Chapter 52

……

Wang Shouzhe could no longer bear to listen to the conversation between the two. He immediately stepped forward to block the old ancestor and bowed to the steward Zhong, saying, "Senior Zhong, we are here to do business. Please follow the rules."

After saying this, Wang Shouzhe took the turtle scale treasure shield and handed it to Steward Zhong for appraisal.

"Yes, yes. Doing business, following the rules." Steward Zhong was clearly distracted, appraising the turtle scale treasure shield while probing Wang Shouzhe, "Young man, what is your relationship with Senior Longyan?"

"Senior, my name is Wang Shouzhe. I am the head of a small family in Ping'an Town, Changning Guard. Senior Longyan is my great-aunt." Wang Shouzhe did not hide this information but politely stated it. The old ancestor could be impolite to him, but as a junior, Wang Shouzhe could not be.

Moreover, Steward Zhong had clearly recognized Senior Longyan. In the past, he dared not inquire about her in the academy due to the rules. Later, he thought Senior Longyan had died, so there was no point in inquiring.

Now, with the Zhong family's status and influence, it was not difficult to find out. Even though Senior Longyan had been very low-key and had a smaller reputation and influence outside, it was still not hard to discover.

Upon hearing that they shared the same surname and that she was his great-aunt, Steward Zhong suddenly chuckled, his smile strange and dreamy, as if he were having a beautiful dream.

"What are you laughing at?" The eyes above Senior Longyan's veil flashed with a cold light.

Steward Zhong's laughter abruptly stopped, and he hurriedly lowered his head, pretending to continue appraising the treasure: "This defensive spirit artifact, the turtle scale treasure shield, was personally refined by the Ice Wave Senior of the Purple Mansion Academy. Its quality is naturally top-notch. However, this spirit artifact seems to have been damaged and not repaired in time, so at least one-tenth should be deducted..."

Before he could finish, he felt a chill run down his back, as Senior Longyan's gaze was coldly fixed on him. He shivered and quickly changed his words: "Such minor damage, I can find a master to repair it. No deduction, no deduction. The final appraisal of this spirit treasure should be around 30,100, no, 32,000 gold. Do you want to consign it or have us directly purchase it?"

From his words, Wang Shouzhe also estimated the price. The turtle scale treasure shield, due to its damage, should be appraised at around 27,000 to 28,000 gold. If consigned, the price would be hard to exceed 30,000 gold.

Moreover, as the black market, they needed to charge a 5% venue fee, which would be 1,500 gold.

Just as he was about to speak, Senior Longyan coldly said, "Purchase it for 30,000 gold. With your Zhong family's master, it can still make a profit after repair. Consider it a favor I owe you."

"Senior Longyan, I can..." Steward Zhong, hearing that he could owe a favor to a goddess, was about to make another offer.

"No need!" Senior Longyan coldly interrupted him, "If I were not in dire straits, I would never owe anyone a favor. If you pay out of pocket to cover the loss, I won't sell the turtle scale treasure shield."

"Yes, yes, Senior Longyan, you decide." Steward Zhong nodded repeatedly, feeling extremely regretful. Although it would cost him personally, the chance to owe a favor to Senior Longyan was something he dreamed of.

Both parties agreed that the Black Sand Market would purchase the turtle scale treasure shield for 30,000 gold.

Steward Zhong, having a rare opportunity to serve his goddess, eagerly ran off to handle the procedures. With his status as a direct descendant of the Zhong family and a steward at the Spirit Platform realm, the matter was a done deal.

Taking advantage of this break, Wang Shouzhe and Senior Longyan began to discuss how to use the money.

Originally, Senior Longyan intended to buy a fifth-grade spirit pill, the [Heavenly Spirit Pill], for Wang Shouzhe and carefully store it. This pill was a highly sought-after and rare spirit pill, the best auxiliary spirit pill for a peak Qi Condensation realm cultivator to break through to the Spirit Platform realm, significantly increasing the success rate.

This spirit pill was also one of the most coveted spirit pills by major Xuanwu families. With it, the family could potentially add a Spirit Platform realm ancestor.

However, it was a fifth-grade pill, extremely difficult to refine, and required many expensive materials. Each appearance would be sold at auction, typically fetching between 32,000 to 35,000 gold, much more expensive than ordinary spirit artifacts.

This amount was astronomical for most families. Even for families with thriving businesses, it would take decades of accumulation to afford it.

Moreover, having the Heavenly Spirit Pill did not guarantee that the family would produce a Spirit Platform realm ancestor.

For example, the Wang family's once highly anticipated Sixth Elder, Wang Xiaohan, had failed to break through to the Spirit Platform realm using the Heavenly Spirit Pill, leading to his ongoing depression and feeling of letting down the family.

It was no wonder Wang Xiaohan felt this way. The resources he used to reach the peak Qi Condensation realm and the [Heavenly Spirit Pill] were obtained by the family selling many clan properties in Changning Guard. A failure would result in a significant loss for the family.

However, Wang Shouzhe rejected Senior Longyan's suggestion. He had no immediate use for it, and keeping the funds idle was not beneficial. Instead, he proposed buying third-grade spirit pills, the [Creation Pills], to treat her severely damaged internal organs.

Her injuries had been neglected for too long, and each year of delay could lead to irreversible consequences. Now that she could neutralize the Yin Sha poison, it was the best time to treat her injuries.

"Ancestor," Wang Shouzhe said solemnly, "Putting aside other matters, your quick recovery is most beneficial to the family. Without your protection, no matter how well the Wang family develops, it will still be a piece of meat in others' eyes."

After some thought, Senior Longyan finally agreed. Shouzhe's suggestion was indeed the most suitable for the current situation. The initial plan to buy the [Heavenly Spirit Pill] was due to the fear that the Wang family would not be able to obtain it after her death. Now that she was not going to die, the situation had changed.

Soon, Wang Shouzhe used the pen, ink, and paper in the private room to carefully list the items they needed with Senior Longyan:

300 [Small Cultivation Essence Pills], 100 second-grade [Cultivation Essence Pills], 20 third-grade [Creation Pills], 10 spirit stones, and a set of Small Five Elements Array flags.

The total cost was approximately 30,000 gold.

The [Small Cultivation Essence Pills] were specifically for the family's inventory, to be used in conjunction with contribution points. Especially for the younger generation, who were in the best period for cultivation. Missing this age would make it difficult to catch up later, no matter how many resources were spent.

Wang Shouzhe did not want to see his younger siblings fall behind due to the lack of a [Small Cultivation Essence Pill], having to spend extra months to stabilize their cultivation, ultimately lagging behind others.

The [Cultivation Essence Pills] were for Wang Shouzhe, Senior Longyan, and Sixth Elder Wang Xiaohan. Especially Wang Xiaohan, who had become depressed after failing to break through to the Spirit Platform realm, focusing all his efforts on the family's [Prosperous Farm]. This was a tremendous waste.

It was not too late. With the help of [Cultivation Essence Pills] and other resources, he could gradually return to the peak Qi Condensation realm and prepare to break through to the Spirit Platform realm. Having only one Spirit Platform realm ancestor in the family was a significant disadvantage.

Wang Shouzhe himself also wanted to accelerate his cultivation, using [Small Cultivation Essence Pills] for daily practice and [Cultivation Essence Pills] for critical breakthroughs.

According to the original plan, he was supposed to reach the peak Qi Condensation realm around the age of forty before attempting to break through to the Spirit Platform realm.

Too slow!

As a穿越者 (穿越者 means "穿越者" in Chinese, which can be translated as "穿越者" in English, but in this context, it means "a person from another world" or "a穿越者"), Wang Shouzhe could not tolerate such a snail-like pace. Even if it meant being a bit extravagant and wasting some resources, he had to break through to the Spirit Platform realm as soon as possible.

As for the set of Small Five Elements Array flags, they were for Lu Xiao. When he received 500 gold from Ming Sheng's ancestor, buying the purple crystal spirit bee hive for her was a waste. However, Lu Xiao had a talent for array formations, and this basic set of array flags would be perfect for her to learn.

When Steward Zhong returned to the private room and saw the list Wang Shouzhe provided, he was taken aback. Was the Wang family a large Xuanwu family, requiring such a vast amount of resources?

"Senior, does your market have any concealment artifacts for sale? The price should not be too high, preferably within a thousand gold." Wang Shouzhe inquired.

Steward Zhong thought for a moment and said, "There is a small spirit treasure, the Concealment Jade Pendant. It can only hide the cultivation of a non-explosive Qi Condensation realm cultivator and cannot fool a Spirit Platform realm cultivator. The price is not too high, just a thousand gold."

"Enough for use." Wang Shouzhe was slightly pleased, "Add it to the list."

Wang Shouzhe planned to accelerate his cultivation. He did not want his cultivation status to be exposed to everyone.

"Your list is quite extensive," Steward Zhong said with a difficult expression. "I need a day or two to gather the items."

"No problem, no problem. We can sign an agreement."

Wang Shouzhe quickly made Steward Zhong experience the same feeling as the previous manager. The purchase agreement was meticulous, covering all possible loopholes.

With Steward Zhong's help, Wang Shouzhe and the others did not need to wait and returned to the inn that night.

He sat cross-legged on the bed, meditating. After several hours, he slowly opened his eyes, clearly making significant progress.

At this point, Wang Shouzhe's mind finally calmed down.

This trip to the Hundred Island Guard was truly eventful and far from peaceful. First, they discovered the Yin Sha Sect's outer disciples, and then Senior Longyan encountered her former junior from the academy.

Any of these events, if mishandled, could have been a severe crisis.

Fortunately, both situations turned from danger to safety, from disadvantage to advantage. Especially the Yin Sha transformation method given to the outer disciples by the Yin Sha Sect, which was useless to others but highly suitable for the ancestor.

However, good things aside, Wang Shouzhe decided to lay low for a while after returning, focusing on secretly developing his strength.

This fantastical world was too dangerous, and a careless move could cost him his life.

……