I wasn't forced into it; they gave me too much.

After obtaining the desired information from Xu Qingquan, Qi Yuan took his leave. However, when he arrived at the front hall, he saw a familiar figure standing at the counter selecting medicinal Materials.

"Thousand-year Snow Lingzhi, Jiaye Flower, Xiuxian Grass... and these Materials, wrap them all up."

"Also, didn't someone reserve a full hundred pounds of Nine Nether Soul-Rinsing Sand last month? Why does it look like so little?"

The speaker was a middle-aged alchemist who appeared to be in his thirties or forties. He had a shifty, rat-like appearance and was quite unremarkable, even looking a bit wretched upon closer inspection, but his attire commanded respect.

Nine pale gold patterns were embroidered on his collar, the unique mark of the Alchemist Association, proving that this person was a genuine Heaven-rank Alchemist.

At this moment, the middle-aged alchemist was directing a group of attendants who looked like servants to sort and pack a large number of Materials, sealing them one by one into specially made jade boxes.

The shop assistant stood by, bowing and scraping as he explained:

"In response to Senior Linghu's words, Nine Nether Soul-Rinsing Sand is extremely rare and very difficult to acquire."

"Moreover, the amount you requested is quite large. Our small shop has limited capacity and couldn't gather it all at once. Currently, we have only prepared four or five pounds..."

Hearing this, the middle-aged alchemist frowned and said displeasurably:

"This amount isn't even enough to start one furnace. How do you do business? You have Spirit Stones but don't want to earn them, right?"

The shop assistant had a bitter face and said with a forced smile:

"Our shopkeeper said that next time, when you come next time, we will definitely complete the order."

Seeing this, the middle-aged alchemist didn't bother to waste any more words with him. He gave a cold snort and turned around to inspect the goods.

Why is he here?

After confirming the other party's identity, Qi Yuan was secretly surprised.

This person's name was Linghu Gao, and he was once an Alchemist Enshrined of the Taixuan Holy Land.

At that time, there were five Heaven-rank Alchemists Enshrined within the Taixuan Holy Land, and Linghu Gao was one of them.

About two years ago, Linghu Gao took the initiative to resign from his position as an Enshrined to the Taixuan Holy Land's Sect Head, Daoist Hengzhen, claiming that he wanted to return to the Alchemist Association to focus on studying the Alchemy Dao. He didn't expect to appear in the Demonic Sect now.

From the looks of it, this guy is probably already a member of the Demonic Sect.

Thinking of this, Qi Yuan's expression became strange.

He didn't expect that after two years, this shifty-looking fellow Linghu Gao had actually betrayed the Righteous Path and fallen to become a lackey of the Demonic Path.

For the various forces in the Cultivation World, every alchemist is an extremely precious resource, especially a Heaven-rank Alchemist. Even the Sect Heads of the Seven Great Holy Lands would treat them with great respect and not dare to be neglectful.

Losing a Heaven-rank Alchemist was definitely a huge blow to the Taixuan Holy Land.

Qi Yuan still remembered that his master, Daoist Hengzhen, almost became depressed because of this incident, and only recovered after recruiting another Heaven-rank Alchemist later.

Now, seeing a former Enshrined of the Taixuan Holy Land openly abandoning the light for the darkness, Qi Yuan's first reaction was to clean house.

Of course, this thought only flashed through his mind subconsciously; he couldn't truly be hostile to the other party because of this.

A Heaven-rank Alchemist like Linghu Gao, even if he left the Taixuan Holy Land to serve the Demonic Sect, could not be considered to have committed any crime.

High-rank alchemists rely on the massive entity that is the Alchemist Association. They can act independently, and their relationship with the forces they belong to is purely a master-servant or employment relationship, focusing on benefits rather than feelings.

If they are comfortable, they stay; if they are not, they can pat their buttocks and leave at any time.

The Alchemist Association practices neutrality and never participates in the struggle between good and evil. Both sides also tacitly accept this neutrality and will not easily trouble the Alchemist Association; otherwise, the other side would likely wake up laughing from their dreams.

After pondering for a moment, Qi Yuan decided to contact Linghu Gao.

If the other party was forced, he would have to find a way to help. Even if he couldn't win him back to the Taixuan Holy Land, he should at least find out the motivation for his submission to the Demonic Sect to prevent similar things from happening again.

Thinking of this, Qi Yuan gave a light cough and walked towards the busy Linghu Gao, putting on a look of pleasant surprise:

"Master Linghu, I didn't expect to run into you here. What a coincidence!"

Hearing someone call him, Linghu Gao stopped his work and looked up. Finding that he didn't know the person at all, his expression immediately turned cold as he asked flatly:

"Who are you?"

If it weren't for the word "Master" sounding quite pleasing to the ear, he would have waved the person away long ago.

Qi Yuan didn't mind, but instead cupped his hands with a smile and said:

"This Junior has been abrupt. My name is Qi Da, and I am currently an Outer Sect Disciple of the Yin Sha Sect. My Family is in the medicinal Materials business and is also one of the suppliers for this shop."

"You are a Materials merchant?"

Hearing this, Linghu Gao's eyes brightened slightly, and he then looked at the shopkeeper beside him with an inquiring gaze.

The middle-aged shopkeeper's expression remained unchanged, and he discreetly smoothed over the words for Qi Yuan:

"This Young Master Qi Da is indeed the largest material supplier for our small shop. His Family specializes in selling various Heaven And Earth Treasures. If you have a need for them, you can feel free to talk to him."

Upon hearing this, Linghu Gao immediately dropped his guard, looked at Qi Yuan with a smile, and said kindly:

"So it's Young Master Qi. I happen to have some urgent Alchemy Materials I need. I wonder if you can get them?"

As an alchemist, he naturally felt a sense of closeness to suppliers who could provide Alchemy Materials.

Moreover, Qi Yuan was clearly an upper-level channel for this shop. Buying directly from him would certainly be much cheaper.

Although Linghu Gao didn't lack these few Spirit Stones, what was saved was profit, and who would have a problem with Spirit Stones.

Qi Yuan smiled slightly and readily agreed:

"Since Master Linghu trusts this Junior, then I will certainly do my best. The price and everything else can be discussed."

"It's crowded and noisy here. Why don't we find a place to talk in detail?"

Linghu Gao was delighted to hear this and nodded, saying:

"No problem. There's a Juxian Restaurant over there. Let's go there to talk."

"Good."

Qi Yuangladly agreed，After Linghu Gao assigned tasks to his servants，They then went together to an elegantly decorated restaurant in the market area.。

After taking their seats, Qi Yuan didn't waste words and asked directly:

"I heard that Senior was previously an Enshrined at the Taixuan Holy Land. I wonder why you suddenly chose to join the Yin Sha Sect?"

However, Linghu Gao shook his head and said nonchalantly:

"Young Master Qi misunderstood. I didn't join the Baleful Yin Sect, but was invited by the head of the Ji Clan to be a Guest Elder for the clan. It has nothing to do with the Baleful Yin Sect."

What?

Qi Yuan was shocked by these words. It turned out that the one who poached the Taixuan Holy Land's wall this time was not the Demonic Sect, but the Ji Family!

To bring in a Heaven-rank Alchemist as a Guest Elder, how much capital must have been spent... After coming to his senses, he asked tentatively:

"Senior is a dignified Heaven-rank Alchemist with a respected status and a free and easy life in the Taixuan Holy Land. Why would you settle for being under a Family?"

"Could it be... you were forced?"

However, Linghu Gao picked up his teacup, took a sip, and said with a serious face:

"No, I wasn't forced, they just gave too much."

Qi Yuan: "..."