As soon as he stepped into the inner chamber, a young attendant was already waiting inside.
Zhou Xun recognized this man as well; his name was Lan Song.
The moment Zhou Xun walked in, Lan Song recognized him. However, he was much more clever and did not say a word, only casting probing glances at Zhou Xun as if trying to figure something out.
Zhou Xun gave a slight nod in acknowledgment and then, guided by Manager Liu, took a seat.
As soon as they were seated, Manager Liu got straight to the point:
"The two of you are here to sell Golden Spirit Mouse materials. Why don't you take them out so we can have a look?"
"Of course!"
Shan Xionghai then took out four porcelain flasks, a wooden box, and a bundle of Golden Spirit Mouse pelts from the pouch he was carrying.
"It seems the two Fellow Daoists have wiped out an entire nest of Golden Spirit Mice!" Manager Liu said with a smile, immediately picking up a porcelain flask to begin his inspection.
"Mm, not bad. Adult Golden Spirit Mouse, the beast blood has also been properly processed—truly top-grade!" With that, he picked up the remaining three flasks and appraised them one by one.
"These two are slightly lower in quality; they must have been taken from juvenile Golden Spirit Mice. Am I right?"
"Manager Liu has a sharp eye!" Shan Xionghai said in astonishment.
"Hahaha, I've seen enough of them!" Manager Liu let out a hearty laugh and began inspecting the whiskers and pelts of the Golden Spirit Mice.
Once the appraisal was complete, Shan Xionghai asked eagerly:
"How is it? I wonder how many spirit essences these are worth?"
Manager Liu pondered for a moment and stated the price:
"Four bottles of beast blood: the two top-grade ones can be acquired at twenty-one spirit essences per bottle, while the two lesser ones are thirteen spirit essences a bottle. That box of whiskers comes to a total of sixty-six spirit essences!"
"As for the pelts, the adult ones are twenty-six spirit essences each, and the juvenile ones are only eleven."
"Added together, that makes two hundred and eight. Let's round it up to two hundred and ten spirit essences. What do you two think?"
Upon hearing this, Shan Xionghai looked toward Zhou Xun.
Zhou Xun nodded slightly.
"The price is very fair. We'll sell!"
Manager Liu nodded and instructed Lan Song behind him:
"Store these materials in the warehouse!"
Then, he counted out two hundred and ten spirit essences and placed them on the table in front of Zhou Xun.
Lan Song looked at the small mountain of spirit essences, then at Zhou Xun, his eyes filled with envy.
"Zhou Xun, who was originally dismissed, has actually returned as a customer and walked away with over two hundred spirit essences!"
Seeing that Zhou Xun and his companion were about to collect the spirit essences, Manager Liu asked with a cheerful smile:
"We have quite a few good treasures here at Miaofu Pavilion. Would the two of you care to purchase something? Fellow Daoist Zhou is also an old acquaintance of ours; I can offer you a certain discount!"
Zhou Xun waved his hand at this:
"Many thanks for Manager Liu's kind offer, but if I have any needs in the future, I will certainly come to trouble you. Farewell!"
With that, he pulled Shan Xionghai along and left.
After being scolded and dismissed by Manager Liu, Qian Xun harbored deep resentment in his heart.
Ever since Wei Shangli's older brother broke through to become a Tier 1 talisman master, Qian Xun had eagerly tried to curry favor with Wei Shangli, but he had never found the right opening.
Seeing Zhou Xun again today wasn't it the perfect opportunity to prove his loyalty?
"Qian Xun? What do you want with me?" Wei Shangli's expression was cold.
He held little regard for this person who had once been close to Zhou Xun but now actively fawned over him.
"A sycophantic flatterer!" That was Wei Shangli's assessment of him.
"Master Wei, guess who I ran into today?" Qian Xun bowed slightly, a flattering smile plastered across his face.
"Who?" Wei Shangli asked, full of impatience.
"Zhou Xun!"
Hearing these two names, Wei Shangli's pupils constricted, his expression shifted, and he hastily asked:
"What is he doing coming to Miaofu Pavilion?"
Seeming to realize his reaction betrayed too much, he quickly let out a sneer:
"Could it be that he still wants to come back?"
"I originally thought so too, but I don't know where he managed to wipe out a nest of Golden Spirit Mice—this trip was to sell monster beast materials!" Qian Xun gritted his teeth, wearing a bitter expression of deep hatred.
"Golden Spirit Mouse materials? He's merely at Level 2 Qi Condensation cultivation; where would he get such a treasure? Are you here to pull my leg?" Wei Shangli frowned, barking a question at Qian Xun.
"How would I dare deceive you? I saw Manager Liu welcoming him into the inner chamber with the utmost courtesy; it doesn't look fake!" Qian Xun patted his chest, offering repeated guarantees.
"Then do you know how many spirit essences he sold them for?"
"The one on duty in the inner chamber today is Lan Song. Just summon him over and ask, and you'll know."
"Go quickly!" Wei Shangli waved a hand.
Before long, Lan Song arrived.
"Greetings, Apprentice Wei!" Lan Song bowed, neither servile nor overbearing.
"You were on duty in the inner chamber today, so you must know about Zhou Xun selling Golden Spirit Mouse materials. Tell me honestly, how many spirit essences did he get in total, when did he leave, and where did he hunt them?" Wei Shangli stared intently at Lan Song, his tone carrying an unquestionable weight.
Hearing this, Lan Song shook his head:
"When he left and where he obtained them, I do not know. However, he received a total of two hundred and ten spirit essences!"
Upon hearing this, a trace of disappointment flashed across Wei Shangli's face. He then waved his hand to dismiss Lan Song.
Once Lan Song left, Wei Shangli hurried off to find his older brother.
In a certain courtyard of the West Garden of Miaofu Pavilion.
"Brother, I don't know what kind of luck that Zhou Xun stumbled upon, but he actually found a nest of Golden Spirit Mice and sold them for over two hundred spirit essences! It makes me furious, Big Brother, I want to kill him!"
As soon as he stepped through the door, Wei Shangli began to rant, a fierce look in his eyes.
"Didn't you arrange for bandit cultivators to deal with him? Why is he still alive?" A youth dressed in cyan robes, striking and handsome, was holding a talisman brush and painting something.
This person was Wei Shangli's older brother, the currently rising genius talisman master of Miaofu Pavilion—Wei Shangli.
"You squeezed him out of Miaofu Pavilion, which is a grudge over blocking his path to the Dao. Strike a snake and fail to kill it, and it will harm you in return—have you forgotten the lesson I taught you?" Wei Shangli frowned slightly.
This younger brother of his caused him no end of worry. Previously, using his name, Wei Shangli had bullied his peers in Miaofu Pavilion, and now he had even driven out a menial laborer valued by a manager under the banner of his name.
If he hadn't paid a heavy price to smooth things over, the matter certainly wouldn't have ended so simply.
He himself was smooth and worldly, making friends everywhere. If it weren't for this brother of his, he would have tried to win over all these handymen.
Up and down Miaofu Pavilion, who didn't praise Wei Shangli's good character?
Though he didn't readily make enemies, if he was forced to offend someone, he would spare no effort to destroy them utterly.
"Elder Brother, you don't understand. That manager of Green Willow Alley relies on being a member of the Lin Family and gave us no face at all. Zhou Xun is still living quite comfortably in that house!"
"If our Luo Family were still—"
"Second Brother, watch your tongue!" Hearing the words "Luo Family," Wei Shangli's expression changed, and he hurriedly cut Wei Shangli off.
This was the Wei brothers' greatest secret. Originally surnamed Luo, they were direct descendants of the Spirit Rune Luo Family who had drifted here after their clan was destroyed.
The Spirit Rune Luo Family was once an immortal cultivation clan second to none compared to the Wu Family of Red Leaf Market, having even produced a quasi-Tier 3 talisman master in the past.
"Big Brother... I..." Terrified out of his wits, Wei Shangli stammered.
"Never mention those two words again!" Wei Shangli's expression was grave as he scolded in a low voice.
"Zhou Xun is merely a minor character; he doesn't warrant excessive attention. Right now, Third Brother's matter is of the utmost importance. Once Third Brother becomes an alchemical apprentice under Master Yunku, Big Brother will clear his schedule to deal with him!"
As Wei Shangli uttered Zhou Xun's name, it was as if he were speaking of a dead man.
"Thank you, Big Brother!" Wei Shangli hesitated for a moment before finally spitting out those words.
Green Willow Alley, Zhou Xun's home.
After returning, Zhou Xun and Shan Xionghai divided the two hundred and ten spirit essences according to their agreed-upon shares.
Zhou Xun obtained seventy spirit essences.
Looking at the pile of spirit essences before him, Zhou Xun sighed inwardly.
"Monster-hunting profits are indeed high! But the risks involved are just as immense!"
That day in the cave, he had almost fallen victim to a sneak attack by a juvenile Golden Spirit Mouse.
"I'm still better suited for steady and secure cultivation!"
"With this sum of spirit essences, however, I can purchase another Yinqi Pill and try to break through to Level 3 Qi Condensation!"
There was still half a month left before the registration deadline; he needed to hurry.
"However, having rested and recuperated through the night, my state has recovered to its peak. It's also time to test the effects of that Spring-Condensing Scripture!"