The three of them returned to the trading area, where the alchemist who had narrowly escaped death was pacing back and forth on the street. Upon seeing them, he hurried forward to thank them for saving his life.
The alchemist looked at Nie Shiyun with a guilty expression. "I wouldn't dare take credit... This, Senior Nie, I know we agreed to keep the details of the pill refining a secret, but I told those people everything earlier. I am truly sorry."
Nie Shiyun gave a wry smile and waved his hand. "The trouble started because of me in the first place. You were just caught in the crossfire."
Seeing that Nie Shiyun didn't mind, the alchemist breathed a sigh of relief. Recalling the recent danger, he realized it was something he, a mere Foundation Establishment cultivator, had never experienced before. He couldn't help but lament that opportunities others saw as incredibly prestigious were indeed accompanied by immense risks. This time, he had happened to run into Qi Miaohan, and Nie Shiyun had arrived just in time; otherwise, a defenseless junior like him would have been dead.
Since the secret was already out to those three, Zhai Bairong no longer continued taking the Disguise Pills. He now stood behind Nie Shiyun in his original appearance. Many people in the surrounding crowd recognized him, including the alchemist standing before Nie Shiyun.
When Nie Shiyun had arrived to save the day, he had appeared with a junior from his sect named Yu. Now that they were back, that person was gone, replaced by Zhai Bairong. While others were still confused, the alchemist was so shocked he almost didn't know what to say, feeling as though he had stumbled upon a monumental secret.
"Go and get some proper rest. Once your injuries are healed, feel free to visit the shop again. You don't need to worry about the pills anymore," Nie Shiyun said softly.
The man nodded obediently. Now that Zhai Bairong was here, there was no need for him.
Qi Miaohan and Zhai Bairong entered the shop, and Nie Shiyun closed the door behind them. With no outsiders present, the group could finally sit down and talk properly.
Meiqiu spontaneously lunged out from the jade pendant, shouting, "Why didn't you let me out to show off my skills!"
"We agreed I’d only call you to fight if things got truly desperate, didn't we?" Nie Shiyun patted its head.
Meiqiu shook its body and transformed into its human form. It had been a while since Qi Miaohan had seen him. After a few brief pleasantries, they began discussing how they had run into those three today.
"By the way, where are Junior Sister Xuan'er and Du Zhi?" Nie Shiyun asked.
"We found a quiet place suitable for cultivation earlier. There wasn't much in the way of treasures nearby, but the spiritual energy was very abundant," Qi Miaohan huffed. "I felt like a third wheel staying with them, so I decided to run some errands to buy materials for cultivation and exchange some useless spirit herbs for spirit stones."
"Oh? They've made it official?" Nie Shiyun asked, somewhat surprised.
Qi Miaohan pursed her lips and said ambiguously, "Who knows. I just see them acting all bashful and awkward."
She felt a bit disgruntled about Qi Xuan'er and Du Zhi growing closer. Throughout their journey, she felt their relationship gradually heating up, making her feel redundant. Initially, she had intended to observe Du Zhi and made things difficult for him at every turn, but after spending time together, she gradually felt that the man might truly be sincere toward Qi Xuan'er.
"Do you think Du Zhi will treat her well?" Qi Miaohan asked gloomily.
Nie Shiyun smiled. "I think he's the type who, once he sets his heart on someone, stays stubbornly loyal. You can rest easy."
Just because she had misjudged a man once didn't mean there were no good people left in the world. Qi Miaohan understood this logic. Although she didn't want to acknowledge him immediately, she had observed the situation and given them space to be alone.
"But I really did have things to take care of!" Qi Miaohan insisted stubbornly.
Zhai Bairong sat to the side, listening to her. He wasn't familiar with Nie Shiyun's friends and didn't speak much. However, hearing that she wanted to sell spirit herbs, he proactively suggested, "If you need pills refined, you can leave it to me."
"Eh? Really? What's the price?" Qi Miaohan cried out in surprise.
"Since it's you all..."
Nie Shiyun knew from Zhai Bairong's expression that he was about to give a massive discount. He immediately interrupted him decisively. "We'll give you a five percent discount off the market price."
Qi Miaohan's face went from sunny to cloudy, and she said crossly, "Fine, fine, I won't pay you a stone less!"
She pulled out all the spirit herbs she had, picked back the ones useless for alchemy, and went to the spirit herb trading area to sell them for spirit stones herself.
"Will it be a lot?" Nie Shiyun asked.
Zhai Bairong shook his head. "It's nothing. I can finish them in a day or two inside the jade pendant."
"That's good," Nie Shiyun said helplessly. "Even though she's an acquaintance of mine, you should still collect the money you're owed. You can't make it too cheap for her."
Zhai Bairong gave him an amused look and sighed. "I understand."
While Qi Miaohan was away, Nie Shiyun hurriedly told Zhai Bairong about the rare teleportation talisman. Although he didn't know how this would change things in the future, at least Zhai Bairong was now aware.
However, now that they had completely dropped all pretenses, Nie Shiyun was somewhat worried about Zhai Bairong's situation. He hadn't forgotten the old foxes at the top of the Moon-Reflecting Sect.
"I will naturally make up some stories and excuses for them. I expect I'll be severely reprimanded," Zhai Bairong said after some thought. "But that's about it. Ultimately, while Duan Mingyu is important, to them, he is more like an object. No matter what, I am still one of the disciples they favor most in this generation."
When he said this, there wasn't a hint of pride in his expression; instead, he looked rather helpless. Once the righteous rhetoric on the surface was stripped away, all that remained in his sect was the word 'profit.'
"Besides..."
Nie Shiyun heard him trail off and asked, "Besides?"
Zhai Bairong glanced at him. "Once you successfully cross your tribulation, you will be the only cultivator outside the four major sects to advance to the Nascent Soul stage in the last century. If my Master learns that I've broken things off with Duan Mingyu but secured a connection with you, he might even consider it a great achievement on my part..."
Though, phrased that way, it didn't sound particularly pleasant.
Hearing this, Nie Shiyun understood.
"Then I'll have to work hard. I must make your mercenary Master and seniors feel that you've found a great mountain to lean on."
Zhai Bairong laughed. "What nonsense are you talking about?"
The two of them became increasingly playful in their conversation, gradually drifting away from the topic of Duan Mingyu's group.
Although Xu Yehua still harbored intense hatred for Nie Shiyun—perhaps even more resentment than before—Nie Shiyun felt that after this battle, the difference in their combat power was worlds apart from the original settings arranged by the Heavenly Dao. He didn't become careless just because he had won once, but his mindset had indeed become much more relaxed.
If the plot continued to develop as it did in the original work, Zhai Bairong would certainly no longer help Duan Mingyu escape as he had in the novel. However, Nie Shiyun knew that Zhai Bairong also disliked the Moon-Reflecting Sect's actions. On this point, he couldn't help much, but he told Zhai Bairong that if the sect truly required him to face off against Duan Mingyu and especially Xu Yehua, he must bring Nie Shiyun along for safety.
As they spoke, Qi Miaohan returned. The two had finished their conversation, so they stopped speculating about the future. Zhai Bairong quietly took the jade pendant handed to him by Nie Shiyun and went to the back room.
Over the past six months, the trading area had flourished. However, it was still within a secret realm; everything was kept simple, and the flow of people was high, so no business opportunities like lodging had developed. After all, cultivators in the secret realm were pressed for time; they could just pop some Qi Recovery Pills to replenish their spiritual energy and continue their activities. Qi Miaohan had nowhere else to go, so she stayed at the front of the shop chatting with Nie Shiyun and watching him do business.
At first, she complained about why Nie Shiyun wouldn't let her rest in the back room, accusing him of using her as a temporary clerk to exploit her labor. However, when Nie Shiyun pretentiously claimed that the back was a "bedroom" only he and Zhai Bairong could enter, containing nothing but an alchemy furnace, a forge, and a bed, Qi Miaohan got goosebumps. With a look of extreme disgust, she declared she no longer wanted to go in.
Naturally, many people passing by recognized Qi Miaohan. She naturally loved excitement, and being addressed as "Senior Qi" by the passersby felt quite good. Gradually, she seemed to find joy in minding the shop, occasionally striking up conversations with customers.
Nie Shiyun told Zhai Bairong not to rush and to refine the pills slowly. After about three or four days, Zhai Bairong finished refining all the pills for Qi Miaohan. He even deliberately waited another two days before handing them over.
Even so, Qi Miaohan was shocked. Although she didn't understand alchemy, she knew that in her sect, it could take half a month or even a month for alchemists to finish refining the herbs given to them. Moreover, she randomly opened a bottle, and from the drifting fragrance, she knew the quality of the pills was extremely high. She couldn't help but shake her head and sigh, "I knew you could refine pills, but I didn't know your level was this high!"
"You flatter me," Zhai Bairong said calmly.
Qi Miaohan glanced at him, puzzled. "Why don't you open a couple's shop with him? With such high skill, you're letting him have all the benefits!"
Nie Shiyun and Zhai Bairong exchanged a look; they had already done exactly that in the past.
"Speaking of which..." Qi Miaohan thought of something and gasped. "When you had a shop in Fanhu City, I visited once. There were pills in the shop then! I didn't think much about where you got your supply, but could it be..."
Nie Shiyun hadn't expected Qi Miaohan to have such a good memory. He made a mysterious "shh" gesture.
"So you two were already hooked up back then?" Qi Miaohan said in disbelief.
"There's no need for you to know the specific details," Nie Shiyun told her, reminding her to keep it a secret.
The smile on Nie Shiyun's face made Qi Miaohan feel the sourness of romance. She frowned in disgust, stating she would forget his trivial affairs the moment she turned around.
The conversation drifted again, and it took a while before they returned to the topic of the pills. Qi Miaohan counted the quantity and was so stunned her eyes went wide. Originally, when she heard about the five percent discount off market price, she had been cursing Nie Shiyun in her heart for being stingy. But seeing the quality and quantity of these pills—though she didn't know if Zhai Bairong had pocketed some according to "cultivation world custom"—she knew the yield was much higher than what an alchemist normally returned. A five percent discount might actually mean she was getting a bargain.
"This... if you ever do business, you can't go by market price! You have to charge fifty percent above market price!" Now that she had finished paying, Qi Miaohan immediately began begging Zhai Bairong to raise his prices.
Zhai Bairong couldn't help but laugh. "I understand. If I take external orders, I'll consult with Shiyun."
Hearing that Zhai Bairong would consult Nie Shiyun on pricing, Qi Miaohan immediately calmed down. With Nie Shiyun involved, no one would lose out.
"We know the business inside out. You've already gotten a bargain, so pipe down," Nie Shiyun shot her a glance.
"Hehe, thanks." Qi Miaohan slapped both their shoulders hard, laughing with satisfaction.
There were still over two years until the secret realm closed, and Qi Miaohan still had many places she wanted to see. Nie Shiyun told her to be careful and that it was best to travel with Qi Xuan'er and Du Zhi so they could look out for one another. After all, she was so unlucky that she always seemed to run straight into Duan Mingyu's group.
Qi Miaohan rolled her eyes, thanking him for the advice, but she helplessly had to admit that Nie Shiyun was right.
She said that if their group passed by this way later, she would bring Qi Xuan'er and Du Zhi to visit. Nie Shiyun naturally agreed. He had no intention of leaving the trading area for the time being. First, it was relatively safe here, and he didn't need to risk running into Duan Mingyu's group. Second, now that Zhai Bairong's identity was exposed anyway, he could indeed do business with him. This way, the two of them would likely earn more than others struggling for months in the secret realm. As for the legendary "great opportunities" that all cultivators in the realm dreamed of finding, Nie Shiyun had already tucked them into his pocket at the very beginning.
***
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Transmigrated into a Total Shou Novel as a Cannon Fodder, but Ended Up 1v1-ing the Male Lead | Chapter 91 | Business and Bonds | Novela.app | Novela.app
