"What about this Storage Bag?"
Xu Chang'an asked, pointing to a bag made of mottled animal hide.
"Twenty Demon Stones."
The Black Sheep Spirit said.
Seeing Xu Chang'an's interest, it added,
"The space inside is one zhang square. You can put anything in it except living creatures.
With it by your side, you can carry all sorts of items with you when you're out and about."
Perhaps considering Xu Chang'an's size, it continued,
"The bag can be shrunk. At its smallest, it should be less than half its current size."
Xu Chang'an nodded slightly.
'Twenty Demon Stones. That's within my budget.'
He immediately picked up the Storage Bag to inspect it and found no flaws; it was in relatively good condition.
The bag did indeed shrink, just as the Black Sheep Spirit had claimed.
"Twenty Demon Stones is too expensive. Can you give me a discount?"
The Black Sheep Spirit smiled. 'He's willing to haggle. Looks like I have a sale.'
It showed no impatience and started to chat with Xu Chang'an.
In the end, for twenty Demon Stones, Xu Chang'an purchased one Storage Bag plus two entry-level Defense Demon Talismans.
Entry-level Defense Demon Talismans had limited defensive capabilities.
But it was better than nothing!
Xu Chang'an didn't mind.
With the Storage Bag purchased, the only thing left was a Magical Artifact.
Clutching his remaining thirty-one Demon Stones, Xu Chang'an continued to browse.
He visited a dozen or so wooden huts in a row, but couldn't find anything suitable. Either a hut had no Magical Artifacts for sale, what they had didn't meet his expectations, or the price was too high.
'Maybe I should check out the stone pavilions over there!'
After a moment's thought, Xu Chang'an headed toward the stone pavilions.
Many Elders had come to this trade gathering, seven or eight in total.
Among them, of course, was Langlang Mountain's own young miss, Jin Ling'Er.
Far fewer Demons were browsing at the stone pavilions—only about twenty or so.
After all, not everyone had the financial means to shop here.
At every pavilion he entered, Xu Chang'an offered a polite greeting.
Unfortunately, after visiting several, he still hadn't found anything.
It wasn't that they didn't have Magical Artifacts. It was just that...
The prices were too high!
One Elder even brought out a Middle-grade Magical Artifact for trade, sparking a bidding war among many Vanguards and Standard-Bearer Demons.
"Greetings, Elder."
Xu Chang'an said respectfully.
The woman before him had a gentle temperament and skin as white as snow. She nodded slightly.
Who else on Langlang Mountain liked to use Illusory Transformation to appear as a Human Race woman, other than the young miss, Jin Ling'Er?
Elixirs, Demon Talismans, Array Flags, Magical Artifacts...
Jin Ling'Er's stall was certainly well-stocked.
She had four or five Magical Artifacts on display for sale alone, a clear sign of her substantial resources.
"How much for this set of Golden Needles?"
Xu Chang'an asked, pointing to a Golden Needle Magical Artifact that came as a set of nine.
"It's a complete set of Low-grade Magical Artifacts, considered a fine example of its class. The price is eighty Demon Stones."
Jin Ling'Er's voice was crisp and clear, like the song of a lark.
Then again, she was originally a Canary Spirit.
So the description wasn't exactly apt.
Xu Chang'an was taken aback. 'Eighty Demon Stones… that's so expensive!'
At his current stipend, it would take him a full eight years of not eating or drinking to save up enough Demon Stones.
But he had only asked casually. The Magical Artifact he was truly interested in was a Steel Fork to the side.
This Steel Fork was much smaller than an ordinary one.
"What about this one?"
Xu Chang'an said, pointing.
"This Magical Artifact was specifically crafted for smaller members of the Demon Race.
The Refining technique is quite good, but the materials used are slightly lacking.
If you sincerely want it, you can have it for thirty Demon Stones."
Jin Ling'Er, it turned out, was surprisingly approachable.
She didn't try to hype up the Magical Artifact for sale, speaking of it objectively.
'Thirty Demon Stones!'
'Perfect!'
After picking up the Magical Artifact for a brief inspection and finding nothing wrong, he immediately took out the Demon Stones and said,
"I'll take this Magical Artifact."
Having made a sale, Jin Ling'Er was in a good mood.
She sized up the little rat before her, surprised that a demon with a mere Qi Refining Second Layer Cultivation had such financial resources.
But after looking at his Demon Token, she understood.
'A Demon from the Alchemy Hall, no wonder!'
Xu Chang'an took the Magical Artifact, bid his farewell, and walked out of the stone pavilion.
Having acquired both an Attacking Magical Artifact and a Storage Bag, his goals for the trade gathering were accomplished.
Xu Chang'an didn't linger. Since he had taken the afternoon off, he didn't need to return to the Alchemy Hall.
Instead, he chose to return directly to his cave to properly refine his newly acquired Magical Artifact and Storage Bag.
...
Time flew by. Spring passed and autumn came; another year had gone.
In that year, Xu Chang'an was successfully certified as an entry-level Alchemist, and both his treatment and stipend increased.
With this status, although his outwardly displayed Cultivation was only at the Qi Refining Second Layer, his standing was no lower than that of an ordinary Demon Little Flag.
Just three months ago, the Black Bear Demon, Xiong Da, had made a special trip to find him.
"Grey Rat, I got a letter from our old compatriot from Cyan Mountain, the Yellow Wasp Spirit."
"He says he wants to get everyone together at Yellow Wasp Mountain to rekindle our old friendship."
Hearing Xiong Da's words, Xu Chang'an couldn't help but recall a scene from the past.
"Everyone, is anyone interested in finding a mountain with me, to claim it and become its master?"
As they were leaving the Red Cloud Mountain Gate, a Yellow Wasp Spirit had stopped them.
'So he really did go and make himself a mountain king!'
Xu Chang'an gave a slight smile.
The several months they had spent traveling from Cyan Mountain to Red Cloud Mountain had given these Little Demons a shared memory.
They were all Cyan Mountain Demons. Some had joined Red Cloud Mountain, some had joined other mountains big and small, some had established themselves as kings, and some had become Independent Cultivator Demons...
Each had their own destiny and fortune. Having traveled together back then, they shared a karmic bond in their search for the Path.
In that case...
He just wondered, of the dozen or so Cyan Mountain Demons from back then, how many would be able to reunite...
How many were even left?!
Xiong Da was incredibly enthusiastic about the reunion.
Now, with his Qi Refining Fourth Layer Cultivation, he also possessed a number of assets like Magical Artifacts and Demon Talismans.
He was on a completely different level compared to before.
Naturally, he was keen on showing off.
As the saying goes, "To gain wealth and not return home is like wearing embroidered clothes in the dead of night."
Although this reunion wasn't exactly a homecoming, the principle was the same.
Xu Chang'an, on the other hand, had no desire to show off, but he thought a trip out would be a good thing.
Whether to get rid of the private stash of Elixirs he had accumulated over the years, or to purchase Qi Replenishing Pills suitable for Energy accumulation, he needed to leave Langlang Mountain for a while and find a suitable opportunity.
A reunion with his old compatriots was a rather suitable excuse.
Xu Chang'an had already reported to the Alchemy Hall that he would be leaving Langlang Mountain to attend the hometown reunion.
The Alchemy Hall approved a three-month leave of absence, for which the corresponding stipend would be deducted.
In fact, if not for Xu Chang'an having been with Langlang Mountain for seven years, plus his status as an entry-level Alchemist in the Alchemy Hall, Langlang Mountain would never have approved his request for leave.
However, Xu Chang'an had been at the mountain long enough and held a respected position, so Langlang Mountain had at least that much trust in him.
It was more or less the same for Xiong Da.
He was a genuine Little Flag of Langlang Mountain, capable of holding his own, and was respectfully called Instructor Xiong by many Little Demons.
'I'll be leaving the mountain in the next few days. I should take stock of my accumulations and resources.'
'And the main purpose of this trip is to purchase Qi Replenishing Pills. Cultivating with my Bloodline's aptitude is just too sluggish.'