"How much?"

Turning his body to the side, Xie Changling forcefully suppressed a glint in his eyes and lightly stroked his short beard beneath his chin. "Do you know what Sorrowful Breeze is? It is listed at number forty-seven on the Great Xuan's forbidden medicine register as a fierce poison! Even a cultivator in the Dao-Entering Realm, unless he constantly activates his protective Body-Protecting True Gang, would fall upon sensing it. You think a mere fifty thousand Dao coins can make me forsake the conscience of a medicine practitioner?"

Shaking his head with a sigh, Xie Changling maintained a serious expression and repeatedly waved his hands.

What conscience? You simply want more!

Cursing profusely in his mind and considering the profits he could gain from monopolizing the Sword Talisman sale rights, Wu Lincong gritted his teeth. "Fifty-five thousand! That's as far as I can go."

"Alas, you still don't understand what I mean..."

"Take it or leave it."

With a flick of his sleeve, Wu Lincong was ready to push the door open and leave. But before his leading foot could cross the threshold, Xie Changling had already chased after him, sporting a smiling face and speaking soothingly, "Look at you, we're old friends, let's discuss this further."

"There's room for negotiation?"

Raising an eyebrow, Wu Lincong sneered, "Not afraid of forsaking your conscience anymore?"

"Conscience is one thing, business is another. They shouldn't be conflated, right?"

...

"Here you go, Mr. Bai, as you requested, this is what you wanted."

The Cang Fa Fei Cui, wrapped with several golden cloth strips, was slid in front of Qi Xiu by Wu Lincong. Contained within this piece of jade was the complete potion recipe for the Sorrowful Breeze.

"Oh? You found it?"

A trace of joy flashing in his eyes, Qi Xiu picked up the Cang Fa Fei Cui, just as he was about to unveil the seal. Wu Lincong hurriedly spoke up, "Mr. Bai, don't rush."

"What is it?" Qi Xiu looked puzzledly at Wu Lincong.

"You know that the Sorrowful Breeze is a forbidden medicine of the imperial court; trafficking its formula or medicine in private constitutes a capital offense. Therefore, you must remember this transaction must be kept secret. And the formula absolutely cannot be leaked. Otherwise, if the news gets out, the consequences will be extremely severe. Furthermore, this Cang Fa Fei Cui is bound by a restrictive spell and can only be viewed by one person, and once the seal is broken, the jade will self-destruct after a quarter of an hour. Mr. Bai, please be very careful."

Wu Lincong was pained to exchange fifty-seven thousand Dao coins for the formula, but for the exclusive selling rights and his future prospects, the money had to be spent!

"Rest assured, Elder Wu. You and I are both law-abiding people, and I, Bai, am merely curious about the efficacy of this forbidden medicine. I can swear on my Dao Heart: I will not leak the slightest bit of this formula's content. Even if it's discovered in the future, I will never mention a word about Shen's Myriad Goods Pavilion or you, Elder Wu. If I break this oath, may a myriad demons pierce my heart and heavenly lightning strike me down!"

"Good, good, good, I believe in Mr. Bai's words," said Wu Lincong.

"Let's leave it at that for today. I must take my leave now."

Picking up the Cang Fa Fei Cui, Qi Xiu stood up to depart. Seeing this, Wu Lincong promptly followed a few steps and then said, "Mr. Bai, since you are satisfied with the potion formula... about the matter of the Sword Talisman sale...?"

"Hahaha, my apologies, my apologies, I got carried away with excitement and forgot about the main business. Don't worry, Elder Wu. Besides the five hundred Suppression Talismans next week, one hundred Sword Talismans will also be delivered at the same time. You can count on it."

With Qi Xiu's assurance, Wu Lincong breathed a sigh of relief. The heavy stone that had been hanging in his heart finally fell.

If things went smoothly, this year Elder Wu might just get transferred to the provincial head office...

...

Longing for the Sorrowful Breeze in his heart, Qi Xiu returned home and immediately opened the Cang Fa Fei Cui, imprinting the contents of the included potion recipe, word for word, into his mind.

Sorrowful Breeze. The Great Xuan's forbidden medicine! Those who read this formula must remember not to misuse this medicine to harm the common people, or they will certainly face divine retribution! The first line of the potion formula was an unapologetic warning!

This showed that this poison must have caused serious repercussions in the past; otherwise, the Great Xuan Dynasty would not have listed it as a forbidden medicine and strictly controlled it.

In his mind, one by one, the medicinal herbs flashed before his eyes.

Nine main herbs, twelve auxiliary herbs, thirty-nine adjuvant herbs, and three herbs of application.

The total number of herbs in the entire Sorrowful Breeze was not large. Compared to the Dust-Avoiding Elixir that Qi Xiu had previously refined, it was less than one-third. But the herbs used in the Sorrowful Breeze were mostly extremely rare and precious, some of them very uncommon, even to the extent of being priceless. Among them, five main herbs, fifteen auxiliary herbs, and seven adjuvant herbs were controlled as forbidden medicines by the imperial court.

With my current Divine Marvel from the Second Realm of alchemy, I can only exempt a portion of the auxiliary and adjuvant herbs. To refine this Sorrowful Breeze, it seems there is still a long way to go.

A quarter of an hour elapsed, and the Cang Fa Fei Cui in Qi Xiu's hand spontaneously cracked open, turning into a pile of dark gray lime that dissipated and scattered.

Take your time.

Although the situation in Dianchuan Province remains turbulent, Qingliu County has become much quieter. After the Golden Flower Maternal Sect was driven away, even the Demonic Evil Cultivators nearby have all but vanished.

I wanted to profit from the turmoil and capture a few Demonic Evil Cultivators for alchemy, but now I don't even have the opportunity.

His gaze calm, Qi Xiu's temperament had grown more mature and stable after experiencing several major disasters; he was no longer startled by every little rustle, like a bird frightened by the mere twang of a bowstring.

Or perhaps it's more accurate to say, as a cultivator who had entered the Dao-Entering Realm, mastering exquisite techniques like the "Minor Five Elements Water Patrol Evasion Skill" and the "Formless Sword Skill," and now also protected by Human Path Merit, unless targeted for assassination by a grand cultivator of the Blood-Stained Realm, most demonic disasters could no longer pose a threat to him.

It's not that the environment has improved, but I... have become stronger.

Looking down at his own hands, Qi Xiu's face revealed a faint smile, exuding an aura of inner tranquility and composure.

...

It was the fifth day of the fifth month of the year. In the blink of an eye, after that frigid snowy siege, the weather had gradually become hot and stifling.

In a low depression in the Deep Mountain Forest, a grotesque Demon Inn stood twisted and misshapen, made from a combination of countless chunks of flesh and blood, as well as white bones, earth, and piles of corpses and old wood.

The stream outside the inn was a shocking shade of red, emitting a strong, pungent smell of blood. All sorts of abnormal mists gathered and swirled—some enchantingly beautiful, others hideously grotesque—as if alive with wicked spirits. In the surrounding dense forest, occasionally, bizarre and terrifying shapes would pass by, exuding a heavy presence of demons, infusing the air and transforming this land into a permanent ground of horror and death.

Inside the inn, Demonic Evil Cultivators conversed in low tones and hushed whispers amidst the darkness. Twisted and deformed in shape, with terrifying and hideous visages, pairs of eyes—green as bile, crimson as blood, dark yellow as pitch—turned ceaselessly, revealing a nature that was cruel, brutal, malicious, and ruthlessly vindictive.

"Long Tengzi, you've summoned us all here. What exactly do you want to do? I'm rather busy, so speak up if you have something to say, or just let it out if you need to pass wind."

The speaker was an old man covered in brown fur, with a stooped back, sickly green eyes, and a mouth full of rotten teeth poking out from the corners of his lips, extreme in his ugliness.

"Indeed, we're all busy. We don't have the time to accompany you in your pointless endeavors."

A man beside him, wearing a copper coin mask and exuding a chilling deathly aura, stiffly added his agreement.

HEHEHE. "Gentlemen, please, patience. I've invited you all here because there is indeed an important matter that I wish to discuss with you all."

Long Tengzi was a youth in a fine azure long robe, with handsome features. For an ordinary human to mingle in this Demon Inn, and even to gather an assembly of demons like this, one could see he was no ordinary man.

"Gentlemen, please have a look."

Opening his palm, Long Tengzi revealed a swollen red flesh sac. Slight faces of agony were visible within as it pulsed and throbbed like a living human heart. As soon as the flesh sac appeared, a rich, swirling, peculiar scent instantly flooded the entire inn.

Smelling this scent, the demons present showed excited, frenzied expressions, their eyes fixed on the flesh sac, fidgeting, almost unable to resist pouncing on it.

"What is this, that it smells so sweet?"

The old man, who resembled a hyena, glared with his dismal green eyes, his large hands with their bulging, gnarled veins reaching out like ugly claws.

Taking in the reactions of all the Demonic Evil Cultivators, Long Tengzi chuckled inwardly and said calmly, "This is known as Scolding Sacred Heart. As soon as it touches the ground, it can take root, and once planted, it will bear a fruit known as 'Jade Egg'. This 'Jade Egg' is greatly nourishing for our kind, the demons. And the core of this 'Jade Egg' is a new Scolding Sacred Heart. Today, I have summoned you all here to present this Scolding Sacred Heart to you."

As soon as Long Tengzi finished speaking, all the Demonic Evil Cultivators revealed suspicious and cynical expressions.

Although these Demonic Evil Cultivators were brutal, malicious, ferocious, and malevolent, they were not foolish. Why would Long Tengzi give away such a good thing for free?

Sensing the suspicion in the eyes of the demons present, Long Tengzi laughed. "I know you all have doubts in your hearts. Indeed, this Scolding Sacred Heart does have some side effects. Every time a Scolding Sacred Heart is planted, it will severely deteriorate the surrounding environment, creating a 'Vile Domain' where ordinary creatures cannot survive. The more Scolding Sacred Heart seeds are planted, the bigger the 'Vile Domain' becomes, until it spreads across the entire Dianchuan Province. However, such a 'Vile Domain' has no effect on us; on the contrary, it will feel even more exhilarating."

Exchanging glances after hearing about the consequences of planting the Scolding Sacred Heart, the demons fell silent for a moment, then suddenly burst into discussion.

"What does that have to do with us?"

"Are you dumb? If ordinary creatures can't survive, what do we eat?"

"I'm dumb? I think it's you who's dumb! If there's nothing to eat in this province, can't we go to another province to eat?"

"Hmm! You make a lot of sense!"

A chorus of demons laughed boisterously, seemingly nonchalant about the terrifying side effect that could turn an entire province into a no-go zone for the living.

"I have a question."

In an unnoticed corner, an arm was raised.

"Please speak," Long Tengzi said softly, his face adorned with a gentle smile.

"Who came up with such a brilliant idea?"

Slowly standing up, Qi Xiu, dressed in plain white robes, bore an indifferent expression. From his wide sleeves, continuous streams of deep blue Talisman Scripts emerged, instantly filling the entire inn.

WHIMPER... WHIMPER... WHIMPER...

Suddenly, the sound of suppressed sobbing arose. Very quickly, this faint weeping spread like a plague. All the Demonic Evil Cultivators in the inn began to cry out in horror and wail uncontrollably. The situation quickly spiraled out of control.

...

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