Chapter 106: Chapter 104: Immortal Crane, Flying Sword, Shopkeeper

Fang Cheng and Chen Yu Yan left the Cave Mansion and returned to the island where they both resided.

As they were about to part ways.

Chen Yu Yan’s brows furrowed slightly. "Fellow Daoist Fang," she advised, "your strength has greatly increased and your future is limitless. Naturally, many people will want to curry favor and befriend you. The world is full of temptations. It would be best to be more cautious from now on."

Fang Cheng smiled. "You are right, Fellow Daoist. I will be careful."

Chen Yu Yan nodded, a smile gracing her beautiful face. Her gaze was as soft as water as she said gently, "Well then, farewell."

With that, she departed gracefully and returned to her own Cave Mansion.

Fang Cheng also went straight back to his Cave Mansion.

He threw all three pieces of late-stage Second-tier Demon Beast flesh and blood he had exchanged for at the Merit Pavilion into the Gu Pit.

With this "potent medicine," it wouldn’t be long before he could cultivate another Tier Two Vajra Gu!

He checked on the Gu Pit for a moment, then returned to his Quiet Chamber and took out the strange stone Magical Artifact to examine it.

The Stone Meditation Hut!

This was a unique Magical Artifact refined by the Spirit Moon Sect of the Jin Country. It was quite famous, but not many had made their way to the Cultivation Realm of the Yun Country.

Fang Cheng had only asked on a whim, just to try his luck. He hadn’t expected the Merit Pavilion to actually have one!

He had noticed long ago that Ye Yan liked this item, so he had exchanged for it to give his beloved wife a surprise upon returning to Xiaocang Island.

He poured a stream of Magical Power into the strange stone.

Glowing patterns flowed across the stone’s surface, and it suddenly began to grow larger.

In the blink of an eye, the stone had grown to a height of ten feet, and a Light Sect manifested on its front face.

Fang Cheng stepped inside. The layout behind the gate was not much different from Chen Yu Yan’s meditation hut. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

But the area was several times larger!

Beneath the dome was a spacious circular hall with a diameter of over one hundred feet, even larger than a basketball court from his previous life.

Eight stone chambers were neatly arranged around the hall. Each chamber led to several more rooms within.

’It’s like a small, portable Cave Mansion!’

This Stone Meditation Hut also had concealing and spirit-gathering functions. If he needed to hide from enemies, he could activate the Concealing Breath Array Talisman.

And if he needed to rest and cultivate while outdoors, he could activate the Gathering Spirit Array Talisman.

The meditation hut was currently empty. Since Ye Yan had always loved to arrange and decorate their Cave Mansion, he would let her personally furnish this place after he returned.

In the future, when the two of them traveled, carrying this item would make things quite comfortable and pleasant.

After looking around for a bit, Fang Cheng exited the hut, shrank it back down to the size of his palm, and put it away in his storage bag.

...

「Yinluo Sect Marketplace.」

Ye Family’s Cangshan Pavilion.

In a private room upstairs, Fang Cheng and Shopkeeper Li sat facing each other. A small table between them held Spirit Tea and fresh Spirit Fruits.

Shopkeeper Li said with a broad smile, "Young Master Fang, you’ve come at just the right time. I just received another batch of Dao Pattern Spirit Jade and was about to send someone to deliver it to you."

Fang Cheng was secretly delighted but didn’t let it show on his face. He just gave a faint smile and said, "Thank you for the trouble, Uncle Li."

Shopkeeper Li took a wooden box from his storage bag and placed it on the table. "Knowing you have this refined hobby, Young Master," he said with a smile, "my staff keeps an eye out every day. It’s just that this Dao Pattern Spirit Jade is truly rare."

He opened the box, revealing a lining of bright yellow silk. Resting upon it were three Immortal Crane statuettes carved from Dao Pattern Spirit Jade, both incredibly lifelike.

Fang Cheng picked up the Immortal Cranes one by one, examining them closely. In his Sea of Consciousness, the Golden Talisman trembled slightly.

[Talisman Master] Fang Cheng

...

Creation Points: 1300

The three Immortal Crane statuettes had brought him 1300 Creation Points!

’Better than nothing, I suppose.’

Fang Cheng put the statuettes down, placed them in his storage bag, and said, "Thank you, Uncle Li. I quite like these Immortal Cranes, but that’s not why I came today."

Shopkeeper Li poured him a cup of tea and asked with a smile, "So, Young Master, are you here to buy or to sell?"

Fang Cheng said, "A bit of both."

With that, he took out the Ghost King Seal and the white silk ribbon and handed them to Shopkeeper Li for inspection.

The moment the two Second-Order Magical Artifacts appeared, the temperature in the private room plummeted. A chilling, gloomy aura filled the air, and the faint wails of ghosts and spirits seemed to echo around them.

"Ghost Dao Magical Artifacts?"

Shopkeeper Li was startled. His expression immediately turned solemn as he began to inspect them carefully.

A moment later.

He said, "Young Master, these are both Second-Order Lower Grade Magical Artifacts. Based on current market prices, they should be worth around fifty thousand Spirit Stones together."

Normally, Tier Two Talismans and pills were the cheapest, while things like Magical Artifacts, puppets, and Arrays were more expensive.

A standard Second-Order Lower Grade Magical Artifact started at twenty thousand Spirit Stones. Lady Ghost had been refining these two artifacts for many years, making them slightly more valuable. Shopkeeper Li’s estimate was quite accurate.

"I have some other things as well."

Fang Cheng then took out other unneeded items from the storage bags of Ghost Spirit, Lady Ghost, Fang Hen, and several Loose Cultivators—including First-tier Magical Artifacts, pills, Talismans, Ghost Dao cultivation items, and the Demon Beast Souls he had collected on his trip to the Southern Wilds—and had Shopkeeper Li appraise and buy them all.

The final total came to seventy thousand Spirit Stones!

Adding the more than thirty thousand Spirit Stones he had found in their storage bags, Fang Cheng had earned a full one hundred thousand Spirit Stones from his trip to the Southern Wilds.

However, Lady Ghost had contributed the majority of it.

Even a core disciple from a top-tier family like Ye Yan would only have about this amount in her daily Spirit Stone reserves.

Many Loose Cultivators at the Life Talisman Realm might not even be able to produce that many Spirit Stones.

Fang Cheng had never been so wealthy with Spirit Stones. Of course, ever since marrying Ye Yan, he had been living off her family and had never had to worry about Spirit Stones again.

He looked at Shopkeeper Li and asked slowly, "Uncle Li, does the shop have any Tier Two Flying Swords?"

"Of course, we do." Shopkeeper Li knew he was famous for his Swordsmanship and must be a sword lover. "Please wait a moment, Young Master. I’ll be right back."

He then stood up and left the private room.

Not long after, Shopkeeper Li returned, carrying two Sword Boxes.

"Young Master, these are the two Tier Two Flying Swords in the shop’s collection. Please, have a look," Shopkeeper Li said, setting down the Sword Boxes.

Fang Cheng opened one of the Sword Boxes, and an overwhelming, sharp aura instantly rushed out at him!

This Flying Sword was about two feet long, shuttle-shaped, and had no hilt. Its blade was long, thin, and sharp, like a pool of bright autumn water, exuding a biting chill.

Shopkeeper Li introduced it, "This sword is a Second-Order Lower Grade, named Dragon Abyss. It was refined by an Outer Elder over the course of three years."

Fang Cheng nodded and opened the other Sword Box.

Inside the box was a deep, dark Sword Aura gleaming with a black luster!

Within the Sword Aura was a three-inch-long, miniature, jet-black flying sword. Its small body was covered in countless flame-shaped runes as fine as dust, layered so densely they were impossible to count.

Shopkeeper Li said in a low voice, "This one is a Tier Two Middle Grade flying sword, Blackflame."

Fang Cheng looked at the Blackflame sword and asked, "How many Spirit Stones for this one?"

"Eighty thousand," Shopkeeper Li replied. He then added, "Young Master, with your current Magical Cultivation, I’m afraid you won’t be able to refine this sword."

That was the polite way of putting it.

The impolite way was that with his meager Magical Power, the sword would drain him completely before he could even manifest a single Sword Aura.

Fang Cheng nodded. "I’ll buy the Dragon Abyss."

"The Dragon Abyss Sword is much cheaper, only thirty-six thousand Spirit Stones," Shopkeeper Li said with a cheerful laugh.

Fang Cheng gave a dry laugh.

’How many Sensing Realm cultivators go their entire lives without ever seeing thirty thousand Spirit Stones?!’

Especially the Loose Cultivators at the bottom of the Cultivation Realm.

The cultivation resources of this world had long been monopolized by the sects and prominent families. For an ordinary cultivator to make a name for themselves was harder than scaling the heavens.

Fang Cheng took the flying sword, settled the Spirit Stone transaction with Shopkeeper Li, and then leisurely walked out of Cangshan Pavilion.

He glanced at the sky, saw that it was dusk, and headed toward Purple Gold Alley in the southeast section of the marketplace.

’Since I’m already here, I might as well drop by Xuanzhen Studio.’

...

「Xuanzhen Studio.」

The beautiful young shopkeeper sat behind the counter, toying with a Spirit Stone in her hand, lost in a daze.

Outside, the sky was gradually dimming. The alley was quiet; it was unlikely any more customers would come to browse Arrays at this hour.

She set down the Spirit Stone, sighed softly, and a look of melancholy yearning appeared on her face.

Just as she was about to get up, close the shop, and return to the backyard to cultivate, a figure appeared in the doorway.

The Shopkeeper looked up, revealing a fair and stunningly beautiful face. She looked with some surprise at the last customer of the day.

The visitor was a young man dressed in the Magical Robe of an Outer Disciple. He was tall and slender with broad shoulders, a well-defined face, sharp brows, and star-like eyes. He faintly exuded a sharp Sword Intent.

When the Shopkeeper saw him, her large, almond-shaped eyes, moist and limpid, immediately lit up. "What are you doing here?" she asked, pleasantly surprised.

The visitor was none other than Fang Cheng.

After walking into the shop, he looked at Wen Qianqian and teased, "What’s wrong? Am I not welcome?"

Wen Qianqian came forward and gave him a flirtatious glare, her eyes a mix of coyness and charm. "I’ve been dying for you to come every day," she pouted. "How could I possibly not welcome you?"

She walked gracefully to the entrance, closed the shop door, lowered the curtain, and activated the restrictive seals, cutting off the inside from the outside world.

Once that was done, she turned and threw herself into Fang Cheng’s arms, her rich, elegant fragrance wafting over him.

Although she was from the marketplace, she lacked the vulgar coquettishness of the common folk. Instead, she possessed a refined and graceful air.

Her body was perfectly proportioned—both slender and voluptuous, with a narrow waist, full breasts, and long legs. Truly, to add or subtract even a fraction would be a pity. She was the definition of exquisite.

But if Fang Cheng had to summarize Wen Qianqian in four words, he would probably choose: ’Impossibly fair and smooth.’

The wonders of which could not be described in just a few words.

After a moment of tender affection, Wen Qianqian gently pushed Fang Cheng away, looked up at his face, and asked softly, "Are you staying the night?"

Fang Cheng nodded.

A smile touched the corners of Wen Qianqian’s lips. She took his hand, intending to lead him to the West Wing Room in the backyard, but Fang Cheng stood rooted to the spot, unmoving.

A trace of surprise flickered in Wen Qianqian’s beautiful eyes as she looked at him in confusion.

She saw Fang Cheng leisurely walk behind the shop’s counter, settle into the shopkeeper’s chair, and leisurely survey the shop’s furnishings.

It was as if he found the displays completely novel.

Wen Qianqian instantly understood. She blushed and lowered her gaze, a hint of excitement mingling with the shyness and nervousness she was trying so hard to conceal.

She bit her cherry lip and whispered, "Do we have to do it here?"

Fang Cheng sat authoritatively behind the counter and nodded with a perfectly straight face. "Today, I’m going to be the shopkeeper."

...

Two hours later, the two of them walked out of the shop and returned to her private chambers in the West Wing Room of the backyard.

The night passed peacefully.

The next day, Wen Qianqian rose early, tidied herself up, and went to the front to open the shop for business.

Fang Cheng went to Wen Qianqian’s study, sat down cross-legged in meditation, and turned his focus inward to observe the Golden Talisman in his Sea of Consciousness.

...