Two months later.
Nie Shiyun glanced at the gloomy weather outside and brought the sign from the doorway back into the shop.
He had no commissions for the past two days and was enjoying the leisure. Having been busy for a long time, he had accumulated a significant amount of spiritual herbs. At the moment, he sat at the front of the shop, taking out the Soul Summoning Banner he had looted from the cultivator who had ambushed him long ago. He toyed with it idly, examining its construction, which allowed Zhai Bairong the chance to withdraw into the jade pendant to refine pills.
Nie Shiyun was pleasantly surprised. Back when Meiqiu was still an egg, he could directly absorb the heavenly treasures and pills Nie Shiyun fed into the jade pendant’s space. However, since Meiqiu was a demonic beast, Nie Shiyun couldn't be certain of the exact reason. Now that Zhai Bairong had entered with his permission, he found he could achieve the same effect.
With more time and the significant absorption benefits of the space, Zhai Bairong had actually broken through to the late Golden Core stage during their six-month stay here. This was despite the fact that he hadn't focused entirely on cultivation, having spent a great deal of effort on alchemy and tending the shop.
"Senior Nie, it seems you've had quite a harvest lately?"
Nie Shiyun looked up to see an alchemist, also stationed long-term in the trading area, crossing the threshold into the shop. The man greeted him with a face full of smiles. Like many other cultivators, shortly after Nie Shiyun arrived at the trading area, this alchemist from a small sect had approached him, hoping to gain a senior's appreciation. He would drop by whenever he was free and had even proactively offered to refine pills for Nie Shiyun.
Initially, Nie Shiyun had politely declined all alchemists who came to recommend themselves. After all, Zhai Bairong was more exceptional than any of them. However, as time passed, Nie Shiyun collected more and more spiritual herb materials without any apparent output. Following a reminder from Zhai Bairong, he agreed that this might seem suspicious to outsiders. On one occasion, when this alchemist happened to visit to ask Nie Shiyun to refine his cauldron, Nie Shiyun took the initiative to ask him to refine some pills. The man was terrified at first, but his surprise quickly turned to overjoyed excitement, and he hurriedly nodded in agreement.
After several interactions, the alchemist became well aware of the high quality of the spiritual herbs Nie Shiyun usually collected. He worried that his skills wouldn't be up to the task, but unwilling to let such a golden opportunity slip away, he braced himself and asked Nie Shiyun what he needed.
To his surprise, Nie Shiyun only asked him to refine basic Spirit Recovery Pills.
A few days later, the alchemist returned to deliver the pills he had refined. Although he had done his absolute best to be careful, and the first two batches were mostly of superior quality, the third cauldron only produced low-grade Spirit Recovery Pills. Nie Shiyun raised no objections; he simply took the pill bottles and paid him a generous amount of spirit stones with a gentle attitude.
"This... this is a bit much."
"It's no matter," Nie Shiyun smiled.
"Is this really all you need...?" The alchemist finally couldn't help but voice his confusion.
Nie Shiyun nodded and said, "This is enough. If anyone asks, you can say you've done business with me. However, please do not disclose the specific details of the pills I have you refine."
"Of course. Such things shouldn't be spoken of in our trade anyway." The alchemist nodded repeatedly.
He was a clever man. Seeing Nie Shiyun's attitude, he realized that the man didn't actually need his pills at all; he was merely using him as a front. As for where those large quantities of high-grade spiritual herbs actually went, or whether Nie Shiyun had his own channels for processing them, that was not something a mere junior like him should concern himself with.
"Then come by and sit for a while when you have time." Seeing that the man was sensible, Nie Shiyun smiled with satisfaction.
After that, the alchemist would visit from time to time. Gradually, everyone in the vicinity knew he had made a connection with Nie Shiyun, much to their envy. However, only he knew that Nie Shiyun would only give him what were likely leftover scrap herbs just to go through the motions.
On this day, after the alchemist finished attending to his own customers, he remembered it was time for his periodic visit to Senior Nie and came to the shop.
He scanned the list next to the counter and saw that several more types of spiritual herbs previously listed in the "exchangeable" section had been crossed out, indicating Nie Shiyun had collected enough.
"Are you busy?" The cultivator saw Nie Shiyun fiddling with a banner that looked like a magical treasure and worried he might be intruding.
Nie Shiyun waved his hand. "Since you see me sitting here, you know I'm idle, don't you?"
"It's rare for Senior Nie to be free. There are usually people in the shop; I suppose it's because of this foul weather." The cultivator looked out the door. Most of the time, the trading area only saw light snow. Recently, the weather had suddenly taken a turn for the worse, with howling winds and heavy snow. He estimated that the cultivators in the secret realm had temporarily found caves or thickets to hide in, which was why no one was visiting.
However, with the warming arrays Nie Shiyun had set up in the shop, the wind and snow outside naturally couldn't blow in.
"Previously, when Senior helped the fellow Daoists at the other stalls and shops set up their arrays, they were truly grateful."
"It was nothing; I was just doing a job for money." Nie Shiyun, having nothing to do, chatted with him for a bit to get a sense of recent events.
Although this alchemist's skill could only be described as mediocre, the business for the few alchemists in the trading area, including him, had always been good. Initially, Nie Shiyun thought it was just because alchemists were scarce, and he felt a bit of regret that Zhai Bairong couldn't do business alongside him to make a fortune. Later, after hearing from some passing low-level cultivators, he learned that many disciples from large and even medium-sized sects had to hand over a portion of their harvest to their sects after returning from the secret realm. However, if they turned those herbs into pills for consumption or exchanged them to upgrade their magical treasures, those items would belong to them personally.
When he asked Zhai Bairong about this, Zhai Bairong wasn't particularly clear on the regulations either. When he first entered the secret realm, he was already one of the top cultivators in the Moon Reflection Sect and didn't need to compete for a spot; the sect would reserve one for him. He thought back and guessed that because spots were limited, the sects sent a portion of their disciples into the realm while simultaneously collecting some benefits from them.
Nie Shiyun couldn't help but click his tongue at such a clearly stratified system.
"Speaking of which, a few senior cultivators came to me this morning to see if I could refine pills for them. But the spiritual herbs they produced were too high-grade; I couldn't handle them."
"Oh? So you just refused them?"
"Who would want to? But I've never seen those herbs in my life; how could I possibly refine them? Sigh, in the end, that kid next door heard about it and insisted on showing off, saying he'd take a look. Those people went to talk to him in detail. That guy's alchemy skills are even worse than mine! I'm afraid he'll get a lesson from them once he's exposed..."
Nie Shiyun suddenly frowned and asked sharply, "Those cultivators you mentioned—how many were there in total? Did they look familiar?"
"Three. But I didn't recognize their faces. Senior Nie, what's wrong?"
"No, it's nothing..." Nie Shiyun wasn't sure if he was overthinking, but he became alert nonetheless.
"Aha, what did I say? Senior Nie, here comes some business."
The conversation was interrupted as a hooded cultivator walked in. Initially, his expression was normal, looking around like everyone else visiting the trading area for the first time. But when his gaze flicked to Nie Shiyun at the counter—specifically, to the Soul Summoning Banner in Nie Shiyun's hand—he lunged forward from the doorway.
"How do you have that thing!"
The alchemist by the counter was shaken by his aura. Immediately after, as the young man approached, a sinister chill swept over him. He instinctively took two steps back in fright. "Senior, it's a... a demonic cultivator from Soul Summoning Valley!"
The man glared at him fiercely and sneered, "What, is there a sign at the door saying demonic cultivators are forbidden?"
Nie Shiyun was confused for a moment, but he quickly realized his Soul Summoning Banner had likely been recognized. Since there were no other customers today, he didn't feel annoyed. He calmly told the frightened alchemist to leave first and not to make a scene.
"Fellow Daoist, do you have a question?"
"How do you have my fellow disciple's treasure! Only those from Soul Summoning Valley have these; you can't even use it if you take it." The cultivator lowered his voice, questioning him with a terrible attitude.
Nie Shiyun said as a matter of course, "I got it from a Soul Summoning Valley cultivator. I killed him, so the spoils naturally belong to me."
"You..."
The demonic cultivator was momentarily stunned by Nie Shiyun's candid attitude. In his impression, few righteous cultivators spoke of killing and looting so bluntly.
Seeing the man's face turn pale and then green, Nie Shiyun thought to himself that the original novel was indeed biased, describing all demonic cultivators as cold and heartless. Yet here was one who couldn't help but risk the gap in their cultivation levels to question him after seeing a fellow disciple's treasure.
"I'm not making excuses. Your fellow disciple attacked first. He met his end through his own failure; he can't blame anyone else."
As Nie Shiyun finished speaking, the cultivator opposite him gritted his teeth and muttered a curse, turning to leave.
"Wait a moment." Nie Shiyun stopped him.
"W-what?" The demonic cultivator saw Nie Shiyun stand up and took a defensive step back. His cultivation was at the early Golden Core stage, but it was still not enough to face Nie Shiyun.
This was a trading area, and theoretically, fighting was prohibited. However, it wasn't the first time righteous cultivators had used the excuse of "eliminating demons and defending the Dao" to act, so demonic cultivators were always on guard.
"Since you are also from Soul Summoning Valley, you must use a soul banner as well, right? Could you let me take a look? Just looking at this one, I can't quite figure out the intricacies."
The demonic cultivator looked at him suspiciously, unable to gauge Nie Shiyun's intentions. Was he planning to steal his treasure as well?
"And if I refuse?"
Nie Shiyun didn't know why the man remained so hostile even after he had explained the banner's origin. He shrugged and said, "Then forget it."
"However, if that's the case, I probably won't be able to figure out how to refine these things anytime soon."
"You want to refine a Soul Summoning Banner? You're dreaming. Only cultivators from Soul Summoning Valley can drive a Soul Summoning Banner. Naturally, very few artifact refiners know the method of creation," the demonic cultivator said disdainfully.
"That is exactly why I want to study it," Nie Shiyun said.
The demonic cultivator looked skeptical, but looking at Nie Shiyun's expression, he didn't think he was lying. This person seemed truly interested in the treasure itself.
"Then let's agree on this first: as payment, you must give me that one in your hand afterward. You aren't from Soul Summoning Valley; without our secret techniques, no matter how high your cultivation is, you can't drive a Soul Summoning Banner. It's a waste of good material in your hands."
Nie Shiyun didn't hesitate. "Of course." Once he figured out the design, he could refine one himself. Why would he want this old, worn-out one?
"Sign and seal it." The demonic cultivator didn't trust Nie Shiyun's word. He took out spiritual paper and established an irrevocable contract with him.
Nie Shiyun didn't know why this person was being so cautious, but he simply complied. The man placed his own soul banner on Nie Shiyun's counter and urged, "This is it."
"Let me see," Nie Shiyun took it and asked, "How should I address you, Fellow Daoist?"
"Shen Yan. That's not important. Just study it quickly and give me the items afterward." The young man named Shen Yan was somewhat cold.
Any other senior might have been offended by now. However, Nie Shiyun didn't really care about seniority or titles. He nodded casually and eagerly took the banner to examine it closely, occasionally asking a few basic questions that didn't touch upon the sect's secret texts. The rest of the time was filled only with the sound of Nie Shiyun flipping the banner's fabric and the "shasha" of him sketching and writing on a piece of paper.
"Why was it so noisy outside just now? Your partner was worried and asked me to come take a look!"
Suddenly, a childish voice broke the silence in the shop.
Shen Yan, who had been waiting impatiently with his arms crossed, looked up and found a small child emerging from the back room.
"It's nothing, just a guest," Nie Shiyun said without looking up, clearly deep in thought. "Sorry, I can't be distracted right now. We'll talk later."
It wasn't the first time Meiqiu had seen Nie Shiyun so engrossed in his work that he became oblivious to the world, so he naturally didn't try to cause trouble. He looked toward the gaze fixed on him, only to see the newcomer's face filled with the confusion of "how can a child like this enter the secret realm?"
Meiqiu was long used to being stared at by passing guests because of this appearance, but he still felt a bit annoyed by the newcomer's overly rude expression.
"Right, Meiqiu, help me close the shop door and hang up the 'Closed' sign."
"Ahem!" Meiqiu coughed loudly. He had actually chosen a proper name for himself before, called "Xuan Yang." However, Nie Shiyun hadn't changed his habit at all and would still blurt out his childhood nickname in front of outsiders from time to time.
"Oh right, Xuan Yang, Xuan Yang... it's all the same."
"..."
Seeing that Nie Shiyun wasn't paying him any attention and was entirely focused on a piece of old cloth, Meiqiu only heard a faint snicker. He looked at the cultivator by the counter. Under Meiqiu's glaring but non-threatening gaze, the man quickly looked away and wiped the expression from his face.
Meiqiu ignored the two of them and walked straight to the door. Outside was already a beautiful silvery white. He was about to pull the door handle when he suddenly froze. Without even closing the door, he ran back in a hurry.
"Hey, hey, hey..."
"What now?" Nie Shiyun said helplessly, finally putting down the banner after being interrupted repeatedly.
Three people had already stepped into the shop.
Meiqiu blinked, a look of terror on his face as if he had recalled some terrible memory, and instinctively covered his backside. Nie Shiyun froze and looked at the newcomers. Although their faces were unfamiliar, he immediately thought of something.
Before Nie Shiyun could react, the person sandwiched in the middle suddenly cried out in alarm. He reached out a trembling hand and pointed at Shen Yan, accusingly, "It's you! You stole my spirit fox before! It has already passed away, yet it still cannot rest in peace, woo..."
"Wait a moment..." the man behind him called out urgently in a low voice, but he couldn't stop him.
Nie Shiyun: "..."
Although the appearance and voice were somewhat different, Nie Shiyun would never forget this incredibly familiar mannerism and expression.
The shop was certainly turning into a lively mess today.
***
