Huyue Book Pavilion was closer, and Qin Xuan did not want to take an unnecessary detour, so he went there first to see if Mei'er was around.
He could also trade directly with her fox grandpa,
but Mei'er was thoughtful and considerate, and having her by his side helped when haggling over prices.
The moment the book pavilion's shopkeeper, Old Hu, saw Qin Xuan, he sprang to his feet, showing even more warmth and enthusiasm than he usually did when meeting the Clear Water Flood Dragon King.
"Young Master Qin, it has been a long time!" Old Hu bragged. "Old Hu's intelligence is quite reliable, wouldn't you say?
"A rare piece of news has turned up lately. Care to hear it?"
Seeing that Mei'er was not there, Qin Xuan replied casually, "Mr. Hu, your prices are far too steep. Where am I supposed to dig up so many yin spirits and old ghosts for you?"
With that, he turned, ready to leave.
Perhaps wanting to maintain a steady stream of business and make him a returning customer, Old Hu hurried forward a step and said, "I'll give you this intelligence for free, just as an amusing tale to pass the time."
Only a fool would turn down a freebie.
That profiteer Hu had made a handsome profit off him, so Qin Xuan naturally welcomed the chance to recoup a little.
"Sheng Hu, the spider demon you were looking for last time, was originally staying at the Mountain God Temple. But recently, for reasons unknown, she had a falling out with Mountain God Tan, and they nearly started an internal feud."
Old Hu chuckled. "Young Master Qin, you certainly are well-liked. Mountain God Tan has practically done you a favor."
Mountain God Tan and Monk Jin Guan were thick as thieves, eager to see him dead. Qin Xuan did not believe for a second that he had genuinely fallen out with the spider demon; it was most likely just for show.
"Where is Sheng Hu now?"
He asked offhandedly, but Old Hu fell silent—the profiteer's bad habit had flared up again.
Unwilling to take the bait, Qin Xuan turned to leave.
Shopkeeper Hu sighed, calling out from behind, "She is at the Yishui River God's Mansion! Young Master Qin, I've gifted you yet another piece of news, so don't you go harboring complaints against Old Hu in your heart!"
"Much obliged." Only then did Qin Xuan offer a smile. "Mr. Hu misunderstands me. I've never spoken ill of you."
The autumn rain had not let up, and deep within Huashi Alley at the coffin shop, the sound of wood shavings peeling beneath the plane had not paused either.
Qin Xuan had visited the fox grandpa several times by now and was thoroughly familiar with the way.
This time, however, things looked a bit different.
The large, vermilion-lacquered coffins at the front entrance had multiplied, arranged in a row and stacked two tiers high.
Qin Xuan asked the little fox who came forward to greet him, "Mei'er, who usually buys these coffins from your grandpa?"
"They can be sold to mortals in the living realm, or down to the Nine Nethers. Grandpa says he's a craftsman, and these coffins sell quite well in the Yin City."
As the two approached the coffins, Old Man Gu stopped planing wood, looked up at the sky, and said, "Young Master, the yin qi has been very heavy lately. You'd best buy a coffin to keep on hand. If you run into unclean things, just duck into this old man's coffin, and they'll lose all interest in you.
"And if an unclean thing does slip inside and lie down beside you, there's no need to fear either.
"Once they enter the coffin, they become exceedingly quiet."
Old Man Gu was no ordinary figure, and Qin Xuan was genuinely tempted. He glanced at Mei'er, who gave a slight nod, suggesting that Old Man Gu was not boasting.
"Old Mr. Gu, how much are you selling this coffin for?"
"Two hundred taels, no bargaining."
Two hundred taels? Wouldn't that be simple? Qin Xuan smiled and asked, "Do you want gold or silver?"
The old man's graying hair swayed as he shook his head. "Neither gold nor silver. I want two hundred taels of nether money."
"Dead people's money?"
"It is the nether money used in the Yin City, not the paper burned during the Qingming tomb-sweeping."
"I don't have any."
A smile squeezed onto Old Man Gu's wrinkled face. "Young Master, you are an old customer. You may buy on credit first. This old man won't charge you interest either; pay me whenever you have it. As for the coffin, rest assured, it is entirely crafted from top-grade ghost willow heartwood. I'd never swindle you.
"You can even sleep in it for a few nights first to try it out."
The fox grandpa was not muddled in the least right now; he was quite adept at salesmanship.
Pointing toward Hawk's Beak Mountain, he added, "This old man has sharp eyes. The yin qi in this commandery is tied to the ghostly things in the mountains. They will most likely emerge soon. Having this coffin of mine gives you an extra means of saving your life."
Qin Xuan was tempted, but both Old Man Gu and that Flood Dragon King's advisor surnamed Hu were crafty merchants. No matter how familiar they were, he had to haggle.
He slashed the price right in half: "One hundred taels."
"Deal!"
Before his voice had even faded, Old Man Gu had hauled over a large vermilion coffin and set it before Qin Xuan.
"Little fox, give him a ghost incantation."
"Oh!"
From the pouch holding her Shifting Talismans, Mei'er produced a talisman roughly the length of a forearm, faintly radiating yin qi. She slapped it onto the coffin's surface, and the massive coffin immediately shrank, eventually turning into a pocket-sized trinket.
Qin Xuan watched carefully.
The price was probably still steep, but he had no nether money anyway.
All things considered, it was a fair deal.
He took it, and Mei'er taught him the incantation formula so that he could control the ghost incantation talisman, retrieving and storing the coffin at any time without taking up space.
After putting the coffin away, Qin Xuan retrieved a large collection of yin spirit jars from his hundred-treasure pouch.
These were the collection of the various Xieling Sect elders, representing virtually his final transaction with them.
In pursuit of Geng Zhi's secret, the Xieling Sect had squandered most of their assets. Now that the Dao Sect, Incense Dao, and Buddhist Sect had ostensibly united within the city, the Xieling Sect had lost any chance to exploit loopholes.
Old Man Gu brought out two burlap sacks. One of them contained five elements spirit metal ore.
He pulled out four large chunks for Qin Xuan, each the size of an ox head.
Finally, from the other sack, he drew a fist-sized ore. A thread of pure five elements spiritual qi, laced with specks of white light, sparkled before Qin Xuan's eyes.
A five elements metal crystal!
It was as precious as the Clear Water Essence used for crafting sword talismans; even Senior Mao Yan did not possess this kind of five elements metal-attribute spiritual material.
"Young Master, add another hundred taels, and this ore is yours as well."
Waves surged in Qin Xuan's heart.
A five elements metal crystal was ideally suited for cultivating Metal Spirit Origin Qi. The origin qi cultivated from it could then be transformed into golden dew through the Cinnabar Dew Flying Transformation Scripture, nourishing the Dao foundation and accelerating the growth of the Dao Lotus.
Furthermore, infusing such Metal Spirit Origin Qi into magic power would enhance the might of his sword art.
Not a single flaw could be found with this grand path, save that it was excessively costly.
"Far too expensive."
With those words, Qin Xuan began bargaining with Old Man Gu. In the end, with Mei'er's help, he whittled the price down to twenty taels of nether money, still on credit.
Fearing that Qin Xuan might skip town, the fox grandpa insisted on a written promissory note.
Qin Xuan took up a brush and wrote:
"Owed this day to Old Mr. Gu of the Huashi Alley coffin shop: exactly one hundred and twenty taels of nether money.
"Debtor: Qin Xuan (thumbprint affixed)
"Dongsheng Era, Great Yan, the seventy-third year of Zhenyuan, the eighth day of the seventh month."
If he had the money, he would pay; if not, he would put it aside. Qin Xuan felt no mental burden whatsoever, nor did he plan on venturing to that Yin City.
After stowing away all the ores, he asked with curiosity, "Are there many of these spiritual ores?"
Old Man Gu offered a few more smiles toward this major customer. "Spiritual veins mostly lie deep underground, especially far down in the Netherworld.
"And the Yin City sits not far beneath the Netherworld, suppressing the Huangquan River. Resources like these can naturally be traded in the Yin City.
"While those that can be safely retrieved are few, on my end, you're the only one asking for this sort of spirit metal. Why worry about whether I can supply it?"
Qin Xuan grew somewhat curious about this subterranean world. "Do many people walk the yin road?"
"Very few," Old Man Gu said. "Those who don't know the rules and blindly barge into the Yin City to do business don't count as walking the yin road. Most meet with terrible misfortune.
"If you wish to go, add another hundred taels of nether money, and this old man will take you for a stroll."
Qin Xuan refused decisively: "Next time, perhaps..."
Chapter 79