NOVEL NEXT Chapter 51: Transaction
Translator: Cinder Translations
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He couldn't find Chen Yi in the market, but fortunately Song Wen still had her messaging jade slip.
He picked up the jade slip and sent a message.
Song Wen: "Junior Sister Chen, do you have detailed information on the Rainbow Grass?"
Song Wen waited for a while but received no response. He put down the jade slip and attended to other matters, expecting Chen Yi to reply once she saw the message.
His first task was to refine the Ghost Head Shield.
Song Wen sat cross-legged, his mind focused. He took out the Ghost Head Shield and placed it in front of him.
Then, reversing his blood and qi flow, the abundant qi and blood inside him began to surge. A drop of essence blood started to trickle down from his brow, falling onto the Ghost Head Shield.
Drop after drop of essence blood spread over the Ghost Head Shield, dyeing its eerie patterns a sinister crimson.
Flickers of bloodlight began to glow on the Ghost Head Shield, gradually intensifying.
Suddenly, a black mist burst forth from the shield, transforming into a fierce ghost nearly ten feet tall in mid-air.
The fierce ghost was pitch black, baring its fangs and roaring ferociously at Song Wen.
However, Song Wen seemed indifferent to this phenomenon, continuing to drip essence blood.
After dozens of drops of essence blood, the fierce ghost seemed sated, gradually calming down and shrinking back into the shield.
Song Wen ceased dripping blood and instead repeatedly infused spiritual power into the Ghost Head Shield.
About two hours later, a faint smile appeared on Song Wen's face as he finally completely refined the Ghost Head Shield.
Only Song Wen dared to use such a method of refining at the cost of his own essence blood. For other cultivators at the Fourth Stage of Qi Refinement, it would take at least ten days to half a month to refine this Ghost Head Shield. After all, not all cultivators possessed the spiritual power far beyond their cultivation realm like Song Wen, nor did they have nearly inexhaustible essence blood.
At this moment, the messaging jade slip received a response.
Chen Yi: "Senior Ji Yin, the Rainbow Grass is a spiritual herb unique to the Poisonous Miasma Swamp. Our sect's herb garden does not cultivate it, so I have no information on the Rainbow Grass."
Song Wen: "Junior Sister Chen, can you find a way to obtain information on the Rainbow Grass? I can offer a certain amount of spirit stones as compensation."
Perhaps tempted by Song Wen's offer, after a moment, Chen Yi responded:
"Senior Ji Yin, why suddenly interested in the Rainbow Grass? If you truly desire it, I can consult Senior Zhang Xiaofan for a solution."
Zhang Xiaofan was a direct disciple, making it easier to gather information about the Rainbow Grass from his master, a Golden Core stage alchemist in the Pill Hall.
Song Wen: "If there's information on the Yan family in the Poisonous Miasma Swamp, that would be even better. I can pay 30 spirit stones as compensation. However, all information must be provided to me within three days; it will be void afterward."
If more than three days pass, Song Wen would leave the sect. Moreover, the messaging jade slip had distance limitations, making communication impossible once they were too far apart.
As a spirit plant husbandry disciple, Chen Yi only received ten spirit stones as monthly allowance; 30 spirit stones were already a considerable fortune for her.
Chen Yi promptly replied, "Senior Ji Yin, I will contact Senior Zhang as soon as possible."
Two days later, in the evening, Song Wen opened the large red coffin in his cave.
A corpse puppet over two meters tall, with fangs over five centimeters long and emitting a strong corpse aura, jumped out of the coffin.
"Roar!"
As if celebrating its revival, the corpse puppet roared loudly as soon as it burst out of the coffin.
Song Wen circled the corpse puppet a few times. Its skin was dark brown, and its withered muscles resembled the sturdy roots of an ancient tree, robust and powerful.
"It's indeed a decent flesh shield."
Song Wen nodded in satisfaction.
At this moment, Song Wen finally received Chen Yi's reply.
"Senior Ji Yin, I'm waiting for you at the miscellaneous disciple's cafeteria."
Song Wen was delighted. He hadn't expected Chen Yi to actually obtain information on the Rainbow Grass and the Yan family in the Poisonous Miasma Swamp.
"He had the corpse puppet return to the coffin, then wasted no time and left the cave."
...
"At this time, it was mealtime, and there were many miscellaneous disciples coming and going in the cafeteria."
To avoid drawing too much attention, Song Wen and Chen Yi each took a serving of food, found a secluded table, and began eating and chatting.
The other miscellaneous disciples, seeing that both were wearing outer disciple attire, were tactful enough to keep their distance and not disturb them.
Chen Yi handed a jade slip to Song Wen and said, "Senior Ji Yin, both the information on the Rainbow Grass and the Yan family are in here."
"Thank you, Junior Sister."
Song Wen took the jade slip and simultaneously passed a small cloth bag over, containing the thirty spirit stones agreed upon earlier.
Taking the bag, Chen Yi used her spiritual power to probe it briefly, a smile appearing on her face.
She explained, "Senior, have you accepted the mission outside the sect from the Yan family?"
Song Wen nodded.
"Yes."
After pondering for a moment, Song Wen continued, "Junior Sister Chen, if I may ask, where did you obtain the information on the Rainbow Grass and the Yan family?"
Song Wen asked this question to ensure the accuracy of the information.
If Chen Yi had collected the information haphazardly on her own, its reliability would be questionable.
"I obtained the information from Senior Zhang Xiaofan, through his master," Chen Yi replied.
For Chen Yi to secure thirty spirit stones, she clearly went through some trouble. While she didn't explicitly state it, asking Senior Zhang Xiaofan and his master for information wouldn't have been without cost. If she hadn't offered something in return, Zhang Xiaofan might not have been willing to help.
As for what Chen Yi paid for this, it was no longer Song Wen's concern.
Song Wen was satisfied with this answer. Since the information came from a Golden Core cultivator, he believed its reliability should be assured.
He didn't want to dwell on this issue further and changed the subject.
"Junior Sister Chen, have you completed your mission outside the sect?"
Chen Yi narrowed her eyes and smiled proudly.
"Not yet, but I'm about to. I have to thank you, Senior."
"Oh? How so?"
"My mission was to deliver five Fire Spirit Grasses to the sect," Chen Yi explained.
Fire Spirit Grass was a first-tier spiritual herb of the fire attribute, not particularly rare. However, it thrived in intensely hot environments, which couldn't be found within the Corpse Demon Sect due to its dense corpse and Yin qi. The nearest place to find Fire Spirit Grass was at Longyan Mountain, near an active volcano.
But Longyan Mountain was thousands of miles away from the sect, fraught with powerful monsters, strange poisonous insects, and occasional rogue cultivators. For someone like Chen Yi, who was only at the Second Stage of Qi Refinement, retrieving Fire Spirit Grass from there was almost suicidal.
However, Fire Spirit Grass was still just a first-tier spiritual herb. Chen Yi managed to find a cultivator at the Ninth Stage of Qi Refinement who had exactly five Fire Spirit Grasses.
However, the price demanded by this cultivator was high, and Chen Yi couldn't gather enough spirit stones on her own, falling short by over twenty spirit stones.
It was at this opportune moment that Song Wen approached her.
Upon hearing Chen Yi's explanation, Song Wen couldn't help feeling a bit envious. He had thought his own mission was relatively safe, but compared to Chen Yi's, hers was truly risk-free, costing only a few spirit stones.
"Well then, congratulations, Junior Sister Chen."
After chatting for a while longer, the two parted ways.
(End of the Chapter)
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