A pile of boxes, over a hundred of them, surrounded by many people studying them. However, the appearance of the boxes was identical, and no matter how they were examined, there seemed to be no conclusive results.
Tian Feirong rushed in and began touching each box. He didn't care much about the hundred spirit pearls; what mattered was the exciting and tense feeling when opening the boxes.
Casually, Chi Changye picked a box nearby, focusing his attention on Gu Yao.
Gu Yao also headed straight for a specific box, wondering if there was another treasure similar to the one in his sea of consciousness. Could he be this lucky again?
Gu Yao and Chi Changye emerged from the boxes, each holding one. Tian Feirong was still picking. Seeing the two leaving, he felt that they were not taking it seriously enough. However, he quickly grabbed one and caught up. Onlookers thought these young masters had money to spare. For ordinary people, a hundred spirit pearls were not a small amount. Among those playing this game, ninety-nine out of a hundred would not recover their investment.
"Are your choices final?" the assistant asked.
"No changes," Gu Yao and Chi Changye said simultaneously. Tian Feirong also patted his chosen box, saying, "Quickly, open them to see our luck."
"Alright."
The assistant first opened Tian Second Young Master's box. Since he had the highest status among the three, quite a crowd had gathered to watch.
As the box opened, Tian Feirong peered inside, instantly showing disappointment. He pulled out an old, tattered piece of leather. The onlookers sighed collectively. Spending a hundred spirit pearls on such a worn-out piece of leather seemed like a significant loss. Could this piece of leather even be worth a couple of silver coins?
Chi Changye's eyes flashed, and he asked, "May I take a look?"
"Is Brother Chang interested? Then it's yours." Tian Feirong tossed the piece of leather to Chi Changye. The shop owner was becoming more unreasonable; he actually used a piece of torn leather to deceive people.
Chi Changye glanced at it and then put it into his storage bag. He gave it a quick look and noticed some faint lines on the torn leather. Perhaps due to its age, the lines were barely visible, indicating that this piece of leather might be more than it seemed. It was probably not just a simple piece of torn leather.
The second box belonged to Chi Changye. Inside was a jade bottle. Chi Changye opened the bottle, took a glance, and then casually tossed it to Tian Feirong, saying, "Exchange."
Tian Feirong had just caught a whiff of a refreshing fragrance. He hurriedly caught the bottle and opened it to find a pill inside. Hearing someone in the crowd exclaim, "It's a Gathering Yuan Pill! Actually, it's a Gathering Yuan Pill! A single Gathering Yuan Pill is worth several thousand spirit pearls!"
Tian Feirong's hand trembled, almost dropping the jade bottle. A Gathering Yuan Pill could allow him to break through from the third layer of Qi Refining to the fourth layer, stepping into the realm of a mid-level Qi Refining cultivator. Could it be that Chi Changye didn't recognize it earlier? "Brother Chang, this item is too valuable. I should return it to you. My torn leather is practically worthless."
Chi Changye glanced at him indifferently, "It's yours. I have no use for this pill, and I won't take your things for nothing."
"This Young Master Chang is indeed generous. What is his background? Could he already be a mid-level Qi Refining cultivator?"
"Tian Second Young Master is so lucky! However, with the abilities of the Tian family, a Gathering Yuan Pill isn't a big deal."
"But they've made a huge profit this time. Spending a hundred spirit pearls to get items worth several thousand spirit pearls. Quickly open the last box and see what's inside."
Encouraged by the crowd, the assistant wiped his sweat, picked up a specially made key, and opened the last box. He hadn't expected that they would get a Gathering Yuan Pill, but with so many people watching, he knew the news would attract a wave of customers.
Gu Yao took out a piece... an iron piece from the box. Disappointment echoed through the crowd. However, upon second thought, three of them getting a Gathering Yuan Pill from the boxes already exceeded the value of the spirit pearls spent. The disappointment turned into envy.
Tian Feirong felt a bit embarrassed, "How about I give you the Gathering Yuan Pill? You must have a use for it."
Gu Yao collected the iron piece, smiled, and said, "No need. Let's each take what we need. Can we leave now?"
"Sure, let's go." Tian Feirong nodded repeatedly.
Leaving the shop, the three attracted envious gazes from the crowd. Many people took out spirit pearls and rushed to the remaining boxes, hoping to find something good. The assistant looked on, his eyes squinting with delight.
Upstairs, Manager Fu followed the three with his gaze and then turned to the person next to him, "Boss, giving away that piece of leather like that? Didn't that Young Chang recognize the patterns on the leather?"
Standing beside Manager Fu was a middle-aged man in a long robe. He brushed his sleeve and said, "Keep an eye on that kid. If he leaves the city, immediately notify me."
"Yes, boss. But what about that iron piece? Does it have some origin? I noticed patterns on it resembling a cauldron." Manager Fu thought of the iron piece he had put in, now in Gu Yao's hands.
The middle-aged man shook his head, "That was something a cultivator recently picked up from outside the town. I've examined it, but I couldn't find anything special about it. Focus on that drawing; that's what matters."
Could the worn-out leather withstand fire and cutting? He had tried many methods, but the item remained a piece of tattered leather. It had been in his hands for some time. Why not use it as bait and see if someone could unravel the mystery?
"Yes, boss."
As Chi Changye and Gu Yao left the shop, Chi Changye glanced back at the store. He had noticed someone observing them from upstairs. After taking a stroll and returning to their residence, Gu Yao immediately asked, "Does that torn leather have a Mingtang? You've been watched since you got it."
Chi Changye looked at Gu Yao in surprise, "You noticed too? It should be a cultivator at the eighth layer of Qi Refining," but he had no intention of investigating further. Without waiting for Gu Yao's response, he took out the tattered leather and explained, "This piece is not ordinary; it comes from a creature called the Snow Ling Beast. This kind of demonic beast is extinct in the cultivation world. The leather generally comes from ancient times, and perhaps this place is more backward, unaware that the Snow Ling Beast leather requires special methods to reveal its true appearance. It needs a specific potion, or we can unravel it when we have a chance."
Being targeted meant they had to be more careful in their actions. Moreover, if it was something passed down from ancient times, attempting to explore it with his current strength
would be like courting death. So, it was better to wait until they were adequately prepared.
Could it be a treasure map? Gu Yao felt that they had good luck today. All three boxes contained valuable items, far exceeding the value of the spirit pearls spent. He nodded repeatedly, saying, "Sure, let's explore for treasures when we get the chance."
Chi Changye's lips curved up.
On the same evening, one of Tian Second Young Master's attendants reported on the situation with the Fang siblings. The incident occurred after the three, Gu Yao, Chi Changye, and Tian Feirong, had left the lawless market area. Apparently, the Fang siblings, likely in a bad mood, clashed with cultivators at the market. Thinking that displaying their might would drive the other cultivators away, they even tried to provoke the Gu family. However, they quickly attracted two more allies for the other side, resulting in a fierce beating. Among the Fang siblings, Fang Dongxiong suffered the most, with a face resembling a pig's head and two broken ribs. Fang Donglan, seeking help from the Gu family's territory, tripped and lost two front teeth in the process.
When the guards on the Gu family market side got wind of the situation and rushed over, the cultivator who had attacked had already disappeared without a trace. Asking around, no one could identify the origin of the attacker. In the end, the matter had to be dropped, as the Gu family couldn't afford to block the entire town and search for the assailant just for the sake of the Fang siblings. It would offend the other two families and various other influential forces. The Fang siblings' status was not significant enough for such actions.
Gu Yao found this news extremely amusing, his eyes squinting with mirth. In the end, he rewarded the messenger with a bottle of healing potion, and the attendant happily left.
"I'm going back to my room. Don't call me for dinner if I don't come out." Gu Yao told Chi Changye before returning to his room. He wanted to find out more about the iron piece, as he wasn't sure when he would have the opportunity to inquire further.
As for Chi Changye, couldn't he cook? With money in hand now, he could dine out instead of just having barbecue.
Whether the Fang family would go to the Gu family to seek support from the Fang and Gu families was their own business. Gu Yao hoped the Fang family would come and create some trouble, giving Gu Zhiming and the twins a hard time.
For now, he would let it go. He needed to prepare some special potions, and the next time he encountered such a situation, he would personally take action. The same applied to the twins.
A hint of amusement flashed in Chi Changye's eyes. He had heard Tian Feirong talk about how much Gu Yao had suffered at the hands of both the Gu and Fang families. He hadn't expected that a small retaliation would put Gu Yao in such a good mood. When he smiled, he looked like a little fox that had stolen a chicken, making people feel inexplicably cheerful.
Chi Changye also began to work on refining materials for formations. He had some knowledge of formations, as they required various materials. Now, with the recovery of his injuries from the Starry Body Technique, he had more spiritual power to work with, making it easy to set up a formation that could protect a high-level Qi Refining cultivator.
Behind the closed door, Gu Yao took out the iron piece from his storage bag. Apart from a vague image of a cauldron on top, there seemed to be nothing special about it. However, it made the jade pendant in his sea of consciousness react, prompting Gu Yao to check it later when it was quieter.
With a thought, the jade pendant fused with the jade beads appeared in his hand. The next moment, both the jade pendant and the iron piece trembled slightly. Gu Yao couldn't help but feel nervous. Hopefully, the movement wouldn't attract too much attention. He regretted not waiting for Chi Changye to set up the formation first.
However, once the fusion began, it couldn't be stopped. The jade pendant and the iron piece slowly approached each other, emitting a faint glow. The reaction this time was much stronger than before. Gu Yao hurriedly absorbed the jade pendant into his sea of consciousness, and then everything went black as he lost consciousness again.
In the midst of refining formations, Chi Changye suddenly sensed a spiritual energy fluctuation coming from Gu Yao's room. He looked over but, upon careful sensing, found that the fluctuation had disappeared, and Gu Yao's aura remained.
Chi Changye stood up and took a few steps toward Gu Yao's room but stopped. Although he lived with Gu Yao, he knew that Gu Yao regarded him only as a temporary collaborator. He couldn't interfere too much in Gu Yao's private affairs.
This situation left Chi Changye dissatisfied, and he furrowed his brows. He couldn't take another step forward. After standing still for a while and sensing that Gu Yao's aura hadn't changed, he turned back to continue his work.
On the other side, after regaining consciousness, Gu Yao's first instinct was to check his sea of consciousness. With a thought, his consciousness entered the space of the jade pendant. He quickly noticed the changes in the space, and his eyes widened in astonishment.