Gu An paid his spirit stones to the female attendant, gathered his talisman paper and spiritual ink, and strode out of the shop.

As he emerged from the Treasure Gathering Pavilion, fine snow had begun to drift down from the sky. It was dense and delicate, melting almost the moment it touched the ground.

Stepping onto the damp earth, his cloud boots kicking up faint specks of mud, he walked all the way to the Hundred Spirits Pavilion. A servant at the first layer of Qi Condensation received him and informed him that the proprietor had traveled to the Yun Kingdom to purchase spirit beasts.

Gu An felt a touch of disappointment. He had intended to ask the fat shopkeeper if there were any more Clear Spirit Clams in stock.

After browsing the premises and confirming there were no fresh goods, he could only take his leave with a sigh.

He made his way over to the street stalls. The market area was teeming with activity, a bustling throng of people where hawking and arguments blended into a constant, droning buzz, entirely unbothered by the light snow.

Long sheets of black cloth were spread across the ground. Each stall owner had conjured a small barrier of spiritual Qi to ward off the wind and snow, terrified that the flakes might melt on their spiritual items and wash away the spiritual Qi paste applied to them.

Gu An slowed his pace, inspecting the stalls one by one. Naturally, he harbored no illusions about unearthing a hidden treasure; he was simply treating it as a way to practice his discernment.

"This one won't do. A century-old jade slip for treasure-seeking? Blue-flower jade has only been used to make jade slips for the past thirty years!"

"This magical artifact is no good either. The seams are far too obvious-mended so tightly, are they trying to swindle a blind man?"

"Oh, a Li-Fire Sword? It radiates spiritual light, and the quality is actually... wait, they just slathered on too much spiritual Qi paste!"

...

The stall owners noticed him wandering past in his Qingyuan Sect disciple robes, looking over their wares with a knowing, amused expression. They silently cursed their rotten luck and ignored him.

Though Gu An thought nothing of these trinkets, he refrained from exposing them. Ruining a man's livelihood was no different from killing his parents, so why court unnecessary enmity?

Thus, one side continued to deceive while the other quietly appraised. In tacit agreement, neither party disrupted the other, each attending to their own business.

But these stall owners were simply too unprofessional!

After checking more than a dozen stalls, he had not spotted a single legitimate item. Not only were they all fakes, but the craftsmanship was utterly half-hearted.

Gu An shook his head, abandoning all hope for these trinkets. He decided to purchase some spirit bran and rice husks and head back.

Just as he turned to leave, a young cultivator wearing a leather cap surreptitiously called out to him.

"Fellow Daoist! Fellow Daoist, are you looking for a treasure?"

A treasure? What treasure could possibly be found among these street stalls?

Gu An sized up the young man. He was shifty-eyed with a vulgar grin, and his cultivation was quite low, around the third layer of Qi Condensation. Assuming he was just another charlatan, Gu An asked with mild amusement, "Oh? What kind of treasure?"

"Behold-the Bliss Pill!"

"Let me tell you, Fellow Daoist, don't look down on it just because it's a First-Grade Lower-Tier spirit pill. Its effects are unique, and it is in massive demand!"

"It can restore a man's vigor, making him bigger! Thicker! And harder!"

"If I didn't feel that you and I shared a karmic affinity, I wouldn't part with it so easily!"

Gu An's mouth twitched. He felt a sudden, powerful urge to blast the man with a Water Spear Spell.

Restore vigor? Karmic affinity?

Affinity, my foot!

Today, I ought to show you exactly how many eyes Lord Ma has!

Sensing Gu An's irritated and dangerous gaze, the young man seemed to realize his blunder. He scratched his head and offered a dry laugh.

"Forgive me, Fellow Daoist! Look at this dog mouth of mine, utterly incapable of spitting out ivory!"

"What I meant to say was-your friend! It shares an affinity with your friend!"

Seeing Gu An's expression soften slightly, the young cultivator breathed a sigh of relief, muttering to himself, This fellow cares quite a bit about his dignity.

However, the young cultivator was well-versed in dealing with such pride. One simply had to stroke their ego. As long as the customer was a man, he had never met one who could truly resist the temptation of a Bliss Pill.

Gu An, naturally unaware of the vendor's inner thoughts, stared at the jade bottle in the young man's hand. It contained three azure-blue pills. His interest piqued, he asked, "Tell me then, how potent is it?"

To be absolutely clear, he had no need for such things himself. But he truly did have a friend who required them.

The last time Gu An had returned to the sect to seek guidance on talisman techniques, he had happened upon Steward Liu's wedding. Steward Liu was usually a man of few words, but when he acted, he stunned everyone-marrying a pair of beautiful twin sisters all at once.

While the sisters were mere mortals, Steward Liu was already over seventy years old and had never trained in Body Refinement. A cultivator's physical prime did not last forever.

Gu An was genuinely concerned that the old man might drop dead from overexertion one day.

During the banquet that evening, a thoroughly inebriated Steward Liu had boasted that he intended to sire a grand lineage, rent a patch of spirit land from the sect, and establish a cultivation clan so his time in this world would not be in vain.

Gu An remembered that Steward Liu had aided him immensely in the past. He was not an ungrateful soul; it was only right that he lend a hand where he could.

The young cultivator shot a quick glance to his left and right, then lowered his voice with a smirk. "Rest assured, Fellow Daoist. Every brother who has used this Bliss Pill sings its praises!"

"As the saying goes!"

"A Bliss Pill to double your might, seven times a night without a plight!"

"Warm the Guan Yuan point, let Yin and Yang unite; a golden spear that never falls, even before a fairy's sight!"

...

"Stop, stop, stop!" Seeing the young cultivator begin to churn out rhymes with no sign of stopping, Gu An hurriedly cut him off.

To chant such things in broad daylight, where was the decorum?

"Ahem... give me one... no, two bottles." Gu An lowered his voice. Across both his past and present lives, this was his very first time purchasing this sort of medicine. A hint of embarrassment was unavoidable.

The young cultivator deftly retrieved two bottles of Bliss Pills and chuckled, "Right away! To let Fellow Daoist know, though this Bliss Pill is merely a First-Grade Lower-Tier pill, it possesses miraculous efficacy. It costs three spirit stones per pill."

Gu An was somewhat surprised by the steep price, but reflecting on how highly sought-after the item was, he found it reasonable. He voiced a stern warning: "If I discover this is useless, you know the consequences."

"Ai, put your mind at ease! I, Liu Xiaosan, have been selling these Bliss Pills for over a year, and there has never been a single complaint."

"Furthermore, I reside right over in Wutong Lane. How would I ever dare cheat a disciple of the Qingyuan Sect?"

Hearing Liu Xiaosan offer such ironclad assurances, Gu An's concerns faded. No local resident would risk offending a Qingyuan Sect disciple over a mere eighteen spirit stones.

He handed eighteen spirit stones to the young man and took the two bottles of blue pills. Pouring one out, he flared his nostrils and sniffed. He could faintly distinguish the aromas of spirit yuan mushrooms, earth essence, and other spiritual herbs-all potent tonics for replenishing vital essence. It appeared perfectly genuine. Nodding in satisfaction, he turned and departed.

He browsed a few more stalls, and after a bit of haggling, purchased a thousand jin of spirit bran and rice husks. He then made his way out of Qingyuan Immortal City, unfurled his Black Wind Kerchief, and soared back toward the Qingyuan Sect.

By now, the snow was falling heavily. Against the blanket of white, the trail of black smoke billowed conspicuously, resembling an ink stain on pristine paper-an absolute eyesore.

The black smoke shot directly toward Little Thousand Peak, startling the mountain birds into flight and drawing a handful of curses from his fellow disciples.

Gu An paid them no mind, laughing heartily as he landed the Black Wind Kerchief within his small courtyard.

A layer of pristine white snow covered the ground, reflecting a soft, shimmering light. The branches of the apricot tree were weighed down by the accumulation, swaying gently back and forth.

With a sweep of his sleeve, Gu An conjured a powerful gust of wind that cleared the snow from his doorstep and the apricot tree. He strolled into his meditation room and exhaled a long breath of turbid air. The taut string in his heart finally slackened. Lying down upon his bed without even removing his robes, he fell asleep and was soon snoring loudly.