With profits to be made, Old Dong and Big Stone did not skimp this time.
Although they couldn’t afford the most luxurious fare, they still served genuine good wine and dishes to honor their former Big Boss and their so-called second in command.
Reminiscing on the past, some held their wine with tears, even swallowing their sobs along with the drink...
Under the endless glow of festive lights, one couldn't distinguish between humans, demons, or monsters they encountered.
Shi Chun and Wu Jinliang, having feasted from day to night, returned slightly tipsy, struggling to keep their bellies from bursting.
"We let our guard down, if someone attacks now, we'd be in big trouble," Shi Chun lamented, leaning back in his chair with a full belly.
"Ah, quite good," Wu Jinliang burped, filling the air with a strong scent of wine.
It wasn't their first time drinking.
The Bowang Pavilion in the Exile Lands also sold alcohol, which they'd tried before.
However, this was their first time having such a lavish feast.
Both of them were too stuffed to say much, afraid that any word might bring everything back up their throats.
After meditating and calming their energies for a while, they slowly recovered.
Shi Chun, upon opening his eyes, took off a bulging money pouch from his waist.
Upon opening it, a hint of purple flame aura emerged.
Inside, along with some sandalwood gold, were a few small bottles.
He extracted a small bottle, the size of two thumbs, and shook out a pea-sized green pill called "Long Transformation Pill," a common spiritual pill in the cultivation world meant to enhance one's cultivation.
Though not too expensive nor too cheap, its price depended on the buyer.
The usual market price was ten sandalwood gold per pill.
Shi Chun bought twenty pills in one go—two small bottles—and gave one bottle to Wu Jinliang, spending two hundred sandalwood gold, all paid by Old Dong and their group.
Their intention of buying these pills was naturally to see if they could improve their cultivation.
Noticing the flicker of flame aura in the room, Wu Jinliang opened his eyes and chuckled, "Oh, testing the effects of the spiritual pill, are we?"
He too opened his own bulging money pouch, though no purple flame aura arose—it contained various basic healing meds just in case, all funded by Old Dong and the others.
He swallowed a pill, assuming a meditative pose on the bed with his broadsword by his side.
Shi Chun, after savoring the pill's fragrance, followed suit to experience refining a pill for the first time...
On the top floor of Bowang Pavilion, a group of locals were exchanging updates.
Among them was Miao Yilan.
After someone whispered something in her ear, she turned and left.
Waiting around the corner of the corridor was Che Si, who'd been spying for an entire day.
When Miao Yilan came up to him and listened to his report, she was a bit surprised, "Cen Futong, Cao Puqing's nephew, went to see him for a secret talk?"
Che Si replied, "It should be a secret talk. Cen Futong’s companions were sent away, and as they passed me, I overheard them grumbling about mysterious dealings."
Miao Yilan mused aloud, "Not to deal with Shi Chun and his group for offending Lu Taizhen?"
Che Si shook his head, "Doesn't seem that way."
Miao Yilan pondered a bit, then nodded, "Alright, I understand. Continue to keep an eye on them."
As night deepened, Graceful Cloud Pavilion continued to echo with music and dancing, with Madame Fengchi expertly handling all the esteemed guests.
Meanwhile, at the gazebo on the cliff outside the Carefree Pavilion, stood a cloaked figure whose face was astonishingly identical to that of Madame Fengchi.
Soon after, another mysterious figure approached from the shadows, with a graceful figure and hair concealing her face—it was none other than Xiang Lan'er, resembling a ghost in the dead of night.
Once close, Fengchi whispered, "The situation in Shengyu is unusual; it’s hard to confirm identities quickly. I've already sent word up top. They're sending someone into Shengyu, but it’ll take time. The earliest might be by morning."
Wind stirred the hair over her face as Xiang Lan'er replied, "We can be sure that Shi Chun isn’t simple, and it’s definitely not just out of goodwill."
Fengchi replied softly, "Oh? What do you mean?"
Xiang Lan’er explained, “He’s eager to escort Bian Weikang back to Wukang Mountain. His aim is likely Wukang Mountain.”
Deeply intrigued, Fengchi asked, "Who could they be? Could there be people from the other two lineages?"
Xiang Lan'er stated firmly, "No matter who it is, no interference is allowed here. By morning, once we leave the city, I'll find a chance to draw Bian Weikang away. You arrange for these two uncertain elements to be eliminated."
Fengchi hesitated, "Is it right to act so rashly without knowing their identities?"
Xiang Lan'er reassured her, "Upsetting Lu Taizhen; disappearing isn't out of the norm?"
Fengchi agreed, "Alright. I’ll also press the higher-ups for faster identity verification."
Xiang Lan'er turned to leave without further words.
Fengchi called after her, "Remember, those contracts registered with the Heavenly Court back then must be destroyed to prevent any accidents."
With her back turned, Xiang Lan'er replied faintly, "Already done."
As the night sped by, a trace of dawn glimmered on the horizon.
Shi Chun, sitting cross-legged in meditation, opened his eyes, picked up the small bottle of pills beside him, and, upon opening it, inhaled the captivating scent with a dubious look in his eyes.
Generally, the same cultivation realm is divided into lower, middle, and upper tiers, commonly known as Minor Completion, Major Completion, and Great Completion.
Shi Chun had been in the Advanced Martial Realm, reaching Great Completion for two or three years.
Strangely enough, ever since reaching this stage, his progress had completely stalled.
Despite dedicated cultivation, he saw no improvement.
He figured that access to cultivation resources would fix this, but after a whole night, he remained stuck without any progress.
One Long Transformation Pill didn’t work; thinking it might be weak, he took two.
After consuming three pills overnight, the result was still the same.
Was it possible he’d bought fake pills?
If so, how brazen would they have to be?!
On second thought, it seemed unlikely since he had gone to buy them with Bowang Pavilion's people.
Rising to open the window and gaze outside, he figured he’d wait for daylight to say anything.
Yet, with the bottle in hand, he couldn’t let it go, eventually running to Wu Jinliang’s spot, calling, "Jinliang, Jinliang, Jinliang..."
He casually picked a piece of sandalwood gold to light the room.
Wu Jinliang opened his eyes slowly, asking, "What is it?"
Shi Chun inquired, "How effective was the Long Transformation Pill for you?"
Sensing the question's weight, Wu Jinliang grasped the situation, "No way? You didn't get any effect from the pill?"
Shi Chun questioned, "Did it work for you?"
Wu Jinliang nodded, "Yes, and it was quite effective, at least thrice as fast as just absorbing the spiritual essence by itself. Didn't you feel any effect?"
Shi Chun shook his head, "I took three Long Transformation Pills with no effect. By the way, how many did you take?"
Wu Jinliang's eyes widened, "Three and still no result? I only took one, and it's still effective. The seller didn't lie. Wait, Chun, what's wrong with your cultivation method?"
Shi Chun threw himself onto Wu Jinliang's bed, shaking his head with fatigue, "I don't know what's wrong. When I was a kid, we all followed Uncle Eight’s fighting method because he was unbeatable. I was the only one who succeeded, while you all switched to other methods. Uncle Eight never mentioned anything wrong. After he passed, I can't even ask him anymore."
Wu Jinliang pondered, "That can’t be. The method shouldn’t block the absorption of spiritual essence. If it did, why didn’t it bother you before? I mean, did you secretly eat something weird behind our backs?”
“Go away!” Shi Chun waved him off, indicating how stressed he was by the whole ordeal, in no mood for jokes.
As he pocketed the piece of sandalwood gold, the room plunged back into darkness.
He lay back on his bed, arms folded behind his head, leg crossed, consumed with worry.
There was no escaping it; his worst fear had come true.
It wasn’t a lack of resources—it was some unknown issue with his training that had troubled him for years.
What could he do?
He couldn’t just abandon his current regimen for another, especially since he felt pretty powerful with it.
Fighting filled him with thrill, the fiercer the opponent, the more battle-hardened he felt.
He noticed with each intense fight that his body’s resilience seemed to grow a little stronger.
At least back in the Eastern Nine Plains, no one’s body could endure blows like his could, nor heal as rapidly.
If it came down to bare-fisted melee, he’d dive into a whole crowd with no worries.
Even though his cultivation hadn’t advanced, his physique continued to strengthen through battle.
He thought this method was great, hence his reluctance to switch over the years.
It was too satisfying to let go.
Possibly seek a skilled practitioner to analyze his cultivation method sometime?
In the dark, Wu Jinliang eyed him from mere awareness, understanding what a major hurdle Shi Chun was up against.
But there was nothing he could offer, leaving Shi Chun alone in his predicament—unresolved and worrying.
Seeing that dawn was still some time away, he laid back to resume harnessing the pill’s energy, reveling in the delights of having cultivation resources.
Shi Chun, however, couldn't fend off intrusive thoughts, nor could he justify wasting any more pills.
Without realizing it, morning arrived.
(End of Chapter)