The medicinal pills used after advancing to the third level of Qi Condensation had to be upgraded. Li Tianyan, facing financial constraints, hadn’t taken a medicinal bath for a long time. Yet, he couldn’t abandon the halfway point of body training. The matter couldn’t be delayed for too long.

“Yes, young master.” After Li Tianyan’s instructions, Li Wu abandoned his work, clapped his hands, and rushed to the stable in the backyard.

Cheng Qi, standing next to Li Tianyan, kept his head down, curiously studying the green bag in his hand. Given by Li Tianyan early that morning, it was called a storage bag, capable of containing items as large as four cows. Cheng Qi couldn’t fathom fitting cows into such a small bag.

Seeing Li Wu bringing the carriage, Cheng Qi quickly stowed the storage bag. It contained five hundred taels of silver notes, pocket money from Li Tianyan for him to use as he pleased.

This time, the three of them ventured out together, attracting considerable attention upon entering the city. It was Li Tianyan’s first appearance after separation, sparking curiosity and inquiries from the people of Jincheng.

Li Tianyan disregarded the surrounding comments and headed straight to Laibao Pavilion, the city’s finest treasure shop. If he couldn’t find something suitable here, he might have to go to Yuncheng.

Previously, when Li Tianyan visited Laibao Pavilion, the shopkeeper personally attended to him. After all, few young men from aristocratic families in Jincheng would casually purchase a hairpin worth over 10,000 taels. However, today, as soon as the shopkeeper saw them, he immediately feigned busyness and dispatched a clerk to greet them.

The clerk, noticing the shopkeeper’s signal, hastened forward and greeted, “Young Master Li, what are you looking for today? I can introduce it to you.”

Li Tianyan didn’t mind the change in the shopkeeper’s attitude. He simply told the waiter, “Is there anything outstanding? I need a better cauldron.”

The waiter responded enthusiastically, “Young Master Li is seeking a cauldron, so you’re in luck. We just received some good-looking ones yesterday. I’ll show you.”

“Lead the way.” Li Tianyan nodded.

As Cheng Qi entered Laibao Pavilion, he was captivated by the various weapons and semi-spiritual items. His eyes wandered until his hand was caught, bringing him back to reality. Quickly, he followed Li Tianyan into the store.

Seeing that Cheng Qi seemed quite interested in the items, Li Tianyan thought that if he later bought a cauldron and had some money left, he might be able to purchase him a semi-spiritual weapon.

.

“Young Master Li, all the cauldrons in the store are here. See if there’s anything you like,” the clerk pointed to the shelf with a dozen cauldrons and said to Li Tianyan.

“Thank you.” Li Tianyan stepped forward, carefully observing cauldrons of different shapes from left to right. He found that the best one among them was the Tianhe Cauldron made of blue rock pine.

“How much does this cost?” Li Tianyan picked up the cauldron he was interested in and asked the waiter.

“Young Master Li has a discerning eye. This cauldron was made by  Master Zhao Jiamu of Yuncheng. It also has the weapon maker’s seal engraved on the bottom. The materials and craftsmanship are first-class, and the price is very reasonable. It’s only 180,000 taels,” the clerk said enthusiastically, trying to sell it to Li Tianyan.

When Li Tianyan heard the price, he made a puzzled face and gently put the tripod back. He thought around 90,000 taels, he could buy whatever he wanted, but in the end, he couldn’t even afford a piece of scrap metal.

Cheng Qi on the side quietly squeezed his storage bag. A small tripod costs 180,000 taels. He should save his pocket money to buy candied haws. Five hundred taels were enough for him to buy many candied haws.

The clerk picked up an ancient silver cauldron and said, “That cauldron is indeed a bit more expensive, but it’s worth the money. Young Master Li can also take a look at this one made of wind silver. The material is also semi-spiritual, but the workmanship is rough. These are very affordable, only 30,000 taels.”

Li Tianyan took a look at it but was extremely disgusted. They were all semi-spiritual weapons, but the materials were not even a little bit inferior. This Fengyin Cauldron could only be regarded as an entry-level semi-spiritual weapon, so he had to suffer losses even if he received it. Feeling like it was another trash.

He couldn’t afford the 180,000 taels, and Li Tianyan really didn’t like the others. When he was about to leave, the waiter who received him said at the right time, “If Young Master Li doesn’t like these, we still have some foreign items in Laibao Pavilion. Why don’t I take you to see those treasures?”

“Yes.” Li Tianyan became interested when he heard about the foreign items and also wanted to see what other places in the Hengwu Continent had.

.

The shopkeeper, who had been secretly observing the group, wore a look of disdain on his face. How could Li Tianyan afford items from their Laibao Pavilion now? He was just pretending.

“Shopkeeper, I heard that you received a batch of new goods yesterday. Unpack and let me see them,” Mu Nanfeng and Cheng Si walked into Laibao Pavilion. Seeing the shopkeeper still stunned, they raised their hands and leaned on the counter.

“Young Master Mu and Young Lady Cheng are here.” The shopkeeper greeted them with a smile and retrieved a rectangular box from the shelf behind him.

“Knowing that Young Master Mu excels in using swords, I’ve kept a this one for you. Check if it meets your standards,” Mu Nanfeng, currently unable to use semi-spiritual weapons, found a soft silver sword in the box. The hilt was adorned with a few blue rock pine stones, adding an aura to the sword.

“Yes, it’s indeed a fine sword.” Mu Nanfeng couldn’t resist touching the blue rock turquoise stones on the sword.

Seizing the opportunity, the shopkeeper suggested, “If Young Master Mu likes it, I can offer a discount. This sword is priced at fifteen thousand taels. Don’t worry about the higher cost; the blue rock pine is used for crafting semi-spiritual weapons. We also have a cauldron here, worth 180,000 taels.”

Mu Nanfeng hesitated. Despite bringing out all his savings, it was just over 10,000 taels. To buy the sword, he might need credit from Laibao Pavilion.

“Laibao Pavilion’s offerings are improving,” remarked Cheng Si, impressed by the sword. However, having recently spent a lot on a favorite hairpin, she resigned herself to admiration.