Martial Sage from the Vajra Skill

Chapter 237 - 140: Exchange

Xu Yang didn’t know what was happening with the Zhu Family, but he could guess. Having lost their supply of his Blood Coagulation Pills, they were bound to be frantic and furious.

He had heard that Li Qiang was back, but he had failed to capture the Phantom Leopard cub. The once-dashing senior brother from Weiyuan Hall was too ashamed to face Zhang Yong and the others.

On this day, Xu Yang returned from patrol to see Sun Tao, his face glowing and his aura surging with power.

"Congratulations on achieving Gang Qi Minor Achievement, Senior Brother Sun." Xu Yang smiled and stepped forward with a cupped-fist salute.

Sun Tao grinned so wide you could see his gums. "It wasn’t easy, but I finally reached Gang Qi Minor Achievement. I suppose I have enough confidence to venture into the Yunling Mountain Range now."

If it weren’t for the threat of Xiao Hua, he would have entered the Yunling Mountain Range long ago.

Now that he had achieved Gang Qi Minor Achievement, he planned to team up with Zhang Yong and venture into the Yunling Mountain Range.

"You work hard too, Junior Brother Xu. Reach Gang Qi Great Success soon!" Sun Tao patted Xu Yang on the shoulder.

Xu Yang smiled and nodded. ’Once I’ve refined more Gathering Essence Pills,’ he mused, ’I can sell some to Sun Tao.’

For now, he didn’t even have enough for himself, and since he wasn’t short on money, he had no plans to sell any Gathering Essence Pills.

"Is Junior Brother Xu Yang in?"

A familiar voice suddenly called out from outside the courtyard. Xu Yang turned to see it was He Jingting.

"Senior Brother He, please, come in."

Xu Yang invited He Jingting into the courtyard and made an introduction. "This is my senior brother, Sun Tao. He’s also from Qingyuan County and just achieved Gang Qi Minor Achievement today."

Zhang Yong and Xu Yang had both told Sun Tao about the Qingyuan Association, and he was also interested in joining.

Anyone who searched for treasures in the Yunling Mountain Range would have some good items they didn’t want to hand over to the Sect. A place like the Qingyuan Association was the best venue to sell them.

Upon hearing about Sun Tao’s situation, He Jingting immediately extended an invitation for him to join the association.

"Junior Brother Xu, I came to inform you that there will be an exchange meeting at the association hall in three days. You can attend if you’re interested."

"If you have anything you want to get rid of, you can bring it to trade." He Jingting looked at Xu Yang.

Most transactions at the exchange meeting were barters or required contribution points. Silver wasn’t very useful there.

Xu Yang smiled and cupped his fist. "Thank you for letting me know, Senior Brother He."

He was just planning to gather the main ingredients for his second batch of Gathering Essence Pills. This exchange meeting was timely, but he wasn’t sure if he’d find anything.

’I’ll check the black market tonight first.’

Xu Yang thought to himself as he watched He Jingting and Sun Tao leave.

Buying the three main ingredients all over Cyan Yang City would be too conspicuous and could easily attract trouble. Besides, they weren’t easy to purchase.

The major powers strictly controlled these items and rarely let them flow into the open market. Today also happened to be the tenth of the month, the day the black market opened.

When night fell, Xu Yang took his silver banknotes, quickly left the Purple Sun Sect, and soon arrived at the black market.

The place was as bustling as ever. Xu Yang, wearing a mask, appeared without attracting any attention.

After passing a few stalls, he found one of his targets for the trip.

"Tiger Bone Vine, one hundred thirty taels!"

The listed price was about the same as what he’d paid at the pharmacy. After all, people only brought things like this to the black market hoping to sell them at a high price. If it were cheaper than at a pharmacy, they would have just sold it there. Why risk bringing it to the black market?

The stall owner was a short man wearing a monkey mask.

"This Tiger Bone Vine, may I have a look?" Xu Yang walked over.

The stall owner looked up at Xu Yang and said in a hoarse voice, "Be my guest."

Xu Yang bent down, picked up the Tiger Bone Vine, and examined it carefully, confirming it was genuine.

"One hundred twenty taels!" he offered, haggling as usual.

"Not a cent less!" the stall owner said. "This is the real deal. You can go ask the pharmacies in the city if you can buy it for less than one hundred thirty taels."

Xu Yang knew the price was firm. He was just worried about being seen as a fat sheep, only to be robbed and killed later.

After a bit more back-and-forth, he reluctantly took out the silver and paid.

As Xu Yang put the Tiger Bone Vine away, he asked, "Friend, do you have any more of this?"

The stall owner said hoarsely, "I do, but I didn’t bring it with me. If you want it, you can come with me to get it now."

’He’s trying to lure me into a robbery,’ he thought. ’Of course, it’s also possible he really does have more Tiger Bone Vine.’

Xu Yang couldn’t tell the man’s true intentions. He didn’t think his Gang Qi Great Success made him invincible. Plenty of people frequented the black market, including Inner Sect Disciples who had already undergone Marrow Cleansing. He couldn’t be careless.

"I’ll pass on going with you to get it. If you’re interested in selling, you can bring it next time," Xu Yang said, shaking his head.

The stall owner asked, "I have three more stalks in total. Do you want all of them?"

Xu Yang nodded. He could take thirty stalks, let alone three.

After settling things with the stall owner, he quickly left the spot and continued his search for the three main ingredients.

He completed a circuit of the market but didn’t find any of the other ingredients. He saw plenty of Old Ginseng, but none of it was thirty years old.

He did, however, see some that were forty or fifty years old.

In theory, Old Ginseng of that age could also be used to refine Gathering Essence Pills. However, he wasn’t an orthodox Pill Master. He couldn’t grasp the medicinal properties of ingredients that deviated from the Pill Formula, so he wouldn’t dare use it even if he bought it.

When it came to Alchemy, he was more like an assembly-line worker. As long as he followed the Pill Formula to the letter, he had no problem.

But if the age of even one ingredient didn’t match what the Pill Formula specified, he wouldn’t know how to handle it.

He waited at the black market for a long time, but even as the crowds began to disperse, he had no further luck. He left the market and returned safely to the Purple Sun Sect without being ambushed.

「The next day, in the dining hall.」

Xu Yang got his food and found an empty table to sit at with Sun Tao and the others.

The dining hall was a hub of activity, with numerous Outer Disciples chatting as they ate. It was considered the most well-informed place in the Purple Sun Sect.

"Did you hear? The Pill Master who refined Blood Coagulation Pills for the Zhu Family in Cyan Yang City has disappeared. The Zhu Family can’t produce a single pill, and some of the Martial Arts Halls that partner with them are raising a fuss, demanding to break their contracts."

Suddenly, a piece of news caught Xu Yang’s attention.