70: Chapter 70 Renting a House

The maid stopped and smiled, "Senior, don't worry. Any Spirit Beast egg sold by our Bao Dan Pavilion comes with a free master-recognition secret technique. Please wait a moment, Senior, I'll go get it."

A moment later, she returned holding a brocade box, inside which lay the Red-Feathered Luan Egg quietly. Beside it was a thin booklet with four words written on the cover: Master-Servant Contract Method.

"This is the secret technique for signing a master-servant contract with a Spirit Beast," the maid explained. "The stronger the Divine Sense, the firmer the contract. If Senior can hatch this egg in the future and form a contract with your Divine Sense, you will gain a loyal spirit pet."

Yun Ming took the booklet and flipped through it casually.

The secret technique wasn't very profound, but it was reliable. With his current Divine Sense strength, signing a contract with a newborn spirit pet was indeed no problem at all.

He closed the booklet, his heart stirring slightly.

This deal might not be a loss.

Although 180,000 Spirit Stones was almost equivalent to trading that snake demon for this egg, if it really could hatch a Crimson-Feathered Luan at the Golden Core Middle Stage, it would be a great help in the future. Moreover, there was also this bonus secret technique.

Just as he was about to put the brocade box into his naxu ring, he suddenly remembered something and looked up to ask, "Do you buy Medicinal Pills here?"

The maid's eyes lit up. "We do! Does Senior have Medicinal Pills to sell?"

Yun Ming nodded.

"We do, we do!" The maid nodded repeatedly. "Our Bao Dan Pavilion's main business is Medicinal Pills; we buy any pill and sell any pill. If Senior has good pills, the more the better!"

Yun Ming pondered for a moment and then asked, "Then do you have Pill Formulas for sale?"

The maid smiled. "Of course. Senior, please follow me; the second floor is where the Pill Formula ancient texts are located."

Yun Ming followed her upstairs.

The second floor was much quieter than the first, with only a few Cultivators browsing in front of the bookshelves. The maid led him to a row of Jade Slip shelves and pointed at the dazzling array of Jade Slips, saying, "Senior, please take a look. These are first-rank Pill Formulas, those over there are second-rank, and the row at the very back is third-rank."

Yun Ming's gaze swept across and stopped at the second-rank area.

He was currently a second-rank Low Grade Alchemist, and he only knew how to refine a few types of pills—spring return pills, jade marrow body washing paste, and Three-Yang Profound-Charging Pills. These pills were treasures to Qi Refining Cultivators and were somewhat useful for Foundation Establishment Early Stage, but he was now at Foundation Establishment Late Stage, and the effects of these pills were already negligible.

He urgently needed new Pill Formulas.

Ideally, second-rank Medicinal Pills that could increase cultivation or assist in Cultivate.

His gaze swept over the Jade Slips one by one, finally stopping on three of them.

"Just these three." He took them down and handed them to the maid.

The maid took them and looked. "Second-rank Medium Grade 'yunling pill', second-rank High Grade 'ningzhen pill', and third-rank Low Grade 'jinyuan pill'... Senior has a good eye; these three are all premium Pill Formulas of our Bao Dan Pavilion. The yunling pill can speed up the Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivate speed, the ningzhen pill can purify spiritual power and lay the foundation for Core Formation, and the jinyuan pill is even a High Grade pill for consolidating cultivation after Core Formation."

Yun Ming nodded. "How many Spirit Stones?"

The maid made a quick estimate. "The second-rank Medium Grade Pill Formula is 8,000 Spirit Stones; the second-rank High Grade Pill Formula is 20,000 Spirit Stones; and the third-rank Low Grade Pill Formula is 50,000 Spirit Stones. The three together are 78,000 Spirit Stones."

The corner of Yun Ming's mouth twitched slightly.

He had just received 230,000, spent 180,000 on the egg, and had 50,000 left. Now this 78,000—he had to shell out another 28,000.

Forget it.

Pill Formulas are a long-term investment.

He took out the Spirit Stones, paid in full, and put the three Jade Slips into his naxu ring.

He also conveniently bought dozens of sets of Materials for each.

The maid smiled as she saw him downstairs, and upon parting, she said attentively, "If Senior refines good pills in the future, please remember our Bao Dan Pavilion; the price will definitely be fair."

Yun Ming waved his hand and walked out of the Bao Dan Pavilion.

After leaving the Bao Dan Pavilion, Yun Ming was in no hurry to leave.

Glancing at the bustling street, a thought arose in his mind: this might be a good place to gather information.

East Xuan Region, Cangxuan Immortal Sect, Bao Dan Pavilion...

He knew nothing about this world. Where was Daqian? Where was the Sunset Glow Sect? Had that catastrophe ended? Were Mother and Erya alive or dead?

He needed answers.

And those answers wouldn't come knocking on his door.

Yun Ming circled to the east side of the town. There was a quiet residential area there, with dozens of independent small courtyards scattered about, specifically for visiting Cultivators to rent long-term or stay temporarily.

He walked to the small hut with a wooden sign hanging that said "Courtyards for Rent" and knocked on the door.

A moment later, a white-haired Qi Refining Stage old man poked his head out. He looked him up and down, his gaze pausing on his Foundation Establishment Late Stage aura, and his attitude immediately became warm.

"Senior wants to rent a courtyard? What a coincidence, it's the off-season these days, and most of the courtyards are empty. What kind would Senior like?"

Yun Ming asked, "What's the price?"

The old man smiled. "They are divided into three grades. A first-class courtyard comes with a high-level Spirit Gathering Array and a protective formation for 300 Spirit Stones a month; a second-class courtyard comes with a medium-level Spirit Gathering Array and a soundproofing array for 150 a month; a third-class courtyard only has an ordinary Spirit Gathering Array for 80 a month."

Yun Ming thought for a while. "For a second-class courtyard, can the price be cheaper for a long-term lease?"

The old man hesitated slightly. "How long will Senior rent it for?"

"One year."

The old man's eyes lit up, and he immediately decided, "For a year, I'll charge Senior 1,200 Spirit Stones! That's equivalent to 100 a month, and it includes maintenance for the two Formations. How about it?"

Yun Ming nodded and took out the Spirit Stones to pay in full.

The old man happily took the stones and led him through a few alleys to a quiet small courtyard. The courtyard wasn't large, with blue bricks and black tiles. In the yard was a half-withered old locust tree, with a stone table and two stone stools beneath it. There were three main rooms and one wing room on each side; although simple, it was tidy.

"The Spirit Gathering Array is beneath the main room, and the soundproofing array covers the entire courtyard. Senior can use them with peace of mind." The old man handed over a jade token to control the Formations. "If anything comes up, feel free to find this old man at any time."

Yun Ming took the jade token, sent the old man away, and closed the courtyard gate behind him.

He stood in the courtyard, looked around, and let out a soft sigh.

For the next year, this would be his dwelling place.

Yun Ming first walked around the courtyard to familiarize himself with the locations of the Formation hubs and tested the effect of the soundproofing array—surely enough, the footsteps and voices outside the gate were all blocked out, and only the faint rustling of the breeze through the treetops could be heard.

He nodded in satisfaction and walked into the main room.

The room's furnishings were simple: a bed, a table, and a prayer mat. The bed was covered with a straw mat, the table was empty, and the prayer mat was placed in the center of the room, with spiritual light faintly flowing beneath it—that was where the eye of the Spirit Gathering Array was located.

Yun Ming didn't rush to sit down and Cultivate, but first took out the Red-Feathered Luan Egg.

The egg was slightly warm in his palm. He looked down at the pale gold egg and the winding crack, suddenly feeling a bit troubled.

A naxu ring cannot store living things.

Although this egg hadn't hatched yet, it possessed life force within and was considered half a living thing.

He had to find a place to put it.

Yun Ming's gaze swept across the main room and finally landed on the corner beside the bed.

He walked over, crouched down, and took out a Top-Grade Spirit Stone from his naxu ring.

The Spirit Stone was lustrous all over, its Spiritual Qi so dense it almost overflowed. He had obtained over a thousand Top-Grade Spirit Stones in the Wanfa Daojun Blessed Land, consumed nearly half while he was there to Cultivate, and now had about seven or eight hundred left.

He placed that Top-Grade Spirit Stone in the corner and took out another, placing them side by side. One by one, they soon formed a little nest about half a foot square.

Not enough yet.

He thought for a moment, then took out some Spirit Soil and spread it thickly over the Spirit Stones, forming a soft and warm mattress.

The unique life aura of the Spirit Soil and the dense Spiritual Qi of the Top-Grade Spirit Stones intertwined, permeating that small space and even faintly forming a visible spiritual mist.

Only then did Yun Ming nod in satisfaction and gently place the Red-Feathered Luan Egg onto the Spirit Soil.

The moment the egg landed on the Spirit Soil, the pale gold luster on the shell seemed to brighten slightly.

Yun Ming crouched beside it and watched for a long while, unable to help but chuckle.

"This nest of yours," he murmured, "with Top-Grade Spirit Stones as a base and Spirit Soil as a bed, even a Spirit Beast at the Nascent Soul Stage might not have this treatment. Crimson-Feathered Luan, oh Crimson-Feathered Luan, you hardly deserve this nest—hurry up and hatch."

A faint cry came from within the egg, as if in response to him.

Yun Ming smiled, stood up, walked to the prayer mat, and sat down cross-legged.