The clerk looked at Zhou Shu and said respectfully, "According to the rules of Sanyuanzhai, Master Zhou has commissioned us to make talisman ink. We'll take one out of three of the ink, or we'll sell you half of the talismans drawn with the ink. Don't worry about the price; we won't let you suffer a loss."
"Haha, Shopkeeper Hua is doing a good job, and you're not bad either."
Zhou Shu smiled. The conditions were a bit harsh, but not without reason. After all, good ink makers are hard to find, and making talisman ink requires more than just one ingredient; various auxiliary materials are also needed.
The clerk bowed in silence, feeling a little uneasy.
Zhou Shu pondered for a moment, then smiled. "Okay, the second one, I agree. But what kind of talisman it is, we'll see when the time comes."
"Thank you, Master Zhou!"
The clerk bowed repeatedly, overjoyed. This time, he had made a profit again.
"Master Zhou, you truly are my lucky star and god of wealth!" the words were on his lips, almost shouting them out.
Zhou Shu said calmly, "I'll come back in five days. Goodbye."
The waiter rejoiced for a moment, then seemed to remember something. "Mr. Zhou, wait a minute."
"What's that?"
"I heard there's a group of cultivators around the market who appear and disappear mysteriously, specifically targeting independent cultivators. Rumor has it they're trying to create some unholy technique. Mr. Zhou, it's best not to leave the market, lest..."
"Oh, thank you."
Zhou Shu pondered for a moment, then nodded gently.
Targeting independent cultivators to create unholy techniques?
Zhou Shu had read about this before in ancient texts. Some evil techniques did require the flesh and blood of humans, or even cultivators.
It seemed he'd have to stay out of the market less recently.
However, since they were specifically targeting independent cultivators and didn't dare to provoke a sect, they probably weren't some formidable force.
Zhou Shu thought for a moment and continued on his way to the market.
He also needed to find a materials store to sell the python eye and buy some materials needed to process the demon pill.
The rare Golden Ring Kui Python Demon Pill, described in a Wuwang Sect tome, contained a special method for processing it. It didn't require a master alchemist to refine it, yet it could yield significant benefits, boosting both cultivation and physical strength.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have risked a mission with Yan Yue,
a man he barely knew. However, after the mission, the two became acquainted.
Zhou Shu walked around and entered a demon beast material shop called "Tianbaofang."
Upon entering, he said directly, "Sir, I'd like to sell you some demon beast materials."
A gray-clad Qi Refining Realm clerk greeted him with a smile. "Yes, sir."
Looking around, the place was quite spacious, with processed demon beast materials displayed everywhere, mostly furs and bones. They appeared to be mostly first-level cultivators, bustling with activity, buying and selling.
"What would you like to sell, sir?" "
The eye of a Golden Ring Kui Python." Zhou Shu took out a jade box and gently placed it on the counter.
The clerk was startled. He didn't take the jade box, but instead studied Zhou Shu for a long moment. He raised his eyes and said, "Young sir, are you sure this is the eye of a Golden Ring Kui Python? Let me be clear: trying to pass off inferior goods as genuine ones won't work in our Tianbao Shop."
A glint of suspicion lingered in his eyes, clearly distrusting Zhou Shu's cultivation level. How could a cultivator at the first level of the Qi Refining Realm possess the eye of a second-tier demon beast, a Golden Ring Kui Python? It was likely the eye of an ordinary beast, likely trying to get away with it; he'd seen that happen plenty of times.
Ignoring the clerk's gaze, Zhou Shu said calmly, "Take a look first, then speak."
The clerk glanced at Zhou Shu for a few moments, then took the jade box with suspicion. He examined it closely for a moment, his expression growing increasingly surprised.
If it were just the eye of an ordinary beast, he wouldn't be surprised; it matched the patron's cultivation level, proving his suspicion correct. But the python eye in the jade box, shimmering like a pearl, shimmered with a vibrant spiritual energy, clearly not the property of a first-tier demon beast.
He was quite shocked to find it was actually from a second-level demon beast. However, he couldn't be sure it was the eye of a golden-ringed Kui python.
"Please wait a moment, sir. The shopkeeper is not here. I'll go ask the master to come and appraise it."
The clerk put down the jade box, his attitude much more respectful, and hurried to the back hall.
After a while, he ran back and said apologetically, "The master is processing some urgently needed materials. I'm afraid it will take a while. Please have a cup of tea and wait a moment."
Zhou Shu thought for a moment and thought, "Why not bring the things in for the master to appraise? I can also take a look, okay?"
Decomposing and processing demon beast materials is also a science. He had read many books, but had never experienced it personally, so he was a little curious.
"Okay, sir, please come this way."
This was no secret. The clerk nodded and led Zhou Shu to the back.
Upon entering the door, Zhou Shu was slightly startled, quite surprised.
The scene before him was a veritable forest of corpses, strewn with the carcasses of demonic beasts. There were at least dozens of them, of varying sizes, piled haphazardly in piles, resembling small hills.
Yet, amidst these numerous bodies, only one master was processing the materials.
The master appeared to be in his early thirties, with a lean build and a solemn expression reminiscent of an ancient man, perhaps at the fifth level of the Qi Refining Realm.
He was dressed in a white robe, wielding a thin-bladed silver knife. He moved among the demonic beasts with fluid, swift movements. With a single movement, a Black Wind Panther carcass was dissected into seven or eight different ingredients, neatly arranged in rows, without a trace of mixing.
Like the butcher Ding of ancient times, he handled the process with ease.
He then sheathed his knife and stood, his white robe as white as snow, unstained by a single trace of blood.
The master glanced at Zhou Shu and the waiter, understanding what he meant. He slowly said, "Is this the guest who wants to identify the materials? Since you are here, please bring it over for us to see."
Zhou Shu nodded slightly, handed over the jade box, and smiled slightly. "May I ask your name, Master? Your skills just now are so superb that I was astonished. It's just ordinary material processing, but it looks like art. It's really admirable."
"Oh, thank you for the compliment, guest. I am Gao Chen. It's just a habit, not a skill."
Gao Chen waved his hand casually, took the jade box, and examined it carefully, saying nothing more.
The clerk looked at Gao Chen expectantly. If it turned out to be the eye of a golden-ringed Kui Python, he would take it at all costs. Such material would surely satisfy the shopkeeper.
Zhou Shu didn't look at it any longer, figuring that such a man wouldn't lie. He smiled and walked aside, looking through the processed materials.
As he looked, he marveled inwardly. Compared to Yan Yue's previous method of handling the golden-ringed Kui Python, Gao Chen's treatment was clearly far more sophisticated.
Everything useful was sorted, with very little wasted. Even the difficult-to-process demonic tendons were picked out one by one, the smallest one thinner than a hair.
Zhou Shu thought to himself that if Gao Chen were to handle the golden-ringed Kui Python, the amount of materials he would get would be 20% more than what he had already obtained.
He also wanted to learn such a skill.
Gao Chen put down the jade box, pondered for a moment, and then slowly said, "These two eyeballs are indeed from the second-level monster Golden Ring Kui Python. The body is already very mature, close to being promoted to the third level. They are rare, and even rarer is that they are intact, as if they were taken from the monster alive. It is said that the Golden Ring Kui Python's weakness is its eyes. Most cultivators who encounter it directly attack its eyes. It seems that the cultivator who can subdue the Golden Ring Kui Python with both eyes intact..."
At this point, he seemed to realize something and stopped talking.
The man's eyes lit up, and he stared at the jade box excitedly, unable to move his eyes away for a long time.
Zhou Shu was quite surprised. Just from a pair of python eyes, Gao Chen could determine so many conclusions. It was really not easy.
Qingxia Market was indeed full of talented people.