Chapter 66

Mei Xue walked around the flea market, roughly selecting three targets.

The first target was a three-legged cauldron he had used in the past. It could be considered a standard item used by the majority of pharmacists in the various seas and mountains. However, the fact that it was chosen by most pharmacists as their entry-level cauldron also indicated its stability.

The three-legged cauldron was characterized by its balanced and harmonious nature. Although it provided no bonuses in the refinement of spiritual medicines, it also did not cause any problems, making it the most suitable cauldron for beginners.

However, this three-legged cauldron had clearly been used for a long time, with some leftover medicinal residue still inside. It would take some time to deal with the impact of this residue on the cauldron, otherwise Mei Xue would have bought it immediately.

To be fair, if it weren't for the medicinal residue that could affect the refinement of spiritual medicines, this three-legged cauldron wouldn't be priced so low.

The second target was the one Mei Xue favored the most. It was a square cauldron suitable for both beginner and mid-level pharmacists. Its stability was even better than that of the three-legged cauldron, and it increased the chance of refining high-quality spiritual medicines by ten percent. It was a highly reputable and excellent fourth-grade cauldron that had been used by countless pharmacists.

However, what puzzled Mei Xue was that this cauldron had no residual medicinal residue, no damage on its body, and was in nearly ninety percent new condition. How could it be so cheap? The three-legged cauldron with residue was not even fifty percent new, yet this nearly ninety percent new square cauldron with almost no residue was priced the same.

There must be some issue with it. Mei Xue hesitated and did not choose it for the time being.

The last target was a cauldron that was already significantly damaged, clearly almost worn out. Due to the extensive damage, Mei Xue couldn't even identify what type of cauldron it was, but from the patterns, it was likely a sixth-grade or higher cauldron among the ordinary ninth-grade cauldrons.

If it weren't for the severe damage, this cauldron would not be priced so low. According to Mei Xue's estimation, this cauldron would probably be scrapped after another hundred uses, otherwise just selling the materials would be worth more than this price.

As for other cauldrons with similar prices, they were either of too low a grade or so severely damaged that they were almost unusable. This was the most common type of item in the flea market, where the price matched the quality.

If one wanted to buy a cauldron with excellent condition and quality, the best choice would be the Heavenly Craft Shop, which offered everything from one-pattern cauldrons for apprentices to the top-grade Nine-Dragon Cloud Pattern Cauldron. However, the prices were not cheap, and Mei Xue couldn't afford them.

After ruling out other options, Mei Xue began to seriously examine these three targets, completely unaware that a small tail had appeared behind him—a girl in a red immortal robe that caught the attention of the entire market.

First, Mei Xue squatted in front of the three-legged cauldron and carefully examined the patterns on the outside.

The patterns were neat and regular, with slight damage but no impact on use. It was clearly a qualified three-legged cauldron. The problem lay in the medicinal residue inside.

Mei Xue used his finger to scrape off a bit of the residue, smelled it, and his expression changed. He then lightly licked it.

The bitter and astringent taste, and the slight toxicity that almost numbed his tongue, left no doubt. This was a cauldron used to refine anesthetic medicines. However, it was clear that the refiner's skill was inadequate, leaving too much toxicity in the cauldron.

An anesthetic to alleviate pain, such as Ma Fei San, was a spiritual medicine that all pharmacists must learn to refine. It was moderately difficult and essential for stopping bleeding, relieving pain, and amputations.

However, the medicinal properties of this spiritual medicine were very potent, and a mistake in refinement could result in significant toxicity. Therefore, being able to refine a qualified Ma Fei San was always a challenge in the pharmacist's examination.

The pharmacist who used this three-legged cauldron to refine Ma Fei San clearly encountered this problem. After hundreds of failures, they likely abandoned this cauldron and chose a better one. This cauldron thus accumulated too much toxicity and impurities, which is why no one was interested in it.

Mei Xue knew how to remove the toxicity and impurities, but the method was more expensive than the cauldron itself. No wonder it couldn't be sold; this was the reason.

Knowing the fatal flaw of this three-legged cauldron, Mei Xue could only regretfully shake his head and give up on this first target.

The flea market vendor, who didn't make a sale, didn't mind. In fact, not selling it was normal, as he had bought it at a scrap price to trick novice pharmacist apprentices. Otherwise, how could one buy a third-grade three-legged cauldron at this price?

However, Mei Xue didn't know that as soon as he left, Xiao Liu immediately squatted in front of the three-legged cauldron, examining it curiously, trying to figure out what made it so special that Mei Xue had to touch and taste it.

Feeling the innocent big eyes of Xiao Liu and the gazes of all the market vendors, the flea market vendor felt immense pressure.

This was not a customer he, a small vendor, had the right to serve. Not to mention the red immortal robe, a single thread of which would bankrupt his entire family. It was a genuine immortal item, a rare treasure he could only dream of.

"Sir, are you interested in this cauldron?" After a while of trembling, the middle-aged vendor finally managed to say something coherent, sweating profusely.

"Yes, but I have no money," Xiao Liu said. She liked what Mei Xue liked, but having just come out of the Green Void, she was penniless. According to the common knowledge she learned from Mei Xue, goods in this world were traded using a currency called "Immortal Stones."

Immortal Stones were semi-transparent crystals, divided into four grades—basic, intermediate, advanced, and supreme—based on the amount of impurities. The exchange ratio was roughly one hundred to one, but due to their rarity, supreme Immortal Stones were not in circulation among ordinary people. Instead, they were strategic materials stored by the major forces in the various seas and mountains, used only for trading supreme heavenly treasures and refining super immortal treasures, and never exchanged for lower-grade Immortal Stones.

Legend had it that above the supreme grade, there was an even higher grade called "Immortal Crystal," but it seemed that all the Immortal Crystals in the various seas and mountains were used in the great immortal array to seal the Nine Nether Seeds, and had been completely extinct for thousands of years.

Unfortunately, even the lowest-grade Immortal Stones were not produced in the secret realm, which was a specialty formed by the nurturing of the various seas and mountains over millions of years. The secret realm races did not even have the concept of currency, mostly trading goods for goods. Even the ruler of the Green Void, Xiao Xiang, was no exception.

However, the secret realm races occasionally traded with humans, so similar immortal robes had appeared in the human world, with prices high enough to buy an entire mountain range. When the market vendors saw Xiao Liu's red immortal robe, they were almost blinded.

"No problem, no problem. Today, everything in my stall is a free gift. Miss, take whatever you like, all for free!" Just being able to closely admire this rare immortal robe made the middle-aged vendor feel elated, and he didn't dare to ask for money from this immortal lady.

This was a treasure he had no right to touch in his entire life. Didn't he see the envious and jealous looks from his friends? The junk on his stall wasn't worth a few Immortal Stones, and being chosen by this immortal lady was a blessing of a thousand lifetimes.

"Then I'll take this one." Xiao Liu happily picked up the three-legged cauldron that Mei Xue had deemed useless and left, leaving the vendor with a satisfied smile.

"Ha ha, from today on, I can say that I've sold a treasure to an immortal lady. Look at that, the aura, the robe, tsk tsk, truly the style of an immortal sect." The vendor who gave away the cauldron for free raised his head and chest, beaming with pride, almost shouting out loud.

"You're so lucky, why didn't my stall have anything the immortal lady wanted? I'd give it all away for free!" The vendors next to him were envious, and they would have given everything away for free if the immortal lady wanted it. What were a few pieces of junk worth?

At this moment, Mei Xue was examining the second target.

Among the three targets, this was the newest and highest-quality cauldron. The square cauldron was exquisitely and grandly crafted, and it didn't seem like something that should be on a flea market stall.

This quality was worthy of being displayed on the counter of the Heavenly Craft Shop, with a price tag that Mei Xue couldn't afford, waiting for pharmacists of various races to choose. What situation could have led to such a good item being sold at such a low price?

Following the same procedure, Mei Xue first examined the exterior of the square cauldron. The exquisite craftsmanship was flawless, and the patterns had a grand and masterful air, not like a mass-produced item but more like a masterpiece crafted by a renowned artisan.

Examining the inside, the residual medicinal residue was negligible, and it seemed the user had used this square cauldron fewer than fifty times. A slight cleaning would make it as good as new.

However, precisely because of this, Mei Xue was even more suspicious about the square cauldron. The less problems he found, the more serious the problem must be. Such a clear bargain was unlikely to appear in a flea market. Don't underestimate the eyes of these cunning merchants; if it were a genuine good item, they would have snapped it up for themselves and wouldn't have left it on the stall.

"What's the problem with this cauldron?" Mei Xue didn't waste time and directly asked the old man selling the cauldron.

"This cauldron..." The old man squinted, looking at Mei Xue with a half-smile.

"You're interested in this cauldron?" The old man pointed to the square cauldron that Mei Xue had chosen and tapped it.

The square cauldron emitted a pleasant and clear sound, indicating that its quality was impeccable, even better than Mei Xue had imagined.