If he could disrupt the demon cultivators' plans this time, would the tragedy of Zhenjiang Prefectural City not occur again?
Lu Qingshan was uncertain.
But he wanted to try.
The tragedy of Zhenjiang Prefectural City was a tragedy for the entire Human Race.
"Qi Yuan!"
With alcohol, Lu Qingshan finally wrote down this name on the table.
The custodian of the Heavenly Secret Mirror from Zhenjiang, Qi Yuan!
Knock—
Knock—
Knock—
Lu Qingshan's fingers kept lightly tapping the table, his eyebrows tightly furrowed.
It was now July 13.
There were only two days left until Qi Yuan lost the fragment of the Heavenly Secret Mirror.
Time was pressing.
He needed to quickly find a way to break the situation!
For him, there were three key issues to resolve.
First, he needed to understand how these demon cultivators managed to snatch the Heavenly Secret Mirror fragment from Qi Yuan.
Only by knowing the method of the snatch could he counter their moves.
Second, he needed to find a way to meet with Qi Yuan.
But as a Nascent Soul Great Cultivator and a prefectural custodian, Qi Yuan was not someone a minor Qi Refining second layer cultivator like himself could easily meet.
Third, after meeting Qi Yuan, he still needed to find a way to gain his trust.
...
Time was slowly ticking away.
Suddenly, Lu Qingshan remembered something.
In his previous life, a professional player named Tian Lingzi, who was ranked seventh on the Spiritual Cultivator leaderboard, completed a hidden quest and was accepted as a disciple by the Heavenly Secret Pavillion.
After a bout of intense effort, Tian Lingzi quickly accumulated enough contribution value within the sect, and after gaining the attention of the Heavenly Secret Pavillion, he was granted a Heavenly Secret Mirror fragment.
Tian Lingzi once shared a screenshot of the attributes of the Heavenly Secret Mirror fragment on a player forum, creating quite a buzz for himself.
——————
[Heavenly Secret Mirror·Fragment]
Level: Taoist Artifact (pseudo)
Description: Heavenly secrets must not be revealed
Magic Artifact Effect: Divination +4
Divine Skills: [Observing Heaven]
Passive: Within the current area, if there is impending grave danger, the owner of the magic artifact will have a vague sense of it.
Active: At the cost of lifespan, observe heavenly secrets. Cooldown Time: 15 days.
——————
The Heavenly Secret Mirror is a special magic artifact that offers no enhancement to one's combat abilities, but, regardless, the level row denotes it as a Taoist Artifact.
It was the first Taoist Artifact owned by a player, even if there was a pseudo in the description afterward.
Thus, even after a long time had passed, Lu Qingshan still remembered its attributes clearly.
Lu Qingshan's gaze became intense.
An idea emerged.
Could it be?
Lu Qingshan glanced at the Great Rat King on the table, who was sipping wine and devouring meat with great pleasure, and suddenly asked, "Do you remember how long ago it was since you last saw that blood pool?"
The Great Rat King, engrossed in human delicacies, looked up somewhat blankly.
After pondering for a moment, he began counting on his fingers, then shook his head, and simply sat down on the table, fiddling with his toes.
"It should have been thirteen days ago," the Great Rat King finally figured it out and provided the answer.
Thirteen days ago.
That means it was on the first of July that the demon cultivators released the signal of the blood pool, attracting Qi Yuan's attention.
On July 15, Qi Yuan lost the Heavenly Secret Mirror fragment in Yuanshan City.
Fifteen days in between.
Lu Qingshan seemed thoughtful.
Given the style of the disciples from the Heavenly Secret Pavillion, they definitely rushed to Yuanshan City on the day they discovered the Blood Pool.
The Demon Cultivator could have acted at this time, yet there were so many days in between. Why did they still drag it out for a whole half month, waiting until July 15th to act?
Unless, for their plan, July 15th was the opportune moment to act.
What kind of plan requires such strict timing?
Recalling the properties of the Heavenly Secret Mirror.
The answer was nearly bursting forth.
...
Lu Qingshan stood up.
Next, he needed to find a way to meet Qi Yuan in person.
As for how to do that, he still hadn't figured it out.
But sitting idly here wouldn't garner any ideas; better to stroll around the city first. It might even inspire some thoughts.
He could also handle his gains and see if he could purchase a couple of suitable Sword Techniques.
....
Lu Qingshan looked up at the enormous loft in front of him. Carved on the loft's signboard, in bold, gold-painted characters, were the words "Great Xia Commercial Firm."
The Great Xia Commercial Firm was not only the largest commercial firm in Yuanshan City but also the largest across all Human Race cities.
It had branches in all the cities of the Human Race, a long history and had amassed untold wealth over countless years.
In this world of cultivators and immortals, such a wealthy commercial firm could not have existed for so many years without a substantial backing.
Naturally, the Great Xia Commercial Firm had support, and it was from the highest peak of the Human Race.
The Great Xia Imperial Clan!
Indeed, the Great Xia Commercial Firm was under the Great Xia Imperial Clan.
The Great Xia Imperial Clan ruled over all, supporting the Spirit Formations of Human Race cities and the armies of cultivators, bearing the duty to protect and flourish the Human Race. They even rated the levels of the cultivation sects. Their influence and status were self-evident.
As a part of the Great Xia Imperial Clan, it was no surprise that the Great Xia Commercial Firm became the largest commercial firm among the Human Race.
"Behave yourself inside," Lu Qingshan admonished the King of Western Rats sitting on his shoulder.
The King of Western Rats vigorously nodded its tiny head.
Considering the importance of this place, the security was extremely strict. If Lu Qingshan remembered correctly, the county level Great Xia Commercial Firm was not only equipped with high-grade formations but also had Golden Core Cultivators stationed within all year round.
Causing trouble in the Great Xia Commercial Firm was courting death.
The Great Xia Commercial Firm had three floors; the first was for Qi Refining Cultivators, the second for Foundation Establishment Cultivators, and the third was intended for true individuals from the Golden Core Realm.
With his current cultivation, Lu Qingshan naturally could only wander about on the first floor.
Lu Qingshan stepped into the large entrance of the Great Xia Commercial Firm.
The spacious hall that could accommodate dozens of people, the counters made of precious zitan wood, and several attendants dressed in unified light green clothes, all these elements highlighted the grandeur of the Great Xia Commercial Firm.
A few customers were going back and forth; Lu Qingshan, at a glance, saw that all were cultivators above the third level of Qi Refinement.
Several light green-clad attendants were explaining something to a few cultivators.
At that moment, an attendant clad in light green came forward with a smiling face, "Do you wish to sell items, or would you like to buy something?"
"I wish to sell some items and also see if there are any suitable Sword Techniques," said Lu Qingshan.
Upon hearing Lu Qingshan say this, the attendant's smile remained unchanged, and he respectfully said, "If the honored guest wishes to sell some items, please come this way. I can't make decisions regarding the purchase price evaluation of a cultivator's items on my own; a real person from our firm needs to handle that."
Lu Qingshan nodded, "Naturally."
The light green-clad attendant led Lu Qingshan to a counter on one side.
At the counter sat an old man with a white beard and hair, who looked somewhat extraordinary.
"Old Qin, this client here wants to sell some items," introduced the light green-clad attendant.
The old man nodded, indicating he understood, and briefly glanced at Lu Qingshan. In a gentle tone, he said, "I am the head of the first floor of the Great Xia Commercial Firm. May I know what items you wish to sell? I will offer you the most reasonable price."
Lu Qingshan took out several Cultivation Technique Jade Slips and Spell Jade Slips he had captured from his storage bag. After thinking for a moment, he also unhooked his Earth Spirit Pendant from his waist and placed it on the counter.
Old Qin picked up the Jade Slips, sensed the contents with his Spiritual Sense, quickly put them down, then picked up the Earth Spirit Pendant and examined it for a while.
"The items you wish to sell, these Cultivation Technique Jade Slips and Spell Jade Slips, are all very common. We at the Great Xia Commercial Firm will still buy them, but the price won't be high. For these Jade Slips, I can offer you twenty First Grade Spirit Stones. As for this Magic Artifact pendant..."
Old Qin paused, then spoke again, "Its associated spell is just a very low-grade First Grade Stone Skin Technique, nothing remarkable. However, the material of the pendant is Lengcao jade, which is somewhat valuable. Although our usual buying price for low-grade Mortal Artifacts doesn't exceed twenty First Grade Spirit Stones, I can make an exception and offer you twenty-five First Grade Spirit Stones. Does that sound agreeable to you, sir?"
Upon hearing this, Lu Qingshan slightly nodded.
As the largest commercial firm of the Human Race, it was indeed generous, and the prices offered were very fair.
Lu Qingshan had estimated the value to be around forty First Grade Spirit Stones, and he did not expect the old man, Old Qin, to offer even more. Naturally, he had no reason to be dissatisfied.