"Alright, since you're willing to help Neil, who's my friend, you can take these as your reward for helping him!"
Anthony grinned at Jian Dan, patted Neil on the back, and handed the white shell to her, signaling her to keep it.
Jian Dan accepted it gladly, impressed by his generosity. She tucked away the shell containing the sea pearl, then pulled out a magnolia pendant and handed it to him.
"This is my token. With this, you can enter our place, located at the Bing Si position."
Anthony's face lit up with a smile as he took the pendant and carefully put it away.
"Let's check out other spots," Jian Dan suggested.
This time, Anthony didn't stop them and opened the formation, letting the four of them leave.
"Junior Sister, you sure about this?"
"I am, otherwise I wouldn't have agreed. Don't worry, I'll explain everything when we get back."
Jian Dan whispered to her fellow disciples.
Hu San perked up his ears too, curious how Fairy Lu would help, but he knew better than to ask.
The five of them moved on, passing several stalls, when sudden commotion erupted ahead. A cultivator had fallen, coughing up black blood that corroded the ground, forming a spreading black hole. Some nearby spectators stepped back, leaving a gap for Jian Dan and the others to see what was happening.
"Poison girl, my Junior Brother only glanced at you. Why kill him for that?"
A slightly affected female voice demanded.
They stayed back, not approaching, watching the speaking female. She stood with her back to them, dressed in a white robe, far from the rolling male cultivator on the ground.
"He had lustful eyes. We sisters can't stand that!" A clear, bright voice cut in.
"Hmph! You dress like that, tempt my Junior Brother, and yet blame us?"
The first female raised her voice, seemingly trying to rally agreement from onlookers.
Jian Dan glanced at the two women by the stall. They were indeed dressed provocatively.
Both stood about 1.75 meters tall, wearing what looked like strapless tops of some unknown material and tight, hip-hugging skirts. Open-toed sandals revealed long, straight legs, complemented by slender, proportioned arms—enough to turn heads.
Their skin was tanned, necks adorned with silver rings, wrists with snake-shaped bracelets, and spider-shaped earrings dangling from their ears. One had white hair, the other red, both flowing to their waists, held by white spider-web hair nets.
Each held a one-meter staff, rounded at one end, glowing—one red, the other pink.
The red-haired girl laughed softly, covering her mouth with her hand. Her bright red nails made some male cultivators uneasy.
She was the one who had touched the male cultivator, poisoning him.
The man on the ground had stopped rolling; his face was blackening, death imminent.
"What we wear has nothing to do with him. He tried to take advantage of my sister, so he deserves this."
Her words drew whispers from the crowd. Those who knew the sisters shook their heads, impressed by the man's audacity to provoke them. Others blamed the women's revealing attire, assuming it was intentional. Opinions varied, but the sisters ignored them.
Everything changed when two tall men approached—the same who had collected entry fees outside the formation yesterday. They entered the center calmly, bowed to the women, and spoke:
"Boss Bai Shuang, please show mercy. This trade gathering belongs to our organization, and it's the first day. Let's avoid bloodshed."
"If you have grievances, handle them after the gathering," the other added.
The white-robed female seemed relieved, stepping closer with a pleading expression: "Please uphold justice, save my Junior Brother!"
The two men didn't spare a glance, angering her to the point she had to bow and fake tears for sympathy.
Finally, the white-haired sister spoke, her voice cold but melodic:
"Fine, for the sake of your leader."
"Xia'er!"
"I understand, Sister!"
The red-haired girl stepped forward. Her snake bracelet seemed alive, biting the male cultivator's face and retracting swiftly.
Two breaths later, the black poison dissipated, revealing his pale face and steadying his breath.
"Take him away now."
The white-robed woman reluctantly helped him up and staggered away.
With the main characters leaving, the spectators dispersed. The area quickly returned to normal, though the black hole on the ground reminded everyone of the chaos that had just occurred.
"They must be poison cultivators," Jian Xu murmured, eyes sharp.
"Yeah, and that man will die in seven days," Jian Dan added, knowing the potency of Jin Dai poisons from her time at the Heavenly Sword Sect.
"Because of that silver snake?" Jian Jing asked.
"Yeah! She never intended to cure him, just suppressed the poison temporarily using poison against poison."
"Hehe, you have good taste, Sister. My Silver-Red is pretty impressive!"
The red-haired girl spoke suddenly.
Jian Dan and Jian Jing exchanged a glance, smiling, and bowed politely to her. She returned it, gesturing for them to visit her stall.
"Let's go see."
Jian Dan and Jian Jing moved toward her stall. Jian Xu shook his head helplessly, Kuang Dao followed silently, and Hu San, though nervous, followed resolutely.
"Once we enter, don't touch anything. Slow your breathing."
Jian Dan's calm voice instructed the others, who subtly nodded, stepping into the stall formation.
White Xia noticed their courage and sharp analysis and decided to befriend them. She spoke and invited them in.
Once seated on the cushions, Jian Xu, Kuang Dao, and Hu San bowed to the sisters, then sat cross-legged quietly.
"What would you like to trade for?" Bai Xia asked first.
"I see you have a lot of poisons. What do you recommend?" Jian Dan asked.
"That depends on what you want to use them for," Bai Xia replied.
"Exterminating insects," Jian Dan said with a gentle smile.
"What kind of insects?"
"From the burial ground, falling from the sky," Jian Dan clarified.