PDLP 11. Removing the cinnabar from the abdomen
11. Removing the cinnabar from the abdomen
Xu Yan actually wanted to say that he lost a game of Truth or Dare, but the little girl definitely wouldn't understand.
The little girl giggled and became playful. Suddenly, she used a spell, and Xu Yan felt his feet lighten, and he floated up like a deflated balloon.
What a wonderful spell!
Then, the little girl released a flying sword, stepped onto it, and leaped off the floating island.
Xu Yan floated behind the girl, swooping down from the highest point and landing on the ground in the blink of an eye.
The little girl dispersed her magic, and Xu Yan landed gently.
He blinked, then quickly bowed again: "Thank you so much for saving me, young lady! I am deeply grateful!"
"No need," the little girl said with a smile, her face still flushed. "Don't fall for it again next time."
Without waiting for a reply, he had already stepped on his sword and disappeared in the blink of an eye.
Xu Yan was filled with emotion: It's so good to be young!
Looking away, I was surprised to find that everyone's eyes were on me.
When they saw him looking over, everyone avoided his gaze like startled rabbits, pretending nothing had happened and going about their business.
Xu Yan didn't take it to heart.
Looking up, the pavilions and flying towers are layered upon each other, high above.
Turn your gaze back to the ordinary, everyday life.
He suddenly understood.
The celestial pavilions are like the face of the Immortal Abode, representing the status of cultivators; the mundane details on the ground are the hidden, unknown side of the Immortal Abode.
It may not be a dark side, but it is certainly not as glamorous as it appears on the surface.
Just as I was pondering this, my stomach suddenly let out a rumbling sound.
Xu Yan patted his belly and couldn't help but worry: Where could he go to fill his stomach?
Unable to think of a solution immediately, he decided to wander around and learn about the local customs and traditions before making any plans.
However, after walking a few steps, they saw a vendor with several cages set up by the roadside, containing chickens, foxes, dogs, rabbits, and several small monsters that had not yet taken human form.
The most unusual thing is that there is also a golden carp that is more than half a foot long and keeps blowing bubbles.
Xu Yan looked at it curiously a few more times: They sell pets here too? I wonder if that rabbit demon is male or female. If I buy a female one and raise it, could I raise a rabbit-eared girl?
Just as I was lost in thought, a middle-aged man who looked to be over fifty came to the stall, looked around, pointed at the fox demon in the cage, and asked, "How much are the fox pills?"
Xu Yan...did I hear that right?
The vendor held up three fingers: "Three hundred spirit pearls!"
"So expensive?" The middle-aged man looked pained. "Two hundred, I'll buy it for two hundred!"
"That won't do!" The vendor kicked the iron cage. "Two hundred will only buy you rabbit pills!"
The middle-aged man gritted his teeth: "I'll add some more, two hundred and twenty!"
The vendor protested: "Only twenty more? Who are you trying to disgust? Three hundred, take it or leave it!"
The middle-aged man's lips trembled: "Two hundred and fifty, that's the most I can say!"
"Three hundred!" the vendor insisted.
The man looked on in despair, and after a long while he said, "Fellow Daoist, please be lenient. I only have two hundred and fifty left."
The vendor remained unmoved: "If I make an exception for you, who will make an exception for me?"
The man suddenly knelt down: "Please, I beg you, please help me! I only need this one inner core to refine the Fox Fragrance Powder..."
"Hey, what are you doing!" The vendor dodged aside. "Don't try that on me. I'm in business, not a charity!"
Someone nearby advised, "Sell it! With the Fox Fragrance Powder, his daughter will have a chance to join the immortal sect."
The vendor remained unmoved: "It's just a chance, but there's no guarantee. What if it doesn't work out? Besides, the cost of these fox pills alone is 280 yuan. I'll only make a profit on 20 pills. If I sell them for 250 yuan, I'll lose my shirt!"
The uncle absolutely refused to get up.
The stall owner hesitated for a moment, then felt a pang of sympathy and advised, "Fellow Daoist, this is just a small business, please don't make things difficult for me. Instead of wasting your time, you should think of a way to buy some better demon cores to refine medicine. Don't ruin the Fox Fragrance Powder because of the poor quality of the demon cores."
The man's face was filled with despair: "We've tried every possible method. My wife and I even sold ourselves to scrape together these spirit pearls..."
Someone nearby muttered quietly, "This is a desperate gamble!"
"Who says otherwise!" another voice echoed, "They're desperate!"
"If you ask me, they're just wasting their time. They don't have the ability, so what are they doing staying in the Immortal Pavilion? They might as well leave sooner!"
There were many conflicting opinions, but after Xu Yan figured out the whole story, he felt extremely uneasy.
The vendor sighed, "I feel sorry for you, but sympathy can't put food on the table. I need to collect spirit orbs too!"
The middle-aged man knelt there blankly for a while, then finally made up his mind: "Then I'll buy rabbit pills!"
Everyone sighed with regret.
Using Rabbit Elixir turns it into Rabbit Fragrance Powder, which is even less effective, further reducing the chances of joining the immortal sect.
The vendor silently pulled the rabbit demon from the cage, and with a swift stroke of his knife, cut open its belly to extract its elixir.
The rabbit demon seemed to have long accepted its fate, neither struggling nor making a fuss.
The vendor handed the inner elixir to the uncle, who in turn handed over a handful of jade stones of varying sizes and shapes to the vendor.
The vendor carefully examined each piece of jade to make sure there were no problems before cautiously putting it away and confirming the transaction was complete.
The uncle left dejectedly. The vendor dug a dark, murky substance from a clay pot at his feet, smeared it on the rabbit's wound, and then stuffed it back into the cage.
Xu Yan felt a sharp pain in her lower abdomen and quietly looked away.
Everyone else doesn't have an inner core, but he does. If someone digs it out and sells it... I don't even want to think about it!
As the crowd gradually dispersed, Xu Yan's gaze shifted, and he deliberately raised his voice: "Demon cores are sold like this?"
Immediately, a curious onlooker chimed in: "Just arrived, right?"
Xu Yan looked surprised: "How did you figure that out, fellow Daoist?"
The man said smugly, "Don't you understand? These are called 'living pills,' they're all taken and sold immediately. Those little monsters are all domesticated. If we take them and raise them well, they might even produce new pills, allowing us to take them a second or third time!"
ha?
Xu Yan could hardly believe his ears: "Is this really true?"
"What's so special about this? I've seen monsters sell themselves out..."
Before the words were finished, several shouts rang out: "Get out of the way!"
Looking back, several men dressed in black, swinging their arms, crowded in front of the pill seller: "Hey pill seller, we heard you've opened for business. You should pay your commission by now. Don't force me to do it myself."
The alchemist looked bitter as he took out five spirit pearls and offered them to the alchemist with both hands; clearly, this wasn't the first time.
"Just one?" the leader of the men in black glared angrily. "Are you trying to fob me off like a beggar?"
The vendor was taken aback: "Didn't it always come in fives before!"
"The rules have changed today, at least thirty... no, fifty!"
The crowd erupted in uproar, all feeling that the price was too high, and some of the bolder ones hid in the crowd and kept making sarcastic remarks.
Xu Yan had no concept of the value of the spirit pearl, but he could guess it pretty accurately from everyone's reactions.