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"Are you really going into seclusion?" Bai Yan toyed with the purple crystal bottle holding the Tongtian Pill, raising an eyebrow as he questioned Ji Yaoge, who had just completed her handover from Cangling Pavilion.

She could smell the scent of alcohol from him. His eyes were bloodshot, but his pupils remained clear as ever.

"Yes," she replied, then asked, "Have you been drinking?" After leaving Yingshuang\'s place yesterday, he had gone off on his own and only came to Cangling Pavilion at noon today to collect the Tongtian Pill.

Bai Yan didn\'t answer. He stretched lazily before moving close to her, slinging an arm around her shoulder in his usual carefree manner, "Senior Sister, let\'s go into seclusion together."

Ji Yaoge eyed his arm with disdain, saying nothing. He released his grip with a sheepish smile, "Sorry, old habits die hard."

"Don\'t get your hopes up too high. The Tongtian Pill can only provide temporary relief. Your meridians are damaged. If you want to cultivate steadily, you need to stop using drugs for rapid cultivation. You should rebuild your foundation by retraining from the basic physical strengthening exercises," Ji Yaoge finally spoke.

Bai Yan walked alongside her, showing no concern, "That would be too slow."

"Cultivation is a long process. Given your talent, even if it\'s slow, reaching the Core Formation stage should not be an issue. Why rush?" Unconsciously, Ji Yaoge seemed to have reverted to her previous authoritative self.

"Of course, I\'m in a hurry. I\'m afraid that by the time I struggle to achieve something, the person I worked so hard for won\'t be around anymore." Bai Yan licked his lips, his narrow eyes squinting slightly.

"Oh?" Ji Yaoge turned to look at him.

"I\'ll tell you more about it when there\'s a chance," Bai Yan didn\'t divulge further.

Ji Yaoge didn\'t press him; everyone had an unspeakable past, she thought.

"If you go into seclusion now, you\'ll miss the Dual Cultivation Duel Conference. This time, Dao friends from several other mountains are coming. It\'s not like previous years," Bai Yan said, walking backward so his height was level with hers, trying to entice her.

"I\'m not interested." Ji Yaoge kept her eyes forward and continued walking.

The Dual Cultivation Duel Conference of Chixiu Palace, held once every ten years, was not only about selecting suitable Dao companions among disciples but also a duel competition within the sect. The winner could receive sect treasures or even be chosen by Yingshuang to become a close guest. In the resource-scarce Shuangxia Valley, this was a grand event, especially with other sects being invited this year, promising even more excitement.

But to Ji Yaoge, it was meaningless. Her only concern was improving her own cultivation level. However, there was another matter she was more interested in.

"I plan to visit Deer Valley soon. Do you know the way?"

Deer Valley was the location of the cultivation marketplace within Tiyu State. Ji Yaoge wanted to procure some items to ensure her Foundation Establishment went smoothly.

"I know the way! Senior Sister wants to go to the market? I\'ll take you," Bai Yan responded eagerly.

————

They set off early the next morning.

Bai Yan had somehow acquired a slightly worn flying sword, which he played with enthusiastically in Shuangxia Valley. Ji Yaoge eyed the battered flying sword, skeptical, "Are you sure it\'s fine?"

"Don\'t worry, leave it to me," Bai Yan winked with his right eye, gracefully leaping onto the flying sword. He flew a small circle in mid-air before stopping in front of her, extending his hand, "Senior Sister, hop on!"

Ji Yaoge saw that the sword seemed unstable but seeing Bai Yan\'s confidence, she decided not to say anything. With a light tap of her toe, she grasped his hand and jumped onto the flying sword behind him. The sword, bearing both their weights, wobbled and sank abruptly. Ji Yaoge couldn\'t help but grab onto Bai Yan\'s clothing, "Are you sure this is safe?"

She didn\'t want to survive the attacks of Bai Li Qing only to fall to her death from a flying sword.

How humiliating.

"It\'s safe, with me here," Bai Yan said confidently and immediately wielded the sword with a charm.

The sword wobbled as it ascended, hovering for a moment in the air before suddenly shooting forward like a bolt of lightning, startling both Bai Yan and Ji Yaoge. The wind whistled past their ears, filling their mouths and nostrils, and their hair was blown into disarray. After the initial panic, Bai Yan seemed to get the hang of it, stabilizing the sword. Feeling proud, he glanced at the arms tightly wrapped around his waist, grinning, "Senior Sister seemed unfazed with her past cultivation prowess; could she be scared of heights?"

Ji Yaoge\'s face burned with embarrassment, "I\'m not afraid of heights; I\'m afraid of you dropping me." Lacking the cultivation level to wield a sword herself, she had no choice.

Bai Yan seemed to enjoy her closeness, his lips curling into a satisfied smile. Just as he turned his head to tease her further, he accidentally bumped into her forehead. His cool lips brushed against her smooth skin; both of them froze for a moment. Before they could recover, the flying sword plummeted as if out of control.

"Damn it, focus on wielding the sword properly!" Ji Yaoge had no choice but to wrap one arm tightly around him while pinching his arm with the other, "Focus your mind, steady your breath, let your intent guide the sword!"

She recited the sword-wielding incantations, which Bai Yan understood, finally focusing and controlling the sword properly.

After some turbulent maneuvers, narrowly skimming past mountain ridges, they finally stabilized. Bai Yan continued flying higher, his face slightly embarrassed, not daring to lose concentration again. The mist swirled around them, the mountain waves undulating beneath like a rolling sea, sweeping past their legs as they quickly reached Deer Valley.

————

The cultivation market in Deer Valley opened every six months, running for half a month. Ji Yaoge and Bai Yan arrived late; only two days were left before the market closed. Many cultivators had already left, and only low-quality or questionable items remained.

"We came at the perfect time; we might find some overlooked treasures," Bai Yan remained optimistic, parading around with his worn flying sword.

The market was simple; cultivators spread out their wares on pieces of cloth. No matter how valuable or rare, just laying them out like that diminished their worth. Due to it nearing closing time, many stalls were already gone, and fewer stalls meant more space to browse. As new customers arrived, eager sellers abandoned their pride, rushing to surround Bai Yan and Ji Yaoge.

"Fellow Taoist, the elixirs I have here are not of high grade, but they are pure. Would you like to take a look? I\'ll give you a discount seeing you look familiar."

"Young lady, I have some top-quality beautifying powder and a cloud brocade dress. Since the market is closing soon, I\'ll offer them at half price. Why don\'t you try them?"

...

Bai Yan and Ji Yaoge struggled through the crowd of merchants, finally finding a spot to set down their own cloth and lay out the items they had taken from Ren Zhongping. The surrounding merchants, seeing they were there to compete, quickly dispersed.

After helping Bai Yan arrange the items, Ji Yaoge stood up and looked around.

"Senior Sister wants to browse around?" Bai Yan saw through her intentions.

"Yes," Ji Yaoge nodded.

"Go ahead, leave this to me," Bai Yan sat cross-legged behind their cloth, posing with a mysterious air to attract customers.

Seeing his demeanor, Ji Yaoge knew he was familiar with this place and said no more, walking off.

————

The market had a wide variety of items, but Ji Yaoge didn\'t find anything of interest after walking around. She slipped into a nearby grove and in the shadows, opened the jade tube. A golden light shot out, and the tube was empty. Gao Badou had vanished without a trace.

She had thrown some of Ren Zhongping\'s cultivation manuals to Gao Badou a few days ago, but the bug, having seen much, had already read those books and couldn\'t absorb their spiritual essence, leaving him frustrated. Today, Ji Yaoge brought him here to make up for that. She had noticed many vendors selling cultivation manuals in the Deer Valley market, so Gao Badou should be able to find something new.

Even if high-grade manuals were scarce, it was better than having nothing.

After releasing Gao Badou, Ji Yaoge returned to the market to continue browsing. The hawkers\' voices rang out intermittently, and the bargaining echoed back and forth. Normally aloof cultivators argued vehemently over the difference of a few spirit stones, their faces flushed and voices hoarse. Despite their usually high status, they now resembled common folk haggling over every penny. But in resource-scarce lands, cultivation was already challenging. Even the tiniest calculations were a struggle for survival. She was born into good fortune, while they fought in the marketplace—both fortunate in their own ways. The path to immortality was varied; no single route was straightforward.

"Young lady, would you like to look at my weapons? This Piercing Sunset Sword is perfect for someone like you."

After walking a few steps, Ji Yaoge was stopped by a plump, rosy-faced cultivator who introduced himself as "Old Tong" and handed her a sword three fingers wide. The sword was thin, sharp, and scarlet in color with a distinct lightning pattern in the center, hence the name "Piercing Sunset." It seemed like a good sword.

Ji Yaoge remembered Bai Yan\'s broken sword and thought about finding a suitable sword for herself once she reached Foundation Establishment. So she asked, "How much for this sword?"

"Young lady, you have good eyes! This Piercing Sunset Sword is the treasure of my stall, forged from Wild Wave Gold. It\'s lightweight yet sharp. Listen..." He lightly flicked the blade, producing a clear, long resonance, "Hear that? It\'s a sword with a spirit. Once your cultivation improves and you attune to it, you can cultivate a sword spirit."

"How much?" Ji Yaoge asked, not wanting to listen to his rambling.

"Hey, it\'s not expensive, just five hundred spirit stones," Old Tong said, opening his palm wide. Seeing her remain motionless, he added, "Young lady, for five hundred spirit stones, you won\'t find a sword like this anywhere else. Look at this lightning pattern—it\'s the essence of this sword."

"Forging a sword from Wild Wave Gold requires Skyfire refinement. Skyfire is drawn from lightning, and only the purest Skyfire can forge the best Wild Wave Swords. Conversely, if the Skyfire is impure, it leaves a lightning pattern on the blade. This Piercing Sunset Sword has such a thick lightning pattern, it must be a flawed sword. You\'re selling a flawed sword for five hundred spirit stones?"

Ji Yaoge smiled as she spoke, while Old Tong\'s face grew increasingly grim. The technique of forging swords from Wild Wave Gold was advanced; common low-level cultivators wouldn\'t know it. That\'s why he had bought the defective sword cheaply and intended to scam an unsuspecting novice at the market. He didn\'t expect the high price to deter buyers and finally caught a naive-looking girl, only for his trick to be exposed.

"This is just a minor flaw. Can you call it waste? If it had no lightning pattern, could you buy it for five hundred spirit stones?" Old Tong didn\'t give up, continuing his sales pitch.

Ji Yaoge glanced at his stall, pointing to three other items without further comment, "Enough nonsense. I\'ll take these four items for five hundred spirit stones. If it\'s a deal, fine, otherwise, forget it."

Old Tong saw her choices and immediately called out, "Young lady, you\'re cutting me to the bone!"

She had picked a square cauldron, an inferior Leiqing Stone, and an impure Phoenix Wood. The cauldron was called "Qiongxi," a regular bronze cauldron used for crafting treasures, and an entry-level item.

"Will you sell it or not?" Ji Yaoge asked.

Old Tong gritted his teeth and put on a pained expression, "Fine, I\'ll consider today a special friendship offer. Five hundred spirit stones, you got a deal, and I\'ll pack up."

With most of his goods unsellable, five hundred spirit stones weren\'t a bad deal—at least he wouldn\'t lose money. Knowing he had met a knowledgeable customer, he stopped haggling and quickly packed the goods. Ji Yaoge paid promptly and had him move the items up front.

As Old Tong placed the Qiongxi Cauldron at her feet and wiped his sweat, he noticed her curiously eying a noisy stall in the distance. He smiled, "Young lady interested in trying that?"

"What\'s that?" Ji Yaoge inquired, hearing the enthusiastic cheers from there only moments ago, now surrounded by curious people.

"That\'s stone gambling!" Seeing her confusion, Old Tong explained earnestly, "Unlike worldly stone gambling which bets on jade, this gambles on cultivation manuals. The stall owner is a collector with many rare manuals he can\'t bear to sell. So, he devised a way to seal them in Snow Pine Jade and brought them to the market for people to gamble on. Each attempt costs one hundred spirit stones, and you can pick any Snow Pine Jade. Whether the manual inside is worth a hundred spirit stones depends on your luck. In the ten days I\'ve been here, only ten people have won manuals worth more than a hundred spirit stones, the best being one worth two thousand, but only one person got that."

Good things were there but were very rare, all relying on luck.

After storing her purchases, Ji Yaoge thanked Old Tong and walked to the stone gambling stall. The stall was small, and because someone had just won a good manual, many cultivators eager to try their luck surrounded it. Ji Yaoge stood on tiptoe to see a large plate filled with fist-sized Snow Pine Jades. The stall owner, a thick-eared man, cheerfully encouraged people to gamble, "One hundred spirit stones per try. Don\'t rush; plenty to go around."

All around him, people handed over their spirit stones and chose their Snow Pine Jades, opening them on the spot. Unfortunately, none found good items again. Most were low-grade cultivation manuals common in the cultivation world, worth less than ten spirit stones, or barely worth one hundred spirit stones.

Losing its appeal, the crowd soon dispersed. The stall owner, satisfied, jingled his money bag, noticing Ji Yaoge\'s long gaze. He said, "Young lady, want to test your luck?"

Ji Yaoge was curious about their money making tactics and didn\'t intend to try it herself. She had never been lucky in gambling. She was just about to decline when someone patted her shoulder, a clear youthful voice sounding.

"Five tries. We\'ll gamble five times."

Ji Yaoge turned, seeing the delicate appearance of Gao Badou.

"Hurry up and pay!" Gao Badou urged her.

Ji Yaoge stared at him for a moment before slowly taking out a bag of spirit stones. Before she could count out five hundred spirit stones, Gao Badou snatched the bag.

"So slow." Gao Badou handed a middle-grade spirit stone to the stall owner.

The stall owner\'s eyes lit up. As he made change, he asked, "And who might the two of you be?"

"Her brother."

"His sister."

Both spoke in unison.

The stall owner looked confused—were they siblings or not?