As soon as he entered the inner chamber, there was already a servant waiting inside.
This person Zhou Xun also knew, named Lan Song.
As Zhou Xun came in, this person immediately recognized him. However, he was clever enough not to speak and just kept looking at Zhou Xun, seemingly wanting to discern something.
Zhou Xun nodded slightly in acknowledgment and then sat down under the guidance of Shopkeeper Liu.
Once seated, Shopkeeper Liu got straight to the point:
"You two have come to sell Golden Spirit Rat materials, why not take them out for a look!"
"Of course!"
Shan Xionghai then took out four porcelain bottles, a wooden box, and a bundle of Golden Spirit Rat skins from his backpack.
"It looks like you two have found a whole nest of Golden Spirit Rats!" Shopkeeper Liu said with a smile, then picked up one of the porcelain bottles and started inspecting it.
"Hmm, not bad, an adult Golden Spirit Rat, and the beast blood is well-handled, indeed high-grade!" He then picked up the remaining three bottles, appraising each one.
"These two are of lesser quality; they must be from young Golden Spirit Rats, am I right?"
"Shopkeeper Liu has good eyes!" Shan Xionghai said in amazement.
"Haha, I've seen a lot!" Shopkeeper Liu laughed heartily and began to examine the whiskers and the rat skins of the Golden Spirit Rat.
After completing the appraisal, Shan Xionghai eagerly asked:
"So, how much Spirit Essence are they worth?"
Shopkeeper Liu thought for a moment and stated the price:
"For the four bottles of beast blood, the two high-grade ones can be bought at 21 Spirit Essence each, and the two lower-grade ones at 13 Spirit Essence each. The box of whiskers is worth 66 Spirit Essence altogether!"
"As for the rat skins, the adult ones can be taken at 26 Spirit Essence per skin, the young ones only 11 each."
"Altogether, it's 208 Spirit Essence, but let's round it up to a total of 210 Spirit Essence; how about it?"
Upon hearing this, Shan Xionghai looked at Zhou Xun.
Zhou Xun nodded slightly.
"The price is quite fair, we'll sell!"
Shopkeeper Liu nodded and instructed Lan Song behind him:
"Store these materials in the warehouse!"
Then he counted 210 Spirit Essence and placed them on the table in front of Zhou Xun.
Lan Song looked at that pile of Spirit Essence like a small hill, then looked at Zhou Xun with envy in his eyes.
"Originally expelled Zhou Xun, coming back as a guest, made off with over two hundred Spirit Essence!"
Seeing Zhou Xun about to collect the Spirit Essence, Shopkeeper Liu chuckled and asked:
"We at Miaofu Pavilion have quite a few good treasures, would you two like to purchase one or two? Daoist Zhou is also an old acquaintance, I can give you a discount!"
Zhou Xun waved his hand at the offer:
"Thank you, Shopkeeper Liu, for your kindness, if there's a need in the future, I'll certainly bother you, farewell!"
After saying this, he pulled Shan Xionghai and left.
...
After being scolded by Shopkeeper Liu, Qian Xun felt full of resentment.
Ever since Wei Shangren had broken through to a Tier One Rune Master, he had been eagerly trying to curry favor with him, but to no avail.
Seeing Zhou Xun today was the perfect opportunity to pledge his loyalty.
"Qian Xun? What do you want?" Wei Shangren asked indifferently.
He held little regard for this person who was once familiar with Zhou Xun and was now trying to cozy up to himself.
"A sycophant who follows power!" was Wei Shangren's judgment of him.
"Rune Master Wei, guess who I ran into today?" Qian Xun slightly bent his body, with a sycophantic smile on his face.
"Who?" Wei Shangren was completely uninterested.
"Zhou Xun!"
Hearing these two words, Wei Shangren's eyes narrowed, and his expression changed as he asked:
"What is he doing at Miaofu Pavilion, does he want to return?"
"That's what I originally thought, but somehow he killed a nest of Golden Spirit Rats, and he's here to sell the Demon Beast materials!" Qian Xun gritted his teeth, with a hateful expression.
"Golden Spirit Rat materials? He's only at the Second Layer Qi Refining, where did he get such treasures?"
Wei Shangren frowned. Although Golden Spirit Rats aren't high-tier Demon Beasts, selling them for one or two Spirit Stones is certainly no problem.
'This way, even if the rent increases, he could still stay in the square for another year or two!'
"How would I dare deceive you? I saw Shopkeeper Liu very courteously bringing him into the inner chamber, it didn't look fake!" Qian Xun pounded his chest, repeatedly assuring.
"Do you know how much Spirit Essence he sold them for?"
"Lan Song was on duty in the inner chamber today; call him over and we'll find out."
"Quickly go!" Wei Shangren waved his hand.
Before long, Lan Song arrived.
"Greetings, Apprentice Wei!" Lan Song saluted, neither humble nor arrogant.
"You were on duty in the inner chamber today, so you must know about Zhou Xun selling Golden Spirit Rat materials. Tell me, how much Spirit Essence did he get in total, when did he leave, and where did he gather them?"
Wei Shangren's eyes were fixed on Lan Song, his tone carried an undeniable authority.
Hearing this, Lan Song shook his head:
"When he left and where he got them, I don't know, but he got a total of 210 Spirit Essence!"
After listening, a trace of disappointment flashed on Wei Shangren's face, and he waved his hand, dismissing Lan Song.
As soon as Lan Song left, he hurried to find his elder brother.
...
Some courtyard in the western wing of Miaofu Pavilion.
"Elder Brother, Zhou Xun unexpectedly found a nest of Golden Spirit Rats, sold them for over 200 Spirit Essence!"
As he walked in, Wei Shangren shouted, eyes filled with malice.
"Didn't you arrange for the Tribulation Cultivator to deal with him? How is he still alive?" A young man, wearing a blue robe and remarkably handsome, held a talisman pen and was drawing something.
This person was Wei Shangren's elder brother, the current rising star genius talisman master of Miaofu Pavilion—Wei Shangli.
"You managed to push him out of Miaofu Pavilion, that's a grudge that blocks one's path. If you don't kill the snake, it will surely bite. Didn't I teach you this principle? Have you forgotten?" Wei Shangli frowned slightly.
This younger brother of his was quite troublesome; previously, he used his reputation to bully colleagues at Miaofu Pavilion, and now he had gone further by driving out a servant who was favored by a steward under his name.
If it weren't for that steward having issues of his own, it wouldn't have been easy for him to handle.
In his dealings with people, he was diplomatic and made many friends. If it weren't for this younger brother, he would have even tried to pull in those servants.
Everyone in Miaofu Pavilion spoke well of Wei Shangli.
Although he wouldn't offend anyone easily, if he had no choice but to offend someone, he would make sure to eliminate them.
"Brother, you wouldn't know, but that steward of Luliu Lane, relying on being a Lin Family descendant, doesn't show any respect; Zhou Xun still lives in that house comfortably!"
"If only we Luo Family were still..."
"Second Brother, watch what you say!" Upon hearing the words Luo Family, Wei Shangli's face changed, immediately interrupting Wei Shangren.
This was the biggest secret of the Wei Brothers; they were originally surnamed Luo, direct descendants of the Spirit Talisman Luo Family, which was destroyed, leaving them to wander here.
The Spirit Talisman Luo Family was a cultivation clan that was not weaker than the Wu Family of Red Leaf Square, the family once produced a quasi-third tier talisman master.
"Elder Brother... I..." Wei Shangren was scared out of his wits, stammering.
"You shall not speak of those words again!" Wei Shangli said sternly, in a solemn tone of voice, chastising.
"Zhou Xun is just a small figure. Now, without the Hundred Talisman Pavilion, he poses no threat to us. There's no need to pay too much attention. Right now, Third Brother's matter is urgent!"
"Once Third Brother becomes an alchemy apprentice under Master Yun Ku, we can deal with him at any time!"
When Wei Shangli mentioned Zhou Xun's name, it was as if he was speaking of a dead person.
"Thank you, Elder Brother!" Wei Shangren hesitated for a moment before finally saying this.
...
At Luliu Lane, inside Zhou Xun's house.
After returning, Zhou Xun and Shan Xionghai divided the 210 Spirit Essence according to their agreed shares.
Zhou Xun received seventy Spirit Essence.
Looking at that pile of Spirit Essence in front of him, Zhou Xun sighed.
"Demon hunting surely is profitable! But the risks are quite high too!"
That day in the cave, he was almost ambushed by a young Golden Spirit Rat.
"I'm still more suited for steady cultivation!"
"But with this amount of Spirit Essence, I can purchase an Energy-Introducing Pill and try to break through to the Third-Layer Qi Refining!"
Now there's half a month left before the registration deadline, I must hurry.
"But for now, after a night of rest, I've recovered to my best state, it's time to try out the effect of the Spring Condensation Scripture!"