Chapter Ninety-Four: The Shop Left Behind by Xu Daoqing!
The so-called Nourishing Qi Pill was a special medicinal elixir found in the world of immortal cultivation. It was not meant for cultivators, but for ordinary mortals.
Its purpose was to allow a mortal to sense the spiritual energy of heaven and earth in a remarkably short time, thereby successfully beginning the path of qi refinement.
“How much do you think these four Nourishing Qi Pills are worth, fellow Daoist?”
A faint smile played at the corners of Shen Yan’s mouth. In Xu Daoqing’s memory, pills of this kind were worth dozens of times more than ordinary elixirs.
After a moment’s thought, Qian Muqing said, “Nourishing Qi Pills are things that cannot be bought even when one has money. What’s more, the ones in Senior’s possession are all of superior grade. If sold, each one would likely fetch around two hundred spirit stones.”
Hearing this, Shen Yan nodded in satisfaction.
To him, the Nourishing Qi Pills and all other pills were of no use whatsoever. Within the Divine Seal of the Heavenly Emperor, he possessed innate purple qi, and there was no need at all for him to rely on pills to raise his cultivation or heal his injuries.
As for magical implements and robes, he already had better ones. It was more sensible to sell these directly and exchange them for the spirit stones he needed most.
After calculating the value, Qian Muqing called someone to pack the items away properly. The look he gave Shen Yan also became somewhat more respectful.
It was not unheard of for someone to produce a large quantity of magical implements, pills, and talismans at once, though such people were few. But someone who could bring out four Nourishing Qi Pills in one breath was someone he had never seen before.
What was more, all four pills were of superior grade, clearly made by the same master alchemist. Could this person be an alchemist?
After some consideration, Qian Muqing decided that whether this fellow Daoist Shen Yan was himself an alchemist or had someone else behind him, he would make a point of befriending him.
After all, even if the other man was not an alchemist, with his Foundation Establishment cultivation alone, he already possessed a place of standing within the immortal city.
If he were an alchemist, that would be even better. By making his acquaintance today, if he had other pills in the future, there was no telling whether he might come again.
“Fellow Daoist Qian, this is my first time in Sea Charm City, so I intend to find lodging first before purchasing the things I need. I hope you will understand,” Shen Yan said with a smile, declining politely.
Upon hearing this, Qian Muqing immediately nodded and replied with a smile of his own, “It seems Senior plans to settle here. In that case, Qian will await your honored presence in a few days.”
Shen Yan cupped his hands and smiled. “Thank you for your understanding, fellow Daoist.”
Then, following the line of conversation, he asked, “Fellow Daoist Qian, may I ask where one goes in Sea Charm City to handle the rental of a cave dwelling?”
Qian Muqing pointed to the entrance of the Myriad Treasures Pavilion.
“Go out the door, turn left, and walk about a hundred paces. You’ll know it when you see it.”
Shen Yan thanked him again with a bow, and after chatting a few more words, he collected the materials and left the Myriad Treasures Pavilion.
He turned left and walked no more than a hundred paces before indeed seeing a glittering and magnificent pavilion. As soon as he entered, a cultivator at the first level of qi refinement came over and respectfully said, “Senior, are you here to rent a cave dwelling?”
Shen Yan nodded, looked at him, and asked, “Greetings, fellow Daoist. I have an ancestral deed for a property in Sea Charm City, but this deed is over a hundred years old. After my ancestor passed away, there were no cultivators in the family, so we were unable to enter Sea Charm City. Now that I have become a cultivator, I have come specially to ask about it.”
Upon hearing this, the other party immediately smiled slightly and said, “Rest assured, Senior. Sea Charm City was jointly built by the three great families. So long as the deed was indeed issued by the three great families, it matters not whether it is a hundred years old or even a thousand—we still recognize it.”
Cultivators lived far longer than mortals, so matters separated by decades or even a century were rare, but not unheard of.
Sea Charm City was built together by the three great families, and in order to preserve the city’s order, they would certainly not undermine its rules. The value of a deed was beyond question, but it was not worth the three families breaking their own regulations for it.
Hearing this, Shen Yan finally let out a breath of relief. However, he did not take out the deed immediately; instead, he asked, “How must I proceed to reclaim the cave dwelling that belongs to me?”
The cultivator at the first level of qi refinement was just about to speak when a woman’s voice suddenly came from inside the shop.
“Rest assured, Senior. Sea Charm City has its own rules. Please present the deed, and after it is recorded here, you may reclaim the cave dwelling.”
Shen Yan narrowed his eyes and looked over, yet he failed to notice at all how she had appeared.
Still, the Heavenly Emperor’s Divine Seal gave him no sense of danger, so clearly she bore no ill will.
“Greetings, fellow Daoist.”
Shen Yan lightly cupped his hands, stepped forward, and took out the deed. Curiously, he asked, “My name is Shen Yan. Is a case like mine common in Sea Charm City?”
The female cultivator glanced at him and gave an amused laugh. “Sea Charm City has nearly three thousand resident cultivators, and the flow of visitors is even more innumerable. It is only natural for deeds to change hands from time to time.”
She took the deed, flicked her hand, and sent out a streak of spiritual light. After examining it carefully, she said, “Fellow Daoist Shen, this deed is indeed authentic, signed by the three families of Sea Charm City. Please infuse your own true qi into this piece of jade, and you may reclaim your ancestor’s cave dwelling.”
Shen Yan had not expected matters to be so simple. Confirming that she meant no harm, he activated his true qi and poured it into the jade in the woman’s hand, then said, “Thank you for your trouble, fellow Daoist.”
“You are too kind, Fellow Daoist Shen.”
The female cultivator shook her head and set the jade back in its place. Suddenly, she froze, then looked at him in surprise and returned the deed to Shen Yan.
“Cave Dwelling Forty-Two in the Azure Cultivation District, or Shop One Hundred Sixty-Nine in Sea Charm City—you may choose one.”
Shen Yan was somewhat puzzled. “What do you mean by that, fellow Daoist?”
The female cultivator explained, “When your deed was originally issued, no address was fixed. It is a dual-use deed. You may choose either a cave dwelling or a shop, but only one of the two. You will need to weigh the matter carefully.”
So that was it.
Shen Yan had not expected the deed Xu Daoqing had left in the storage pouch to be anything so ordinary.
He thought for a moment, and finally decided, “Then I choose Shop One Hundred Sixty-Nine in Sea Charm City.”
He chose the shop rather than the cave dwelling for his own reasons. Although the spiritual energy in a cave dwelling was denser than in a shop, he himself possessed the Heavenly Emperor’s Divine Seal and did not place much demand on the richness of heaven and earth’s spiritual energy.
By contrast, a shop was more valuable. Since he was planning to refine pills, magical implements, and talismans, having a shop of his own would allow him to support himself as well.
“Please accept this jade talisman, fellow Daoist.”
After completing the formalities, the female cultivator took out a jade talisman and handed it to Shen Yan. She also reminded him, “This jade talisman is proof of your shop. In the future, when the law-enforcement cultivators of Sea Charm City come to collect the rent, you may present this talisman.”
Shen Yan nodded. “One hundred spirit stones a year, I understand.”
The shops in Sea Charm City originally belonged to the three great families that had built the city. Later, however, Xu Daoqing had purchased this deed, so the shop now naturally belonged to Shen Yan.
Even so, though the shop was his, Sea Charm City still collected spirit stones each year. That was one of the ways the three great families harvested from the itinerant cultivators.
“Since Fellow Daoist understands, I shan’t say more.”
The female cultivator nodded, then had the cultivator at the door bring a map of Sea Charm City and give it to Shen Yan, after which she courteously saw him out.