128: Chapter 128 Purchasing the Inheritance

[You shed the disguise of the "Thousand-Face Faceless Art" and restored your original appearance.]

[You stuffed the Black-robed Puppet into a large Storage Pouch usually used by the restaurant to transport spiritual rice. The Yuan force of a Origin Qi Realm Martial Artist contained a trace of Spiritual Qi, barely enough to open this lowest-grade storage Magical Artifact.]

[This was also why the status of a Origin Qi Realm Martial Artist was far higher than that of a Great Grandmaster.]

[You quietly left Wangjiang Tower through the back door and blended into the bustling commercial street of the market.]

[The green silk dress perfectly outlined your tall and graceful figure. Even though the veil obscured most of your face, just the exposed eyes and breathtaking temperament still drew frequent sidelong glances from passing Loose Cultivators.]

[You walked straight into the market's largest trading house, "Wanbao Tower".]

[The identity you set for yourself was the newly taken concubine of Jin Mantang, the owner of the Spiritual Artifact shop. Jin Mantang was a Qi Refining Perfection Cultivator with considerable influence in Qingyue Market. Most importantly, he was extremely lecherous and changed women every few days. Over the past two days, rumors had been circulating in the market that he had taken another stunning concubine, but no one had seen her true face yet.]

[This was the perfect shield.]

["Madam, how may I help you?" The manager of Wanbao Tower came forward to greet you, his eyes sweeping over you, and his attitude instantly became extremely respectful.]

["I want to sell something," you said in a cold voice, deliberately carrying a trace of arrogance befitting the Family member of a high-stage Cultivator.]

[You walked to the counter and emptied the Storage Pouch onto the table.]

[With a heavy thud, the heavy Black-robed Puppet crashed onto the counter.]

[The manager was startled and hurriedly stepped forward to inspect it. After a moment, a trace of surprise flashed in his eyes, "A Tier One Low Grade Refined Iron Puppet. The refining technique is quite rough, but the core Formation is intact, and its combat power is decent. Madam, how much do you intend to sell it for?"]

["Master Jin said he won't sell it for less than one hundred and ten Spirit Stones," you said, directly using Jin Mantang's name.]

[The manager realized. He had already heard that Jin Mantang had taken a beautiful concubine in the past two days. Seeing you today, judging by your figure and temperament, the rumors were indeed true.]

["So it is the madam from Master Jin's estate," the manager immediately put on a flattering smile. "Since it belongs to Master Jin, Wanbao Tower will naturally offer a fair price. One hundred and ten Spirit Stones, we will take it."]

[The manager secretly felt envious. A Qi Refining Perfection Cultivator was indeed generous; a newly wed concubine could casually bring out a Tier One Puppet to cash in. This kind of generosity was not something ordinary Loose Cultivators could compare to.]

[The transaction went extremely smoothly.]

[You accepted the one hundred and ten Spirit Stones and turned to walk toward the Cultivation Technique section on the second floor.]

["Give me a copy of a Tier One Low Grade Talisman Dao Legacy," you tapped on the counter.]

[The deacon in charge of Cultivation Techniques took out a green Jade Slip, "Two hundred Spirit Stones, and you must make a Heart Demon oath."]

[You paid the money readily, squeezed out a drop of blood from your fingertip, and made a Heart Demon oath not to pass it on, following the deacon's guidance. Afterward, you spent all your remaining Spirit Stones to purchase the Jade Slips for three basic Spells: 'Fireball Spell', 'Water Mirror Technique', and 'Object Manipulation Spell'.]

[The Storage Pouch was instantly emptied, but you felt at ease.]

[You walked out of Wanbao Tower and headed toward Wangjiang Tower along the bluestone path.]

[At this time, Zhao Zhanming was patrolling the street with two Family guards.]

[He spotted the woman in the green dress walking not far ahead at a single glance.]

[Her back profile was tall and graceful, and her steps were leisurely, exuding an indescribable cold temperament. Zhao Zhanming's heart skipped a beat; this back profile was a perfect match for the silhouette he dreamed of day and night.]

[He hesitated for a moment but still quickened his pace and caught up.]

["Shopkeeper Lin, long time no see," Zhao Zhanming walked up to your side and summoned the courage to speak.]

[You stopped and turned around.]

[A gentle breeze blew by, lifting a corner of your veil to reveal a smooth, jade-like jawline and a slightly upturned nose. Those deep, calm peach blossom eyes looked straight at him.]

[Zhao Zhanming instantly froze on the spot.]

[He swore he had never seen such a beautiful woman in his life; even just a fleeting glimpse of half her face was enough to make his brain freeze.]

["So beautiful..." He stared at you blankly and murmured.]

["Is there something, Immortal Master?" You frowned slightly, your tone cold.]

[Because you had changed your vocal cords, Zhao Zhanming did not recognize your voice.]

[Zhao Zhanming suddenly snapped back to his senses. Realizing his gaffe, his face instantly flushed beet red.]

["No, it's nothing! I am a patrol guard of the Zhao Family, just routine business... I apologize for disturbing you, Fairy!" He waved his hands incoherently, so embarrassed that he wished he could find a hole to crawl into.]

[You didn't say much and turned to continue walking forward.]

[Zhao Zhanming stood on the spot, watching your departing figure, a strong sense of disappointment welling up in his heart.]

["If only you were really Manager Lin," he curled his lips bitterly. "No, if only Manager Lin had even a tenth of your looks."]

[After turning the corner of the street and confirming that no one was following you, a barely perceptible curve formed at the corner of your mouth.]

["This kid's expression is actually quite funny."]

[Returning to the backyard of Wangjiang Tower, you quickly changed back into your grey cloth robe and cast the "Thousand-Face Faceless Art" once more, turning back into that unremarkable Manager Lin in her thirties.]

[For the next month, you barely stepped out of the house.]

[You devoted all your spare time to studying the Jade Slips. Since you lacked Divine Sense, you could not directly read the information inside the Jade Slips. You could only rely on your Yuan force to slowly permeate them, memorizing the text and Formation patterns inside by rote.]

["Basic Rune Analysis", "The Ratio of Cinnabar and Spiritual Blood", "Qi Circulation Route of the Fireball Spell"...]

[The massive amount of information filled your brain. Rubbing your aching temples, you exhaled a deep breath of turbid air.]

["I feel like I've returned to high school, memorizing books the moment I open my eyes every day," you complained coldly.]

[A month later, you finally engraved the contents of the Talisman Dao Legacy and the three Spells into your mind without missing a single word.]

[This evening, the Heaven-grade Private Room on the second floor of the restaurant was booked.]

[Manager Liu personally accompanied and hosted the guest, who was none other than the owner of the Spiritual Artifact shop, Jin Mantang.]

[You keenly noticed that Manager Liu's emotions had been extremely tense lately. The conflicts on the outskirts of the market had already spread to the streets, and several small shops relying on the Zhao Family were also frequently burglarized. At this time, the Zhao Family seemed powerless to manage it. Manager Liu had clearly felt the crisis and was in urgent need of a backer.]

[Carrying a flask of newly warmed Spiritual Wine, you walked up to the second floor.]

[The door of the private room was slightly ajar, not fully closed.]

[A strong smell of alcohol mixed with a sweet, greasy scent of rouge and powder wafted through the door.]

["Master Jin, be gentler..." Manager Liu's voice was sweet and sticky, carrying a hint of deliberate coquettish panting.]

[You pushed the door open expressionlessly.]

[Beside the round table, the fleshy-faced Jin Mantang was pressing Manager Liu down on a wide armchair. His rough, large hands reached into the half-open collar of Manager Liu's light-yellow silk dress, fondling her wantonly.]

[Manager Liu's clothes were half-undone, revealing a large expanse of snow-white skin. The corners of her eyes were red as she hooked her arms around Jin Mantang's neck with seductive eyes, her body writhing like a water snake to press against him.]

["Master Jin, this market is getting more and more chaotic. I'm just a weak woman with no one to rely on, you must help me..." Manager Liu said, panting.]