was bought by WanHua Pavilion as a servant. Naturally, I must refer to myself as such."
Jiang Ning shook his head. "Not in front of me."
Then he asked, "Do you want to buy your freedom?"
"I do!" Lü Yi nodded. "I have long prepared the money for my release, but I am not qualified to do so."
Jiang Ning smiled. "How about this I'll mention it to Tower Master Lin later?"
Upon hearing this, Lü Yi immediately knelt and kowtowed heavily to Jiang Ning.
"Thank you, Young Master!"
"There's no need for that." Jiang Ning gently lifted his hand, and an invisible force helped Lü Yi back to her feet.
She looked at Jiang Ning in astonishment, while he calmly said, "Helping you is merely a small effort on my part."
"Young Master's kindness… In my next life, I will surely repay it, even if I must be a beast of burden!" With that, Lü Yi withdrew from the VIP room.
Jiang Ning chuckled to himself.
A certain joke came to mind:
If a man saves a woman's life and she finds him attractive, she will say, 'I have no way to repay you… I can only offer myself to you.'
But if she does not find him attractive, she will say, 'I have no way to repay you… In my next life, I shall be a beast of burden to repay this kindness!'
Elsewhere
Lin Qingyi listened to Lü Yi's report with a look of surprise.
After pondering for a moment, she said, "Go and serve him well."
"Yes, Tower Master!" Lü Yi curtsied gracefully, then took delicate steps backward. When she reached the door, she turned and left, closing the door behind her.
Inside the room, Lin Qingyi shook her head slightly.
"If it's not necessary, I won't meet that boy again. The last time I saw him, I behaved quite out of character."
She let out a soft sigh.
In the VIP Room
Lü Yi brought out a small scale and weighed the ingot.
"Young Master Jiang, this gold ingot weighs 21.7 taels."
Jiang Ning nodded.
21.7 taels of gold equaled 21,700 taels of silver.
Based on the energy points he had previously obtained from purchasing Blood Lotuses, this amount of silver should be enough to push his energy points beyond 500.
So far, the most cost-effective treasure he had found was the Blood Lotus.
Not only could it increase life force, but it was also practical for his needs.
However, a moment later
Jiang Ning: "…"
He looked at the boxes of Blood Lotuses that Lü Yi had brought and sighed inwardly.
The most valuable one was only a sixty-year-old Blood Lotus, which had cost him a mere 1,500 taels of silver.
The others were all under forty years old, barely worth anything, and of little help to him.
"Young Master, are you dissatisfied?" Lü Yi asked cautiously.
Jiang Ning replied, "There's too little. I want to exchange all of this gold for similar treasures, whether it's Earth Reishi, wild ginseng, or anything else of similar value."
"Understood!" Lü Yi nodded. "Please wait a moment, Young Master Jiang. I will fetch Steward Han immediately."
A little while later
Under the guidance of Han Hongmei, the steward, Jiang Ning nearly bought out all the mountain and water-based treasures available in the store.
Yet, he still hadn't spent all his money.
The truly expensive items were those over a hundred years old.
For example, the century-old Blood Lotus he had purchased last time was worth 5,000 taels, and that was already a bargain.
Seeing the disappointment in Jiang Ning's eyes, Han Hongmei couldn't help but say, "Master Jiang, are you not satisfied?"
Jiang Ning nodded. "There's still too little. Is this all the inventory you have?"
Han Hongmei nodded immediately. "After Young Master Jiang's large-scale purchases last time, most of our stock was already depleted. And with the establishment of the Inspection Bureau, many Martial Academy students have come, increasing our sales by more than ten times compared to last year."
"As a result, our inventory is quite low."
"Furthermore, the recent heavy snow has sealed off the mountains and roads, and the lake is frozen over, cutting off trade routes. We are unable to replenish our stock."
"The forests and lakes are covered in ice and snow, leaving those who make a living in these areas with no harvests at all."
Hearing these words, Jiang Ning immediately understood and couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
He hadn't expected Wanhua Pavilion's current stock to be so scarce that it could no longer meet his needs.
At this moment, he realized that a small place was ultimately just a small place.
A county town was still just a county town.
The resources of a single county were hardly enough to satisfy his current requirements.
For instance, when he previously sought the three types of pills needed for Martial Dao's sixth rank, Wanhua Pavilion in this county didn't have any in stock. They had to rely on Lin Qingyi's connections to purchase them from elsewhere.
From this, it was evident that if he stepped into the fifth rank, obtaining the external resources he needed in Luoshui County would become nearly impossible.
Now, after making some rough calculations, he realized that his large-scale purchases had only cost him about thirteen to fourteen thousand taels of silver.
"This probably still isn't enough," he mused inwardly.
At that moment
A flash of inspiration struck Jiang Ning's mind, and he recalled the Crimson Flame Vermilion Fruit he had purchased last time.
At the time, he had tasted it, but judging from his body's reaction, the fruit hadn't brought him much benefit.
However, thinking back on it afterward, he realized that at the very least, the fruit had provided him with a significant amount of Source Energy Points.
With that thought
Jiang Ning immediately spoke, "Manager Han!"
"Lord Jiang, please speak!" Han Hongmei responded.
Jiang Ning asked, "Does the establishment still have any spiritual fruits similar to the Crimson Flame Vermilion Fruit from ancient times?"
"Are you looking for the mystical plants needed for the Immortal Dao?" Han Hongmei inquired.
"Indeed," Jiang Ning nodded.
"These types of items are what we refer to as 'Immortal Treasures.' They were necessary for the ancient ancestors who sought the path to immortality. I will search for them now!" Han Hongmei said.
"No problem!" Jiang Ning nodded.
A moment later
Han Hongmei reappeared before Jiang Ning.
"Lord Jiang, I did find a few Immortal Treasures, but they are quite expensive."
Jiang Ning asked, "Tell me about them."
Han Hongmei explained, "I have found a total of four Immortal Treasures. Three of them are priced at ten thousand taels of silver each, while the last one is valued at a hundred thousand taels."
"One hundred thousand taels!"
Jiang Ning couldn't help but take a sharp breath.
He could still afford two or three thousand taels right now.
But one hundred thousand taels? That was absolutely beyond his means unless he sold off all the contribution points he had earned at the Inspection Bureau. Only then could he gather the necessary funds.
But that was something he would never do.
Contribution points were far more valuable than silver.
At his current pace, it wouldn't be long before he stepped into the fifth-rank Inner Strength realm.
Once he reached the fifth rank, given his accumulated training in both internal and external cultivation, he wouldn't remain at that level for long.
As for advancing further, he was entirely in the dark.
He did not know the theoretical foundations, realm breakdowns, or cultivation methods required to move forward.
To obtain the cultivation techniques needed for higher ranks, his only option was to rely on the Inspection Bureau.
Without increasing his clearance level there, how could he gain access to such resources?
At this moment
Han Hongmei looked at Jiang Ning with a respectful expression and asked, "Lord Jiang, would you like me to continue with the introductions?"
"Please proceed, Manager Han," Jiang Ning replied.
Han Hongmei immediately continued, "The first Immortal Treasure is a type of spirit herb known as 'Stellar Grass.' Its exact age is unknown, but it has absorbed countless strands of starlight over time, hence its name."
"Its price is ten thousand taels of silver."
"The second Immortal Treasure is the 'Miao Yan Spirit Fruit.' According to ancient records, this fruit contains both water and fire elemental energies in extreme proportions. It was of great benefit to cultivators in ancient times who practiced dual-element techniques of water and fire."
"The third Immortal Treasure is the 'Ten Thousand Wood Core.' According to historical texts, this item contains potent wood-elemental energy."
"As for the fourth Immortal Treasure, it consists of five different spirit fruits, each representing one of the five elements:
'Golden Absolute Spirit Fruit,' representing metal.
'Azure Wood Spirit Fruit,' representing wood.
'Profound Water Spirit Fruit,' representing water.
'Blazing Flame Spirit Fruit,' representing fire.
'Majestic Earth Spirit Fruit,' representing earth."
"According to ancient records, these fruits could alter a cultivator's physique, making them more attuned to the five elements."
"Unfortunately, due to the drastic changes in the world's environment, which is now completely different from ancient times, these once-valuable Immortal Treasures are now merely rare delicacies with no other practical use."
Upon hearing Han Hongmei's explanation, Jiang Ning immediately took note of her final remark.
He then asked, "Manager Han, do you know what exactly caused the great transformation of the world?"
Han Hongmei chuckled and shook her head. "Such secrets are far beyond my reach! However, I have heard one theory it is said that the transformation was caused by the complete dispersal of Heaven and Earth's spiritual energy."
"The dispersal of Heaven and Earth's spiritual energy?"
Jiang Ning pondered deeply.
Then he looked at Han Hongmei and said, "Manager Han, I would like to purchase the Miao Yan Spirit Fruit."
"Very well!" Han Hongmei nodded. "I will retrieve it for you at once."
A moment later
Jiang Ning stepped out of Wanhua Pavilion.
On the rooftop
Lin Qingyi watched his departing figure and smiled slightly. "You have a kind heart."
Moments ago, Jiang Ning had come to see her with a simple request he wanted to grant Luyi her freedom.
Faced with such a request, she naturally had no reason to refuse.
She didn't even take the ransom money that Luyi had prepared in advance. Instead, she had Manager Han bring out Luyi's indentured contract and destroy it on the spot.
As for the official record of her contract stored at the local government office, she only needed to send someone to inform them, and that would be the end of it.
Soon after
Watching Jiang Ning enter his carriage, Lin Qingyi slowly withdrew her gaze and turned to look at Luyi, who stood nearby.
"Xiao Lu, now that you're free, what are your plans for the future?"
Hearing this, Luyi immediately knelt before Lin Qingyi with a thud. "Master, I still wish to continue working for the establishment."
"You are a free person now, no longer a servant. There's no need to refer to yourself as such," Lin Qingyi said calmly.
"Yes," Luyi replied, lowering her head slightly.
"Raise your head," Lin Qingyi suddenly said, looking at the kneeling Luyi.
Luyi hesitated for a moment before slowly lifting her head, her eyes filled with apprehension as she met Lin Qingyi's gaze.
"You do have quite a pretty face," Lin Qingyi said with a faint smile.
Then
She spoke again, "Would you like to stay by Jiang Ning's side?"
"Master, I"
"Speak the truth," Lin Qingyi interrupted.
"I do," Luyi admitted, nodding slowly.
"Then here's the plan," Lin Qingyi said softly. "Jiang Ning doesn't have anyone to take care of his daily needs. Now that you're free, you should go to him and ask him to take you in. Take care of him, so he won't have to waste time on trivial matters. Do you understand?"
Hearing Lin Qingyi's firm tone, Luyi lowered her head. "Yes, Master."
Then, she hesitated briefly before looking up at Lin Qingyi. "Master, are you asking me to stay by Young Master Jiang's side to monitor him? If so, I... I..."
Seeing Luyi's hesitant expression, Lin Qingyi chuckled.
"What are you thinking?"
"You just need to focus entirely on looking after him taking care of his daily life and meals."
"But remember, you must not have any improper thoughts or actions. Do you understand?"
Luyi nodded again. "Yes, Master."
Meanwhile
Jiang Ning sat inside his carriage.
The snow on the roads had already been cleared and melted away. The carriage carried him home smoothly and steadily.
Sitting inside, he suddenly produced a jade box in his hand.
Inside the jade box was the Immortal Treasure he had just purchased the Miao Yan Spirit Fruit.
It was worth ten thousand taels of silver.
Even with a twenty percent discount, it had still cost him eight thousand taels.
Today's expenses were so high that even selling the gold brick made from a golden box wasn't enough to cover them.
He had to dip into his previous savings, and now his wealth had significantly shrunk.
Altogether, he had only a few thousand taels of silver left.
However, he was satisfied with today's harvest.
The Miao Yan Spirit Fruit was something he greatly anticipated.
Based on the feedback from eating the Vermilion Fruit last time, Immortal Treasures could provide him with a substantial amount of Source Energy Points.
Compared to ordinary rare materials, the Source Energy Points provided by Immortal Treasures were likely much greater.
"Perhaps there's even more to gain," Jiang Ning mused, recalling Han Hongmei's words.
The next moment
He unsealed the jade box, breaking the seal of liquid jade that had kept it closed.
As soon as he opened the box, a refreshing fruity fragrance wafted toward him.
Inside was a fruit about the size of a regular potato.
Half of it was red, the other half blue, resembling two swirling forces intertwined.
"According to Han Hongmei, this fruit contains the extreme energies of water and fire, greatly benefiting ancient cultivators who practiced dual-element techniques."
"I wonder if it will provide any additional benefits to me."
Jiang Ning couldn't help but think about the advanced martial art he had mastered Water-Fire True Force.
From what he had learned, Water-Fire True Force was derived from an ancient Immortal Dao technique called the Water-Fire Codex.
"If this fruit proves effective, then I must obtain the five elemental spirit fruits as well!"
-support me on Patreon for more chapters, 410+ chapters in there
patreon.com/LordoftheReader