Chapter 042

Chapter 42: Safely Hidden Away

The value of a cultivator’s spiritual roots would never change, no matter how high their cultivation grew. Yet, there was a special pill called the Heaven Mending Pill, which could increase one’s root value. Unfortunately, a cultivator could only take this miraculous pill once in their lifetime, and how much their spiritual roots improved depended entirely upon personal fortune and destiny.

After Wei Yun Xi sensed Wei Yun Qing’s unusual behavior, she quickly searched through the chapters of the novel in her memory. Immediately, she discovered her elder sister’s intentions.

Perhaps Wei Yun Qing herself did not clearly know of the Heaven Mending Pill, yet she was like a cat drawn by the scent of fish, constantly circling nearby. She even abandoned her impending breakthrough, focusing entirely on Wei Yun Xi.

Thus, Wei Yun Xi pretended not to notice her sister’s probing. She smoothly agreed to accompany Wei Yun Qing to the Outer Sect marketplace. Then, with deliberate precision, she broke through to the third layer of Qi Refining first, purposely provoking Wei Yun Qing. To save face, Wei Yun Qing had no choice but to focus wholeheartedly on her cultivation.

Taking advantage of Wei Yun Qing’s breakthrough period, when she was unable to leave the cultivation hall, Wei Yun Xi brought Wei Zong Hao along to the marketplace in search of treasure.

Everything went smoothly. As soon as they reached the bustling marketplace, Wei Yun Xi deliberately wandered around, leading Wei Zong Hao aimlessly from stall to stall. She claimed it was wise to carefully compare goods and prices before purchasing tools for crafting talismans.

Wei Zong Hao happily accompanied her, treating it as an opportunity to broaden his horizons. At the same time, he eagerly asked Yun Xi about the secret to her rapid progress. After all, both of them possessed triple spiritual roots, and he had started cultivating a year earlier. There was no reason why he should have fallen so far behind.

Wei Yun Xi generously shared her secret: “Every time I cultivate, I first completely exhaust the spiritual energy in my dantian. When I begin cultivation afterward, my progress is much faster.”

Wei Zong Hao’s eyes lit up immediately: “Really? How do you exhaust your spiritual energy?”

“By repeatedly practicing the Basic Five Elements Arts. After today, I’ll start practicing talisman-making instead. I’m curious to see how many talismans I can craft with my third-layer Qi Refining strength. When my spiritual energy is depleted, cultivating afterward is sure to be twice as effective.”

Wei Zong Hao nodded, deeply convinced, and thanked Yun Xi sincerely.

At that moment, Wei Yun Xi stopped in front of a stall. A small wooden sign sat before it, reading “Exchange for Pills Only.”

Sweeping her divine sense over the items on display, Wei Yun Xi immediately spotted her target. She cupped her hands politely and asked, “Senior Brother, I’m interested in this purple sandalwood jewelry box. May I ask what kind of pills you want in exchange?”

The youth sitting cross-legged behind the stall replied: “I’m preparing to break into the late stage of Qi Refining. I need pills that can help me advance.”

Wei Yun Xi thought briefly before answering, “I have Nourishing Spirit Pills. Would those work?”

“I’d like to inspect their quality first,” the youth replied cautiously.

Wei Yun Xi smiled reassuringly: “These pills were awarded by the sect after I passed the entrance test. The quality is absolutely guaranteed.”

Only then did the youth glance at the two short figures before him, nodding slightly: “Then two pills for any item on my stall.”

Wei Zong Hao furrowed his brows in dissatisfaction, feeling the offer was unfair. He was about to protest, but Wei Yun Xi quickly interjected, “Very well. Your items are quite interesting; I’ll take two more.”

“Suit yourself. Take your pick.”

Wei Yun Xi immediately grabbed the jewelry box she had been eyeing. Next, she took a slightly worn talisman brush. Though the brush tip was a bit frayed, it was perfect for a beginner like her. After a brief hesitation, she decided to keep it.

Her gaze then shifted to a pile of empty pill bottles on the stall. Tentatively, she asked, “Senior Brother, could these empty pill bottles count as one item?”

Seeing they were only empty bottles, the stall keeper waved generously, saying, “Sure, just one Nourishing Spirit Pill for the entire pile.”

“Agreed.”

Wei Yun Xi swiftly swept the pill bottles and the other two items into her storage pouch. Unbeknownst to others, she placed the bottles directly into her wooden pendant space instead. She then cheerfully handed over five Nourishing Spirit Pills.

As they walked away toward the stall selling blank talisman paper, Little Fatty whispered quietly, “Yun Xi, you definitely lost out there. Those empty bottles aren’t worth even a single pill; you could have gotten them for free.”

“It’s fine. That senior brother is about to reach the late stage of Qi Refining. Think of it as building goodwill. Besides, the most valuable item on his stall was this talisman brush. The other two were merely extras. He knew that perfectly well, which is why he dared to ask such a price.”

“You have a point,” Little Fatty conceded, though he still thought four pills would have been enough.

Yet Wei Yun Xi privately felt that paying an extra pill cleared her conscience. Now, she could comfortably claim ownership of the hidden Heaven Mending Pill concealed among those empty bottles without any guilt.

At that moment, a voice suddenly called out behind them: “Wei Yun Xi!”

Wei Yun Xi raised an eyebrow calmly before turning around unhurriedly, only to see Wei Yun Qing hurrying toward them.

Wei Yun Qing had just broken through to the third layer of Qi Refining when a terrible unease had gripped her heart again. She trusted her instincts and rushed out of the cultivation hall, bribing the disciple on duty with spirit stones. Learning that Wei Yun Xi hadn’t gone to the cultivation rooms at all, she dashed directly toward the marketplace.

She clearly remembered the illusion where Wei Yun Xi found a rare pill in the marketplace—a pill capable of improving spiritual root quality. She had to obtain it no matter what.

When Wei Yun Qing reached them, she complained unhappily, “Yun Xi, didn’t we agree to visit the market together? How could you leave me behind?”

Wei Yun Xi smiled sweetly: “Elder Sister, you said yourself that you wanted to break through as quickly as possible. How could I disturb your cultivation over such a small matter? Since Zong Hao was free, we decided to come together.”

Then she politely cupped her hands and added deliberately, “Congratulations on breaking through to the third layer, Elder Sister. But your aura seems unstable; why didn’t you take more time to stabilize it?”

Wei Yun Qing felt as though she had punched cotton. Forcing down her frustration, she replied, “I just worried about you shopping here alone, so I rushed over. Let’s continue together, all three of us.”

“Of course,” Wei Yun Xi agreed cheerfully, discreetly winking at Little Fatty as she turned around. Wei Zong Hao nodded knowingly.

As the trio continued their stroll, Wei Yun Qing couldn’t resist asking, “Yun Xi, did you find anything interesting earlier?”

“I bought a used talisman brush—quite a bargain, only cost me five Nourishing Spirit Pills.” Wei Yun Xi cheerfully took out the brush from her storage pouch, openly showing it to Wei Yun Qing to ease her suspicions.

Wei Yun Qing immediately grabbed it, inspecting it carefully: “Let me see if it’s really worth five pills.”

Wei Yun Xi didn’t mind at all, letting her examine it closely while heading straight toward the stall selling blank talisman paper.

Wei Yun Qing thoroughly scanned the brush with her divine sense. Finding nothing unusual, she reluctantly handed it back with a frown.

Meanwhile, Wei Yun Xi began cheerfully bargaining with another stall keeper, preparing to buy all the Grade One talisman papers available.