Chapter 174: Foolproof Preparations
Chen Shun’an first stopped in front of a stall emitting a medicinal fragrance.
The stall owner was an old man with drooping eyelids, pounding cinnabar with a jade pestle.
Upon seeing the familiar mask on Chen Shun’an’s face, the old man immediately beamed with joy and cautiously took out three small pottery jars from the leather suitcase under his buttocks.
“This lord, the goods you wanted. ‘Pearl-Containing Miasma-Averting Pill’, no need to ingest it, just wear it on your body to ward off the invasion of yin energy, corpse poison, poisonous miasma, and other foul qi; ‘Five Stones Empty Empty Pill’, within thirty breaths the mind goes empty, a blank white paper, utterly unresponsive, but you must pay attention to the dosage, otherwise you’ll really turn into a fool.
‘Spirit-Rhino Bone-Piercing Powder’, after ingestion, a martial artist’s five senses of sight, hearing, smell, taste, and touch become extremely acute, and the perception of pain is similarly amplified; an ordinary punch’s pain will feel like bone-shattering heart-piercing agony…”
Chen Shun’an took the pottery jars, briefly inspected the goods, and decisively paid.
The Pearl-Containing Miasma-Averting Pill resembled a sachet; with a slight twitch of his nostrils, a fresh grassy fragrance entered his lungs.
Chen Shun’an hung it on his waist.
After all, Zhao Guanghui refined corpses into spirits, so under that mourning hall and even his mansion, that unknown immortal fate, who knows if it might be filled with yin energy and various poisonous miasmas.
Chen Shun’an naturally wanted to prepare for a rainy day.
As for the other two types of pills, they naturally weren’t for Chen Shun’an to eat himself, but prepared for others to eat.
No choice, the pills and utensils Chen Shun’an was buying now were quite niche; the apothecaries and private agencies in the county might have them, but in terms of quality, they really weren’t as good as the black market.
After all, experts are among the common folk.
You can underestimate the moral level of these stall owners on the black market.
But you can’t underestimate their craftsmanship.
Especially in the aspect of ripping people off.
As for the major pills Chen Shun’an took himself, to nourish essence and vitalize blood, temper the flesh, and maintain qi and blood.
He still habitually bought them from the old established apothecaries in the county or private agencies backed by major powers.
Though a bit more expensive, they were reassuring to use.
After all, he, Chen Shun’an, now had plenty of money!
“Lord, you’ve finally come!”
After turning two corners, yin wind swept paper money past the desolate graves.
An old lady with small bound feet who had hollowed out who-knows-which family’s ancestral grave and taken it over like a cuckoo in a magpie’s nest, using the tomb chamber as her stall, upon seeing Chen Shun’an arrive, greeted him intimately like seeing the God of Wealth.
The old lady had a pair of fox-like eyes, sat cross-legged on a coffin plank, dressed in black pants and black jacket, black cloth wrapped around her head, wearing black cloth shoes on her two three-inch small feet; from head to toe, even her teeth were black.
She had a tobacco pipe in her mouth, and even while talking to Chen Shun’an, she didn’t forget to puff clouds of smoke.
Beside her was a three-legged iron cauldron left by the tomb’s owner, like a big pot, inside which sat a big fat boy, plump like a fortune doll, his chubby face full like a freshly steamed white flour longevity peach.
Bare-bottomed, tied up tightly with red rope digging into his flesh, he was humming tearfully.
At this moment, seeing Chen Shun’an, this big fat boy looked at him eagerly as if seeing a close relative.
Tears streamed down like they were free.
“This lord, this old body found what you wanted. This item is called ‘Obscure Bright Sand’, a treasure left from my great-grandfather’s generation when they did mountain moving and ridge unloading, tomb raiding for gold…”
Listening to the old lady’s words, Chen Shun’an’s gaze swept deeply over this old and young pair.
In the entire black market, with dozens or hundreds of people, the ones Chen Shun’an couldn’t see through the most were this old lady right in front of him…
And that big fat boy.
The former had an obscure aura, real and unreal indistinguishable; if Chen Shun’an closed his eyes, he would find the space in front of him ’empty’.
Even with his current five senses, he couldn’t detect an old lady standing there.
Even Elder Feng had never given Chen Shun’an such a feeling.
As for that big fat boy, on the surface, he seemed utterly normal.
His breathing rose and fell, bloodline flowed, heart pounded, all comparable to a peer toddler.
But this was the most abnormal part.
Because since Chen Shun’an’s last visit, this big fat boy had been tied up tightly in the iron cauldron, crying nonstop.
The red ropes showed no signs of loosening; with the binding strength of red rope, an ordinary toddler would have had blocked blood flow and died long ago.
This big fat boy, however, had a rosy face, eyes like liquid mercury, still so pitiable.
Moreover…
Chen Shun’an instinctively felt a strange sense of intimacy, even a desire for closeness, toward this big fat boy from the bottom of his heart.
As if this boy were his own grandson, a long-lost bloodline descendant.
So, this old and young pair was off no matter how you looked at it!
If not forced by necessity, among treasures that could satisfy Chen Shun’an’s requirements, scouring the entire black market, only this old lady could find them.
Chen Shun’an fundamentally didn’t want any dealings with this old and young pair.
“Lord, when you use it, just shatter this leather bag with strength, and the Obscure Bright Sand inside will instantly turn into sand mist to obscure, not only blocking vision and interfering with perception, but the sand mist also dissipates qi and blood strength…”
The old lady lit a lamp to illuminate her face, her eyes glancing slyly at Chen Shun’an’s face, then handed him a leather bag.
It felt heavy in hand; Chen Shun’an slightly untied the leather bag and saw it filled with quite a lot of dim, unclear grit.
Similar in appearance to ordinary river sand, but light in texture; slightly shaking the bag made the Obscure Bright Sand seem to float out.
Zhao Guanghui’s sacrificially refined small spirit bodies resembling zombies came and went without trace, ghostly like ghosts, with the ability to ignore ordinary walls and terrain.
Though for the current Chen Shun’an, a mere few were naturally extinguished with a flick of the finger, not worth mentioning.
But what if there were vast numbers of spirit bodies, thousands or tens of thousands?
What if there were even more powerful ones, or ones with other abilities?
Even ants in great numbers can kill an elephant.
For unknown dangers, Chen Shun’an always raised the highest alert and made preparations within his power.
If beyond his ability…
Dodge if possible, let others stand in front.
If really impossible, then he could only use divine movement speed to run.
So, this Obscure Bright Sand could be put to great use.
If there were truly a sea of spirit bodies silently closing in on Chen Shun’an.
At that time, shattering the leather bag and scattering the Obscure Bright Sand would not only force nearby spirit bodies to reveal themselves but also block them with the sand, stripping their ghostly nature.
It could attack or defend, and even serve as a smoke bomb for escape.
Perfect.
This Obscure Bright Sand could also be considered a mysterious item of the martial world.
Just even more niche.
“Here, two thousand taels banknote plus this Black Gold Mountain Treasure Lamp…”
Chen Shun’an satisfiedly received the Obscure Bright Sand.
Leaving aside the banknote, that Black Gold Mountain Treasure Lamp was specially requested by this old lady, item for item exchange.
It was an antique hung for sale at a private agency in the county, with a history of several hundred years, said to be the oil lamp used by a private school teacher to illuminate while reading by candlelight at night, studying the Spring and Autumn Annals.
Several hundred years old, yet intact, full of antique charm.
But over so many years, passing through countless hands, it was discovered to be at most an antique, with no other mysteries.
So it had been gathering dust, worth only a few dozen taels of silver.
Chen Shun’an wasn’t clear why this little old lady specifically named it, wanting to exchange with this Black Gold Mountain Treasure Lamp.
“Thanks, lord. If you need anything in the future, food, drink, fun, bizarre skills, I can figure out a way to get them for you.”
The little old lady got the Black Gold Mountain Treasure Lamp and immediately looked delighted like a fox tasting fishy smell.
That big fat boy looked even more aggrieved at Chen Shun’an, wriggling in the big pot.
However, Chen Shun’an didn’t want to delve deeper and decisively left.
Afterward, at the black market blacksmith, he had his Python Fang Boots repaired, and casually bought a batch of Flying Locust Stones and a high-grade precious sword.
He hesitated, suppressing the urge to have the blacksmith check the Heart-Piercing Nail for any repair or improvement methods.
After all, Owl Third Master’s bones weren’t cold yet, and there was still some panic in the air.
For Chen Shun’an to pull out the Heart-Piercing Nail so quickly still carried some risk.
Wait until the recent fuss dies down.
In addition, after leaving the black market, Chen Shun’an removed his mask, changed clothes, adjusted his facial contours, shifted form and shadow, and went to Banye Ferry Crossing.
He bought 《Acupoint Breaking Finger》, 《Chaotic Cloak Saber Technique》 and other mid-grade martial arts five styles, upper-grade martial arts two styles.
The orphans at the orphanage had varying physiques and different temperaments, so the suitable martial arts paths naturally differed.
People choose martial arts, and martial arts choose people.
After this shopping spree, money flowed out like water.
He had almost spent all the silver from these two loans.
Yet Chen Shun’an felt little heartache.
Anyway, it wasn’t his own silver, no hardship of earning it!
As midnight approached, Chen Shun’an headed toward Wuqing County.
Moonlight shone on him, the large and small packages in his arms, the pill porcelain bottles slightly cool.
“Defensive items include Ziwei Gauze Soft Robe, Python Fang Boots, various pills and poisons, and also Obscure Bright Sand, Heart-Piercing Nail, Qi-eating Insect as trump cards, offense and defense both covered, oh, and this high-grade precious weapon Soft Bone Sword to confuse the enemy…”
Chen Shun’an of the Slay Five Thieves Realm finally felt a bit of security.
These things might never be used in a lifetime.
But they couldn’t be without.
……
Night as dark as ink, yet Zhao Guanghui’s mansion surged with undercurrents.
Zhao Guanghui tossed the last chest of gold and silver treasures into the garden secret tunnel.
Two Lishi, one cradling a strings, one with a mutton-fat jade thumb ring on its head, placed them on the tunnel cart, then repeatedly transported treasures.
The two Lishi were clearly only one or two inches tall, yet their legs moved like the wind, just like the legendary five ghosts transport.
Only pity their strength seemed small, unable to do mountain moving and ridge unloading, not even able to carry heavier items.
Turning back, Zhao Guanghui’s gaze coldly swept the flickering lamplit mansion.
Wife and children were fast asleep, patrolling guards as usual, not daring to approach the garden side.
Zhao Guanghui had received word today that his dear younger brother seemed to have noticed his refining corpses into spirits, planning to make trouble at tomorrow’s inauguration banquet.
To seize the moral high ground, join with Wuqing County’s major powers, strike like thunder, and completely swallow him!
“Exactly who leaked my secret?!”
Zhao Guanghui’s face was ashen.
Zhao Guanghui believed he had done everything flawlessly, dispatching Lishi to secretly monitor every informed party.
One must know, he had developed in secret for many years, poured in vast resources, yet only refined over twenty Lishi.
