Chapter 43

The city of Suxing under the twilight was not as dim and quiet as imagined; instead, it was bustling with activity.

The vast city of Suxing had no city gates, but rather a not-so-wide road paved with marble. People could be seen entering and exiting from time to time, most of them just passing through to rest in the city of Suxing.

Of course, there were also those who had just returned from hunting in the Daochen Mountains. They were bare-chested, tightly gripping bows and arrows that no longer gleamed, as if they had put away their original sharpness. They carried animal skins on their shoulders, and some hunters had daggers tucked into their waistbands, the daggers still stained with dried blood.

Even before entering the bustling area of Suxing, one could hear the noise from outside the city.

Following a few burly men, Baise and Suxuan walked in, looking around as they followed the marble road. After advancing about a kilometer, they saw wooden houses built along the way.

Some of the wood used to build the houses was not completely dry, emitting a fresh, woody scent. The road in front of Baise and Suxuan was also much wider.

There were various vendors on the street, selling items that were not particularly eye-catching, but were cheap and practical. They called out their wares while waving them in the air, as if the items in their hands were the most 'precious' things they had.

Baise glanced at them casually and continued forward. Suxuan, however, browsed through the vendors' stalls, trying to find a treasure among the unremarkable items.

But as expected, he found nothing and was even held back by a vendor who kept introducing his goods, claiming they were better than others.

Anyone could tell that if the items were truly superior, they wouldn't need to be loudly advertised.

So, Baise pulled Suxuan away from the vendor's stall and continued walking for a few hundred meters.

They had now arrived in the more bustling area of Suxing.

On both sides of the main road in this area, wooden houses stood, at least three stories tall. Various signs hung above these houses, indicating inns or pharmacies.

At the corners of these wooden houses, lanterns hung, their light seeping out and illuminating the stone road, adding warmth to each storefront. Although not opulent, the area could be described as having a warm, cozy glow.

After a brief pause, Baise and Suxuan walked straight towards a pharmacy. His goal was to sell the herbs he had collected in the Daochen Mountains, earn some money, and find an inn to sleep soundly.

Because of his storage bag, Baise did not make a show of it and chose a less conspicuous pharmacy to enter.

The owner of the pharmacy was an old man with white hair, dressed in a simple white robe, hunched over as he organized the herbs in the medicine cabinet. He clearly did not notice Baise and Suxuan's arrival.

"Boss..." Baise called out.

Hearing Baise's voice, the old man's body trembled slightly, and he immediately turned around. Despite the wrinkles on his face, he smiled kindly, not at all intimidating.

"Hello, young men. What herbs do you need to buy?" the old man asked.

Baise smiled awkwardly and said, "We're not here to buy herbs, but to sell them..."

The old man's smile froze for a moment, as if he had thought of something. He then sized up Baise and Suxuan and said, "I see... this is your first time in Suxing, isn't it?"

Baise frowned slightly and asked, "Yes, why, does that have anything to do with selling herbs?"

The old man smiled, but his laughter was low and seemed to carry a hint of沧桑 (cang桑, meaning '沧桑' in this context can be translated as '沧桑' or 'weathered').

"Not really... usually, people who come to Suxing to sell herbs go to the larger pharmacies. A small pharmacy like mine can't offer much. I'm still considering whether to buy some herbs from other pharmacies to sell."

Baise smiled calmly and said, "That's fine, as long as you can offer a reasonable price."

For Baise, the reason he chose this small pharmacy was to avoid showing his storage bag to too many people. He clearly remembered that in the Daochen Mountains, the storage bag had almost brought Qin Miao to his death.

If this valuable item were to be revealed, it would bring him no benefit.

The old man looked at Baise again and smiled, "Alright... young man, since you trust me, show me the herbs you want to sell."

In response to the old man's words, Baise took out his storage bag. The moment the storage bag appeared in Baise's hand, the old man's pupils constricted, and a hint of surprise appeared in his eyes.

"Is that a storage bag in your hand, young man?"

Baise's body trembled slightly, and he looked at the old man, knowing that he had seen through something. He then nodded.

After nodding, Baise used his consciousness to control most of the herbs in the storage bag, leaving a small amount for backup.

As the herbs flew out of the storage bag and were placed on the wooden counter, they filled the entire table.

Looking at the herbs, the old man's body trembled again, and he said, "Young man, with so many herbs, I might not be able to buy them all at once. I hope you can take some back."

After putting away the storage bag, Baise said, "Pay what you can for these herbs. The rest, consider them a gift. I only hope that, for the sake of these herbs, you won't reveal that I have a storage bag. Also, I need to ask you something."

The old man's brows furrowed again, and he looked even more aged, "Since this is your first time here and you are so straightforward, I will not hide anything I know. And I will not reveal anything about your storage bag."

Baise bowed in gratitude, "Thank you. I only want to know if there is a place in Suxing where sword technique manuals are sold."

Hearing Baise's words, the old man understood that Baise was a sword cultivator. In his experience, someone Baise's age should only be at the Foundation Establishment stage, where they wouldn't even have a sword, let alone sword techniques. However, thinking about Baise's storage bag, he felt a bit uneasy, knowing that someone who owned a storage bag must have a special background or strength.

So, he did not press further and, after a brief pause, said, "I don't know of any place that sells sword technique manuals. Suxing is mainly controlled by the Demon Blade Sect and the Northern Staff Clan, so they have manuals for blade and staff techniques, but not for swords."

Baise nodded, his expression calm and indifferent, "Thank you. Please appraise these herbs and tell me how much you can pay."

The old man, hunched over, turned around slowly and took out a wooden box from the medicine cabinet. The box contained about three hundred copper coins.

Handing the box to Baise, the old man said, "These herbs are worth much more, but I only have this much. If you don't mind, please take it."

Baise smiled faintly, took two hundred copper coins from the box, and said, "Thank you, but this is enough!"

With the copper coins in hand, Baise and Suxuan turned to leave.

As they walked away, the old man's expression suddenly changed. Just as Baise and Suxuan were about to step out of the pharmacy, his weathered voice rang out again.

"Young man... I don't know where to buy sword technique manuals, but I do know that in the center of Suxing, there is a stone house in the middle of a flower garden. It sells all kinds of valuable items. You might want to try your luck there to see if they have what you need—sword techniques!"