Extra Charge

"Married couple?"

The girl in the green dress couldn't help but laugh at these words, her almond-shaped eyes curving into crescents as she tapped the jade pendant at her waist bearing the insignia of the Radiant Light Pavilion.

"Are you joking, fellow cultivator? Bai Qianshuang is currently the most wanted criminal in the Donghua Divine Continent. The Qingyun Sect has offered a bounty of ten thousand high-grade spirit stones plus an inner disciple position. Anyone who dares to claim they're her partner would be hunted down by every major sect the next day—not even their bones would remain."

She gave Ye Chuan a once-over, noting his peculiar attire, which didn’t seem like any magical treasure, making the claim even more absurd.

"You’d better watch your words. The guards at the city gate are still inspecting out-of-town cultivators. If they hear you, even if you’re innocent, you’ll be dragged to the dungeons for a few days of ‘bitter water.’"

Ye Chuan didn’t bother arguing whether she believed him or not.

Since this so-called Radiant Light Pavilion was an intelligence organization, asking for directions directly was the simplest solution.

No need to grab a few random cultivators for questioning.

"You’re from the Radiant Light Pavilion, so you must know the location of Zichen City?" Ye Chuan cut straight to the point.

The green-clad girl blinked in surprise. "You’re heading to Zichen City? But there’s a direct teleportation array in the city—it only takes a few days from Linhai City. Why ask for directions? Afraid the array’s being watched?"

"No need for teleportation," Ye Chuan said.

Now that he was free of the demonic sea’s miasma, his divine sense could once again span hundreds of miles. As long as he knew the general direction, his spatial teleportation technique would get him to Zichen City in no time.

A flicker of curiosity passed through the girl’s eyes, but she didn’t press further—the Radiant Light Pavilion’s rule was "ask only what’s needed, never the reason."

She held up five slender fingers and wiggled them. "For the exact location of Zichen City, plus intel on any demonic beasts or sect checkpoints along the way—five high-grade spirit stones. Final offer."

Without hesitation, Ye Chuan retrieved five gleaming high-grade spirit stones from his spatial ring. The moment they touched the ground, rich spiritual energy wafted out, drawing envious glances from nearby cultivators.

The girl’s eyes sparkled as she hastily scooped the stones into a jade box, as if afraid someone might snatch them. Then, from her storage pouch, she produced a palm-sized map drawn on beast hide.

The map was inscribed with special luminous ink, detailing the terrain of the Donghua Divine Continent—mountains, rivers, cities—all clearly marked, with colored runes indicating danger levels.

Her fingertip landed on a faintly glowing red dot. "This is Linhai City, where we are now. Zichen City is this way. There are only two low-tier demonic beast territories along the route, no major sect checkpoints. If you’re flying by sword, it’ll take about a month."

Ye Chuan took the map, channeling a wisp of spiritual energy into it. Instantly, it expanded to three feet wide, revealing even finer details.

He’d expected five spirit stones to buy only a rough direction, not such a comprehensive map. Impressed, he gave the girl an appraising look. "Not bad."

It actually felt like he’d gotten more than his money’s worth.

Was he just too wealthy?

"Of course. The Radiant Light Pavilion’s intelligence is always worth the price," the girl said proudly, tilting her chin up. Then, as if remembering something, she added, "But don’t misunderstand—this map only marks cities and danger zones. Locations like the Qingyun Sect’s mountain gate or ancient secret realms? Those aren’t included. Those are premium intel, priced separately."

Ye Chuan stroked his chin, intrigued.

He knew little about the power structure of the Tianxuan Continent. A complete map would make future… acquisitions far more convenient.

"Miss, I’d like a full map of the Tianxuan Continent. Mark every major sect, ancient secret realm, and danger zone. The more detailed, the better."

"A full map of the Tianxuan Continent?" The girl nearly dropped her jade box in shock. "Do you even realize what you’re asking? The Tianxuan Continent spans four regions—east, west, north, and south. There are over a hundred major sects alone, and most ancient secret realms drift in the void. This map took ten generations of our Radiant Light Pavilion’s efforts to compile. It’s not something we sell lightly."

"Not for sale?" Ye Chuan asked.

"It’ll cost extra," she said with a playful wink.

"Name your price." His tone remained indifferent, as if discussing trivial matters.

The girl studied him, weighing her options, before finally raising a finger.

"One hundred thousand high-grade spirit stones. And that’s just the basic version. If you want sect rankings or secret realm activation times, add another fifty thousand."

But even as she said it, she doubted it would work—one hundred thousand high-grade spirit stones was a sum even small-to-mid sects would need a decade to save. Could this seemingly ordinary cultivator really afford it?

This deal was probably dead in the water.

To her astonishment, Ye Chuan didn’t even blink. He simply retrieved a storage pouch from his spatial pocket, cracking it open just enough for a flood of spiritual energy to spill out—inside, neatly stacked, were one hundred thousand flawless high-grade spirit stones, each pure and luminous.

"Can we trade now?"

The girl was utterly speechless. In her three years at the Radiant Light Pavilion, she’d never seen anyone treat high-grade spirit stones like pebbles. This level of extravagance was unheard of.

She gulped, hastily waving her hands. "N-no! The Tianxuan Continent map is a classified treasure of the Radiant Light Pavilion. I only carry low-tier intel on me. I’d need to return to our branch to retrieve it. It’ll take some time."

"Fine," Ye Chuan nodded. "Leave me a way to contact you. Notify me once you have it."

Snapping back to reality, the girl hurriedly pulled out a translucent green communication token from her pouch, its surface etched with intricate runes and topped with a tiny pearl.

"This is the Radiant Light Pavilion’s Sound Transmission Token. Just channel spiritual energy into it, and you’ll reach me directly."

"Oh, and my name’s Qing Ling’er. Remember it—I’ll be in touch."

Ye Chuan took the token, testing it with a thread of spiritual energy. The pearl at its tip glowed softly, confirming it worked before he stored it away.

"Call me Ye San."

"Understood, Senior Ye San."

Qing Ling’er summoned her flying sword in a flash of light and vanished.

With the Donghua Divine Continent map in hand, Ye Chuan glanced at the marked location of Zichen City.

"Time to go."

He shot out of the city like a streak of light—but the moment he left, he sensed five or six auras tailing him.

After flaunting his wealth, being followed was only natural.

"I did it on purpose," Ye Chuan smirked. Soon, the pursuing auras vanished one by one, replaced only by distant screams.

"Poison?! Poison?!"