Yuan Zhiyun was still somewhat unconvinced, but she didn't say anything more. She simply took the Heart-Questioning Stone out of her storage bag and handed it to her father.
Yuan Bi also knew that this daughter of his had a stubborn temper, so he didn't continue to scold her. He sighed softly, took the Heart-Questioning Stone, and left.
Meanwhile, in Yuanling City, after those who had been rescued by Lin Xiao like Yuan Zhiyun woke up and returned to the city, the news about the ice caves in the Icefield Mystic Realm that allowed entry but no exit spread rapidly throughout the city.
Because the Icefield Mystic Realm had been around for over a hundred years, this matter generated an extremely high level of interest in Yuanling City as soon as it came out.
Many people whose relatives and friends had entered the Icefield Mystic Realm years ago and never returned were guessing whether their loved ones had perished after being trapped in those ice caves.
Some people even made inquiries everywhere, hoping to find news about their relatives and friends from those who were lucky enough to escape this time.
In just a few days, the news that the Icefield Mystic Realm had trapped and killed many cultivators over the past century caused an uproar in Yuanling City.
Even many Golden Core cultivators would gossip and listen in on the rumors.
But all of this had nothing to do with Lin Xiao.
As soon as the agreed five-day delivery period with the Many Treasures Pavilion arrived, he went there bright and early.
At this time, the Many Treasures Pavilion had just opened its doors.
Shopkeeper Zhong, still wearing his amiable expression, stood behind the counter flipping through an account book.
Seeing Lin Xiao, he smiled faintly at him.
"Good morning, young Daoist friend. Your Heart-Questioning Stone has arrived."
Lin Xiao smiled and replied,
"Good morning, Shopkeeper Zhong."
Shopkeeper Zhong nodded at him and turned to instruct the shop assistant,
"Changsheng, go to the newly unloaded goods in the back and find the Heart-Questioning Stone."
"Right away! Please wait a moment, dear customer." The shop assistant named Changsheng answered Shopkeeper Zhong, then said a word to Lin Xiao before running into the back room of the shop.
Lin Xiao stepped into the shop, planning to browse casually while waiting for his Heart-Questioning Stone.
Unexpectedly, Shopkeeper Zhong suddenly spoke up,
"Young Daoist friend, our Many Treasures Pavilion doesn't just sell things; we also buy them."
Hearing his words out of the blue, Lin Xiao didn't react for a moment.
What did Shopkeeper Zhong mean by this?
His mind raced, and he seemed to understand, but unsure, he tentatively asked,
"If it's some relatively basic cultivation supplies, I wonder if the Many Treasures Pavilion would accept them?"
Seeing that he immediately understood his meaning, Shopkeeper Zhong nodded with a satisfied smile and said,
"As long as the goods are of high quality, we will take them. Rest assured, young Daoist friend Lin, the price will be absolutely fair."
Hearing this, Lin Xiao felt a surge of joy in his heart. Sure enough, Shopkeeper Zhong meant that their Many Treasures Pavilion would buy the things he brought in!
Although he didn't know why, Shopkeeper Zhong gave him a good impression. Coupled with the excellent reputation of the Many Treasures Pavilion in Yuanling City, Lin Xiao didn't think he would intentionally scam a young man like himself.
However, he didn't agree right away. He just put on a happy expression and said,
"Thank you for your care, Shopkeeper Zhong. I will go back and explain it to my elders, and I will give you an answer tomorrow."
"Of course."
Just as the two finished talking, Changsheng walked out holding a storage bag.
"Shopkeeper, the Heart-Questioning Stone is here!"
Shopkeeper Zhong took the storage bag and handed the Heart-Questioning Stone to Lin Xiao.
Lin Xiao then paid the remaining balance of one thousand and fifty spirit stones.
The transaction was complete.
Satisfied, Lin Xiao took the Heart-Questioning Stone, bid farewell to the two of them, and left the Many Treasures Pavilion.
Watching Lin Xiao leave, the shop assistant Changsheng asked Shopkeeper Zhong,
"Shopkeeper, why are you trying to rope in such a young little cultivator?"
Shopkeeper Zhong smiled and didn't answer him directly, but instead asked him a question in return,
"What do you think this young Daoist friend wants the Heart-Questioning Stone for?"
Changsheng replied,
"The Heart-Questioning Stone is naturally used to test one's character."
Shopkeeper Zhong nodded,
"Indeed. I have been a shopkeeper in Yuanling City for so many years, watching the people come and go in this city every day. However, this young man looks very unfamiliar to me, so I figured he must not be from our Yuanling City."
Hearing this, Changsheng looked thoughtful.
Shopkeeper Zhong looked at the flow of people coming and going outside the shop and continued,
"A young man who doesn't seem to have the slightest bit of cultivation, yet easily spends over a thousand spirit stones to buy a Heart-Questioning Stone..."
"Changsheng, it seems a new faction is about to emerge near our Yuanling City..."
Meanwhile, on Lin Xiao's side, he had already been going back and forth discussing this matter via voice transmission with Liao Pantu.
"Senior, what do you think?"
Liao Pantu, who had been nestled in the Soul-Nourishing Jade Pendant and heard the conversation between the two clearly just now, knew that Lin Xiao didn't give a response on the spot just so he could discuss it with him.
So he said,
"The backer behind this Many Treasures Pavilion is not that strong. The fact that they can establish a firm foothold in Yuanling City is entirely based on their quality and reputation.
You don't need to worry about being deceived. After all, you don't have anything worth them risking five hundred years of reputation to scam you out of."
Hearing this, Lin Xiao wasn't displeased in the slightest; instead, he nodded in strong agreement.
"That's exactly why I didn't refuse outright."
"I feel that our sect can't just sit back and eat away our fortune just because we have a mine. We have to have other sources of spirit stones, right? So I think our sect making our own pills and talismans to sell to the Many Treasures Pavilion is a pretty good idea."
"Furthermore, this Many Treasures Pavilion is an old establishment in Yuanling City. Being on good terms with them will definitely be very beneficial to our sect. Plus, their merchant caravans travel far and wide, so their sources of information must be extremely rich, which is also something our sect lacks."
Listening to him babble on with such high enthusiasm, Liao Pantu rolled his eyes inside the Soul-Nourishing Jade Pendant, though Lin Xiao couldn't see it.
"If you've already thought it all through, why are you asking me?"
Lin Xiao said as he walked back to the inn,
"An elder in the house is like a treasure, as they say. I was afraid there might be something inappropriate, so I wanted to hear your opinion."
After a good while, Liao Pantu sent him another voice transmission,
"Although I don't know why this little shopkeeper is willing to do business with you, no matter how you look at it, it's not a bad thing.
However, I reckon they probably figured out that you are going to establish a sect, oh, wait, they probably think the people behind you are going to establish a sect or something like that."
Hearing this, Lin Xiao said,
"So Shopkeeper Zhong thinks that my side is a new faction about to establish a sect, and is just routinely trying to build a good relationship."
After thinking about it, he added,
"Or maybe he just thinks highly of me."
Liao Pantu couldn't stand this narcissistic look of his and repeatedly urged him,
"Alright, alright, hurry up and deal with these matters so we can return to the sect early. My disciple is still waiting for me to go back and teach him alchemy."
Thus, the next day, Lin Xiao went to the Many Treasures Pavilion and gave Shopkeeper Zhong his affirmative answer.
The two had a rather detailed conversation regarding the various matters of their future transactions, and finally reached a pleasant agreement.
Afterwards, Shopkeeper Zhong gave him a token.
This would serve as the transaction credential for when Lin Xiao's side sent goods over in the future.
Cheng's father told him he was getting remarried—to a wealthy woman. Cao Cheng realized his time had finally come: he was about to become a second-generation rich kid. Sure, it might be a watered-down version, but hey, at least he'd have status now, right? The wealthy woman also had four daughters!! Which meant, starting today, Cao Cheng gained four stunning older sisters?? But that wasn't even the whole story... "My name is Cao Cheng—'Cheng' as in 'honest, smooth-talking gentleman'!"
e vast world of cultivation, where he becomes the master of the Heavenly Ruins Sacred Hall, a dying old man with barely a tenth of his former cultivation remaining. He is immediately confronted with a deadly crisis: his subordinates have rebelled, and his protectors are forcing him to abdicate. At the critical moment, the system descends from the heavens: [Ding! The host has been detected facing a life-or-death crisis. The system is now officially activated!] [As a gift, you have received the Supreme Beginner’s Pack and awakened the ultimate cheat: ten thousand years of pure cultivation essence every second!] Yin Tianjue: “Wait… ten thousand years of cultivation every second? That’s six hundred thousand years a minute, and in one day… I can’t even calculate it. Either way, I’m already invincible!” You’re a peerless prodigy rarely seen in ten thousand years? Sorry, I gain ten thousand years of cultivation every second. You’re an undying ancestor who has guarded a sacred land for countless ages? Sorry, I gain ten thousand years of cultivation every second. You’re the strongest chosen one, blessed with heaven-defying destiny? Sorry, I gain ten thousand years of cultivation every second. From this day forth, I have only one thing to say: “I gain ten thousand years of cultivation every second. Now, how exactly are you supposed to deal with that?”
to panic—he has a system. As long as an investment target dies, he can claim a reward. And since he is immortal, the one thing he has plenty of is time. ... Countless years later. “Immortal Emperor of Longevity? I invested in him.” “Supreme Celestial Venerable? I invested in him.” “Undying Empress? I invested in her.” “...” “Heh. Once they’ve all died, even the Heavenly Dao will have to kneel and call me Dad.”
s the Eldest Princess, renowned for her cold and aloof detachment, became the most docile of lambs, obeying his every command without question. But when the final move was played on the chessboard, as Gu Chenghan seized everything and ascended on the verge of apotheosis, that very Princess suddenly embraced him from behind, her tone carrying a dependence never heard before: "Wait... you haven't yet... commanded me to love you forever." Gu Chenghan froze abruptly. She... hadn't been hypnotized?! ... [The Eldest Princess's Diary] [When my soul was extracted, becoming the sole spectator outside my own shell] [At first, there was overwhelming fury, until I saw] [How he used my sword to effortlessly shatter my inescapable doom] [How he wielded my authority to eradicate fatal conspiracies I had never even detected] [Like a deity, he rescued me from the deep mire I was trapped in] [If not for those annoying vixens, he and I would be a match made in heaven] [I think I am ill, gravely ill] [My deity should belong to me alone] ... "Hypnosis? Oh, it succeeded, my dear Master." "Only this time, it's my turn to hypnotize you."
