Chapter 11: Old Daoist Lu’s Blood-selling Chronicle
Soon.
Fang Shu and the others quickly realized that although Old Daoist Lu had not sold them to the brothel, it was not much better.
In front of a bright and clean medicine hall, people came and went.
The customers went in with ruddy faces, perfectly fine; but when they came out, they all had pale faces, unsteady steps, and some even shivered.
“Buying blood! Buying blood! No cheating young or old, not a single penny short!”
“Today’s special offer: the top ten in blood quantity sold get one Deer Blood Health Preservation Pill, replenishes fluids and restores blood—sell now if you want!”
“The top thirty who buy any blood-replenishing medicine in our medicine hall get an eight-fold discount.”
At the doorway, attendants with smiling faces enthusiastically hawked and greeted, though the content of their hawking was somewhat strange.
An attendant spotted Fang Shu and the others, his eyes lit up, and he came over proactively: “Fellow Daoists, are you new arrivals? Our Blood Refinement Hall is the top blood-buying hall in Gu Ling Town.”
The attendant introduced familiarly:
“For fellow Daoists seeking immortality for the first time, our Blood Refinement Hall offers even better deals—direct ten percent markup, regardless of age or build, all treated as good blood!
Sell this batch, and if you come back within half a year, we’ll add another ten percent profit for you!
If you come uninterrupted every month and rack up six times, you’ll get an extra twenty percent profit as a surprise reward!”
This spiel about selling blood for money flowed smoothly from his mouth, leaving Fang Shu and the others stunned.
Old Daoist Lu was indeed more familiar with the marketplace than Fang Shu and the others; he rubbed his hands, not finding it creepy at all, and chuckled:
“Everyone grab the opportunity! This is the marketplace’s perk for us newcomers—in the Mortal World, no one would even buy the blood in our bodies.”
The Blood Refinement Hall attendant smiled, fully agreeing with Old Daoist Lu’s words.
Old Daoist Lu cupped his hands to the attendant, then pulled the others aside to explain:
“When selling blood later, the attendants and doctors inside might suggest we take care of our health and sell less at a time, especially us newcomers.
But listen to big brother—treat it all as fart!”
The old Daoist cursed: “What kind of blood do we brothers have? Don’t we know? We’re all from the Mortal World, eating grains and drinking bitter mortal water—no spiritual energy in our blood at all.
Those guys are just worried that buying too much of our mortal blood will dock their wages.”
Fang Shu and the others heard this and were even more stunned.
Old Daoist Lu shook his head smugly: “So, we have to seize this chance, sell as much mortal blood as we can from our bodies, sell till it hurts.
After selling the mortal blood, just breathe some spiritual energy in the marketplace, nourish the body, eat well—that blood we replenish will all be ‘spiritual blood’!”
At this point, Fang Shu understood.
He spoke up: “Old Brother Lu means, since we just came from the Mortal World, our blood has little spiritual energy and isn’t valuable, but the marketplace buys blood as spiritual blood?
So the more we sell, the more we earn this time?”
Old Daoist Lu clapped: “Right! That’s the logic!”
He continued: “If you wait even one more day and absorb a few more breaths of spiritual energy, it won’t be as profitable as today.”
Hearing this, Tian Tian Quan and Yin Xiao Jian’s eyes lit up, eager to move.
“Yes! Selling mortal blood might even help our bodies produce more spiritual blood!”
“Old Brother Lu really treats us like his own.”
Even Fang Shu’s thoughts stirred upon hearing this.
But looking at the bright and clean hall attendants with smiling faces, he felt it somewhat creepy and hesitated:
“Will selling blood spread disease? If we catch a filthy disease, it’ll cut off our immortal path.”
Old Daoist Lu dismissed it: “Why worry? The whole marketplace is selling—it’s not just us.
First time ashore, head straight to the blood hall.
If it spread disease, the marketplace would have shut it down first.”
After saying this, Old Daoist Lu stopped urging them.
He spotted a tea stall for resting at the corner of the wall outside the hall and happily walked over.
Fang Shu and the others followed behind Old Daoist Lu and slipped to the corner.
Old Daoist Lu exchanged a few words with the tea seller.
Fang Shu and the others heard that it only took talisman money—one coin for all you can drink, no limit—but it still left them dumbfounded.
After all, the bucket looked like it had only a few tea leaves in it, no spiritual energy visible, no food either, yet it charged Qing Fu Blood Money.
But Old Daoist Lu was generous; he pulled four talisman money from his crotch, laid them on the stall, and called: “This is for us brothers.”
He beckoned to Fang Shu and the others: “Brothers, come, no need to be polite.”
Then Old Daoist Lu grabbed a ladle and gulped down several scoops in one go—his belly visibly swelled!
After downing several scoops, he filled another ladle, waddled to the wall corner, sat down, and kept drinking water like it was nectar.
Fang Shu and the others, tired and thirsty from the boat, thanked Old Daoist Lu and took a few sips too—they found the water in the bucket merely tea-flavored and slightly bitter.
Meeting Fang Shu and their puzzled gazes, Old Daoist Lu patted his belly and whispered:
“Selling blood has tricks—brothers, don’t go in dumb and sell.
Remember, before selling, fill your belly with water, the more the better, then hold your urine, hold it tight—no peeing before the blood’s sold.”
His eyes gleamed slyly: “This way, you sell more, and like diluting wine, you mix in water to cut your own essence blood loss.”
Tian Tian Quan suddenly understood, excited: “So, every extra sip of water now means extra blood money!”
Old Daoist Lu nodded and shook his head approvingly: “Not quite—half a sip of blood extra is tops.”
Fang Shu found this conversation odd, his expression strange.
He also noticed the tea stall vendor glancing at them like livestock, saying nothing.
Suddenly, at that moment.
A group reeking of the mortal world hurried out of the Blood Refinement Hall, ran to the wall corner, couldn’t hold it, and started peeing right there.
Their faces were pale, but as they peed, they showed excited expressions.
One muttered: “Brother Wang, just like you said—holding the pee lets you sell way more blood.”
Seeing Fang Shu and the others look over, the group lowered their voices, as if afraid they’d overhear.
After finishing, they shivered with excitement and headed to the marketplace center.
Apparently to either feast and frolic or shop.
Before Fang Shu and the others recovered, Old Daoist Lu waddled his belly and said leisurely: “See? Old man put myself in your shoes—no lies.”
“Think it over yourselves—old man going to line up first. After selling blood, I’ll treat you to supplements!”
With that, Old Daoist Lu bellied his way into the Blood Refinement Hall.
At the tea stall, only Fang Shu and the other two remained, each with colorful expressions.
Gulp gulp!
Then Tian Tian Quan grabbed the gourd ladle first, gulped down several scoops, held his belly, and headed to the Blood Refinement Hall without looking back.
Yin Xiao Jian and Fang Shu exchanged glances.
Fang Shu recalled Yin Xiao Jian had relatives in the marketplace to rely on.
But Yin Xiao Jian grinned awkwardly, hurriedly drank two scoops, and hurried to the Blood Refinement Hall:
“Brothers, wait for me!”
Finally, only Fang Shu remained at the wall corner, hesitating.
Gazing at the endless, bustling crowd in front of the Blood Refinement Hall.
Fang Shu pondered Old Lu Daoist’s logic of “sell mortal blood, replenish spiritual blood.”
Perhaps, rather than letting only the Tongue Sword and fox fur consume his essence blood, he could sell some himself and consume a few mouthfuls?
After sitting dryly for a while, Fang Shu rose then stopped.
But ultimately, he suppressed the impulse.
His mind cooled; he wasn’t swept up by the hot blood-selling atmosphere at the hall.
He planned to find Second Uncle in the marketplace first, then decide on selling blood.
After all, Second Uncle was the only family left who acknowledged him—unlikely to harm him.
But just as Fang Shu planned to close his eyes and rest, waiting for Old Daoist Lu and the others to come out, his eyelids twitched—he suddenly opened his eyes.
Thud!
He abruptly stood, gaze full of suspicion, staring intently into the crowd entering the hall…
