Chapter 16

The shopkeeper, with a smile, showed Lu Xiaoding the item in his hand, a warm and smooth jade pendant. "Esteemed guest, take a look at what I have here. It's a fine Soul-Warming Jade. As long as you wear it, I guarantee that your lost soul will gradually return."

Lu Xiaoding asked in confusion, "How do you know I've lost part of my soul? You don't seem to have high cultivation."

"Do I need to see it? The moment you walked in, all the soul-nourishing items in my shop started to react. It's clear that you're lacking a part of your soul. Just wear this jade pendant, and the missing part of your soul will return." The shopkeeper spread his hands wide, exaggerating. He could only guess that Lu Xiaoding was missing a part of her soul based on the reaction of the soul-nourishing items. If she were missing more, she would be a fool.

"Just one part of the soul." The effect was really poor. Lu Xiaoding was missing a lot of her soul, and she looked at the jade pendant with some regret. She couldn't tell how the items in the shop were reacting, nor could she sense any spirit in them; they were all ordinary items.

Anyone who dares to open a soul-nourishing shop must know something about these things. Otherwise, they wouldn't be able to detect someone with a missing soul passing by the shop, and they would lose a lot of business.

Although Lu Xiaoding looked like she had no cultivation, the Soul-Loss Mirror in her arms kept trembling, indicating that the little girl in front of her was missing a part of her soul. The soul-nourishing items wouldn't be sold to anyone else; the chances of selling to someone with a missing soul were much higher.

Lu Yaohang didn't think that Xiaoding's soul could be replenished with these items. Soul-nourishing items were too expensive. The few crystal fruits she had wouldn't even be enough to buy a piece of Soul-Warming Jade, let alone a whole one. So she pulled Xiaoding towards the door, "Let's go, we can't afford these things."

"Esteemed immortal, the items in my shop are not expensive. Even if you don't want the jade pendant, you can get a wooden ornament. It will still have some effect." Seeing a small cultivator appear, the shopkeeper became anxious. If he didn't sell something to a soul-losing person, what was the point of having a shop?

He quickly blocked Lu Yaohang, facing her cold expression with a smile, "Little immortal, my shop has soul-nourishing items of all grades. There must be something suitable for you."

"I said no, we can't afford it. Please move aside." Lu Yaohang's face was cold, and her eyes were filled with hostility. She hated these persistent people the most.

This person's attitude was really bad, definitely abusing that little girl every day. She was so small and carrying such a large cauldron. Not even willing to buy an item to nourish her soul, she clearly wasn't a good person.

Lu Yaohang's cold attitude was perfect for driving away salespeople. She pulled the curious Xiaoding and tried to leave. Before they reached the door, a voice suddenly came from behind her, "Buy it and throw it in the cauldron. These things are useful to me."

Senior!

He spoke again, and she thought he would be in a deep sleep for years after helping to kill the Wind Gold Horn Snake. Lu Yaohang thought the Wind Gold Horn Snake was killed by the senior, never considering that it might have been Xiaoding. After all, Xiaoding seemed like a clueless idiot.

"The quality is too poor. This small place doesn't have anything good. Fine, I won't be picky. Buy all the items in the shop." The senior spoke with a casual tone, as if he was buying a handful of rice.

Lu Yaohang didn't respond, as she was the only one there. If she were seen talking to herself about a senior, it would raise suspicion. So she calmly said to the shopkeeper, "I know it's hard for you to do business. Show me the cheapest items."

To ask for the cheapest items and still act so arrogant, the shopkeeper smiled and took a piece of black wood from the shelf, handing it over, "This is our cheapest Soul-Warming Wood, just ten crystal fruits. Don't look at its size; its quality is very high. It's a piece that fell off a large Soul-Warming Wood during transportation, not a piece of junk."

"Too expensive, something smaller." Ten crystal fruits were better off stolen, and Lu Yaohang directly asked for something smaller.

If Lu Xiaoding weren't really missing a part of her soul, the shopkeeper would have thought she was there to cause trouble. His lips twitched, and he turned to rummage through the counter, deciding to sell her a piece of wood scrap.

The senior was already cursing, and Lu Yaohang had never seen such an uncomposed expert. He cursed more fluently than she did. She could only pretend not to hear; otherwise, she wouldn't be able to afford a good piece of Soul-Warming Wood even if she sold it.

At this moment, Lu Xiaoding thought her senior sister was too stingy and pouted, "Senior sister, why don't we buy a bigger one?"

Finally, she asked. Lu Yaohang quickly explained, "Xiaoding, we don't have many crystal fruits right now. Once I buy a cultivation technique and become powerful, I can earn money. Then we can buy as many soul-nourishing items as we want. Why do it now? Spending money on cultivation is for a better future."

"Hmph, little girl, you talk big. I'll wait for you to get me soul-nourishing items. You're lucky today." The senior coldly hummed, understanding her explanation. Before his voice disappeared, he grumbled, "So poor!"

Lu Xiaoding, however, frowned and asked, "Senior sister, why are we so poor? Is there no way to earn a lot of money?"

"There is, the most profitable is alchemy." The shopkeeper finally found a piece of scrap and walked over. He wasn't just living in Luxing City; the clothes the two girls were wearing were the Yunjian Sect's medicine child uniforms.

It was well-known that the Yunjian Sect's alchemy skills were poor. Only cultivators above the Golden Core stage would refine some alchemy for personal use, and the medicine children would naturally be raised. Since they were always in contact with alchemy, it was not difficult for them to steal some during the refining process.

There were always Yunjian Sect disciples and attendants selling alchemy, but unfortunately, the quantity was too small, and the quality was not good.

"Alchemy can earn a lot of money!" Lu Xiaoding finally understood. This could be exchanged for crystal beans. In the sect, alchemy was distributed to disciples for free, and as a spirit, she never felt that alchemy was precious. Now knowing that alchemy could be exchanged for crystal beans, she felt it wasn't a big deal. As long as she refined some alchemy, she would have crystal beans.

The shopkeeper opened his palm, holding a piece of wood the size of a fingernail, and said, "This is the cheapest, just two crystal fruits, and it's yours."

"It looks like trash on the ground, ten crystal beans." Lu Yaohang glanced coldly and ruthlessly haggled.

Too greedy! If the shopkeeper hadn't opened for business today, he would have kicked them out long ago. He gritted his teeth and started haggling, while Lu Yaohang smiled coldly and ruthlessly pressed the price, starting a tug-of-war.

Lu Xiaoding watched them haggle, puzzled. It was just a small piece of wood; did they need to act as if they had a blood feud? After a cup of tea, they finally reached a deal just before they were about to fight.

"I thought you two would fight, the shopkeeper's face was green." Lu Xiaoding followed Lu Yaohang, looking back at the shopkeeper and quickly ran out of the shop.

Lu Yaohang smiled proudly, "This thing only cost nineteen crystal beans. How could I let him set the price? I've already put the wood in the cauldron, hoping it will be useful."

"Senior sister is really amazing." Lu Xiaoding couldn't haggle, so she could only admire.

After leaving the shop, they went to the place selling cultivation techniques and magical artifacts. The black iron swords in the sect were sturdy, but not suitable for women, not because they were heavy, but because they were too black and ugly, affecting their appearance.

With the cultivation technique given by the senior, Lu Yaohang only chose a technique to enhance her meridians, which could lay a good foundation for future cultivation. The sword techniques sold outside were ordinary, and it would be better to learn from Bai Zhen, as the Yunjian Sect's sword techniques were very strong.

Lu Xiaoding chose a spirit sword. As a spirit, she could sense which sword was better among those made of the same material. She picked a silver-threaded sword, which would be enough for Lu Yaohang to use until the Foundation Establishment stage, as long as it wasn't used to cut things randomly.

After buying the sword, they went to the apothecary to buy some low-grade spirit herbs, all cheap items. They planned to return to the mountain and have Lu Xiaoding refine them. They hoped to meet their own needs and still have some left to sell for money. Especially the bone-washing pills for Lu Yaohang, the main ingredient would be provided by Bai Zhen, but the other ingredients would have to be bought.

These would also cost a lot, and without earning crystal beans, they couldn't afford them. Being poor really meant they couldn't do anything!

Finally, they bought everything and were about to return. As they passed a bookstore, someone suddenly flew out of the shop and landed right in front of them.

A middle-aged man in elegant clothing walked out of the shop and stood at the door, rudely scolding the person on the ground, "Brat, you always come to my shop to read cultivation techniques for free, do you think I'm dead? Want to cultivate? Look at your own talent first. With just one meridian, you still dream of becoming a cultivator? A poor, dirty, and smelly person like you, staying in my shop affects my business. Get lost, and if you show up again, I won't be nice!"

Lu Xiaoding looked at the person on the ground, a boy about her age. Although his clothes were tattered, he wasn't very dirty. He lay on the ground for a while before sitting up, and he only wiped his mouth, not saying a word in response to the insults.

"Are you okay? Did you get hurt?" She squatted down and touched his shoulder, concerned.

The boy was startled, never expecting anyone to speak to him or touch him without hesitation. He suddenly looked up, surprised to see Lu Xiaoding.

Instantly, his face was revealed, and Lu Xiaoding was stunned.

It was a clear and refined face, but a scar ran across it, dividing the still somewhat childish face into two. The scar was long and about half an inch wide, indicating the severity of his injury.

Lu Xiaoding stared at his face, and the boy immediately lowered his head, not wanting anyone to see his scar. At worst, it would scare others, and at best, it would make them look at him with strange eyes and speak with disgust.