63: Black market treasure hunt? Wrong, it's patrol!

"Jie jie jie."

Wearing a mask and standing slightly to the side, Zhou Yan let out a low, eerie laugh at Apothecary He.

Seeing him like this, Apothecary He couldn't help but get goosebumps.

It's over, have I run into some hidden evil cultivator?!

"Fellow Daoist, I advise you to stay calm. This is the black market, and the Lianxing Pavilion is in charge here!"

"It won't be that easy if you're thinking of robbing me right here!"

Apothecary He forced himself to appear calm on the surface, but his heart was already a mess of panic.

"Ah?"

"What are you talking about, Fellow Daoist?"

"When did I say I was going to rob you?"

Seeing the other man's pale face and his "my life is over" expression, Zhou Yan was also a bit confused.

He was just a bit excited about obtaining a top-tier item and laughed a little; why did the other party have to be so guarded?

However, to avoid any misunderstanding, Zhou Yan asked Apothecary He to name a price first, intending to pay on the spot to set the man's mind at ease.

Hearing that Zhou Yan had no intention of robbing him, Apothecary He breathed a small sigh of relief, though his vigilance didn't fully vanish.

Originally, seeing how wealthy the other party was, he wanted to take the opportunity to hike up the price and make a bigger profit. But in this situation, if he really opened his mouth too wide, he feared for his life.

While he was having an internal struggle, Zhou Yan had already begun to size up the old man before him.

Hmm... he has a bit of a business mind, and his professional skills are decent; even if he has distracting thoughts, it won't affect his work attitude. Plus, although his path is limited, he still possesses a heart for the Dao.

Of course, the most important thing is that he has a Family!

Jie jie jie, if this old man were recruited as a Family member, he'd be at least an SR, just with slightly less potential.

But having him as Zhou Yan's spokesperson in Jiangzhou would be more than enough.

As long as he secured him early, it would be much more convenient for Zhou Yan to operate in Jiangzhou Prefecture in the future.

After all, Zhou Yan was a high-ranking official; if he had to do everything himself, wouldn't being an official be for nothing?

Zhou Yan's dark gold eyes constantly released a sense of pressure, and some indescribable emotions permeated the air, making the pressure on Apothecary He grow heavier and heavier.

In the end, his concern for his Family outweighed his fear, and Apothecary He made a decision.

He would take a gamble and set a high price!

"For this perfect foundation establishment pill, I want four thousand five hundred Low-Grade Spirit Stones!"

"Ah?"

"Uh, if you think that's too much... four thousand three hundred, no, four thousand is fine!"

Apothecary He spoke as if he were terrified of displeasing Zhou Yan.

Although Zhou Yan had indeed brought out many Mid-Grade Spirit Stones earlier, that was likely his entire fortune. Asking for someone's entire net worth right away—who would be happy with that?

But he truly needed resources right now. If he couldn't achieve a Breakthrough himself, he at least had to use resources to pile up a Foundation Establishment for his Family so they wouldn't suffer.

Zhou Yan, on the contrary, was a bit stunned.

That's it?

Such a small price?

This asking price wasn't even as much as the Mid-Grade Spirit Stones Xiao Sheng had casually given him.

"Here."

Zhou Yan tossed out a Spirit Stone. The moment Apothecary He caught it, he thought the other party really was going to rob him and wanted to forcibly trade one Spirit Stone for the pill.

But as soon as it hit his hand, he realized something was wrong.

Whether it was the feel or the Spiritual Qi content, this was not a Low-Grade Spirit Stone. He had handled Mid-Grade Spirit Stones before, and it didn't feel like those either.

Then... could it be High Grade!

Apothecary He suddenly thought of something and hurriedly opened his palm. The moment he saw the Spirit Stone clearly, he fell into a stunned silence.

It really was... a High-Grade Spirit Stone... "Sigh—"

As if having made a certain resolution, Apothecary He put the Spirit Stone into his Storage Pouch, bowed deeply to Zhou Yan, and said in a heavy voice.

"Tell me, Fellow Daoist, who do you want me to kill?"

"I dare not say I am invincible below Core Formation, but if I use secret medicines and burn my lifespan, I should be able to take down most Foundation Establishment cultivators."

"A Banner Lieutenant of the Northern Pacification Department..."

"Hey, wait!"

"Where is this even going?"

"When did I ever ask you to kill someone?"

How did this old man twist the plot into hiring an assassin on his own?

To prevent him from continuing to let his imagination run wild, Zhou Yan reached into his robe, but in reality, he was taking out a fish tally from the System inventory.

Apothecary He could be considered half an official person; there was no way he wouldn't recognize this object, and he could also tell its authenticity at a glance.

Upon seeing the fish tally, he was first startled, then bowed respectfully.

"Commoner Huo Zhongshan greets the Lord Censor."

"Mm, I have indeed come to Jiangzhou Prefecture on important business. Arriving early and traveling incognito was firstly to purchase a foundation establishment pill, and secondly to observe the local conditions."

"I see that your conditions in all aspects are acceptable. I wonder if you are willing to follow me and assist me in my affairs in Jiangzhou?"

"This..."

Huo Zhongshan hesitated for a moment.

He just came here today to sell a pill, so how did he suddenly get recruited?

While this was a good thing, Zhou Yan's identity was very troublesome.

If Zhou Yan were any other official, he might have bowed down on the spot. But he just had to be a Censor... if the man offended someone, and they couldn't touch the Censor, what if they turned around and took their anger out on him?

Moreover, he held no official rank. Although staying by his side could allow him to borrow influence, there were no substantial benefits. Overall, the disadvantages seemed to outweigh the advantages.

Should he refuse?

But would that offend Censor Zhou?

"That, Lord Censor, I..."

"My backing is the Censor-in-Chief."

"I will go through fire and water for you, Lord Censor!"

[Ding, detectable recruitable Family member 'Huo Zhongshan' found. Recruit?]

[Ding, obtained Family member 'Huo Zhongshan']

I've recruited a second-rank Alchemist!

✧٩(ˊωˋ*)و✧

The two of them had a pleasant conversation afterward. Huo Zhongshan even proactively suggested a price reduction, willing to return seven thousand Spirit Stones to Zhou Yan from what he had previously received.

But since becoming an official, Zhou Yan had always upheld integrity and honesty, not taking even a needle or a thread from the people.

Therefore, the amount should be what it was, and the rest would be considered a settlement allowance. If he truly felt bad about it, he could just cooperate wholeheartedly in the future.

Hearing this, Huo Zhongshan was also somewhat moved.

He agreed to follow him mainly for the big tree that was the Censor-in-Chief. But if his superior was an upright person, he would naturally be more at ease.

Undoubtedly, this move by Zhou Yan raised Huo Zhongshan's favorability significantly.

After a few final instructions and leaving behind contact information, Huo Zhongshan closed the shop and prepared to leave the market.

With a full harvest, Huo Zhongshan looked back at the small shop that had accompanied him for decades and couldn't help but sigh.

"It seems that in the future, I won't be coming back here."

After bidding farewell to Huo Zhongshan, Zhou Yan had a new plan.

Originally, he just wanted to find a high-quality foundation establishment pill. Now, not only had his wish been fulfilled, but he had also obtained a top-tier item with a 98% success rate for Foundation Establishment.

Since he had exceeded his goal, he could naturally take a good look around this market to see if he could pick up any bargains or find some treasure.

Wait, no!

How could he call it "looking around"?

This official is on an incognito inspection; I must properly check if these shops are in compliance with regulations.

Sigh—this is all for the sake of the people of Jiangzhou.

So now, the first thing Zhou Yan had to do was spend money.

However, although there were some Mid-Grade Spirit Stones left from Xiao Sheng's gift, he had just used one High-Grade Spirit Stone to recruit the second-rank Alchemist.

With this coming and going, it was not only equivalent to the Spirit Stones from Xiao Sheng hitting rock bottom, but he had also paid quite a bit out of his own pocket.

Although it was a necessary expense, continuing to spend like this was truly painful.

So now... as Zhou Yan pondered, he had already walked to his destination.

He looked up and saw several large characters on the plaque.

"Night Travel Ruins Pawnshop."

A wicked smile curled on Zhou Yan's lips.

Fortunately, he was wearing a mask, otherwise, he might have been taken down on the spot by the guards inside the door.

In the black market, robbing the robbers—no matter how you heard it, it sounded perfectly reasonable.

Having made up his mind, Zhou Yan swaggered into the pawnshop.

Under the pawnshop owner's surprised gaze, Zhou Yan slammed the golden bow onto the counter.

"Boss, how many Spirit Stones can I pawn this treasure for?"