"Take it."
The old man finally spoke after a moment. It was unclear whether he thought her reasoning made sense or if he simply felt the price was high. Chen Jinshu took out eighty spirit stones and claimed the fire hawk's wings.
She then cautiously asked, "Senior, would you happen to have any blood ape beast materials?"
"Blood ape beast? Those beasts are quite fierce— even Foundation Establishment cultivators don't gain much advantage against them. The price is naturally high. But you've come too late. I sold the last piece of blood ape material half a year ago."
The old man sounded slightly regretful.
"May I ask where the blood ape beast was hunted, Senior? The material is truly important to me," Chen Jinshu asked sincerely, eyes fixed on the old man. With her master's jade pendant cloaking her aura, only a Nascent Soul cultivator or stronger could see through her cultivation.
She felt confident standing before him—almost bold in her probing.
"How would I know? Since I deal in materials, I simply collect them from various sources. I never ask where they come from. You're asking the wrong person," the old man replied smoothly, clearly aware of her underlying intentions but unwilling to confront them directly.
Chen Jinshu snorted silently in her heart. She could tell from his tone that he knew Chen Wenshan—and had traded with him multiple times.
"What a shame. I suppose I'll just have to pay someone to help hunt one," she said with mock regret. After having her shadow bird memorize the old man's aura, she left the stall.
Not long after she left, the old man, rarely seen with his eyes open, looked toward the direction she had gone.
He had used his spiritual sense to assess her earlier, only to find he couldn't detect her cultivation. If he guessed correctly, she had to be at least in the late stage of Qi Refining. Combined with her strange behavior, he couldn't help but grow wary.
"If you won't tell me that bastard's whereabouts… I'll just make you talk," Chen Jinshu thought, her eyes flashing with cold determination.
She had to resolve the Chen Wenshan matter properly if she wanted to focus on her cultivation again—ideally forming her core before the age of fifty to maintain both her appearance and spiritual state.
And distance herself further from the Chen family. A while later, she found another stall with a pair of fire-element bird wings and casually inquired about the old man. What she found out surprised her: the old man was only at the ninth layer of Qi Refining and had long lacked a Foundation Establishment Pill to advance.
In Guanghan Immortal City, such pills were rare—only one or two appeared every few decades, leading to fierce competition.
His name was Bu Zhenhai, formerly the head of a nearby temple. But over the years, the temple saw little business and lacked guardians or cultivation resources. So he came to the city to sell beast materials.
As he wasn't strong in combat, he rarely went into the forests to hunt himself. Instead, he bought materials from beast hunters at high prices, then split them up and sold them at high markups for small profit.
Business had declined in recent years, so he had begun venturing into forests with others a few times a month. His next outing was estimated to be within a day or two.
"Not strong in battle, cautious by nature."
From her inquiries, Chen Jinshu had a decent picture of Bu Zhenhai's personality. A true survivalist type. She didn't linger long, quickly leaving the market district and renting a room at an inn. Once Bu Zhenhai left the city, she would move immediately.
"Once this person makes a move, inform me right away," she instructed Xiao Yin and released it outside her room.
Guanghan Immortal City had cloaking spells, but not ones powerful enough to completely block all beasts or birds. Spirit birds could still be seen flying between nearby mountains, so posting a bird would go unnoticed.
Two Days Later
While meditating in her room, Chen Jinshu suddenly received a signal from Xiao Yin and snapped back to awareness.
"So he's finally left the city."
Over the past two days, she had learned that because Guanghan had fewer cultivators and lower-grade spiritual veins, cave rentals were relatively cheap—just a dozen or so spirit stones could cover several months.
People like Bu Zhenhai, who did small-scale business, could afford to stay longer for safety. He even seemed to treat the city as a semi-permanent home. Still, he had a temple to manage and traveled frequently between the two. Staying a few extra days was just a precaution in case someone was tailing him.
Cautious indeed.
Chen Jinshu put on a disguise mask and changed into a pale blue robe before leaving the inn. She then followed the shadow bird's lead outside the city. Half an hour later, she finally caught up to a solitary Bu Zhenhai.
He was about to enter a forest known for its low beast density and deep concealment—perfect for a cautious cultivator with weak combat skills but high material demand.
"Well done. I'll treat you to something good later," she told Xiao Yin before storing it away and strolling toward Bu Zhenhai.
She also knew that Bu Zhenhai, being proud and wary, had no real friends. He worked alone, which earned him contempt from other rogue cultivators in the trade.
Ahead, Bu Zhenhai was carefully scanning for beast traces when Chen Jinshu silently caught up. Eventually, she cornered him at the base of a mountain. She brought her Lüqi Zither to the front and smiled at the startled man.
"Long time no see, fellow Daoist. Got any leads on blood ape beasts?" Her smile was mocking.
"What do you want? I was just following trade rules. I did nothing wrong," Bu Zhenhai stammered.
"Hmph. You protected someone who didn't deserve protection. Give me that person's name or location, and I'll spare your life."
"And if I refuse?" His eyes flashed with stubborn defiance.
"Then you don't get a choice."
Without another word, Chen Jinshu began playing the Butterfly Dream of Zhuangzi piece—an illusion-inducing melody.
'Ding ding ding… dong dong…'
Bu Zhenhai's eyes widened as he was drawn into a nightmarish illusion. Chen Jinshu then fed him a specially crafted poison pill. Without an antidote, it would kill within three days. Once ingested, his cultivation would be sealed, leaving him as helpless as a mortal. A moment later, she splashed him awake with a water sphere.
Bu Zhenhai retched, stomach churning, and quickly realized he couldn't summon his spiritual energy. His dantian felt locked shut.
"What did you do to me?!"
"Still not ready to talk?"