96: Chapter 96 Trading Resources

He spread out the Talisman paper but did not begin drawing immediately.

Instead, he weighed his options in his mind.

The black market carried risks; once discovered, the punishment could range from the deduction of contribution points and cancellation of production qualifications to being charged with "illegal wartime trading" and sent to the frontline battle division.

But the official channels were indeed becoming increasingly difficult.

With the supply of Body Refining medicinal herbs cut off, progress on the Thunder Body Refining Technique would stagnate. If there wasn't enough thunder-pattern stone powder, the success rate of the Thunder Shield Talisman would drop, resulting in fewer excess contribution points.

More importantly, he needed to prepare for potential emergencies—if he were truly sent near the front lines, having extra controlled supplies would mean an extra layer of protection for his survival.

"Small amounts, multiple times, leaving no traces."

He thought of Senior Brother Feng's sallow yet shrewd face.

For this person to conduct such business in a place like the Hundred Talisman Hall for half a year without being caught, he either had backing or was highly skilled.

It was worth a try.

At 5:45 PM, Lin Xuan finished his work.

He did not go directly to the back mountain, but first returned to his small courtyard at Emerald Bamboo Peak. He changed into an inconspicuous gray cloth garment and put on a mask—not the one he usually used in the market, but a newly purchased one that was even more ordinary and unremarkable.

Only then did he cast the Wind Control Technique, taking a wide detour to quietly approach the back mountain of the Hundred Talisman Hall from a side peak.

The Bamboo-Listening Pavilion was a secluded little pavilion located deep in the bamboo forest, rarely visited by Disciples. Now, as twilight deepened, the swaying shadows of the bamboo made it appear even more tranquil.

Lin Xuan landed outside the bamboo forest and walked in.

There was already someone in the pavilion. It was none other than Senior Brother Feng.

He had changed into an ordinary brown robe and was standing with his back to the pavilion entrance, watching the darkening sky in the distance. Hearing footsteps, he turned around, a faint smile appearing on his sallow face.

"Junior Brother Lin, you are very punctual."

"Senior Brother Feng." Lin Xuan walked into the pavilion and sat on the other end of the stone bench.

Neither of them was in a rush to speak. The bamboo leaves rustled, and the evening breeze passed through the pavilion, carrying the chill of an early spring night.

After a long while, Senior Brother Feng finally spoke, his voice hoarser than it had been in the hall: "How have you considered it, Junior Brother?"

"I want to see the goods first," Lin Xuan said directly.

Senior Brother Feng nodded and took out three small jade bottles from his bosom, placing them on the stone table.

"Thunder-pattern stone powder, ground Golden Bone Grass powder, and Iron-Thread Vine pith. These are all on the restricted items list."

Lin Xuan picked up the jade bottles and inspected them one by one. Opening the stopper of the thunder-pattern stone powder, a familiar burnt fragrance mixed with Thunder Spiritual Energy rushed out—it was of superior quality, even better than what was at the exchange center.

The Golden Bone Grass powder was golden in color with a rich medicinal scent. The Iron-Thread Vine pith was milky white and viscous like paste. They were all genuine, and of impressive quality.

"What is the price?" Lin Xuan asked.

"The thunder-pattern stone powder is 45 points per bottle, the Golden Bone Grass powder is 120 points per bottle, and the Iron-Thread Vine pith is 150 points per bottle," Senior Brother Feng quoted the prices. "I also have peiyuan pill, 180 per bottle."

It was indeed 50% higher than the market price.

Lin Xuan pondered for a moment: "I want two bottles of thunder-pattern stone powder, one bottle of Golden Bone Grass powder, and one bottle of Iron-Thread Vine pith. The peiyuan pill... I'll take three bottles."

That totaled 1095 contribution points.

Senior Brother Feng's eyes brightened: "You are straightforward, Junior Brother."

"How do we trade?" Lin Xuan asked.

"You can transfer the contribution points directly to me, or use Mid-Grade Spirit Stones or finished Talismans to offset the price," Senior Brother Feng said. "However, for our first transaction, I suggest using contribution points—it's clean."

Lin Xuan understood what he meant. Trading with contribution points would appear as a normal transfer between Disciples in the Sect records; as long as the amount wasn't too large, it wouldn't attract attention. Trading with physical goods, on the other hand, was more likely to leave a trail.

He took out his identity jade token. Senior Brother Feng also took out his own. The two tokens touched, a faint flash of Spiritual Qi occurred, and the transfer of contribution points was completed.

"Pleasure doing business with you." Senior Brother Feng put away his token and pushed the five jade bottles over. "If you need anything next time, tell me a day in advance."

Lin Xuan put away the jade bottles and asked: "Senior Brother Feng, are these items... from a reliable source?"

Senior Brother Feng smiled, a look in that smile that Lin Xuan could not decipher.

"Rest assured, Junior Brother. We have a 'Mutual Aid Society.' There aren't many people, but they are all down-to-earth people like you and me. As for the sources... most are collected from Loose Cultivators, and some are..."

He paused: "...are 'siphoned' from the quotas by certain Deacon Disciples with connections. In short, the source is legitimate, the goods are genuine, they are just a bit more expensive."

Lin Xuan nodded and asked no more. Knowing too much was not a good thing.

"Oh, right." Senior Brother Feng stood up to leave, then remembered something. "The Mutual Aid Society occasionally has news from 'special channels.' For example, which mining vein controlled by the Xuanyin Sect has a loophole, or which Loose Cultivator team has good items they are desperate to sell... but these pieces of information require additional fees, and you bear the risk yourself. If you are interested, you can learn more about it in the future."

Lin Xuan's heart stirred, but he remained calm on the surface: "Thank you for letting me know, Senior Brother."

The two left the Bamboo-Listening Pavilion one after the other and went their separate ways.

When he returned to the small courtyard at Emerald Bamboo Peak, the night was already deep. Lin Xuan first entered the Spirit-Taming Tower Space and stored the newly obtained medicinal herbs.

Three petals of the thunder essence fruit tree had already bloomed; the pale purple petals swayed slightly in the thunder light, and the fragrance was richer.

The fruit on the thunder-attracting vine was a mix of green and purple, and electric sparks crackled and jumped, ready to be harvested at any time.

The Herb-Seeking Mouse scurried over, its little nose sniffing all over him, seemingly smelling the scent of the new medicinal herbs.

The Pangolin poked its head out of the burrow, its dark golden eyes blinking. Lin Xuan squatted down and stroked the Pangolin's heavy back armor.

Exiting the space, Lin Xuan began his cultivation for the night. The Purple Heaven Divine Thunder Art circulated, and Thunder Spiritual Energy surged.

His cultivation at Qi Refining Level 4 was advancing steadily; although he was still some distance from Level 5, his Foundation was solid.

The tiny purple thunder seed at the core of his Qi vortex flickered with his breathing, becoming more solid with each flash.

After finishing his cultivation, it was past midnight. Lin Xuan lay on the bed, listening to the rustling of bamboo leaves in the night wind outside the window.

The black market, the Mutual Aid Society, special channels... The war had been going on for half a year; beneath the surface order, another survival system was quietly forming.

Low-level Disciples like him, with official channels becoming increasingly narrow, had no choice but to seek unorthodox methods. But this was not necessarily a bad thing.

At least, he had gained another way to obtain resources. He had gained a bit more confidence to survive amidst the turmoil.

Outside the window, the early spring night wind remained cold and chilly. In the direction of Thousand Talisman Peak in the distance, the Hundred Talisman Hall was brightly lit, shining until midnight.

And in the shadows where those lights could not reach, some transactions were quietly taking place, and some networks were quietly being woven.

The war had changed too many things. Even the most regulated places had developed cracks.

And what Lin Xuan had to do was carefully tread the edges of these cracks, moving forward step by step. Not being reckless, not being greedy, but also not letting opportunities slip by.

He closed his eyes, his breathing gradually slowing. Tomorrow would be a new day. And in this new day, he had five more bottles of controlled supplies in his hand, and one more secret channel in his heart. That was enough.