The man acted as if he had eyes in the back of his skull. Without turning around, he waved a hand dismissively. "Ai, ai, ai, what's with the tension? Could you ask your precious treasure over there to rein in her killing intent? Constant fighting only sours the harmony, don't you think?"
Despite his talk of harmony, his steps were light and nimble. Like a slick loach, he twisted and turned through the cramped, shadowy alleys of the Abode.
Soon, they reached the deepest part of the market—a cluster of abandoned mine shafts. This place was deserted, the air thick with the stale, earthy scent of decay. The Bamboo Pole man stopped at an inconspicuous entrance and made a flamboyant "after you" gesture, his trademark fake smile still plastered on his face.
Gensheng didn't budge.
"Honestly, brother, why so suspicious?" The man sighed. "If I wanted to harm you, with your current level of cultivation, you’d have died eight times over by now. Would I have let you refine that puppet to the Mid-foundation stage? What would be my angle?"
Gensheng slowly lowered the Corpse-Nurturing Coffin, leaning it against the stone wall. "The goods?"
The man reached into his storage ring and produced three small packets wrapped tightly in yellow talisman paper. He spread them out on the ground.
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A grey mushroom covered in patterns resembling ghostly faces (Hundred-Ghost Mushroom).
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A pitch-black weed with leaves that looked like wailing human faces (Soul-Devouring Grass).
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A chunk of willow heart that looked soaked in fresh blood, constantly oozing crimson sap (Blood-Crying Willow Heart).
These were the three core ingredients Gensheng had searched for in vain. Judging by their quality and concentrated Yin energy, they were top-tier specimens.
"How much?"
Bamboo Pole smirked and held up one skeletal finger. Gensheng frowned. Ten thousand? It was reasonable. Separately, these would fetch three or four thousand each. Ten thousand for the bundle was fair.
"One thousand," the man said slowly. "Low-grade spirit stones."
Gensheng’s pupils constricted. One thousand? He had just spent a thousand on a single piece of Rotting Corpse Vine. These three, combined, were ten times more valuable.
"What exactly are you after?"
"You really are a bore," the man grumbled, looking genuinely disappointed. "I offer you a bargain and you won't take it? Do you insist on me skinning you alive before you feel satisfied? I see you have a unique skeletal structure and extraordinary talent. To enter our 'Sinister Path' at such a young age makes you a malleable gem. I’m simply cherishing a talent, understand?"
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"Rest assured, the herbs aren't poisoned, and I haven't placed any restrictions on them. One thousand stones—take it or leave it. You won't find another deal like this."
Everything about this man had been wrong from the start. First, he sold a heaven-defying technique like the 《Map of a Hundred Ethereal Apertures》 for a mere two thousand. Now, he was practically giving away the key ingredients for the Human-Pill. Was he after Gensheng’s body for dual-cultivation? Or did he want to steal the puppet?
"What are you brooding about?" the man interrupted. "Is your mind playing out some grand drama of betrayal and conspiracy? Wondering if I want your body or your puppet?"
He paused, then asked a question that hit Gensheng like a physical blow: "That set of skills you’re using... they belonged to Jiang Guixian, didn't they?"
Gensheng’s heart skipped a beat. Since leaving Red Maple Valley, that name had never been mentioned. Inside his chest, the three thousand Corpse Wasps began to stir restlessly.
"Easy, easy," the man waved his hands. A flash of complex emotion—nostalgia and a bitter melancholy—flickered in his small eyes. He let out a long sigh. "I am your Senior Brother. My name is Li Chan."
"The old man... I suppose he 'picked me up' before he found you."
Li Chan began to recount the past. "I was once a petty thief in this Qingzhou region, living off scraps and pickpocketing. One day, my luck ran dry, and I tried to steal from a group of evil cultivators. They chased me through three streets. Just as I was about to be turned into mincemeat... guess what? The Master descended from the heavens."
Li Chan was lost in memory. "He was quite the sight back then. Black mist swirling around him, a cloud of insects at his back. Without a word, he let the bugs gnaw those cultivators until not even bone-dust remained. Then, he grabbed me by the scruff of my neck and asked if I wanted to be an Immortal. I was scared witless—I didn't dare say no. And just like that, I became his first disciple."
Gensheng listened in silence. It sounded like Jiang Guixian’s unpredictable style.
"How did you find me?"
"Our souls have long been tangled with those insects. We Insect-Cultivators have a specific 'scent.' You’ve even gotten your hands on his Myriad-Insect Spatial Casket. That smell on you is bright and loud; it’s impossible to miss. The moment I saw you in the market, I smelled it—that stench of Corpse-Miasma Wasps. It was identical to the Master's. That’s why I tested you with the aperture map."
"That map was actually something the Master gave me years ago. I spent a century tinkering with it and couldn't make heads or tails of it. Figured I’d pass it to you."
Gensheng’s guard lowered slightly, but he remained cautious. Seeing this, Li Chan reverted to his annoying, grinning self.
"The old man was a bit of a lunatic, but his eye for talent wasn't bad. You’ve definitely got more potential than me. He fell at Red Maple Valley, so our lineage is down to just us two. If I, your Senior Brother, don't help you, who will? Here, take them."
He shoved the three packets into Gensheng’s hands. "Now, give me my thousand stones."
Gensheng counted out the stones and tossed them over. Li Chan tucked them into his tattered storage ring with a satisfied grin. "That's more like it. If you need anything, find me here. Your Senior Brother will cover you!"
He turned to leave.
"Wait," Gensheng called out. "About 《The Five-Element Root Dao-Body Foundation Manual》..."
"Oh, that thing." Li Chan slapped his forehead as if he’d just remembered. "You read it?"
Gensheng nodded.
"If you actually follow those instructions and swallow that Human-Pill..." Li Chan clicked his tongue and shook his head. "Your fate would be a hundred times more miserable than being a furnace for Bai Jingzi."