Chapter 9: This Matter is Very Strange

Halfway on the way back, Xie Siniang looked around and saw that no one was spying on them. With a strange expression, she asked, “Xiao Jiu, what did those two mean by deliberately causing such a scene?”

“It’s a gesture of protection, I guess.” Xie Jiuniang’s mood was quite complicated.

Xie Haozhi and Xie Yue had stepped in to intervene. One declared that anyone who dared to snatch the pill could tell him, while the other stated that she would buy it at a high price, ensuring fair competition.

This was to prevent others from using underhanded methods.

It made the matter of the Foundation Establishment Pill settle down almost entirely before it could even stir up waves.

Xie Jiuniang’s soul wasn’t a child’s. She naturally saw through the underlying intention of protection behind their actions, which was a good thing for her current weak self.

She owed them a favor today.

Xie Jiuniang and Xie Siniang parted ways and went back to their respective homes.

---

Back home, Xie Jiuniang immediately activated the formation and happily started counting today’s harvest.

Today was a big profit!

Just the spirit stones alone amounted to twenty thousand, transforming her from a penniless pauper with only four spirit stones to a petite rich lady in one leap.

There was a pile of other miscellaneous items, all used to make up the difference when spirit stones were insufficient for payment.

More than ninety percent were first-grade spiritual plants, talismans, beast blood, beast bones, and ore materials.

The remaining ten percent were blank formation disks and a thick stack of over a thousand blank talisman papers.

After tallying it all up, Xie Jiuniang just wanted to roll her eyes.  

Were the Xie family descendants all shrewd nowadays? They were all somewhat valuable but ordinary items that wouldn’t fetch much if resold. She could only use them all for practice. Having finished products would make them easier to sell.

Having spent two centuries in a major sect, she had been exposed to the four arts of cultivation: alchemy, tool crafting, formations, and talismans.^[1]The four arts of cultivation: alchemy (concocting pills), tool crafting/refinement (forging magical weapons and tools), formations (creating magical arrays), and talismans (drawing magical symbols).

In her previous life, without the pressure of resources, her motivation was slightly lacking, and she learned the four arts to an average level. Among them, the one she learned best was tool refinement, and that was because cultivators needed to forge their personal Daoist tool in the Golden Core stage, so she studied it seriously. Even so, before her death, she had only barely reached the level of a third-grade artificer.  

The other three arts had hovered around first or second grade, but it was enough for the Qi Refining stage!  

Since she would be putting these miscellaneous items to use, many things still needed to be prepared. For example, crafting talismans required talisman brushes, talisman paper, cinnabar, and beast blood. Currently she only had talisman paper and beast blood, so she still needed to purchase talisman brushes and cinnabar. And how could alchemy be done without a cauldron? Tool refinement and formation engraving also required a set of specialized implements.  

As for the earth fire used for alchemy or tool refinement, there were places outside that specifically rented them out.

It wasn’t that the clan didn’t have free earth fire rooms available, but Xie Jiuniang didn’t dare to go.

Otherwise, if a child who had been ordinary for the past few years suddenly knew how to concoct pills and craft tools, wouldn’t it be clearly suspicious? The clan experts would most likely suspect her of being possessed, and her soul would unavoidably be examined again and again. At that time, the secret of her rebirth would be hard to hide even if she wanted to.

Before she became powerful herself, it was better to develop in a low-key manner.

Xie Jiuniang went into seclusion again. Except for the maidservant delivering one meal a day, she didn’t go out for seven or eight days in a row.

The few persistent people who had their eye on Xie Jiuniang’s Foundation Establishment Pill could only give up.

Besides, Xie Ying had emerged from seclusion.

There were rumors spreading within the clan, saying that Xie Ying’s spiritual root had undergone a mutation, changing from a dual spiritual root to a fire heavenly spiritual root, and her cultivation had reached the ninth level of Qi Refining.

A heavenly spiritual root!

After hundreds of years, a single spiritual root had finally appeared in the Xie family again!

Xie Ying’s matter attracted a lot of attention. Who would think of the minor character Xie Jiuniang at this time?

No matter how the outside world gossiped, it didn’t affect the person in seclusion.

Xie Jiuniang cultivated on one hand, consolidating her cultivation, and studied the Time Leaf on the other hand.

At the fifth level of Qi Refining, she could foresee seven breaths and perform time rewind by three quarters of an hour.

Xie Jiuniang didn’t alert anyone after coming out of seclusion. Using the method she learned in her previous life, she disguised her appearance and changed into a set of boy’s clothes. As if undergoing a great transformation, she became an ordinary young lad and calmly walked out of the Xie estate.

She first went outside and bought everything on her shopping list. It cost a total of 8,000 spirit stones, mainly because the cauldrons for alchemy and tool crafting weren’t cheap, plus the various tools needed for engraving formations.

It pained her quite a bit, but to make money with money, initial investment was unavoidable.

Next, she went to a place called Danqi Pavilion and rented an earth fire room.

It wasn’t until three days later that Xie Jiuniang came out of it.

Those ordinary spiritual plants had all been refined by her into several kinds of commonly seen pills on the market, such as Qi Guiding Pills, Rejuvenation Pills, and Qi Nourishing Pills, as well as a small amount of Qi Nurturing Pills. The remaining low-grade spiritual plants were made into Hemostatic Powder.

Furthermore, the beast bones and ores, after being refined, were forged into bone knives and magic swords.

When she returned home next time, she could craft talismans with the talisman brush and cinnabar. The dozen or so blank formation disks could also be engraved with basic formations.

In her previous life, formations had been her worst subject. She studied for more than a year but only learned the basic defensive and spiritual gathering formation.

She returned the rented earth fire room’s key at the counter. Just as she was about to leave, she suddenly saw an arrogant-looking youth stride in from outside.

The youth had a handsome face, a valiant bearing, and sharp phoenix eyes. That vermilion Daoist robe embroidered with dazzling golden lotus borders made his entire person seem unbridled and flamboyant. Following behind him was an old man with a restrained aura, obviously a powerful Dao Protector.^[2]Dao Protector: A powerful cultivator who serves as a guardian and protector for a sect or individual.

Xie Jiuniang inconspicuously turned around with her back to them.

Minghua^[3]Radiant Splendor Sect’s Wu Yu?

This person was the personal disciple of Minghua Sect’s Daoist Master Yuan Hua, a figure in the top ten of the Genius Rankings. He was a ruthless character who could kill without spilling blood. Rumor had it that he once crippled all the disciples of an enemy sect of the Minghua Sect in a secret training realm.

Yes, crippled, not killed.

Had this person come to Yunmu City in her previous life?

After entering the Danqi^[4]Elixir and Artifact Pavilion, Wu Yu was personally received by the shopkeeper and went directly to the second floor.

Xie Jiuniang didn’t go to eavesdrop on the other party’s whereabouts like a reckless person. She maintained an air of nonchalance and walked out of Danqi Pavilion.

She walked alone on the streets, surrounded by the shouts of many small vendors hawking their wares.

With the constant coming and going of people, it seemed a bit more prosperous than in her memory.

Passing by a steamed bun shop, she even spent a dozen spirit beads to buy two spiritual vegetarian buns.

Eating, watching, and strolling all at the same time.

As she passed by the largest restaurant in the city, the Immortal’s Abode, Xie Jiuniang suddenly paused.

By the window on the second floor, a young man wearing a hood was sitting sideways, seemingly conversing with someone.

Lin Wangchen?

Xie Jiuniang recognized him at a glance.

It had been a month since Lin Wangchen’s visit to the Xie family.

A month had passed, and he still hadn’t left Yunmu City? According to him, this trip was for experience, he was merely passing by Yunmu City and incidentally delivered some things for Xie Haoran. Normally, he should have left long ago.

However, he was still in the city now and even wearing a hood, obviously not wanting people to know.

This matter was very strange.

Xie Jiuniang took another gloomy look at the second floor.

She saw Lin Wangchen get up and leave, his figure vanishing from the window. Then, the figure of another man flashed past the window.

Xie Jiuniang thought for a moment and entered the Immortal’s Abode. There were some diners in the main hall.

“Dear customer, welcome to the Immortal’s Abode.” The waiter greeted her with a smile.

“Open a private room on the second floor for this young master,” Xie Jiuniang said indifferently. 

The waiter said apologetically, “Sorry, young master, there are no available private rooms on the second floor at the moment. Would you like to…”

Just at this moment, the door of a private room on the second floor opened, and Lin Wangchen walked out from inside.

Following him out of the private room was a man with grizzled hair.

Xie Jiuniang raised her delicate brows and said, “Isn’t there one now?”

With that, she walked towards the second floor, brushing past Lin Wangchen and the other man at the bottom of the stairs.