The night passed, and dawn broke the next day.
A knock sounded on Hua’s door. She immediately got up and opened it.
"Young Master, what’s wrong?"
Ye Xuan stood outside. "Prepare a carriage," he said. "I want to take a stroll through the city and buy some things."
"Okay." Hua nodded and immediately went to prepare.
About twenty minutes later, a Beast Vehicle drove out of the Gongsun Mansion.
Every time the Beast Vehicle passed a pharmacy, it stopped. Hua took the drawing of the medicinal herbs Ye Xuan had given her and asked from door to door. After visiting about ten pharmacies, she finally managed to buy the remaining two crucial herbs.
A true city certainly lived up to its name. Resources that were completely unavailable in small towns could easily be bought here—as long as one had the money.
"Young Master, what exactly are these herbs for? The prices they asked for were far too expensive. Are they really worth it?" Hua handed the herbs to Ye Xuan, her eyes still filled with confusion.
She couldn’t understand why he was willing to spend a hundred thousand Demon Soul Crystals on two seemingly ordinary herbs. This price was absolutely ten times higher than the actual value of the herbs themselves. However, the young master didn’t seem to care at all; as long as the seller could provide them, he would pay any price.
Ye Xuan smiled. "I think they’re completely worth it. As for what they’re used for, you’ll find out eventually." Keeping her in suspense, he added, "Let’s go. We’ll look around a bit more and then head home."
The city was exceedingly prosperous. To attract customers, some inns used the meat of level-five Beasts to prepare exquisite dishes. Consuming the meat of level-five Beasts could strengthen one’s physique. Naturally, this wasn’t something ordinary people could afford to eat.
"Stop!"
The Beast Vehicle halted in front of a Pill Pavilion.
Ye Xuan had spotted exquisite Pill Furnaces displayed inside. He had always wanted to replace his current Pill Furnace but never had the time. He had also seen some for sale back in Chasing Moon City, but since Liu Yan had been accompanying him then, he felt embarrassed to buy one.
"Oh, are you looking to buy a Pill Furnace, sir? Then you’ve come to the right place. In all of Dapeng City, no one has better Pill Furnaces than ours," a shop assistant’s voice called out from afar.
"What grade are your Pill Furnaces here?" Ye Xuan asked.
"Sir, I guarantee you’ll be satisfied. The lowest grade we carry is a level-five Pill Furnace!"
"Can a level-five Pill Furnace refine level-five Elixirs?"
"That’s right, the grade of the Pill Furnace corresponds directly to the Elixir. A level-five Pill Furnace is quite high-end. For most furnaces, no matter how good the material, they can only refine up to level-four Elixirs. If you forcefully try to refine a level-five Elixir, the furnace could easily explode if you aren’t careful."
Ye Xuan nodded, knowing this was true. The Pill Furnace he currently possessed, regardless of its material, could only handle the refinement of level-four Elixirs.
"Do you have any Pill Furnaces of an even higher quality?" he asked.
"Higher quality?" The shop assistant shot Ye Xuan a surprised look. Being so young, Ye Xuan didn’t seem like a powerful Alchemy Master. A level-five Pill Furnace should be more than enough to meet his needs. After a moment, the assistant replied, "We do, but I don’t know if you have the funds. A level-six Pill Furnace requires Earth Soul Crystals."
"Earth Soul Crystals..." Ye Xuan was rendered speechless. He then asked, "Are all your level-five Pill Furnaces out here? Let me take a look first."
"The ones in the main hall are just a portion of our stock; we have more in the inner courtyard. If you aren’t satisfied with these, you can head inside to take a look. Please, feel free to browse, sir. If you need anything, just give the word."
Ye Xuan nodded and began inspecting the surrounding Pill Furnaces. The level-five Pill Furnaces varied in size, each bearing distinct patterns and textures. He touched and examined them one by one, trying to find a Pill Furnace that resonated with him. They certainly looked beautiful, but he couldn’t shake the feeling that they were missing something. None of them felt quite right.
"Sir, are you unsatisfied with all of them? Well then, let’s go check out the inner courtyard. By the way, I should remind you first—level-five Pill Furnaces aren’t cheap. A decent one can sell for thirty thousand Demon Soul Crystals. Are you sure you have that much?" It was obvious that the shop assistant was starting to doubt if Ye Xuan could actually afford one, given that he hadn’t taken a liking to a single Pill Furnace in the entire main hall.
"Only thirty thousand?" Ye Xuan said calmly. "That’s just pocket change."
"Alright, then I’ll take you to the inner courtyard." Saying no more, the shop assistant led Ye Xuan inside.
The inner courtyard also housed several Pill Furnaces, which appeared to be newly restocked, though there wasn’t a wide variety. Even in a major city, the number of people qualified to study Alchemy was incredibly small. The store’s primary business still revolved around trading various Elixirs and Spirit Medicines.
"Are these all you have?" Ye Xuan’s brows remained furrowed after a quick glance.
"That’s all for the level-five ones. We have two level-six furnaces over there, but I’m afraid... you probably don’t have enough money. Besides, our level-six Pill Furnaces aren’t for sale anyway. They’re reserved for Elder Jing."
"Elder Jing?"
"Yeah, don’t tell me you don’t know who Elder Jing is? He is the Chief Alchemy Master of the City Lord’s Mansion. The City Lord had to go to great lengths to recruit him."
Ye Xuan’s eyes lit up. "Is this store owned by the Gongsun Family?"
"Not quite. This is a Sun Family store. Young man, you must be from a Three-Star Main Town if you haven’t heard of the Sun Family. The Sun Family ranks first among the Five Great Clans in Dapeng City. Even the Gongsun Family has to show them some respect."
"I thought this was a Gongsun Family store. Where is their store, and do they sell Pill Furnaces?"
"They do. But even the Gongsun Family’s shops don’t have level-six Pill Furnaces. Only the Sun Family is capable of acquiring them." A proud smile tugged at the corners of the shop assistant’s lips.
"Oh? Why is that?"
"Getting your hands on a level-six Pill Furnace isn’t easy unless you know a level-six Artifact Refiner. As it happens, a certain VIP in the Sun Family happens to know one, which is why we’re able to stock them."
"I see." Ye Xuan didn’t press further, knowing he definitely couldn’t afford a level-six Pill Furnace. "I’ll buy that one, then," he said, pointing to a uniquely designed level-five Pill Furnace in the center of the courtyard.
Although a level-five Pill Furnace could only safely refine up to level-five Elixirs and carried the risk of exploding with level-six Elixirs, it would at least suffice for a while.
Just as Ye Xuan spoke, a young man suddenly strode into the inner courtyard. He looked around as he walked, then abruptly headed straight toward the Pill Furnace Ye Xuan had just pointed out. Tapping the side of the furnace, the young man said, "Xiao Hu, I’ll take this Pill Furnace."
"Young Master Hang, what brings you here?" the shop assistant said, looking a bit troubled. "This gentleman just set his sights on this Pill Furnace."
"He set his sights on it?" The young man glanced at Ye Xuan and added indifferently, "Tell him to pick another one and give him a twenty percent discount as compensation."
Relieved, the shop assistant smiled and turned to Ye Xuan. "Sir, Young Master Hang said we can give you a twenty percent discount on any of the other Pill Furnaces. You’ve scored quite a bargain here; our furnaces are usually never on sale."
Ye Xuan frowned. "Are you saying this furnace is going to be sold to him? But I clearly claimed it first."
Before the shop assistant could reply, the young man sneered disdainfully. "You aren’t from a major city, are you? Do you not recognize the clan crest on my clothes?"
Emblazoned on the young man’s chest was a black bear—the emblem of the Sun Family.
"I don’t," Ye Xuan replied calmly.