The Transaction

To tell the truth, the owner of the Infant Metamorphosis Pill was genuinely tempted. He was already in his twilight years. Coupled with excessive indulgence in his youth, his vitality had completely dwindled, and not even Phoenix blood could salvage it. That was why he had hoped to carve out a future for his descendants, latching onto a major sect as a patron. Since getting into a major sect seemed hopeless now, if there was an aphrodisiac that could let him enjoy himself, that didn't sound too bad either. *If my descendants are useless, can't I just sire a few more?* He felt his identity was well concealed and no one would see through it. "How much for a drop?" "Ten thousand spirit stones a drop." "Words alone are no proof. How do I know if the blood is genuine?" Meng Jingzhou chuckled and produced a small porcelain vial. "What's so hard about that? There's a single drop of blood in this vial. Swallow and refine it, and you'll see the results for yourself." The methods of the cultivation world were mysterious and unpredictable. Curse cultivators could cast curses across vast distances using items such as blood and hair, making them near impossible to guard against. Meng Jingzhou had anticipated this long ago; all the blood he brought out today had been processed beforehand, any trace of the owner's identity thoroughly erased. Dubious, the owner of the Infant Metamorphosis Pill took the small vial and tipped the drop into his palm. The crimson drop resembled jade, rounded and lustrous, clearly of extraordinary origin. The pure yang qi radiating from it was not to be underestimated—visibly superior to Phoenix blood by many cuts! *Good stuff.* The spectating Nascent Soul eccentrics all stared unblinkingly at the drop of blood, covertly revealing longing looks. If it was the real deal, one truly ought to buy a vial. After verifying the blood hadn't been tampered with, the owner of the Infant Metamorphosis Pill swallowed the drop and quietly began refining it. A reaction! The old owner's face flushed crimson. The drop's potency vastly exceeded his expectations—his body reacted instinctively, and not even circulating his cultivation technique could quell the surge of desire! Meng Jingzhou was also somewhat surprised; he hadn't expected his blood to be this effective. Though to call it a cause for celebration didn't seem quite right either. "I'll buy it!" "Fifty thousand a drop." "You!" "Don't buy it if you don't want to." Meng Jingzhou sat back in complete composure. The upper hand was entirely his; he could sell it for whatever he pleased. "Fifty thousand it is! Give me three drops!" the owner of the Infant Metamorphosis Pill spat out through gritted teeth. Something like this couldn't be bought for any price usually—fifty thousand wasn't a loss! Meng Jingzhou beamed as he took the storage ring containing one hundred and fifty thousand spirit stones. Money really did come fast—this was enough to pay fifteen fines. If they didn't reveal their Dao Seeking Sect identity, it could even pay thirty fines! Lu Yang watched in amazement. He had seen people asking for seed to have children, but this was the first time he'd ever seen someone asking for blood to sire an heir. Unfortunately, perhaps because the Nascent Soul eccentrics were cautious by nature, seeing the owner trade so readily coupled with the exorbitant price of the aphrodisiac blood made them hesitate, and no one else stepped up to make a deal. The two did a circuit around the side hall, and seeing that there was truly no business to be had, they gave up. "Let's change locations. I know another black market," Meng Jingzhou transmitted mentally. Thorough as always, he had scouted out several black markets in advance. He had obtained the information from Senior Brother Dai Bufan. Dai Bufan didn't part with his intel easily, so Meng Jingzhou had paid a steep price for it: he had promised Dai Bufan that he wouldn't cause any trouble for the next six months. Retracing their steps, the two left the black market. Just as Lu Yang was preparing to take out the Sword-Washing Pool and fly by sword, a sinister voice came from behind. "Are the two Daoist friends leaving so soon?" "Who is it!" Lu Yang whipped his head around. Four black-robed Nascent Soul eccentrics stepped out from the dense woods, their eyes cold and their expressions menacing. "What do you want?" "What do we want?" The leader gave a savage grin. "In the side hall, you produced a treasure like that aphrodisiac blood, something that outclassed even Phoenix blood. It made our eyes burn with envy. There were too many people in the side hall to speak openly. Since we have appeared here, you should understand what we mean." Meng Jingzhou slowly clenched his fists, on high alert. "The two of us are slow-witted by nature. We don't understand what you four Daoist friends mean." The leader refused to give up. "Can't you really make it a bit cheaper? Even Phoenix blood is only twenty to thirty thousand a drop!" Meng Jingzhou sneered coldly, unwavering. "No. To obtain this aphrodisiac blood, I don't know how many crises I survived. Fifty thousand spirit stones a drop—not a single spirit stone less! If it were you, would you lower the price?" "Is that so? What a pity. I was thinking that if you were reasonable, we could make friends. But since you are so unyielding..." The leader dragged out his words, taking the opportunity to shoot a glance at the other three. The three reached into their sleeves, and with a flash of cold glint, hurled something violently toward Lu Yang! Lu Yang had anticipated this; with a sweep of his hand, he caught three storage rings. The leader shook his head in regret. "No discount, then so be it. There are five hundred thousand spirit stones in total here. Please count them." Lu Yang swept his divine sense through them, pocketed the three storage rings, and gave Meng Jingzhou a look. "Indeed five hundred thousand spirit stones. Hand over the goods." Meng Jingzhou took out ten vials of blood from his identity jade plaque and tossed them over. The leader's eyes shifted. Even in the darkness, he caught Meng Jingzhou's movement—especially Meng Jingzhou's identity jade plaque. "You are disciples of the Dao Seeking Sect?" "So what if we are?" Meng Jingzhou cursed inwardly, realizing he had carelessly exposed his Dao Seeking Sect identity. The leader stared fixedly at Meng Jingzhou and said slowly, "If you are Dao Seeking Sect disciples, then we cannot let the two of you leave so easily. I am a person of some standing; if word gets out, I'm afraid I won't be able to survive on the streets anymore." A grin spread across his face. With his back to the moonlight, his expression was obscured, revealing only a glint of dazzlingly white, cold teeth. "What are you trying to do?" Lu Yang sensed that the four had clearly changed their attitude upon learning their identities. "I must invite the two of you to sit in my manor so I may play the proper host!" Now that he knew who they were, if he didn't host them, how would his fellow brothers on the path look at him? Lu Yang watched the four warily and shook his head lightly. "I don't think that will be necessary." Their attitude was bizarre; they definitely had an ulterior motive! The leader pressed forward step by step. "Daoist friend, it's just sitting for a moment at my residence. Why be so guarded!" Lu Yang sneered repeatedly, having already seen through their disguise, and warned him: "Daoist friend, the Great Xia has ruled for a hundred thousand years, and the righteous path reigns supreme. The underhanded methods of heterodox fiends are unacceptable. Do you not know how many people like you have been arrested by the Great Xia, thrown behind bars, and left to regret their lives forever? As disciples of the Dao Seeking Sect, one of the pillars of the righteous path, we will resolutely never collude with demonic heretics. If you want to use the back door to get your descendants into the Dao Seeking Sect, you are daydreaming!" The leader's eyes turned cold. Quietly slipping his hand into his sleeve, he brushed against his storage ring. With a flick of his fingers, several lost cultivation manuals fanned out like playing cards. "Is there really no chance? To tell you the truth, I possess substantial wealth, with countless secret treasures and ancient texts. Perhaps there's something that catches your eye?" "Not a chance!" Seeing that Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou were resolute, the leader looked to the sky and sighed deeply. "Forget it, forget it. Let's go."