“No problem. Thank you then, Madam,” Feng Ji agreed immediately.

He was naturally willing to take such an easy opportunity to earn Spirit Stones. He glanced to the side and asked, “Do the talismans in your shop follow the same rules?”

“Yes. Talismans are also ‘buy ten, get one free,’ and we offer the same rebate, Fellow Daoist!” Wang Wenyan replied with a warm smile.

This policy had been pre-negotiated with the Li family. In the future, when the main forces went out to hunt demons, both families would be short-handed. They would inevitably need to look after each other’s storefronts. Policies had to be uniform to attract customers, though the accounts remained strictly separate to avoid any disputes.

Feng Ji promptly bought twenty Fireball Talismans, paid the Spirit Stones, and left satisfied.

“The first business deal. We’re officially open!” Wang Wenyan smiled as she watched Feng Ji leave.

The Li family cultivator standing beside her was also pleased. Although the price was low and they had to give away two extra spirit talismans—cutting into their margins—they still made a profit. Once sales picked up in the future, the gains would be considerable.

Moreover, the main purpose of opening the shop was to provide a foothold for members of both families and to process the gains from demon hunting. Running the shop itself was actually secondary.

Half a month passed in a flash.

One day, a portly cultivator in yellow robes appeared at the entrance of the Pill & Talisman Pavilion, accompanied by an elderly man with a graying beard.

The yellow-robed cultivator was none other than Han Feng. He turned to the old man and said, “Fellow Daoist Zhu, this is the place.”

“A pill shop… no wonder they want the Face Preserving Pill formula!”

The old man, Zhu Gui, looked thoughtfully at the signboard. He was a mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator nearing two hundred years of age. His son had died, leaving only a grandson behind. His greatest wish in this life was to see his grandson reach Foundation Establishment.

In the past, with his pill refining skills, earning enough Spirit Stones for a Foundation Establishment Pill wouldn’t have been too difficult. But a few years ago, an incident involving his son cost him a large sum of Spirit Stones, leaving him strapped for resources and forcing him to sell his precious formulas.

Han Feng led Zhu Gui into the shop. Seeing the attendant, he asked him to call Wang Hao, then swaggered upstairs to wait in a private room.

Upon receiving the message, Wang Hao immediately hurried to the front hall.

Seeing the two men, he greeted them promptly. “Fellow Daoist Han, long time no see! And who is this?”

“This is Fellow Daoist Zhu Gui, the seller of the Face Preserving Pill formula. You two discuss; I won’t get involved,” Han Feng said before slipping out the door.

Wang Hao sized up Zhu Gui and ordered tea to be served.

“Senior, please don’t mind my directness,” Wang Hao began. “May I ask how many Spirit Stones you wish to sell the Face Preserving Pill formula for?”

Zhu Gui waved his hand generously. “No problem at all. This old man doesn’t like beating around the bush either. The formula is forty thousand Spirit Stones. Also, you wanted one batch of materials; I have prepared that as well. The total is fifty thousand Spirit Stones!”

“So expensive? Fellow Daoist Han once mentioned it would be around the price of one Foundation Establishment Pill!” Wang Hao couldn’t help but frown.

This Zhu Gui was asking for an exorbitant price. One batch of materials costing ten thousand Spirit Stones? Even with a forty percent success rate yielding four pills, the margins would be thin. It would take refining twenty batches just to break even.

“Hmph! Isn’t the price of a Foundation Establishment Pill around forty thousand?” Zhu Gui stated bluntly. “Even in Wanxiang City, few shops sell Foundation Establishment Pills directly. They often appear at auctions, but when has the price not been around forty thousand? Besides, I need to leave Spirit Stones for my grandson’s cultivation!”

Wang Hao still wanted to bargain. “Fellow Daoist, speaking like this shows no sincerity. The Face Preserving Pill formula is precious, but it’s definitely not worth this price!”

Zhu Gui remained unmoved. “The price will not be lowered. Of course, if Fellow Daoist can offer a Foundation Establishment Pill in exchange, that is also acceptable!”

To others, this demand would seem absolutely impossible. Although Foundation Establishment Pills could be bought in Wanxiang City, one had to compete with many cultivators; it wasn’t easy.

But for Wang Hao, who could mass-produce them after waiting three years, they weren’t that precious. He currently had two on hand, though they were refined using demon cores.

Wang Hao smiled faintly. “Deal!”

“Hmph! Fellow Daoist doesn’t agree… Huh? What did you say?” Zhu Gui was stunned, looking at Wang Hao in surprise.

“I said deal!”

With a single slap of his hand, Wang Hao tossed a bottle containing a Foundation Establishment Pill onto the table.

“Fellow Daoist can inspect it! Additionally, my shop also sells Vein Protection Pills and Obstacle Breaking Pills. Fellow Daoist might consider preparing a few for your grandson!”

Zhu Gui picked up the bottle incredulously. He opened it and took a deep sniff, confirming it was indeed a genuine Foundation Establishment Pill before setting it down.

His gaze toward Wang Hao became much more respectful. “I never imagined such a young friend is already a second-grade high-rank pill refiner! My apologies for underestimating you!”

The old fellow mistakenly thought Wang Hao had refined the pill himself.

Wang Hao shook his head. “This was refined by an elder of my family to lend prestige to our newly opened shop! Does Fellow Daoist Zhu agree to the trade?”

Zhu Gui chuckled twice; it was unclear whether he believed the excuse or not.

“The trade is acceptable. However, I can refine Vein Protection Pills myself, so I won’t trouble Fellow Daoist for those. But I do need two Obstacle Breaking Pills. May I ask their price?”

“One thousand Spirit Stones each.”

“The price is indeed reasonable. This old man is willing to trade with Fellow Daoist! I wonder if we could exchange some insights on pill refining to mutually improve our skills?”

Wang Hao had no objection. Exchanging ideas with another pill refiner could help improve his own skills.

He took out two Obstacle Breaking Pills and eight thousand Spirit Stones to balance the difference, settled accounts with Zhu Gui, and then the two began their exchange.

Zhu Gui had over a hundred years of experience as a second-grade mid-rank refiner, far surpassing Wang Hao in tenure. However, Wang Hao’s advantage lay in having refined an enormous quantity of pills in a short time; much of his skill came from sheer volume, giving him unique insights.

Both gained something from their discussion and were quite satisfied.

Finally, Zhu Gui revealed he possessed two other pill formulas: the Bone Forging Pill and the Black Moon Pill.

The former was suitable for body refiners, strengthening bones and muscles. The latter was a unique antidote pill from the outer sea, particularly effective against marine poisons.

Compared to the Face Preserving Pill, these two formulas were somewhat less valuable. Zhu Gui offered both for forty thousand Spirit Stones total.

Wang Hao currently couldn’t afford that and had to decline, agreeing to discuss purchasing them later when his funds were more ample.

After seeing Zhu Gui off, Wang Hao couldn’t help but sigh. The resources in the outer sea were truly abundant; even pill formulas could be bought! In Qingyuan Market, even if you had Spirit Stones, there was nowhere to buy them.

The sun rose and the moon set; a month quickly passed.

After more than two months of acclimatization, the members of both the Wang and Li families had gained some understanding of life in the outer sea. Wang Hao decided it was time to set out and hunt demons.

Four Foundation Establishment cultivators were chosen: Wang Hao, Wang Yanping, Li Derong, and Li Dedao.

Eleven Qi Refining cultivators were also brought along, with five left behind to look after the shop. The Foundation Establishment cultivators were the main force for the hunt. As for the Qi Refining cultivators, their primary role was cleaning up the battlefield.

Sea vessels were extremely expensive; the Wang and Li families couldn’t afford one yet. Even relatively small ones cost tens of thousands of Spirit Stones. However, their carrying capacity far exceeded that of flying boats, and they were essential for long voyages at sea.

But since this trip was just a trial run, there was no need to purchase or rent a sea vessel immediately; Wang Hao’s Flying Cloud Boat would suffice.

Wanxiang City had strict air-restriction formations, so Wang Hao and his group first had to exit through the city gates and depart from the area near the docks.

They headed northward, traveling for eleven days and covering hundreds of thousands of miles. The Flying Cloud Boat remained concealed within the cloud layers, drifting past white fluffy clouds against the backdrop of the azure sky above and the deep blue sea below.

The vastness filled everyone’s hearts with awe, yet it also reminded them of the danger lurking beneath the waves.