Chapter 44

Thanking the pharmacist once again, Bai Shi and Su Xuan walked out of the herbal shop. They did not go directly to the place the pharmacist had mentioned but instead wandered around as night fell, and they also found an inn to stay in temporarily.

This inn was not very large, but the charges were reasonable. Staying for one night cost only fifty copper coins, which, of course, included dinner for that night and breakfast the next morning.

The inn had two floors, with guest rooms upstairs and a dining area downstairs. There was one waiter and one owner. The owner was busy with his abacus, and the waiter was the one who greeted Bai Shi and Su Xuan.

The waiter wore a simple robe and had a towel draped over his shoulder. After greeting Bai Shi and Su Xuan, he ran straight to the kitchen.

Su Xuan looked around and suddenly had an idea. He walked to the counter and said, "Boss... do you hire winemakers?"

Hearing Su Xuan's words, the owner, who was busy with his accounts, suddenly looked up at Su Xuan.

The owner was a middle-aged man, about forty years old, with a commanding presence in his eyebrows. His gaze was cold, showing no friendliness, and he looked at Su Xuan indifferently before continuing his work. "Business for wine has been bad lately... I can't afford to pay wages."

Clearly, after sizing up Su Xuan, he did not believe that Su Xuan had any good winemaking skills.

"No problem, no problem... As long as you provide us with food and lodging... As for the wages, if the wine I make can be sold, you can decide on the payment later," Su Xuan said hurriedly.

Hearing this, the middle-aged man stopped his work again and looked at Su Xuan, then at Bai Shi, who was sitting. "Alright... If that's the case, I'll give you a try. If the wine you make can bring in customers, I won't treat you badly. But the cost for tonight will still be charged."

Su Xuan nodded in gratitude and returned to Bai Shi's side. The dishes were already being served.

After eating, Bai Shi did not rush to sleep but went out of the inn to find a shop that bought animal skins. After selling the skins, he earned five hundred copper coins. He kept some valuable bones and tendons, including those of the long-nosed crocodile and the Fire Gall Snake, which was at the Cave Profound Realm.

He did not keep these for himself but hoped to sell them for a good price at the place the pharmacist had mentioned. After everything was prepared, Bai Shi returned to the room and soon fell asleep.

The next morning, Suxing City was still bustling with activity. Bai Shi and Su Xuan were awakened by the noise. They had slept soundly the night before. After a lazy stretch and a quick wash, Bai Shi left the room.

He did not have breakfast but went directly to the place the pharmacist had mentioned, while Su Xuan stayed at the inn to continue his winemaking. However, making the Maotai wine required a long time.

Fortunately, during his time at Dongchen Manor, Su Xuan had found some tricks in winemaking. He could brew a jar of wine in two days, though it did not have the same strong aroma as the original, it was close enough.

After asking for directions, Bai Shi finally arrived at the flower pond in Suxing City. The pond was large, about twenty acres, filled with lotus leaves and various strange lotus flowers.

Looking around, Bai Shi could not see anyone. Not far from the pond was a building about twenty meters high, resembling a castle.

At the bottom of the building was a stone gate about five meters high, which was open. Above the stone gate, three red regular script characters were carved: Treasure Seeking Pavilion!

"This must be the place," Bai Shi murmured and walked over.

Two muscular men guarded the stone gate, wearing armor that seemed to emit a faint light. One of them held a large saber, which glinted with a cold light, while the other held a heavy iron rod, which appeared to weigh a hundred pounds.

Bai Shi walked to the stone gate, looked up, and was about to enter when the two men stopped him.

The two men sized up Bai Shi and said, "Little boy, this is not a place for you to play."

Bai Shi looked at the man who spoke and smiled faintly. "I'm here to buy and... sell things."

Hearing this, the other man frowned and sized up Bai Shi again. From Bai Shi's simple clothing, he could not tell if he was a noble. Looking at Bai Shi's still somewhat childish face, he could not gauge his strength.

But out of respect for the rules, he said, "If you're here to sell something, please show us what you're selling."

Bai Shi nodded calmly and took out the Fire Gall Snake he had prepared, handing it to the man.

The man took the Fire Gall Snake, his eyes widening. He weighed it in his hand and examined it closely. His expression changed rapidly, and he passed it to the other man.

The other man took the Fire Gall Snake and, like the first man, his expression changed dramatically. He then said solemnly, "This... is indeed a Fire Gall Snake!"

He handed the Fire Gall Snake back to Bai Shi and said respectfully, "I didn't expect you to have such a valuable item, little brother. If I offended you, please forgive me."

Bai Shi took the Fire Gall Snake and did not speak but walked straight into the stone gate.

It was a relatively wide corridor. After walking about twenty meters, Bai Shi came to a fork in the corridor. At the intersection stood a woman in a green robe, smiling. She had a faint, pleasant fragrance. Seeing Bai Shi, she did not act rudely but came forward and said, "Brother, are you here to buy or sell something?"

Bai Shi smiled faintly and said, "I'm here to sell something."

The woman smiled and pointed to the left corridor. "Please follow me, brother."

Following the woman, they walked about thirty meters and came to a very spacious area.

In this area, there were stone platforms, roughly three hundred of them, arranged in five layers.

Each layer was circular, with the platforms getting lower as they went down. In the center of the circular area was a green, circular stone platform that emitted a faint green light, like a giant piece of jade.

The building in the middle was not separated, but there were four large stone pillars around it, carved with strange patterns. Behind the pillars, there were stone stairs leading up. On the upper level, there were more stone platforms, and some people were already sitting on them, dressed in fine clothing, likely nobles.

"Here, you can sit wherever no one is sitting... According to the rules of the Treasure Seeking Pavilion, if you successfully sell something, we take half the profit," the woman in the green robe said.

Bai Shi, as if suddenly awakened, smiled awkwardly, nodded, thanked her, and watched her leave.

He found an empty stone platform in the last row and sat down. Unnoticed by anyone, he took out the skin of the long-nosed crocodile.

Time passed, and more and more people came to the Treasure Seeking Pavilion. The originally quiet place gradually became noisy, with people discussing the prices of items.

"Brother, is this seat taken?" As Bai Shi looked around, a voice from the side made him turn his head.

It was a middle-aged man with distinct features, wearing a white robe, his hair neatly draped over his shoulders, looking very handsome. He held an ancient-looking zither, which emitted a faint light. Bai Shi could sense that it was a form of energy. This man was definitely a cultivator at the Cave Profound Realm or higher!

Bai Shi nodded and said, "No one is sitting here."

The man thanked him, blew on the stone platform, placed his zither to the side, and looked at the jade-like stone platform, his expression calm but not cold, as if waiting for something to appear.

Suddenly, a rumbling sound came from the Treasure Seeking Pavilion as the stone gate closed.

As the gate closed, a faint fragrance filled the air. In the middle of the air, a woman in a light blue robe appeared, descending gracefully.