There was no time dilation between the Everwood farm's isolated domain and the world outside.
Although Everwood farm was in a perpetual twilight state, Aksai could use the neural link fabric to keep track of time.
After ensuring enough time had passed, Aksai decided to head out.
First, Aksai changed into a different set of clothes that he had bought beforehand in bulk from various shops inside Lakir City. Then, he gritted his teeth before consuming the appearance-changing pill once again.
It was only a few hours ago that Aksai had consumed his first appearance-changing pill. Although taking the pill at this point might increase the side effects, Aksai prioritized his safety above everything else. He could deal with the side effects after reaching his farm.
Next, Aksai held the oil painting in his hand and checked its contents. It showed the picture of the same abandoned alley where he had fought Nesha and her two allies. Aksai sent his Spirit Sense inside it along with some of his Spirit essence, and the image depicted by the oil painting changed slightly.
After experimenting with the family inheritance in various ways, Aksai found that he could check the real-time situation of the "other side" by providing the oil painting with some of his Spirit essence.
When he was inside the Everwood farm, he could keep track of his dilapidated house from time to time to ensure that nobody visited his place unexpectedly. While outside, he could use the same trick to check the condition inside the Everwood domain, which remained unchanged for the most part.
After confirming that there was nobody else present on the other side, Aksai clenched his fists before teleporting back to the real world. In the next moment, he appeared at the same position he had left earlier.
This time, Aksai appeared as an old man who seemed to be in his late 60s by mortal standards. He exuded the breath of someone in the 7th-stage Spirit Refining realm and looked fit and muscular for his age, which could be associated with his late-stage Spirit Refining realm.
However, wrinkles around his eyes displayed the vicissitudes of life he had endured.
With nothing left to track Aksai, the Blood Bakshi Force had no reason to stay or guard the surroundings. The city administration of Lakir City also didn't make any efforts to seal the area.
In his mind, Aksai thanked the customs of the Immortal world for this seemingly carefree behavior. If he were still in his previous world, he would have been caught by now.
Aksai quietly exited the black market and blended in with the citizens of Lakir City.
He could tell that the atmosphere in the city had changed a bit. It had gotten quite tense, as if an explosion had been triggered inside the city. People talked in whispers as they looked around. The stall owners present on both sides of the streets didn't scream to attract customers, selling their goods in silence as if there was a silent ban on their verbal chaos.
Many city guards patrolled the streets with vigilant expressions, some even had sketches of Aksai's previous form in their possession. These guards would stop passersby, asking if they had seen the burly man depicted in the sketch.
One city guard had the audacity to stop Aksai and inquire if he had seen Aksai's previous form. Aksai could only chuckle in his mind before shaking his head in denial.
Since Aksai wasn't planning to return to Lakir City anytime soon, he decided to seize this opportunity to gain maximum benefits for himself.
He guessed that the main force of the Lakir family stationed inside the city would have gone outside to search for him by this point. Plus, he had already consumed the appearance-changing pill, so there was no reason to fear.
Aksai first went to the Sacred Seeds Emporium and sold Nesha's empty storage ring. Although the storage ring had nothing on it that could identify it as Nesha's, Aksai decided to play it safe. When asked, he simply told the shopkeeper, Suo, that he needed a storage ring with a larger capacity.
Aksai had plenty of Spirit stones he had obtained from Nesha. Plus, he had decided to sell some of his premium-grade Spirit herbs cultivated inside the Everwood farm. Therefore, investing some money in the storage ring would not put a big dent in his savings.
Shopkeeper Suo offered Aksai a 50 percent discount on the new storage ring after confirming his previous storage ring was intact. He then began purchasing the Spirit herbs from Aksai one after the other.
Aksai appeared in a different form from his usual self. Therefore, he did not display any familiarity with Old Suo. Instead, he carried himself with dignity, as if he had pressing matters to attend to.
Old Suo was adept at handling all types of customers and did not recognize Aksai as a familiar figure. At Aksai's request, he began displaying various resources, which Aksai purchased one after the other, as if preparing for a lengthy expedition.
This was not an unusual occurrence for the shopkeeper. With the inheritance ground now open, cultivators were flocking to prepare themselves. Consequently, he supplied Aksai with several years' worth of Spirit seeds and other resources.
Given the quality of the Spirit herbs Aksai presented to the shopkeeper, he actually earned more money than he spent at the Sacred Seeds Emporium.
In the end, Suo handed Aksai around 150 Spirit stones as net profit gain, which Aksai promptly stored in a sealed sack after confirming its contents with his Spirit Sense. He then stored the sack, along with all his belongings, inside the newly purchased storage ring.
Satisfied with his purchases, Aksai left the Sacred Seeds Emporium. He then started repeating the pattern all across the city in various shops. After all, Sacred Seeds Emporium was not the only shop that sold Spirit seeds and other cultivation resources.
Aksai first sold various Spirit herbs to these shops before buying various forms of cultivation resources in bulk. He especially bought the resources he could use for body cultivation in the future.
The reason why Aksai diversified his purchases and sales was simple– it would have been too eye-catching if it was done in a single shop. He didn't want to attract unwanted trouble after neutralizing three enemies by putting his life on the line.
Aksai then headed to an artifact shop named One Thousand Artifact Refining. There, he purchased another 1st-order mid-grade sword for himself. This time he wasn't stingy and spent a considerable amount. After all, his previous weapon had been damaged beyond repair by Nesha.
Aksai also spent some extra money to buy a simple procedure to refine a natal weapon. The concept of the natal weapon meant that the cultivators were ready to invest their cultivation time and resources in cultivating a personalized weapon for themselves.
A natal weapon referred to a weapon that cultivators forged from their own spiritual energy or soul essence. These weapons were deeply connected to the cultivator's essence and were often considered an extension of themselves.
Natal weapons could vary widely in form, ranging from swords and sabers to staffs, spears, and other melee or ranged weapons.
Cultivators typically imbued their natal weapon with special properties or abilities, such as elemental affinities, enhanced durability, or the ability to channel spiritual energy for powerful attacks.
Natal weapons were often considered essential tools for cultivators in their battles against formidable opponents, and they could play a significant role in determining the outcome of conflicts and duels.
Aksai wasn't ready to select a natal weapon for himself. However, he had planned to use this natal weapon refining process in a different manner.
Unlike the storage ring, Aksai did not dare to sell the leather armors and weapons he had obtained from his recent kills. Storage rings were one thing, but the weapons and defensive artifacts bore too many distinct markings. They could also be recognized by using various methods.
Thanks to Nesha's diary, Aksai also knew that the leather armor vests worn by her and her two subordinates were gifts from Lian Lakir. The leather vests were particularly-eye catching and resilient because they had been made from the rugged skin of a 1st order demon beast.
Unable to use them within Lakir City, Aksai could only postpone the disposal of weapons and leather armor vests to a later date, in another form.
In the end, Aksai entered a Talisman-making shop and bought the items Aunt Reta had requested.
He then began listing the ingredients and resources he needed for himself, ordering everything in bulk. Consequently, the shopkeeper was compelled to offer him a discount.
By late evening, Aksai had seemingly exhausted all the newfound money he had earned by selling almost half of the resources from the Everwood farm. However, he didn't mind the expenditure and was satisfied with his purchases.
Certain he had procured everything he required for the near future, Aksai returned home the same way he had arrived in Lakir City. He first visited Aunt Reta, delivering the essentials she required, before retiring to his own place.
***
Hour of Shadow Tiger (08:00 PM - 09:00 PM)
Enchanted Everwood farm.
Three corpses lay before Aksai, belonging to Nesha and her two subordinates.
He sat cross-legged beside them, reading the procedure of a certain technique from the mysterious book, displayed on a Spectral Screen by the neural link fabric.
[ Scarecrow Puppets Creation ]