Chapter 19: Stupid Apprentice!

For various reasons, Meng Yingxing rarely descended the mountain.
Those reasons included having no money, no desire, and fear of being seen by other disciples of the sect.

Thus, he wasn’t very familiar with Yongning City, the closest city to the Tianfeng Sect.
He wandered half the city without finding a single place that would buy his Verdant Crystal.

“Master, do you think that Nanyuan Silver Pavilion would take this Verdant Crystal?”

Meng Yingxing, wearing a hooded cloak, walked along the street, his gaze fixed on a somewhat lavish building not far away.

“Huh? This is my first time out of the Divine Armory Pavilion in years, and you’re asking me?”
Xiu Qingcheng, strapped to Meng Yingxing’s back, swayed twice, signaling her helplessness.
She didn’t even know what the Jintian Nine Provinces looked like now.

“But with that kind of decor and a name like ‘Silver Pavilion,’ it’s probably a place that sells jewelry and bracelets.
Going there would be pointless.”

Having traveled with so many swordmasters in the past, Xiu Qingcheng naturally knew far more than Meng Yingxing.

A jewelry shop, huh…

Meng Yingxing glanced at the Nanyuan Silver Pavilion, feeling his useless knowledge had increased.

“Ask someone.”
Xiu Qingcheng thought asking around was more reliable.
Wandering aimlessly like a headless fly, they might not find a place to sell the Verdant Crystal even by nightfall.

While others secretly trained, Meng Yingxing was strolling around—unacceptable, absolutely unacceptable.

Ordinary merchants wouldn’t buy something like a Verdant Crystal.
Only shops dealing in spirit stones and elixirs, connected to cultivators, would take it.

Yongning City, being so close to the Tianfeng Sect, had many cultivators coming and going.
Logically, there should be plenty of shops willing to buy, yet they couldn’t find one after all this time.

Xiu Qingcheng thought Meng Yingxing was a bit unlucky.

Meng Yingxing nodded and approached a few random passersby to ask where he could sell spirit stone-related items.

By the third person, he got an address.

“Five hundred meters ahead, turn right into an alley…”

Xiu Qingcheng repeated the address the passerby had given them.
“It’s pretty close. Let’s go.”

When Meng Yingxing reached the alley’s entrance as described, both he and Xiu Qingcheng fell silent.

Yongning City—its name evoked a sense of peace and tranquility just by hearing it.
But in such a grand city, there were bound to be corners where sunlight never reached.

This alley before Meng Yingxing and Xiu Qingcheng seemed to be one such sunless corner of Yongning City.

Dark, deep, and foreboding, it felt like stepping into a bottomless abyss at first glance.

Despite the bright sunlight outside, not a single ray penetrated this alley.

“Do we really have to go in…”
Even Xiu Qingcheng hesitated.

This shadowy corner looked like the kind of place where murders frequently occurred.
Just looking at it sent chills down one’s spine.

Meng Yingxing wasn’t as hesitant as Xiu Qingcheng.
After standing at the entrance for a moment, he lifted his foot and stepped inside.

The moment they entered, the temperature around them dropped several degrees.
Meng Yingxing even saw a black cat dart along the alley’s wall.

The atmosphere was undeniably eerie.

“What kind of shop opens in a place this remote? Is dealing in spirit items something shameful?
Are they afraid of something going wrong, with an insider sabotaging the deal?”

Meng Yingxing kept hearing his sword spirit lady chattering, and her voice soothed much of his occasional unease.

In this dim alley, time seemed to stretch endlessly, much like Xiu Qingcheng’s days in the Divine Armory Pavilion.

Xiu Qingcheng didn’t know how long they walked before they finally reached the shop mentioned by the passerby.

“Hidden Spirit Pavilion.”

Meng Yingxing read the simple shop name on the sign above the door.

Without overthinking, he stepped inside.

Contrary to the gloom outside, the interior of the Hidden Spirit Pavilion was bright and open.
There was even a window on the other side, letting in soft sunlight.
The lighting was ample, making it seem no different from shops outside.

“Guess I overthought it. I thought a place like this would definitely be some shady shop.”

Xiu Qingcheng let out a sigh of relief for Meng Yingxing.

Relaxing, she began to inspect the various spirit items displayed in the shop.
There were beast cores, common spirit herbs and elixirs, and some spiritually infused ores.

There were even some extremely rare and hard-to-obtain materials, which seemed out of place in a shop like this.

“Young… sir, is there anything you’d like?”

As soon as Meng Yingxing entered, an old man in black robes, hunched over with an exaggerated smile, emerged from behind the counter, rubbing his hands together.

“I have something I’d like to sell. Would you be interested in buying it?”
Meng Yingxing got straight to the point, pulling the Verdant Crystal from his bag and placing it on the counter between him and the shopkeeper.

The golden Verdant Crystal glowed brilliantly.

“This… is a Verdant Crystal?”
The shopkeeper’s squinted eyes widened, a flash of surprise in his gaze.

“Exactly.”
Meng Yingxing nodded.

The shopkeeper looked up, sizing up the youth before him.

“This old man has a mid-tier Miaoxing cultivation. He was just probing your cultivation. Little disciple, be careful.”

Xiu Qingcheng didn’t know her own cultivation level—swords probably didn’t have one.
But she could sense the flow of spiritual energy around her, making it as easy as breathing to detect others’ cultivation or track their spiritual energy.

She clearly felt the old man probing Meng Yingxing’s cultivation.

Though it was instinctual for cultivators to check the strength of those before them, Xiu Qingcheng still felt Meng Yingxing should stay cautious.

In the world of cultivators, the strong reigned supreme, and acts like killing for treasure were all too common.

With Meng Yingxing’s current low strength and Xiu Qingcheng unable to take over his body to fight, if the shopkeeper harbored greedy intentions, Meng Yingxing would be no match.

Under the Ting Tian Sword, a thousand blades retreat.

As a sword, Xiu Qingcheng was unrivaled.
But a sword was just a sword—without a wielder of equal caliber, it was merely a lifeless object.

With Meng Yingxing’s current strength, he couldn’t unleash the full power of the Ting Tian Sword.

Even though Xiu Qingcheng could now float and move, she couldn’t execute any sword techniques on her own.
At best, she was just a flying, exceptionally sturdy, and sharp sword.

So, she urged Meng Yingxing to stay alert.

If anything went wrong, the best of the thirty-six stratagems was to flee!

Hearing Xiu Qingcheng’s quiet warning, Meng Yingxing felt a chill down his spine, his grip on the Verdant Crystal tightening.

Feigning calm, he asked the shopkeeper, “What price can you offer?”

“Two hundred taels of spirit silver.”

The shopkeeper chuckled, holding up two fingers in a peace sign.

Two hundred taels of spirit silver!?

Meng Yingxing trembled.
In his entire life, he’d only seen a few copper coins—spirit silver was beyond his wildest dreams!

“Foolish disciple!”

Sensing Meng Yingxing’s wavering, Xiu Qingcheng immediately scolded him.
“What are you getting excited about? This is a Verdant Crystal! Even selling it for two thousand taels of spirit silver would be a bargain for him!”

Stupid disciple, so lacking in experience!

Two… two thousand taels of spirit silver!?

Meng Yingxing’s heart quaked, though his face only twitched slightly.

“Boss, you’re not joking, are you?”
Meng Yingxing put away the Verdant Crystal, his expression stern.

Even if he was naive, he wouldn’t sell it for just two hundred taels.

“No joke. If you want to haggle, please leave. I’m only offering two hundred taels.”
Despite the clear room for negotiation, the shopkeeper stuck to his price and gestured for Meng Ying кг

System: Meng Yingxing to leave.

“Leave.”

Xiu Qingcheng’s voice was low and serious in Meng Yingxing’s ears.

“Once you’re out, run straight for a crowded place.”

The shopkeeper’s probing of Meng Yingxing’s strength and his refusal to negotiate had set off alarm bells for Xiu Qingcheng.
This wasn’t about buying the Verdant Crystal for two hundred taels—he was trying to rob Meng Yingxing!
They couldn’t stay here!

“Very well, I’ll find another buyer then.”

Meng Yingxing put on a show before turning to leave.

As he walked out, the shopkeeper’s face twisted into a sinister grin.
“A low-tier Ruxing kid with a Verdant Crystal? He’s practically delivering it to me!
Lose two hundred taels? This crystal’s worth every bit of its value!”

The moment Meng Yingxing stepped outside, he followed Xiu Qingcheng’s advice and bolted toward the alley’s exit without stopping.

Just as Xiu Qingcheng had suspected, she sensed two figures—a low-tier Miaoxing and a high-tier Wangxing—chasing after them at breakneck speed!

They were already coming for the goods!
Those rare materials in the shop must have been acquired the same way!

Now Xiu Qingcheng understood why this alley was so long and tall—it was designed for that shady merchant to chase and rob people!

They’d been set up by that passerby from earlier!

Good heavens, this world was full of such “good” people!