sonovelo Chapter 296 - 171: Body Forging, Auction, A Gentleman’s Good Deed
Chapter 296 - 171: Body Forging, Auction, A Gentleman’s Good Deed
Using his Divine Thought, he counted out 3,736 Spirit Stones and piled them directly onto the table. "Mr. Qiu, please take back these extra Spirit Stones."
Qiu Qichen waved his hand. "Oh no, how could I possibly take a cut from Xiao? Absolutely not."
Xiao Chen shook his head. "No, that won’t do. Accounts must be kept crystal clear and unambiguous."
"Wouldn’t you agree, Mr. Qiu?"
Huh?
Qiu Qichen blinked, then stopped hesitating. "Alright, in that case, I won’t stand on ceremony."
He put away the Spirit Stones and then discussed the matter of the Turtle Egg with Xiao Chen.
"I’ve already contacted the other two cultivators."
"If it’s convenient for you, Xiao, how about we set out the day after Riding the Clouds on Rishan?"
Xiao Chen had no objection. "I’m ready anytime. If time is tight, we can even leave tomorrow."
Qiu Qichen’s eyes lit up, but then they immediately dimmed. "It’s not quite that urgent."
"In that case, it’s settled."
"We’ll meet at the base of Elemental Magnetic Peak at 7:00 AM on the first day of the third month."
It wasn’t that he didn’t want to set out earlier, but coordinating the schedules of two other Great Perfection Foundation Establishment Cultivators was no simple matter.
In fact, the reason they could settle the arrangements so smoothly was all thanks to Xiao Chen’s reputation.
Originally, when Qiu Qichen and one of the Qiu Clan Elders went to visit the other two cultivators, they were met with skepticism at the very first house.
After hearing that the Qiu Family hadn’t yet collected enough God-Avoiding Incense, the man immediately shook his head and refused.
"The Earth-Storage Spirit Turtle has some of the toughest hide and thickest flesh of all Tier Two Spirit Beasts."
"And you think you can snatch the Turtle Egg with just three people?"
"I wouldn’t go even if you had four people. You need to gather at least five cultivators, otherwise, don’t even bring it up again."
The Qiu Clan Elder initially wanted to negotiate the price, but the other man wasn’t having any of it.
That was until Qiu Qichen deliberately revealed that Xiao Chen had already agreed to join the operation and would be responsible for the most critical task: retrieving the egg.
The others would only need to coordinate their actions to pin down the male turtle.
The gambit worked. Upon hearing that Xiao Chen was willing to participate, the man’s attitude changed immediately.
A Fake Pill Cultivator—and a battle-tested one at that—was an absolute guarantee of combat power.
So, when visiting the second person, Qiu Qichen decided to lead with his strongest card.
He dropped Xiao Chen’s name right at the beginning, and sure enough, things went much more smoothly.
"Xiao is really willing to lead the team?"
After receiving an affirmative answer, the man didn’t even ask about any of the other details.
He only requested that the operation be postponed so he could attend Riding the Clouds on Rishan and try to compete for the Flowing Cloud Dew.
Seeing this, Qiu Qichen naturally agreed at once.
He was also secretly glad that their timely investigation and decisive action had paid off.
They had successfully obtained the *Yin-Yang Unity Contract* and used it to win over Xiao Chen.
.
After having lunch at the Qiu Mansion, Xiao Chen emerged to find it was only 1:15 PM.
Considering it was still early, he rarely had a chance to get out, and the Xianghe Market was especially lively today.
So instead of leaving immediately, Xiao Chen began to browse the various small shops along the street.
"Come one, come all! The famous Moonlight Wine, on sale for one last day! Miss this chance, and it might be gone for good!"
"The Xiong Family’s newest Sandalwood Spirit Incense! Everything is ten percent off today! Step right up, don’t miss out!"
"Fellow cultivators! Top-quality Rolling Ball Spirit Rice, selling cheap!"
According to the *Hezhou Travel Record*, Rolling Ball Spirit Rice was a specialty of Hezhou.
Its grains were so full and round that touching them felt like beads rolling and dancing on one’s fingertips, hence the name Rolling Ball Spirit Rice.
When cooked, it was incredibly fragrant and melted in the mouth. Its flavor was refreshingly sweet and delicate, leaving a lingering aftertaste that made one crave more.
Xiao Chen walked into the shop and curiously scooped up a handful of the Spirit Rice.
Just as described, the grains rolled off his fingertips, and he could clearly feel their abundant Spiritual Qi content.
It contained twice the Spiritual Qi of even the finest Jade Rice he had ever seen.
"Excuse me, how much is this Rolling Ball Spirit Rice?"
The host at the side immediately made a pitch. "Sir, it’s only two Spirit Stones per pound. If you buy ten pounds at once, we’ll throw in an extra pound for free."
HISS!
’Such expensive Spirit Rice!’
Xiao Chen remembered that back in Li Huo Market, one Spirit Stone could buy two pounds of Jade Rice, or ten pounds of Yellow Sand Rice.
The Yellow Sand Rice had a pitiful amount of Spiritual Qi, and even so, the disciples on Miscellaneous Peak couldn’t afford to eat it.
They would usually only serve a few bowls of it on special occasions or when they had guests, rationing it out based on the number of people.
"I’ll take ten pounds!"
After speaking, Xiao Chen paused for a moment, then smiled and shook his head.
"Wait, make that one hundred pounds."
’It’s only two hundred Spirit Stones, after all.’
Afterwards, he also took a trip to the East Market and browsed the street stalls.
Xiao Chen explored Xianghe Market with great interest, wandering about until after the sun had set at 7:45 PM before finally preparing to return to Elemental Magnetic Peak.
Outside the Marketplace, Han Ziyan had been waiting anxiously for hours.
She had almost given up, thinking today would be another failure.
Fortunately, she persisted a little longer and finally saw the silhouette of Xiao Chen departing on his sword.
She hastily spurred on her Flying Sword, rushing ahead to a pre-arranged valley.
Two of her accomplices were already waiting inside. They immediately activated their Magic, exchanging a few fake blows to stage a battle scene.
To avoid anyone being captured alive and questioned, they had also prepared a Black-backed Ape at the ninth level of Foundation Establishment.
They had drugged it in advance to drive it into a frenzy, causing it to temporarily erupt with the combat power of a Great Perfection Foundation Establishment cultivator.
Then, they guided the berserk ape to chase and attack Han Ziyan, who feigned being overwhelmed and pretended to flee in a panic.