Martial Sage from the Vajra Skill

He swallowed a Blood Coagulation Pill and cultivated the Fuyue Bear Scripture for two hours. At dawn, he immediately left the courtyard to make a large purchase.

He visited several pharmacies, spending all four hundred taels of silver on him to buy medicinal herbs. Then, he began a frenzy of alchemy.

Refining two cauldrons at once was indeed possible, though it was, of course, a bit slower.

By noon the next day, twenty-five medicine bottles were laid out before him, containing one hundred and twenty-five Blood Coagulation Pills.

He had refined a total of twelve batches. Not every batch yielded eleven pills, and he had consumed some himself, so the remainder perfectly filled the twenty-five medicine bottles.

He put on his conical hat, mask, and fake beard.

Xu Yang packed all the elixirs into a cloth bag and headed straight for the Zhu Family Pharmacy, where he soon met with Zhu Bin.

"Shopkeeper Zhu, see if the Zhu Family is interested in these elixirs."

Xu Yang took out a porcelain bottle and poured out a single, bright-red Blood Coagulation Pill.

"A Blood Coagulation Pill, and a high-quality one at that."

Zhu Bin’s eyes lit up. He took the pill, sniffed it carefully, then swallowed it and closed his eyes.

Xu Yang said nothing, simply waiting in silence.

He was extremely confident in his elixirs; in terms of quality, they were no worse than those refined by other Pill Masters.

After about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Zhu Bin opened his eyes. "An excellent pill," he said. "If all your elixirs are of this quality, the Zhu Family is willing to purchase them for seven and a half taels each. If we can establish a long-term partnership, we’re willing to pay eight taels per pill."

The production cost of a Blood Coagulation Pill was less than four taels. Even at seven and a half taels, he could profit three and a half taels per pill. That meant a profit of thirty-five taels for refining a single batch. ’Pill Masters really are a profitable bunch.’

’If I opened my own shop to sell them, I’d make even more.’

Xu Yang’s expression remained calm. He didn’t haggle. Tapping his fingers lightly on the desk, he asked, "I’ve heard the Zhu Family’s ancestors were also disciples of the Purple Sun Sect. Can your family still procure Guiyuan Pills or Profound Yuan Qi Transformation Pills?"

’Making money isn’t the goal. The main point is to get things that can advance my Cultivation.’

Both Qi Replenishing Pills and Eight-Treasure Body-Strengthening Pills had very little effect on him now. Only elixirs meant for the Gang Qi Realm were what he truly needed.

Even if he completed tasks for the Purple Sun Sect every single day, the contribution points he could earn in a month weren’t enough to trade for even one Gang Qi Realm elixir.

Zhu Bin’s gaze sharpened. "You wish to obtain Guiyuan Pills or Profound Yuan Qi Transformation Pills?"

Xu Yang nodded. "That’s right!"

’Although making this request risks exposing my Cultivation, a Pill Master’s greatest value is in his alchemy, not in being killed.’

’As long as I cooperate with them, the Zhu Family won’t try anything. Besides, they have a good reputation.’

Zhu Bin pondered for a moment. "To be honest," he said, "my Zhu Family still has some influence within the Purple Sun Sect. We have a small monthly quota of Guiyuan Pills."

"If you are willing to enter a long-term partnership with my family, we can provide you with one Guiyuan Pill each month as part of your payment."

’Only Guiyuan Pills?’

’The effects of Guiyuan Pills aren’t as good as Profound Yuan Qi Transformation Pills.’

’But this isn’t the time to be picky. The fact that the Zhu Family still has an elixir quota from the Purple Sun Sect is already beyond my expectations.’

"I can provide the Zhu Family with over two hundred Blood Coagulation Pills every month. Is that acceptable?" Xu Yang asked.

’I only plan to spend two or three days a month on alchemy. Any more than that would be difficult to manage. After all, I’m still just a workhorse for the Purple Sun Sect and can’t neglect my tasks.’

Zhu Bin’s eyes lit up. "Deal!"

Two hundred Blood Coagulation Pills meant a profit of four hundred taels.

In the elixir market, supply was leverage. If the Zhu Family used these elixirs to build partnerships with other major families, the resulting profits would be far greater than just four hundred taels.

Xu Yang nodded and handed the cloth bag at his feet to Zhu Bin. "Please inspect them, Shopkeeper. This is the first batch, and the quality is the same as the sample."

A broad smile on his face, Zhu Bin began to inspect the numerous Blood Coagulation Pills one by one.

After all, it was their first time doing business together, so he couldn’t afford to be careless.

A quarter of an hour later, he had finished inspecting all the Blood Coagulation Pills. They were all of excellent quality.

"Please wait a moment. I’ll go fetch a Guiyuan Pill."

A short while later, Zhu Bin returned with a stack of silver banknotes and a medicine bottle.

In total, there were one hundred twenty-five Blood Coagulation Pills, worth exactly one thousand taels of silver. After deducting one hundred taels for the Guiyuan Pill, he gave Xu Yang nine hundred taels.

In just two days, Xu Yang’s five hundred taels of silver had turned into nine hundred. He had also obtained a Guiyuan Pill and secured a monthly supply of them.

The rewards from this trip far exceeded his expectations.

"I’ll be leaving now. I’ll deliver more elixirs around this same time next month. If the Zhu Family wishes to continue our partnership, it would be best not to get any funny ideas."

Xu Yang stood to leave, adding a final word of warning.

Zhu Bin smiled. "Rest assured. With the Zhu Family’s reputation on the line, we would never do anything so foolish."

Xu Yang nodded, turned, and strode away.

He heightened his five senses to their absolute limit and weaved through several alleyways. Only after sensing no prying eyes did he relax and return to his courtyard.

He changed his clothes again, shouldered his Wolf Fang Saber, and bought ten Eight-Treasure Body-Strengthening Pills from the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion before hurrying back toward the Purple Sun Sect.

’I’ve been gone for three days. I can’t stay in Cyan Yang City any longer.’

’I haven’t done a task in over a month. If I keep putting it off, the Task Hall will come looking for trouble.’

Once outside the city, he found a deserted spot, changed out of his clothes, and put on his Outer Disciple uniform before continuing toward the Purple Sun Sect.

After walking for a while, he noticed a figure tailing him. The person looked somewhat familiar—another Outer Disciple of the Purple Sun Sect.

He was from Qingyuan County; Xu Yang had seen him at both the Martial Arts Examination and the Dragon Assembly.

’Has he been watching me in Cyan Yang City for the past three days?’ The realization hit Xu Yang instantly.

’I was so careful, always wearing a disguise and a conical hat when going in and out of the city. To be tailed right after leaving... he must have been watching the exit for days to have found me this quickly.’

’Who sent him?’ Xu Yang stopped in his tracks, standing right in the middle of the road.

The man behind him hesitated for a moment, then continued on his way. He quickly approached Xu Yang and said with a feigned look of surprise, "Brother Xu, what a coincidence."

The man was indeed from Qingyuan County, though Xu Yang couldn’t recall which Martial Arts Hall he was from.

’But there are only a few people from Qingyuan County who want me dead.’

’Of course, it’s also possible he just had business in the city, and this is a genuine coincidence.’

"Did you really think I wouldn’t notice you following me?" Xu Yang sneered.

’Let’s see how he reacts to a little pressure.’

The man’s expression remained unchanged. He continued to smile. "Brother Xu, you must be overthinking things. I’m just on my way back to the Sect and happened to run into you."

’He’s got decent composure,’ Xu Yang thought, ’but I still caught that flash of panic in his eyes.’

’He’s no professional scout. A real pro wouldn’t betray a hint of emotion after being exposed.’

"Do you take me for an idiot? You dare to tail me with your mere Qi Gathering Cultivation?"

A tyrannical aura erupted from Xu Yang as his Gang Qi roared to life.

His fingers shot out like a net, clamping down on the man’s neck.

"You dare!"

The man’s face fell. He scrambled backward, his composure completely shattered.

If Xu Yang had only been suspicious before, he was now one hundred percent certain this man was tracking him.

PFFT!

His fingers, like iron pincers, easily shattered the man’s Protective True Qi. He grabbed the man and leaped into the nearby woods.

"Tell me who sent you," Xu Yang’s voice was icy, filled with a potent killing intent. "Or today is the day you die."

The pressure radiating from a Gang Qi Realm expert made the man’s face turn deathly pale, and he struggled to breathe.

"Xu Yang, you’ve made a mistake. I really wasn’t following you," he said stubbornly.

"It seems you’re the type who won’t cry until you see your own coffin. Fine, I’ll accommodate you."

A cold glint flashed in Xu Yang’s eyes. "Since our meeting was just a coincidence, then no one will know if I send you on to your next life, right? You should think carefully: is your own life more important, or is your loyalty to the one who sent you?"

A wisp of Gang Qi coalesced in his hand. He slowly raised his palm toward the man’s head, posturing as if to execute him on the spot.

"I’ll talk! Don’t kill me, I’ll talk! It was Kong Yu and Li Xu who sent me!"

The immense pressure combined with the mortal danger finally broke the man. He had only agreed to help watch Xu Yang’s route back to the sect for an ambush because he’d been strong-armed by Kong Yu; he felt no real loyalty toward him.

Besides, he wasn’t some trained fanatic. Faced with a life-and-death crisis, it was impossible for him not to feel fear.