9: Chapter 009 We're Being Watched!

The newcomer wore a wide-brimmed bamboo hat, the brim pulled down extremely low!

A crisp, fitted outfit outlined a solid physique, and a primitive, long saber was slung diagonally across his back, its scabbard dark and heavy.

Most of his face was obscured by shadows, revealing only the cold, hard lines of his lower face, while his entire body was shrouded in a biting Evil Qi cultivated from years of slaughter.

He walked closer, his gaze first landing on the white paper on the ground, where the handwriting was concise and neat: qi condensing pill, 1,200 yuan crystals.

His gaze paused slightly, then he lowered his eyes to carefully examine the white jade medicine bottle, his fingertips curling slightly at his sides. After a moment of silence, he spoke to Chen An in a low, hoarse voice:

"Your Excellency, is this a full bottle of ten qi condensing pills? May I verify their quality?"

Chen An raised his eyes to look at the man, said nothing, and simply extended a hand in a gesture of invitation.

The man in the bamboo hat glanced at Chen An, then crouched down, carefully picked up the white jade bottle with his hand, and slowly unscrewed the stopper.

A rich and mellow medicinal fragrance instantly diffused, gentle and lingering, pure and soft—it was incomparable to the inferior, adulterated qi condensing pills on the market.

He leaned close to the bottle mouth to sniff it, then poured out a round, plump, and lustrous white Medicinal Pill into his palm, examining it closely under the dim light in the distance.

The pill shape was complete, the pill patterns clear, and the medicinal power condensed and pure. It was a High Grade qi condensing pill refined by a genuine Sect, each one of superior quality, without the slightest adulteration or flaw.

Confirming there were no errors, he carefully placed the Medicinal Pill back into the bottle, tightened the stopper, and gently set the white jade bottle back onto the rough paper in front of Chen An.

The man in the bamboo hat straightened up, his gaze from beneath the bamboo hat locked onto Chen An, his tone still hoarse and cold:

"The qi condensing pills are acceptable, but the price is too high. How about 1,000 yuan crystals?!"

"1,100!" Chen An also lowered his voice, glanced at the man in the bamboo hat, shook his head, and said in a slightly hoarse voice.

The man in the bamboo hat took a deep look at Chen An, his eyes flickering, then nodded and said, "Fine!"

After speaking, the man in the bamboo hat took a money bag from his bosom and handed it over, "Check the amount!"

Chen An reached out to take the money bag and opened it, seeing a total of eleven blue yuan crystals, each the size of a fingernail, inside.

"Deal!" After glancing at the yuan crystals in the bag, Chen An's heart skipped a beat, but he remained composed, calmly tucked the money bag into his bosom, and nodded indifferently.

The man in the bamboo hat said nothing more, put away the bottle of qi condensing pills, took another deep look at Chen An, and then turned to leave.

Seeing the man in the bamboo hat leave, Chen An finally breathed a slight sigh of relief, and the corners of his mouth couldn't help but curl up slightly.

He hadn't expected this transaction to go so smoothly; in less than ten minutes, he had sold that bottle of qi condensing pills.

Moreover, he had sold it for one hundred yuan crystals above the market price.

Since the goods had been sold, Chen An had no intention of staying, so he picked up the paper on the ground, stood up, and walked out of the black market.

However, after walking a few steps, Chen An paused slightly, then walked toward the stall where he had previously seen the Cultivation Techniques.

Arriving at the stall, it was still set up there, and the old man was still resting with his eyes closed, seemingly indifferent to whether business was good or bad.

Stopping in front of the stall, he carefully looked at the Cultivation Techniques and Martial Skills on it. Chen An's eyes flickered, and he picked up the "Black Tortoise Breath-Concealing Technique" he had looked at earlier, then looked at the old man and said, "What is the price for this Incomplete Manual?"

The old man slowly opened his turbid eyes, his gaze leisurely landing on the scroll in Chen An's hand, then he swept a faint glance over Chen An's body, and said in a measured voice: "A Profound Rank Low Grade breath-concealing secret technique!"

After a pause, the old man extended three withered fingers: "300 yuan crystals!"

Hearing the old man's asking price, the corners of Chen An's mouth twitched.

This Incomplete Manual, which was at least seventy or eighty percent missing, actually dared to ask for 300 yuan crystals.

"Although this secret technique is Profound Rank Low Grade, it is at least eighty or ninety percent incomplete and cannot be cultivated at all. It is worth at most 50 yuan crystals!" Chen An thought for a moment and calmly countered the offer.

The old man looked at him with his turbid eyes, then the corners of his mouth curled up slightly and he said, "Agreed!"

Hearing the old man be so straightforward, the corners of Chen An's mouth twitched again.

Oh no, the offer was too high!

However, Chen An did not dwell on it or go back on his word. He took a deep breath, took out 100 yuan crystals and handed them over, receiving five green yuan crystals in change.

The transaction completed, Chen An continued to browse the stall, and his gaze landed on three scrolls of Cultivation Techniques.

These three scrolls were named "Cangxuan Fusion Truth Technique", "Black Iron Golden Body Technique", and one volume of "Alchemy Basics".

"Cangxuan Fusion Truth Technique", a Profound Rank Peak Grade Cultivation Technique, claimed to be able to compress True Qi within the body and purify all True Qi; cultivating it to Perfection could increase the probability of breaking through to the Innate Realm by twenty percent.

"Black Iron Golden Body Technique", a Profound Rank Peak Grade Body Refining Cultivation Technique, claimed that cultivating it to Perfection could turn bones into fine iron, create a golden body as solid as iron, make one impervious to blades and spears, and even make one immune to all poisons; it could increase the probability of breaking through to the Innate Realm by thirty percent.

Like the "Black Tortoise Breath-Concealing Technique", the "Cangxuan Fusion Truth Technique" and "Black Iron Golden Body Technique" were both just Incomplete Manuals, with only about twenty or thirty percent of the Cultivation Technique remaining, making them impossible to Cultivate.

As for "Alchemy Basics", it was just a Yellow Rank miscellaneous academic text, not a standard Cultivation Technique, merely recording some of the most superficial introductory notes on Alchemy.

It contained no methods for cultivation, breathing, or condensing True Qi, only superficially recording the most basic knowledge of identifying Spirit Medicine, distinguishing the properties of herbs, recognizing simple Alchemy tools, knowledge of controlling gentle and fierce fires, and a few low-level, rudimentary pill recipes.

The content was simple and superficial, lacking a systematic structure; it could not be used for cultivation to increase power, nor could it assist in martial arts Breakthroughs; it was only suitable for ordinary people or low-level Martial Artists to get their first glimpse of Alchemy and understand the basics of Alchemy.

After some bargaining, Chen An acquired the two Incomplete Manuals, "Cangxuan Fusion Truth Technique" and "Black Iron Golden Body Technique", along with the "Alchemy Basics", for the price of 80 yuan crystals.

Properly stowing the scrolls close to his body, Chen An lowered his head, tried to minimize his presence as much as possible, pulled his black cloak tighter around himself, and headed straight for the black market exit.

A moment later, under the gaze of the Martial Artists guarding the black market entrance, Chen An successfully walked out of the courtyard gate and then hurried away.

However, after walking only a hundred paces, Chen An suddenly felt as if a cold, chilling gaze was staring at him from behind.

Targeted?!

Chen An's heart tightened slightly, but he did not turn back. He took a deep breath, then activated his movement technique, accelerating and shooting forward rapidly.

However, as he accelerated, the Martial Artists behind him seemed to know his intentions; the sound of footsteps and wind followed closely behind, and the distance between them kept closing.

Not just one person?!

Relying on his Acquired Realm Late Stage cultivation, Chen An could perceive that at least two Martial Artists were targeting him.

"Want to run?!"

A sinister, cold shout suddenly came from behind, and immediately after, Chen An felt a fierce gust of wind strike directly at his back, making his whole body feel as if it were being pricked by needles.

Danger!

Chen An's eyes turned cold, but he did not panic. His body, which had been rushing forward, suddenly paused, his footwork shifted, and using the alley wall for leverage, his figure suddenly swerved sideways.

Swish!

A short dagger flew past the edge of his cloak and embedded itself fiercely into the earthen wall to the side, causing debris to scatter.

Taking advantage of this gap, Chen An quickly swept his peripheral vision behind him.

Two Martial Artists dressed in black and wearing masks were chasing him quickly. The two coordinated tacitly; one held a short blade, and the other held an iron claw. Their bodies were filled with sinister Evil Qi, and at a glance, it was clear they were desperate criminals who had come prepared.

"If you are sensible, hand over all the yuan crystals on you, and we will spare your life. Otherwise... Heh! Heh! Heh!!~~"

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