Translator: Cinder Translations
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The beetle Gu were only the size of a grain of rice, but the bone worm crystals were about the size of a corn kernel. The beetles gulped them down in just a few bites.
After eating the crystals, the beetles were still unsatisfied. They flew around Song Wen, circling him as if they were children asking for snacks.
Song Wen took out another crystal and fed it to the beetles.
Soon, the beetles had consumed over seventy crystals. Concerned they might overeat, Song Wen finally stopped feeding them.
Full, the beetles lay down on Song Wen's hand. Their tails began to emit fine threads, which automatically wrapped around them, encasing them in a cocoon.
Song Wen's eyes brightened. The beetles were spinning their cocoons.
The only previous time the beetles had spun a cocoon was when they had metamorphosed from larvae into adult beetles. Now that this beetle was spinning a cocoon again, it meant it was about to undergo another metamorphosis.
Song Wen's eyes narrowed slightly as he watched the beetle spin its cocoon, fearing any issues might prevent a successful transformation.
Half an hour later, the beetle was completely wrapped in a layer of silk.
Seeing the process go smoothly, Song Wen was quite pleased. If the beetle underwent another transformation, it would become an even stronger ally.
However, he was troubled by the remaining forty bone worm corpses in his storage bag.
The remaining crystals were insufficient to induce another metamorphosis in a beetle. To speed up the reproduction of the metamorphosed beetles, ideally, there should be both male and female beetles.
"Maybe I should try purchasing bone worm crystals at the market."
Many disciples of the Corpse Demon Sect and nearby rogue cultivators went to ancient battlefields seeking opportunities, so it was likely that someone had brought back bone worm corpses.
Deciding to act on this idea, he took a month off from Yuan Cheng, with ten days remaining. During this time, he could focus on his own cultivation.
After walking around the market and confirming that there were no shops or stalls selling bone worm crystals, Song Wen decided to set up his own stall to purchase the crystals.
While searching for a suitable spot to set up his stall, he noticed that the place where Senior Xu used to set up had been vacated, and he was nowhere to be found.
However, he spotted another familiar figure—Chen Yi.
"Junior Sister Chen!" Song Wen approached Chen Yi with a smile.
Chen Yi was the only person Song Wen knew well in the Corpse Demon Sect, or rather, in this world.
Although their relationship wasn't particularly deep or their trust exceptionally high, they were among the few in the sect with whom he could speak honestly.
"Ah! Senior Brother Ji Yin, you're back. Did you find the Hollow Cicada Wood you were looking for?" Chen Yi asked.
Song Wen nodded and said earnestly, "I found it. I owe you thanks, Junior Sister Chen."
"I hope you can keep this matter confidential and not speak of it to others!"
Chen Yi nodded solemnly. "Don't worry, Senior Brother. I understand the importance."
Song Wen didn't elaborate on how he obtained the Hollow Cicada Wood, and Chen Yi didn't ask further. They had an unspoken understanding to respect each other's privacy.
"Are you here to buy some spirit herbs today? I can take care of your needs," Chen Yi offered.
Her stall displayed more than ten types of spirit herbs.
Song Wen shook his head. "I'm not buying herbs today. I just happened to pass by and saw you here, so I came over to say hello."
It was afternoon, and there weren't many cultivators in the market. Chen Yi's stall was relatively empty, so Song Wen stood by and chatted with her.
Chen Yi was a fourth-grade spirit root cultivator. Although her salary as a spirit herb cultivator wasn't high, she could occasionally rely on the spirit field's produce from Zhang Xiaofan to obtain some spirit stones, barely supporting her cultivation needs.
Her current cultivation level was only at the third level of Qi Refining, which had basically cut off any possibility of becoming an inner sect disciple.
Without being an inner disciple, it was nearly impossible to obtain Foundation Establishment Pills from the sect. To achieve Foundation Establishment, one had to find a way on their own, much like Senior Xu.
Chen Yi clearly lacked the resourcefulness and means of Senior Xu and had little chance of obtaining Foundation Establishment Pills by herself.
In other words, Chen Yi's path to Foundation Establishment was almost entirely closed off.
For Chen Yi, who had no interest in fighting or seeking great power and immortality, her only wish was to live a stable and peaceful life.
Thus, she chose to become a spirit herb cultivator.
With the care of Zhang Xiaofan, a personal disciple of the alchemy hall, no one bothered her, and her life had been relatively calm in the Corpse Demon Sect for the past two and a half years.
From Chen Yi's words, Song Wen could vaguely sense that she was weary of the precarious life of cultivation in the Corpse Demon Sect.
Zhang Xiaofan seemed no longer the simple villager he once was. While Chen Yi benefited from Zhang Xiaofan's support, she had paid some morally questionable price in return.
Her only current wish was to one day leave the Corpse Demon Sect and live as a free person, returning to a place where she could spend her final years in peace.
...
Gradually, the market became busier.
Song Wen said his goodbyes to Chen Yi and left the market.
After taking a turn outside the market, he returned, but this time his aura and appearance had completely changed, and his clothes had been replaced with those of a rogue cultivator.
Song Wen set up a stall in the vacant space next to Chen Yi's. He put up a sign that read:
"High prices paid for bone worm crystals from ancient battlefields."
As soon as Song Wen set up his stall, a market overseer came over to collect the stall fee. After paying five spirit stones, Song Wen received a sign and the overseer left.
Chen Yi, busy with her own stall, paid little attention to the new stall nearby and assumed it was just another ordinary stall run by a rogue cultivator.
She did not realize that the person she had just spoken to was actually Song Wen.
Chen Yi began to attend to customers, as cultivators frequently visited her stall to inquire about prices.
In contrast to the busy scene at Chen Yi's stall, Song Wen's stall remained deserted.
However, he was not in a hurry. Since he was only purchasing bone worm crystals, it was natural that no one would come unless they had something to sell.
When the hour of the Dog approached and the sky darkened, Song Wen's stall finally saw its first visitor.
"Do you buy bone worm crystals?"
Song Wen's expression brightened; someone had finally come.
The visitor was dressed in the outer sect robes of the Corpse Demon Sect, at the sixth level of Qi Refining, with a square face and appearing to be in his thirties.
Song Wen smiled and said, "Yes, I am indeed buying bone worm crystals."
The square-faced man replied, "I have some bone worm corpses on me, but the crystals haven't been extracted yet. I can give them to you, but you need to tell me, what are these bone worm crystals used for?"
Song Wen was somewhat taken aback. From the man's tone, it seemed that no one had yet discovered the use of the bone worm crystals, at least not this person.
This implied that, in the eyes of most cultivators, the bone worm crystals were still considered useless.
Realizing that openly purchasing bone worm crystals might be a bit reckless, Song Wen's mind raced, and he decided to respond after a brief moment.
"I'm not sure of their exact use. I am merely following the orders of Elder Shi Shou from the sect to purchase these bone worm crystals."
"Elder Shi Shou?" The square-faced man murmured, his eyes scanning Song Wen's face, searching for any signs of deceit.
However, he saw no discernible clues of dishonesty on Song Wen's face and felt a bit disappointed.
"Since the crystals are needed by Elder Shi Shou, I will not overstep. I have ten bone worm corpses here; consider this a token of apology for my impertinence."
Song Wen accepted the bone worm corpses without hesitation and said, "Elder Shi Shou is pressing for these, and I'm quite worried about meeting his demands. Thank you, Senior Brother. With these ten bone worm crystals, I should be able to report back to Elder Shi."
After saying this, Song Wen began to pack up his stall, giving the impression that he had acquired enough bone worm crystals and was about to leave the market.
(End of the Chapter)
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