Chapter 15

When Meng Hao said this, the big man’s body immediately stiffened. Not just him, even the surrounding crowd took several steps back when they heard these words. The looks they gave Meng Hao were even more fearful.

"Bu… buy some…" Cao Yang said, trembling. His voice was weak, and if not for Meng Hao supporting him, he would have fallen over immediately.

"One pill for one spirit stone, no cheating, Brother, rest assured. I won’t take advantage of the situation to raise prices. Ask the surrounding senior brothers, my Alchemy Nourishment Shop branch has a great reputation." Meng Hao’s expression was amiable as he took out more than ten Stagnant Qi Pills from his pocket.

Seeing so many pills, Cao Yang’s face became even paler. Looking at Meng Hao’s amiable expression, he felt a chill run down his back, his heart trembling with fear. He gritted his teeth and bought them.

"Brother, you really know how to pick. These are all genuine products from the Alchemy Nourishment Shop." As Meng Hao spoke, he took out a few more Blood Stanching Pills from his storage and held them in his hand.

Seeing Meng Hao take out more pills, Cao Yang was startled. He looked at Meng Hao’s storage bag, feeling bitter and sorrowful. Looking at Meng Hao’s face, which was full of concern for him, Cao Yang wasn’t stupid and naturally understood what Meng Hao meant. His heart ached, but life was more important. Reluctantly, he took out spirit stones from his storage and handed them to Meng Hao with a look of reluctance.

Meng Hao took the spirit stones, smiled slightly, and placed the pills one by one into Cao Yang’s hand. After several rounds, the spirit stones in Cao Yang’s storage bag had all turned into a pile of pills in his hand.

Cao Yang’s heart ached even more, and the flesh on his face trembled from the pain.

However, when he looked at Meng Hao again, Meng Hao still held five pills in his hand, and Cao Yang felt a sense of despair.

"The previous pills are enough to heal your injuries. These five Nourishing Qi Pills are for you to use after your injuries improve." Meng Hao’s face still showed concern as he looked at Cao Yang.

"I’m out, really out." Cao Yang, looking at Meng Hao who was holding him, was almost in tears.

Meng Hao didn’t speak, still maintaining his amiable expression, but it made Cao Yang’s scalp tingle. Despite the pain, he gritted his teeth and took out a few magical treasures, including a flying sword, a magic staff, and a few Spirit Condensation Pills.

"I really have no more spirit stones. I only have these things." Cao Yang said, feeling utterly heartbroken.

"Magical treasures are fine too." Meng Hao directly swept away the items Cao Yang had taken out and put them into his storage bag.

A moment later, Cao Yang, with a face full of sorrow, held a large number of miscellaneous pills and was helped away.

Meng Hao patted his storage bag, feeling satisfied. It was only noon, and he had already sold almost everything. He thought to himself that he shouldn’t push his luck, so he decided to stop while he was ahead. He put away his banner, greeted the surrounding cultivators, and said he would see them tomorrow, a statement that made their scalps tingle. He then strode out of Flathead Mountain.

Half a month passed, and during this time, Meng Hao’s reputation among the lower disciples soared. Almost all the lower disciples knew that a branch of the Alchemy Nourishment Shop had appeared on Flathead Mountain.

This shop sold various miscellaneous pills, and its owner was a cultivator of astonishing cultivation, already hailed as being on par with Lu Hong, at the peak of Flathead Mountain.

More widely known was that the owner of this shop, who looked like a weak scholar, actually had a very irritable temper. Such rumors gradually spread.

One afternoon, Cao Yang, pale-faced, walked out of his residence. Although his complexion was poor, his injuries had healed. Cao Yang couldn’t help but secretly hate Meng Hao for selling him the pills at a high price, but they indeed worked as he had said, perfectly healing his injuries.

He had lain in bed for half a month and could only move freely recently. Now, his expression showed hesitation, as if he was uncertain. After a long time, he gritted his teeth and slowly walked forward. After a short walk within the outer sect, he arrived at an area with few houses and headed straight for the house on the far right.

"Cao Yang requests to see Senior Brother Lu." Cao Yang bowed outside the house.

Inside the house, a man in his thirties sat cross-legged. He wore a green robe, and though not particularly handsome, he had a proud demeanor. His closed eyes opened slightly, revealing a sharp gaze.

"What is it?" Senior Brother Lu said indifferently.

"Senior Brother Lu, I… I was robbed a few days ago." Cao Yang quickly said, feeling very anxious. Although others said he and Senior Brother Lu were cousins, he knew that while they were indeed cousins, Lu had no real familial affection for him. Lu often secluded himself in meditation and paid no attention to him.

Now, unable to swallow his anger, he had come to seek help.

Hearing this, Senior Brother Lu’s expression showed a hint of impatience, and he said indifferently, "Who robbed you?"

"It was an outer sect disciple named Meng Hao." Cao Yang hurriedly said.

"Meng Hao?" Senior Brother Lu thought for a moment, recalling the figure who had given Drought Spirit Pills to Senior Sister Xu a few months ago.

"Yes, that’s him. Now he’s idle and has opened a general store on Flathead Mountain, selling miscellaneous pills to fellow disciples who are fiercely battling, making huge profits." Cao Yang said with resentment.

"Selling pills?" Senior Brother Lu frowned, but his eyes flashed with a sharp light.

"Yes, he’s now very famous among the lower disciples. He opened a general store on Flathead Mountain, selling miscellaneous pills, forcing people to buy them. As fellow disciples, his actions have caused widespread resentment, and everyone is ashamed to associate with him. Please, Senior Brother Lu, uphold justice." Cao Yang said indignantly, recalling his own miserable experience.

Senior Brother Lu didn’t pay much attention to Cao Yang’s words, but his eyes grew brighter.

"At my level of cultivation, robbing lower disciples would be beneath me. I’ve been in the Relying Mountain Sect for so long, why didn’t I think of this method? Opening a general store and selling pills…" Senior Brother Lu took a deep breath, slapped his thigh, and thought to himself.

Cao Yang was stunned. He vaguely heard a slap from inside the house but didn’t dare ask. He was then dismissed by Senior Brother Lu, who made no mention of avenging him.

The next morning, Meng Hao, in a pleasant mood, carried his banner, with seven or eight storage bags hanging from his body, and strode toward Flathead Mountain. Over the past half month, he had become accustomed to this path and walked quickly. Soon, he reached the top of the mountain and sat on a large rock as usual.

With his appearance, the cultivators on Flathead Mountain all turned pale. Over the past half month, they had been tormented by Meng Hao and were now listless. Unless they stopped coming here, they had to fight for cultivation, and the outer areas did not allow life and death battles, so they had no choice but to endure. However, they had all become more cautious, and as soon as Meng Hao appeared, they stopped fighting.

However, there were always those who fought fiercely, and there were always those with old grudges. Thus, Meng Hao’s business, while reduced, was still good.

Notably, since Meng Hao had taken over, the number of deaths in this area had significantly decreased. He often mentioned this, making it a catchphrase in his pill-selling.

As usual, Meng Hao was looking for targets. He thought to himself that this wasn’t a sustainable method and considered how shops in Yunjie County often hired people to act as customers. He was refining this idea when he suddenly frowned. He noticed a man in his thirties with a proud expression, who, after climbing the mountain, took out a large banner and set it up. The banner was clearly better than Meng Hao’s, with similar large characters written on it.

"Alchemy Nourishment Shop Second Branch."

This young man was none other than Lu Hong, the top lower disciple, whose cultivation was similar to Meng Hao’s, both just a step away from the peak of the third layer. Meng Hao glanced at him a few times but then ignored him. Imitation was common in business, but the name on the banner annoyed Meng Hao.

The cultivators on Flathead Mountain also saw this scene and looked at each other. As the crowd grew, the fighting resumed. Half an hour later, Meng Hao’s eyes lit up as he quickly approached two fighting disciples, setting up his banner. At the same moment, Lu Hong also approached and set up his banner nearby.

With the two banners standing, the two fighting disciples broke out in cold sweat. To them, both of these men were strong, and seeing two of them today made them extremely uneasy.

"Brother, buy a pill from me for peace, one spirit stone each, no cheating." Meng Hao quickly said.

"Buy pills from me, and you’ll be safe too." Lu Hong glanced at Meng Hao, a hint of killing intent flashing in his eyes, and said coldly on the other side.

The two disciples were terrified and dared not continue fighting. They hurriedly took out spirit stones, bought pills from both, and quickly left. Meng Hao frowned, realizing that this kind of business was like robbery. If it continued, no one would come to this public area, which was not his intention.

Thus, by noon, Meng Hao’s business had significantly decreased. Apart from the morning sale, he had almost no customers. On the other hand, Lu Hong, regardless of the situation, forced people to buy, and if they refused, he would attack. By noon, Flathead Mountain was almost empty.

Lu Hong, looking at the dozens of spirit stones he had collected, though his expression was cold, his heart was burning with excitement.

"Indeed, it’s a good business. If I had thought of it earlier, I wouldn’t have been ridiculed by the senior brothers for always robbing lower disciples. However, this Meng Hao is annoying to look at." He had come here not for Cao Yang’s sake but to imitate Meng Hao. Seeing the benefits, he became even more enthusiastic and determined to dominate. Looking at Meng Hao, a hint of killing intent flashed in his eyes.

"I’ll learn for a few more days, then I’ll kill him."

The next day, due to Lu Hong’s reputation as the top lower disciple, the public area had far fewer people. Those who remained, unaware of the previous day’s events, also bought pills from him reluctantly. Meng Hao, unwilling to do business this way, had no customers all day.

Especially when Lu Hong looked at Meng Hao, his killing intent grew stronger. By the third day at dusk, as Meng Hao was about to leave, Lu Hong’s proud voice echoed across Flathead Mountain, heard by many.

"If I see your broken banner tomorrow, I’ll destroy your cultivation."

Meng Hao paused, said nothing, but his eyes flashed with a cold light. He walked away and returned to his cave.

"He imitated me first, then took my business, and now he wants to destroy my cultivation!" Meng Hao’s eyes flashed with determination, recalling the killing intent in Lu Hong’s eyes over the past few days. He stood up and opened the second stone room in his cave, where a dense aura of spirit energy immediately enveloped him. Without hesitation, he sat cross-legged and began to meditate.

The accumulated spirit spring aura from the past few months was released, all absorbed by Meng Hao. At dawn, he opened his eyes, his eyes shining with a sharp light. His cultivation had advanced, no longer just a step away from the peak, but directly reaching the peak of the third layer, almost stepping into the fourth layer.

However, this step was not easy to cross. The higher the cultivation, the more difficult it became, especially at the fifth and seventh layers, which had bottlenecks. Meng Hao frowned, gritted his teeth, and opened his storage bag. Despite the pain, he took out all the Spirit Condensation Pills he had obtained and used the mystical properties of the bronze mirror to multiply them several times, at the cost of spirit stones.

Although the effect of Spirit Condensation Pills was minimal, with a large number, they still had some effect, but this could not be done multiple times, as the effect would diminish each time until it was completely ineffective.

"If I don’t act first, he will destroy me tomorrow!" Meng Hao took out the Spirit Condensation Pills and swallowed them without hesitation.

His body was already just a step away from the peak. With the large number of Spirit Condensation Pills dissolving, Meng Hao’s body trembled, and he felt a surge of powerful cultivation burst forth like a flood. His mind buzzed, and he momentarily lost consciousness. When he regained clarity, his eyes flashed with a sharp light, but he was still a step away from the fourth layer. Meng Hao gritted his teeth, ignoring everything else, and multiplied the number of Spirit Condensation Pills even more, swallowing them without hesitation.

Once, twice, and by the third time, the buzzing in Meng Hao’s mind was extremely intense, like a surging wave. Finally, with a loud bang, Meng Hao’s vision blurred.

A large amount of impurities continuously oozed from his pores. Each time some appeared, Meng Hao became more clear-headed, and his body felt more transparent. After half an hour, Meng Hao’s eyes focused, his gaze even sharper, and he was fully awake, his eyes shining brightly.

"Fourth layer of Qi Condensation!" Meng Hao felt the cultivation in his body like a surging river, and with its circulation, even the sound of wind and thunder could be heard, his aura astonishing.

Meng Hao’s expression was calm. He took out fifteen flying swords from his storage bag, all obtained through transactions over the past half month. They looked the same, though from the Treasure Pavilion, they were standardized.

There were also other magical treasures of different appearances, all obtained through transactions. Taking a deep breath, Meng Hao closed his eyes to rest, waiting for dawn.

"Since entering the sect and embarking on the path of cultivation, I am no longer in control of my fate… I can rob others with my cultivation, but I don’t want to harm too many. That’s why I thought of doing business. But now, this person has taken my business and threatened to destroy my cultivation… It’s too much!"

At dawn, Meng Hao opened his eyes, left his cave, washed away the impurities from his body, and headed straight for Flathead Mountain.

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Long chapter, please give me a recommendation!

Also, at 7:30 PM, I have a Three Rivers interview on Qidian. I welcome all fellow Daoists to join and exchange ideas. Remember, the server for the previous interview on Immortal Reversal crashed due to the large number of people. Let’s see if we can crash the Three Rivers server again? Cough, cough.

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