Chapter 147: Song Maiden (Part 1)
Pill of Estrangement. It had very mysterious properties, and if it weren’t for the fact that the cultivation world encouraged competition and eternal development, it would have been banned.
It allowed, upon use, to expel the soul. Of course, it was mainly used by people who had been influenced by some spirits.
However, it was more often used in evil rituals. In addition to the fact that the origin of the pill is quite questionable, it is difficult to prepare, and the ingredients are extremely expensive.
Nevertheless, the demand for this pill is high. After all, most cultivators who love to roam around abandoned graveyards or Cultivator Tombs often get infected with an alien soul.
And so, in response to the question about the price, Wan Feifei gave a rather simple, but confident answer:
“My organization of traders is not familiar with the words ‘lack of money’. So, if you are sure that you can make the pill, I will generously reward you!” she said confidently.
“Interesting… well, no objections. I am currently located in the following place…”
“Good. I will not come personally, I have business, but I will send my representative to you. He is in the city of Jin Cheng.”
“Excellent.”
Xie Qing smiled carelessly and disconnected the call. He could guess who the representative was.
***
And, as expected, the next morning, the representative Mai Dong came to the hotel that Xie Qing had previously rented.
“Good day, sir!” greeted Mai Dong, bowing respectfully.
“Sit down. Lady Wan told me that you would come today… tea or wine?” Xie Qing offered, getting up from his place and waving his hand so that Mai Dong could sit down freely.
“Everything is in order. You are a busy person, I do not dare to disturb you, sir!” Mai Dong nodded respectfully and introduced himself: “My name is Mai Dong, I am in charge of the affairs of the trading organization ‘Silver Moon’ in this city. If you have any questions, please contact us, esteemed sir!”
“You have pleased me, Mai Dong… drink some tea of my brew,” Xie Qing said with a smile and handed a cup of tea.
“Excuse me for the disturbance…”
Mai Dong nodded in embarrassment and drank the tea. His eyes sparkled as he tasted the flavor.
“Th-this… incredible! Sir, your skills are simply terrifying!”
“A peculiar compliment, but thank you,” Xie Qing said carelessly and poured himself some tea to reinforce the impression of a wise and busy gentleman. He glanced at Mai Dong out of the corner of his eye: “Lady Wan told me that I need to prepare some kind of pill, right?”
“Indeed! I apologize…” Mai Dong sighed, as if he had just realized something, and then took out a spatial ring with a golden engraving and silver coating, and handed it to Xie Qing, holding it in two open palms: “Please, here is the ring with the ingredients. The recipe is also there.”
Xie Qing nodded and took the ring. He quickly examined the contents and saw everything he needed. There was also a prepayment for his service of 290,000 Spiritual Stones.
“Well, here is everything I need. I think I can do it within the deadline” Xie Qing said and looked at Mai Dong: “Do you have any more questions?”
“Oh, no… I apologize. Have a good day!”
Mai Dong understood the hint and, bowing, left the room. Xie Qing smiled carelessly and put the ring in his pocket.
“290,000 Spiritual Stones and this is only a prepayment… well, I have no doubt that she needs this pill urgently. It seems that something has happened” Xie Qing thought and smiled: “I need to try to make it as soon as possible. I would be curious to see if I can get a bonus for speed.”
There were enough ingredients in the ring for five attempts. Xie Qing, however, was confident that he could finish it on the second attempt, if not the first.
His talent in alchemy was outstanding. He could memorize a recipe and easily make a pill.
Because of this peculiarity, he was confident in himself. And as for the fact that he requested more attempts…
“Firstly, I wanted to give the illusion that it is difficult for me to prepare… and secondly, I just wanted to rob her a little,” Xie Qing thought and shamelessly smiled: “Some of the ingredients for this pill are suitable for other pills that I need”.
…yes, he was shameless. However, as long as he could become stronger, Xie Qing believed that this type of deception was not so terrible.
***
Two days later. Mai Dong, in a state of shock, was returning to the “Silver Moon” branch. He was holding a flask with the pill in his hand.
“He… did it… in two days? This is too fast…”
Mai Dong sighed. He still couldn’t believe it. The mysterious alchemist Gu Heng had such talent! Although Lady Wan was already confident in his abilities…
“I can’t believe it! I must be dreaming!”
The man doubted the reality. If Xie Qing could make the pill in four days, that would already be a good result. After all, making the Pill of Alienation is extremely difficult due to its special properties.
But… two days?
Well, the funniest thing was that Xie Qing was able to make this pill by the evening. It took two attempts, but the result was worth it. However, he didn’t tell Mai Dong about this.
Not because he was afraid of exposure. Xie Qing just didn’t want the poor representative to have a heart attack.
And by the evening, Lady Wan learned about this news. She was no less surprised, perhaps even more so. After all, she knew more about this pill than Mai Dong.
“Seriously? In two days? This speed is terrifying. He is only slightly inferior to Lady Liu Yang, but she has made this pill many times and has more experience!” Lady Wan thought and narrowed her eyes: “Could it be that I was chasing after gold and ended up with a dragon? Who could have thought that this Gu Heng is so terrifying. I highly doubt that he is a lone wolf”.
Lady Wan thoughts that he was a secret disciple of Liu Yang, as this was the only way to explain such a high level of alchemy and his age.
However, now that he has made the pill in such a short time, Lady Wan is very doubtful about this. After all, even Liu Yang was inferior in terms of genius, and the Sect of Nine Pills had no reason to hide his existence.
“Either way, Mai Dong, I want this pill to be on my table tomorrow. Is that clear?” Lady Wan said in a commanding voice.
“As you command, Lady!”
***
Xie Qing looked at the estate that was moving away with each piercing sound. He was sitting in a carriage and sighed.
“It’s time for me to set off… I can’t stay in one place for too long”.
Huang Jing and Fang Lan were a little saddened, but he had a place that he needed to visit.
“A letter… hm, I didn’t expect it…”
At the main court disciple exam, Xie Qing received a letter that Lian Lin had delivered.
“I have been looking for her for a long time, but they told me that she had disappeared. And now she has sent a letter… I can’t understand her logic” Xie Qing thought and sighed: “Lyu Lyu… she asked me to find her when I was on the Southern Continent. Now that I have sorted out my affairs, I need to find her”.
Lyu Lyu, the Song Maiden. She was Xie Qing’s first woman, so the young man had special feelings for her. Therefore, after he had earned a large sum, he tried to contact her.
But the management gave only one answer – she left for her own business. Xie Qing was puzzled and tried to find her, but he was unsuccessful.
Narrowing his eyes, the young man sighed and looked forward.
***
The port city of Silver Moon was beautiful. The main advantage of the city was its architecture and seafood.
Xie Qing took a deep breath. The smell of the sea, mixed with salt and bird droppings… what could be better?
“Ugh… it smells so bad at the port…” Xie Qing thought and narrowed his eyes.
In the letter, Lyu Lyu asked him to visit this city and then go to the seafood store. As he understood, this was her hometown.
Although the smell was specific, Xie Qing admired the beauty of the light-blue sea. The towering waves reminded him of Lyu Lyu herself.
“She’s like a mermaid or something,” Xie Qing thought.
Looking around, Xie Qing couldn’t help but admire the architecture of the buildings and the huge ships. Of course, there were teleportation formations, but they consumed too many resources.
Ships were a more affordable option. Therefore, they were often used by both cultivators and ordinary mortals.
And so, following the map that was drawn on ordinary paper, Xie Qing reached the store. The sign read “Liu Family Seafood,” but the building looked half-destroyed.
“This…”
Xie Qing was a little nervous. He had been looking forward to this day, but when he arrived at the right place, he felt a slight embarrassment.
However, determination overcame fear, and he went inside.
“Hello!” he called out.
After a few seconds of silence, he heard quiet footsteps. Xie Qing held his breath.
