"Alright, then let's make this a big one!"
Jian Dan grinned as she sent a sound transmission.
Liu Chuan couldn't stay calm. If he had a heart, it'd be trembling by now. Since he didn't, only his willow leaves quivered slightly before he helplessly replied, "Don't go overboard. If you can't hold it together, we'll all end up trapped here."
"Relax, I know what I'm doing. I never dig a hole for myself."
"Fine. As long as you've got it under control."
Liu Chuan wound the Wood of Spring Awakening even tighter around himself, seizing every second to absorb it. Otherwise, who knew how much this crazy woman would burn through later.
Everything was moving in an orderly fashion. Everyone who'd come along was a top-tier figure from the Lingyun Continent, so scouting routes and disguising themselves wasn't a problem. Thanks to Madam Mao's warning, they also avoided the immortal patrol squads.
The Bai sisters, with plenty of spirit plants in hand, carefully mixed several formulas. They prepared poisonous fogs to confuse and disrupt enemies, as well as more blends to alter their auras.
Hou San organized everything that needed to be exchanged, then spent time rehearsing what to say tomorrow. He needed to pull off Fairy Lu's instructions and trade for as many immortal stones as possible.
On the third day, Hou San set out first. Jian Dan and Jian Jing followed after, veiled hats on their heads. Hou San slipped from a quiet alley into a bustling street, striding straight into the Muqing Store.
The Muqing Store wasn't small at all. It was a three-story building facing the main road, already unusual at first glance. Jian Dan swept it with her divine sense and immediately realized it was a mobile law-house, something that could be packed away in an instant.
Once Hou San entered, the two women walked in arm in arm.
Behind the counter sat a thin man with a narrow mustache. He glanced at Hou San's sharp-faced appearance, barely lifted an eyelid, and continued stroking a small magic dagger in his hands.
"Shopkeeper, I've got some goods here. I want to trade for resources."
Hou San smiled broadly as he bowed in greeting. Even when the man ignored him, he didn't look embarrassed. He simply handed over a jade slip.
The appraiser finally took it, scanned it once, frowned in uncertainty, then scanned it again. A sharp gleam flashed in his eyes. This was no small deal. He quickly dropped his dismissive air, though he still put on a show of authority.
"What do you want in exchange?"
"Immortal stones!"
"That'll be difficult. Only part can be paid in immortal stones. The rest'll have to be swapped with other resources. See if there's anything you need."
He pushed back a jade slip. Hou San didn't take it. He hesitated, then clenched his teeth and said, "Shopkeeper, to be honest, our squad got driven into the inner perimeter by that Black Whip Eel. Some of us are injured. So we decided to trade everything for immortal stones and return to the Taizi Continent. Even if we get one-tenth less, that's fine. This is a sect mission, and we've already exchanged for plenty of other things before. Just look."
The man believed him. Lately, most cultivators who'd come to trade had indeed been attacked by that Black Whip Eel. Hearing he was willing to take ten percent less immortal stones, the appraiser quickly calculated. There was plenty of room for profit.
"This amount's too large. I can't decide."
"In that case, I'll take my business elsewhere."
Hou San didn't press or haggle. He simply retrieved the jade slip and turned to leave.
The man froze. Since when did trading skip all bargaining? He'd barely said two sentences and this guy was already walking away.
"Wait. I can't decide, but there's someone who can. Just hold on."
Hou San paused, turned back, and said, "Then hurry. My boss has set a strict time. If I don't get back on time, I won't have a good ending."
He even rubbed his chest with a worried look, selling the act perfectly.
The appraiser instantly understood. Clearly this was someone under strict control, sent only to trade. If the deal failed, they'd sacrifice him without hesitation. No big loss. He quickly sent a message to the Tan Song family.
As luck would have it, Tan Songyu himself had gone out that day. With so many cultivators recently entering the inner perimeter, he was hoping to scout a few promising ones. Halfway through, he received the transmission and immediately diverted to the Muqing Store.
Walking in, he saw Hou San's anxious expression. Hou San felt the weight of someone's gaze on him, but he quickly lowered his eyes and didn't dare look back.
"This him?"
"Yes, look, these are the goods they collected."
Tan Songyu swept them with his divine sense. There was profit to be made. He nodded and gestured for the appraiser to proceed with the deal.
The appraiser summoned Hou San back, tallied the value, and set the exchange at one million low-grade immortal stones. For the Tan Song family, it was nothing.
Hou San placed ten storage pendants on the counter, took the storage ring filled with stones, double-checked the amount, and left satisfied. Tan Songyu gave a subtle hand sign, and a shadow flickered past, tailing him immediately.
All of this fell right into Jian Dan and Jian Jing's eyes. Only after Hou San left did Jian Dan step forward and ask,"Is this shop run by the Tan Song family?"
The appraiser, already pocketing the storage pendants, heard a clear female voice. Looking up, he saw two veiled female cultivators.
Tan Songyu, relying on his divine sense, swept over them and found both women to be strikingly beautiful. His eyes brightened. He stepped forward. "What brings the two of you here?"
"We've seen this immortal before. We're cultivators from the Lingyun Continent. We heard the Tan Song family saved our Senior Sister Qingfeng, so we came to pay respects. We'd like to know if we can see her."
Their postures were humble.
Tan Songyu's eyes shifted. So it was about that Jun Qingfeng. His sister had rescued her, yet she'd never agreed to follow her. And now her fellow disciples had shown up. Perhaps this was the chance he needed.
"So you're Qingfeng's fellow disciples. My sister saved her, yes, but she's recovering from her wounds and can't leave."
"Then may we see her? We were sent by our sect specifically to find her."
"And how do I know you're really her fellow disciples?"
Jian Dan sneered inwardly but kept her face calm. She pulled out a dark pendant and offered it forward. "This is a sect token."
The moment Tan Songyu saw it, he was eighty percent convinced. He handed it back and said, "In that case, follow me."
Jian Dan exchanged a look with Jian Jing, then both followed without further words.
Everyone understood the other party had hidden motives. Tan Songyu was confident he could control the two women. Jian Dan and Jian Jing were equally confident they could escape unscathed, provided they found Jian Jun.
The three of them, all perfectly aware yet pretending otherwise, stepped in harmony into the Tan Song family's estate.
Tan Songyu sent a message to his sister, then led the two women to the reception hall.
A short while later, Tan Songjia arrived. She wore silver armor over white robes, her appearance both dazzling and heroic, uniquely striking.
"Who are the cultivators from Lingyun Continent?"
Jian Dan and Jian Jing rose at once. They removed their veils and bowed respectfully.
Tan Songjia swept her gaze over them. Her eyes flickered, but she simply took the main seat and spoke coolly,"You're late. When Qingfeng was injured, where were you?"
"Fairy Tan Song, we learned through the soul lamp that our senior sister was in danger. We immediately crossed the spatial rift to come here. Unfortunately, there's a time difference between Lingyun Continent and this place, so we were delayed."
"How's our senior sister now? Has his condition improved?"
"Since you're here, you can try persuading her yourselves. She refuses to let me treat her!"