Chapter 112 - 105: Night Raid, Qi Blood Pill, Offering a Sister in Marriage

Chapter 112: Chapter 105: Night Raid, Qi Blood Pill, Offering a Sister in Marriage

Aside from slightly more detailed descriptions of the city districts and the Marketplaces, the introduction to sects and gangs mostly just listed their names and characteristics. They were generally brief overviews summed up in a few words. Some sects were introduced with a bit more detail, even including a few descriptions of the Sect Leader, but it came across suspiciously like an advertisement.

Although it was just a simple introduction, it was enough for the current Su Chen. At the very least, it gave him a general understanding of Dafeng City so he wouldn’t be completely in the dark, knowing absolutely nothing.

"I’ll eat first," Su Chen thought. "Then I’ll go to the clinics and apothecary shops to see if I can buy Qi Blood Pills. After that, I’ll ask around for news about Qin Xue, like Master mentioned."

When the food was served, a myriad of aromas drifted into his nose. Su Chen put away the book and slowly chewed his meal while pondering his next steps, gradually forming a plan in his mind.

A single meal cost fifteen taels. Prices here were several times higher than in White Stone City. For the same kind of food and similar taste, the price difference was staggering.

Fortunately, Su Chen was prepared and hadn’t ordered too many dishes. Otherwise, if he had ordered a table full of food like he would have in White Stone City, it would have likely cost over a hundred taels.

Before leaving, he asked the waiter about nearby clinics and apothecary shops. The waiter eagerly provided the information, listing the names and locations of several establishments.

Arriving at the closest and largest apothecary shop recommended by the waiter, Su Chen got straight to the point. "Excuse me, do you sell Qi Blood Pills here?"

"You must be joking, sir. We can’t sell Qi Blood Pills here," the shop assistant said, momentarily stunned before smiling and shaking his head.

"Why is that?" Su Chen asked.

"You must be new to Dafeng City, right? Only those large gangs and major sects have Qi Blood Pills in stock. A small shop like ours isn’t qualified to sell them," the assistant explained briefly.

Hearing this, Su Chen waved him over with a gentle smile on his face. Seeing this, the assistant walked over with a puzzled look.

Su Chen lowered his voice and asked with practiced ease, "Then do you know where they are sold?"

The assistant narrowed his eyes and touched the silver taels that had been slipped into his sleeve. He quickly judged the amount Su Chen had given him and softly spat out two words: "Black Market."

A while later, Su Chen walked out of the apothecary shop. He had obtained the channel for buying Qi Blood Pills from the assistant.

According to the assistant, Qi Blood Pills were pills refined by the Profound Water Sect. To obtain them, one either had to purchase them from the Profound Water Sect or join the Profound Water Sect.

Therefore, through regular channels, individuals couldn’t buy Qi Blood Pills no matter how wealthy they were. The only option was to go to the Black Market.

The Black Market opened twice a month, at the beginning and the middle of the month. Since Su Chen wanted to buy Qi Blood Pills, he could only wait for the Black Market to open in three days.

In addition, Su Chen learned another piece of information from the assistant: the Black Market didn’t just sell Qi Blood Pills; it also sold secret manuals and information.

It was similar to the Mist Rain Tower of the Lin Family Castle. The difference was that the scale and chaos of the Black Market far exceeded that of the Mist Rain Tower. While order within the Black Market was somewhat maintained, murders and robberies frequently occurred just outside of it. Therefore, without sufficient strength, it was best not to go to the Black Market.

After gathering intelligence on Qi Blood Pills, Su Chen began asking around the city for news about Qin Xue. However, the information Hong Ming had provided in his letter was from years ago. After so much time had passed, trying to find Qin Xue was tantamount to looking for a needle in a haystack.

An entire afternoon passed, and Su Chen didn’t uncover the slightest clue about her. Hong Ming’s old residence had long been demolished and replaced, and when Su Chen inquired, the new occupants claimed they had no idea where Qin Xue had gone.

"It seems I’ll just have to ask around at the Black Market," Su Chen thought. "If I can’t even find her through the Black Market, then forget it. After all, I’ve never relied entirely on myself for cultivation anyway. With the interface, even if I don’t have the subsequent Cultivation Technique, I can still find a way to continue cultivating!"

As the sun sank in the west, Su Chen found an inn to rest for the night.

The next morning, he went to a property agency and, with their help, found a relatively satisfactory residence. It was somewhat secluded, featured a courtyard, and offered flexible lease terms. After asking for the price, he signed a short-term lease for one month.

There wasn’t much to clean or organize. Expensive things had their reasons for being expensive—the house had everything he could possibly need. Su Chen only had to bring his personal belongings and move in. He signed the contract in the morning and moved in that afternoon.

Over the next two days, Su Chen barely went out. He stayed home to study pharmacology, research poisons, and concoct Blood Boiling Powder, thoroughly enjoying himself.

His progress varied. His pharmacological knowledge increased somewhat, though his research on Mind Confusing Powder had yielded no results for the time being. However, his success rate in concocting potions slightly improved.

In those two days, he concocted a total of ten doses of Blood Boiling Powder. After consuming five doses, he only advanced his progress by the equivalent of half a Qi Blood Pill.

This gave Su Chen a rough idea of the ratio between Blood Pills and Blood Boiling Powder. One Qi Blood Pill was roughly equivalent to ten doses of Blood Boiling Powder. However, the total cost of ten doses of Blood Boiling Powder—including the materials lost from failed concoctions—came out to nearly 300 taels. It was undeniably expensive.

After two days of concocting, Su Chen stopped making more. Tonight was when the Black Market opened, and he planned to go there to understand the market details regarding Qi Blood Pills.