4: Talisman!

A moment later.

At the entrance of the Ten Thousand Medicines Shop, Lu Qiu looked at the two exquisite white jade porcelain bottles in his hands.

One bottle of Bone-Growing Pills, one bottle of essence-nourishing pills.

Both of these Medicinal Pills were High Grade Spirit Pills for healing injuries, prolonging life, and strengthening the foundation. They specialized in treating various severe internal and external injuries with extremely potent medicinal effects.

For this, he had paid over a hundred Low-Grade Spirit Stones.

This amount of money would not be a small sum even if it were inside the Storage Pouch of that previous Foundation Establishment Cultivator.

But Lu Qiu didn't care at all.

Spirit Stones could be earned again once they were gone, but a life-saving trump card like a talisman treasure, which could be sought but not easily found, would be truly gone if missed.

With the Spirit Pills in hand, everything was ready. Next, he only needed to wait quietly for that "Zhao Yu" to appear.

He looked at the sky; there were still several hours until the hour of the monkey.

It was still early.

In Lu Qiu's mind, the other two pieces of white information couldn't help but surface.

Even a mosquito's leg is meat.

However, regarding that unlucky fellow "Zhang Yin" who died of poisoning, Lu Qiu didn't have the slightest intention of going.

How much profit could a single piece of white information yield?

He estimated that even if everything on Zhang Yin's body were added up, it might not even reach ten Spirit Stones.

It really wasn't worth getting involved in a murder case for such a pittance.

After all, Zhang Yin was already dead. If he foolishly rushed over and happened to be seen by someone, he wouldn't be able to clear his name even if he jumped into the Yellow River.

Within the market, it was strictly forbidden for Cultivators to fight privately or kill each other on the surface.

There was no need to take this risk.

Thinking of this, Lu Qiu made a decision. He turned and left the market, walking towards the Lishui Pool five miles outside the East Gate.

Taking that hundred-year-old water spirit grass was the safer move... An hour later.

Lu Qiu's figure appeared at the entrance of the Ten Thousand Medicines Shop once again, the hem of his robe still bearing some wet muddy prints.

Without delay, he took out a Spiritual Plant from his Storage Pouch that was green all over and emitted a faint water vapor, then strode inside.

"Shopkeeper Liu, I've come to bother you again."

It was still the same elderly man with a goatee. Upon seeing Lu Qiu, a smile immediately spread across his face.

"Brother Lu, you're too polite. What good treasures do you have today?"

When he saw the water spirit grass Lu Qiu handed over, his eyes brightened slightly.

"Oh? A hundred-year-old water spirit grass, and in such perfect condition. Rare, truly rare!"

After a simple round of bargaining, this water spirit grass was finally sold for two hundred Low-Grade Spirit Stones.

"Not bad. I've recovered a large portion of the money spent on the Medicinal Pills."

Carrying the Spirit Stones he had just received, Lu Qiu was in a great mood.

He checked the time and saw that the hour of the monkey was approaching, so he didn't linger and quickly headed towards the "Duobao Pavilion" in the west district of the market.

Duobao Pavilion was another large-scale shop in the market besides the Ten Thousand Medicines Shop, mainly dealing in Magical Artifacts, Materials, Talismans, and other miscellaneous items.

Lu Qiu didn't go in. Instead, he sat down at an inconspicuous tea stall diagonally across from Duobao Pavilion, ordered a pot of the cheapest coarse tea, and sipped it slowly while observing the activity at the entrance of Duobao Pavilion.

He waited for about half an hour.

Just as Lu Qiu was about to finish the pot of tea, a figure finally appeared in his field of vision.

It was a young man who looked to be in his early twenties. He was thin, his face was pale without a trace of blood, and his steps were unsteady, as if a gust of wind could blow him over.

In his arms, he tightly held a simple and ancient wooden box about half a foot square, shuffling toward the entrance of Duobao Pavilion step by step.

It's him!

Zhao Yu!

Lu Qiu finished the last sip of tea, tossed down a Spirit Stone, stood up, and went to meet him, intercepting Zhao Yu just before he entered Duobao Pavilion.

"Brother, please wait a moment."

Zhao Yu was stopped; his already weak body stumbled as he looked at Lu Qiu warily.

"Who are you? What do you want?"

"Don't be nervous, brother." Lu Qiu waved his hand and got straight to the point. "I see that your Qi and blood are depleted and your injuries are severe. You must be in urgent need of Medicinal Pills for healing, right?"

Zhao Yu's pupils constricted slightly. He didn't speak, but only held the wooden box in his arms tighter.

Lu Qiu didn't mind and continued, "Are you planning to take the item in your arms to Duobao Pavilion to exchange for Medicinal Pills?"

"What does it have to do with you?" Zhao Yu's voice was somewhat raspy.

"Hehe, of course it has to do with me."

Lu Qiu smiled slightly, took out the jade bottle containing the Bone-Growing Pills from his Storage Pouch, uncorked it, and gave it a gentle shake toward Zhao Yu.

An extremely rich medicinal fragrance instantly spread out.

Zhao Yu only took a breath, and he felt the churning Qi and blood in his body calm down a little, his spirit becoming refreshed.

His breathing immediately became rapid.

"This is... a High Grade healing Spirit Pill!"

"Correct." Lu Qiu replaced the cork and said unhurriedly, "While Duobao Pavilion is a large business, they are still businessmen. Your wooden box has a Restriction on the outside; it will take effort for them to open it, which is one layer of cost. After opening it, whether the contents are good or bad is another gamble."

Lu Qiu's words were like a heavy hammer, striking hard at Zhao Yu's heart.

"What will they do? They will calculate all the risks onto you and desperately suppress the price. They'll tell you that your item is an unknown. What if there's just a piece of rotten wood inside? Wouldn't they lose big? They'll give you a few of the most ordinary healing medicines to dismiss you, and you can take it or leave it."

Zhao Yu's lips began to tremble.

How could he not know this truth?

This wooden box was left by his ancestors, said to be a family heirloom that should not be shown to others unless absolutely necessary. But now he was being hunted by enemies and was severely injured; if he didn't heal soon, he would surely die within three days.

No family heirloom was as important as his own life.

But what if... what if the contents were really worthless?

Then he would truly die here today.

Seeing the fluctuating expression on Zhao Yu's face, Lu Qiu knew the timing was just right.

He pushed the Bone-Growing Pills in his hand, along with the other bottle of essence-nourishing pills, in front of Zhao Yu.

"As for me, I like to gamble."

"These two bottles of Medicinal Pills, one of Bone-Growing Pills and one of essence-nourishing pills, are both High Grade. They are enough to sustain your life and give you time to recover from your injuries. I'll use them to exchange for that unknown wooden box in your arms."

Lu Qiu's voice was full of persuasion.

"You don't need to haggle with the manager of Duobao Pavilion, and you don't need to gamble on luck. Right now, immediately, you can get the life-saving Medicinal Pills. And I will bear the risk of your wooden box being junk. In this deal, you're making a huge profit without any loss."

Zhao Yu stared intently at the two jade bottles, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down.

His heart was locked in a struggle.

On one side was his ancestors' relic, and on the other was the hope of survival.

The struggle lasted for less than ten breaths.

"Fine! I'll trade!"

He squeezed those words out from between his teeth, snatched the two jade bottles, and then pushed the heavy wooden box in his arms toward Lu Qiu.

The deal was done!

Lu Qiu calmly put the wooden box into his Storage Pouch and cupped his hands toward Zhao Yu.

"I wish you a speedy recovery, brother."

After saying that, he didn't linger at all. He turned and left, quickly merging into the crowd on the street, and after a few turns, he disappeared without a trace.

The talisman treasure was in his hands!