The two of them said nothing more on the paper kite, each focusing on their cultivation. Half an hour later, the paper kite began to sway, and Qin Zhaozhao guided it down to land in an open clearing.
She took out the map once more to check the direction, fumbled with a Jade Slip for a while, and shortly thereafter, a burly man appeared riding a tall moose, with another moose following closely beside him.
Seeing this man, Qin Zhaozhao smiled and said in a low voice, "Look, didn't I say he'd come..."
Wei Lailai subconsciously tensed up, standing guard beside Qin Zhaozhao, but the burly man stopped three meters away from them and laughed heartily, "Artisan, what made you think of going to Daxia Mountain this time?"
Qin Zhaozhao dug something resembling a large pancake out of her Storage Pouch and handed it to the moose's mouth. The moose happily snatched it away, and she then pulled Wei Lailai up to sit on its back.
The moose carrying the burly man watched with saliva dripping from the corner of its mouth. Unable to help himself, the burly man patted it reassuringly and said, "Wait until we get back."
Once the two were seated securely, the moose immediately broke into a gallop. Only then did Qin Zhaozhao helplessly mention, "A big order came in for a home delivery, and my usual transport can only go halfway. Didn't I think of your moose? When we get to the place, I'll give you two free bags of beast feed, just like the one it just ate."
Hearing this, the burly man beamed with joy. "Alright then! As long as the travel expense is right, I'll go anywhere. The beast feed you sent last time, the two little moose calves loved it so much. If you make a bit more next time, you won't even need to pay me travel expenses—just pay me in beast feed instead."
Qin Zhaozhao did not stand on ceremony. "Deal, that sounds wonderful."
Wei Lailai sat straight and proper behind her, holding her body stiff, maintaining vigilance, keeping her ears sharp and eyes open to all directions. Actually, she was quite curious about how the two of them knew each other, but the timing wasn't right; she would ask later when they returned.
The moose's speed was not slow at all—even faster than her paper kite—and in less than an hour, they arrived at Daxia Mountain. Qin Zhaozhao climbed down from the moose, counted out two hundred Spirit Stones and two pouches, and handed them to the burly man, who cheerfully accepted them without even counting.
"Alright, I trust you! Many thanks for the beast feed. If you have business next time, contact me again!"
Qin Zhaozhao waved goodbye. "You got it, Brother Lu, I'll contact you next time!" With that, she led Wei Lailai into the mountains. As she walked, she took out the Jade Slip to contact the buyer. [Artisan Seeking to Get Rich Quick]: I've arrived. Where are you?
Before long, a reply came back. [Sword-Macro Sword-Macro I Am the Strongest]: You're arrived?!! I'm... You walk one mile east from the foot of the mountain, we're right under a big willow tree, hurry up!!
Replying with a simple "okay," Qin Zhaozhao put away the Jade Slip, pulled two Teleportation Talismans from her Storage Pouch, handed one to Wei Lailai, and instructed cautiously, "If the situation goes south, don't try to force it. Tear the talisman and it can teleport you eight hundred meters. The destination is random, so after that, it's every person for themselves."
The five-hundred Spirit Stone escort fee had been paid in advance, so there was no worry about unpaid debts. Wei Lailai nodded.
The mountain path was winding and rugged, with lush green trees on both sides radiating a boundless sense of mystery. Searching along, the two finally found the big willow tree described by the buyer, but right under that big willow tree, there was not a single soul.
Quietly gripping the Teleportation Talisman in her hand, Qin Zhaozhao slowly approached the willow tree, though she didn't dare get too close, stopping ten meters away from it.
Frowning, Wei Lailai grew increasingly vigilant, gripping her Xuan Sword tightly as she cautiously observed her surroundings. Qin Zhaozhao felt for her Jade Slip and sent a message to the person. [Artisan Seeking to Get Rich Quick]: Where is everyone? I've arrived.
Waiting for a moment brought no reply. Qin Zhaozhao's brow furrowed tightly as she asked apprehensively, "Macro Sword, are you there? It's Artisan."
Suddenly, the big willow tree twitched, and a figure lunged out. Dressed in white robes stained with dirt and with somewhat disheveled hair, the person looked extremely battered and disheveled. Putting aside everything else, however, this person had red lips and fair skin, looking quite delicate and handsome.
The person cautiously sized them up before asking hesitantly, "Are you Artisan?"
The stone hanging in her heart finally dropped halfway, and Qin Zhaozhao nodded in response. "Yes, I am. I'm here to deliver the pills."
The delicate young man let out a long sigh of relief, turned his head, and called out, "Everyone come out, the pills we bought have arrived. Senior Sister Yingyue is saved..."
Gradually, the big willow tree faded from focus as another disheveled youth came into view. This youth was also dressed in white robes stained with several bloodstains, and a pair of fox-like eyes eyed them with guarded suspicion.
Sitting on the ground was a young female cultivator, holding a picturesque beauty half in her embrace. The beauty's eyes were tightly closed, her complexion as pale as paper, and the clothes across her chest soaked with large patches of blood, looking on the verge of death.
"You... what is this?" Qin Zhaozhao asked, puzzled.
The delicate young man walked toward her with dark, heavy sorrow in his eyes, and laughed bitterly, "We ran into a Monster Beast... our companion was injured, which is why we wanted to buy pills. But no one was willing to deliver them, and then I happened to run across your listing."
Nodding, Qin Zhaozhao chose not to ask too many questions; asking too much might make this group overly suspicious.
She took ten bottles out of the Storage Pouch and handed them to him. The delicate young man opened them to take a look, then turned around joyfully to tell his companion, "It's top-grade Tier-2 Spring-Returning Pills! Senior Brother, look, I wasn't swindled."
The fox-eyed youth grabbed the medicine bottle vigilantly and suspiciously, poured out a pill to taste, and then, his expression relaxing slightly, nodded, "Indeed top-grade Spring-Returning Pills."
The delicate young man produced a Qiankun Pouch and handed it to Qin Zhaozhao. Qin Zhaozhao swept her divine sense into the pouch for a quick scan—there were around five thousand or so. Her brows immediately smoothed out, her face blooming into a wide smile, and without delay, she tossed the entire batch of pills over to the young man before asking with a beaming smile, "Do you need this Qiankun Pouch returned?"
The young man shook his head indifferently and said, "No need. Thank you for being willing to come deliver the medicine."
With the transaction settled on the spot, Qin Zhaozhao planned to head back. She had originally intended to offer a Teleportation Talisman as a gift, but during their morning chat, the young man had already specified that as long as the delivery arrived today, he didn't need any Teleportation Talisman, so she hadn't included one.
After taking the pills, the group's complexions improved quite a bit. Maintaining a considerate service attitude, she kindly reminded the young man, "You'd better contact your relatives and leave this place as soon as possible. Staying here in your current condition is far too dangerous."
The delicate young man nodded, then seemed to hesitate before speaking awkwardly, "Do you... also sell Defense Talismans? Can you sell me a few? I know many people buy your talismans through the Jade Slip, but could you sell some to me first, right now?"
Of course Qin Zhaozhao was willing—who would turn away a major client who threw themselves right at your door? She immediately pulled out a stack of Defense Talismans and asked, "How many do you want?" The delicate young man was instantly struck dumb, then asked in astonishment, "Wow, why do you still have so many talismans?!"
Glancing at him, Qin Zhaozhao said nothing, though she thought to herself: *Is that even a question?! I haven't even delivered the others yet!*
Recovering his wits, the young man felt he was making too much of a fuss. His face flushed slightly as he fidgeted and whispered, "Can you sell me this whole stack... We really need them right now... So, please..."
Qin Zhaozhao's eyes instantly filled with amusement, her mouth splitting into a grin, and she readily said, "Alright, why ever not! Here you go. Seeing as you're taking such good care of my business, I'll throw in five Vajra Talismans for free. These can protect you as well."
As she spoke, she handed the stack of talismans over. The young man accepted them, then counted out fifty medium-grade Spirit Stones from his Storage Pouch, blinking his clear eyes as he asked, "I only have medium-grade Spirit Stones, is that okay?"
Qin Zhaozhao's evaluation of this young man was refreshed once again—this guy was seriously wealthy.
"Of course it's fine, the value is the same either way! Alright, then I wish you all good luck! I'll be heading off first. If you have any needs in the future, look me up—I sell pills, weapons, and talismans alike."
The young man nodded eagerly like a chick pecking at rice, instantly pulling out his Jade Slip to add her as a friend.
Wei Lailai, who had been acting all along as mere background scenery, was utterly shaken. Qin Zhaozhao had just earned fifty medium-grade Spirit Stones from a single stack of talismans; she had never seen so much money in her life.
Originally, she studied the sword with single-minded devotion, believing that focusing solely on sword practice was enough. Later, she discovered it was far from enough—her wife needed money for maintenance, which was why she had willingly agreed when Qin Zhaozhao later asked her to serve as a bodyguard.
Thinking about it now, perhaps she ought to learn something herself so she could earn money to support her wife.
Unaware of Wei Lailai's inner thoughts, Qin Zhaozhao was extremely happy about making a huge profit today and said to Wei Lailai, "Let's head back."
The two had barely walked far when the fox-eyed youth breathlessly intercepted them. Instantly, alarm bells rang in the hearts of Qin Zhaozhao and Wei Lailai, who both grasped their Teleportation Talismans tightly, gesturing as if to activate them at any second.
The young man's senior brother proved far more mature and handsome than the younger one. His pair of fox-like eyes filled with frantic anxiety as he shouted, "Master, please stay your steps! I have a favor to ask."
Startled, Qin Zhaozhao looked at the young man; he didn't look like someone who would resort to robbery, so she slowly lowered her hand, though she didn't put the Teleportation Talisman away. Seeing Qin Zhaozhao stop, Wei Lailai stopped as well.
Cupping her hands, Qin Zhaozhao said guardedly, "I wonder what other business the Daoist friend has? My transaction with your junior brother is already concluded, and there's nothing improper about it, right?"
Qin Zhaozhao secretly guessed: *Could they think they paid too much? Want a refund? No way! Putting aside the fact that all my goods are of top quality, how can items already sold be returned?*
Realizing he had been far too abrupt just now, the fox-eyed youth quickly explained, "No, no... Master has misunderstood. I stopped you to ask if the Master possesses medical skills. My Senior Sister is severely injured; she has taken both Spirit-Returning Pills and Spring-Returning Pills, yet she shows not the slightest sign of improvement... So I wish to beg you to examine and treat my Senior Sister, could you? Please!" With that, he bowed deeply to Qin Zhaozhao.
Normally, Qin Zhaozhao was reluctant to meddle in other people's business, but human lives were at stake—this was no trifling matter. If she had previously felt little real connection to this world, viewing it merely as a book...
Yet when she was injured saving Sun Nannan and nearly died, she inexplicably came to realize: if she died in this world, she would truly die. There would be no returning to the modern world like in other novels, because she was already dead in the modern world to begin with. This was not an illusory world within a book, nor were the people illusions—this was reality, and when people died, they were dead.
After internal struggle, Qin Zhaozhao finally sighed and said to Wei Lailai, "Accompany me on one more trip, I'll pay you extra."
She then turned to the youth and said, "Let's go, lead the way and let me take a look. But my knowledge of medicine is only superficial at best, so don't hold out too much hope."
The youth nodded gratefully at her, then cupped his fists and said, "No matter what, thank you, Master. Please follow me." Wei Lailai wanted to say something, but ultimately kept silent, following the two as they turned back in brooding silence.
The picturesque beauty—namely, the group's eldest senior sister—weakly leaned against the young woman's embrace, as frail as a cracked yet unbroken glazed cup that would shatter into pieces at the slightest exertion of force.
Frowning deeply, Qin Zhaozhao reached out and probed with her Spiritual Power. The girl's meridians were severely damaged, her spiritual energy nearly exhausted, and her condition was critical.