Chapter 90: Renting a Cave Dwelling, Meeting Immortal Master Wu Again

Seeing Che Chulong walk away, Wei Tu pondered for a moment before leaving his hut and heading straight to Hu Yao’s residence. He recounted everything that had just happened with Che Chulong in detail. After explaining, Wei Tu made a promise to reassure Hu Yao. "As long as Hu Daoist can still get symbol paper at a 60% discount… well, even 70% is acceptable, I will continue to buy from you." He spoke seriously. Compared to basic talismans, first-rank talismans belonged to the high-end market, making their profit margins significantly higher. Therefore, even if the purchase price of first-rank talisman paper increased slightly, an additional 10% markup was something Wei Tu could tolerate. Now that he had offended Che Chulong and the other talisman stall owners, even if he went to Baishi Lake Marketplace for purchases, the discounted price he could secure there would likely be above 70%. Given that, it was better to pass on that extra 10% profit to Hu Yao, allowing her to have more leverage in securing a new supply chain. Besides, previously, Hu Yao had been able to get a 60% discount because she had suppliers among the talisman stall owners. Now that this relationship was severed, demanding the same price would be kicking her while she was down. Since he had chosen to side with Hu Yao instead of the talisman stall owners, he would support her fully and help stabilize this supply chain. “This time, I truly appreciate Wei Daoist’s support.” Hearing his words, Hu Yao’s eyes lit up. She stood up and bowed deeply to Wei Tu. Just now, when she had heard Wei Tu talk about Che Chulong, she had assumed he was trying to use this opportunity to demand more benefits from her. But unexpectedly, Wei Tu had proactively offered to give her an extra 10% margin. "I will definitely find a new supplier within a month!" Hu Yao clenched her teeth and made a firm promise. Fifteen days later. Wei Tu received the first batch of 70%-discounted first-rank talisman paper from Hu Yao. "It has the same quality and craftsmanship as those from the market stalls, which means she hasn't found a new supplier yet and is still covering the cost herself to maintain my business..." Examining the talisman paper carefully, Wei Tu shook his head. The market price of first-rank low-grade talisman paper was eight spirit stones per batch. This meant that Hu Yao, by forcing herself to cover the losses, had already lost at least three spirit stones over these past few days. Time passed swiftly. A month later, Hu Yao came to him, looking apologetic. "Wei Daoist… I have let you down. I still haven’t found a new supplier." Over the past month, she had truly experienced what it meant to go from prosperity to hardship. Previously, Che Chulong and the other talisman stall owners had been friendly with her. But now, they all shut their doors in her face, refusing even to give her a chance to negotiate. "I will go to them once more and apologize. They should be willing to resume business with Wei Daoist and let go of past grievances." Hu Yao sighed. A month ago, Wei Tu had gotten involved in this dispute because he wanted to protect her. But ultimately, business is business. No grudge was greater than profit. If she humbled herself and apologized, the two sides could easily reconcile. Wei Tu remained silent for a moment before speaking. "Hu Daoist, perhaps you should change your approach. Instead of finding a new supply of talisman paper, why not look for a steady source of demon beast hides?" He had been thinking about this for over half a month and now presented the plan he had formulated. He possessed the method for refining talisman paper from demon beast hides, which he had obtained from Tong Peipei. While talisman paper crafting techniques were not considered highly secret knowledge, they were still valuable. When Tong Peipei had given him this technique as an apology, she had never mentioned that he couldn’t share it with others. Additionally, if a cheaper source of first-rank talisman paper could be found, he was confident that he could even pull Tong Peipei into this alliance. This would be beneficial to Tong Peipei as well. "Demon beast hides?" Hu Yao was stunned, but after thinking it through, she realized that this could actually work. Demon beast hides were collected from the hunts of mercenaries and wandering cultivators. Compared to the strongly unified and monopolized talisman stall owners, the scattered and independent nature of mercenaries meant that they could be approached and negotiated with more easily. "I trust Hu Daoist’s connections and capabilities." Wei Tu smiled slightly and handed her a pre-prepared instruction manual. "Wei Daoist’s kindness, I will never forget." Hu Yao took the paper, glanced at its contents, and expressed her deep gratitude. Seizing business from the talisman stall owners was both a risk and an opportunity. If successful, she would no longer need to struggle in the slums of the market. She might even gain the means to one day reach the Foundation Establishment stage. Although this plan had benefits, it also had risks—those talisman stall owners were not easy to deal with. If things went badly, he could end up dead outside Danqiu Mountain or even assassinated within the shantytown itself. "If things work out, I will ensure that Wei Daoist receives a share of the profits." Hu Yao spoke seriously. Hearing this, Wei Tu nodded in agreement, accepting the offer without any pretense of generosity. After Hu Yao left, Wei Tu began packing his belongings. He had decided to move into the market district today and rent a cave dwelling rather than delay any further. Originally, his plan had been to wait a year, accumulate enough wealth, and then move at the right moment. But plans could never keep up with unexpected changes. Now that he had given the talisman crafting method to Hu Yao, he had undoubtedly offended Che Chulong and his group. Staying in the low-security shantytown any longer would only increase his risks. If moving was inevitable, it was better to do it now. "The only issue is that with my current finances, I can only afford a cave dwelling with poor spiritual energy..." Wei Tu sighed. Before long, Wei Tu arrived at the market district and entered a well-reputed broker’s office to find a rental. "The cave dwellings in Danqiu Mountain's market district are divided into four grades and three tiers." "The four grades are A, B, C, and D, while the three tiers are upper, middle, and lower." "The grade is determined by proximity to the spirit veins—the closer, the higher the grade. The tier is based on the size, structure, and facilities of the cave dwelling." The broker assistant explained. Hearing this, Wei Tu nodded. After living in Danqiu Mountain for ten years, he was already familiar with the ranking system of these cave dwellings. When Deacon Liu first mentioned the cheapest cave dwelling, it had cost one spirit stone for three years—which was a D-grade lower-tier dwelling. These places had almost no difference in spiritual energy from the shantytown, as they were located at the very edge of the spirit vein. The only advantage was that they offered better safety and a cleaner environment compared to the shantytown. After some consideration of his finances, Wei Tu chose a C-grade lower-tier cave dwelling, paid the spirit stones, and received the key. C-grade lower-tier dwellings were shared courtyards, with four cultivators living together. There was one cultivation room with a minor spirit-gathering formation, used on a rotation basis. The privacy was poor. However, only C-grade and above had spirit-gathering formations. Even D-grade upper-tier cave dwellings, though private and independent, lacked a cultivation chamber with a formation. Wei Tu’s new dwelling was located on Lark Street, a relatively remote part of Danqiu Mountain. Unlocking the courtyard door, Wei Tu stepped inside. "Not bad, definitely better than the shantytown." Scanning the small courtyard, he felt somewhat satisfied. Compared to the shantytown, the air here was fresher, and the streets were clean. The living conditions were clearly a major improvement. "The courtyard has five rooms in total—one for the cultivation chamber, one for myself, and three others." "One of the rooms is locked and covered in dust, meaning the occupant hasn't been around for a long time. The other two… I wonder who lives in them?" While opening his own door, this thought crossed Wei Tu’s mind. After entering, he set down his cloth bag, then retrieved a few talismans from his sleeve, preparing to visit his neighbors. However— Before he could step outside, he heard soft footsteps on the wooden corridor and a deep, raspy cough from the yard. "Immortal Master Wu?" Wei Tu opened the door, surprised to see an elder in blue robes, whose appearance closely resembled his memory of Immortal Master Wu. He hadn't expected to run into him again in this courtyard on Lark Street. Immortal Master Wu had been the first cultivator he had ever seen in this lifetime. If not for Immortal Master Wu’s duel with a cultivator from the Chisong Jia Clan, he would have never obtained immortal secrets from Xie Yuanshan, nor would he have entered Danqiu Mountain to cultivate. "Are you the new resident of this courtyard?" Immortal Master Wu didn’t recognize Wei Tu. He simply examined him briefly and asked. Wei Tu nodded. They exchanged names, after which Immortal Master Wu explained why he had come. He sighed and said, "The cultivation chamber in this courtyard… I will need to use it frequently for the next six months. Would you be willing to wait until then to take your turn?" "Yuchi Daoist has already agreed to this." After a brief pause, Immortal Master Wu hesitated, then took out one spirit stone from his waist pouch and placed it on Wei Tu’s table. "If it is Immortal Master Wu’s request, then I am happy to agree." Seeing that he was being compensated with spirit stones, Wei Tu smiled and accepted the arrangement. Wei Tu had just broken through to Qi Refinement Fourth Level not long ago, and his cultivation progress was unlikely to advance significantly within the next few years. Not using the cultivation chamber for the next six months wouldn't have much impact on him. Additionally— According to Kou Hong Ying, it would be best for him to switch to cultivating the Lesser Spring and Autumn Art during his Qi Refinement stage to condense a Wood-Earth Spiritual Body. However, at the moment, he still did not have the Lesser Spring and Autumn Art. After a brief exchange, Immortal Master Wu took his leave. "It seems the rumors back then weren’t false. Immortal Master Wu really did lose an arm to that Jia clan cultivator." Wei Tu pondered. During their conversation, he had noticed that Immortal Master Wu’s right arm was well concealed, but there was still something off about it. It was a prosthetic limb. A few days later, Wei Tu brought gifts and visited his neighbors. Immortal Master Wu expressed gratitude but did not reciprocate with a return gift. Wei Tu didn't mind. Inside Immortal Master Wu’s room, he noticed a pile of empty pill bottles and leftover medicinal dregs from boiled herbs. From this, he inferred that Immortal Master Wu had likely spent all his resources on treating his injuries. Otherwise, with his late-stage Qi Refinement cultivation, he should be living somewhere far better than Lark Street. His other neighbor—the one whom Immortal Master Wu referred to as Yuchi Daoist—was far more polite. Not only did she return the gift, but the next day, she even invited Wei Tu for tea. The tea was spiritual tea. Its aroma and spiritual energy were only slightly inferior to the one tael of spirit tea Kou Hong Ying had gifted him. "If Wei Daoist ever needs to purchase pills in the future, you can come to me. I have connections with Geng Dan Master, the second disciple of Shu Dan Master." Yuchi Yu said with a charming smile. "Geng Dan Master?" Hearing this, Wei Tu was instantly alarmed. He hadn’t expected that his new neighbor Yuchi Yu would have ties with Geng Wen. "If I ever need anything, I will certainly come to Yuchi Daoist. Though, I hope you could give me a better price when the time comes." Wei Tu kept his face neutral, suppressing the doubt in his heart as he replied. "That’s a deal, then." Yuchi Yu chuckled softly. As Wei Tu got up to leave, Yuchi Yu swayed her hips gracefully, walking him to the door. When they reached the entrance, she deliberately leaned in close, her fingers lightly brushing against Wei Tu’s arm. "Is she... testing me?" "Trying to see if I know that Geng Wen is behind Ying Bing’s attack?" "Or is this just normal socializing? After all, a pill refiner’s connections are often extensive, and it’s not surprising that Yuchi Yu knows Geng Wen—it’s perfectly reasonable." Back in his room, Wei Tu carefully analyzed every word and gesture of Yuchi Yu, forming various speculations. "I can’t afford to take this lightly..." With that in mind— A few days later, he brought some spirit stones to Yuchi Yu’s residence and asked her to purchase two Yellow Essence Pills from Geng Wen. Yellow Essence Pills were commonly used by mid-stage Qi Refinement cultivators to increase their cultivation. Each pill cost three spirit stones. The next day, Yuchi Yu personally delivered two Yellow Essence Pills to Wei Tu. "Could these pills be... poisoned by Geng Wen or Yuchi Yu?" Wei Tu shook the pill bottle lightly, his expression darkening. After a brief moment of contemplation, he got up, locked his door, and headed toward the shantytown. "Hu Daoist, you are acquainted with Wang Dan Master. Would it be possible for you to ask Wang Dan Master to examine this bottle of pills for me—to check if they contain poison?" Seated in Hu Yao’s residence, Wei Tu placed the bottle of Yellow Essence Pills on the table and spoke seriously. According to his knowledge, Wang Dan Master was a regular visitor of Hu Yao’s shop, and the two had been friends for many years. "This matter..." Upon hearing this, Hu Yao’s face immediately tensed, and a look of fear appeared in her eyes. In the letter that Fu Zhizhou had sent to Wei Tu, it was Hu Yao who had explicitly pointed out that the mastermind behind Ying Bing’s attack was Geng Wen. Now, Wei Tu was asking her to check if these pills were poisoned. With a little thought, she could easily guess that this issue must involve Geng Wen. And Geng Wen— Was someone she could not afford to provoke. After a brief hesitation, Hu Yao took a deep breath, looked at Wei Tu, and made a firm decision. "...I’ll do it." She wasn’t the type to forget favors. Besides— It was just checking a pill for poison. "This is the newly crafted batch of first-grade talisman paper." Next, Hu Yao opened a seven-foot-long wooden box, removed a stack of talisman paper, and handed it to Wei Tu. "As for your profit share, I have two proposals. One—your share will be based on the business’s profits and losses, and you will receive a fixed equity percentage. Two—every fixed period, I will supply you with a certain amount of first-grade talisman paper for free." "Which option do you prefer, Wei Daoist?"