Chapter Forty-Five: An Uninvited Guest

Despite the sweltering heat, the streets of Black Bear City remained bustling with noise and excitement.

Qin Feiyang strolled among the crowd, his ears keen to every direction.

Gradually, a faint smile curled at the corner of his lips.

Though three days had passed, the subject of most conversations was still him.

Moreover, many refused to give up, forming teams to search for him in the deep mountains outside the city.

As for Mu Fei and Jiang Wei, after a thorough inquiry and investigation by the upper ranks of the Pill Hall, their innocence was proven and they were released.

Now, all fingers pointed at Qin Feiyang.

The Battle King from the Lin family in Swallow City had even received orders from Lin Han: no matter what, Qin Feiyang must be found!

Yet, apart from Luo Qingzhu and Zhao Shuang’er, no one knew that Qin Feiyang had already infiltrated the city.

“Let them keep searching,” he thought with a cold sneer. “When I reach Battle King, awaken my Battle Soul, that will be their end!”

Five years ago, he was hailed as a once-in-a-millennium prodigy.

Now, he not only possessed the Six-Word Divine Art, but had also broken through the martial artist’s extreme limit, opening the first layer of the Gate of Potential.

He had been reborn.

His talent and potential now far surpassed those of the past.

With his former foundation intact, as long as he had sufficient resources, he was confident that within half a year he could return to the level of a Nine-Star Martial Master—perhaps even surpass it!

At present, the most crucial thing was resources.

Setting aside his idle thoughts, Qin Feiyang hurried toward the Treasure Pavilion.

Upon reaching the vicinity of the Treasure Pavilion, he sought out a secluded alley. After making sure no one was around, he took out a cloak and black garments from his Universe Pouch, quickly disguising himself before striding into the Treasure Pavilion.

With his head covered by a cloak and dressed in black, his appearance was shrouded in mystery.

As soon as he entered, curious gazes converged upon him.

But a woman in revealing red attire, upon spotting Qin Feiyang, lit up with excitement. She hurried over, bowing as she greeted, “My lord, you’ve returned.”

Three days prior, she had been the one to receive him when he sold his first batch of medicinal herbs.

“Mm,” Qin Feiyang replied in a deep, slightly hoarse voice.

“My lord, please follow me,” she said quickly, leading him to a small room reserved for distinguished guests.

She smiled, “I’ll go prepare some tea. Please wait a moment.”

“No need,” Qin Feiyang waved a hand.

Tea? He had no time for such leisure.

The woman paused, slightly puzzled. “Then, my lord, are you here to buy or to sell today?”

“To sell.” Qin Feiyang produced his Universe Pouch and poured out a large heap of medicinal herbs.

“So many still?” The woman was astonished.

The transaction three days ago had already startled her, but to think he had so much more—who exactly was this mysterious man?

“Count them quickly,” Qin Feiyang said hoarsely, frowning.

“Yes, yes!” She shivered and immediately squatted down, counting the herbs as she asked, “My lord, do you still wish to exchange for Spirit Gathering Pills?”

“That’s right,” Qin Feiyang nodded.

“Truly a man of few words,” she muttered, feeling quite puzzled. Hadn’t he just exchanged a thousand three days ago? How could he need more so soon? Did he eat Spirit Gathering Pills as if they were meals?

But after years at the Treasure Pavilion, she knew well what questions were best left unasked.

After about half an hour, she finished counting, calculated carefully, and looked at Qin Feiyang with a smile. “My lord, these herbs are worth fifteen hundred gold coins. As a major client of our Treasure Pavilion, you’ll receive Spirit Gathering Pills at market value—seven hundred and fifty in total. If you have no objections, I’ll fetch them for you now.”

“Thank you,” Qin Feiyang replied calmly.

However, beneath the cloak, his brows were deeply furrowed.

Copying the first stroke of the character had consumed five hundred Spirit Gathering Pills. The second stroke had cost two thousand, four times as much as the first. If the third stroke increased fourfold again, he’d need eight thousand Spirit Gathering Pills!

Seven hundred and fifty was a far cry from eight thousand.

“I might as well sell everything at once,” Qin Feiyang resolved.

At this moment, the woman collected all the herbs and turned to leave.

“Wait!” Qin Feiyang called out.

“Yes, my lord?” She turned back, puzzled.

Qin Feiyang took out his Universe Pouch again and poured out the rest of his medicinal herbs.

This batch was mostly rare and valuable—likely to fetch a good price.

The woman was utterly dumbfounded.

“Exchange these for Spirit Gathering Pills as well,” Qin Feiyang instructed.

“Yes, yes, of course,” she replied, nodding repeatedly.

Today, she had truly run into a super client.

After counting, she looked at Qin Feiyang with excitement. “My lord, these are worth three thousand gold coins, which converts to fifteen hundred Spirit Gathering Pills.”

“Fetch them for me at once,” he said.

After putting away the herbs, she hurried out.

“Two thousand one, fifteen hundred, three thousand gold coins…” Qin Feiyang was surprised himself. He had expected these herbs might fetch five thousand gold coins, but the total turned out to be six thousand six hundred.

Robbing the herb fields was indeed lucrative.

He would have to find out if there were any other herb fields around Black Bear City.

Moments later, the woman returned and handed Qin Feiyang a Universe Pouch.

“Farewell,” Qin Feiyang said, not even bothering to check the contents before tucking it away and leaving the Treasure Pavilion in haste.

But a burly man in black, moving furtively, began tailing him.

Soon, Qin Feiyang slipped back into the alley, preparing to remove his cloak, when he abruptly turned.

The black-clad man was loitering at the alley’s entrance, peering through the crowd. When he saw Qin Feiyang looking back, he showed no sign of panic, merely glanced around nonchalantly, then turned and left.

“Uncle Yuan was right—no matter who you meet, always be wary,” Qin Feiyang’s eyes flashed coldly.

Undoubtedly, his bulk sales of medicinal herbs had drawn the attention of the Treasure Pavilion’s higher-ups.

No matter—it was the last time anyway.

In a few swift motions, he removed his cloak and black clothes, then used his Mist Walker Steps to dart away down the other end of the alley, soon vanishing without a trace.

Moments later, the black-clad man returned, found Qin Feiyang gone, and hurried into the alley searching everywhere.

“Did he spot me?” he wondered. “Clearly, this man is no ordinary figure.”

Frowning, the man quickly returned to the Treasure Pavilion and entered a lavish room.

A middle-aged man in purple robes was sipping tea inside. Seeing the black-clad man return, he asked, “Well? Did you see his true face?”

The man bowed. “I was incompetent, my lord. He discovered me. Please punish me.”

With a snap, the purple-robed man crushed his teacup, a fierce glint in his eyes.

The black-clad man instantly knelt, cold sweat streaming down his face.

But after a moment’s thought, the purple-robed man relaxed his hand and said indifferently, “Forget it. Anyone with so many medicinal herbs is certainly not ordinary. Your discovery is understandable. Leave me.”

“Thank you for your mercy, my lord!” The man kowtowed and backed out of the room.

The purple-robed man closed his eyes, lost in thought.

After a while, he opened them, a playful smile appearing on his lips.

“Escaping won’t be so easy,” he murmured. “I’ll see just who you are. Was it really you who plundered the Pill Hall’s herb fields?”

He strode out of the room.

…

Qin Feiyang didn’t linger, returning straight to his inn.

Only then did he realize he had forgotten to ask about Beast Spirit Pills at the Treasure Pavilion.

But then, recalling their price, he felt powerless.

Beast Spirit Pills were not only expensive but rare—so rare, in fact, that even if one had the money, there was no guarantee of finding them.

Thus, the Treasure Pavilion rarely sold them directly, preferring to auction them to the highest bidder.

In the imperial capital, the starting price for a single Beast Spirit Pill was one hundred thousand gold coins, and after fierce bidding, the price could soar to several hundred thousand or even a million!

To Qin Feiyang, these were astronomical sums.

Yet he had promised the Wolf King he would secure such a pill.

Moreover, he himself was eager to acquire one soon; then, when dealing with the Wolf King, he would no longer have to guess and second-guess.

But what could he do?

Sitting at the tea table, Qin Feiyang furrowed his brow in distress.

How could he earn more gold?

Alchemy!

Suddenly, his eyes flashed with inspiration.

Only by learning alchemy and becoming an alchemist could he ensure a steady stream of gold coins.

Take, for instance, the batch of medicinal herbs he’d just sold—if he refined them into pills, the profit would be several times greater!

But becoming an alchemist was no simple feat.

First, one required extraordinary spiritual power.

Second, one needed Pillfire.

Third, one needed pill recipes.

Only by meeting all these conditions could one hope to become an alchemist.

Qin Feiyang knew the basics, but little else. In the imperial capital, he’d been wholly devoted to martial arts, with no time for the Way of Pills.

After all, back then, he was the favored son of heaven, with everything at his fingertips—why bother refining pills himself? It would have been a waste of time.

But circumstances were different now.

He had to find a new path forward.

“Better go to the Pill Hall first and test my spiritual power,” he decided.

No sooner thought than done.

Qin Feiyang rose and walked to the door.

Creak—

But before he could open it, the door swung inward.

A man in purple entered uninvited.