Chapter 25: Pursuit

  "Actually still have growth?" Gu Chen's eyes lit up, his heart greatly delighted. Spirit stones, the more the better, naturally. For future cultivation, a large amount of spirit stones would be needed.

  "500 spirit stones." Liu Huahan shouted in a neither urgent nor slow tone, and once again raised the price by a large margin, directly raising it to 500 spirit stones.

  The monks present only felt a burst of white light in their eyes, and stars flashing in their minds. 500 spirit stones, not many innate monks could earn that much even after spending several years searching for treasures in the Eastern Wastes.

  But Liu Huahan shouted out loud that 500 spirit stones were nothing at all, this was the difference between ordinary cultivators and the three major cultivation families.

  Yun Jinghong's forehead broke out in a cold sweat, his confidence that had just risen was shattered by Liu Huachan in an instant.

  Just now, Yun Jinghong had just decided to continue bidding, if Liu Huachan was only 10 spirit stones more, with only a slight price difference of 10 spirit stones, Yun Jinghong would definitely have bid against Liu Huachan, and it's very possible that they would have bid up to 500 spirit stones. Who knows, because of the back-and-forth bidding, it might become a matter of pride, and in order to save face, they would have bid to the death, making it impossible to determine what price they would end up at.

  So, Liu Huachan directly quoted a price of nearly 100 spirit stones, wanting to put pressure on his opponent. Starting from 300 spirit stones, he increased the price by nearly 100 spirit stones each time, making others gasp for breath.

  Finally, Yun Hong didn't bid again, and Liu Hua Han added nearly 100 spirit stones in one go, giving him an unbeatable feeling that crushed his confidence.

  "Mr. Liu Huahán bid 500 spirit stones, is there anyone who can bid higher?"

  ……

  ……

  The auctioneer shouted several times in a row, Yun Jinghong gave up, and no one bid a higher price. Ten bottles of top-grade Juyuan Ling liquid were won by Liu Huazhen of the Liu family for 500 ling stones.

  500 spirit stones, Gu Chen was overjoyed in his heart, this had far exceeded the price he had expected, these 500 spirit stones were the first large sum of money for him to re-enter the Cultivation Realm, compared to the 500 spirit stones, the previous 2 million wild coins weren't even a hair on its head.

  Can the crude currency used by ordinary people be compared to the spirit stones of cultivators?

  Suddenly, Gu Chen's heart skipped a beat as he felt a gaze fixed on him, a familiar feeling, just like last time, Liu Huachan was watching this place again.

  "Did he discover something?" Gu Chen's vigilance immediately increased.

  Only a few seconds later, Liu Huachan's gaze was withdrawn, and Gu Chen heard the cultivators walking out of the auction hall one after another. After Liu Huachan obtained the Juyuan Spirit Liquid, he also left.

  "It seems that Liu Huachen has sensed my presence? He should have guessed that the seller of the Yuanyuan Spirit Liquid is in this room, but he shouldn't know who I am." Gu Chen thought to himself.

  Not long after, a knock at the door was heard, and Gu Weng walked in with a palm-sized bag in his hand.

  "Congratulations, sir. The spiritual medicine was sold for a high price of 500 spiritual stones. After deducting the 5% commission, you now have a total of 475 spiritual stones. Please inspect them, sir." Gu Gong handed over the pouch with a smile.

  500 spirit stones, put together should have a considerable volume, but the bag handed over by Gu Weng is only the size of a palm, and it's already good if it can hold dozens of spirit stones.

  However, Gu Chen didn't hesitate at all and took the bag over. The bag felt very light in his hand, and he didn't even open it to look inside. He just infused his true energy into it, similar to using the Qian Kun Ring. Very quickly, his consciousness "saw" the space inside the bag. This space was about 2 feet long, wide, and high, with a pile of spirit stones inside. Gu Chen counted them briefly and found there were exactly 475.

  This is a storage bag.

  Storage bag is a spatial artifact carried by ordinary cultivators, also an auxiliary artifact, similar to the Qiankun Ring, but with much smaller space. The Qiankun Ring's space increases as its master's cultivation level improves. Currently, Gu Chen has reached the 6th layer of the Later Heaven Realm, and the length, width, and height of his ring are all about 6 feet long, which is three times that of this storage bag.

  Moreover, the space of the Qian Kun Chui will continue to grow, and as the master's cultivation increases, it can even hold a large mountain. The storage bag's space size is fixed and unchanging, completely incomparable to the Qian Kun Chui. Storage bags are something that all ordinary cultivators have, while the Qian Kun Chui is a priceless treasure, only possessed by a few high-ranking cultivators.

  Gu Chen said: "This storage bag is not worth a small amount, right?"

  Gu Gongxian said, "This storage bag is worth 50 spirit stones, but this storage bag isn't from our auction house. It's from Mr. Liu who bid on the Juyuan Spirit Liquid. He said there are exactly 500 spirit stones inside the storage bag and he wants to give it to you, old sir, along with the storage bag."

  "Oh, I see...". Gu Chen's heart moved slightly, his eyes glanced at the storage bag and said: "In that case, I'll take my leave, goodbye."

  Gu Chen nodded slightly towards Gu Weng and then walked out, Gu Weng said: "Old sir."

  Gu Chen stopped in his tracks and looked at Gu Yongxian calmly, saying: "Is there anything else, Old Gu?"

  Gu Gongxian seemed a bit embarrassed, but didn't show it, and said: "May I ask the old gentleman's surname and name? The old gentleman has done two deals at my auction, and I still don't know your name. It's really impolite. Please rest assured, sir, I have no ill intentions."

  Gu Chen gazed at Gu Weng Xian for a moment before saying, "I am Yao Lao."

  Regardless of whether Gu Yong had a purpose or not, Gu Chen would never reveal his true name. After finishing speaking, Gu Chen walked out of the room.

  "Medicine Old? I don't seem to have heard of this name. Could it be a pseudonym?" Gu Weng said to himself after Gu Chen left.

  As soon as he left the auction house, Gu Chen immediately turned into a quiet and secluded alley, raised his spirit, and paid attention to the changes around him. Sure enough, someone was following him.

  Gǔ Chén changed direction at a hidden location that could lead to multiple directions, but the person following him was always able to tail him. Gǔ Chén stopped at a secluded alleyway entrance, holding the storage bag in his hand, and coldly snorted: "Intentionally giving me the storage bag, indeed made a move."

  He poured out all the Ling Stones from the storage bag into the Qian Kun Ring, and then Gu Chen stuffed the storage bag into a crack in the wall beside him.

  After doing everything, Gu Chen changed into a small alley and quickly left.

  Not long after, a figure appeared in the place where Gu Chen had just been. If Gu Chen were there, he would immediately recognize this person as Liu Huachan of the Liu family.

  "How come it's gone?" Liu Huachan muttered in puzzlement, his eyes scanning around and sniffing.

  Soon, Liu Huachan seemed to have smelled something, his gaze turned towards the crack in the wall, and with a stretch of his hand, a storage bag was pulled out.

  "Hmph, you're quite cunning." Liu Huahan snorted in anger, but immediately put on a sly smile: "Heh heh, you underestimate me too much. You think throwing away the storage bag will let you escape? Haha..."

  After finishing speaking, Liu Huachan's body flashed and quickly disappeared from sight.

  All the way from a remote alley, Gu Chen arrived at Nancheng. The 300-year-old spiritual grass had a price of several tens to hundreds of spirit stones. As a postnatal cultivator who was only ten years old, Gu Chen naturally couldn't buy the 300-year-old spiritual grass in its original form.

  Take advantage of now using ringworm Dan, just right first to Nancheng buy Ling Cao needed for practice Dan, and then back to Dongcheng.

  Spirit grass over 300 years old is extremely rare, Gu Chen asked ten shops, and spirit grass over 200 years old was available in several houses, but only one had spirit grass over 300 years old, which was Bilei flower, not the material Gu Chen needed to practice alchemy.

  Walking on the streets of Nancheng, the Lingcao shops on both sides have different names, but the Lingcao they sell inside are almost indistinguishable, mainly dealing with Lingcao under 200 years old. The number of Lingcao over 200 years old is extremely rare.

  Looking at the row of spiritual grass shops, Gu Chen's gaze turned to the distance, and suddenly his eyes lit up. Not far ahead was a spiritual medicine shop called Wanjun Spiritual Grass, which should be the spiritual grass shop of Qian Wantong, the first spiritual grass merchant.

  Na Qian Wantong was called the first spiritual grass merchant, perhaps his store had the spiritual grass that was needed.

  Gu Chen passed by the crowd of shops and came directly to the Wonton Spiritual Grass Shop. Upon entering the Wonton Spiritual Grass Shop, he discovered that although the exterior looked similar, the interior was much larger than other shops. Perhaps, this place really had what he needed.

  There are many people in the store watching Lingcao. All of them placed in the bright place in this hall are under 200 years old.

  The shopkeeper saw Gu Chen scan the spiritual grass in the store, and walked over to him. "My surname is Qian, I am the shopkeeper of this store. Sir, what do you need?"

  Although Gu Chen is now short and ugly, his temperament is extraordinary. Wherever he goes, he stands out like a towering mountain.

  This Wàn Tōng Líng Cǎo shop, as the first spiritual grass store in Lè Shuǐ City, naturally has a certain level of vision, far surpassing that of ordinary people who judge by appearance.

  Gu Chen said in a hoarse voice: "I need more than 300 years of Ling Xin Cao, Huang Jing Shi, and Zi Yuan Hua. Are they available here?"

  Qian Zhanggui's eyes lit up, "A deal of over 300 years of spiritual grass is a big business!" He happily said: "Old sir has really come to the right place. In this Le Shui City, when it comes to spiritual grass, my Wanjingtong Spiritual Grass Store ranks second, and no one dares to claim first place. My store has two 300-year-old Huang Jingzhi, one Ziyuanhua, but unfortunately, we don't have Lingxincao."

  "The yield of Ling Xin Cao is low, and it has the effect of cleansing the mind for cultivators. As soon as it comes out, it is immediately bought by people, so there is no stock of Ling Xin Cao. Our store doesn't have any, and other stores may not have much either." Qian Zhanggui explained again.

  Gu Chen remained expressionless and said, "Since there's Huang Jingzhi and Zi Yuanhua, I'll take them all."

  Qian Zhanggui said: "Old sir, please follow me."

  Gu Chen and Qian Zhanggui came to the position where he was just now, Qian Zhanggui pulled out a drawer from the cargo cabinet behind him, and took out three wooden boxes.

  The spiritual grass that has been aged for years needs to be well maintained and cannot be exposed to light frequently. This wooden box is a specially made box that can prevent the loss of spiritual energy from the spiritual grass.

  Qian Zhanggui placed three wooden boxes on the counter, opened them one by one for Gu Chen to see, then closed them again and said: "Two stalks of Huang Jingzhi, one stalk of Zi Yuanhua, all around 350 years old, each worth 100 spirit stones."

  "100 spirit stones per plant? No problem, but can you send me some ordinary spirit grass?" Gu Chen pointed to a pile of orange lotus leaves beside him.

  Tangerine lotus is only the lowest grade of spiritual grass, with elliptical leaves. The years of these tangerine lotuses do not exceed 100 years and are worth only a few dozen wild coins per plant. Compared to the 300-year-old golden ganoderma and purple yuan flower, it's not even worth mentioning.

  Gu Zhen proposed these calamus lotus because he found a relatively unusual spiritual grass in the calamus lotus. The spiritual grass is similar to the calamus lotus, also with oval leaves, only slightly smaller in volume. At first glance, it looks like an immature calamus lotus.

  Gu Chen, as the master of Dan medicine, recognized this spiritual grass, called Ku Ye Lian, which has the effect of detoxification and is a very rare spiritual grass, the only one in the world that can counteract the Yinhun flower.

  The Yīnghún flower is the flower of death, and whether it's an ordinary person or a cultivator, touching it will inevitably lead to death. However, as the saying goes, "one thing can counteract another", only the Kuìyèlián, a rare and precious herb that appears once in a hundred years, can neutralize the toxicity of the Yīnghún flower.

  Gu Chen didn't know why this bitter lotus was mixed with the tangerine lotus, but he needed to set up the Three Extremes Array to attract the Soul-Beckoning Flower. The bitter lotus was a rare and precious thing that could hardly be found even if one spent tens of thousands of spirit stones. It was truly a treasure from heaven.

  Although Gu Chen was in sight, he only glanced at him briefly and didn't take a second look. Although his heart was greatly delighted, his face did not reveal even half of it.

  Seeing the old man pointing at the ordinary orange lotus, Qian Zhanggui said: "Sir, do you still need the orange lotus? Buy these three spiritual grasses and I can give you one hundred of them for free."

  "That's great." Gu Chen smiled slightly and casually picked up ten lotus leaves, saying: "I only need ten."

  That bitter lotus leaf was just caught in Gu Chen's palm.

  Then Gu Chen waved his hand and 300 spirit stones appeared on the counter, Qian Zhuanggui thought he took them out from his storage bag and didn't ask further.

  After counting the amount, the cashier handed three wooden boxes to Gu Chen and said, "Please keep them well, sir."

  Gu Chen took over three wooden boxes, along with the tangerine leaves and bitter lotus, and stored them in the Qian Kun ring. He said, "If your store has received the Ling Xin grass, please help me keep it. I am willing to pay two percent more."

  Lingxincao is even more expensive than Huangjingzhi and Ziyuanhua, with a price difference of several tens of Ling stones for just two tenths.

  Qian Zhanggui immediately smiled and said: "Please rest assured, old sir, I will definitely keep it for you, but... when will you come again?"

  Gu Chen said: "There is Ling Xin grass in the store, I will naturally come, goodbye."

  "Old master, slow down."

  As he walked out of the Wàn Tōng Líng Cǎo shop, Gǔ Chén's face also broke into a happy smile. Today's harvest had truly delighted him. Although he had only managed to buy Huáng Jīng Zhī and Zǐ Yuán Huā at the Wàn Tōng Líng Cǎo shop, and still hadn't found any Líng Xīn Cǎo, unexpectedly, he had stumbled upon a Kuì Yè Lián that was hundreds of times more precious than those three spiritual grasses.

  This is a rare and precious spiritual herb that can be encountered but not sought after. The Bitter Leaf Lotus does not need to undergo any refining, it can be directly used as an antidote pill, and its effect is more than ten times stronger than the Antidote Pill.

  When people encounter happy events, their spirits are lifted. Gu Chen is now not only spirited but also completely passionate and enthusiastic.

  The elixir was still missing the Lingxincao, Gu Chen asked dozens of shops again, but none of them had it for sale, so he had to give up temporarily. He returned from a small alley in the southern city to the eastern city.

  In a deserted alley, Gu Chen looked around for a while, seeing no one coming, he swallowed the Wu Hua Guo and quickly returned to his original appearance, heading towards the Gu's residence.

  At this moment, a figure suddenly flashed in front of the alley, and Liu Huachan blocked Gu Chen's path.

  "Hiss, hiss, hiss... who would have thought that the mysterious alchemist of Leishui City was actually a mere postnatal third-layer cultivator, just over ten years old? Hiss, hiss, hiss, even I find it astonishing to see with my own eyes. You only revealed your true face after arriving in Dongcheng, could you be from the Gu family?" Liu Huachan said with a smile, looking at Gu Chen.

  Looking at Gu Chen's expression was like looking at a fish on a chopping board.