Nine Transformations of the True Spirit

In the next few days, Chen Yuan practiced martial arts during the day, invited Yu Zhenchuan to drink at night, wandered around, immersed in the prosperity of the county city, and lingered.

On the sixth day, Chen Yuan reported to Wei Wuding that he had taken the marrow refining pill and broke through to the marrow refining realm.

Wei Wuding was very happy to hear this news, and immediately arranged Chen Yuan to be the leader of the Baibing Hall Guard. He had 30 skin refining warriors and two bone refining warriors, one of whom was Yu Zhenchuan.

Chen Yuan naturally expressed his loyalty again, which made Wei Wuding praise him again.

After Chen Yuan took office as the leader of the guard, he followed Wei Wuding into the Chimang Mountains in just three days.

Like the branch hall in Leping County, the county city headquarters also did business with mountain bandits, and did it on a larger scale. A single transaction was thousands or tens of thousands of taels of silver.

In addition, the headquarters also had dealings with Qingzhou merchants, and often had to transport ironware through Yuanpingxing, which also required guards to accompany them.

These transactions are huge in amount, usually led by three deacons, sometimes even the deputy hall master is needed to lead the team.

This time it was Wei Wuding who led the team, and traded with a large village in the Chimang Mountains.

When the caravan returned to the county city, it took a total of ten days.

In the past, Chen Yuan only needed three or four days to escort the caravan into the mountains in Leping County and trade with the bandits on the edge of the Chimang Mountains.

But the customers of the main hall are all large villages, at least hundreds of miles deep, barely considered deep in the mountains, and it takes longer.

Fortunately, it was just a little hard to rush, and no one fought along the way.

According to the rules, Wei Wuding can rest for twenty days to one month after leading people on this trip, and the other two deacons will lead the team if there is another transaction.

On the night of returning to the county city, Chen Yuan activated the starlight infusion, took the elixir, felt the increased strength, and the depression in his heart was slightly relieved.

On the way to escort the caravan, he lived with the same gang of warriors, and could not activate the starlight infusion, so he could only wait until now.

Chen Yuan put away the jade pendant, looked at the empty jade bottle in his hand, and shook his head.

After getting these three bottles of pills from the cave, Chen Yuan used them not only to infuse his body with starlight, but also to assist in his cultivation. After more than ten days, he had already used up one bottle.

If it were an ordinary internal force warrior, he would take one pill every five days, and this bottle of pills would be enough for fifty days.

But Chen Yuan's starlight infusion was one pill, and his body was stronger than that of ordinary internal force warriors. One pill could only make the blood in his body active for three days, and the speed of consuming pills was very fast, and one bottle of pills was half a month.

If he didn't buy new pills, the remaining two bottles of pills would only be enough for his expenses for one month.

But fortunately, Chen Yuan had silver in his hand, and as long as he had silver, he would not be short of pills.

…

The next day, Chen Yuan quietly walked out of the courtyard and came to Jieyuanfang, not far from Chongxinfang.

Jieyuanfang was named after a master who won the title of Jieyuan a hundred years ago. It is two streets away from Chongxinfang and only takes a quarter of an hour to walk.

People living in Jieyuanfang are ordinary people. The gate of the square is wide open and there are many pedestrians. Chen Yuan is inconspicuous among them.

Many houses in Jieyuanfang are rented to outsiders who come to the county city to make a living. There are a lot of people, but not many locals. Outsiders can easily integrate into it.

Chen Yuan walked for a quarter of an hour and stopped in front of a house in the southwest corner of the square.

This is a two-entry courtyard with a locked gate and the words "Xie Mansion" written on the plaque.

Chen Yuan took out a copper key, opened the door and walked in. The courtyard was clean and tidy, and the main hall was closed.

He walked into a wing room next to it. The house was clean and tidy, and all the furniture and furnishings were newly purchased.

This courtyard is one of Xie Quan's three houses in the county city.

Before Chen Yuan followed Wei Wuding into the mountains, he seemed to be strolling around the county town, but in fact he had figured out the environment of the county town and secretly checked the four houses in the hands of Li Guanshi and Xie Quan.

These four houses were uninhabited and were regularly cleaned and tidied by the people in the pawnbroker.

Chen Yuan showed the house deed in the pawnbroker and took the keys from the pawnbroker. From then on, these four houses were his property.

In the following days, Chen Yuan spent money to let the pawnbroker buy some daily necessities and carefully arranged these four houses in case of emergency.

There would definitely be something fishy if this matter was handed over to the pawnbroker, but Chen Yuan had just arrived in the county town and had no connections. It would be very eye-catching if he bought it himself, so he could only let the pawnbroker make this money.

The other three properties were far away from Chongxinfang, and this two-entry house was the closest, so Chen Yuan also bought the most things here.

He took off his clothes, took off the ring on his right hand, put on a loose gray shirt and black boots, put on a bamboo hat, and carried a ring-handled sword. He suddenly became an idle warrior that can be seen everywhere in the world.

This ring was made by Chen Yuan in a blacksmith shop before he entered the mountain. It was gray and inconspicuous. It contained the strange silver thread he got from Li Guanshi.

Li Guanshi wore the previous ring all year round, and Chen Yuan did not dare to show it to others.

In addition to Baibingtang, there was no blacksmith shop in Leping County that could make sophisticated mechanisms. He could only wait until he arrived in the county city to modify it.

Fortunately, Li Guanshi had never used the strange silver thread in front of others. If he used it, it would not arouse suspicion.

After dressing up, Chen Yuan looked at himself carefully in the mirror again to make sure there was no flaw. He took a black face towel, left the house, and walked out of Jieyuanfang.

He walked low-key among the crowd and arrived at East Street after a quarter of an hour.

East Street is more prosperous during the day than at night. The streets are bustling with people and noisy, and every shop on the street is busy.

Chen Yuan turned into an alley, covered his mouth and nose with a black scarf, and walked into a drug store with a plaque that read "Ji Shi Tang".

This drug store is large in scale, with a counter about three feet long, and seven or eight waiters greeting customers.

Most of them came to see a doctor and get medicine. The masked Chen Yuan walked in, which was very conspicuous and attracted everyone's attention.

The boy was also stunned for a moment and asked:

"Is this guest here for consultation?"

Chen Yuan said hoarsely:

"I want to buy some elixirs."

"Sir, please follow me."

Chen Yuan followed the boy into a long corridor and came to a quiet room.

Sitting in the room was a middle-aged man in his forties, with a goatee and a brocade robe. After seeing Chen Yuan, he stood up to greet him.

"Steward Wang, this guest wants to buy elixirs."

The boy said respectfully, then left the room and closed the door.

The middle-aged man saluted Chen Yuan with clasped fists and said:

"I'm Wang Ruyi, the steward of Jishi Hall. I wonder what kind of elixir your guest wants to buy?"

Chen Yuan sat down opposite him and said in a hoarse voice:

"Elixirs that can be used by inner-strength warriors to strengthen their roots and cultivate their vitality."

The middle-aged man had a smile on his face, and his attitude became a little more respectful, and he said:

"The Gu Yuan Dan, which is used by inner strength warriors in this hall, is also well-known in the world of Yuzhou. Its medicinal power is mild and pure, and it is guaranteed to satisfy the guest. I wonder how much the guest needs?"

"Take out the elixir first and take a look."

"Please wait a moment, sir."

The middle-aged man turned around and walked out of the room. After a while, he came back with a jade bottle and handed it to Chen Yuan.

Chen Yuan opened the jade bottle and poured a black elixir in the bottle into the palm of his hand. A familiar elixir fragrance poured into his nose, which was exactly the same as the elixir he got from the cave.

Chen Yuan put the elixir back into the jade bottle, placed it gently on the table, and said roughly:

"How much does a bottle cost?"

The middle-aged man replied:

"A bottle of ten pills, the market price is two hundred taels of silver."

"If I buy a few more bottles, can it be cheaper?"

The middle-aged man smiled and said:

"It depends on how much the guest wants. The medicinal materials used in Guyuan Dan are quite precious, and it takes a lot of energy for the alchemist to prepare them. If the guest only buys two or three bottles, it will be difficult to reduce the price."

Chen Yuan said calmly:

"I want five bottles."

The middle-aged man's eyes lit up and he said:

"If the guest wants five bottles, each bottle can be reduced by ten taels of silver."

Chen Yuan frowned:

"Can't there be more?"

The middle-aged man apologized:

"This is a rule set by the hall. I can only reduce the amount so much. Please forgive me."

Chen Yuan said:

"The Fuhu Gang's Shennongtang should also sell Guyuan Dan, right?"

The middle-aged man's eyes changed slightly and said:

"Shennongtang naturally sells Guyuan Dan, but the market price of Guyuan Dan is so high, and Shennongtang only offers so much discount per bottle. Why do you need to make an extra trip?"

Chen Yuan nodded, took out a banknote from his arms and put it on the table:

"This is a thousand taels of silver notes. I want five bottles of Gu Yuan Dan."

The middle-aged man had a smile on his face and said:

"Please wait a moment, sir. Let me check."

"Please."

The middle-aged man picked up the banknote from the table, inspected it carefully, nodded, put the banknote back on the table, and said:

"Sir, please wait a moment. I'm going to get the Guyuan Dan."

After that, he left the room, and a quarter of an hour later, he returned to the house with a wooden box.

He placed the wooden box on the table. After opening it, there were five jade bottles neatly placed inside, lined with soft satin.

"Please ask the guest officer to check the elixir. After leaving the house, we will not be responsible."

Chen Yuan took out the jade bottle, opened it one by one, and examined it carefully.

The middle-aged man was not in a hurry and just waited quietly.

It took Chen Yuan a full quarter of an hour to check the fifty pills one by one. After confirming that there were no problems, he handed the banknote to the middle-aged man.

He took Chen Yuan's banknote, took out a fifty-tael banknote from his arms, handed it to Chen Yuan with both hands, and said with a smile:

"Please put it away, officer."

Chen Yuan took it and inspected it carefully before putting it in his arms, lifting the wooden box and saying in a rough voice:

"Jishitang is indeed one of the largest medicine shops in Xin'an County. It does not bully strangers. If I need elixirs again in the future, I will come again."

The smile on the middle-aged man's face became brighter, he took out a jade token, handed it to Chen Yuan with both hands, and said:

"Our church has been operating in Xin'an County for more than 30 years. We are honest and honest, and we guarantee that guests will not suffer any loss. With this brand, guests can enjoy VIP treatment in all branches of our hall. Please accept it."

Chen Yuan took the jade and looked at the card carefully. He saw the word "Ji" written on it. The jade was delicate and the pattern was exquisite. At first glance, it was made of fine white jade.

He put away the jade token, and with the courtesy of the middle-aged man as a gift, he left Jishi Hall and disappeared into the bustling crowd.

Two-quarters of an hour later, Chen Yuan quietly returned to Xie's Mansion, changed into the attire of a casual warrior, and transformed into the deacon of the escort team of Baibing Hall.

He took out the wooden box and looked at the five bottles of Guyuan Dan that he had just received, with a smile on his lips.

Jishitang is a medicine shop opened by the Sanjiang Gang, which deals in medicinal materials and elixirs. It stands side by side with the Shennongtang of the Fuhu Gang in Xin'an County, and its reputation is well-known.

Chen Yuan wandered around the county town for a few days. After learning about Jishi Hall, he decided to buy elixirs from here.

He broke through to the marrow refining realm and was appointed by Wei Wuding as the leader of the guard team of Baibing Hall. He also had the experience of slashing Jiang Feng with a knife, and he was also quite famous in the Fuhu Gang. If he went to Shennong Hall to buy elixirs, there would be a risk of being recognized.

Jishitang and Shennong Hall were mortal enemies. Others would never think that a marrow refining warrior from the Fuhu Gang would go to Jishitang to buy elixirs.

Moreover, Jishitang has been operating in Yuzhou for many years, with branches spread across counties and prefectures, and has an excellent reputation. It is impossible for them to do something bad to him and ruin their reputation just because of this one thousand taels of business, so they can trade with confidence.

From then on, Chen Yuan no longer had to worry about elixirs.

He took five bottles of Guyuan Dan and returned to the small courtyard of Chongxinfang, calming his mind and concentrating on practicing martial arts.